Magnus felt his chest tighten. "What kind of news?"
"The kind ye'll want tae hear in private." Torvald's eyes cut meaningfully toward Ada.
Magnus turned to Ada. She'd gone pale, her hands gripping the edge of the table. She knew, just as he did, that scouts returning in the dead of night with urgent news was never good.
"I'll come with ye," Ada said, starting to stand.
"Nay." Magnus placed a hand on her shoulder, gentle but firm. "I need ye tae go back tae our chamber. Lock the door. Dinnae open it fer anyone but me or Torvald."
"Magnus, if somethin's wrong?—"
"Which is exactly why I need ye somewhere safe." He cupped her face in both hands, holding her gaze. "Please, Ada. Let me handle this. I'll come tell ye everythin' as soon as the meetin's over."
She searched his face, worry clear in her eyes. But finally, she nodded. "All right.
Magnus leaned down, pressed a kiss to her forehead. Soft. Lingering. The kind of kiss that said things he wasn't ready to put into words yet. Things about caring and protection and the terrifying realization that her safety had become more important to him than his own.
When he pulled back, Ada's eyes were wide, her lips parted slightly in surprise.
"Go on," Magnus said quietly. "I'll walk ye tae our chamber first."
They moved through the dark corridors in silence, Torvald following at a discreet distance. When they reached the chamber door, Ada paused, her hand on the latch.
"Magnus?"
"Aye?"
"Whatever the news is—we'll handle it. Taegether."
Something warm unfurled in Magnus's chest at that single word. Together. As though they were truly a unit now. As though she saw them as partners, not just two people forced into marriage by royal decree.
"Aye," he said. "Taegether."
Ada slipped inside and Magnus waited until he heard the bolt slide home before turning to Torvald. His friend's expression had grown even grimmer in the brief walk.
"How bad?" Magnus asked.
"Bad enough."
They moved quickly through the keep toward the war room, a small chamber off the main hall where Magnus held his most sensitive council meetings. Three men were already there when they arrived—his weapons master Bjorn, his quartermaster Aldric, and the scout himself, a wiry man named Finn who looked like he'd ridden hard and fast.
"Report," Magnus said without preamble, taking his seat at the head of the table.
Finn straightened. "Me laird, I was daein' the usual perimeter sweep of the southern approaches when I spotted movement near the base of the cliffs. At first, I thought it might be smugglers—we've had issues with that before. But when I got closer..." He paused, his jaw tight. "There were half a dozen men,maybe more. Armed. Movin' systematic-like along the walls. Testin' stones. Lookin' fer weaknesses."
Magnus's blood went cold. "How close did they get?"
"Within fifty yards of the eastern postern gate before I lost sight of them. They kent the land too well, me laird. Moved like they'd scouted it before. And when they heard me horse, they scattered into the rocks like ghosts. I tried tae track them but..." Finn shook his head. "It was like they vanished."
"Could they have found the hidden paths?" Bjorn asked, his scarred face creased with concern.
"I dinnae ken. But they were definitely searchin' fer somethin'. Entrances, weak points—somethin' they could use tae get inside without bein' seen."
Magnus's mind raced. Armed men scouting his walls in the dead of night. Looking for hidden entrances. This wasn't random. This was planned. Coordinated.
And it was almost certainly connected to the poisoned well. To the fire. To the attack on Ada.
"Double the guard on all walls," Magnus said, his voice hard as iron. "I want men posted at every entrance, hidden and visible both. And I want every concealed path checked and secured. If there's a weakness, I need tae ken about it before they dae."
