4
When Gavin opened the door of the broch he didn’t expect to find a woman on the other side. He was expecting to find bloodthirsty outlaws and he knew he needed to strike first if his men were to stand a chance of survival.
He almost killed her.
He set out from the castle that morning with half a dozen of his best men, leaving Bruce to take care of things while he got back to work dealing with the outlaw problem.
It had been a tiring week since they’d escaped from Frazer Castle. MacGregor Castle wasn’t in too bad of shape considering how long he’d been gone but it needed a laird back at the helm.
The people had been bickering. With no one in charge, crops that needed bringing in for the winter were being left too long in the fields. Everyone was too afraid of the roaming outlaws. That was to be expected. For six months the story had been that MacGregor land was easy pickings, the laird was out of the picture.
Not anymore. He set to work at once, organizing patrols, sending out scouts and spies, getting the lay of the land.
For the first couple of days he’d hardly slept, there was too much to do. He kept expecting Mungo to turn up with the King’s army by his side but nothing had happened so far. Was the old man biding his time before attacking or had he finally got the message that you couldn’t simply kidnap and slaughter your way to success anymore.
It wasn’t the 12th century, it was the 14th. Diplomacy was making inroads across the highlands. Far more arguments were being settled by marriage than by war. Even Robert the Bruce, still fighting for his right to the Scottish throne, wanted to talk to Edward about peace. It was the English king who refused to discuss things, not the Scottish.
The outlaws were a more immediate problem. They were rife. Last night he’d had his first real stroke of luck. There was a bunch of bandits who had grouped together and one of his scouts had been able to find their hidden base far inside Blackwood Forest.
From there they struck out into MacGregor land, taking tolls from road users, insisting on percentages of wheat ground at mills near the forest, forcing the blacksmiths to produce weapons for them.
They were clearly getting organized and Gavin was glad he and his men been able to escape when they did. Any longer and there might have been more than just Mungo’s army to deal with, there might have been an entire outlaw army.
He sat and listened to the scout’s story for an hour. “They’re ordered around by a real piece of work, goes by the name of Jimmy the Snout. Called that because of his broken nose apparently. Rumor is he takes orders from some woman.”
Gavin frowned, rubbing his chin. “An outlaw taking orders from a woman? What’s her name?”
“No one knows. I’m not sure if it’s just his way of keeping them in check. Tells them he needs to get his orders from her then vanishes deeper into the forest. Comes back and off they go hunting in packs like wolves.”
“Anything else?”
“Aye. As it happens, he’s going out himself tomorrow. There’s a stash of coins hidden in the old broch on the south side of Loch Glamis. They found it was left there by a miller when the English king’s men came taxing last year. Jimmy says he doesn’t trust his gang not to pocket it so he’s going to get it himself. Taking half a dozen or so with him.”
“The broch near the crossroads?” Gavin sat upright, thinking hard.
“Aye. He’s due to set out at first light. Could be the perfect chance to take him.”
“From Blackwood Forest? How far in was their camp?”
“About half a mile.”
Gavin did a quick mental calculation. “So he’ll get to the broch around ten in the morning.”
The scout nodded. “I expect so. What do you want to do?”
“I think I’ll organize a welcoming committee for this Jimmy the Snout seeing as its MacGregor coins he’s coming for.”
“You must be cautious my laird. I’ve seen him strike without warning. If he sees you, you’ll get an ax to your heart before you get a chance to try and take him. He’s one man you will never take alive.”
“Then I’ll cut off his head and bring the rest of his gang in instead.”
Gavin and his men set out a little after midnight, making their way in the dark to the old broch. They reached it just after first light.
The broch had been a fortified house at some point in the past but it had been decades since it was last used. The roof was missing and the walls in danger of collapse but it was still standing and better yet, it was big enough for Gavin and five of his men to fit inside.
Once they were inside, they quickly found the stash of coins. Then all they could do was wait. One man was up in the tall oak to the side of the house, ready to give the signal when he saw Jimmy the Snout approaching.
It seemed to take an age, the men restless, eager to enjoy a decent fight. Gavin marked the passage of time by the movement of the sun through the missing roof.
