“Get the injured to the infirmary,” Gavin called across to the celebrating men. “With haste.”
“You must make peace,” John said, tugging at Gavin’s arm, sweat pouring down his face that he tried to blink away. “We cannot take much more of this.”
“We cannot make peace from a position of weakness,” Gavin replied, looking out at the still retreating attackers. The Frazers stood making obscene hand gestures in the distance, as if to goad him into coming out from the castle. “Come, let us help with the wounded.”
The dead were left where they were. Time would come to deal with them once the living were attended to. Gavin hefted one man over his shoulder. He was an outlaw and blood was gushing from his shoulder. He swore constantly as the laird carried him down the steps and into the infirmary.
“You should leave him to die,” Will said as Gavin lay the man down in the nearest free bed. “He does not deserve our aid.”
“Would you feel the same way if you were wounded in Frazer Castle?”
“Mungo would leave us to die if the situation were reversed.”
“And he would go to hell for treating people that way. We are not savages. The battle is over.”
“Still-“
Gavin pulled out his sword, holding it handle first toward Will. “If you wish to kill him, do so in front of us all and in front of God.”
Will looked at the sword and then at the groaning man in the bed who was writhing in agony. Slowly, the man fell still, his face turning white. “God has judged him,” Will said, turning away.
“As He will judge us all,” Gavin replied. He looked across at the other beds, all of them filled with moaning figures.
A hand fell on his shoulder. He turned to find Daniel the apothecary smiling at him. “There is nothing else you can do here.”
He nodded. “You have enough men?”
“Aye. Go open the keep and bring me any women who can sew.”
Gavin left the screaming behind, stepping out into the cooler air of the courtyard. He paused for a moment, a cold bolt of fear hitting him as he thought how close they’d come to being overrun. Had he done enough? Should he have done more?
The dead were being piled up in the middle of the courtyard ready for burning. They could not be buried during a siege and leaving them for any length of time risked an outbreak of disease. He looked at the vacant faces of those who had fallen. Had he failed them? He could not help but think so.
Was John right? Should he try and make peace at once? He looked up to the heavens for help but there was no answer there. Taking a deep breath he turned away from the pile of bodies and made his way across to the keep. Knocking twice, then three times, then once, he waited.
The door was unbarred a moment later. “It is over,” he said to the guard on the other side. “They can come out now.”
A sea of people headed out of the doors and into the open, all talking at once. He looked for Heather but she did not emerge. “Have you seen Heather?” he asked people as they went by him. No one had.
He pushed past them into the keep. “Heather!” If something had happened to her he would never forgive himself. He thought about what Tanya had told him. Could it possibly be true?
Could Heather be one of the six? What if he was too late? What if Keir was the killer and had got to her before he had time to ask her about the silver key?
“Heather!”
“Yes?” From the back of the great hall she stood up. Surrounding her were the children, all of them smiling up at her.
“Teach us another song,” one of them said.
“Hold on,” she replied. “What is it, Gavin?”
“I…I just wanted to check you were all right.”
“I’m fine. Are you all right? You look hurt.”
“It’s not my blood. I hacked more than a few to pieces as they-”
She put a finger to her lips. “Not in front of the children.” Stepping past them she waved him over to the corner of the room. “They’re frightened enough as it is.”
