“Aye, mayhap ye’re right about that, Tam. Take some extra men and step up yer watch all around the castle perimeter. If anythin’ moves again, let me ken at once, eh?”
“Aye, m’laird, will dae.” Tam hurried off to do as he was bidden.
Excited by the possibility of the existence of a secret entrance to the castle, Ewan instructed a messenger to deliver the letter to Galbraith before going to find Colin. His captain was no longer with the horses talking to Harris, who was still there shoveling muck. He found him a few minutes later at the main checkpoint, relieved his former bout of jealousy now a thing of the past. His thoughts were entirely taken over by Tam’s intriguing news. He quickly pulled Colin aside.
“I have some interestin’ news fer ye that could turn out tae our advantage,” he told his second-in-command.
“That sounds intriguin’,” Colin replied as they began walking side by aside. He listened intently while Ewan filled him in on what Tam had said.
“A hidden entrance, eh? Now if that turns out tae be true, that would just about make me day,” the Captain said, grinning ear to ear.
“Aye, it could be the answer tae our prayers, all right, if it exists. Galbraith could have saved his warriors from gettin’ slaughtered if he’d used it before, but I suppose he wanted tae keep it from us until he was desperate. Now, he’s maybe just given us a helpin’ hand in getting’ intae the castle.”
“Why, I feel like he’s just sent us an open invitation tae dine with him tonight,” Colin replied with a chuckle.
“Aye, and we’ll accept if we can find the way in,” Ewan assured him with a grin.
They were almost at the most forward edge of the camp, just to the rear of where Tam and his fellows were stationed, keeping the stronghold under observation, when there was a shout from behind them. “Hey, wait fer me!”
Ewan halted and turned to see Harris running after them. “Where are ye goin’?” the boy soldier asked, one half of his face obscured by his woolen cap, the other smeared with what Ewan thought could be horse dung. No one would ever think for a moment Harris was a woman.
Ewan found himself unaccountably pleased to have Harris tag along with them and slapped him jovially on the back. After Harris had finished coughing, Ewan quickly explained what he and Colin were discussing.
“’Tis a good thing ye caught us up,” he told Harris. “It might be useful to have someone small in case we find a wee entrance that none of us tae can squeeze intae.”
“Och, ye’re wastin’ yer time, surely?” Harris responded quickly. Ewan put the boy-soldier’s flushed cheeks down to the coughing fit. “If there was a hidden way in, why did Laird Galbraith send his warriors out the front gates tae be cut down like that? Nay, it diaenae make sense at all.”
“Ye think so?” Ewan countered. “Then how did this lone rider get out when the gates didnae open a crack?”
“Ach, I bet they did, but the guards werenae payin’ attention. Likely , they were sleepin’ on the job and only spied the rider at the last minute,” Harris babbled heatedly, clearly unconvinced.
“Me guards ken well enough what they’ll get if they sleep on the job,” Colin protested. “They ken what’s at stake here.”
“Aye, if Tam says the gates didnae open then, as far as I’m concerned, he’s tellin’ the truth. That rider must have come from elsewhere.”
“’Tis a waste of time, if ye ask me,” Harris continued to argue, until Ewan began to get a little annoyed with him.
“Maybe ye’re right, but there’s nay harm in lookin’, so haud yer wheesht and come along.” He took firm hold of Harris’s upper arm and pulled him along after them. When they reached the front of the camp, which was situated just out of range of musket fore and small artillery, Ewan gave his men orders for that night. He split them into four groups of two. “As soon as ’tis dark, I want half of ye tae sneak up as close as ye can tae the castle walls and examine everything ye find. Every waste outlet, every pipe, every drain. Check for concealed catches, hinges, stones ye can lift or move, anythin’ that diaenae look quite right, got that?”
“Aye, m’laird.”
“And I want the other half tae scour everythin’ along the tree line and a few hundred yards intae the forest. Look fer anythin’ that looks like it could be a concealed entrance. Understood?”
“Aye, m’laird.”
“And report back tae me immediately if ye find anythin’.”
“Aye, m’laird!”
On the way back into the camp, Ewan told Colin the rest of his plan and gave him his orders. “Select a few good men and split them up intae smaller groups. Each should take a different village, splash some silver about, try tae find out any information they can about a possible secret way intae the castle. But I want ye tae stay here and take over command while I’m gone tonight.”
“Gone? Where are ye goin’?” Colin wanted to know.
“Me and Harris here are gonnae go and dae a bit of scouting about fer information oursel’s,” Ewan explained, glancing down at Harris and finding the surprise on the boy soldier’s face quite amusing. “I’m nae sure how long we’ll be gone, but if we’re nae back by noon tomorrow, send out a search party.”
“Aye, will dae. But watch yer back out there, Ewan. This is still Galbraith territory, and there’s many out there that would like tae end ye if they recognize ye. I advise ye tae go in disguise, and dinnae take any unnecessary risks,” Colin told him, his expression serious.
The possibility of finding a way into the castle had raised Ewan’s spirits considerably, and he laughed. “Ach, dinnae fash yersel’, man,” he told Colin. “I’ll be safe as houses with Harris tae protectme. Eh, lad?” He slapped Harris playfully on the back again, knocking the wind from the boy soldier’s lungs.
