Why is he just standing there, waiting for me to reply?
Tearing his gaze away from Una, who stood as if turned to stone, Struan glanced down at Keir. The man stood placidly before the Keep walls, as if he had all the time in the world. His army was at his heels now.
Waiting.
The maid. Spies.
Fear clenched in his chest, cold as ice. Struan spun around, grabbing Una by the shoulders.
“The gates,” he gasped, breathless. “Who is at the gates?”
Una stared up at him, bewildered. “I… I don’t know. It doesn’t matter, does it? Once the gates are open, there’s no way of—” She broke off as a mournful screeching noise echoed through the night.
It was the sound of a bolt sliding back. It was the sound of rusted old hinges opening.
A murmur of fear rippled through the assembled soldiers below, on the Grahame side of the walls.
“The gates!” somebody yelled. “The gates are opening!”
Panic broke out. Struan didn’t need to look to know that the Dickson army was surging forward into silence towards the open door.
Spinning around, Struan grabbed Una by the shoulders, hauling her towards him. He kissed her just once, roughly and quickly. It was all they had time for.
“Whatever happens,” he murmured, his voice low and urgent, “know that ye were the sun and moon to me. I could no more have lived without ye than I could have lived without the sky.”
“Struan, I…”
“Stay here. Take charge of the archers. I know ye would rather be down in the melee, but this is going to be a bloodbath. Too many swords and not enough room, lass, not enough room. The battle has begun, and our siege is over before it got started.”
Her eyes widened with fear, but he gave her no chance to respond. Turning, Struan sprinted down the stone steps. Below, he saw the Keep gates standing open. A man lay stretched out on the cobbles, face down, dead. His hand still rested against the heavy winch that opened and closed the portcullis. Struan didn’t recognize the man, but he didn’t think that it mattered anymore. Before he died, the man had cut the ropes attached to the winch. The only way to close the gates now was to push them.
Kai stood over him with a bloody sword, breathing hard.
“Help me,” Struan barked, and flung himself at one half of the gates. It was heavy and moved slowly, but inch by inch, he began to ease it shut. Kai applied himself to the other side. Behind them, the soldiers were gathering, white-faced and ready to fight.
I wonder how many of them won’t live to see the dawn?Struan wondered bleakly.
“Did ye know about this?” Kai grated.
Struan shook his head. “Nay, I did not. Do ye believe me?”
Kai met his eye for a moment and pursed his lips. “Aye. I think I might.”
The gates were halfway closed when the Dickson army arrived. Men flung themselves at the other side of the gates, flinging them open and undoing the work of a full minute in a matter of seconds.
Struan was knocked backwards, hitting his head against the cobblestones. His vision blurred, and he struggled to sit up. More and more enemy soldiers were pouring into the courtyard, and getting knocked off one’s feet in battle meant death; everybody knew that. He’d lost sight of Kai and found himself hoping that the man had survived.
And then, through the crowds, Struan saw a familiar face.
Keir stood tall in the chaos, a wide smile on his face. A sword glittered in his hand.
Struggling to his feet, Struan prepared himself for a rush.
The rush never came. Instead, Keir turned and began to climb the stone stairs that led to the top of the Keep walls.
Una,Struan thought as a second wave of soldiers knocked him off his feet one more.
Chapter 19
