“Perhaps ye should try one,” she said, taking the last flower and reaching up to the top of his head. Rory dipped his head, and she slid the flower behind his ear. As she did so, her fingers grazed his soft hair, running through the tousled locks. They dropped and rested against his cheeks, and then he looked up. His green gaze so intense, it left her breathless. Her heart thumped and tension crackled and tingled all over her body. She found that she did not wish to take her hands away from him at all. Instead, she felt compelled to share something intimate with him, but just as her eyelids were beginning to flutter shut, and they were being drawn together by the cosmic strands of fate, they heard groans and mutters.
Rory immediately took a defensive stance and placed himself in front of Elvira, moving her behind him as he turned towards the source of the noise.
“Be quiet,” he warned, for he had not brought a weapon with him. The flower fell from behind his ear, nestling forlornly onthe ground. In his haste to move, he trampled upon the leaves with his foot. Emerging from a thicket was a shambling group of farmers, each of them injured. They looked beleaguered and, when Rory and Elvira realized there was nothing to fear from these people, they rushed towards the farmers.
“What happened?” Elvira asked, noticing the limps, the welts, the bruises, and the blood.
“Our farms were attacked. We were promised our lands would be safe. Where are the guards? Where are the warriors? Why are we nae being defended?” one of the farmers moaned.
Neither Rory nor Elvira had an answer for them. They could only offer them solace and hope. As the farmers passed, Elvira noticed some of them weeping for all they had lost. She could tell that it was not only the land that had suffered, but the people they loved as well. She glanced towards Rory. The serenity of their stroll had been broken, and this served as a grim reminder that Laird McKovac was not going to sit by idly and wait for the world to come to him.
Rory and Elvira led the wounded farmers back to the village, settling them in Torrin’s tavern. Torrin had a grim look on his face. Elvira, Isla, and Mirella helped tend to the farmers.
“This is nae good,” Torrin said, shaking his head.
“We should send word tae the keep,” Rory suggested.
“Aye, even though it will nae dae any good,” Torrin replied. Elvira came to stand beside them.
“They still need tae know what happened. But we should call a meeting with the defenders as well, taenight. Laird McKovac is getting closer, and we cannot allow this attack tae happen without response.”
There was a terse edge to his voice. Elvira stood beside him, ready to remain there, eager to help. Torrin had dismissed her insight before, but she sensed that Rory would not make the same mistake.
14
Declan, Tarbuck, Rab, and Michael had all arrived at the tavern for a clandestine meeting, held late at night. Torrin had closed the tavern early, citing that there was no room, given that they were taking care of the wounded farmers. The regular patrons did not mind this, as they appreciated Torrin’s hospitality, and nobody would begrudge him for making the decision to close early. The farmers had all been given rooms and a hearty meal. They were currently recovering upstairs, wallowing in the grim reality that their land had been ravaged, and their lives would never be the same again. Torrin checked that the doors and windows were all bolted shut, ensuring that nobody could sneak in. Rory helped, casting a glance at Elvira, as she had eavesdropped before.
This time, however, she stayed with Rory and forced herself into the meeting, while Isla remained in the background, taking care of the drinks and chastising the guests for making a mess. Mirella was upstairs. She had spent the day helping and listening to the farmers, soothing their raw emotions. Now, she was recuperating as well, watching over Tereza and Ollie. Elvira’s heart was filled with fear. She had known it would bedifficult to escape Laird McKovac’s reach, but she had hoped it might take longer for this dark shadow to reach her. The atmosphere was tense, and the men of the village all had grim faces.
“Hae there been any word from the keep? Anything at all?” Torrin asked.
Declan shook his head slowly. “The messenger came. Glennrock heard the news himself. He said that he will consider it.”
“Consider it?” Tarbuck’s face flushed with anger. “What is there tae consider! There’s nae denying that McKovac is bringing anger and fury tae our lands, and now farmers are suffering. Daes that fool nae realize that without the farms he will hae nae food?”
“I imagine he hopes he can broker peace with McKovac before they run out of food,” Declan replied.
Tarbuck swiped a dismissive hand in the air. “There can be nae peace with that man,” he said. Elvira found herself nodding in reply. She did not offer her own insight yet, however, for she wished to observe the meeting.
“What we need is tae get word tae the Laird. I cannae believe he would be sae uncaring tae let farmers be attacked like this. Glennrock cannae be telling him the truth,” Torrin said.
“And what are we supposed tae dae? Send someone sneaking intae the keep tae whisper in his ear? I think we hae tae face facts; we cannae count on the Laird. He hae abandoned us for grief. Glennrock hae all the power, and he dinnae want tae use it tae protect us,” Rab added.
“We hae tae rely on ourselves,” Rory said in a quiet voice.
“We’ve known it was gaeing tae come down tae this from the beginning,” Torrin nodded emphatically. “This just proves how vulnerable we are without support from the keep.”
“I cannae believe that he’s keeping all those guards up there, squatting behind the sturdy walls. Is he really gaeing tae forsake us like this?” Tarbuck said, his voice bellowing out to all corners of the room.
“He hae forsaken us already,” Michael said, his voice close to a whisper. “I was hoping that we could avoid fighting, but it seems that Laird McKovac hae made his intentions clear. We must defend ourselves. We must dae what Glennrock is unwilling tae dae, even if it makes him our enemy as well.”
“Aye, he is nae gaeing tae like the fact that we are arming ourselves,” Torrin said.
“I hae seen the swords ye hae crafted for us,” Rab turned towards Rory and gave an approving nod. “They are fine weapons. Keep them coming. We are gaeing tae need them.”
“It’s nae a matter of fine swords, it’s about the hands that wield them,” Declan said. “McKovac is sending soldiers tae attack us. We are defending ourselves with farmers, bakers, men who hae nae trained themselves. We cannae expect them tae defeat McKovac’s army.”
“There’s naething else we can dae. We can hardly welcome McKovac with open arms. Ye will hae tae train people in the basics of combat. Give them enough tae get by. It will hae tae suffice,” Torrin said.
