Tarbuck puffed out his chest. “I hae already been giving lessons in preparation. The enemy might hae training, but we are fighting for our land, our homes, ourlives. That will hae tae be enough tae give us the edge.”
“We need more,” Michael furrowed his brow. “What we need is information.”
“What dae ye mean?” Rab said.
“It’s nae good sitting around here waiting tae be attacked. If we knew where McKovac’s men were we could prepare traps and defenses, we could organize ourselves more efficiently.We should send out scouting parties and patrols,” Michael explained.
“And if these patrols should get captured or killed? We could lose more people, hae them picked off in small groups. It would make life easy for McKovac,” Declan dismissed, shaking his head.
“Perhaps we could mark certain buildings as defensive points and train people tae look for anything suspicious. We should focus on their skills with a bow and arrow. If we can kill most of McKovac’s men from range, then we will nae hae tae worry about them attacking the village. I can make plenty of arrow-heads,” Rory suggested.
“In truth we need all of these things, and we should tae hae put these plans intae action months agae,” Torrin said gravely, shaking his head while he stroked his chin. “If only there was a way tae build walls around this village.”
“There’s nae sense in thinking about wishes and dreams. We need tae focus on the reality of the situation,” Declan scowled.
“The reality is that we need tae know what McKovac is planning,” Michael said.
Tarbuck rolled his eyes. “What he’s planning is tae come here and raze this village tae the ground! Soon enough, flames are gaeing tae be licking at yer heels as ye run away. I think all this talk is pointless. We should be taking what weapons we hae and gaeing after McKovac. The best thing ye can dae is tae take the enemy by surprise, and he certainly will nae expect the entire village tae charge at him.”
“And we will hear the death cries of all of them? That’s madness,” Michael replied with a horrified look on his face. Even Rab was not convinced, and looked towards Tarbuck with a dismayed expression.
“It might shame that coward Glennrock intae sending the men out from the keep,” Tarbuck muttered. “Surely, he will nae stand by while the villagers throw themselves intae battle.”
“There are nae limits tae his cruelty. As long as he’s safe, he dinnae care about anything else. He’s blinded himself tae our plight,” Torrin said.
Elvira watched as the men began talking over one another, becoming more and more agitated as they all searched for a desperate solution that would ease their fears, yet one did not appear to them. Elvira noticed the anxious look on Rory’s face. If the men continued like this then they were never going to be able to defend the village because they would be too busy bickering amongst themselves. Elvira thought this was the perfect time to insert herself into the situation. She clasped her hands together and walked into the middle of the room. The harsh words around her created a cacophony, but she did not allow it to faze her.
“I have some insight that may be useful,” she said. Although her words were soft, they were different enough that she managed to capture the attention of the men. Her mere presence was commanding as well, something she had inherited from her mother. The men fell into silence, intrigued by what she had to say. “Before McKovac attacked yer land, he attacked his own land first. Many people hae been made rich by his endeavors, but others hae suffered, and they dinnae look upon him with any fondness. There is dissent amongst his men that could be leveraged. The Laird may find it difficult tae defend himself from conflict within his ranks,” Elvira held her head high, proud that she had made a contribution.
That pride was short-lived.
“Lass, with all due respect,” Tarbuck said, without showing any respect at all, “I dinnae think ye are qualified tae speak about such matters. Ye hae only been in this village for a short while. Iappreciate yer enthusiasm and what ye hae done for the farmers, but this is business for warriors.”
“And I fail tae see how ye know of such things,” Declan said.
Elvira’s cheeks flared with anger. Once again she was being dismissed, and she did not appreciate this at all. “I’ve lived in McKovac lands. I’ve seen the way he treats his own people, and I would nae want that tae happen here. He wields power, aye, but there are those who conspire against him. If we can contact them, we can ally ourselves with them and become stronger in the process,” she said vehemently.
Declan shook his head. “And what if they refuse our help? Or worse, what if they pass the information we give them on tae McKovac?”
“That will nae happen,” Elvira said.
“Oh aye? And who is his main foe within his camp?” Torrin asked.
“His own son, Hamish.”
“His son?” Rab spat, shaking his head. “I would nae like tae put my trust in his son. Blood runs thick. How are we tae trust that this enmity will last between them? What if they mend their differences? We will be stranded.”
“And Glennrock will nae like that we conspired with the enemy. It will give him more reason tae leave us tae the wolves,” Michael added.
“Even if we did seek an alliance with Hamish, it dinnae mean we are safe. We all know that McKovac commands a powerful force, he might defeat his son. Even if he doesn’t, we dinnae know that the son will be any better than the father,” Declan said.
“He is. He hae been planning tae stop this madness,” a desperate tone crept into Elvira’s voice. This wasn’t how the meeting was supposed to have unfolded. They were supposed to listen to her.
“He hae nae made a good fist of it yet,” Tarbuck snorted with laughter. “If he is sae mighty, then he should hae made more progress. I am nae willing tae place our trust in tavern gossip and rumor. We hae tae rely on ourselves. That is all.”
It was a definitive statement, and as Elvira’s gaze drifted across the room, she saw that most of the men nodded in agreement. She had only been trying to help, yet was being treated like a fool. She dipped her head and stepped back, almost wishing she had never said anything at all. They were sealing their own fates by refusing to listen to her advice. Sadly, they were sealing the fates of the people they were trying to defend as well.
But then, Rory spoke up. He was the one dissenting voice between all the men, the only one to realize that Elvira’s insights were valuable.
