“And the worst thing is that the coward Glennrock is in charge,” Declan spat, clearly showing no affection for the man. “Icannae understand how the laird can be sae blind tae trust him. Sometimes I stand at the gates tae the keep and I think that the walls separate different worlds. They dinnae know the problems common folk face, and believe me, I side with all of ye. I grew up in this village. I used tae look up at the keep when I was a boy, thinking that one day I would make it behind those walls tae the world beyond. I used tae think it was some kind of paradise, but now that I hae seen it for myself…” he paused to run his hand through his hair, as though he could still not believe that the childhood dreams of a boy had been crushed by reality.
“Hae there been any talk of protecting the clan? Increasing our presence in the territory?” Tarbuck asked, his voice trembling with a hint of worry.
Declan’s face turned pale. He looked sick as he gave a negative response. “He’s a passive man. He stands there and lets the rocks fall all over him. All he cares about is the keep. As long as they are safe behind their stone walls, well, the rest of the village can burn. He’s called back many of the guards and hae put a hold on delivering supplies. He’s storing up in case there is a siege. He dinnae seem tae care about the folk down here,” Declan let out an exasperated sigh as he spoke, ashamed of this craven act.
There were gasps and shocked expressions on the faces of those in attendance. Rory frowned, uneasily listening to the words. Unfortunately, this reaction did not surprise him. Glennrock was not a noble man, not like his daughter. Rory found himself wishing that Lucy had stayed here, for she might have been able to talk some sense into him, although it was unlikely considering that Glennrock had disowned her. If he found it that easy to force his daughter into becoming an outcast, was it really hard to believe that he would be willing to cast aside the entire village?
“And what about all the riders we hae seen coming intae our territory? Are people nae allowed tae defend themselves?” Rab asked.
Declan shook his head. “Glennrock is already in the process of spreading word forbidding violent action. There can be nae retaliation, and nae signs that we are preparing tae defend ourselves against an attack. We are supposed tae continue with life as normal.”
“What is he playing at?” Torrin put his hands on his hips and shook his head. “I cannae believe he would be sae passive. The entire clan could be at stake, and all he wants tae dae is hide in the keep?” his voice rose with indignant anger.
Michael responded with a quiet voice. “He is looking out for himself. If an attack dinnae come, he is safe. If an attack daes come, then this village can burn, and the flames will nae penetrate the walls of the keep. We are mere sheep tae him, and he can afford for us tae be slaughtered.”
“Nae that he would ever come out and say that, of course,” Tarbuck rolled his eyes.
“What if we spoke tae him? Shared our concerns? If he knew the way the village felt, then he might be more willing tae help us,” Rory piped up, although he immediately knew that he was in error by the derisive looks shot his way.
“Dae ye think there is any reasoning with a man like him? By the gods, his own daughter fled the keep because she dinnae want tae suffer his tyranny! He hae never cared for the people, he only wants power, and now he hae it all,” Torrin said.
“And what about the laird? This is only happening because he hae shut himself away. Could we nae get someone tae stir him and make him remember who he is?” Rory asked.
Declan shook his head. “He is guarded day and night. Everything gaes through Glennrock. Trust me, if we sit by and dae naething, then we are the ones who are gaeing tae suffer. Thepeople in that keep dinnae care about us. If we are gaeing tae defend ourselves, we hae tae dae it ourselves. We cannae rely on help from the keep. We may as well consider ourselves our own people from now on,” Declan said gravely. A grim atmosphere settled over the men gathered in the basement of the forge. Rory was thinking about matters, trying to find a way out of this situation.
“Let’s just be clear about what we’re discussing here,” Michael said, a furtive gaze dancing around the basement. “This is a rebellion.”
Rab cursed and slashed his hand through the air. “It’s nae a rebellion. We are fighting for our lives, nae against the laird. If he pulled his finger out of his arse then maybe we would nae hae tae gae tae these lengths.”
“That may well be the case, but we must think about how our actions are gaeing tae be perceived. We are arming ourselves when the orders are tae remain peaceful. If we are attacked, Glennrock might blame us for provoking things. He may even punish us. We all know the man dinnae like us making our own decisions. He managed tae put a ban on drinking.”
“He wants tae strip men of everything that makes them men. The next thing he’s gaeing tae dae is stop us all from taking women tae bed,” Tarbuck muttered.
Rory felt a rush of blood flow to his cheeks at this point. He had never lain with a woman before, even though a few village girls had fluttered their eyelashes at him. There had been a girl he had danced with when he was younger, just before Ian and Lucy left. It started with promise, but had quickly fallen into failure when he realized he didn’t quite know what to do after they danced. Without Lucy there to give him guidance, he found himself lost.
“Aye, well, if he daes try such a thing then there will surely be a riot,” Torrin replied, and there was a hearty laugh from the other men.
Rory wasn’t sure why this happened, but an image of Elvira appeared in his mind. He clamped his eyes shut, trying to dispel the thought of her extraordinary beauty. There was no sense in thinking about her at all.
“Let’s nae talk about riots,” Rory said, stretching out his hands. “The fact is that we hae nae been attacked yet. If we start acting rashly we might make things worse.”
“I would rather feel safe,” Rab said.
“We need tae protect ourselves. If there was any other way…” Declan replied, wearing a despairing look. Torrin stroked his chin.
“It seems tae me that we should arm ourselves and prepare for the worst,” he looked at Rory as he spoke, noticing Rory’s wide eyes. “I think our young friend here hae a point. We dinnae need tae gae brandishing the swords and charging towards McKovac lands just yet, but we should be careful. That’s why I think we are in the perfect place. Rory, would ye be able tae forge swords for us tae distribute throughout the village? Fine weapons could make the difference here.”
Rory felt as though the rug had been pulled out from under his feet. The other men looked at him expectantly. He knew what they wanted him to say, but he wasn’t sure he could.
“Torrin, everyone… it’s worrying that Glennrock seems tae hae sae much power at the moment, but that will nae last. Laird Boyd will recover. Sharing weapons with each other may only make things worse. I dinnae want tae get people in trouble. What happens if Glennrock starts searching our homes, and he sees that we are all stashing weapons? There will nae be any village left because we’ll all be sent away, or worse,” he shuddered as he thought about being thrown into a dungeon.“McKovac hae nae attacked yet, and there is naething tae say that he will. I dinnae think we should gae looking for a fight. I’m sorry, but I cannae help ye.”
He bowed his head, not wishing to bear the looks of disappointment that were cast his way.
“Ye are just as craven as Glennrock himself,” Declan spat.
Rab shook his head. “Ye might hae learned a lot from Ian at the forge, but nae about being a man. He never would hae done this. He knew tae stand up for what’s right.”
“When people start dying, their blood is gaeing tae be on yer hands,” Tarbuck said. Michael and Torrin remained silent, although this spoke volumes. The guests slowly filtered out of the basement, disappointed in how the meeting had ended. Rory felt a taut knot in the pit of his stomach, torn between his moral compass and his desire to avoid trouble. Holding a meeting was one thing, but supplying the clan with weapons was something else entirely. It just wasn’t possible, and he hoped that these men were worrying over nothing. After all, it wasn’t as though people were rushing towards the village, screaming for salvation.
