Cole pulled his saddlebags from underneath the table. “We leave,” he said. “That is what we do. If they are coming through Kielder Pass, they are going to run headlong into The Keld. Es, you ride for Pelinom. Ride hard and tell my father everything. Ad, you and I will return to The Keld and warn them of what is coming. Mayhap William the Rough is moving swifter than we thought.”
It was a horrifying thought. It had been their understanding that nothing would happen until the summer months, but that was evidently incorrect.
The time was now.
On a cold, clear night with a bright moon hanging in the sky and scattered clouds blown around by an icy wind, Essien headed north to Pelinom Castle as Cole and Addax headed back for The Keld, trying to avoid the Scots they knew to be on the same road. They had to ride through forests and across streams,which slowed them down. And when the moon began to sink low in the sky, they were hindered by the threat of complete darkness but, still, they pushed on.
They had no choice.
They had to get to The Keld before the Scots did.
CHAPTER NINE
The Keld
“You must bemad. Scots?Here?”
It was about an hour before dawn, with the moon hanging low in the sky and the hint of light on the eastern horizon. Alastor had been awoken out of a dead sleep by Anteaus and Atlas standing in his doorway. Anteaus had the night watch, so he was in full protection, but Atlas was only half-dressed. He’d been sleeping until his youngest brother yanked him and Ares from their warm beds.
Scots are on the approach.
Now, they were pulling Alastor out of bed.
“They are at the gate, Papa,” Anteaus said grimly. “They are demanding to speak with you.”
Alastor was climbing out of bed, but he was in complete disbelief. “Christ,” he muttered. “They’ve come for Canmore.”
“How would they know he was here?” Atlas asked. “They have no way of knowing he was brought here. For all they know, he’s with de Velt or he’s dead. There is no connection to us.”
That was true, but Alastor was still half-asleep and his mind was mulling over the worst-case scenarios. He went to the basinof water near the hearth and splashed it on his face before going in search of his breeches.
“Possibly,” he muttered. “Where is Ares?”
“Keeping them company,” Atlas said. “They are outside the gatehouse. He has not admitted them.”
“Good,” Alastor said with relief. “And they’ve only asked to speak with me? Nothing else?”
Atlas shook his head as he watched his father pull on his breeches. Anteaus found his father’s boots and handed them over.
“Nothing else,” he said. “But the man leading the army identified himself as Alexander MacDuff, Earl of Fife and the Justiciar of Scotia.”
Alastor’s head shot up, his eyes wide with surprise. “He said that?”
“He did.”
That seemed to muddle Alastor as Anteaus began to help the man dress by putting his arms in the sleeves of a heavy leather robe that went from his neck all the way down to his feet. Alastor was so lost in thought that his sons had to help him dress.
“The Justiciar of Scotia,” he repeated, almost in awe. “That is a powerful position, lads. It is not usual for a man like that to come on a mission such as this. Do you know what I think?”
“What?” Atlas demanded.
Alastor’s thought processes began to clear. “I think he’s here to get an answer to the missives that Canmore has been sending,” he said. “I never answered, so they’ve come for an answer in person.”
“Do you really think so?”
Alastor lifted his hands. “Why else would the Justiciar of Scotia come to call?” he asked. “The man holds tremendous power in Scotland. Now, if we could capture him…”
Both Atlas and Anteaus looked at their father in shock. Then they looked at each other as if considering the very possibility. “If we could capture him, it’s possible we could know more than we’ve possibly dreamed of,” Atlas said, his face alight. “And William the Rough would think twice before marching into England if we held his justiciar as a hostage.”
