MacDuff had come a long way for an answer.
“M’laird, I would be pleased tae discuss this with ye in private,” he said. “Do ye truly wish for yer men tae hear of yer private affairs? Will ye no’ invite guests into yer home?”
Alastor ended up standing close to the portcullis, looking at the young earl in the torchlight.
“You have brought a Scots army into England,” he said, lowering his voice. “That does not speak of a friendly visit to me, nor does it speak of a negotiation. You brought men to force me into making a decision. You brought your army to intimidate me. You are not guests; I did not invite you. Let us come to the point of this, MacDuff– you have come here to force me to answer Canmore’s missives.”
MacDuff moved towards him, motioning for the men standing near him to stay back. He went to meet Alastor at the portcullis, an iron grate and hundreds of years of hostilities between them.
“I have,” he said honestly. “But I was hoping we might speak civilly before we came tae business. I dinna come tae bully ye intae responding, m’laird. I came tae see if we could come tae an agreement.”
Alastor still wasn’t convinced even though MacDuff’s delivery had been polite for the most part. He found himself looking beyond MacDuff, at the dozens of dark silhouettes behind him.
“How many men did you bring?” he asked.
Macduff studied him a moment before answering. “Enough,” he said. “We’ve been traveling for three very long days and require shelter. Will ye no’ let us in?”
Alastor lifted his eyebrows as if it were a foolish request. “I will not,” he said flatly. “Scots and English confined within these walls is an invitation for disaster, so I will not let you in. If you truly wish to stay, then your men must set up camp outside of the walls.”
Something in MacDuff’s expression changed at that moment.
He no longer found himself looking at a potential ally.
“As ye wish,” he said, coolly. “But I’ve come a long way at the direction of the king. I would appreciate a moment of yer time tae discuss what I’ve come tae discuss.”
Alastor looked him in the eyes. “You have come to ask me what my response is to Alpin Canmore’s many missives,” he said. “Therefore, I will tell you. You can return to your king and tell him that I refuse any alliance with the Scots. I will not enter into a battle that I cannot win.Youcannot win. There are greater armies in England than there are in Scotland and the north lands, and you are entering into something that will assure your destruction. But it will not be mine. Make sure you tell William that.”
MacDuff’s eyes glittered in the weak light. “William is the rightful Earl of Northumbria,” he said. “That title was taken from him by Henry. He wants it back and he shall have it.”
Alastor cocked an eyebrow. “You dare to tell me that?” he asked. “My family descends from the Kings of Northumbria. This land was mine before it was ever William’s. The man is arrogant beyond measure to presume the land is his because itismine and it will remain mine. If he comes to take it, I will fight him for it. I will not align with him simply to gain a piece of the pie of something that already belongs to me. Northumbria is mine, it willalwaysbe mine, and any man who thinks otherwise is my enemy. Now, get off my lands before I turn my army loose on you. I do not want to see your face again.”
With that, he turned away from MacDuff and headed out of the gatehouse, but MacDuff wasn’t finished with him yet.
“Ye’re making a mistake,” he called after him. “William will come and when he does, he will bring hell with him. Ye can be burned by the flame or ye can align yerself with the Devil. Dunna be foolish, de Bourne.Think!”
He was shouting by the time he was finished. But Alastor kept walking, unmoved and unimpressed. He grabbed Ares as he went.
There were plans to make.
“Reinforce the walls,” he commanded quietly. “Drop the second portcullis and secure the gatehouse. I fear we will have an onslaught when the day fully breaks.”
Ares nodded sharply and headed off as Alastor continued towards the keep. He’d just made a decision that was going to affect the health and welfare of his people, but he’d never felt better about anything in his life. Hell was indeed coming, but it wasn’t coming for him.
MacDuff would find that out soon enough.
And so would The Rough.
Unfortunately, MacDuff had other ideas.
*
“Pssst!You!Openthis gate!”
Addax was trying desperately to get the attention of a soldier inside the kitchen yard as he and Cole stood at the postern gate of Castle Keld.
They were trying to get inside before the Scots saw them. Because of the low-setting moon and the near complete darkness, they had been extremely fortunate to have made it to the castle without being discovered. But it had been more fortunate that they had discover the Scots at all.
Shadows moving in the darkness had tipped them off.
