Page 35 of Highland Flame

Chapter Eleven

Cam awoke to the sound of church bells ringing, the muffled sound drifting through the air vents in the ceiling above his head. He rolled over, realizing he had fallen asleep earlier. He was still in the bed of the secret room in the catacombs of the priory. The mattress was very comfortable. He’d been so tired and upset that he must have slept through the night.

The candle had burned out and the room was as dark as a tomb. Well, it was a tomb he supposed, since he was sleeping with the dead down in the catacombs which wasn’t a reassuring thought at all.

He heard something that sounded like a low growl coming from the floor. His hand automatically reached for his weapon belt on the bedside table. Finding the hilt of his sword, he gripped it firmly. The noise was almost human, but with a tinge of animal mixed in. He wasn’t one to believe in ghosts or the walking dead, but if it was ever going to happen it would probably be in a place like this.

Silently sliding to the edge of the bed, Cam started wondering if it was perhaps a rat. He’d seen quite a few of them while walking through the catacombs yesterday. Well, rat or ghost, he wanted neither of them in the room with him and would put an end to this once and for all.

Standing up, he slowly made his way down the three stairs of the dais as he gripped his sword steady in two hands. Right as he stepped away from the bed, his leg hit something and he tripped. Cam tried to steady himself, but it was too late. He reached out for the table, knocking it over, hearing the sound of the marble chess pieces hitting the floor.

“Aaaaah!” came a loud scream, that wasn’t from him. Then something heavy landed atop his chest, pinning him to the ground.

“What is it? Is it a rat? Kill it, North. Kill it!” came a shout that sounded a lot like Nash. Once Cam heard it, he knew exactly what or who was atop him now.

“It’s me, ye fool,” spat Cam, releasing his sword and pushing North off of him and onto the floor. Cam jumped to his feet.

“Is that ye, Cam?” came Nash’s voice in the dark.

“Of course, it is! Who else would it be?” Cam made his way over to the table and managed to find and light a candle. When the flame lit up the room, he turned to see both Nash and North sprawled out on the floor, looking up and blinking like deer in the torchlight. If he wasn’t mistaken, they both had purple legs. “What the hell?” he mumbled, wiping his eyes, thinking he was seeing things. “Are yer legs purple?”

“Aye,” answered Nash for both he and his brother.

“Why?” asked Cam.

“If ye hadna been hidin’ out here sleepin’ all day, ye would have remembered we were workin’ in the vineyards pickin’ and stompin’ bluidy grapes yesterday,” spat North.

“Och, that’s right,” Cam answered with a smile, glad he hadn’t had to do it. He supposed going to prayers was the lesser of the two evils, after all.

“It’s no’ funny, Cam,” Nash ground out, sounding angrier than Cam had ever heard him in the past. “We’re doin’ all the work when this was supposed to be yer punishment, no’ ours.”

“Sorry about that,” he said with a yawn. “I had no idea that bed would be so comfortable. I canna believe I slept so long. What did I miss?”

“A lot of doitit chores is what ye missed,” snapped North, getting to his feet. Nash did the same.

“I’m hungry. Did ye two get anythin’ to eat by any chance?” asked Cam, rubbing his hand over his tunic.

“We did. We had food, and lots of it, too,” said Nash, stressing the point. “What’s it to ye?”

“Lots of food?” Cam felt his stomach grumble. “What kind of food?” Visions of beef, pheasant, and sweetmeats filled his head.

“Wouldna ye like to ken?” came North’s snide reply.

The church bells continued to ring, causing Cam to look back up to the ceiling. “I guess that means it’s mornin’. There is most likely some sort of prayer session we’re supposed to be attendin’ right now.”

“We?” asked North, glaring at Cam.

“No’ us, just ye,” Nash corrected him. “Remember, we are no’ required to go to the prayer sessions, but ye are as part of yer sentence.”

“Ye’d better get goin’,” said North. “After all, ye missed both vespers and compline last night.”

“No’ to mention, matins and lauds that took place durin’ the night as well,” added Nash.

“What?” Cam was surprised that his friends knew the names of all the canonical hours when he neither knew nor cared about them at all. “Did I really miss all that and a meal, too?” He scratched his head and then stretched.

“Go on, then,” said North, nodding to the door. “Ye’d better hurry.”

“That’s right,” agreed Nash. “I dinna suppose ye’ll be needin’ this big cozy bed anymore since ye’re up for the day.” As soon as he said it, he looked at his brother and then they both turned and ran to the bed, diving atop it at once.