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“Only when I grant them,” she said with a brilliant smile and with a slight lift of her garment, walked up the keep steps like a regal queen.

Noble hurried after her, shaking his head and wondered why she bent down when she reached the top step and heard her say, “You poor, little thing you.”

Leora turned to her husband when he reached her side. “A starving pup. He can barely hold his head up.”

His wife gently cradled a small, black pup, except for one paw that was brown, in her hands and she was right, the pup looked to be starving.

“I must get him fed,” Leora said, thinking of her sister Sky and how she would have seen to the tiny pup’s care. She recalled how Sky tended to the young pups and kittens in need. “Milk. I must get the pup milk.”

“We will get the pup milk once inside,” Noble said and placed his hand low at her back to usher her through the door after opening it.

Shouts and fists pounding on a table greeted Noble and Leora as they entered the Great Hall, a fair-sized room. Two men stood at the far end in front of the dais, yelling in each other’s face, each one slamming their fists on the table in between shouts.

“The clan rightfully belongs to me since Argus claimed me chieftain before he died,” the gray-haired man yelled.

“Bloody hell Argus did,” the shorter man shouted. “You weren’t even here when he died. I am rightful heir to Clan Skirling being a distant and only relative to Argus.”

Leora cared not about the two arguing men, her only concern was for the weak pup. She called out to a nearby servant lass. “Fetch me a bowl of milk.”

“Begone with you woman, you have no right to give orders here,” the gray-haired man shouted without even turning to look at Leora.

Noble’s angry voice boomed throughout the Great Hall. “My wife has every right to issue orders here since I am Chieftain of Clan Skirling!”

CHAPTER9

Both men turned with fiery glares in their eyes and hands on the hilts of their daggers ready to challenge the claim. The shorter man’s hand instantly fell away from his dagger upon seeing Noble, not so the gray-haired man, his hand gripped the hilt of his dagger even tighter, and his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Leora tilted her head toward her husband and spoke low. “I will sit by the hearth with the pup while you deal with these two fools.”

Noble almost smiled, that his wife made a point of letting him know what she thought of the two men. He was not surprised they were of like minds and again his wife’s astute nature impressed him.

Noble’s strong voice continued to boom in the Great Hall. “Lord Slayer has appointed me the new Chieftain of Clan Skirling.” He snapped his hand at the servant lass. “Do as my wife says and fetch her a bowl of milk for the pup.”

The servant lass hurried off before someone could say otherwise.

“Lord Slayer has no such right to appoint Clan Skirling’s chieftain, and you have no right to dictate here,” the gray-haired man argued. “Argus passed the title to me on his deathbed. Clan Skirling is mine.”

“You are a liar, Haig,” the shorter man accused. “The people talk about how you were not even here when Chieftain Argus took his last breath.”

“They lie, Cecil,” Haig said, brandishing his fist in the man’s face. “They are a lazy lot and know I will rule with a firm hand so they do not want me as chieftain, but they will learn the title and clan are mine.”

“The title has already been claimed. You both will take your leave of Clan Skirling… NOW!” Noble ordered as he approached both men.

Haig stepped forward. “I will not surrender what was promised to me.”

“Aye, you will,” Noble said calmly and with such confidence that any sensible man would bow to his command.

Cecil was wise enough to step back, not Haig, he held firm.

“YOU!” Haig shouted at the servant lass when she returned and she startled, some of the milk spilling over the wood bowl she carried in her hands. “Tell them I was here when Chieftain Argus died or suffer for your lies.”

The young lass paled, her hands began to tremble, and her mouth opened to speak but no words came out.

“Speak the truth, lass. You will not suffer for it that I promise you,” Noble said.

The lass spoke hastily. “Haig arrived the day Chieftain Argus was buried, sir.”

“You lie!” Haig said and went to go after the lass.