Page 35 of The Anguish of the Scottish Lairds (Clans of Mull #3)
Maitland
“Boats! I see two of them coming from Ulva. They have to be in them.” Maitland paced back and forth on the beach in front of MacQuarie Castle. They’d seen a few small fishing boats, but there had only been one or two men in each.
Thane moved over to the edge of the water and peered across. “I think it is them. I would say stand back so they don’t see us here watching. I don’t want them turning around and waiting until it’s dark.”
Alasdair moved back, then asked, “Aren’t we getting in the boats? I say we meet the bastards in the middle of Loch Tuath. I’m not afraid to fight in a boat.”
“Naaaay!” Maitland bellowed. “You step in that vessel, and I’ll drag you off it, Grant.”
Every face turned to stare at him, and he could feel himself blushing. “Maeve can’t swim, and if you jar that boat and scare her, our son could go overboard. He’ll drop like a stone.”
Alasdair paled, scratching his scruffy beard. “Sorry, Menzie. You’re right. What about Sandor and Tora? Can they swim at all, Dyna? This is an aspect I hadn’t considered.”
“Sandor could keep his head above water for a few moments. Tora could swim from here to that rock over there, but neither one could swim from there to shore. Maitland’s right. We can’t tip the boats over. Eva and Sloan can’t go for four bairns and an adult. And any battle between men on boats will threaten one or the other to capsize.”
Connor said, “Thane, you know the water better than any of us. Your suggestions?”
“Get Eli out here. We need archers. I’d let Dyna and Eli in the water—two lasses won’t threaten them or draw any attention. Keep the quivers on their backs, and they’ll never see the bows until it’s too late.”
“That’s a long way for accuracy, Thane. And we have six people we don’t want to hit.”
Thane said, “Listen. I know Sloan well enough to know he’s one of the craftiest men around. If he and Eva are there, and I think they are, then let them make the first move. They can both swim, and they’ll help the others. My guess is they didn’t return last eve because they were both inside and found the bairns. Even if they had gotten them away from the captors, they didn’t have the boats to row all of them back. Their only hope is for us to see them and attack from here. Both can easily swim from that distance and that’s on both of their minds. They know we have the archers and the men. We just have to plan our approach carefully and be ready to assist them.”
“A long way out, and the larger ship is on its way,” Connor said, pointing off into the distance. “Quite a ways away yet, but I see it.”
“Shite,” Maitland said, tugging on his hair. “Dyna, can you see anything with your visions? Anything at all?”
Connor moved back to the curtain wall with a few of the others. “Aye, let’s allow you some peace to see if you can discover anything through your visions, Dyna. We need to know how many are on the boat, and I’d like to know with some certainty if Eva and Sloan are there.”
Maitland stepped back, moving over to a shaded tree on higher ground, peering across the water and praying that his wee son and wife would be safe soon. He had to have faith in what everyone else advised and not do what his reactions told him to do.
He was prepared to swim to the boat on his own and grab Maeve and Grant before they saw him, but it was too risky.
Dyna sat down on the beach and closed her eyes, trying to reach out to Tora. A few moments later, she said, “Eva is with Tora and Sandor in one boat and Sloan is with Maeve, Grant, and Lia in the other one. And Tora said not to worry. Eva and Sloan will fix everything.”
“Eva?” Maitland asked, stunned by the reply. “How is Eva going to fix everything?”
Thane smiled when he peered through an odd-looking piece of glass. “I’d wager that she has a great idea.”
Connor said, “Eva’s the one who fixed Gwyneth’s contraption. Give them a chance.”
Thane held an object in his hand and stared at the far grouping. “In fact, I believe she just went overboard with Tora and Sandor, and they’re swimming this way. It’s nearly low tide, so they may only have to swim about half the distance, and she’ll be able to touch.”
“How could you know that from this far away, Thane? And what is that you’re holding?”
Thane handed it over to Alasdair. “It’s something we found on an abandoned Viking ship. It oddly makes anything in the distance appear larger.”
Alasdair held it up to his eye and whistled. “I agree. That is Eva in the water with Dyna’s two. Get ready, Chief,” he said to his uncle.
Connor grabbed Dyna and held her back. “Not yet. Let them get a little closer, lass. Eva’s got them. And I see no ruckus on the ship yet to indicate they’ve noticed their departure. Don’t give them away.” Then he looked at Alasdair and nodded toward Maitland.
Maitland couldn’t stop his tears from falling as he ran toward the beach, but Alasdair pulled him back, though it took Thane’s assistance to hold him tight.
“She’s got them, and Sloan will handle Maeve. They are both excellent swimmers.”
Maitland muttered, “You don’t know how hard it is to stand here.”
Alasdair said, “Alaric, Thane, and I will man the boats. Be ready to move. Archers, stay back. Connor, you can swim too, to back up Dyna.”
Maitland said another prayer, wiping the tears from his eyes.