Page 10 of The Bells of Triumph (Highlands’ Lost Valley #3)

9

BAIT OR BESIEGE?

“ O pen the gates.”

Finn didn't bother to see if his men would follow his orders before he turned on his heel and strode back inside Glenkirk Castle. Seamus stayed put, as though the conversation had frozen him there. Flora and Errik exchanged glances, one that said the words neither of them dared to utter, and then she nudged her horse forward.

Stopping only once she had reached Seamus' side, Flora dismounted and stepped towards him.

“That did nae go to plan,” she muttered with disdain. “Are ye all right?”

Her hand went out to try to grasp his, but he pulled back almost as soon as she had touched him.

“Fine. I am fine.”

She stepped back automatically, the sharpness in his words as painful as though he had used his sword. Her face must have shown her hurt, as his eyes softened as soon as they landed on hers.

“Forgive me, love,” he whispered, stepping into her, placing his forehead on hers. “I find I am still struggling to contain my anger with him.”

“We should nae keep him waiting, lest he thinks we are conspiring against him,” Errik said a bit under his breath as he walked up to the couple.

Seamus straightened himself with a deep breath. Tugging his shirt into place and running a hand through his hair, he nodded.

“Aye. We have plans to discuss.”

“When Liam arrives, he will see to it that our men make it into the courtyard and are situated,” Errik offered. “Now, we must see what plans can be made with Finn.”

Flora didn't miss the note of sadness in Errik's last statement. She knew that he had once seen Finn as a long-lost son. To be treated as an outsider, and in some ways, the enemy hurt Errik just as much as it had hurt Flora and Brid.

Walking by Seamus' side, they went inside. Errik, along with the representatives of each village and a handful of other important men, came with them. Finn had stopped just inside the castle to give orders to the servants waiting there.

“Bring in the platters of meats and cheeses. See if ye can find a loaf or two of bread. And bring enough ale so that everyone can have at least one glass. Then find three or four others to help ye serve it all.”

The woman nodded and scurried off to do his bidding. Flora was baffled at Finn's newfound demeanor. It was one that came off as cold and callous and more than a little calculating. She hated to think that Finn's plan had always been to take over the clan, to rule as Laird himself one day, but seeing how comfortable he seemed to be in the role made her question everything she knew about the man.

“I think the war room will be best for our purposes. This way.”

Flora could feel the look that Errik was sending her without needing to turn around to see it. Nevertheless, she and Seamus, along with everyone else, trailed after Finn, staying a step behind him.

She took note of the castle passageways as they walked, surprised to see that the castle was in half decent condition. It lacked the gilded framed pieces of art and the rich rugs covering the floor that Campbell had in Murray Castle. There were no silver mugs or walls covered in swords. But the walls were solid and well-kept, as were the floors.

The war room was no exception. Little more than a long rectangle with a table in the center mirroring the shape of the room, there was no mistaking it for what it was. And it appeared as though Finn had already been making use of the space. Maps and papers and books were sprawled across the tabletop, nearly covering the dark brown oak. With only one window to light the room, they relied on candles to force the shadows away.

“Please, take a seat,” Finn offered with a sweeping gesture before sliding into a chair of his own.

Flora wasn't surprised that he had claimed the center most spot, the chair with the rich red cushions and the covered arms. It was clearly the Laird's seat and by taking it, he had made quite the statement. Seamus pretended not to notice as he took the spot opposite of Finn. Flora found her place to his right, and Errik took up Seamus' left. Her uncle, the Aberfeldy Village representative, slid in beside her, giving her a proud smile. She returned it, relieved to be so surrounded by the people on her side.

It took several moments for the group to get settled, with everyone in their chairs. The maids, as instructed, came in with trays of food and mugs half filled with ale, though no one touched it just yet. An air of tension had blanketed the room, keeping anyone from wanting to move or break the silence. She sighed through her nose and reached for a square of cheese, knowing she had to be the one to speak first.

“I must say, Finn, I am impressed with ye. I did nae think it possible to invade a fortress of this size with so few men. Though, ye always had a knack for doing the unexpected. How did ye manage it?”

She fought to keep her tone light and complimentary, though she was feeling the opposite of that. But she knew that if this meeting was to be a success, Finn would have to let his guard down, at least to some degree. And he was never one to shy away from spinning a story, especially if it were one about himself.

“It was nae easy, I will say. We came under the cover of night and attacked. Campbell's men are well-trained warriors, as ye well ken, but my men fought valiantly. I would nae stop until we were victorious. Ultimately, we were better prepared. The men did nae have time to ready themselves for the fight. In fact, many of them were roused from their beds. I doubt they had much time to so much as grab their swords before we stormed in.”

Flora nodded, acting to chew the cheese thoughtfully in her mouth, though really she was only trying to buy herself time to formulate her next question without saying the wrong thing. Taking their cues from her, Seamus and Errik also began to pick at the food that had been laid out. Slowly, the rest of the men did the same, making Finn smile, as though he was a proud and great host.

“And where are those men now?”

“The ones who were nae killed where they stood are in shackles in the dungeons. I ensured that nae a single man made it out of the castle, as I did nae want any of them getting word back to Campbell. He still does nae have any clue that Glenkirk Castle has been taken. And let me tell ye, the dungeons here are much cleaner than the ones in Murray Castle. At least they were when we attacked several days ago.”

“What of the blockades?” Errik asked between bites of food.

“There are three. The one ye came upon when ye tried to get to Glenkirk Castle from Aberfeldy Village. But I have instructed for two more to be put in place, shutting off the roads leading into and out of the village.”

“The village?” Flora asked, not quite understanding his purpose.

“Aye. I did nae want anyone being able to get word to Campbell that we had taken the castle. I have made sure that nay one has left or arrived with the guards positioned at each of the blockades around the village. It must stay closed off.”

There was something more that Finn wasn't saying, but Flora didn't know how to push, how to ask.

“Well, with ye having already captured Glenkirk Castle, ye have made things significantly simpler for us. Our plan was to invade Glenkirk then draw Campbell to the field just beyond the village for one final battle. That is why we have gathered all of our forces here.”

“Why the field?”

The question came from one of Finn's men. In fact, it was the man sitting on Finn's right who was now on the receiving end of a cold stare from Finn.

“The verra last thing I want to do is draw Campbell into the village where there are women and children living. This fight between us has already claimed enough innocent lives. Campbell has destroyed enough families as it is. If there is anything I can do to keep that from happening anymore, I will. Bringing the fight to the field will do just that.” Seamus declared.

“Ye speak as though this war will nae continue to claim lives,” Finn countered.

“I am nae so naive to think that,” Seamus assured, “but I do think that we can take steps to protect as many families as possible. The world does nae need any more orphans.”

Having struck a nerve, Finn narrowed his eyes into such small slits that the color from them was entirely hidden.

“Ye are fooling yerself if ye think ye can stop what is to come. Men will die. Wives will lose their husbands and fathers will lose their children. That is the price of war, the price of being rid of Campbell. And it is a price we must pay.”

“I am nae trying to ignore the realities of war, Finn. Simply trying to lessen them.”

Flora scanned the faces of the men sitting around the table. More than a few of them were grumbling in agreement at Seamus' claim. The air had shifted from tense to somber as she watched them all wrestle with the fact that Finn was just as right as Seamus was. Men would certainly die. And their deaths would have a lasting effect on the families each man represented. Flora knew that better than most. But there was also something to be said about protecting those as much as they could manage.

“So now that we ken Glenkirk Castle is nay longer under Campbell's rule, now that we have taken up our station here, what do we do next?”

Errik always knew how to ask the right questions, how to steer the conversation. Flora sent him a look of thanks from behind Seamus' head. They needed to stay away from arguing over things that could not be resolved. Finn needed to be reminded that their goals were the same, that whether or not they agreed on everything, they were still on the same side. They had to stay focused on creating a plan.

“Now we draw Campbell out of the castle and into the field.”

“And how do ye propose we do that?” Finn questioned, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

“We send a messenger to Campbell. Perhaps one of the guards ye have in the dungeon could turn out to be useful.”

“Aye,” Flora chimed in. “Campbell would nae order for his own man to be killed on sight. He would at least hear what the messenger has to say first. And that would be one less mouth to feed.”

“Who said anything about feeding them?”

Flora didn't stop her mouth from swinging open at Finn's snarky comment.

“We send a messenger,” Seamus carried on, ignoring Finn's remark entirely. “We give Campbell word that we are gathered in the field just beyond his castle. We tell him that I will be there. He will come.”

“Ye truly think that yer presence is of such importance to Campbell that it must be included in yer message?”

“Are ye daft, lad?” Errik piped up, giving Finn the same look Flora had seen time and time again throughout their training sessions. “Or are ye simply nae thinking straight?”

Finn's hands clenched, as did his jaw, but he didn't dare to interrupt the older warrior.

“Allow me to remind everyone here that Seamus has fooled Campbell time and time again. He escaped from under his nose, went back only to rescue ye, collected as much information as he could on Campbell's plans, then escaped again. The last time the two of them met, Seamus killed Laird Drummond, Campbell's cousin and ally, and then cut off Campbell's leg. It would take the patience and the grace of a saint for Campbell to nae go after Seamus when provided the opportunity. Neither of which he has. So we are to use Seamus' presence as bait. We will draw Campbell out of Murray Castle and into the field of our choosing if that is what it takes to protect the most lives.”

“When do ye wish to send a messenger? Ye only just arrived. Do ye need time to settle in and rest before we set off for battle?”

Again, the question came from Finn's man, and again he got quite the look from Finn, though he didn't seem to notice.

“Ye seem to be forgetting one thing, Archibald,” Finn seethed. “I have nae agreed to this plan. If ye are going to use my castle and my men to carry out yer plan, then it is only right that I agree to it. Otherwise, we dinnae have a deal.”

“What part of this plan can ye possibly have an argument with, Finn?” Flora demanded, more than a little exasperated by him.

“All of it! Ye are nae thinking like warriors but like worrying mothers.”

“What do ye suggest we do then?” Errik gritted out.

Flora looked at Seamus, dying to know what he thought of Finn's stance, but his facial expressions gave nothing away. His eyes were calm, and his mouth relaxed, though it stayed closed. The only sign of his anger was the grip his hand had on his chair, hidden out of view. Flora sucked in a deep breath through her nose, realizing that she needed to follow Seamus' lead. They needed to stay calm and level-headed. They couldn't fall into Finn's way of thinking.

“We wait. We join our forces and reinforce the blockade we have on the village. We keep Campbell from getting any word that we are here or that the village has been cut off. Eventually, the village will fall under the pressure of the siege. They will run out of food, and there is nay anger like the anger of hunger.”

“What are ye saying?” Flora all but whispered.

“We wait for the villagers to grow angry with Campbell. It is only a matter of time. They will run out of food and blame him for it. And then, when they are ready to mount an attack, we will rally with them. We can lure Campbell into the village and attack him there, leaving him nay escape route.”

“Why would we ever do that?”

Any thoughts of calm and collected fled from Flora's mind as she screeched at Finn. What he was suggesting, to starve women and children, the innocents in all of this, was barbaric.

“Campbell will come to the battle and find himself facing an army bigger than he could have imagined and to a people who nay longer support him. Even if he wins the fight against us, he will ken that his power over this clan is weakening.”

For a moment, Flora couldn't think of anything to say. Judging from the silence coming from the rest of the room, neither could anyone else.

“What of the bairns?”

She did nothing to disguise the tears in her eyes or the emotion in her words.

“What of them?” Finn asked, casually sipping on his ale.

“Should they be made to suffer too? Will ye starve the children before ye see to it that their parents are slaughtered in front of their eyes?”

“Och, Flora. Ye were always the dramatist.”

“Have ye truly forgotten, Finn? Do ye nae remember what it was like to be those children? I dinnae think I could ever forget how those hours became days when I waited for my parents to return; how the hunger gnawed in my belly, how their screams filled the air.”

“How dare ye,” Finn shouted, slamming his fists on the table hard enough to make the half-eaten platters jump. “I could never forget what Campbell and Murray did to this clan, what they did to me.”

“Yet ye are willing to do the verra same thing.”

She whispered the words, but she knew he had heard them all the same.

“Ye forget, this is war. There are risks we must take, loses that we cannae avoid.”

“Ye forget yer humanity.” There was no anger in her accusation, only sadness now, for she no longer recognized the man sitting across from her. “Ye claim to loath Campbell, to hate him for all he has done, yet ye are urging us to do the same thing he would do in our position, the same thing he has done. Ye think just like him.”

“If we are ever going to defeat our enemy, we must think like him, if only to anticipate his next move.”

Flora's chin rose a notch. Even with Seamus sitting between them, she could still feel Errik tense at Finn, echoing the words he had used during their training.

“We said we would do anything to see Campbell fall, and we meant it,” Archibald added. “War is an ugly thing, but in this case, it is necessary. We must do whatever it takes to put the odds in our favor of winning.”

This time, as Flora scanned the table, her heart broke to see just how many were nodding in agreement. Desperate for Seamus to do something, she looked at him with tear filled eyes. Her whole body seemed to burn with anger, and she needed Seamus to feel it too, she needed him to speak up and stop this nonsense. The whole room seemed to be waiting to see just what he would say. She had seen him shift the atmosphere of a room before. He had been able to influence the way men thought, to lead them down the right path. And he needed to do it again now. But Seamus didn't meet her gaze even as he drew breath to speak.

“I need a moment to think.”

Offering nothing more, Seamus stood and left the room with Flora still reeling in it.