Page 13 of The Bells of Triumph (Highlands’ Lost Valley #3)

12

SHADOWS OF LOYALTY

C onnor's cloak hung heavy across his shoulders, reaching over his head, concealing every detail of his face and figure from the world. The deep navy fabric blended in with the darkening sky. Yet, despite the late hour of the day, there was still so much happening.

He walked cautiously up to the keep, having left his horse tied in the woods half a mile back. There could be nothing that drew attention to himself, nothing that would make him stand out, even if it meant getting away in a hurry would be much harder if he needed to. It was simply a risk he had to take.

Luck seemed to be in his favor, as there was a noisy crowd gathered around the entrance to the castle courtyard. The gates were locked, but there were twice as many guards stationed outside as Campbell normally kept. Illuminated by lanterns, Connor could hardly make out any of the men's faces or what was happening within the castle walls. It was late enough for the sun to have set, but still early enough that Connor could barely make out the clinking of armor in the distance. The all-too-familiar sound made Connor think there was more going on than he originally thought.

“Get back! Away wit' ye!”

Each of the four guards shouted their orders to the crowds, threatening violence and imprisonment for disobedience, but the villagers showed no signs of listening.

“What is going on?”

“Why is Glenkirk Castle barricaded?”

“The roads are closed. I cannae get home!”

Even with all their shouts and cries of outrage, the guards didn't seem to care about what the villagers were saying. They gave no reaction at all other than to order the people back. There was no surprise, no malice, nothing. Connor couldn't make sense of it.

The closer he got to the keep, the more alert he became. He cataloged every step he took, from the way the gravel crunched under his feet to the direction of the breeze. Though his chin was tucked, his eyes were up, constantly scanning how many people were around him and what they were all doing. With more villagers coming up behind him, Connor didn't seem out of place, rather just like another frenzied man seeking answers. In some ways, he was.

Connor was nearly to the gates when he finally got a good enough glimpse of one of the guards. The lantern swung just enough to light up the man's face, and subsequently, Connor's hope that his plan would go well. The familiar dirty blonde hair and proud brow bone could belong to none other than Adam, an old friend. It would be a testament to just how deep that friendship went for Connor to approach him after abandoning and betraying Campbell, but Connor could see no way around it.

The crowd was too large and too noisy for Connor to slip away unnoticed. There were already too many eyes on the gates, too many guards stationed to protect the keep from invaders. If Connor were to make it inside and find any of the men he believed to be against Campbell, he would need Adam's help and his secrecy.

Positioning himself off to one side of the crowd, Connor let out an owl's whistle. It was one that he had used with Adam nearly every time they went on patrol together. And as soon as the high-pitched tone went into the air, Adam's head snapped up to scan the area a bit more intensely. Only then did Connor pick up his head, ready to lock eyes with the guard as soon as Adam looked his way. He knew Adam had spotted him when the man's eyes went wide and his face paled just a bit. Connor waited patiently for Adam to make some excuse to the guard standing next to him, who was too preoccupied with the crowd to pay Adam much attention. And then his friend stalked towards him.

“Have ye lost yer mind?” Adam whispered angrily, gripping the top of Connor's arm and pulling him away from the crowd with more force than was necessary.

They tucked behind a tree, staying out of sight of the rest of the guards. As soon as they were situated, Connor pulled his arm back and rubbed the top where Adam had held him. There was sure to be a bruise there, but Connor had bigger things to worry about.

“Ye have betrayed Campbell, left yer post. He has marked ye as a traitor. We have orders to kill ye on sight, should any of us find ye. Ye are lucky that the other guards did nae see ye, or they would have taken ye to Campbell so he could do it himself.”

“It was nae luck and ye ken that,” Connor pointed out. “Besides, I am nae here for myself. My life matters little, with all things considered.”

“Then tell me, man, what are ye doing here? What is so important that ye would risk yer life?”

Connor stopped for just a moment. The promise he made to Brid, that he would return to her, suddenly felt foolish. Adam was right, coming here was a huge risk that could cost him his life. Trusting the wrong person would make a liar out of Connor. He couldn't ask just anyone for help if he was going to make good on his word to Brid.

But then he thought a minute longer and realized that if Adam was going to turn him into Campbell, Adam would have done so already. It would have been far too easy for Adam to have alerted the other guards and capture Connor, even with the growing mob. But he hadn't. Adam was a good man, even if he was still serving under Campbell. Perhaps all Adam needed was the chance to leave, and Connor wanted to give him that chance.

“I am entrusting ye with my life,” Connor impressed upon him. “Betray me, and it will ensure the end of my life and countless others. I cannae say more until I have yer word that ye will nae. If ye cannae make that promise, I will leave now and nae make things more difficult for ye.”

Adam paused, contemplating Connor's words, before nodding solemnly.

“I swear, I will nae turn ye in.”

Connor leaned back, peeking around the side of the tree to ensure that no one from the growing mob had gotten any closer. Satisfied that they were still alone, he kicked the dirt around with his toe before looking back at Adam.

“Ye are correct, I did leave my post, but for good reason. Seamus Murray found a group of rebels who have spent the entirety of Campbell's reign training and preparing to overthrow him.”

“How did he manage that?”

“Luck, I think,” Connor said with a scoff. “I left to join him.”

“Are these the rebels Campbell has had us chase down?”

“Aye. He attacked their base in the middle of the night, but it did him just as much harm. Seamus killed Drummond, and then he took Campbell's leg.”

Adam jerked back in surprise, his eyes wide. He crossed his arms over his chest and shifted his weight around. Connor knew that everything he was saying was going to challenge the man, make him call into question some of the things he had grown up believing. But he also knew that underneath it all, Adam was a good man who had disagreed with Campbell's cruelty.

“I had started to wonder why we have nae seen Campbell around much.”

“Campbell has underestimated the size and force of Seamus' army. Men and women from all over the clan have joined him. They have captured Drummond Castle and now Glenkirk too. All they want, all we want, is to retake the Murray Clan for ourselves. We want our freedom back. We want the ability to harvest our crops without fear of increasing taxes. We want to be able to start our families and raise our bairns without worrying if we will be forced to fight or punished for some arbitrary ruling. Do ye nae long for the same things?”

Connor could see it in Adam's eyes that he had struck a nerve, as Connor knew he would. They had often talked about their hopes and dreams during the long, solitary hours on patrol. He knew that Adam wanted a family but had always been hesitant to go after one. Connor could understand why. With Campbell in charge, there was no guarantee that a family could prosper. If anything, there was a guarantee that they would suffer.

“Aye, Connor,” Adam sighed. “Ye ken that I do.”

“Then help me. Help us. Join the fight for the things we want, the things that every man has a right to.”

“What do ye need me to do?”

Connor slapped Adam on the shoulder with a wide grin on his face. His heart was still racing, but he was pleased to see that his risk had paid off. He had trusted the right man.

“There are others like us, guards within the keep, who are nae loyal to Campbell. They only serve him because they dinnae ken what else to do.”

“Aye, I can understand that,” Adam answered with a nod. “My father served Laird Murray. So when I came of age, I thought that was what I needed to do too. It seemed the most sure way to keep my family safe.”

“With Campbell, there is nay sure way of anything. That is why we have to do this. That is why we need to find the others who are nae loyal to him. We find them, and then we convince them nae to fight back against the rebels when they attack.”

“Attack? Ye did nae say anything about an attack.”

Connor paused for a moment, confused by the man's reaction.

“Adam, what did ye think was going to happen? I told ye that Seamus had an army, that they have overtaken two fortresses now, and that they wanted to overthrow Campbell. How did ye think they were going to do that—ask nicely?”

“Och, of course, nae. I guess I just did nae think it all the way through. I have my mother to think about, and my three younger sisters. They depend on me to protect them, to provide for them. If I get caught, Campbell will go after them, nae me.”

“I ken why ye are scared but?—”

“Nay, Connor, I dinnae think ye understand. I am all they have left. My father died in the invasion and my mother cannae work anymore. That is why I took this job in the first place. I ken ye want to fight for freedom and prosperity, but I have to ensure that my family has the chance of survival first.”

“But what of every other family's chances of survival? Should we nae be guardians of the clan, nae just of the Laird?”

Adam stared Connor down, clearly wrestling with this point.

“Listen, I want to help ye but I?—”

He was cut off by the sound of the crowd crying out, followed by glass shattering. Swords were pulled from their sheaths and the people grew louder and louder.

This time, both he and Adam looked around the side of the tree. A lantern had dropped, and the spilled oil had caught fire, drawing a red, hot line through the crowd. That didn't seem to deter them from their mission, but rather fuel it. Men screamed for answers while the women begged for food, all while the guards wrestled to get the crowd away from the gate. What had once been an agitated but peaceful group of villagers hoping for answers and some help from their leader had quickly delineated into a mob, riotous and aggressive.

“They will be summoning more guards any minute,” Adam said, thinking aloud. “They will nae stop until the entire area is searched and cleared. Anyone left standing will be imprisoned. They will find ye. We cannae stay here.”

“Help me, then. Get me inside the keep.”

Adam looked between the mob and Connor's face. Panic and confusion and half a dozen other emotions danced over Adam's face as he considered what to do. The man was clearly torn between not risking anything, doing his job, staying loyal to Campbell, and helping Connor do what was right. Connor waited for a minute to let the man choose, but the mob was growing louder and the guards were shouting for reinforcements. He knew he didn't have much time at all before he would have to move one way or the other; into the keep with Adam or back through the forest to his horse. He counted to ten, telling himself that at the end of it, he would make the choice for Adam and leave. The numbers ticked down and Adam was still shifting back and forth.

“Three, two, on—” Connor mumbled under his breath.

But before he could get “one” out, Adam reached for Connor's arm and pulled him in.

“We must be quick.”

Following Adam, they wove through the trees and dodged villagers who were sprinting away. Connor stayed half a step behind his friend and tugged the hood of his cloak up higher on his head, trying to cover the entirety of his face with it. The riot worked in their favor, as no one noticed the two men approaching the stone wall. Nor did they see Adam reach up to press an oddly placed stone into the wall, opening up a hidden doorway.

The two men snuck inside and shut the door behind them, plunging themselves into the darkness that lay in front of them. Connor took in a shaky breath, willing his heart to slow enough for him to orient himself.

“I never kent about this entrance,” Connor admitted to Adam, wanting to dispel some of the tension.

“Aye. That is because my father built it and told only Laird Murray and me. I dinnae think even Campbell kens of its existence.” He paused and shuffled his feet around for a moment. “We will have to continue without light. It will only be for a minute or two, and then we will be through to the other side. And then ye will be free to tell the other guards yerself. I will help ye nay more.”

“I thank ye, Adam. This has been a great help, indeed. Without ye, I never would have made it this far.”

His eyes adjusted just enough to see Adam's shadowy figure moving through the passageway. Light seeped in through the cracks between stones, making it a bit easier to see, though not by much. They climbed what he thought to be three flights of stairs. By his estimation, they would wind up in the second-story hallway that overlooked the courtyard. The only thing he couldn't tell was just where they would come out. When they finally came to the other door that led them into the keep, Connor almost wished he had stayed in the dark, or better yet, back in the tavern with Brid.

Peering over the balcony of the courtyard, an all too familiar sight greeted him.

“Yer blades must all be sharpened by dawn. And I dinnae want to see any of ye without yer hair tied back or with holes in yer shirts. Ye are representing Laird Campbell, and ye must do so with pride. We must show that the greatest difference between us and them goes beyond the fact that ye can fight. It is that ye will stop at nothing to follow yer orders, even down to the clothes on yer back.”

Connor stiffened as much at the sight as the words being said.

Men lined up shoulder to shoulder in row after row, standing tall and awaiting inspection, all while Master Archie passed in between them, tugging on sword straps and pulling on hair. A time or two, the man kicked some feet apart and jerked others' shoulders back, correcting their stances. Connor had stood there one too many times before, lined up alongside the other guards, preparing for war.

“There will be nay going home tonight. I hope ye said goodbye to yer families because ye will all be staying here, drilling techniques and making sure that everyone is ready. We cannae leave any of this to chance. These rebels must be squashed like the wee vermin they are. We must do all that we can to ensure nae a single one of them lives to tell their tales.”

Archie's speech sent chills down Connor's spine, but it was the facial expressions of the guards that gave him hope. More than a handful of men wore looks of discomfort and disagreement. They were all smart enough to keep their mouths shut, of course, but Connor could tell that they didn't want to be there. He made note of their faces and tried to recall their names, knowing that if he could find a way to talk to them, he could get them to agree not to fight against the rebels.

“Here is where I must leave ye,” Adam whispered. “I ken that I dinnae have to show ye the way around, nor do I need to warn ye to be careful, but I will tell ye this; I have never seen anything quite like this before. Campbell has nae shown his face, but he does nae need to. Archie and his other men are vicious enough for him. Something is different this time. They are angry for being made fools of. They will nae take it well if ye do it a second time by sneaking in here under their noses.”

“What are ye saying?” Connor questioned, though his eyes didn't leave the guards in the courtyard.

“I am saying dinnae get caught. They will kill ye, and they will nae be merciful or quick about it. Dinnae try yer luck and stay too long. Do what ye came to do, and then leave before the sun rises.”

“Can I count on ye, Adam? Will ye nae fight against us, against me?”

Adam sighed and shook his head.

“Dinnae ask me a question that I cannae give ye an answer to.”

Without saying anymore, Adam left the way they came, leaving Connor alone in the hallway, counting his enemies, measuring the size of their strength.