Page 9 of The Bells of Triumph (Highlands’ Lost Valley #3)

8

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

W ind blew across Flora's face, the cold stealing her breath. It was a gentle reminder of just how long they had been planning for this day to come. She could hardly believe how quickly time had passed from the first time she found Seamus in the woods being hunted by Campbell's guards. She felt as though she had lived through a hundred different lifetimes since then.

Seamus' grip tightened on her leg, as if he needed to hold her as much as she needed to hold him. Their day had started early, long before the sun had risen. It was important to both of them that they ensured everyone riding with them had everything they needed. Seamus had spent hours in the barn assigning horses and saddling them for those who didn't know how to do it themselves. Flora had spent hours making sure everyone had at least one sword and a bag of food. There would be no stopping until they got to Campbell Village. They had to get there before Campbell got word from anyone of a large group of warriors riding towards him.

Flora twisted in her seat, loosening her arms from around Seamus' waist to do so. The group of those who rode behind her was bigger than she could have ever hoped to have. In fact, the number of rebels was so large that they had to split the group in two. She and Seamus led the way on their horse with the first group, while Liam followed with Iona and the other healers.

There was an intense surge of pride that swelled in her chest as she looked from face to face. Flora had spent her entire life waiting for this moment. It was her anger at the clan's complacency that had first led her to run from her uncle's home and towards the Lost Valley and Rolland. She had been so desperate for her parents' death to not have been in vain, for someone to stand up and say that what had happened was wrong. She never thought that it would be her voice, her sword, helping to lead the charge.

She wasn't the only one who had been willing to go to any lengths to see Campbell brought to justice. That much was evident by the hundreds of riders trailing behind them—men and women alike. For the first time in nearly two decades, the clan was acting as one. They were united in a cause that was worth fighting for. No longer were they separate villages and separate families, isolated by their poverty and oppressors. They were operating as one people, proud and strong and ready to reclaim what was rightfully theirs.

“What are ye thinking about back there? I can nearly hear the gears turning in yer head.”

Flora turned back around to find Seamus looking over his shoulder at her. She sighed and wound her hands around his waist once more as she pressed her cheek against his shoulder blade.

“I was thinking of my parents. And of Rolland.”

They hadn't talked much of the Chief's death. She knew that Seamus blamed himself for it, she could feel it in the way his back tightened under her.

“He should be the one leading us. He should be in this spot, nae me.”

“There are a lot of those who should be with us and are nae. But that is nae what I was thinking about. I was thinking of their courage, their determination. My parents went to the fight with the knowledge that they were nae likely to return. Yet, they did it anyway because they believed that was what was right. And Rolland never stopped trying. He never gave up hope that the day would come for Campbell to pay for his crimes.”

“Aye. That is a good way to remember them.”

“It is the only way. Their memories must give us strength, they must push us forward. In truth, they make me want to be more courageous. I want to do more, if only to make them proud.”

“Aye.”

The single word told Flora that she had struck a nerve. She knew how much Seamus wanted the very same thing. He had been determined to lead by example, to be a man worth following into battle. She had watched him these past weeks show great patience to everyone, listening to their stories and answering their questions and soothing their worries. He had gone out of his way to help those who needed it, spending hours on the training field to give extra tips and tricks, explaining the plan over and over, even offering up his own meal to those who came in late and still needed to eat. All of this had meant that the men, who now rode behind them, did so willingly and with great pride. Seamus' calm demeanor had kept everyone else level-headed and sane in a time when tempers and fears and past hurts had risen to the surface. She didn't think that he could have made Rolland any more proud. She felt sure the Chief would have said just that if he had been there to say it.

Likewise, Flora felt just as proud of Seamus. She wanted to shout to the entire world that he was hers. She wanted everyone to know just how much she loved him. Memories of their handfasting drifted to mind as the sky grew dark. Their night together under the stars was one she would never forget. It was also one she longed to repeat.

Though she knew they were in the middle of a war and that complicated things, she couldn't help but think that they were newlyweds, after all. She merely wanted time alone with her husband. It didn't have to be long. Just a few hours would do. But they had hardly had any time alone together since the handfasting.

Flora let out a sigh, sinking further into Seamus, breathing him in. Soaking in his warmth, she let the rhythmic rocking of the horse lull her to sleep.

“First light will be here soon,” Seamus called back, rousing Flora from her sleep. “With it, we will make it to Glenkirk Castle and Murray Village that lies just beyond it. I want everyone to be prepared.”

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Flora sat up and reached for the hilt of her sword. She worked across her body, checking that her bow, quiver of arrows, and dagger were all in place. Satisfied, she checked behind her to make sure that everyone else was doing the same thing.

“This is it,” Seamus whispered. “This is the beginning of the end.”

Flora squeezed his arm one last time and then straightened her back. She wanted to be on alert, ready for whatever may come.

They rode for another few minutes in silence. Nothing but the breathing of the beasts they rode filled the air. The sky started to turn, the blue-black darkness giving way to a warm orange streaked with pink. It was beautiful. A stark contrast to the battle that was soon to come.

“What is this?”

Seamus slowed the horse, raising one hand to get those behind him to do the same. Leaning around, Flora searched for whatever might have elicited such a reaction from him.

“A blockade,” she muttered. “And the castle doors are locked. As are all the windows.”

“Aye. It has been fortified. The road is completely closed off.”

A chill went through Flora. Her skin prickled as she stared at the trees that laid across the street. They stretched from one ditch to the river running on the other side, leaving them with no way to get in without moving the trees first.

“He kens. I dinnae ken how,” Flora told Seamus, “but someone told Campbell about our plans. He kent that we would come and has blocked us from even making it to Glenkirk Castle.”

Seamus didn't answer her. He just kept staring at the trees as if they could tell him something about what was happening.

“We have to get out of here,” she whispered furiously. “If Campbell kent that we were coming, then he could have set this whole thing up. We have just walked into a trap. He could attack us at any moment. We cannae stay here.”

“It was nae him.”

Flora blinked, her head jerking back at his declaration.

“What?”

“It was nae him. Campbell would nae do this.”

“He would nae block the road to stop us from getting closer to him?”

“Aye, he would do that if he kent that we were coming. But he would nae use trees to do it. He would use his guards. It would be his men standing here, ready to fight us, if this was Campbell. Nay, there is something else going on.”

“What do we do then?”

“We clear a path and keep going.”

Though it took them longer than she would have liked, they did exactly that. The sun had started to climb through the sky, disappearing behind clouds every now and then, by the time they made it to the fortress.

Flora strung her bow, though she kept the arrow angled to the ground and loose as her eyes scanned the towers. To her surprise, she got hung up on a familiar face standing at the top of the ramparts, his own bow and arrow drawn. It took her a moment to place the man, but once she did, she was tapping on Seamus' shoulder.

“Look to the left. I ken that man. He was one of the rebels who left with Finn.”

“Are ye sure?” he asked as he turned to look at the man.

“Aye. But I dinnae understand. What is Finn doing here?”

Seamus' shoulders stiffened.

“I dinnae ken, but I intend to find out. I will go forward alone. The last thing I want is for Finn to think that we are approaching as an enemy. If he has truly taken over this fortress himself then I dinnae wish to be seen as a threat.”

“He may see ye as that, even if ye do go alone. I dinnae wish for ye to walk into the firing range only to be shot before ye have the chance to speak.”

“Finn would nae do that. He is nae that kind of man. Even if I were Campbell approaching, I think he would still give me the chance to speak first.”

Seamus gave the signal to the rest of the group to stop behind them and then swung down from the horse, leaving Flora sitting in the saddle alone. She hated how cold and empty it felt to slide forward and take the reins almost as much as she hated the ball of nerves that sat low in her gut. Since when did she see Finn as their opponent in all of this? She didn't know, but she didn't like it.

“Ye can walk up, but I will follow ye out there. At least so that I can cover ye with my bow, should ye need it.”

She left no room for argument in her words or the sternness on her face.

“Flora, there really is?—”

“I am nae going to let my husband walk into anything alone. Ever. So dinnae ask me to.”

The look of amazement on Seamus' face was not what she had expected, but he gave her no more argument.

The world felt still and silent as Seamus walked the way to the castle gates. Flora could all but hear her heartbeat. She raised her arm, taking her bow with her. The string that held the arrow grazed her cheek in cold familiarity. It wasn't the first time she had guarded Seamus with her bow, and she doubted it would be the last.

“I would like to speak to Finn,” Seamus shouted up to the guard. “Tell him his allies are here.”

She couldn't hear the guard's response, but it was only a moment later before he vanished into the castle. The minutes crept by while they waited for Finn's response. She was starting to think that he would refuse them, turn them away at the door and send them on their way, but then the castle doors opened.

Finn emerged from behind the doors, covered in weaponry. The same guard Seamus had spoken to had returned to his post and brought three more with him, all carrying bows and quivers of arrows. Half a dozen other warriors stepped out from the castle and took up positions on either side of Finn, their hands already on their swords, as if they fully expected to be attacked. Flora could almost hear the sound of the rest of his men readying for battle, as though they were not all fighting on the same side.

Almost as soon as all of Finn's men were in position, he stepped forward again, crossing the distance between him and Seamus. Likewise, Seamus walked closer to the castle and further away from her, sending tension through her back.

Seeing the two men get closer and closer sparked an instinctive reaction in Flora. Everything within her was screaming at her to kick the horse into a sprint so she could stand in between them. The last thing she wanted was for a fight to break out between the two men and then their respective forces. They couldn't afford to waste such manpower on a personal feud; especially not one she felt responsible for. She wanted to protect them, both of them, if only from each other.

But she forced herself to stay put. It took all of her willpower to keep her horse in the same position, but she managed it, just barely. Though her bow was still raised, and her arrow was pulled tight, she made no effort to intervene. She had gone down that path time and time again before. She had tried to convince Finn of Seamus' character, of his desires for good to triumph over evil, to no avail. Finn hadn't listened to her then, and he had only grown more withdrawn, more suspicious. She knew there was no way she could get him to believe her now. She simply had to trust that Seamus could speak for himself.

“What is happening?”

Errik's sudden arrival nearly startled her. She had heard his horse growing closer only seconds before he had spoken, lessening the scare, though her heart still pounded.

“Seamus has asked to speak with Finn. He insisted on going alone.”

“He is wise. Finn would nae have listened to anyone else.”

“I am grateful that ye agreed to speak with me.”

Flora could make out what Seamus was saying, but just barely. She forced her mind and body to quiet as her ears strained to hear their conversation.

“I was intrigued when my guard came to tell me that our allies had arrived. I did nae ken I had any allies.”

“I ken we have had our differences, Finn. I ken that ye have verra good reason nae to like me or even trust me. But the plain truth of the matter is that we are on the same side.”

“And what side is that?” Finn demanded, his eyes narrowed.

“I want to see that Campbell is removed from this clan—permanently. Is that nae what ye wish as well?”

“Of course it is. Unlike my forefathers, however, I refuse to entrust the well-being of my people into the hands of a Murray.”

He all but spat the name, eliciting a wince from Seamus.

“I cannae trust that should I join forces with ye, should I allow ye entry into the castle I have conquered and access to the lands just beyond it, that ye would nae simply claim them as yer own when it is all said and done with.”

Flora wanted to scream at Finn for his high-handedness. He didn't have “a people” to protect. He had merely commandeered men and frightened them into submission. Seamus' fists were clenched in what she assumed was similar anger.

“What would ye have me do?” Seamus asked through gritted teeth.

“I will make a deal with ye. In exchange for allowing ye passage through Glenkirk, ye will give up any claim to the Lost Valley. I will take those lands and form a clan independent of ye there after this war is over. And ye will nae punish or stop anyone who wishes to join me there.”

One heartbeat passed, then two, then three. Flora made it all the way to fifteen before Seamus answered Finn with a single, furious word.

“Aye.”