Page 18 of The Lost Highland Prince (The Last Celtic King #1)

17

Chapter Seventeen

Maeve sat on the small chair, her pulse racing, her throat dry, as she listened to Cailean recount the events of the day to the gathered elders. It was so strange to hear him talk about their visit to the blacksmith. It felt like it had been weeks ago, not only a few hours. She did notice that he didn't mention the pin as part of his story, though she didn't have time to wonder too much about it now. Her eyes flicked between the faces of the four elders, apprehension freezing her in place as she tried to read their reactions.

"So when the attack was announced, Mary—Maeve—fled? Right away?" Hamish asked Cailean after he reached the part where Arthur had entered the tavern with the warning.

"Aye," Cailean replied. He glanced at Maeve and added, "Though in all fairness, nae part of me believes she was tryin' tae simply escape. I believe she had it in her head tae lead the Darach men away from the village and the camp. She rode right toward them."

Maeve was surprised by the evenness and fairness in Cailean's tone. Any personal complicated feelings he might be having were hidden, and instead he spoke frankly and honestly. She hadn't been sure he'd believed her when she'd claimed she was trying to save the rebels, and for the first time, a flicker of hope appeared in her stomach.

"And ye followed?" Ewan prompted.

"I had nae idea why she left the way she did. I wanted tae ensure she was safe," Cailean replied. Guilt curled in Maeve's stomach at this, but Cailean didn't even look at her as he continued. "I made sure that someone was able tae alert the rebels, and I got on me horse and pursued her. I didnae think, I just…" he trailed off. "I did what I thought was best."

Kier cleared his throat. "I understand well what ye were thinkin', lad," he said, in a way that Maeve didn't quite understand but that seemed to embarrass Cailean a little. "Dinnae look so grim. I would have done the same. So ye followed her, and presumably ye saw her approach the camp?"

Cailean shook his head. "I was too far behind. By the time I caught up, the Darach men were already in pursuit of her. I heard them shoutin' about capturin' the woman, tauntin', screamin', all sorts of terrible things. I pushed me poor horse tae his limits tae catch up, racing along the path toward them, but I wasnae close enough until they'd already disappeared behind the tree line."

He paused, looking troubled.

"Go on, lad," Kier encouraged.

"I saved her. I killed the men who were attackin' her, and Maeve picked up a weapon and fought alongside me. We fought until we'd killed every last one of them."

Images of the dead men filled Maeve's mind once more and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block them out. She did not want to dwell on the deaths. Even though she'd had no choice, even though Cailean had given her some comfort, it still hurt to think about.

Cailean kept talking, gruffly but briefly describing the truths that Maeve had revealed to him in the woods, and each of his words was like a blow of guilt and shame to Maeve's stomach.

When she opened her eyes again, she caught the eye of the one person who had not spoken yet, the one person she'd been avoiding. Senan was watching her with an intensity she'd only seen on his face once before, and it made her shiver.

"So. Maeve O'Sullivan," Senan said after a while. "Have ye anythin' tae say for yerself?"

Maeve didn't answer.

Senan nodded. "Good. I wouldnae have wanted tae hear excuses from ye. That's nae the Maeve I've come tae ken."

"Ye dinnae ken me at all," Maeve told him in a strangled whisper. "I've lied tae ye from the moment we met."

Senan shrugged. "Ye think I believed ye were some poor wee tavern wench? With yer accent and yer poise? I didnae ken who ye were, but I never bought that ye were simply Mary."

Stunned, Maeve could only stare at him, her mouth slightly agape. Senan wore the ghost of a smile on his face, but he turned away from her and spoke to Cailean.

"Do ye think she's a threat tae the camp?" he asked.

Cailean didn't answer for quite some time, and though it made her stomach squirm with anxiety, Maeve was glad that nobody rushed him. She anxiously, desperately wanted to know his true answer to this, not only what he felt in the heat of the moment.

"She was a fool tae do as she did with the Darach men, as foolish as she was brave," Cailean said slowly. "She fought well by me side, and with more determination than one who fights only for themselves. And she did tell me the whole truth at last, though it took some persuadin' tae get it out of her."

"Are ye a fool, lass?" Kier asked her. "Or brave?"

"Neither," Maeve replied. "I'm just tryin' tae survive, like all of us are. I am incredibly sorry tae have deceived ye, but I didnae ken whom I could trust. I've never been on me own before, but even if ye kill me now, it would be better than returnin' tae either of the lives I lived before I had the chance tae be Mary, just for a while."

Ewan raised an eyebrow. "And if we sent ye away? Ye could work amongst the Sparrows or be a wifie in a village somewhere. Ye would be far from the Darachs, far from yer past, and ye could start again."

It sounded almost tempting, but in the silence that followed, Maeve could hear sounds from outside the tent. It was night, yet the rebel camp was still bustling with activity. She couldn't make out individual voices, but she could hear them moving around together, talking together, being together, a joined, breathing unit right here in the heart of her beloved country.

"No," she said after a moment. "No. Please. I'll go if ye make me but… I beg ye, let me stay. Let me… let me be a part of this."

"Why?" Hamish asked.

"I ken I lied. I ken I dinnae have the right tae ask ye for this, but I believe in what this rebel camp stands for. I believe in the family we've built here and the goal of settin' us free, all of us. I believe that I can be a help tae bringin' down the False King and his disgustin' followers once and for all." She spoke with conviction, more than even she had known she had within her until she started talking. "If ye let me stay, if ye let me fight by yer side, I'll do anythin' that's needed tae achieve our goals. I want tae be free. I want our people tae be free."

The four elders all looked at each other, and though she didn't glance his way, Maeve could feel that Cailean was watching her too. Finally, Senan was the one to break the pause.

"If she's willin' tae fight, then she should fight," he said. "She's come this far, and I wouldnae want tae waste all that time I spent with her." He gave Maeve a subtle wink. "And… well, I've tasted her cookin'. We wouldnae want tae unleash that upon anyone."

His little joke wasn't much, but it was like a balm to Maeve's frayed nerves. She looked around at the other elders and saw them all wearing calm expressions on their faces. Nobody was watching her with the fury or disgust that she'd honestly expected from them.

Kier spoke at last. "Then she stays."

"She stays," the others echoed.

Maeve could barely believe what she was hearing. Was this possible? Could she truly have been forgiven so easily? She'd never expected this, not really, and she couldn't even feel relieved because she was too busy being in true shock.

"Ye'll need tae tell the others yerself, though," Senan told her firmly. "I imagine that's punishment enough."

Maeve thought of how Ferda would react, or Patty, or the others. She could imagine the look on Darren's face or Fergus's or even young Dirk's. Her stomach roiled nervously again, but she steeled herself. If they were angry, they had every right to be, and she'd work hard to earn their forgiveness. "I will," she said.

"Darren kens already," Cailean said, speaking for the first time since his story had ended. Maeve turned to look at him and saw his gray eyes boring into her. "At least part of it. He wants a word with ye later."

Maeve nodded, chagrined but accepting. "I'll talk tae him. I'll talk tae all of them. And I'll do whatever it takes tae make it right, I swear it."

Kier spoke up again. "I have somethin' else ye might be able tae do tae help us out. I've been thinkin' since Cailean first told us, and I've come tae a conclusion."

"What conclusion is that?" Senan asked.

"We can turn this intae an opportunity — a good one, at that." Kier tapped the table in front of him. "We've been talkin' about a raid on the Darachs, gettin' me home back, landin' a blow against the enemy. Now we've been handed a tactical weapon that will allow us tae do just that. We held back because we didnae want tae go in blind. Well, now we dinnae have tae."

Ewan nodded eagerly. "If she lived there, she'll ken the castle almost as well as ye do, Kier, as well as all the new defenses and tactics the Darachs have put in place. She'll be what we need tae finally make this attack happen."

Hamish nodded thoughtfully. "We were reluctant before because we had nae way of getting the information we needed beyond what the Sparrows were able to sneak out to us. None of them were ever able tae get close enough tae ken the inner workin's in the way we'd need tae ensure our success. After all, posin' as servants for the womenfolk doesnae get ye much when the men in charge have nae regard for women or commoners. But even as a woman herself, Maeve was part of the rulin' family, so…"

"I'll help," Maeve said immediately. "Whatever ye need, I'll tell ye. I can tell ye about the relationships between the Darachs and others, I can tell ye about what I ken of the defenses they have in place, I can?—"

"No."

Everyone froze and turned to see Cailean shaking his head.

"What do ye mean 'no'?" Kier demanded.

"I mean no, simple as that," Cailean told him. "I already told ye not so long ago me objections tae yer plan tae invade Darach Castle."

" Bruce Castle," Kier said with a growl. "They took me home from me, and now I'm gonnae get it back, lad. Think about what we have before us."

"He's nae wrong," Senan said thoughtfully. "Now that we have Maeve, there's more we can do than ever before. We've been searchin' for an advantage for so long, and?—"

"I said no ," Cailean interrupted. With sudden, unexpected decisiveness, he got to his feet and turned and left.

Maeve gaped after him, then turned to the elders. They didn't try to stop Cailean or object to him leaving. Kier had a look of defeated annoyance on his face but otherwise didn't say a word. Ewan and Hamish had turned to each other and were talking in low voices. Senan met Maeve's eyes and gave her a tight smile.

"What are ye waitin' for, lassie?" he asked her.

She got to her feet. "I cannae thank ye enough for letting me stay," she said, though her mind was already outside the tent, trying to understand what on earth she'd just witnessed. Why had Cailean been so forceful, and why had the elders not objected? And why had he gotten so upset and just left like that?

The suspicions that had been at the front of her mind pushed harder than ever, but she was too exhausted, too overwhelmed, and too relieved to make the final connection that she knew was close. She realized that she had to go after Cailean — to find out the truth, to thank him, to do she didn't know what. All she knew was that she needed to be with him right now.

"Thank ye," she said again, and Senan gave her a smile. Kier, Ewan, and Hamish each gave her a nod, and then she hurried out of the entranceway into the night.

* * *

"Wait!"

Maeve turned around, faltering in her pursuit of Cailean, to see Ferda approaching her. Her friend wore an indescribable look of confusion and determination on her face, and Maeve's relief faded a little to be replaced with more anxiety once more. She'd known this confrontation would come, but she'd hoped that she'd have more time to prepare.

"I'm lookin' for Cailean," she told Ferda. "Can we talk in the mornin'? Or when I come back tae our bedroom tonight? I?—"

"No, we need tae talk now. Ye can go find Cailean after," Ferda told her. They stood there in the center of the camp, though everyone was giving them a wide berth. Maeve could feel eyes upon them, though. "What's goin' on? Why are ye covered in blood? Why were ye meetin' with the elders?"

"It isnae me own blood, mostly," Maeve told her in a poor attempt at a joke to alleviate the mood. Ferda didn't look impressed. "It's been a long night, and I?—"

Ferda held up a hand. "I cannae let ye go, not until I have the truth. Who are ye?" she asked. "Darren says yer name isnae even Mary. Everyone wants tae ken what's goin' on."

Maeve's guts twisted. "I… listen, I plan tae talk tae ye, tae all of ye. There's much tae be told. But right now, I need tae find…"

"No, ye'll talk tae me now. I saw Cailean go by, but I willnae tell ye where he went until ye've been honest with me." Ferda folded her arms, but although her tone was aggressive, Maeve could see the pain and uncertainty in her friend's eyes. In a softer voice, Ferda said, "Please, Maeve. Tell me the truth. Dinnae make this worse."

Maeve considered just walking away, but her heart went out to Ferda, who had, after all, been the first to make her feel like this could be a home. She couldn't leave her like this. "I…" she started, then sighed. "Me name is Maeve," she told her. "Let's talk in private."

She and Ferda went off to the side out of earshot of others, and Maeve told her a short version of the story. She told her everything — how her father had never cared for her, how she'd only had her older sister as comfort, how she'd been sold to Malcolm Darach and how she'd been accused of his murder. She told Ferda about her time at the inn and how Senan had rescued her, and about how the Darachs had probably been here for her. By the time she finished talking about the fight in the woods, Maeve felt exhausted, and there were tears on her cheeks, but she did not stop until the whole truth was out at last.

"So that's the full story," she said at last. "All of it, as much as is mine tae tell ye anyway. I'm so sorry that I lied tae ye, but I hope ye can understand why. And the elders have seen fit tae let me stay, but if ye want me tae ask them if I can sleep elsewhere…"

She was interrupted as Ferda suddenly reached out and wrapped her arms around her. "Hush, ye silly lass," Ferda said, holding her close. "Hush now. Ye poor thing, ye've been through so much."

Maeve was stunned, but leaned into the hug, enjoying the warmth and the friendship. "I dinnae understand. How are ye so kind?"

"Ye're me friend, whatever yer name might be. Ye lied about yer name, but ye never lied about yer friendship, did ye?" Ferda told her. She pulled back from the hug, but kept her hands on the sides of Maeve's arms, looking her intently in the face. "We all have our secrets. I understand why ye did what ye did. I'm a scout in the middle of an endless war; I ken what it is tae have tae protect yerself."

"I… I… thank ye," Maeve said simply. "I'm so lucky tae have ye."

Ferda grinned, and for a second, she looked so much like her cousin Darren that it almost made Maeve laugh despite everything. "Of course ye are," she said. "I'll help ye talk tae the others, too, if ye like." She paused. "How did Cailean take it?"

Maeve hesitated. The one thing she'd left out of the story was her trip to the blacksmith and the conversations she'd had with Cailean after. That felt private, especially after everything that had just happened with the elders. "I… I'm nae sure," she admitted. "He was angry, but nae unkind. But I need tae find him."

"Come back tae our hut and have a wash and a rest," Ferda advised. "Let Cailean brood, and ye can talk with him in the mornin'. Ye can…"

"No," Maeve said, though the idea of resting sounded better than anything right now. "No, I… somethin' strange happened, Ferda. I dinnae ken exactly what's goin' on, but I dinnae think Cailean should be alone right now."

Ferda tilted her head, frowning slightly, but obviously in thought rather than annoyed. "What about what ye need?"

"I need tae ken he's all right," Maeve replied. "Which way did he go?"