Page 19

Kelvan

Two days after Ramsay had visited, Kelvan was still furious with Glenna, but now that she was near death from the fever, he had to do something.

He couldn’t just sit there and watch her die.

How he wished the one who cut off her hand was here now.

It was all his fault that Glenna had the fever.

The healer had warned them that Glenna would surely get the fever from the wound.

It had only taken a little more than a day for the fever to set in. She’d worsened overnight.

He gathered two of his guards and made a decision.

“We’re going to take three ships and wait a distance down from Craignure.

I hear there will be many coming to aid the Granthams, so we shall wait until a ship arrives.

Then we’ll come in from shore and wait until the chaos begins, and we’ll go over the wall and grab bairns. ”

Samuel, his best fighter at present, asked, “But you said a sennight.”

“God’s rotten teeth, I changed my mind. Do you have a problem with that?”

“Nay. Go on. Tell me the plan so I can see it done.”

“I’d prefer to find Merryn and Shealee eventually, or Kyla and Finlay, but right now all we need is bait. If we have bairns, they’ll negotiate. We’ll grab whomever we can and wait for them to come and beg for the return of their precious babes.”

“Where?” asked Samuel. “Where are you going to stash them all? Not in Mingary Castle. Glenna will never be able to handle bairns crying. You know she hates them.”

“I have other places to hide them. I’ll send the captives to Tiree or Morvern because the Granthams know we’re here, and we can’t let them reclaim them.

If Clan Grant sends their forces to Mingary, we cannot battle them yet, even with Glenna’s men arriving soon.

If we have the bairns hidden, they’ll not kill us all.

Do not worry. But I’m not sitting still any longer.

After what that fool did to my beloved Glenna, a one-handed idiot now, there is retribution to be paid.

Gather the men and ready them to row shortly. Ready the ships too.”

Samuel did as he was instructed, so Kelvan made his way down to the best ship, waiting for the men to come along and row.

He knew Duart Castle well by now. From the right spot, one could climb up the bank to a side of the wall where a perfect set of trees grew.

He could sit in one and wait. He supposed Samuel could do it, but no one was as smart as Kelvan.

All the past blunders were glaring evidence of this truth.

He’d lie in wait at Duart Castle, see what the bastards thought of him then. When the time was right, he’d have twenty men climb over the walls and bring chaos to the courtyard. It was a fine day, so some bairns would be outside playing.

Kelvan considered his plan again, certain it would work.

Why, it was a brilliant plan that no one else could have thought of.

And sitting here watching Glenna fail more and more each day was proving too difficult for him.

The dumb healer he’d found to treat her put a salve on her stub after he sewed what he could, then said there was naught more he could do.

Kelvan had to do something. She had the coin to pay all the men they’d hired, and he didn’t know exactly where she kept it all.

It was time to make his move.

A short time later, they manned three galley ships after giving orders to the captain of each boat. They were to sit outside the castle and wait for his instructions. He would climb the tree and give the whistle when he wished for them to advance.

They headed down the Sound of Mull toward Craignure, slowing because the afternoon boat was approaching. He smiled after it landed, men leading horses from the lower level while others carried multiple crates and set them aside.

One haughty woman, white-haired and graceful, left the boat, hanging on to a huge man’s arm. Kelvan had no idea who either one was, but he’d wager they were headed to Duart Castle. If he was correct, this would give him the exact circumstances he needed.

Some of the men were guards, and they fussed over the crates, settling them in rented carts to take to their destination.

The bear of a man with long dark hair and a full beard lifted the woman onto a mare as if she were but a feather.

Then he strode over to his own stallion and fed the animal a treat, patting its flank.

Kelvan snorted, wondering why he would waste the treat on an animal, though he had to admit that the chestnut-colored beast was a beauty if Kelvan had ever seen one.

Where the hell did these Highlanders find such magnificent stallions? One snort from the animal would scare a woman into pishing in the path, he swore.

The man barked orders, then mounted his horse, leading the woman up the incline and heading toward Duart. Just as Kelvan had thought.

Perhaps the woman was Logan Ramsay’s sister. If so, he’d put a dagger in her throat if he got the chance. Then he decided she was too fine and fair to be a Ramsay.

He didn’t care who she was. Once the ship unloaded, took on its new passengers, and headed back to Oban, Kelvan whistled and motioned for their three vessels to head toward Duart.

They already knew where to go, knew they were to wait for him to move up the hill to the castle to assess the situation before he would give the sign to attack.

Retribution would be his soon. Start the war, bastards. It was all their fault that Glenna was half daft in bed.