Page 7

Kelvan

Later that day, Kelvan jumped off the galley ship, in such a hurry that he shoved at one man’s chest hard enough that the brute fell into the rough salt water.

The weather rocked the boat enough that two had already heaved their insides out over the bow.

“God’s rotten teeth, get the hell out of my way. ”

He glanced up at the woman at the top of the parapets, looking as though she thought she were the queen of the world.

Nearly snorting over this ridiculous thought, he held it in because though she wasn’t much to look at, she was smarter than any other woman he’d known.

And he needed her knowledge of the foolish Clan Grantham to finish what he’d started.

“Did you find her?” Glenna called out.

“Aye, but there were at least a score or more men in red plaids,” he muttered as he climbed the stone steps up to the curtain wall around the castle he’d taken over as his own. “We had to get the hell out of there. They took down four of my men.”

Glenna stood there with her arms crossed, a sly smirk on her pale face. “You’ve met the Grants?”

“Aye. One of them picked Merryn up just as I was about to grab the bitch.” He cursed, picking up a rock and hoisting it over the edge of the parapets. “Their horses are massive.”

“Ow! You hit me.” One of his horsemen glared up at him, rubbing his scalp.

“Get the hell out of the way, and I won’t hit you,” he shouted down at the fool who was dumb enough to stand directly beneath him.

Frustrated, Kelvan moved over to a stool at the edge, plopping down and staring up at his new wife, one who would only be around for as long as he needed her.

He’d found a man who wore a frock to pretend to be a priest to marry them.

Of course, it was all false, so she had no hold on him. He’d never marry another.

“We came up from the beach and Merryn was practicing at the archery field, the wee idiot. As if a female could ever be a good archer.”

“Don’t be a fool, Kelvan. The Ramsays have some of the finest female archers in all the land. Did you learn naught from the battle on Loch Tuath? Were there not two archers there who took out three of your men?”

Kelvan lifted his face to glare at his wife simply because he hated it when she was right.

She shouldn’t be right. Women were not better at archery and were put in the world to service men.

There was nothing more to it than that. Glenna would service him by teaching him which among Clan Grantham would need to be eliminated first, then he’d take over the rest and control them all.

Including the faery and the wee lad who was too small to fool with yet.

“I can see everything in your face. Stop dreaming so. Take over the Isle of Mull and that’s it. I know you have these ridiculous ideas that some faery or sword will make you take over all of the land, but there’s no such thing. Focus on Mull. That will be enough.”

Kelvan snorted but said nothing. She had no idea how smart he was.

“You will lose if you underestimate anything about Clan Ramsay or Clan Grant. Did you not see Odart’s burned palm? Or what about the creature seen by three men?”

“All lies. No power in the lad and no sea creature. There were big waves and—”

“And powerful swimmers? Is that all? So, four bairns, two women, and one man were able to strategize better than all your men combined? Enough to get away before you could transfer them to your ship?”

“That’s right. There was no magic, no sea creature.

There’s only a wee faery who doesn’t know what to do with her talents.

I’ll show her exactly what I want done. My power is stronger than theirs.

I’ll have to be on the next ship myself instead of leaving it to incompetent men who are useless at following orders. ”

“So, the next time. Now that you know where your daughter is, what is your plan? Because I’m gathering my men to attack the isle in a fortnight. That’s how long you have to get the special ones away. What are you hoping to accomplish?”

Kelvan thought for a moment, revising his tactics just a bit. If a strong female archer truly existed, perhaps he needed to steal one for himself. But how would he know which one was the correct archer to steal? He’d have to give that careful consideration.

But that didn’t change his immediate strategies.

“I’m going to give Merryn three days to take her timid arse to Duart Castle.

She’ll go there, I’m certain of it. I’m seeking my daughter and the faery.

And her brother. If I have him, the faery will do whatever I ask.

” The rest of Kelvan’s thoughts stayed within him, unspoken.

Because once he had the faery and her brother, he’d threaten to kill him if she didn’t make him the king of the isle.

Glenna could take her fleet of galleys and go after someone else. Once he took over the Isle of Mull, Clan Grant would run tail back to the mainland and he’d control the others.

All of them.