Page 23 of The Bells of Triumph
8
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
Wind 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, thenumber 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 nighttogether 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 warmorange 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.
