Page 81 of The Bells of Triumph
25
THE RACE AGAINST THE STORM
The castle was a flurry of activity. News that Seamus had retaken the clan was starting to spread beyond just the nearby villages. With every passing hour, more well-wishers and those wanting to join in the fight made their way to Murray Castle and filled into the Great Hall. Over and over again, people offered Seamus their loyalty. It was a moving scene each time, but Flora had other things to think about.
“Any word on Iona or Finn yet?”
Flora looked at Connor and shook her head.
“Nay. We have had guards out all night searching for them. At one point they thought they found a trail, but it got swept away in the wind. We dinnae have so much as a clue as to where they were headed.”
“Now is nae the time to think about that,” Liam scolded them both. “We have a courtyard here full of clan members who wish to join in the fight should Campbell come back and try to attack us. We must be ready for that. Their training must begin now.”
“Aye, it is just still so odd to me that they have both disappeared,” Connor remarked.
“Errik is out looking for them right now,” Liam said with a bit of an edge. “He is the best tracker I have ever seen. If there is anyone who can find them, he can. We must let him do his job while we do ours. So, if ye please.”
Gesturing to the men gathered in the courtyard, Flora and Liam fell back into step as the training began. The three of them had done this with so many men over the past few months that she didn't know how she would fill her time once the army was trained. Liam and Errik would see to the maintenance of everything, and she would be expected to be the Lady of Murray Castle.
“It will nae be long before ye are stuck inside with Seamus, listening to people drone on and on about their complaints,” Connor teased as they demonstrated the defensive maneuver Liam was teaching.
Normally, she would have retorted with something sharp and witty. But there was too much truth in his words for her to think of anything. She couldn't imagine what her life would be like once everything was over with Campbell. And the job Seamus currently had held no appeal for her.
“He is trying to hear them out, to get a better understanding of the state of the clan,” she told Connor. “When all of this is over, when Campbell is dealt with, we will have to focus on rebuilding the clan. We cannae do that if we dinnae ken what the weakest parts are. And it is important that we ken where we are weakest so we can strengthen them before Campbell attacks.”
“I was only teasing ye, Flora. Ye look so worried that I was hoping to lighten yer mood.”
She heard the sincere defeat in his words as they continued bringing their swords together slowly, letting Liam walk them through a fight. A twinge of guilt went through Flora that she didn't see Connor's motives sooner. He was a good friend trying to make a difficult situation a little easier. With only a smirk forwarning, Flora sped up her moves, wrenching Connor's sword from his hand while pointing hers at his neck.
“If ye wanted to cheer me up,” she told him with a grin, pulling away, “then ye should have offered to duel with me. Ye ken how much I love besting ye.”
He laughed as he took his sword back from her.
“I will be sure to keep that in mind next time. And I would like to point out that ye only won that one because ye caught me by surprise.”
This time, Flora was ready with a quip, but the lookout horn sounded, cutting her off before anymore could be said.
“Errik is returning!” the guard shouted down from the ramparts.
“Open the gates,” Flora ordered.
The men who had been training scattered, leaving room for Errik to come running in. She had never seen him enter a courtyard so quickly. Before he could dismount and explain his haste, another horse followed in after him.
“Finn! Iona!” Flora greeted in disbelief. “Where have ye been? What is going on? Why are ye both covered in blood?”
As if they had not realized their current state, both Finn and Iona glanced down to find their sleeves and shirts coated in different spots of red.
“We need to see Seamus,” Finn told her as he jumped down from the saddle.
He turned and hoisted Iona out of the saddle too but didn't let her out of his grasp.
“Immediately,” he added firmly.
“We will explain everything then,” Iona told her a bit more gently but with all the same urgency.
“He is in the Great Hall. This way.”
Flora led Finn and Iona inside with Connor, Liam, and Errik trailing after them. She heard the servants whispering as theywalked through the hallways. By the time they made it to the Great Hall, Brid had made it there too and Seamus had stopped hearing the clan members' complaints.
