Page 40 of The Bells of Triumph
Flora winced at the desperation in the shouts of the crowd of people who had gathered around the gates. They were all so wretched and frantic as they demanded answers from the unfeeling and immobile guards who watched without expression. She could practically hear Seamus' thoughts, though his face gave away nothing. This wasn't the first time the Murray Clan turned to their Laird for guidance, protection, and leadership only to be turned away and left to fend for themselves. She knew the image devastated him, more so than the row of archers now filling the ramparts.
“Go home,” he called out, his voice rising over the rabble. “Get back to yer wives and yer bairns. We will sort this out. There is nae reason for ye to risk yer lives today.”
One by one, those in the mob turned to see that they were being commanded by a Murray, his red hair and blue eyes giving him away. And not just a Murray, but one who was leadingan entire army up to Campbell's gates. The sight was one that prompted each of them to do as he ordered. He waited for the entire group to disperse. Flora watched them trudge down the path they had just ridden, whispering among themselves. She did not doubt that the rest of the villagers would be doing the same thing right now too, each of them trying to predict how things would go.
She couldn't afford to think about that, though, as Seamus continued to push forward until he landed just out of the archers' range.
“I would guess there are about two dozen bows up there,” Seamus told her over his shoulder, “and more soon coming. Campbell will ken that we are here now.”
Campbell's men were still scrambling to find their places on the ramparts. It looked to her as though they were waiting for orders, waiting to be told where to go and what to do. It was nothing like she might have expected from well-trained, well-practiced archers.
“What are yer orders, then?”
The question came from Liam, who had ridden up to her side. It wasn't once posed in insolence or a challenge of Seamus' plan, but rather an effort to support him. He was a battle commander looking to be told what to do so that he could prepare the rest of the men.
“I must give Campbell the chance to call this off. I will nae have people say that I invaded. Though it is my own home, my verra birthright that we are fighting for, I will nae have him or anyone else say that I have nae fought fairly.”
“What do ye want to do?” she asked, her voice gentle but still firm.
“Both of ye, ride beside me. Flora, be ready with yer bow. I will speak to them.”
Liam did not hesitate to take his position on Seamus' left, nor did Flora wait to draw her first arrow. As a single unit, the three of them moved several more feet forward, leaving their army behind. Her eyes stayed glued to the men on the ramparts. Far too many of them were aiming for Seamus, too many for her to stop on her own. She almost wished she had insisted on bringing along more archers of their own to help give them cover, or that they stay out of range. But she understood why Seamus had wanted to do things this way. Luckily, she didn't need to tell him when they were close enough for him to be heard, but not so close as to make them easy targets. It would still take an excellent shot from an archer to wound any of them. She wasn't going to take her chances though and kept her arrow pointed at one of the few guards who looked like he knew what he was doing well enough to pose a real threat.
“Surrender peacefully and surrender now. There does nae need to be any more bloodshed. We will nae harm any of those innocent in all of this if yer soldiers put their weapons down now. Dinnae fight against us, dinnae fight against what is right. I dinnae ken why ye have chosen to align yerselves with Campbell, but I can tell ye that ye dinnae have to do so any longer. Surrender and let us make a new start for this clan.”
Nothing but pure silence from the castle. Horses shifted behind her while her stallion snorted. But from Campbell's men, there was nothing. It was as if those staring down at them couldn't make up their minds.
“Shoot! What are ye waiting for? Shoot them!”
The cry cut through the tension in the air and sent the guards scrambling all over again. Though they aimed their arrows at the trio, none of them fly, at least not for a moment. But that moment was all Flora needed to let loose an arrow of her own, sending it into the heart of the man who had his eyes locked on Seamus. With the first arrow in the air, the stalemate was overand Flora knew that the battle had begun in earnest. Before she could launch another arrow, she saw Seamus raise his shield out of the corner of her eye, fending off a flying weapon. She moved as quickly as she could manage, sending one, two, three, four arrows out, each of them landing on her marks.
“It does nae have to be this way. Put down yer weapons, let this be an end to Campbell's reign of tyranny. Let us enter into a new era of peace and prosperity. All ye need to do is put down yer weapons.”
“Kill them! Kill them all. Dinnae leave a single traitor standing!”
It was the same voice that had called out the initial order to shoot, but it was one Flora didn't recognize. With Callum Drummond dead, she hadn't thought much about who would replace him, but it was clear someone had, even if that someone didn't have full control of his men.
She reached for another arrow out of her quiver just as a mass of their own soldiers swarmed to guard Seamus. They raised their own shields to protect him from the rainstorm of arrows that came from the ramparts.
“We must break down the doors,” Seamus cried out. “We must put a stop to this!”
Just as soon as he gave the order, a dozen more soldiers ran by, carrying a battering ram, while another dozen ran alongside them, using their shields to defend each other.
“Heave! Heave! Heave!”
Errik's rhythmic shout was followed by the pounding of the battering ram against the wooden gates. Flora didn't dare take her eyes off the ramparts to watch the men work, not even for a second. She knew that was all it took for an arrow to end Seamus' life. Again and again she reached for her quiver, going through the motions of pulling the arrow and string back against her cheek only to send it sailing through the air with her breath.She no longer saw the guard's faces as she took aim, only the fact that they were threatening her husband. She moved without thought, without hesitation.
“We're in!”
Liam's voice drifted over the chaos just as Flora reached behind her. She felt with her fingertips, finding only two arrows left. The breach could not have come at a more perfect moment. Pulling one of the two arrows she had left out, she notched it before finally pausing long enough to look at Seamus.
“This is it!” he shouted to all those still behind him. “This is the moment we have waited for. Make it count!”
Pride raced through her, along with a hearty mix of trepidation and anticipation. She kept her arrow out long enough to see Seamus through to the gates that now lay in pieces in the doorway of the castle walls. Once there, she flung her bow across her shoulder and placed the arrow back in the quiver before reaching for her sword. Pulling the blade out of the sheath that lay against her left leg, Flora took in the scene in front of her.
Men clashed with men, their blades meeting in the space between them. The once gray stone was now a deep shade of red as Campbell guards poured out of the courtyard to face the rebels. She took pride in the fact that their men more than held their own against Campbell's, having rather quickly taken several down. They all let out screams and cries as they fought, years and years of anguish and suffering motivating the rebels.
The guards, on the other hand, seemed almost hesitant to fight. They had been disorganized and unsure on the ramparts, but those in the courtyard seemed just as uncertain. She only took it to mean that their attack had truly been a surprise. It was just like Campbell to be arrogant enough never to think that the rebels would dare to attack him first. He considered himself so untouchable, so intimidating, that an army of farmers andcarpenters and blacksmiths wouldn't be able to mount an attack. How she loved to prove him wrong.
Flora waded through the battle on her horse, using the added height to her advantage, swinging down from above. Once or twice, she managed to sneak up on a guard and take them out just as one of their own was struggling to manage the task. Eventually, it grew too crowded and too chaotic for her to continue riding. She didn't mind. Dismounting, Flora reached for her second quiver of arrows, slinging it across her shoulder, and then grabbed her shield. Once she was fully armed, she smacked her horse on his flank, sending him running back to safety. A moment later and she was by Seamus' side, right where she intended to stay.
They fought, backs pressed against each other, taking down two and three guards at a time. She didn't remember Campbell's guards being so young, but she didn't let herself think much about it as she swung her sword.
A pause in the wave of guards came and Flora straightened, her chest heaving and arm tired, but her blood-pumping. She turned to face Seamus, his own face glistening with sweat and more than a few splatters of blood that was not his own.
“This is it,” she told him, echoing the words he had told his men only minutes before. “This is what ye have been waiting for.”
“What?” he all but shouted, the noise of the fray drowning out her words.
“Find Campbell,” she called back. “End this war.”
