Page 9 of The Bells of Triumph
Liam's words brought Finn back to mind. Of course, Seamus had gone to rescue Finn more for Flora's sake than anyone else. But he wondered if he would have made the same choice, knowing just how unforgiving and bitter Finn would become. The question had barely popped into his mind before the answer followed—yes.
“When Campbell mounted his attack on the Lost Valley, the place so many rebels have called their home since the invasion, Seamus did nae hesitate to throw himself into the midst of the fray. In fact, he did nae settle in the midst of things, but pushedthrough to the front where he was able to cut off Campbell's own leg!”
As Liam spoke, his words grew louder and higher pitched, stirring the air more and more. By the time he made his final declaration, the crowd was roaring and cheering.
“I give ye our leader, Seamus Murray!”
Liam jumped down from the chair and pushed Seamus to the front, forcing him to step on the seat before he had a moment to process what was happening. With the crowd still applauding, he took a second to swallow and calm his heart rate, knowing that this was his chance to make a difference. He needed to stir the crowd, get them to believe in him, to trust him, if they were ever going to follow him into battle.
He glanced down at Flora, only to see her beaming with pride. She gave him a nod and that was all he needed.
Throwing a hand up, Seamus too silenced the crowd. They all seemed so eager to hear what he had to say, so ready for whatever his instructions would be.
“I remember the first time I ever laid eyes on Campbell,” he began somberly. “Blood spattered his face and coated the sword that he carried. I was only a lad then, but I kent that I had looked into the face of a monster that day. I watched as he destroyed my father's clan, torturing and killing people for enjoyment. There have been so many people who have fought valiantly to right all the wrongs, so many already who have sacrificed their lives for our sake.”
He paused to look out on the crowd, finding more than one teary eye among them.
“It is a sacrifice nay one should have ever had to make. Those are lives that should never have been lost. People who should still be here with us, today. And while I cannae do anything to bring them back, I can promise ye that I intend to unleash every ounce of vengeance on Campbell, to make him pay for every lifehe has so selfishly taken. I have never kent a man more evil or more vile. I am nae a violent man, but I can tell ye that it will give me great pleasure to wipe his miserable existence from this earth.”
The grief and sadness in the room melted into righteous anger that fueled the men to be ready to take on whatever task lay ahead. It was exactly where Seamus needed them to be.
“My father is dead, and our allies are few, but we will do everything in our power to see that ye all get the revenge ye have earned. Campbell's men will either flee our lands or forfeit their lives. Dinnae fash, I dinnae intend on giving Campbell such a choice.”
“How do ye plan to do this?” a doubtful voice called from the back of the tavern.
“I am glad ye asked. With the help of Liam, Errik, Flora, Connor, and several other trained warriors, we have come up with a plan. We ken that Campbell's injury has forced him to retreat. He fled the battle scene as soon as his leg was gone, without stopping to give orders to his men. It will take him several more days before he is ready to be out of bed. We will make sure that we are in position before that happens. We must make sure everything is ready for us to strike while the iron is still hot.”
“If I may,” Connor said loud enough for the entire room to hear, “it is always a good thing to ken who is on yer side. It is a great honor to be able to pledge my allegiance to ye, Seamus Murray. I will follow ye into battle. My sword is yers to command.”
Seamus stood on the chair, dumbfounded that his friend would be the first out of anyone to pledge his allegiance. While it was commonplace for the men of the clan to pledge themselves to the Laird, Seamus had never seen it done, nor had he expected it to happen in a moment like this. He wasn't a Laird, in fact,he was little more than a warrior fighting for what was right just like all the other men and women gathered were trying to do.
“As is mine.”
Seamus looked back over his shoulder to find the man who had spoken up. He recognized the white-haired man as one of the village representatives he had already spoken to that afternoon.
“My sword is yers,” another man added.
One by one, all the village elders had pledged themselves and their villages to Seamus' cause. The others around them cheered along, not being shy in the least to show their support too. And with every man who spoke, Seamus could feel his confidence growing stronger. He must have done something right to convince all of these people to follow him. All he had to do now was make sure he kept doing the right things.
“Perhaps there will come a time when I will find the words to describe what today has meant to me; what all of ye mean to me,” Seamus said, addressing the crowd once more after they had grown quiet again. “But today is nae that day. Ye have pledged yer swords and yer lives, so now I feel I must share what I intend to do.”
He cleared his throat and squared his shoulders, ready to lay out the strategy.
“We are going to stage an attack. Gone are the days when we waited around for Campbell to make the first moves. I will nay longer be the victim of surprise attacks or fighting uphill. Nay, this time, we bring the battle to him. We take him by surprise. I dinnae wish to see any more innocent lives claimed by this war, but we need to get closer to Campbell. The best way to do this is to siege Glenkirk Castle. Our position there will force Campbell to come out of Murray Castle and fight us in the field outside the village.”
“What if he attacks the village anyway?” a woman asked, prompting Seamus to his next point.
“Excellent point. This is where I will need some volunteers. A handful of ye will travel to Glenkirk and quietly spread the word that we will be moving in within the next few days. Encourage people to leave if they feel they must, to gather supplies, and prepare their homes should they choose to stay.”
“I will go,” Connor spoke up again, hardly allowing Seamus enough time to get his words out before volunteering.
“Me too.”
This time, the surprise came from Brid. Her voice only just registered before Seamus was turning to look at Flora. Concern was written all over her face, as he knew it would be. But he also knew that she would never get in Brid's way or tell the girl that she couldn't do something.
Three others offered to join the couple, moving through the crowd to make their way to the front.
“I thank ye for taking on this task,” he spoke to the group of five. “Ye will have only enough time to pack yer belongings and see to yer horses. Then ye must ride for Glenkirk at once. There can be nay stopping or slowing down until ye get there. I want the village to have as much time to prepare. We are bringing a long-awaited war to their doorstep. The verra least we can do is warn them.”
They all nodded and then began to make their way back through the crowd to do just that. Seamus watched them go before lifting his eyes to speak to the rest of the people once more.
“I can say with almost certainty that there are others like us who wish to rise against Campbell. The numbers here today are already more than I imagined, but it has given me hope that there are more still to come. Campbell severely underestimates just how many are willing and want to fight against him. He doesnae ken the pure hatred we all share for him, nor does he ken how resilient we are. We will find supporters everywhere we go. And when all of this is said and done with, ye all will be marked as heroes.”
