Page 83 of The Bells of Triumph
“Be that as it may, I cannae sit by and wait for something to happen. My mother is there. If Campbell gets there before we do, he will kill her.”
Finn cleared his throat uncomfortably, drawing Seamus' attention.
“What? What more are ye nae telling me?” Seamus demanded, growing more irritable by the second.
“I want ye to ken that I did everything I could. I tried when we found her in the forest, and I worked with the healer for hours. But she was already so weak. She lost so much blood.”
“I dinnae understand. What are ye saying?”
“She was shot with an arrow. It did nae hit anything inside of her, but she was bleeding for several hours before we found her. And it does nae look like it was a clean arrow. She has a fever. She does nae make sense most of the time. The healer said he would be shocked if she lasted through the night.”
Seamus sank back into his chair at Finn's frankness. Flora glared at the callousness of Finn's explanation, but Seamus' response left her speechless.
“Thank ye,” he told Finn, “for yer candor. It clears my thoughts.”
For a moment, no one said anything. It was no small feat to contemplate the survival of a clan and the death of a mother in the same conversation. Flora could see just how heavily that weighed on Seamus. She wished that she could do something, anything to help him, but she knew this was something he would have to figure out for himself.
“The first thing we must do is secure the borders. Focus on the land that abuts the MacKenzie Clan and work our way down from there.”
“I sent out a patrol as soon as I caught up with Finn and Iona,” Errik told him. “They gave me a shorter version of the story so we could have guards headed to the border as soon as possible. They have orders to send a messenger back as soon as we ken Campbell's exact location. We are also working on evacuating the villages closest to MacKenzie lands.”
“I suggest,” Liam added, “that we do what we can to fortify Drummond Castle. We ken that Campbell will most likely head there first. If we can stop him from getting a foothold in, I think we stand a better chance at defeating him.”
“I have nay interest in letting Campbell in at all. Nor do I want to stand by and wait to see what he will do.”
Seamus moved out of Flora's touch and rose to address the room. Pride bloomed in her chest as she watched Seamus transform. He wasn't a man who had lost nearly everything and was on the brink of losing his mother. He wasn't a man who had spent a lifetime under the thumb of a tyrant. He was a Laird seeking peace for his people, willing to do whatever it took to get there. At that moment, she fell even more deeply in love withhim as he set his own desires aside and did what he knew was best for his clan.
“For too long,” he told the Great Hall, his voice echoing in the silence of the room, “we have stood by and waited to see what Campbell would do. We have given him our money, our crops, and our freedom. We have allowed him to make the first move at every turn. My father might have allowed him in, he might have told us all to stand down, to let Campbell do what he wanted. But I am nae my father.”
People began to rustle in their seats, stirring at Seamus' words.
“I will nae sit idly by while this man threatens our homes. He will nae take so much as an inch of our land.”
“What would ye have us do?” Errik asked.
From anyone else, the question would have been impertinent. But from Errik, she and Seamus both knew that he was giving Seamus the chance to declare himself. Flora sent him a silent look of thanks.
“We will gather our forces. We will protect our borders. And we will ride to Drummond Castle. I intend on meeting Campbell there.”
The rest of the room let out a cheer that was so loud, Flora couldn't hear her own thoughts for a moment. They all started to scramble into action, gathering their weapons and dividing themselves into groups who would go to different efforts.
In the midst of the chaos, Seamus turned to Flora, his blue eyes burning like fire. He gripped her arms as though he needed the tangible proof that she wasn't going anywhere.
“If what Finn and Iona said is true, then my mother only has hours left. I want to be there. I want to see her one last time. With the army close behind, there will nae be much danger.”
“Aye, but Seamus?—”
“Please, Flora.” The Laird was gone, and in his place was a simple man. “Would ye please come with me to tell my mother goodbye?”
She didn't have it in her heart to tell him no. Even if it was reckless, even if it was a dangerous task, she couldn't deny him this. As she looked in his eyes, she knew that it wasn't the fearless leader asking it of her, nor was it her husband, the man she loved more than anyone. She was speaking to the boy who had lost his mother without any explanation, who had grown up clinging to memories and wondering what she was like now. She sighed, deep and heavy, her heart breaking at the reality of the situation.
“Aye, Seamus. Of course, I will go with ye. I will nae leave yer side, now or ever.”
