Page 137 of Bound By Honor
“Very well,” said King Robert, “a truce will be granted you until June of next year on the condition you do not attack us during that time or assist the Comyns or the Earl of Ross. I will also require tribute.”
The MacDougall agreed and tribute in the form of weapons and foodstuffs was paid so that without a sword being raised, King Robert had neutralized the MacDougalls, at least for the moment. Angus looked forward to the end of the truce when he could deal them the blow they deserved.
That evening, camped farther north on the shore of Loch Linnhe, Angus said to the king, “We will have to face that evil lot again. I expect John of Lorne has already dispatched a rider to the young King Edward asking for reinforcements.”
“Doubtless you are correct. If English aid arrives, the MacDougalls will end the truce. But we will be stronger when we next face them, and I will have dealt with the Earl of Ross and the Comyns, so there will be no Scots to come to their aid.” And then, with a smile, he added, “I am told we have friends in the lands north of here who will add to our numbers.”
In October, declining Angus’ offer to sail with him, the king marched his army north to Inverlochy at the southern end of the Great Glen where Angus would meet him.
The great stone fortress, built by the Red Comyns of Badenoch and Lochaber, was set on the River Lochy. It was the first of three targets Angus and King Robert had agreed upon.
Surrounded by a moat on three sides, the castle also had the natural defensive advantage of backing up to the river. To those natural defenses had been added a curtain wall of black rock nearly nine feet thick and twenty-five feet tall. Round towers rose on each corner, the largest serving as the keep. The walls were topped with a parapet from which flew the Comyns’ banner of three golden stalks of sallow on a field of red.
“I will make no truce here,” said King Robert to his knights and captains. “This is the seat of the one who betrayed me to the old King Edward. I have paid the price for that once and will not do so again.”
“’Tis formidable,” whispered John to Angus from where they observed in the woods some distance away.
“Aye,” agreed Angus, “but the king will take it with our greater numbers. We have nearly two thousand while the Comyns cannot have but a few hundred behind their walls. And they do not know of our coming. Keep Brian between us as we fight. I will be on the king’s right.”
Standing with them, Duncan said, “I will guard your backs.”
Angus dispatched a small contingent of galloglass that managed to kill the guards at the southern entrance to the castle, taking the Comyns by surprise. With access granted, King Robert’s army of men had only to race inside and meet the enemy, most of which were unprepared for battle.
After a morning’s hard fighting, they had captured Inverlochy Castle. Many Comyns had been killed, causing Sir Neil Campbell to remark, “We have all but obliterated the clan.”
“Do not forget,” said Angus, gazing at the bodies scattered on the grass in the castle’s grass-covered bailey, “we have the Comyns of Buchan yet to deal with. They still live and also serve King Edward, the second of that name.”
“We will deal with them after the Earl of Ross,” said King Robert. To his captains, he ordered, “Gather the weapons and the gold, if there be any. Then remove all the food stores we can carry or load into the Lord of the Isles’ ships. When that is done, burn everything that responds to a flame. We will leave no enemy castles to be reclaimed by King Edward when he finally turns his attention to Scotland.”
Angus watched the flames leap from the roofs. It was the right strategy. They would have no time to besiege castles retaken by the English and fortified with large garrisons.
Everything in the castle, not only the wooden roofs, but also the beams, doors and furniture, was set afire. Only the huge stones in the walls and towers that would not burn were left standing, open to the elements.
Brian had done well fighting between Angus and John, defeating the enemy Comyns he encountered. “You have weathered your first battle,” Angus said to his adopted son, noting with approval his blooded sword. Patting him on the back, Angus said, “And you managed to come through it with only a few scratches.”
John laughed and turned to Brian. “That’s my brother’s way of saying, if we were in a tavern, you’d be buying the ale.”
Brian smiled, his freckles vivid on his sunburned face. “I would gladly buy you ale, but since the Comyns have furnished us with a generous supply, I can at least pour.”
As the air began to fill with smoke, Angus took Duncan aside and thanked him. “Knowing you guarded Brian and my brother gave me freedom to look to the king.”
“My privilege,” said the golden-haired Duncan, who had stood beside Angus for years, more a brother than a cousin.
That evening, the rain held off and they shared a meal around an open fire, courtesy of the Comyn larders. With the light of the fire illuminating his bold features and dark auburn hair, the king addressed his inner circle. “Now to the Earl of Ross who holds Urquhart Castle for King Edward.”
“His mother was a Comyn,” said the Earl of Lennox.
“Aye,” said Angus, “which explains his loyalties. She was the daughter of the Earl of Buchan, the Comyn we have yet to face.”
“Ross’ fortress lies at the north end of Loch Ness,” said Lennox. “With so great an army, it will take at least a sennight’s march to cover the fifty miles.”
The king nodded. “Long marches cannot be avoided.”
Angus said, “I will leave my ships here and join you on the march. We can bring the wounded aboard for one of my physicians to attend.”
The next morning as the gray clouds drizzled rain, Angus’ men took the wounded aboard his galleys. When King Robert began his march north, Angus and most of his men joined him. The rest he left to guard the ships and the wounded.
As autumn deepened, the weather changed. It grew colder, especially at night, and the days often brought rain. The leaves turned to brilliant shades of red, gold and yellow, blazing across the glens and reflected in the streams. At night, the men built fires to keep warm and when the rain required, erected tents for shelter.
