by Barbara Bard
The two shared a final laugh as Finlay sat back and felt himself slowly drifting off to sleep. For himself, Gavina, Isla, and Denholm, they felt, if only for a few hours, that things might end up turning out in their favor.
Chapter 19
The morning had arrived. Most of Lord Henry and Earl Simon’s men had congregated inside the dining tent, a wide array of foods placed out in abundance by Earl Simon’s cook, as he sat at the head of the table and waited for every denizen in the collective army to be seated at their table.
Lord Henry had made it a point to arrive late after setting about finalizing his plan to do away with his father with the ever-loyal and ever-lethal Stephen. He was eager to do what he felt must be done, pining to finally be rid of his father’s overbearing rule.
“Come, now!” the Earl called out. “Be seated. Let us feast and converse together before we set about the last leg of our journey!”
All of them sat and ate and spoke to one another, the Earl making it a point, as he always did, to get to know the men under his command one by one. Lord Henry, seated beside his father, said nothing and took small bites of his food—biding his time, waiting for Stephen to assist him when the time would come, and soon.
The eating and conversing went on for a little over an hour before Earl Simon stood up and opened his arms, as if he were embracing all of them gathered in front of him. “My good men,” he said, projecting his voice for all to hear. “I thank each and every one of you for your service to the kingdom. I know without a shred of doubt that it has been a burdensome enterprise to occupy such…” he thought of the words, “harsh and cruel lands. The Scotsmen and the savage Highlanders have made us pay the price dearly for doing nothing more than bringing forth stability and order to an area rife with chaos.”
He cast a brief look at Lord Henry. “I know that the last few months have been …troublesome. The kingdom has taken note of the state of chaos that this campaign has recently been cast into, but please know, that I, your commander, am here to redirect the course and set about ending this vicious and tiring campaign once and for all.”
Cheers. Claps. Handshakes. All those in attendance were more jovial in their responses to the Earl’s words than they ever were to Lord Henry. Lord Henry was more like a brother, someone to drink with and be merry, but the Earl was a natural-born leader, and his presence among them now had inspired a new wave of optimism that left them without thinking of Lord Henry for even the briefest of moments—a notion that made Lord Henry despise his father all the more.
“Let us not forget,” Earl Simon continued, “the riches and reputation that await you upon your return. For some of you, you have the privilege of being gifted your appropriate share of land in this area, and it is a reward that is well earned.
“Tonight, we will set about our plan for our final assault on the Highlanders, one particular clan to be more specific. This endless chase that you have given will finally come to an end, and the reprehensible nature and response that they have given to our plight to save them will be answered for. In three day’s time, this campaign will be over, and you will finally be free of the burdens of wartime that I know each and every one of you have been striving to achieve.
“So! Drink! Be merry! And be prepared to finally reach the salvation we all our pining for.”
More cheers. More claps. More handshakes. As soon as the Earl sat down, the festive nature inside the dining tent continued, and once the meal was finished, Lord Henry, without saying a word, returned to his tent to converse with Stephen. Stephen, waiting at attention, secured the dagger he had in his belt and concealed it with a piece of his tunic.
“Quite the words my father bestows to the men,” Lord Henry said with a bite of sarcasm.
Stephen waved him off. “All men like him merely repeat the same rhetoric they heard from their father and their fathers before them. You, my Lord, are unique in your ways. It is a factor of your being that has gone unappreciated your entire existence.”
Lord Henry folded his hands together. “I feel the same, my good man…and my time has come to finally take charge and be given what is owed to me.” He looked at Stephen with nothing but pure and lethal intention coating his eyes.
“You are sure,” Stephen said, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword, “that you wish to follow through with this?”
A long nod from Lord Henry. “As sure as I ever am,” he said. “We will wait until my father finishing planning with his men on the course of action to take to attack the Highlanders. I want you to rally the men you know that are still loyal to me, and the ones that aren’t, and organize them together in one setting in a few hours’ time so that we may dispatch of them swiftly.”
A nod from Stephen. “As you wish, my Lord.”
Hours then passed, and Earl Simon was in his tent with ten of his best men, several of which who formerly followed the orders of Lord Henry. They were gathered around the map of the territory that had been designated for resettlement, with one of the men, the one with the most knowledge of Isla and the clan’s whereabouts, telling Earl Simon all he knew of their current situation.
“My Lord,” the man began. “Due to the collective knowledge that we’ve acquired, we know the Highlanders to be resting about twenty miles from here.”
Earl Simon crossed his arms. “And you know this how?”
The man traced his finger along the map. “I have been in this area long enough by now, my Lord, to know of all of the roads and routes. They are no doubt following this path to a remote area of the Highlands that they wish to settle in, unoccupied by our forces. They must be headed there. It is the only course of action that would make sense for them.” The Earl nodded and followed the man’s finger along the map. “What I propose,” the man continued, “is that we go here,” he pointed to a collection of brown squares on the map. “It is a village about fifty miles from their final destination. We take them by overwhelming force and use the surrounding establishments to our advantage.”
The Earl nodded. Smiled. “We close them in in tight quarters,” he said, following the man’s plan well. “They will be surrounded completely.”
“It is better to take them there than out in the open.” He looked to Lord Henry. “Previous tactics have proven this to be a fruitless gesture.”
Lord Henry merely smiled at the prod—he was doing nothing more than biding his time.
Stephen then entered the tent, subtly nodding to Lord Henry that their plan had been finalized and all the elements were in place. Lord Henry nodded in return to show his acknowledgement.
“This is a solid plan,” Earl Simon said. “We shall set out in the morning to go about executing it.”
“Splendid,” the man charting the course replied.
Lord Henry gestured to Stephen who then looked to the Earl. “My liege,” he said to the earl. “I believe it necessary to gather all of our men in the armory. There are some new weapons we have acquired during our stay in these lands that may prove of some use during our campaign.”
Earl Simon looked at Stephen suspiciously. “Really?” he said. “Why is this the first time I am hearing of this?”
Lord Henry took a step forward. “I must assume the blame for that, father,” he said, acting as if he were bashful. “Due to recent interactions we have had.”
The Earl sighed and shook his head. “So be it,” he said as he dismissed his men with a wave. “Go. See of this new weaponry.”
The ten men gathered around the Earl then left the tent, Stephen following after them, the Earl following after him but stopping short when Lord Henry held up his hand. “Father,” he said with all the sincerity he could muster. “Might I speak with you?”
Earl Simon huffed. “If you must…” He took a seat in the chair beside the table with the map, hands folded, and chin held high.
“Father,” Lord Henry repeated. “My Lord…I wish to apologize for my behavior.” The Earl said nothing. He sat up in his chair, intrigued to hear the re
st. “I fear,” Lord Henry continued, “of further straining our relationship. This is something that I cannot stand to bear.”
Earl Simon looked away. “You made your decisions my boy. More times than once.”
“I wish for nothing but peace, father. I wish for us to be able to make amends.”
“Do you not recall the fact that the kingdom has called for me to execute you on more than one occasion? That dozens of your own men have confided in me your lackluster leadership?”
“I am aware,” Lord Henry said as he approached his father. “And I wish to change this. I wish to serve what is in all of our best interests.” He came within a foot of his father. “I wish to undo the wrongs that have been done.”
“Such things are not as simple as you hope, my boy.”
“Perhaps they can be. Perhaps…perhaps I can make this all right.”
The Earl once more looked at his son. “And how, pray tell, do you propose to do this?”
Lord Henry shrugged. “By dispatching of the one element that continues to add stress to our relationship.” He leaned in close to his father. “You.” With a quick stab of the dagger he had received from Stephen, Lord Henry stabbed his father in the chest and gritted his teeth as the old man’s eyes went wide with shock. “Rest now, father,” Lord Henry said, smiling. “I am in charge now.” He then stabbed Earl Simon several more times, the royal man bleeding out on the ground as Lord Henry stepped away without a care in the world.
Lord Henry then emerged from the tent and saw Earl Simon’s collective group of men on their knees, Stephen standing behind them with several of Lord Henry’s still loyal men prepared to take off their heads once given the order. It had been a swift and quiet attack that was carried out as Lord Henry murdered his own father.
“It is simple,” Lord Henry said to the men on their knees. “Serve me or die…” A few said they would. The others cursed and spat on the ground. “Well,” Lord Henry said. “So be it then.”
He gave the order, several of the men perishing and the rest looking on in horror as steel was swung and heads began to roll. Once the dust had settled, Stephen, in a loud voice, ordered all of the men to gather around. “This is your only leader!” he shouted. “Should you defy him—you will pay the price in death. Understand?”
The men, still sporting nodding heads as Lord Henry smiled, wiped his father’s blood of the blade Stephen gave to him, and said: “I refuse to waste any more of my time. You know who you serve. You know why you are here. I will not allow any other man, no matter what his title or his rule maybe, to further prohibit me from taking what is rightfully mine. Enough! I have taken my final stand! You will all dutifully serve me, and if any one of you feels the need to disobey my command, you will pay for it with your life.” He held his head high. “We move now. No more time will be wasted with talks and tactics…The time to take my kingdom has arrived…Today.”
Chapter 20
The caravan set about loading up as Finlay approached Isla. “My Lady,” he said, struggling to make eye contact with her. “I have a proposition for ye.”
It took her a moment to answer as she set about securing a saddlebag on her horse. “What is it?”
“We know that the Sassenach will arrive imminently.”
“Aye.”
“Well, last night, it came to my attention through my knowledge of this land that a village rests nae far fae here. They have weapons. Supplies. All the things we will need to make a final stand.”
She shook her head. “We cannae spare the men. What if the Sassenach attack while us while ye are on yer way?”
“I ask only for two riders tae accompany me. We can reach the village in three hours’ time. Ye can meet us there. By then we will hae all the supplies we need. It is also a place where yer people can properly rest fer the final journey ahead.”
Isla thought about it for a moment. “I could only spare one man…And how do ye know of this village?”
“Me father,” Finlay said. “The blacksmith there is dear friends with him. I have nae doubt he will assist us in our plight. He despises the Sassenach as much as we.”
Isla sorted the plan out in her head, agreed, and ordered one of the men, Donovan, to escort Finlay to the village. After saddling up with Donovan and seated on the outskirts of the camp, Finlay looked to Isla as he prepared to ride. “Three hours, me Lady,” he said. “I will nae disappoint ye.”
Isla nodded, saddened to see Finlay go as he bucked his steed and took off alongside Donovan. As she watched him leave, she feared the worst, and for a moment regretted not telling Finlay how she really felt inside.
Donovan and Finlay had arrived in the village thirty minutes earlier than expected. The village was small, with nothing but a tavern and a few areas for housing with six buildings in total. It was formerly a Sassenach stronghold that had been taken back and used by Highlanders as an area of refuge. It was well guarded, with six Scotsmen designated to protect the area greeting Donovan and Finlay as they arrived. “Hold there,” one of the six men said. “What is yer business?”
“I am Finlay Baird. I wish tae speak with Lachlan.”
The burly man smiled when he heard the name. “Finlay Baird,” he said with a fond tone, extending a handshake to accompany it. “I ken of yer father. A good man he was indeed.”
Finlay hung his head and smiled proudly at thoughts of his father. “It is only tragic that his life was cut short.”
“A tragedy indeed.” The man motioned Finlay into the village and ordered the men to open the six-foot-tall gate that had been erected in front of it to keep out any unwanted visitors. “Come. Lachlan rests at the end of the village.”
“Well and good. But I wish tae speak with whoever is in charge. I bring news from my journey.”
Minutes later Finlay was taken to one of the first buildings on the left side of the road. Inside, a man that Finlay only knew by reputation was seated at a desk, speaking to a woman off to his right and confiding in her only the things that a husband would confide.
“Riley,” the man who had greeted Finlay at the front of the village said. “This is Finlay Baird and his counterpart Donovan. They bring news.”
Riley, a devilishly good-looking man with raven-colored hair and a sly smile to match, stood up and requested for his wife to leave. Once she had left the room, he said, “Finlay Baird of Clan Baird. I ken of yer father. He was a good man.”
They shook hands, Finlay thanking the man for his hospitality before offering Finlay a seat. “And what brings a member of the Baird clan tae me village?”
“I bring dire news, unfortunately.”
Riley shrugged. “It appears that any news nowadays is dire for a Scotsmen. I dinnae think there is anything ye can tell me that will shake my spirits.”
“I ken of yer reputation, Riley. Ye have fought hard tae preserve these lands. I only fear that once more ye will hae tae take up the sword tae once again defend it.”
Riley perched forward. “What dae ye mean?”
“The Sassenach,” Finlay said, “are approaching. A man by the name of Lord Henry Enticknap of Sanford leads them.”
Riley sighed. “Aye. I ken of the bastard, and a rotten bastard he is.”
“Aye. And he hae been pursuing the clan that has taken me under their wing. He pursues a woman named Lady Isla. He fancies her tae be his bride.”
“The Sassenach know no bounds. But, as much as I am dismayed by this news, I hae gone tae great lengths tae secure this stronghold. We took it from the Sassenach a full winter ago. We overwhelmed their forces and destroyed damn near every last one of them.”
“I hae no doubt. But what troubles me is the ruthlessness of Lord Henry. He hae come after us with a vengeance and fury that cannae be matched.”
“Well,” Riley said, smiling, “clearly he hae never met me lot of men.”
Laughs and smiles were exchanged.
“How many men dae ye hae on hand?” Finlay asked once the laughter had subsided.
/> “Twenty-six,” Riley said, “and an able-bodied bunch at that. If any Sassenach Lord or whatever frivolous title they give themselves attempts tae try and take it back, rest assured, nae one will live tae tell the tale.”
Finlay leaned in. “Well,” he said, “I ken that Lord Henry of Sanford is nae more than two days ride from here. I fear that his numbers greatly overwhelm that of the clan I represent.”
“And what of yer clan, Finlay Baird? I believe ye had several brothers, if I am nae mistaken.”
Finlay hung his head. “They perished, several weeks ago. I noo reside with Lady Isla and her clan.”
Riley sighed. “Ye hae me sympathies. Yer family was reputable throughout these lands.”
“Then help me, help me defend those that are left. Lord Henry of Sanford is on his way here. There is very little time tae prepare. I require men, weapons, anything and everything we can tae help stave oaf the attack.”