Aini rolled her eyes. “It might. And it won’t hurt him regardless.”
She dabbed a bit of the mix into a spoonful of yellow soup and nodded to Neve who put an arm behind Owen to help him sit up. His eyes remained closed.
“Owen. We have something that’ll make you feel better.” She set the spoon against his lips.
He took a sip, then spat it back out, eyes flashing open. Groaning, he pushed the spoon away and spilled the rest of the portion on the blankets and Aini’s arm. “I don’t want to feel better.”
Aini froze, her gaze on Vera. Vera touched her lips, her face pale.
“What do you mean, brother? We’re on the verge of what we’ve been fighting for our whole lives.” She sat, making the bed dip a little as she reached over him and ran a hand over his cheek. “This is the rebellion. It’s actually happening. Of course you want to mend so you can help in the fight. Our Seer is here. She is ready to lead.”
Aini put a hand to her suddenly throbbing head. This was not going the way she'd planned. They could not run this revolution without its leader.
Owen rolled onto his stomach and pressed his face into his pillow. “My mind…I can’t…”
Vera stood.
The nurse pushed into the room. “Seer, with all due respect, this man suffered extreme blood loss and is fighting temporary memory loss and what I’m sure is a crippling mental fog.” He sniffed the air. “While I appreciate your knowledge of natural remedies and do support their use, know that our leader will continue to heal in his own time and we must make adjustments as needed. Now, please consider my advice and let him rest.”
He didn’t have to yell. Something squirmed in Aini’s chest. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”
A strangled sound crawled out of Owen’s mouth. Aini spun to see him thrashing on the bed.
Vera pinned his arms down.
“No!” The nurse put a hand on Vera’s arm. “Back away. Give him space. He will get through this, but he needs space.”
Owen kept seizing. Aini went cold all over.
“What is wrong with him?” Vera’s hands went to her mouth.
“It’s a seizure. He had one two hours ago. It is normal with as much blood loss as he experienced,” the nurse said.
Owen finally settled and Vera’s hands went to her sides.
The nurse held a hand toward the door. “Now, please leave him alone for a while. I’ll be here the entire time. I promise.”
The hallway outside Owen’s room was too quiet. Neve, Aini, and Vera just stood and stared at one another.
A girl who looked a little younger than Aini pounded up the stairs, cheeks bright red. “The informants returned, Seer. None of them managed to get a 100 percent solid take on Nathair Campbell’s current location or where he may be heading. Nothing conclusive.”
Vera whispered a curse.
The girl continued. “One scout did overhear a report on a kingsman radio frequency that stated the earl was seen at an Edinburgh judge’s house, but that information is sketchy at best seeing as the reporter didn’t specifically mention Nathair’s name.”
Aini rolled her mother’s ring around her finger. Hmm. They really needed to know if Nathair was nearby. Everything hinged on that information.
Neve bit her lower lip. “We can’t wait around forever though, right? He’ll be coming after us sooner rather than later.”
“Tell us what you want us to do, Seer.” Vera clasped her hands and swallowed. “Some of the elder members will want to meet, to hear what you have to say.” She glanced at the door to Owen’s room. “You and Thane.”
Aini spun and rubbed her temples. This was all moving too quickly. She didn’t know what to do. “Why do you want me to lead you? Let the elder members lead.”
Vera grabbed Aini’s arm in a viselike grip. “Why do we want you to lead?! Because you’re the Seer, woman! The prophecy called you. You are the entire reason for the existence of the Dionadair. You are Macbeth’s Seer and I knew you would come to us and take us into a world where Scotland is free. You are born to this. Don’t doubt it.” Her eyes were wild and a strand of her dark hair had fallen over one cheek. “They will only follow you. I love my brother and I hope he comes around to help, but you are who we need. Who we must have. It is destined. This is fate.”
“Should we talk?” Thane said from the bottom of the staircase, his face full of concern. Sun streamed through the front windows and shone across his light hair and the corners of his glasses. Pink spots colored his cheeks like he’d been outside in the cold.
The twisting feeling in Aini’s chest tightened in time with Vera’s hold on her arm. Whatever she told the Dionadair to do, whatever she and Thane decided, the outcome would sit squarely on their shoulders, hers and Thane’s. She didn’t want the responsibility. Not like this. Not without Owen and his guidance. No matter how much this was supposed to be her fate.
She took a breath and detached Vera’s claws, finger by finger. “Yes, please, Thane. That would be wonderful. Let’s go ahead and get together with the Dionadair elders.”
Vera jerked her chin in a quick nod and marched down the stairs. “Rob! Samantha. The rest of you lot. We’re having a meeting!” She disappeared around the corner along with the girl, leaving Thane and Aini to themselves.
Chapter 5
Feeding the Fire
At the base of the stairs, Thane cleaned his glasses with the edge of his shirt. “What did the scouts say about Nathair’s whereabouts?”
“They couldn’t find out anything for sure,” Aini said. “They think he might be in Edinburgh.”
“Should we move forward or stay until the informants gather more concrete evidence on where he is? I tried to call my mother, but she isn’t answering.”
“I don’t know. We can ask the others and see what they think. By the way, where is Bran?”
“He’ll be in soon. Right now, he is meeting with an explosives team,” Thane said. Aini’s fear must’ve shown all over her face because he quickly added, “For later. For the true battle that’ll come later.”
She took a shuddering breath and nodded. The war. Yes. It was going to happen whether they wanted it to or not now. “I don’t want to be in charge of this,” she whispered.
“Neither do I. I’m guessing not many would want this job of ours.” A wry grin washed the frown from his face but didn’t clear the fear from behind his eyes.
She wanted to take his hand and feel that warmth that only he had, the heat that tingled against her skin and made her feel both challenged and protected at the same time. It was a strange, perfect combination that she was quickly becoming addicted to.
With everything that was going on, they hadn’t had any time alone in what felt like forever. Did he even want to hold her hand? To feel her skin on his? Maybe his head was too full of their fate and what they were trying to do. She wouldn’t blame him. But it would hurt. It would hurt a lot. The twisting inside her flared into her throat and made it difficult to swallow. She moved her fingers toward his, but he was looking at the gathered Dionadair in the room down the hall and didn’t notice.
Once the group—including Neve and Myles—was assembled on couches and around the floor in the living room, Aini followed Thane.
The sun bled through the red curtains, giving Neve’s and Myles’s faces a strange hue as they talked, heads close together. Black shadows clung to the corner beside a tall grandfather clock that ticked away the seconds they had until Nathair realized what had happened and came after them in force.
All eyes went to Aini. It didn’t seem like she had much of a choice about leading. These people believed in the prophecy and the Seer and she had to fill the role or risk the rebellion falling apart and everyone dying in vain. It had to be her.
“Okay fine,” she said, ignoring her jangling nerves. “We don’t yet know where Nathair is, so we’re going to send someone into the local kingsman’s office tonight to break in and nose about. We have to know where he is. Once
we know for certain he isn’t breathing down our necks, we’ll move forward and a team will depart from this safe house.”
“Bran can handle the kingsman’s office,” Thane said. “He knows how to keep from being caught, and if he is, his looks are so average that it most likely won’t be an issue if Nathair has put out descriptions of us. Bran can talk his way out of a lot of things.”
“He’s better looking than average,” Aini said. Neve and Vera nodded knowingly and Thane cocked his head. Aini shrugged. “Well, he is. But I see what you mean. Brown hair. Brown eyes. Average height. Yes. Good plan. As long as he fully agrees and is okay with the risk.”
“I’ll talk to him after this,” Thane said.
“Once we learn where the King’s Deathbringer is lurking,” Vera said, “we’ll leave here at night, right?” She was nodding like they’d already agreed and a few of the elder members of the Dionadair with her.
“I don’t think it’s smart to sneak around like we’re guilty. Then if we’re caught, they’ll know we’re up to something. If we travel by day, on the main roads, unafraid of being stopped at any checkpoints Nathair has set up, then a handful of fake Subject IDs will do the work for us. We’ll hide the stone, wrapped up tight, in the back of the truck, and have a full load of…what do they sell off up here?”
Rob pulled his flat cap off and raised a hand. “Colonial cotton. In from the ports just south.”
“Okay. So…” Aini chewed the inside of her cheek. “I’m guessing we don’t have access to a bunch of raw cotton, but we could simply bring clothes in for resale at the market, right?”
“I suppose,” Rob said.
Thane paced a line behind Aini, his boots knocking along the wood floor. “Who all should go? Because I think we should travel in two groups with the first communicating with the second on what lies ahead.”
“The first vehicle will serve as a scout?” Vera asked.
“Yes. Agreed,” Aini said. “Who wants to go? I think we should have a decent-sized group to make a strong showing at Inveraray.”
Thane clicked his tongue. “I see what you’re saying, but remember the Campbells and the clans who support them hate the Dionadair. We don’t want it to look like we’re staging a coup.”
“But we are.”
“Aye, but let’s say it’s more of a changing of the guard with a Campbell still in place as chieftain.”
“Yes. That makes sense. So Thane, Bran most likely, Neve, Myles, Dodie, Vera—”
“You couldn’t stop me if you wanted to,” Vera said.
“And that’s why I added you to the list,” Aini said. “We need someone who knows the area. Maybe a former kingsman or two to sway the unwilling?”
Vera pointed out two Dionadair. A woman with a long, skinny neck and thin lips and Rob. He kept looking from Vera to Thane to Aini with worried eyes.
The woman bobbed her head to Aini. “I’m Samantha.”
Rob shook Aini’s hand. His palm was sweating.
“You sure you’re up to this, Rob?” she asked him.
“I am. But we are going to take proper weapons, right? Because you know they’ll be ready to off us the second we don’t seem like we are who we say we are,” he said.
Thane clapped a hand on each of the rebels’ shoulders. “We’ll have weapons. Hidden, but ready.”
“I really don’t think they’ll expect us to come right down the main road in bright sunlight. I think this will work,” Aini said.
Please let me be right.
“Well we won’t know until we try it,” Dodie said gruffly.
“What are we doing about the arrival? Do we just walk up to the door and knock?” Vera asked.
“I have the password for the gate codekeeper. But I’ll also speak to my mother,” Thane said. “She might have an idea who would support us. I have one idea… I tried her once already. I’ll do it again now.” He walked under the door’s white arch, phone on his ear.
“I think we should leave tomorrow afternoon,” Aini said.
“That soon?” Neve said, eyes wide.
“We have to. Nathair is gone. Who knows when he’ll turn around and come back. We should go now while he is out of the way.”
Thane stepped back into the room. “Her phone’s been disconnected.”
Aini’s heart gave a jolt. “Has this ever happened before?”
“No.”
“Maybe it’s just the service,” Neve said. “Sometimes when I tour up here the towers don’t have enough—”
“It’s not the service.” Thane pressed the phone against his forehead. “Something has happened. I have a bad feeling about this.”
Aini rubbed a hand over her stomach. She had a bad feeling too, but she wasn’t about to tell him and make his worry worse. “Let’s get the IDs made and dress to leave. There’s no reason we can’t leave when you want to.”
“There is one clan leader who will fight this no matter who shows up at Inveraray. My old second cousin, Sorley Menzies.”
“Now that is a name,” Myles said.
“What is it that makes him a problem specifically?” Aini asked.
“He hates everyone.”
“Everyone? Come off it.” Vera crossed her arms.
“He has never liked my father. Loathes me. Never approves of what anyone does really,” Thane said. “He wants to be the cock that rules the roost. He caused a big fight back when I was fourteen or fifteen. Something like that. Nathair hired a group of covert experts from Cornwall and Menzies didn’t like it.”
“You don’t know why?” Aini asked. “If we could untangle his motivations, we might figure out a way to get him on our side. Is he simply after power for power’s sake? Or does he want money? Does he have a family?”
“She’s kind of scaring me and I like it,” Myles said.
“I suppose he wants power for power’s sake,” Thane said. “He has a family, although I’ve not seen them for ages. Not since I was a wee mite. He has two boys near my age and a wife who cares more for her own side of the family than his.”
“It’d be very good if we had someone to help us go up against him,” Rob said.
“Honestly, I think an ally is key. We should make some inquiries. Discreetly, of course. Bran could help with that,” Thane said. “Maybe even head into Perth to see my family there.”
Aini bit the inside of her cheek. “But we don’t have time.”
“We must make time. We need a strong ally. Especially if they’ve decided my mother isn’t to be trusted. She’ll be no help to us and we’ll be no help to her without more internal support.”
“We should go to Inveraray first. See what is going on and who has sworn sole fealty to Nathair, outside of the king’s knowledge, and all that. Pretend to be all in. Your mother will help us sell that. We can make a plan there. Then maybe search for more support if she says it’d be a good idea.”
“We can’t rely on everyone else, Aini. You and me, we have to make the decisions here. Everyone is looking to us.”
“And we will. But we need to scope out the situation there. They don’t even know you are on the rebels’ side yet. You can use that. Until Nathair knows the truth of what happened on Bass Rock, you’re still a loyal Campbell and welcome at your father’s estate, right?”
“I believe so. When I went back to gain their trust before Bass Rock, I went off with Rodric and only Rabbie and Seanie were there. Rodric reported back to Nathair about my…return. No one else knows what went on outside of their group, the group who went to Bass Rock.”
“We only have a tiny sliver of time to use the rest of the Campbells’ ignorance. I say we go for it.”
“By ourselves.”
“With the Dionadair that don’t look like Dionadair.”
Thane spun and growled quietly, rubbing his hands through his hair. “This is a mess.”
Tentatively Aini smoothed her palms down the warm muscles coiled around his shoulder blades and lower back. The shape of him comforted her and
made her feel like they could do anything. She only hoped he wanted the touch as much as she did. It seemed like maybe he was all right with forgetting about love when they had a war to conduct. She felt like an idiot wanting it herself. But she did. She needed the comfort, the camaraderie.
He turned, then looked at her through his fingers. Streaks of pure white shot through the gray in his eyes like there was a lightning storm inside him just waiting to be released. “I have an idea. But I don’t know if it’s a good one. It’s risky.” The room’s red light painted his tattooed fingers and made them look muddy.
“Tell us,” Aini said, loud enough for the rest to hear.
“I spent a lot of time at Uncle Callum’s estate, learning to shoot and doing some ground fighting training. He isn’t like…Nathair.”
Aini could tell he’d almost said father.
“He used to talk Nathair out of his rages. I’m thinking he might be persuaded to join us. If he doesn’t agree, then he’ll definitely report us.”
Vera shot out of her seat in a cloud of perfume. “How many men does he have?”
“I’m not sure. But more than most of the other clan leaders loyal to the Campbells. I think he’s second only to my clan.”
My clan. He’d claimed his clan. This was progress. Aini imagined him in Campbell tartan and tried to feel good about it. This was what they had to do. Make it so that everyone in Scotland who saw Campbell tartan began smiling instead of running off in a panic.
“Where is this benevolent uncle with the army and a good head on his shoulders?” Myles leaned forward, arms on his paint-stained trousers.
Bran walked in and took a seat beside Thane.
“In Perth,” Thane said. “He lives in the old castle there. It’ll take…about two hours, maybe less, to drive there. Then a couple hours travel to Inveraray.”
“Ah, so we’re going to visit your Uncle Callum?” Bran nodded, thinking. “That’s a good idea. He’ll take some persuading though.”
“Aye. And I’ll need to talk to you about a job after this if you’re all right with that,” Thane said.
The Edinburgh Seer Complete Trilogy Page 29