Donnach, Luke, and others climbed out of the crater, and the line of people with the buckets suddenly came alive.
“Lady Jyne!” She was instantly surrounded by people, all wanting to embrace her and ask questions of her.
“How did ye escape?”
“What happened to ye?”
“Och, ye look a sight!”
“Are ye hurt?”
“Quick, bring her food and drink!”
“Where is Cormac?”
“Cormac MacLean, the Fire Lord, and I dug through the other end of the cavern and escaped.” She pinned a significant look on Breanna and Brother Luke.
“So ye know,” said Breanna in a small voice, her joy draining into an expression of contrition.
“Aye, I know. Ye certainly kept his secret well.” She glared at those she had thought her friends.
“I am sorry. Cormac convinced me to keep his secret. I do apologize for no’ being a better friend to ye,” said Breanna.
“I also wish to convey my apologies,” said Brother Luke. He had set aside his monk robes for a tunic and breeks.
“Well, it does seem ye all have been trying verra hard to save us,” conceded Jyne, looking around at how they had worked hard to try to dig her out. “I forgive ye and thank ye. But what does this new attire mean, Brother Luke?”
“He is not actually a monk. He was just a postulant,” Breanna answered for him.
“More secrets?” Jyne said with a sigh.
“Please, eat and drink, m’lady,” said Alasdair with a warm smile beneath his wrinkles as he and Cook brought her beef broth, trenchers, and drink. “We’ve been so worried over ye.”
“Aye, we have,” agreed Cook, handing her the drink with a motherly smile.
Jyne’s stomach growled with longing. It had been much too long since she had last eaten, and she gratefully accepted their offerings, finally soothing her dry throat with a long drink of weak ale. “Thank ye,” she said between bites of bread and sips of broth.
“Please forgive me, m’lady,” rasped a penitent Donnach, coming up to her with his head bowed. His black hair and bushy beard were covered in gray dust, giving him the appearance of being much older. “I canna express my shame at leaving ye behind. I shall present myself to our laird for judgment.”
“Nay, ye will do nothing o’ the sort. I forgive ye, my friend. The only one who deserves judgment is Cormac MacLean.”
“Where is my brother?” asked Breanna.
“I am here.” Cormac strode up to the crowd. A cheer went up for him as well, but died in people’s throats at the fierce look on his face. He was covered in dirt and grime. Dried blood was smeared on his face. His great kilt, belted around his waist and thrown over one shoulder, produced clouds of dust as he strode forward through the morning mist, giving the impression that he was smoking.
Cormac stormed toward her, his men and the elders giving him a wide berth. He glared at them as he passed. Core had never struck her as a fighter, but the look on his face was something she had never seen before.
“Cormac? Brother, is that ye?” Breanna seemed a bit unsure. Jyne was unsure herself. She had never thought she had anything to fear from Cormac, but of this creature before her, she had no idea.
“What are ye all doing about the courtyard?” he demanded.
“They were working together to free us,” explained Jyne to this new, strange iteration of Cormac MacLean.
“Waste o’ time,” he pronounced.
“Waste o’ time?” she repeated. “These people have worked day and night to find us. We owe them our appreciation.”
“We owe them nothing for acting like fools. Where is the gate guard? Go, now, to yer posts, ye lazy dogs!” Several of his men trudged to the gate.
Jyne gasped at his harsh words.
“Ye should have fled this place while ye could,” continued Cormac. “Red Rex is upon us, and none o’ ye will wish to be here when he arrives. Ye ken this better than anyone, Breanna.”
“Yer sister was verra brave and verra kind to forgo her flight to try to save us,” Jyne said, defending Breanna.
“And now ye must resign yerself to the consequences, Sister, for I canna help ye anymore. I canna help anyone anymore. I canna save the monks or yer books, Brother Luke. I canna save Breanna from her bastard betrothed. And I surely canna be the man Lady Jyne deserves. Nay, I grow weary to the point o’ death o’ trying to be someone I can never be.”
“What do ye mean?” asked Jyne, her heart sinking.
“It means ye’re right. I am the verra devil, or the son o’ one to be sure. I dinna ken the meaning o’ love or decency. I am the son o’ Red Rex, and it’s time I start to act like it. ’Tis time for me to take my rightful place as his son and heir.”
Breanna’s jaw dropped. “What are ye saying?”
“I’m saying ye better resign yerself to marrying that knave.”
Breanna gasped, and Luke put his arm around her shoulder, lowering his eyebrows at Cormac. “It seems you have experienced a disappointment in the catacombs, but there is no need to upset your sister. Perhaps you should sleep, and we will talk about this further when you are fed and rested.”
Core grabbed the wineskin from Jyne’s hand and took a long drink of the ale. He grabbed the bread too, and took a healthy bite. “Aye, that would be a wise and prudent decision, but what would it change? And why are ye still here, Luke? I thought I told ye to take Jyne and Breanna and leave early.”
Luke tightened his lips.
“Ah, ye could’na leave the books. I should have known,” said Core, taking another lengthy drink before handing it back to Jyne. “Too late now. We might as well start a bonfire now, for those manuscripts are as good as ash.”
“How can ye be so cruel?” asked Breanna.
“’Tis no’ cruelty, ’tis reality. Ye ken that better than anyone, Breanna. Red Rex will always win in the end.”
“Ye ne’er believed that. Ye always found a way around him. Ye ne’er gave in to him.” Breanna wiped a tear from her eye.
“I was a fool,” said Cormac, biting off another piece of bread. “The sooner we recognize who we are in this human tragedy, the better. Red Rex will have his way. He always does.”
“Ye’re just like our father.” Breanna stood tall, her green eyes blazing. “And I hate ye for it.”
“What happened to ye?” asked Jyne, shocked at the sudden change in demeanor in Cormac.
“I’m done pretending. Ye’re right about me. I lied to ye. Used ye. And now I’m done wi’ ye. Get ye gone. I hope to ne’er see ye again.”
Jyne gasped. Before she knew what she was doing, her hand flew out to slap him, but he caught it before she could strike. He grasped her arm and pulled her to him with a sudden jerk, whispering in her ear. “Red Rex is upon us. If he discovers the depth o’ my regard for ye, yer life will be forfeit.”
Heat crawled up the back of her neck, and she was painfully aware of everyone staring at her and Cormac. His eyes were stormy, but standing so close to him, she could see fear, not anger. She remembered the story of how Red Rex had killed Core’s horse, simply because he cared for the animal. Despite everything, Core was still trying to save her.
The faint sound of a horn, mournful and warbling, shot through the early dawn. “Riders approaching!” called a man from the wall.
Cormac released her and strode away without a second look. His lips tightened into a thin line. “Too late for us all.”
Red Rex was coming for them.
Thirty-seven
When Jyne had been trapped in the crypt, she had thought things could not get worse, but they had. Then when she discovered Cormac’s duplicity, she had thought she was as devastated as anyone could be, but she was wrong. Seeing Cormac give up all hope and surrender to his father, that was lower still.
At the
sound of the battle horn of Red Rex, everyone flew into a panic.
Cormac shouted commands as he strode to the wall. “Bran, take Lady Jyne and Breanna and lock them in their chamber. Anyone over the age o’ fifty, find a place to hide. Men, prepare yerselves.”
“Core, wait,” said Jyne, but Bran grabbed her by the arm and escorted her and Breanna to their tower chamber in a very determined fashion. He pushed them both inside.
“Stay!” Bran commanded and slammed the door shut, locking it behind him.
“What did ye do to Cormac?” demanded Breanna, her green eyes accusing.
“Nothing! Besides, he lied to me,” defended Jyne.
“Because he loves ye!” declared Breanna. “And ye broke his heart. Congratulations, for ye’ve done something my father could ne’er do. Ye turned him evil.” Breanna’s bottom lip quivered with emotion.
“Nay,” said Jyne. “He is feigning disregard to protect us from yer father.”
Breanna’s mouth was already open to continue her attack, but she paused, realizing what Jyne had just said. “Aye, if Rex knew how Cormac felt about ye…” Breanna shook her head. “Rex hates affection. Hates love itself. That is why he sold me in marriage to a hateful creature. Said he was doing me a favor by forcing me to wed a man I would despise. Said I was better off hating the man.”
“Yer father…he is not well.”
“Nay. He’s not.”
What would it be like to have such a man as a father? Jyne knew what Cormac had done was wrong, very wrong. But he had been unfortunate in his sire, which had not been his choice at all. And even after Jyne had rejected him, he was still trying to protect her.
If he discovers the depth o’ my regard for ye, yer life will be forfeit.
He had said he loved her, and she suspected that much at least was the truth. Jyne collapsed on the stone bench cut into the tower wall and opened the shutter to look out the window. Men were riding across the valley toward Kinoch.
Jyne closed her eyes, fatigue setting in. She leaned her head back on the cold stones. She knew her reaction was entirely justified, though she did feel a twinge of guilt about one thing. She had promised Cormac grace for whatever he revealed but had not shown it. But then again, she had had no idea he was going to reveal such betrayal. Surely, she was right!
Is there a limit to grace?
Jyne stilled at the sudden thought. A limit to grace? Why…no.
“Och! Breanna. I need to get to Core!” exclaimed Jyne, suddenly realizing that she had been called to show the man forgiveness. “Before he lets in Red Rex, there is something I must say.”
Breanna shook her head. “Ye canna go down there. ’Tis no safe for ye, truly.”
“Red Rex will kill me.” Jyne could not keep the tremor from her words. She held her hands together to keep from shaking.
“Aye, if he knows ye mean anything to Core.”
“Core is going to join him because of me. Yer father will gain Core’s power with alchemy. We canna let that happen. At least, I feel I must tell him something first.” Jyne strode across the room and rattled the door.
Breanna drew her table knife. “Then let me pick the lock. I hope ye ken what ye’re doing.”
Jyne hoped so too.
* * *
The sound of his father’s mournful horn rattled through Kinoch Abbey, bouncing off the stone walls and smacking him with almost physical force. Core’s stomach clenched and turned, threatening to expel the bread he had just eaten. If he wasn’t already feeling sick after his rejection from Jyne, the plaintive wail that announced the coming of Red Rex certainly would have made him ill. His fear for Jyne thrummed with every beat of his heart.
“Donnach. Luke,” Core called to the men who were helping the elders from the courtyard. “I’ve no quarrel wi’ ye, but my father will. I have no ability to keep ye safe this time, so stay from sight. As soon as ye can, take them to safety.” He motioned with his head to the tower where the ladies had been taken.
“We will,” said Luke, and Donnach nodded.
It was the best he could do. Core ran out of the keep to the outer wall to witness the arrival of his father. Red Rex had reached the far side of the valley and was riding toward them. On impulse, the elders had barred the gates and then run for a place to hide. Not a bad strategy, but not one that would stop Rex for long.
His men followed him out to the outer ward, standing in the field between the keep and the outer wall. They looked up at him, their faces grim. Even the strongest of them appeared a bit anxious, and all checked to make sure that their leather armor was strapped securely and their weapons were at hand. One did not appear before Red Rex without being prepared to fight and do his bidding.
Cormac realized that unlike in the past, when Bran had given the commands, this time, he was silent, and all were watching Core. For the first time, he felt that these men might actually follow him.
“Prepare yerselves. ’Tis time to meet Red Rex,” said Core, hoping he was prepared himself. The wind in the outer ward was brisk, and he welcomed the cold wind on his face after such a long time in the crypt. At least if he died today, he would die in the open and not under the ground like a rat.
“Open the gates!” Cormac shouted to the guards on the wall. They looked down at him for a moment before complying, as if to ask in a silent plea if they must. Core’s only hope was to appease his father by convincing him he was willing to become like him, and no further manipulation was necessary. Core feared it would not be enough to keep Jyne safe.
The portcullis was raised with a groan, mournful and long, as if even the iron gate itself was complaining at being opened to the warlord. Cormac stood in the gateway, looking out over the fields and watching as his father rode for the keep.
This was the monster everyone feared. The monster he feared. And yet, as the large man rode toward him, Cormac realized a strange thing. He wasn’t afraid anymore. What could his father possibly do to him? Kill him? Jyne had already ripped out his heart, so that was not any great loss. He had already been buried alive, lost his love and anything else he ever cared about. It did not matter now. He would join his father, become whatever he wanted, and pray that it would be enough to save them.
“Cormac!”
He turned and saw Jyne hurrying toward him. His heart squeezed in pain at the sight of her. What was she doing down here?
“Get back! ’Tis no’ safe!”
“Nay, ye must hear this. I was wrong. Ye can be forgiven. Dinna give up.”
“Ye forgive me?” He stopped short, forgetting his facade of disregard.
Jyne paused, for she was an honest lady. “I’m still really, truly angry wi’ ye, but ye are no’ yer father. I believe ye can be a good man.”
Jyne believed in him. She knew what he was, who he was, and she still could see some value in him. He stared at her in mute surprise. This was not anything he had expected. Everything else, he could have predicted, but not this. His understanding of the world shattered.
He took a step toward her. She was still covered in gray dust, but nothing could diminish her loveliness, for it shone through from the inside. He loved her more now than ever.
And everyone watching them in the courtyard knew it.
“Close the gates!” he shouted. His father had picked up speed and was almost upon them. If Red Rex got his hands on Jyne, she would be dead. Core might not be able to prevent it from happening, but he would surely die to defend her.
“What?” called down the confused gate guard.
“Ye heard me, ye bat-brained fool. Close the damn gates! We’ll no’ let this bastard in wi’out a fight.”
The man shrugged and began the slow process of closing the rusty gates.
Jyne smiled at him with an approval that shone in her eyes. He felt like he could soar. His men reacted in quite the opposite manner. Bran’s eyes b
ugged out of his head. Dubh dropped his jaw and stared at him.
“Listen well, ye followers o’ Red Rex,” Core addressed his men. “I choose this day to no longer serve my father. If ye wish to continue under his service, go now, before the gates close. If ye will serve me against my father, then stay. If ye have any fear in ye, go now, for where I am about to tread, few men go and live to tell the tale.”
A few men stirred and glanced at the gate as it groaned in protest at being disturbed once more after being moved so recently. The thunderous sound of approaching horses rumbled on the ground. Red Rex was almost to the gates. Dubh shifted his feet, as if preparing to run if any of the others did. The men stared at their feet, glanced again at the gate, and then back at Cormac.
Cormac held his breath. Would the men stay?
The gate slammed closed with a tremendous thud and a clank. Men ran to bar the door.
“We will stay and serve the Fire Lord,” declared Bran.
“As ye wish. Ye have chosen freely, and time will tell whether ye have chosen well,” said Cormac.
“We will serve ye too, if ye’ll have us.” Donnach and Luke stepped forward from the keep, both armed.
“Aye, and welcome to ye,” said Core. “But ye, go now!” He shooed away Jyne. He was not surprised when she crossed her arms and shook her head.
“Open this gate!” thundered the voice of Red Rex from beyond the gate. It had closed almost on his very nose.
Cormac ran up the stone steps, leading to the wall walk, with Bran right behind.
“I hope ye ken what ye’re doing,” muttered Bran.
“I’ve no idea,” confessed Cormac with a half smile.
“That is what I feared.” Bran sighed. “It shall be an interesting day.”
“I hope to see ye at the end of it,” said Core.
“This side o’ hell,” grumbled Bran.
Cormac looked down from the wall to his father and the men, warriors all, who followed him. His father looked up at him, and even with the height and the wall between them, he could feel the heat of his father’s glare. He wavered for a moment. What was he thinking? How could he stand up to the one man no one could defeat? He knew better than to think that his father would spare his life. Red Rex had destroyed everything he loved; he would not think twice about killing him too.
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