“Do I have any choice?”
Unfortunately, in this, she did not. “Nay.”
“Then we need to go and face this.” She looked outside. “Besides, I’d love to see your castle.”
“Ourcastle.”
“Cian, it’s not—”
“But ‘tis, Madison.” He shook his head. “Surely you see that. Dreamt about it.Knowit.”
“Dreaming about it doesn’t make it mine.” She shook her head as well. “Someplace I’m destined to end up? Sure. But mine? I don’t know....”
She was about to go on when his second-in-command appeared at the door. “Apologies m’Lord, but I need a word alone.”
“It can wait.” He would not leave Madison by herself when her new status could reveal itself at any moment. “I will be with you soon.”
“I’m afraid it cannot wait, m’Lord.” Bécc shook his head grimly. “There has been bloodshed. Men have fallen. You must come straight way.”
“Fallen where?” He frowned. “Which men?”
“All our scouts who remained at Declán’s border but one,” Bécc reported. “You must come.” His commander’s eyes flashed with concern. Urgency. “’Twill be looked upon poorly if ye do not, and the one man left standing is....”
The octave of Bécc’s voice told him everything he needed to know.
The man was dying.
“’Tis all right, me’Lord.” Deirdre joined Bécc, her gaze just as grim. “Ye must go.” She made a come-hither motion to Madison. “I will see to yer lassie. All will be well.”
No sooner did Deirdre say it than two of his trusted soldiers fell in beside her and nodded that they would stay close. Madison would not be left alone for a moment.
Cian looked at Madison. “I’m sorry, but—”
“Don’t be sorry.” She stood up a little straighter and nodded once in reassurance. “Go. I’ll be fine with Deirdre.”
“Ta?”
She nodded again and showed him the strength he needed to see. “Ta.”
While tempted to linger, he sensed Liam’s growing anger from afar. His pure fury. So he had to go and trust his warriors would keep her safe.
“You will stay with her at all times,” he stated rather than asked Deirdre.
“All times, me’Lord.” She looked at Madison affectionately. “I will not let her out of my sight for a moment.”
He trusted Deirdre above all others. Even so. “Take her right up to her chamber and stay there until I return.”
“We’ll go nowhere else, to be sure.” Deirdre held out her hand to Madison. “We shall stay in her chamber until ye return, me’Lord.”
Though leaving Madison was hard, he nodded that all would be well and strode after Bécc. “Tell me what happened.”
“Ta, m’Lord.” Bécc’s sadness and anger was unmistakable when he relayed the last thing Cian wanted to hear. Had prayed would not happen. “They were cut down by yer brother’s men. Slaughtered ruthlessly when they made the mistake of thinking they greeted friend, not foe.”
“Tell me ‘twas magic.” He ground his teeth. Clenched his fists. “That ‘twas the enemy’s magic rather than true hatred on Declán's part.”
Bécc shook his head. “’Tis impossible to know.”
But probable, considering Raghnall was nothing less than deceptive. Trickery was his way. Morphing reality. Making people think they saw one thing rather than what was actually there. Either way, Declán’s border was closer to the castle than Raghnall’s, so precautions needed to be made until the situation was assessed. To that end, he gave orders to a passing warrior that all those too far from home would be welcomed into the castle for the night, then the castle locked down.
