Conall pulled her quickly down into the shadows and pointed. Molly squinted and made out a dark hole at the base of the walls.
Conall put his mouth close by her ear. “That’s the water gate,” he murmured, his voice little more than a breath of air. “It gives direct access to the Pinnacle’s basements. But it’s almost always kept closed.”
As they watched, a dark shape began to emerge from the water gate, long, rectangular. As it drew closer, Molly realized it was an enormous barge. She couldn’t make out much in the darkness but the moon gave enough light to see that its deck was piled high with crates lashed down with tarpaulin. Several crewmembers worked its decks but they did so in absolute silence and the barge carried no lamps.
Beside her, Conall tensed. In the darkness, she could see his eyes trained on the barge as it sailed noiselessly past. In moments it had passed them by, moving out onto the loch in the direction of the sea, quickly lost in the darkness. A moment later, the water gate slid closed with a deep grating noise.
They remained where they were, neither moving. What had she just seen? Why were goods being moved from the Pinnacle in secret?
Finally, Conall rose to his feet. In silence, he took her arm and they scrambled out of their hiding place and back around to the gates on the other side of the castle. Conall said nothing but his expression was troubled.
“What was that?” she asked as they reached the entrance to the keep.
Conall rapped on the gates, the noise seeming eerily loud in the stillness. “I dinna know, but I dinna like it.”
A smaller door in the large gates creaked open and lamplight spilled out, making Molly squint against the sudden illumination. “Who’s wanting into the castle at this hour?” a voice asked.
“It’s only me, Malcolm,” Conall replied. “My apologies, I’m back later than expected.”
Malcolm, lifted the lamp higher. “Ah, Lord Conall. Come in, come in. Ye might still be in time to catch supper in the great hall if ye hurry.”
Conall led Molly through the door and across the courtyard. Molly looked around to make sure nobody was listening before asking, “So what do we do?”
“I need to know what those goods were and where they were going,” he replied, his voice tight. “I think tomorrow I should pay a visit to that new warehouse James mentioned.”
“Just what I was about to suggest. From what James said, we can sail down there—”
“We?”
“Yes, we. I’m coming with you.”
“I dinna think that’s a good idea. It might be dangerous.”
Molly shook her head, her jaw set in determination. “In that case, it’s doubly important I come along. You can’t go alone—you need someone to watch your back.”
Conall sighed, but Molly could tell he was relenting. He studied her face for a few moments before finally nodding.
“Aye, all right,” he said with a faint smile.
The moment seemed to stretch out between them, the lamplight catching in Conall’s eyes and making Molly feel like she was drowning in their depths. The intensity of his gaze sent a shiver down her spine and suddenly all her nerves were on edge, her skin tingling with anticipation. She wanted him to kiss her again. Heck, she wanted him to do a whole lot more than that.
Conall coughed and took a step back. “Come on. It’s late. Time for a spot of supper and then sleep.”
She huffed an agreement and followed him inside. But with the way her body was afire, sleep was the last thing she wanted.
