Suddenly, Conall heard a grating sound and the water gate began to slowly open, throwing a broad beam of silvery moonlight into the chamber. The doors creaked and groaned as they opened wider and wider until he could see the dark water of the loch beyond them, still and untouched by the wind. Through the opening, a long low barge glided into the chamber.
A small crew manned her, hooded and cloaked, and they brought the barge to a stop by his father and stepmother. A single passenger stood at the rail, also hooded and cloaked. Conall squinted to make out who it could be, but he couldn’t see their face from this distance.
As the barge came to a halt at the water’s edge, the figure disembarked with cat-like grace. His father stepped forward to greet them while his stepmother hovered nearby. Conall could hear fragments of their conversation but couldn’t make out enough words to understand what was said between them. All he knew for certain was that whatever was going on here was something important, something carefully guarded by secrecy—and he didn’t like it at all.
“Can they be trusted?” his father said, indicating the bargemen.
“Of course,” came the reply. It was a woman’s voice and something about it snagged at Conall’s memory although he struggled to place it. “They are as devoted to our cause as we are.”
His father nodded tightly and Conall could see the tension written in the way he carried himself. “Good. We canna take any risks, this close to our goal.”
“Indeed,” the figure agreed. “Which is why I’ve come myself to oversee the final preparations.”
As the figure spoke, they reached up to their hood and pulled it down. Conall went cold as he recognized the woman beneath it. He’d last seen her over six months ago, on the day when he and his brothers in arms had confronted Leif Snarlsson at Dun Cator. It had been a day of fire and blood and although they had managed to thwart Snarlsson’s attempt to murder the King of Norway and start a war between the two countries, Snarlsson himself had gotten way—along with the woman standing in front of him now.
Tall, thin, with the piercing brown eyes of a raptor and about as much kindness on her sharp features, he would recognize her anywhere. Alice Brewer, Leif’s Snarlsson’s second-in-command.
It wasn’t just the memory of their last encounter that made a chill ripple through him, but the realization that he’d been right all along. It brought him no satisfaction to learn that his father was exactly the man he’d always thought him to be, a man who would make a deal with the Devil if it meant furthering his own ends. Instead, all he felt was a sick sort of dread as all his hopes of reconciliation went up in smoke.
A knot formed in the pit of his stomach as he watched his father and stepmother standing side by side with the woman who he’d been tracking for months. She was a notorious outlaw, known for her brutal tactics and complete disregard for human life. He had once seen her ignite a keg of gunpowder at a fair just to strike at the Order of the Osprey, with no regard to the innocent people caught in the blast.
How could his father ally himself to such people?
“All is ready?” Alice Brewer asked, glancing around the chamber.
For an instant, her eyes flicked to Conall’s hiding place and he froze, heart racing, but then her eyes moved on and he breathed a little more easily.
“Everything is ready,” his father replied. “The weapons are safely stored down the coast.”
“Good. And the ships?”
“Waiting at the designated rendezvous, fully armed and manned with my finest soldiers.”
Conall’s stomach tightened as he realized what his father was saying. There were ships missing from the Sinclair fleet and soldiers missing from the rosters. When Conall had questioned him about it, his father had refused to explain. Now he knew why. Earl Sinclair had stationed his garrison and fleet somewhere in secret, a hidden armada ready to be called upon at any time.
The truth of it made him want to vomit. His father had always been ambitious but Conall had never dreamed he would stoop so low as to betray his people like this.
“I’m pleased to hear it,” Alice said. “I bring word from our mutual friend. The rendezvous will take place in two days at the appointed place. There ye will deliver the weapons to the other ships in the fleet and once all of them are fully fitted out, we will strike our first target.”
“And what is our first target?”
Alice’s eyes narrowed. “Ye will be told that closer to the time.”
Earl Sinclair’s face grew dark. “I’m entitled to know more about the plans I’m being asked to help execute.”
Alice stepped forward and eyed Earl Sinclair coldly. “Ye agreed to this task in return for certain favors and ye must trust that they will be delivered as promised. All ye need concern yourself with is the fact that ye are doing yer part in service of a greater cause and that is all that matters.”
Earl Sinclair glanced away, clearly unhappy with her answer but unwilling to push further. After a moment he nodded curtly. “Very well, then. My ships will be at the Finger two days from now, as agreed.”
“Good. Now I’m tired and hungry. It’s been a long, difficult journey.”
“Of course,” Lady Adaira said. “One of our finest guestrooms has been prepared. I’ll have food brought up to you.”
“Thank ye. At dawn, ye will take me to where ye’ve stockpiled the weapons. I wish to check them with my own eyes.”
“As ye wish,” Earl Sinclair replied. “This way. We will use my private staircase to return to the castle.”
They began walking towards him and Conall quickly scrambled back up the staircase, careful to make no noise. He hurried ahead of them and came out through the door onto the landing where his father’s study lay. He was careful to leave the door just ajar like he’d found it, and then took to his heels, hurrying through the castle as quickly as he could without calling attention to himself.
