She now understood the reason for the ladder. It would give them the means of climbing up to the door, and they could pull it up behind them.
Killian set it against the tower and held the base of the ladder. “Climb up. When you reach the door, raise this along the door opening to lift the latch inside.” He handed her a thin blade.
Taryn tucked the blade at her waist and obeyed, feeling uneasy about how high she had to climb. It was well over the height of a tall man, and when she reached the doorway, she found thatthere was no knob or latch at all. As Killian had instructed, she slid the blade along the side until she felt it catch upon the inner latch. Slowly, she lifted it, and the door opened inward. Then she grasped the door frame and pulled herself inside the round tower. Killian hurried up behind her, and she moved back into the darkness, pressing her shoulders against the wall while he closed the door.
“What should we do now?” Taryn asked. It was so dark inside the round tower, she could hardly see anything at all. High above them was a tiny circle of light.
“We climb,” he said. “Keep your hand against the stone wall so you won’t fall.” He guided her to go first, and she did as he’d suggested, running her hand over the stones. Around and around she climbed the stairs, spiraling up the tower while Killian followed behind.
With each step, her stomach ached with nerves. Though she should have expected Maeve to pursue her, as she’d promised, she didn’t know if it was possible to evade them.
“If they find me, you should hide yourself and go after Carice,” she said, gritting her teeth as she forced her legs to keep going up the stairs. “You could still reach her.”
“They’re not going to find us.”
“But if they do, you—”
“You don’t trust in me, do you?” he said, cutting her off. His voice held an edge of anger, and she paused a moment.
“I do not know you at all,” she admitted. “Except that you are one of the most stubborn men I’ve ever met.”
“Stubborn, aye. But I usually get what I want.” There was a hint of teasing in his voice, as if he acknowledged his own arrogance. But it didn’t quite diminish her fear.
He paused a moment and asked, “Are you afraid she’ll punish you?”
“A little,” she confessed. “Maeve was furious with me for wanting to go after my father. I sometimes wonder if she wanted him to die. The things she said—” She broke off her words, not wanting to reveal too much. “I don’t think any man would make her happy. And despite what she thought of my father, I couldn’t stand by and do nothing.”
Her legs were burning from climbing all the stairs, and she stopped a moment to catch her breath. She didn’t know why she was telling Killian all of this. He likely wouldn’t want to hear any of it.
Instead, he said, “One of the High King’s soldiers told me your father tried to raise an army against the High King. He tried to overthrow Rory and failed.”
She could hardly believe what he’d said. Why would Devlin have any desire to force Rory from his throne? “I don’t understand. That doesn’t seem like something he would do.” Her father had a strong will, and there were certainly times he’d disagreed with the High King. But why would he go to such lengths?
Now it made sense why he had been taken prisoner and sentenced to die. But she found it difficult to reconcile the man she’d known all her life to one who had greater ambitions.
“Men often want to raise themselves up to a different life,” he responded.
And there was truth in that, Taryn supposed. Killian MacDubh undoubtedly wanted more than the destiny Fate had given to him.
The higher they climbed, the more sunlight they saw. Near the topmost floors, there were treasures set in piles. Taryn spied two silver chalices and a jeweled bishop’s crozier, along with fine linens. At the top of the tower, she saw six iron bells hanging in a cluster.
Her legs ached, and when at last they reached the top, Killian helped her through the opening. The wind was harsh, blowing from all sides, and she wasn’t certain she liked being this high up. It was dizzying, seeing the trees so far below.
In the distance, she could see the glint of metal armor. Her mother’s army was indeed close. Taryn huddled with her knees drawn up. “Can they see us up here?”
Killian shook his head. “Not if you stay seated.” He pushed down the hinged wooden door that covered the opening. It sealed them off from the rest of the tower, removing all light from inside. At least now, it was more difficult for anyone to see, even if they did search the tower.
Taryn shielded her eyes against the sun and saw Carice’s litter and the High King’s men journeying further to the east. “Will the MacEgan warrior save your sister, do you think?”
He shrugged. “If he doesn’t, then I will get her out before she reaches Tara.”
Guilt slid over her, and she knew that he resented being here with her. Especially when he’d wanted to guard Carice.
“Why didn’t you leave with her?” she asked. “Surely your sister would have trusted you to bring her to safety.”
He turned and faced her. In his dark gray eyes, she saw a bleakness. “I don’t know if it matters anymore. She’s grown so ill, I doubt if she’ll survive the journey.”
Though Killian was naught but a stranger to her, she understood his pain. Without a word, she reached for his hand and took it in hers. His palm was warm, and his fingers curled around hers. It was only a small comfort, but she wanted to give him what sympathy she could.
