“Sir Cailin saved my life, for which I will be forever thankful.”
“You have my eternal gratitude. I have known Elspet since she was a child.” The priest gave a tight smile. “She was alwaysvery special.”
Tenderness softened her expression. “Father, you are being kind. I was always gettinginto trouble.”
The cleric poured them each a goblet of wine, then dug into his own meal. “There is that, but your intentions were always good.”
Cailin swallowed another spoonful of his stew. “Seems little has changed about getting in trouble. If there is one thing I have learned in our short acquaintance, it is that Elspet is verystrong-willed.”
Her eyes cut to his with a flare of defiance.
“You are one to talk.” The priest chuckled. “Your father said that, as a child, you were a handfuland then some.”
“I remember your sermons in the chapel,” Cailin said with a quick smile. “They were powerful. Once I reclaim Tiran, I will ask that you return.”
“With pleasure.” His face grew solemn, and he sat back. “’twill be a challenge to seize the stronghold. ’Tis well-fortified. Your uncle is a harsh man who controls his people with a brutal hand, and some claim with a cruelty for his own perverse pleasure.”
“That anyone could find enjoyment in the torment of others is reprehensible,”Cailin snapped.
“’Tis,” Father Lamond agreed. “I assure you, when the Bruce sent a missive asking me to support you, I agreed without hesitation. More so given the Earl of Dalkirk supports Comyn.”
“How long have you known King Robert?” Cailin asked.
“We first met during the spring of our lord’s year of 1304, when I was traveling with Bishop Lamberton. I was but one of a few select men of the cloth chosen as witnesses when the Bruce and Lamberton vowed a united front. Each swore that neither would enter into any major cause for Scotland without informing the other.”
Cailin nodded slowly. “’Twas a sage move that allowed King Edward to believe that Bishop Lamberton had abandoned his support for Scotland. In addition, however vague, it was also an acknowledgment to the Bruce from Lamberton that naught but war would reclaim Scotland’s freedom.”
The priest gave a solemn nod. “Aye. After that, I met with the Bruce many times over the past years, and a strong bond of friendship grew between us. When he confided that he was claiming Scotland, as ’twas rightfully his, I pledged my support. And I was honored to be at Scone when he wascrowned king.”
“King Robert is blessed to have such a loyal man.”
“A compliment I return to you.” The cleric paused before taking his next bite. “When I received our king’s missive that you were returning, I was stunned to discover that you were alive.”
Elspet took a sip of wine. “As was I.”
The priest swallowed his spoonful of stew, then set the utensil down. “What happened to you during thesemissing years?”
In brief, Cailin explained how his uncle had paid a captain to kill him at sea and how, once away from port, the captain had sold him to pirates, believing Cailin would die. “But the pirates made an error and tried to seize a Templar cog,” he stated with satisfaction.
Elspet’s eyes widened, but the laugh lines around the priest’s eyes deepened. “Taught the fools to attack an elite fighting force.”
“Indeed.” Cailin remembered his relief when he’d been hauled aboard the Templar vessel. “’Tis a portion of my life I will never forget.” A time when he’d joined the Brotherhood, a life he had loved, one destroyed by King Philip’s greed.
“But you arena here to reminisce over the past but reclaim your birthright,” Father Lamond said.
Cailin’s jaw tightened, looking forward to the time when he confronted his uncle, a day that was coming soon. He nodded. “I was en route to see Sir Angus. King Robert assured me that he would have information I would need, which included the map you drew of Tiran Castle. In addition to leading me to you, he was to assist in building a force to confront my uncle andseize my home.”
“Aye, he would have done both and more.” Father Lamond gave his head a sad shake. “’Tisa tragic loss.”
“Father—”
Elspet’s voice broke into their conversation, drawing their attention to her. She had finished her meal and looked beyond exhausted but determined to participate. “I didna mention it to Cailin before,” she continued, “as I thought ’twould be of little help. There was another man who visited days before the earl made false charges against my stepfather. By chance, didyou send him?”
A deep frown furrowed the priest’s brow. “Nay. It could have been another of the king’s runners carrying a missive. What didhe look like?”
“He was a large man, about as tall as Cailin. Brown hair, grayish-green eyes, and…” She looked at Cailin, her brows drawn in thought. “His dagger was like yours.”
Cailin stilled. “Likemine? Explain.”
