“Is he loyal to my uncle?”
“Aye,” Elspet replied, “and notto be trusted.”
Sir Petrus motioned for the youngerman to depart.
Eyes narrowed with disgust, the knight stormed from the stable.
Cailin stepped back. “Stay here.”
Her hand caught his. “Whatare you doing?”
“Hopefully catching the master-at-arms’s attention before he departs.” Cailin hurried to the secret exit. With extreme care, he unlatched the door, slipped into the stable, and crept behind a towering pile of hay. He peeked through a break in the dried grass.
His mentor halted at the next stall and rubbed thesteed’s muzzle.
Cailin whistled in two soft bursts, a signal they had used countless times in his youth.
Sir Petrus’s hand flew to his blade as he whirled. A dark yet confused scowl marred his face as he scoured the stable. “Show yourself!”
Pushing back the hood of his cowl, Cailin stood.
The giant knight’s eyes riveted on him, widened with shock. “Cailin,” he rasped.“It canna be.”
After ensuring no one approached the stable, he waved over his old friend. “Hurry.”
Sir Petrus secured his dagger, then rushed over, his face pale with disbelief. “Why… How…”
“I will explain. Follow me.” He entered the secret tunnel, securing the entry after his friend stepped inside. Elspet, he noted, had wisely retreated deeper into the tunnel,away from view.
Tears had filled the master-at-arms’s eyes. Before Cailin could speak, he was enveloped in a giant hug that he returned, then the large man stepped back. “God’s teeth, I thoughtyou were dead!”
He struggled against the onslaught of emotion welling in his throat. “Aye, a fact Gaufrid tried to ensure.” Quickly, Cailin explained how his uncle had paid to have him killed,and his escape.
The master-at-arms’s hand had clasped his sword by the time he finished relating the tale, his knuckles turning white. “I will cut down the bloody cur!”
“Nay,” Cailin said with soft fierceness that silently cautioned his old friend to lower his voice. There was too much at stake to allow feelings to guide their decisions. “When that day comes, ’twill be my blade that serves justice. However much I want to confront the bastard now, he holds the fealty of those within the castle.”
If possible, the knight’s face further darkened with fury. “Loyalty based on a lie and fear of his brutal ways.”
“Aye, ’tis what I have been told.” Cailin paused. “I have spoken with Father Lamond. In addition to your name to speak with, as well as others I can trust, he drew a map of the castle, of changes, and secret passages that have been addedsince I left.”
Sir Petrus’s brows raised as he glanced down the dark tunnel. “Father Lamond is with you?”
“Nay,” Cailin replied. “After I arrived on Dalkirk lands, we stayed with him forseveral days.”
“We?”
Aware she was watching, Cailin turned and wavedElspet forward.
Sir Petrus’s gaze narrowed as her hooded form moved into the candlelight.“Who are you?”
“A woman who has risked her life to aid me,” Cailin stated, “and one whom I will protectwith my life.”
She shoved her hood back and angled her chin with pride. “Elspet McReynolds.”
“Sir Angus’s stepdaughter,” Sir Petrus breathed. His eyes shifted to Cailin’s, shimmering with understanding. “Now Lord Dalkirk’s order makes sense.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
