“An hour, two at most,” therider replied.
Taog glanced toward Cailin. “Go. A warm meal and rest will serve you well before the soldiers arrive.”
Cailin glanced toward where the master-at-arms was being taken, then shook his head. “We have no time to waste. I know a few strategies that could help makea difference.”
“Explain,” Taog said.
Elspet listened and was impressed by the procedures Cailin laid out, many she’d never heard of. Templar techniques, no doubt.
Once he was through, Cailin glanced around. “Any questions?”
Appreciation in his eyes, Taog shook his head. “Nay. These tactics will give the earl and his men more than they bargained for, and us a chance.”
“They will,” Cailin agreed. “I will check on Sir Petrus, then oversee thepreparations.”
“I will have the men start felling small trees.”Taog departed.
Face taut, Cailin strode to where two men were settling Sir Petrusinside a tent.
Elspet walked beside him, impressed by his control. Instead of allowing fury at the brutality served to the master-at-arms to guide him, he focused on a plan that would equal the odds, if not give them an edge against the earl’s forces. How many men would have reacted with such precision,such control?
Strong-scented herbs filled the air as they reached the tent. Inside, an elderly woman dipped a cloth into an herbal concoction, then cleaned eachcut with care.
A dark frown on his face, Cailin entered and knelt beside the healer.
The elder tended to the next wound, dipped the cloth into the mixture, then looked up, her eyes grave. “I canna say if he will live through the day, but I swear to you, I willdo all I can.”
Cailin nodded. “I thank you.” He placed his hand on the master-at-arms’s shoulder, closed his eyes, then his lips moved insilent prayer.
Kneeling, Elspet added her own entreaty to God that Sir Petrus lived. After making the sign of the cross, Cailin departed. Throat thick with emotion, she fell into step beside him as he strode toward the large rocks where many of Taog’s men were taking position with numerous weapons.
“When the earl attacks, I want you to stay near me.” Eyes dark with concern met hers. “If I could spare you the horrors of battle, I would.”
She shook her head at his misplaced sense of responsibility for her. “None of this is your fault. Any blame for those who will be harmed lies at your uncle’s feet. Nor does he care who dies as long as he remains in power.”
Cailin’s mouth tightened. “The truth, but it doesna change that you, as the other women in camp, are in danger. If there was somewhere I could have you allhide, I would.”
“There isna. Nor would I be asking for shelter when each person is needed to defend the camp.”
Deep lines carved his brow. For a breathless moment, she thought he might kiss her, but theinstant passed.
Jaw tight, Cailin halted where men stood awaiting instructions and began shouting orders. Some men began digging pits, while others sharpened stakes and jammed them into the ground to build a palisade.
Elspet was amazed at how, when one job was completed, without hesitation, Cailin moved men to another, each task adding another layer of defense.
When she’d first heard the news of the pending attack, of the number of men led by the earl, she’d feared they had little chance. Now, as she scanned the camp that in a short time had been transformed to a makeshift fortress, hope flickered inside.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Cailin walked over to where she was piling stones to use in the catapult. He shot her a fierce scowl. “Once the battle begins, if I tell you to do something, do it!”
If she’d seen only anger in his eyes, the hard rebuttal on her tongue would have been unleashed without hesitation, but she saw the fear, the concern, because he cared forher. “I will.”
With each passing moment, amid the shouts, orders, and curses, she fought the growing dread. However brutal the attack on her home almost a fortnight ago, she sensed that ’twas naught compared to the assault the earl planned this day.
But this time the bastard wouldna win. Elspet wiped her brow, returned to her task. Whatever she needed to do to give Cailin success she would. A grim smile touched her mouth. And the earl would soon learn that he far from faced a haphazard band, but a well-armed force.
* * * *
An arrow nocked in his bow, beneath the crystal-clear skies, Cailin stared at the swath of forest littered with towering rocks as the earl’s well-armed knights rode into view, followed by endless rows offoot soldiers.
