Niall knew it the instant he rode into the castle yard and saw Fiona's face. Did another bucket full of mud await him upon some high beam? Or had she concocted some other prank? At least he had returned early. She had not had the whole day to plot against him. And yet something in Fiona's eyes made him wish he were stillsomewhere far to the east of the castle with only a couple of rabbits trying to outwit him.
Nay, Niall reasoned as he stared down at his sister, no simple bucket of mud could have sparked such a brightness in her ever-present smirk. There was too much triumph in Fiona's dirt-smudged face for any trick so paltry.
"What devilment have you been about, girl?" he demanded, pretending not to notice her expression as he swung a brace of rabbits from his saddle.
"I have been in the garden," she informed him, regarding him with as much satisfaction as if she had managed to hurl a bolt of lightning at his head. "You would scarce believe what Caitlin found there!"
Unless it was a magic cloak that would whisk him leagues away from Castle Daire, Niall had little interest. "Mud?" he inquired with a grimace as he slung the rabbits over his shoulder, intent on readying them for the roasting fire. But Fiona sprang in front of him, blocking his path.
"Some of the plants lived! There will be more to eat!"
He stopped, the eagerness in the girl's face giving him a surprising twinge. "That is good, I suppose."
"Niall, do you not hear me? There will be food again at Daire, enough to keep Mother and me.”
So that was it. Caitlin had found a few stray vegetables, and Fiona had visions of a garden to rival those that fed Conn's whole fortress.
He ground his teeth, knowing he had no choice but to extinguish the girl's hopes as quickly as possible. It was kinder than letting her continue spinning out these impossible dreams. "I am certain the rabbits will enjoy eating the greens once you are gone."
Fiona looked as if he had slapped her, then that hard light sprang back into her eyes. "I am not going anywhere. You said you cannot leave Mother and me here because we might starve. Well, you will not have to concern yourself about us any longer! The garden will be brimming by the time Caitlin is done."
Niall swore under his breath. Caitlin. Had he not told the infernal woman to stop meddling about the castle? Now she had filled Fiona's head with more nonsense, as if the girl was not enough trouble on her own! Damnation, he would make the woman see reason this time or die in the attempt. She might think she was doing Fiona a kindness, but in reality it was the subtlest form of cruelty imaginable. It would only make thingsharder when he had to drag the girl away from Daire.
"Just where is Caitlin?" he growled.
Fiona gave an expansive shrug. "That I cannot tell you."
"Why the devil not?"
"She is gathering more plants for the garden. One of the nuns taught her how."
"Well, summon her immediately so I can put an end to this idiocy once and for all."
"I suppose I could try." Fiona smirked. "Of course, it will take a while longer than you wish. But a champion warrior is schooled in the virtue of patience, is he not?"
If Niall had known he would be returning to Daire to confront a foe as formidable as his little sister, he would have paid a lot more attention to the lessons. "How far could Caitlin be?" He scoffed. "The garden is just around the corner."
"She is not in the garden. I told you, she is gathering plants for it."
Hell with patience, Niall thought. It was only prolonging this torture. "So you said!" He glared into his sister's face. "Now, where is she?"
"Wherever the plants are," Fiona insisted, looking at him as if he had lost his wits. "Somewhere out there." Fiona waved toward the distant hills.
Niall felt as if she had kicked him. "You lie!" He grabbed her by the arm, furious. "This is no game, Fiona, no accursed prank! I ordered her to stay here!"
"You must practice giving commands if you ever hope to lead another army, brother. It seems neither I nor Caitlin care a whit what you say."
Fury welled up in Niall, disbelief mingling with sick dread. "You put her up to this, Fiona! Did you not?"
"You need not get in a rage. I dressed her as a boy and tucked her hair down inside her shirt. Her flock of nuns would scarce recognize her."
"That may not matter a damn, you little fool! Even if, by some miracle, no one sees her, Caitlin knows nothing about Daire land! She could get lost— anything could happen to her!"
Fiona's bravado faded just a little. "She will mark her path."
"Will she? She has lived her whole life in an abbey, scarce left the grounds. Just how will she know what to do?"
Fiona swallowed hard. "She is not a fool, no matter what you might think!"
