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They were all quiet a second, then Fáe said, “Máel is a lot sullied,” and all three of them grinned. Fáelán ducked his head, his thumb caressing the hilt of one of his knives. “Máel could not come.”
“A busy man,” Tadhg said lightly, ignoring the unreasonable stab of pain he felt.
Fáelán shook his head. “I mean, he could not. He is not capable. He does not have it in him.”
Tadhg looked down and nodded. The stab through his heart had been part guilt, part almost wrenching desire to see Máel again, tell him how much he meant to him, and how grateful he was. It would have to wait, then. But Tadhg knew, in his heart, he would see Máel again.
“Tell him I owe him for saving Maggie’s life.”
“I’m sure he’ll collect one day,” said Fáelán ruefully.
They all smiled at each other then, and Tadhg said, “Maggie told me he vowed he would never be part of any godforsaken rescue attempt.”
A smile touched Fáe’s mouth. “He says he was not part of one.”
“Ah. Well, Sherwood would feel differently, could he feel anything at all.”
“Och, I don’t know,” Fáe mused, sticking his hands in his belt and spreading his boots wider. “I think a man feels something when he’s roasting in hell.”
Their low laughter echoed off the walls. It was almost like it had been, all those years ago.
From the wall, dark gold hair shining in the torchlight, Rowan clarified. “Máel says he was not involved in any godforsaken rescue attempt. He was involved in a godforsaken rescue. No attempt; ’twas a deed done.”
Tadhg laughed softly. “Which changes everything.”
“It does,” said Fáelán. “For me.”
Their eyes locked. Tadhg’s jaw worked and he tipped his head to the side, looking away, a bit aghast at the emotions rising up in him.
“I owe you all my life,” he rasped, still looking at the ground. “And Maggie’s. Jesus, Fáe you’ll never know—”
His brother reached for his hand, pulled him into an embrace. “I know,” he said, his low murmur a rasp of pain.
They held a moment, then backed up. Fáelán stared at the cave wall a moment, then nodded and looked at Rowan, who nodded back and pushed off the wall.
Fáe glanced at Tadhg. “Got your trinket?”
Tadhg laughed. “The dagger? Aye.” He hesitated. “Why did you do it? Maggie said she offered the dagger in payment, if you aided her to rescue me.”
“We did not do it for the dagger,” Fáe said, at the same moment Rowan snorted. “That dagger wouldn’t have paid for our troubles if anything had gone wrong,” he scoffed.
“Then why did you do it? Why rescue me? Why return the dagger to me? That’s a lot of things for me, not so many for you.”
Rowan’s gaze slid to Fáelán, who pursed his lips and tipped his head to the side. Then Fáe said simply, “Your woman offered us something else.”
Tadhg’s forehead dropped forward a little, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Is that so? What?”
Fáe smiled and lifted a hand in farewell. “Be safe, little brother.” Rowan lifted a hand too, and they turned to the cave entrance.
Tadhg took a step with them. “Come with us.” He looked between them. “Come home with me.”
Fáelán shook his head. “Cannot go home, brother. I’ve got a price on my head.”
“That is not why you’re not going.”
Fáe didn’t answer, just looked at the walls one last time. “You going to draw your new tale, Tadhg? ‘Tis the way of the cove, aye? You come, you leave your mark.”
“Aye, I shall tell a new tale. You?”
