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However, Greta seriously doubted whether these men would have any regard for the laws of the church, and she was right.
Then she saw them, around thirty of them who looked as rough, dirty, and dangerous as any she had seen in her nightmares. Most of them galloped straight through the main street and left the village, leaving only ten to wreak havoc, but if Greta thought they were in any less danger because of that, she was mistaken.
As she watched, she saw two men dismounting from their horses and making their way inside the church. They were both tall, with chestnut hair and dark eyes, but one was much bulkier than the other. They both looked determined and purposeful, but she could see that it was an evil intent that drove them. She wondered if they were brothers before she ducked under a pew to avoid being seen as they entered the church.
Please don’t let them find the bairns,she thought desperately as she saw them advancing down the aisle of the church. Both of them had swords at their hips and daggers in their hands, and she prayed that no one would find themselves on the end of them before the two men left.
They walked up to the cross that was standing on the altar. It was two feet high and quite plain, without any ornament at all. It was made of some yellow metal that looked like gold, but Greta doubted its authenticity, even though the villagers liked to believe that it was valuable. A small village like Shieldaig could not afford such costly ornaments.
“What do ye think, Finn?” The slimmer of the two men picked up the cross and hefted it in his hands, testing its weight. “Fair heavy, so it is.” He handed the object to the other man, who raised his eyebrows in appreciation as he too assessed it.
“Solid,” he remarked, nodding slowly. He turned the cross around to look at it from every angle.
“Solid gold?” the other man asked, his voice almost comically hopeful.
“Liam, ye can be a complete eejit sometimes, ye know that?” Finn said, laughing. “Do ye think any church in a wee place like this would have a solid gold ornament in it? Think, man! It would likely be worth more than the village an’ everythin’ in it!” He looked closely at the cross. “I think it is brass, but solid brass. It is likely tae be worth a few bob to Morrie McCoy in Oban. Take it. If we don’t have any luck wi’ him, we can always sell it tae another church. It is good workmanship, an’ they will no’ ask too many questions, even if they are good God-fearin’ people.”
Liam nodded. They put down the cross on the floor then forced open the tabernacle and pulled out two silver chalices and a silver platter.
“What do ye think?” Finn asked Liam. “Worth takin’?”
Liam took one of the chalices from his brother and once more hefted it in his hand. “Definitely no’ solid silver,” he remarked. “But they might fetch a wee bit, enough to buy a lady’s favors for a few nights.” He winked at his brother.
“Pfft!” Finn flapped his hand at his brother. “Do ye never think of anythin’ else? Ye can keep yer ‘ladies of the night’! Have ye seen what happens tae men that go wi’ them whores? They are covered in sores, then they go mental! Wee brother, I am no’ as desperate as that yet!”
Liam threw his head back and laughed heartily, then they went into the back of the church to the vestry to see if he could find any more booty while Finn stayed at the front to watch the door. He sighed. He was tired already, and the day had hardly begun. They had spent the previous two days scouting around the small village, and Finn very much doubted that there was anything worth stealing in it.
Greta was trembling with fear as she curled herself up into the tiniest ball that she could, thanking the stars that she was small and slim. If she had been even a tiny bit larger, she would never have fitted between the narrow seats. Moreover, she definitely did not want to attract the attention of the large, powerful man standing next to the altar. He looked as though he could crush her with one of his enormous fists.
3
“Hey, Finn!” Liam called, laughing. He had just found the priest’s vestments, the ceremonial robes they wore on Sundays. They were probably the most valuable items in the place since they were made of silk. “Look, I found some bonny wee frocks here!”
“Bring them out,” Finn ordered, still keeping his eyes on the front of the church. Then he changed his mind. He had an eerie feeling that someone was in the pews, although he could see nothing, but he doubted that any of the villagers could do much harm on their own. He turned and went into the small room where all the vestments were stored.
Liam was holding one of the garments, a purple one embroidered in gold, which was indeed beautiful and looked very costly indeed. As Finn reached out to touch it, the fabric slid through his fingers, occasionally catching on the rough skin of his hands, and he was loath to handle the material too long in case he damaged it. He counted six colors: purple, green, red, gold, and white, and he decided then and there to help himself to them.
“I know a silk merchant in Oban that might give us a fair few bob for these,” he murmured, before carefully folding them and stuffing them into his satchel. Then he sighed. “I think this is our lot, Liam, an’ I don’t think this place was worth the effort.”
“Aye, I cannae argue wi’ ye there, Finn,” Liam said mournfully. “What about the merchant’s house we heard about?”
“I am startin’ tae think it is a fairy tale, Liam,” Finn answered grimly.
After making sure that there were no more valuables in the church, they left after taking a look to see if there was anything in the collection box. It was empty. The church had not yielded much, but it was better than nothing.
When Liam, Finn, and the rest of their men rode into a town, they had made as much noise as they could. Noise terrified people, especially sudden noise, since they always assumed the worst and scattered, leaving their valuables behind.
In the small village itself, there was nothing much to be had except livestock which they could not take with them, a few coins, and what was in the church. However, there was still the house that Laird Donaldson had told them about. Finn wondered if the legend about the treasure was true.
They knew that it might be necessary to use some force to break into the building, but that was perfectly acceptable since the rest of Finn’s gang were not averse to that. They avoided violence where they could, especially toward women and children, but sometimes it was necessary, and they were not shy to use it.
Liam and Finn had left the bulk of their men, all capable soldiers in their own right, to raid the house while they took care of the church.
“What do ye think o’ the haul, Finn?” Liam asked, with a grim smile.
“Not much,” Finn replied, shrugging. “I hope things get better as we go on.” He sighed. “I don't know what the laird was thinkin’ of makin’ us raid this place. We might as well have used the time tae go fishin’.”
* * *
