Page 27 of Highland Slayer
Like everyone else, Kaladin had heard stories about the Serpent People and the way they fought. That was common knowledge for most people on the west coast of Scotland. He’d heard that there had been a time, long ago, when the Serpent People raided the southern coast, Galloway and the surrounding area, but they evidently hadn’t done that for a while. Still, the fact that they were facing the very real possibility that the Serpent People had indeed come after their captive had him edgy.
“If that is true, then where are they?” he said, looking toward the east. “They found the boat and they’ve gone off… but where?”
Titan shrugged. “They’ll walk to the first settlement they come to,” he said. “Caerlaverock Castle is not far from here. It’s possible they’ve gone there first.”
“Where is it?”
Titan pointed northeast. “That way,” he said. “It’s a Clan Maxwell property, fortified. I suspect that if the Serpent People go there, they will not gain entrance, but it has only been a couple of hours at most. They are probably still there.”
“How far is St. Margaret’s from Caerlaverock?”
Titan shrugged. “Not far,” he said. “That might be their next stop.”
Which meant they had to return to the abbey immediately. But they needed to try to identify the other boats first, to confirm their suspicions, so they made haste down to the boats, neatly beached in a row. They inspected them, all the while draggingthe branches behind them to try to blot out their footsteps without disturbing the prints that were already there. The boats smelled of piss and were cluttered with rubbish and dried fish, indicative of a sea journey. As Titan rounded the third boat they’d come to, he suddenly came to a halt.
“There,” he said, pointing to something on the side of the bow. “See it?”
Kaladin peered closely. Something was scratched into the side of the boat, faded. He could barely make it out.
“It looks like a shape,” he said. “What is it?”
Titan sighed heavily. “I’ve seen it before,” he said. “Do not forget that Mateo’s great-grandfather was a Nordic prince. All of the de Wolfe sons were schooled in their culture and teachings because it is part of our heritage and our alliance.”
“Whatis it, then?”
“An othala.”
“What is that?”
“It represents the letter ‘O’ in the language of the Northmen.”
Kaladin stared at it for a moment. “Ormsfolk.”
“Indeed.”
No more words were spoken between them at that point. There was no need. After covering their tracks back to their horses, they took off as fast as the steeds would take them.
It would seem that a serpent was on their doorstep.
CHAPTER NINE
There it was.
The Butcher’s.
Estevan could see the gambling den in full sight, tucked in between a tavern called The Sheep Pile and a cottage that was used by the tavern for paying guests. Truthfully, The Butcher’s was artfully camouflaged to make it look like it was part of The Sheep Pile.
But it wasn’t.
Sadly, for him, the gambling den seemed to be quite busy. He could see men standing outside of it, talking and drinking, and there were more people going in and out of the tavern. It was midmorning, nearing noon, so he could only assume the gamblers had just awoken and were now ready to wager away their money, whereas those visiting the tavern were ready to start in on their daily drink. Whatever the case, the establishments appeared to be busy.
Much to his disappointment.
“What is that place?”
The question came from Anaxandra on his right. Silent Anaxandra. A woman who couldn’t even speak to him on their journey north, but now, she’d evidently found her tongue. He looked to see what she was pointing at.
“That place right there?” he said.
