Page 21 of Rebellion's Fire

The lady stared at him, her lips open to ask no doubt sharp questions. Then she closed her eyes. “How did you alienate my brother?”

Adam reached for the last leg of grouse. “Donald asked me the same question,” he observed. Gormflaith couldn’t tell whether or not the accusations hurt him, just that they weren’t true. At least in Adam’s eyes. “The Manxmen invited Somerled into Man. You know he wants to be King of Man, King of all the Isles, not just Argyll and the Hebrides. That comes first for him, and he needs it for his own security and ours. Once that’s done, he’ll be in a better position to help us. But right now, we’re on our own. Once the King of Scots works this out—as he probably has already—he’ll send his army to defeat us. Unless he thinks Lanson has a chance of doing it for him. While Lanson’s in Tirebeck, there’s still that chance.”

“So, you bought us time,” their mother said slowly. “That was well done.”

Adam’s eyes fell. One of his many oddities was that he seemed less comfortable with praise than accusation. Which didn’t mean he wasn’t pleased.

“So, what can we do with this time?” Gormflaith demanded.

“Make other alliances,” Donald said. “Fergus of Galloway, perhaps. And I think it might be time to speak to our cousins in Moray again. Perhaps Gormflaith could marry Donald mac William.”

“You marry him,” Gormflaith said rudely. “I’ll stick with Harald Madaddson.”

Donald said, “We talked before aboutmymarriage to a cousin of Moray. It would unite our forcesandour separate claims to the throne of Scotland.”

“No point,” Adam said casually. “No one of the Moray line will ever be King of Scots again.”

Into the silence, Donald said intensely, “Andourline…?”

“Sometimes,” Gormflaith interrupted furiously, “I wonder what in God’s name we are fighting and dying for!”

“Ross and Scotland,” Adam said, as though surprised. “And my father’s freedom.” His eyes locked with their mother’s. “Isn’t that enough?”

For a moment, the lady’s ice-blue eyes looked almost frightened. It was hard to doubt Adam’s visions now. On the strength of them, they’d taken up arms against the King of Scots, secure in Adam’s knowledge that it wouldn’t adversely affect the position of Malcolm mac Aed, the prisoner of Roxburgh. And it was true the king had neither killed nor mutilated Malcolm. Everything depended, of course, on whether Adam’s pronouncements came from God or were Adam’s mere opinion. And it seemed their mother didn’t want to test that.

She said, “That was never up to me. Our first aim has always been to free your father. Without that, the rest is meaningless.”

“So, we’ll sound out the Lord of Galloway and our cousins in Moray,” Donald said, “and keep watch on events in Tirebeck.”

“Is this Lanson the sort of man who might just settle down there? Maybe even join us in time?” Gormflaith asked.

Adam and Donald shook their heads in perfect time. Donald said, “We’re quarreling over who gets to kill him.”

“And Cairistiona,” their mother said, frowning. “She must be taken care of. Her father was a good man. What sort of a woman is she?”

Again, Donald looked to Adam, who had, after all, stolen the woman and forced his company on her, if nothing worse. Adam shifted in his seat, apparently considering.

“Strong,” he said at last. “Brave. Unhappy. And she takes responsibility for her people.”

Something in his neutral tone made Gormflaith ask, “Is she pretty?”

Adam, who never lied, said, “Beautiful.”

At the same time, speaking through him, Donald said, “Hard to tell. She wears a mask over one side of her face.”

“Not, then,” Gormflaith answered herself, slightly disappointed.

“The child was burned in a fire,” their mother said repressively.

“Well, that explains the mask,” Donald said. “Pretty or not, I approve. I approve of anyone who tries to stop so-called knights cutting my hands off.”

“Thank you for the praise,” Adam said sardonically, and Donald raised his cup to him, only to discover it was empty. One raised finger from the lady was enough to bring the serving girl scurrying to pour more ale.

Donald caught her eye and smiled brightly, almost as if he’d forgotten her existence and was pleasantly surprised.

“Adam,” he exclaimed. “You have to meet the newest member of the family.”

“Shall I bring him?” the girl, Eithine, asked eagerly.

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