Highland Vengeance

Chapter 43

As dusk neared, Banquo and his men prepared to depart. Lulach, Fleance, and I gathered around to say goodbye.

“I will return as soon as I can. My son is here. Let tongues wag about you and me as they will, but I will return see to my boy,” Banquo told me.

“Balor?”

“He will ride for Cawdor. He and his band are not far.”

“You trust him. Completely?”

“With my life. With Fleance’s. And with Lulach’s.”

I sighed heavily.

Banquo squeezed my hand then mounted his steed. Waving to the boys, he and his men then turned and rode to Inverness.

Wordlessly, Fleance came to me. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close. “He’ll be back soon,” I whispered in his ear.

Fleance nodded and pulled himself up straight, trying to look far more grown than he was. Despite his manly posture, he quickly dashed a tear from his cheek.

“Fleance, you haven’t told me what you decided to name Thora’s son,” I said, petting the puppy Fleance held tightly.

“I don’t know what to name him.”

“I never liked to name anything either. It seemed to me their names should come by them naturally.”

“Like the name Angus,” Lulach said. “I just knew his name was Angus.”

I chuckled. “Angus. It is a good name.” I lifted the puppy from Fleance’s hands and stared into his little face. He looked every bit like Thora had when I found her that windy morning on the hilltop. My fey black dog, her feet nearly as big as her head. This puppy, however, had a mischievous face. “Well, little wild thing, what is your name?” I asked.

“I…I did have an idea,” Fleance said.

“Really?”

“Thor, like the thunder god, and also after his mother. I think it would be good to name him after his mother.”

I swallowed hard, hearing the hurt in his voice. Of course he ached. His real mother was gone, and his father had just ridden away again. “I think Thora would like that. And look at him. What a brute he will be! Thor is a perfect name. Perhaps the thunder god will bless him.”

“I like it,” Lulach said.

“Thor it is,” Fleance said, taking the puppy from my hands once more.

“Better get them something to eat,” I said, motioning for the boys to go inside.

Nodding, they set the pups down then turned and ran back into the castle, their tired puppies loping along behind them.

“My lady,” Morag called, coming up to me with a small bundle wrapped in cloth. “Here you are. I did my best, but there was not much to be had save dried fruits.”

“Thank you, Morag,” I said, taking the warm bundle from her hand. I kissed her on the cheek.

She patted my arm then headed back inside.

I returned once more to the stables. Thora lay sleeping in her stall with her little brood all around her. She was down to four puppies now. I passed her stall and went to the back. There, Gillacoemgain’s mews still sat unused. I had asked Standish to leave them as they were. One day, I hoped, Lulach would learn to love birds as Gillacoemgain once had.

Opening the pen, I lay down some clean straw on a ledge. I opened the wrapped bundle in my hand. Morag had made the tart just as I had asked her to with as many berries and nuts as we had in supply. I could smell the honey and berries. I wrapped the confection back up and set the tart inside the pen. I then stepped outside and looked out toward the pasture.

“Sweets for the sweet,” I called lightly. “Eitri, will you share my words, my gift, with Eochaid?” I called to call the little fey man who had surrounded Eochaid as Nadia did with Sid. “Eitri, please give Eochaid my thanks. And may I ask a favor of my good neighbors? Will you ask Eochaid to do something for me, to take one of Thora’s pups to my daughter?”

In the distance, crickets started to chirp.

I smiled.

“Blessed be,” I called.

I turned and headed back inside. On my way back to the castle, I stopped at the gate where Standish was organizing the night guard.

“My lady,” he said.

“Tomorrow, we will close Cawdor. Call in the first of my bannermen, the most loyal, to guard the castle. No riders or messengers in or out without my say so. Save Lord Tavis, expel anyone from the castle who does not have a place here and prepare the north and south wings to garrison soldiers. How have we done with the stores?”

“We are stocked, my lady. We did it little by little, as you planned, but we are nearly at capacity.”

I nodded. “A war in the spring will cost us in the winter. Begin the rationing now.”

“Yes, my lady.”

I stared out the gate at the open road. “Close the gate tonight.”

“Yes, my lady. Lady Gruoch, what have you—”

“Thorfinn is at Inverness. The king prepares his ride north.”

“I understand,” he said then turned and headed to the gate. A few moments later, I heard the sound of steel and wood as the gate closed and Cawdor made ready.