Beneath the Forsaken City - C. E. Laureano Page 0,99
devotion was sincere. But she couldn’t ask him to take such risks when she knew full well he was only acting under the influence of whatever ability she possessed.
“Oisean, your devotion is admirable. And appreciated. But I’m afraid you’re being swayed by something outside your own will.”
“This gift of yours? The one about which you spoke to Lord Uallas?”
Aine stared. “How did you know? Did he tell you?”
“No, my lady. Voices carry on the wind. I overheard.”
“Then why did you agree to this duty?”
He lowered his voice. “Your father was an honorable man. We served him with devotion. You, my lady, would be a chieftain worth serving. And I am not the only one who feels this way.”
Oisean gave her a precise bow and gestured for her to enter her chamber. She stepped inside and bolted the door behind her with shaky hands.
If Lady Macha hadn’t had a legitimate reason to want her dead before, she most certainly did now.
As Aine went about her daily duties, she was unable to shake the feeling of unease that had dogged her since Oisean’s words. She avoided meals in the hall, afraid to look her aunt in the eye, lest Macha see what Aine knew.
Aine had never intended to try to supplant her aunt, but it seemed that the idea had occurred to more than one member of Macha’s household.
The following night, Aine walked the perimeter of her room, worrying the button at her cuff. Lia watched her from where she mended a pair of leggings in the corner.
“My lady, you’ll wear yourself out. Please lie down and rest.”
“I can’t.” Aine couldn’t explain the restlessness that had grown steadily more intense all day. She should return to her work room, but she wouldn’t be able to concentrate any more there than in her own chamber.
When the heavy knock at the door came, she realized she had been waiting for it.
“Lady Aine, open the door. It’s urgent.”
Lord Uallas. Aine nodded, and the maid rose to unbolt the door.
Uallas rushed in, followed closely by Oisean, and bolted the door behind him. “We haven’t much time, my lady. We must go.”
“Go where?”
“Lady Macha has summoned the brithem. Diocail is gathering information, but she is going to call for your arrest. We have only minutes before she sends her men for you.”
“I don’t understand. Arrest for what?”
The bleak look on Uallas’s face chilled her. “For witchcraft, my lady.”
Witchcraft. She didn’t even need to ask what the penalty was. She already knew.
Death.
Oisean hurried to her side and escorted her to the chair before she could collapse, muttering under his breath. Uallas knelt before her and took both her hands.
“I can protect you, my lady, if you’ll allow me. Once we escape Forrais, my men will throw them off our trail. We’ll be safe on Eilean Buidhe. No one can touch us there. Even Macha will find herself powerless.”
“Explain yourself, Uallas,” Oisean demanded.
“We don’t have time—”
“Lady Aine is not going anywhere with you until you do.”
Uallas shot Oisean a hard look. When his eyes returned to Aine’s face, they glittered with something cold and calculating she’d never seen before. It put a hitch in her breath. How could he have seemed so kind and sad to her before and now look so dangerous?
“This is all you need know. I’m neither as naive nor as destitute as everyone believes. I pay tribute to Lady Macha, as I do to every other clan chief between here and the island. Primarily Lord Riagain.”
Aine stared. “Why?”
A smile appeared on Uallas’s lips, but it was not a pleasant expression. “If one of them decided to attack my island, what do you think the other chiefs who believe they have claim would do?”
A cold admiration hung in Oisean’s voice. “Very clever, my lord. They would be too busy fighting over their claim to get far in their attack. Especially when it concerns a Highlander with an island demesne.”
“Indeed. A man who is beholden to all is in reality beholden to none. As long as I fill their coffers, they care little about how many men or ships I have at my disposal or where my wealth comes from.”
Aine felt sick. On one hand, Uallas was certainly clever. On the other, this calculating side frightened her. No wonder he had presented marriage as a business proposal. In the absence of love, she was just a means to his own end.
“If anyone could keep you safe, it’s Uallas,” Oisean said.