again, it would only add to the noise, and as high-spirited as the MacKays were, they were liable to start clobbering one another with it.
Not necessarily a bad thing. They’d be quiet if they got clobbered.
Glancing up the stairs, he wondered if he should go back or make a run for the door.
“Bannon!”
Too late! We’ve been caught.
Louie, Fiona, and Ian came rushing toward him. It had been Louie who’d spoken, but the other two appeared as though they were looking for him as well. When they got to him, they did a fair imitation of the rest of the clan by talking at the same time.
Bannon held up a hand. “Stop.” He glanced back at the clan in the hall, then motioned for Louie, Fiona, and Ian to follow him outside. Zooks, he couldn’t even hear Timothy in there.
Stepping out into the warm spring day, Bannon took a deep breath. Funny how at home he’d just as soon be inside, but here on Skye, he much preferred the outside, even with the constant cloud cover. Or maybe because of that. Today smelled fresh, with morning dew still on the grass in the courtyard. The sounds of the clan in the morning rang in the air—the bang of the blacksmith’s hammer, the neighing of horses, and the clatter of wagon wheels—but it was blessedly quiet of raised voices.
Unfortunately that didn’t last long. Once they were free of the door, the trio started talking at once again. Bannon caught the words council, Ciaran, Ram, dungeon, and chieftain before holding up a hand again.
Dust, but where was Ciaran? “One at a time.” He pointed at Fiona because she was the loudest and the most excitable. She kept bouncing up and down on her toes like a small child with a secret. As usual she wore a kilt, but today her hair was down instead of in braids.
After taking a deep breath, she started rapid-firing words at him. “Ciaran threw Stuart in the dungeon, and in response the council has voted him out as chieftain and put Ram in his place until Ian is old enough.”
Ian took up where she left off at a much slower pace. “Ram told them tae go tae the devil, though, and said that Ciaran is his chieftain.” The grin he gave said he approved of his cousin’s actions.
With a knot settling in his chest right about where his heart was, Bannon blinked several times. Had he actually heard them right? He glanced at Louie for confirmation.
Louie was suspiciously quiet, but she did nod in agreement.
“Where is Ciaran?”
None of them said a word. Instead all three seemed to take a sudden interest in the ground.
That knot in Bannon’s chest bloomed into a boulder. Something told him he wasn’t going to like this. With a sigh, he asked, “Where, then, is Ram?”
“With Ciaran, Angus, Patrick, and Marcus,” Ian said. He scuffed his foot against a clump of grass and finally looked up at Bannon. “We’re worried about him tae, and were hoping that ye’d talk some sense intae him.”
“I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding. I’m not sure I’d have thrown Stuart in the dungeon…. Wait. Does Lochwood even have a dungeon?” Bannon had never seen it.
Ian shrugged. “It’s nae really a dungeon. That is just what we call it. We mostly use it fer storage now.”
“Where is this dungeon?”
We have got to go take a look. Timothy practically rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
Bannon ignored him. “Never mind. The point is, I doubt the council will enforce their ruling. How can they? Ciaran’s warriors will support his claim as chieftain.” He hoped. Last he’d heard, they’d wanted their missing men back. There was no telling what they’d do when they found out those men were dead. Would they blame Ciaran? Honestly, Bannon suspected the dead men were at the root of all this, not Ciaran throwing Stuart in the dungeon.
So much for his postorgasmic glow. He should have realized something was going on when he woke up and Ciaran was already out of bed. “Where are Ciaran, Angus, Ram, Marcus, and Patrick?” Obviously if he was going to figure out what was going on, he would have to go to the source.
Fiona and Ian looked at Louie.
The hairs on the backs of Bannon’s arms rose up, but he made himself lift a brow and ask, “What?”
They all pointed out the gate of the castle.
“At Agatha’s cottage,” Louie answered.
“That doesn’t sound so bad, so why the hesitancy?”