to Ciaran. “We arenae without compassion. Ye outsiders may stay a sennight as long as they are always with a guard. After a sennight if their people have nae rescued them, ye will have tae find them somewhere else tae stay. And ye must stop this foolishness with the MacLeans. The attacks have stopped and ’tis time we move on.”
With his heart in his throat, Ciaran stared at the old man through a blind haze of anger. He would never be done with seeking revenge for his father, and he’d never stop protecting his clan. With a crisp nod, Ciaran left the room, slamming the door behind him.
§ § § §
“Turn on the lights, plea….” Bannon groaned at himself as he started down the narrow, dark stairwell. He’d forgotten all about the lack of… well, everything. The conditions here were, plainly put, primitive. He risked a peek over his shoulder at the man who’d been stationed outside his room. His guard, he supposed. The idea of being watched irked Bannon, but he understood it. He’d have done the same thing in Ciaran’s place. Still… couldn’t he at least have a friendly guard?
The glowering man had stopped a few steps above Bannon. His hair was dark and fell down his back past his shoulders. He wore a kilt of brown-and-green plaid. Well over six foot, he looked like all the other men on Skye who Bannon had seen so far. Huge. Must be something in the water.
Maybe you should drink some.
I already have. It’s not working. Then again, he’d only been here for a night. Abandoning his conversation with Timothy, Bannon smiled. “Do you have a name?”
The big man’s brow furrowed even more, making his dark eyebrows merge into one. “Aye?”
“You don’t sound sure.”
He shrugged. “Hamish.”
“Well, hello, Hamish. I’m—”
“Red.” He nodded. “Ciaran told me.”
Bannon sighed, not knowing whether to be annoyed or amused. “Actually, it’s Bannon.” Bannon turned and resumed going down the stairs.
“Ye go by ye family name?”
What? “You think my name is Red Bannon?” With a chuckle, he shook his head.
“It’s nae?”
“No. It’s Bannon Tho—it’s just Bannon.” He’d nearly forgotten about not giving his name. After talking to Agatha last night, he felt a little more secure that the MacKays were friends not foes, but he couldn’t be too cautious. From what he’d learned, it seemed the MacKays were being attacked. From the description of the attackers Agatha gave, Bannon was pretty sure the IN was behind it. So it seemed they had a common enemy. Damn, he wished he’d paid attention to dinner conversation more, but that would have meant paying attention to politics and….
That is just soo boooring….
Yeah, well, now we are at a loss. And stuck on a planet where he didn’t know who to trust. And what was worse, he didn’t know if, with the lack of technology, he could get word to his family. He’d actually had to use a garderobe, and he did not even want to know where that hole led. He’d seen daylight through it and felt a breeze on his arse.
With a shudder, he continued down the steps and yawned. The small passageway opened up into a huge room with trestle tables, a high ceiling, and four fireplaces that held blazing fires. There was even a raised dais with a table and a fireplace behind it with a huge sword with dark spots on the blade hung over it. Next to it was a door. He stopped and stared in awe at what could only be the great hall. There were trenchers—actual trenchers, like in medieval times—on the tables, and it looked as though everyone had just finished breakfast and left. The maids were obviously running behind. Wait, did they even have maids?
He’d seen the hall last night briefly, but it had been dark, and one of his eyes had been swollen shut. It was still swollen, but apparently the potato Agatha had put on it had helped because it wasn’t nearly as bad.
I have got to find something to sketch with.
Shaking off Timothy, he continued into the room and looked around. He had to get his arse off this planet is what he had to do, but first he needed to find Louie. Then he needed a plan….
Past the tables was a grand staircase made entirely of stone. It was directly opposite the stairs he’d just descended. A boy crouched beside the stone baluster. Finally, someone my size. The boy seemed to be waiting for someone to descend the