the fact that Ciaran actually trusted him to do so…. At home, his family would never willingly put him in danger. He was protected, like a delicate flower, but here…. He rather liked having someone depend on him and knowing he was important.
Smiling, Ciaran walked to him and put two fingers under Bannon’s chin, raising it. He leaned down and brushed a sweet kiss against his lips, his hand lingering on Bannon’s chin. “And thank ye fer that.” He tilted his head toward the bath.
Bannon swallowed the lump in his throat. Embarrassment tried to take over, but he forced it out. He was not ashamed of what had happened. In fact, he wanted to repeat the experience. “You are welcome. Thank you. Think we can do it again?”
“Ye bet.” With another kiss, Ciaran dropped his hand. “Go get ready tae leave. Meet us at the stables.”
Bannon nodded, feeling humbled and pleased that Ciaran trusted him so much. He turned and headed toward the door, but just as he opened it, Ciaran spoke again.
“Watch out fer the bogle in the great hall, lad.”
§ § § §
The building was only one story, but it looked rather menacing. Concentrating on the wall next to the wood door, Marcus adjusted his spyglass. It was hard to tell in the moonlight and the fire torches surrounding the building, but the exterior looked to be native limestone. The roof was not thatched, like most one-story buildings, but tiled shingles. All the materials made it seem as though it belonged, but the design just did not look right. There were no windows or chimneys. Both were necessities here on Skye with the absence of technology. How would they get light? Warmth in the winter?
“Where are the generators, do you think?” Marcus held out his spyglass to Bannon, who lay on his stomach on the ground next to him. After a few seconds, when Bannon didn’t take it, Marcus glanced over at him.
Bannon squinted up at the cliff, the spot of Patrick’s and Ciaran’s original observation, and the place from where their men had presumably disappeared. Patrick had thought it best if they used a new location and stayed farther back, so Marcus and Bannon were on the ground in a copse of trees on the west side of the building. So far it was a pretty solid plan, since they had not been attacked yet. However, Patrick and Ciaran had gone to have a look at the old site and see if there were any clues as to what happened to their men.
“Bannon?”
Startled, Bannon jerked his gaze to Marcus, then the spyglass extended toward him. “Sorry.” He took the spyglass, but instead of studying the building with it, he aimed it toward the cliff.
“It’s okay. Do you see them?”
“No.” Bannon’s lips pinched together, but he kept looking.
“They’re probably on their way back here.”
With a sigh, Bannon nodded, giving Marcus his attention. “I should have gone with Patrick instead of Ciaran. I’m much better with a fragger.”
“Yes, you are, but Patrick is even better. He can make do with Ciaran.”
“Right.” Bannon grinned and trained the glass on the building. “This is a base. It doesn’t look like any of the bases on Regelence, but it’s a base. Why else would they be building more buildings so close and the stone wall?”
There were several more foundations around the area, and the start of a stone wall. The wall looked very much like the wall of Lochwood Castle and Ellenwine Castle, which was the Campbells’ stronghold, for that matter. The wall would be about twelve feet high once completed.
“I agree. Which means there are bound to be generators. But where?”
“Underground?” Bannon frowned and pulled the spyglass down to look at Marcus.
Marcus nodded. “Possible. Do you think—”
Rustling came from behind them, and they both turned to their sides to have a look. Marcus touched the fragger beside him and noticed Bannon doing the same.
Breathing hard, Patrick and Ciaran rode into the trees and slid off their horses, leaving them well under the canopy of leaves, next to the other two horses. Both men were looking up as they made their way to Marcus’s and Bannon’s sides.
Releasing his death grip on his fragger, Marcus peered through the trees, and that was when he heard the low hum of engines.
A ship was approaching the base. It took several moments before he could make out the outline of the craft against the clouds above. Though the ship was bigger than most transport shuttles, it