go with iron, which they probably will, she’ll steer well clear. But on the off-chance they do track her down and hurt her… well, I’ve seen her attack men before. They don’t tend to fare well.”
“And the last thing we need is a bunch of men killed by the Monster,” Niall said irritably. “Even if it is in self-defense… that’s not how the villagers are going to see it.”
“So — best case scenario, they don’t find her. Worst case scenario, they find her and hurt her. Or, they find her, and she hurts them.”
“And if they’re hunting her at night, as they probably would — even if they don’t find her, it’s possible that whatever is actually responsible for the disappearances might find them…”
An ominous silence fell. Niall was the one who broke it, a resolute look in his eyes. “So it’s clear that this is a damn fool idea on Perry MacCullen’s part. I’ll do my best to talk him out of it tomorrow. Even if it means laying him up for a few days,” he added under his breath.
Donal suppressed a laugh.
“No violence, alright? It wouldn’t look good for the Harbormaster from the Keep to be beating up civilians, alright?”
“I can’t make any promises,” Niall said darkly. But he dropped his shoulders when Donal fixed him with the kind of steely glare Helen’s father had always used to threaten her brothers into behaving themselves. “Alright, alright. I won’t harm the damn fool, alright? For all that he’s threatening all our lives,” he added irritably.
There was a tense atmosphere as they headed back down the steps, Eamon half asleep on Helen’s shoulder and Niall clearly lost in thought about his old friend and what he’d threatened to do to the Loch Ness Monster. As they headed across the docks back to Niall’s quarters, Helen hesitated, gazing out across the quiet waters of the Loch. Was she out there, the Monster? Did she know there were men who wanted to harm her? She wished she could warn her somehow — let her know to hide away from human beings, at least for a little while.
All they could do was hope that Perry MacCullen would see sense.
Chapter 21
The next day was blustery and overcast — but that didn’t sway Niall at all. Anna had agreed to look after Eamon for the day — he was fond of her little daughter Gwyneth, and the two children could play together. Eamon was excited about the playdate — and more excited about spending the whole day careening about in the castle. For all that he loved swimming and roaming about on the shore of the Loch, he seemed to love the idea of getting into mischief in the castle just as much. They dropped him off with Anna after breakfast.
“Now you behave yourself, alright?” Niall said firmly, bobbing down to Eamon’s level. The little boy nodded solemnly. “You’ve got to set a good example for Gwyneth, because she’s younger than you.”
“I’ll teach her everything I know,” Eamon said solemnly. “I’ll teach her swimming and climbing and fighting and —”
Anna laughed. “Sounds like you two have a busy day planned. Best of luck in the village today,” she added, looking at them both. “Keep an eye on him, Helen.”
“Will do.” Helen grinned, ignoring the wounded look Niall shot her. “I’m a little worried about the horse part, if I’m honest.”
“Oh, it’s easy. Just sit still and don’t fall off.” Anna grinned. “Safe travels.”
Then they were down in the courtyard, and Niall was leading two horses from the stables — one white, one brown, both giving Helen the kinds of beady-eyed looks that suggested they knew how unfamiliar she was with horses. Still, it sounded straightforward enough, and they wouldn’t be travelling any faster than a walk — and once Niall had helped her awkwardly climb onto the brown horse’s back and showed her how to hold the reins, she was feeling cautiously optimistic about the journey. They walked slowly toward the gates as she got her balance on the horse, and one of the guards lifted the gate for them, seeing them off with a cheery wave.
“Can I tell you a secret?” Niall asked as they headed across the land bridge. Neither of the horses was perturbed at all by the height, but Helen resisted the urge to look down, not wanting to see the waves lapping around the rocks down below.
“What secret?”
“I don’t like horses much either,” he confessed, grinning at her. “I’m much