to bring me to him or if he searches on his own.”
“He searches with his devil brother,” the man said.
Kyle and Keith. I shouldn’t have expected anything less. Maybe they’ll find me before Dónal does.
“The Leg of Mutton sounds like it should be a tavern by a farm,” Moira mused. “I suppose it’s on the other side of the town since I don’t see any farms near us.”
“Daft woman,” the man grumbled. “No. It’s near the quay. Do you think pirates seek their ale and women on a farm?”
“Oh! You must be right. I didn’t think of that,” Moira demurred to the man, just as she had to Dónal countless times while cursing the loathsome man. “I’ve never been to a town with a port. I wonder if it’s very large.”
Casting her an annoyed look, the man nodded his head. “It’s large, and it's busy. Stay close to me.”
Moira opened her eyes wide and nodded. Looking back in front of her, she scanned the buildings they approached before she glanced at her companion. She kneed her horse and took off, knowing the man couldn’t hope to keep up with his wagon. She heard his curses as she raced toward the town. While he might take her to Kyle, she couldn’t trust that he wouldn’t take her to Dónal. She slowed her horse as she came to the edge of town, not wanting to draw too much attention to herself. She sniffed the heavy, salty scent in the air and pointed her steed in the direction from which it blew.
Looking over her shoulder periodically to ensure her nameless companion hadn’t caught sight of her, Moira wound her way through the streets until she heard the noise coming from the dockside. The calls of fishmongers and the sea shanties from the various crews drew Moira closer. Vigilant about her surroundings and her location, Moira swept her eyes over the crowds. She grew uncomfortable as more gazes shifted to her. She feared people would already think they knew who she was—the dark-haired, petite, unaccompanied woman who fled hearth and home to make her life as a pirate’s mistress. Atop a large gelding with no cloak, she was a beacon for attention.
Moira decided she needed to find a place to stable her horse and continue on foot. She wanted to get lost in the crowds and be less conspicuous. She found a tavern with a stable attached to it. Peering around for a stable hand, she breathed easier when no one greeted her. She had no coin to rent a stall, but she couldn’t just let the horse go, so she entered the structure slowly. Looking around but finding no one, Moira led her steed to the furthest stall from the door. It was clean and empty. She worked quickly to shovel hay into the stall before slipping from the building. Remaining in the shadows, Moira tucked her hair beneath her collar, hoping to make herself look more like an adolescent lad than a woman. Her borrowed leine fit better than the one she wore when Keith attacked her clan’s ship, but it was still loose enough to hide her breasts.
Moira remained hidden as she watched people come and go. She listened for any snippets of conversation she could catch, but she heard nothing of use. Frustrated but resigned to setting out on her own, Moira stepped into the streets and once more pointed in the harbor’s direction. Unsettled and self-conscious, Moira fought to keep her composure as people jostled her, the road becoming more congested as she grew closer to the docks. A five-minute walk brought her close enough to hear the seagulls calling to one another, and she could see the tops of masts only yards ahead of her. Increasing her pace, Moira eased through the crowd, trying not to bump into people and muttering a quick apology when she did. With the ships now in unimpeded view, Moira once more struggled to remain patient, wanting to sprint down to the docks and demand someone tell her where Kyle was. But she stopped short as familiar voices, then two unwelcome faces stood before her.
Moira looked at her brother Dónal and his second, Orran. Both men stared at her as though she were an apparition, and she gaped at them in horror. As the two men made to come after her, Moira bolted. Just as she’d run from Dermot, she ran from the two men pursuing her. She heard Dónal calling out orders