The Last Quarrel (The Complete Edition) (24 page)

In the darkness he looked a formidable sight and Fallon liked the idea of fighting with him, rather than against him.

“I know you will,” he told them and hurried down to where most of his village was popping their heads up, looking like a bunch of squirrels watching for a shower of nuts.

“Keep your heads down!” he hissed. “And for Aroaril’s sake keep quiet!”

Chastened, the men stayed low as he strolled along the deck, trying to look natural and feeling terribly exposed.

“Sister, go to the stern cabin. When they board us, it is likely to be confused for a while. You will do better as a secret weapon. You too, Padraig,” he ordered. “Any more news from your birds?”

“Nothing,” Padraig said. “And they can’t find it again.”

Fallon turned back to the old wizard. “What do you mean they can’t find it again?”

Padraig picked his nose defensively, wiping the results on his baggy sleeve. “Magic is never easy to understand. The bird saw a ship and flew back to tell me. When I sent another back out there, it couldn’t find it.”

“So either it turned away or it never existed?” Fallon growled.

“Probably,” Padraig admitted.

Fallon turned away from Padraig and had to restrain his natural reaction to swear and shout.

“Keep looking,” he told Padraig. “Tell me if you do find anything.”

“What about the men?”

“We’ll leave them at the ready. Just in case. This could be part of the trap,” Fallon said, not really believing that but he needed to keep everyone sharp. He walked slowly back to the stern.

“Are they coming?” Devlin asked.

Fallon spat over the side rail. “Who knows?” he said bitterly. “Padraig can’t find them again.”

“That doesn’t mean they’re not out there. There’s plenty of sea and enough wind that a big ship could put up every sail she has and move bloody fast,” Gallagher said warningly.

The waiting stretched out, so that nerves and excitement and fear built up – and then began to fade. Men stopped crouching by the rails and sat down, legs splayed out on the deck, while others began to talk among themselves.

Fallon strode around the ship in mingled frustration and worry, afraid that somehow the ship had skipped around them and was about to strike from the landward side rather than the seaward, or from the stern. Men peered into the darkness, while Padraig sent bird after bird circling out, all to no avail.

“Stay alert. Something could happen at any time,” Fallon told the men, although he had to fight to stop himself from yawning after what seemed like a couple of turns of the hourglass had passed. He hid it as best he could, but started guiltily when Devlin tapped him on the shoulder.

“What is it? Have you seen something?” Fallon swallowed another yawn.

“Gallagher needs to talk. We need to turn around if we are to make it back to Baltimore by daybreak,” Devlin said grimly.

Fallon squinted up at the stars. “Then it looks like it has been a wasted trip,” he sighed, following Devlin back to the stern and collecting Padraig, Rosaleen and Gannon along the way.

“We’re going to do this again?” Gannon asked.

“As many times as we need to, until we catch these bastards,” Fallon said.

“Well, we have families as well. They’re going to wonder where we are after a few days,” Gannon pointed out.

“If we haven’t found anything over the next two nights we’ll think again. But for now, turn us around,” Fallon told Gallagher.

The fisherman responded instantly, swinging the tiller over so the ship heeled to the right and swept around in a wide turn.

“And everyone stay alert! They could be waiting for this!” Fallon ordered.

But the trip back was just as uneventful as the way out. Some of the villagers even fell asleep on the deck, curling up by the rail, their weapons by their sides.

Fallon thought about kicking them awake but they had all worked a long day in the field or on the boats already – and would be working again that day. Besides, he had developed a gut feeling that they would not be attacked that night.

“I saw a ship. I know I did,” Padraig insisted.

“I believe you,” Fallon said. “But for some reason they didn’t come for us. Maybe they smelled a trap. Maybe we looked too good to be true.”

“Maybe we should try in daylight, pretend to be running for Lunster under full sail,” Gallagher suggested.

“Tomorrow?” Devlin yawned.

“Well, it’s already today. It’ll be light in another turn of the hourglass and we’ll be home another turn after that.”

“Good, I could eat a bloody horse. All this doing nothing makes a man hungry,” Brendan rumbled.

“Everything makes you hungry,” Devlin pointed out.

“True,” Brendan said with a chuckle. “But this makes me extra hungry!”

“Well, I certainly won’t be getting between you and a plate when we get back,” Devlin said. “I know how much you have to eat to keep your figure.”

“Well, not everyone has the appetite of a small child – or the height of one either!”

Fallon left them to bicker gently and leaned on the rail, trying to get the sea breeze to wake him up. When he got home he would have to talk to Bridgit. Padraig was right in that respect, at least. They had spent too much time arguing of late. He hated it when things were like that.

He felt himself drifting off a little as they cut through the waves, seeing the sky lighten to the east and the first rays of sun kiss the water. He rubbed tired eyes and stretched. The ship was quiet, most of the men having dozed off, and he made himself look around, making sure nothing was about to loom out of the lightening grey and attack them.

He looked across the coast, hoping to get a glimpse of Baltimore. He rarely went out to sea and certainly never on a ship that size.

“How are you feeling? The rest of us have been taking it easy but you haven’t had any time off,” he said to Gallagher as he joined his friend by the tiller.

“I’ll sleep today. All day and some of tonight as well,” Gallagher said. “But while I have a ship in my hands I cannot relax.”

“Maybe you need to train some of us,” Fallon suggested. “What landmarks should we look for?”

Gallagher laughed gently. “If you think I am going to let Devlin or Brendan loose on the Duke’s ship then you obviously need some sleep, for you are dreaming!”

“Well, what about me?”

Gallagher sighed and pointed towards the coast, then he stiffened and his hand dropped.

“What is it?” Fallon blinked gritty eyes and tried to see the problem.

“There are no cooking fires burning in Baltimore,” Gallagher said.

“What? Don’t tell me you’re like Brendan, thinking of your stomach! It’s too early for that. All the men are here with us, so why do the wives need to be up and about at dawn’s first light, cooking breakfast?”

Gallagher rubbed his jaw. “Perhaps you are right. But I have always seen the smoke of cooking fires from here. Not seeing it now makes me feel uneasy.”

Fallon’s smile disappeared as he looked up and down the coast. “Now you have me worried as well,” he admitted. “Let’s get back as quick as we can.”

He strode across to the bell and began ringing it, the deep notes echoing across the deck.

Sleeping men jumped to their feet, fumbling for weapons, while dozing lookouts stared out to sea wildly.

Gannon raced up the steps onto the steering platform from the stern cabin below. “What is it?” he asked.

“We haven’t seen anything but something feels wrong,” Fallon said, then waved down at the mass of worried-looking faces down on the deck.

“All sailors aloft – I want every sail we have up and catching the wind!” he shouted.

They looked a little doubtful but they still rushed to obey him.

“How long until we are back in Baltimore?” Fallon asked.

“About half a turn of the hourglass,” Gallagher said. “The wind is light.”

“What is going on?” Padraig asked, speaking for everyone else.

“We can’t see any cooking fires in Baltimore. And I have a sudden fear that something is wrong. I am sure it is foolish but it won’t hurt to get back as soon as possible,” Fallon said.

“I can help a little with the wind,” Padraig offered.

Fallon was tempted but then shook his head. “No. We might need your powers later.”

The ship leaned over as the wind caught the sails and they could feel it pick up speed, ploughing through the small waves and heading towards the shore. It wasn’t enough and he had the men take out the oars and add their effort to move the ship that little bit faster.

“There’s no other ship around,” Devlin reported.

Fallon nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Now he had woken everyone and got them all worried, he felt foolish. No doubt they would arrive back in Baltimore and all would be well, and he would have to put up with men telling jokes at his expense for the next few moons.

But, compared to the monstrous fear now sitting deep in his gut, he would be delighted to suffer that.

Bridgit always found it hard to sleep when Fallon was out after poachers or thieves, but his hunt for these mysterious attackers took it to a new level. She could not shake the feeling that she should have done more to keep him here. Done whatever it took to stop him. She had let him walk away and he would not come back.

But while inside she was a raging turmoil of fear and worry, she pasted a bright smile on her face for Kerrin. He was positive Fallon would come back with the attackers in chains, to the cheers of the people. So she sat with him and made up foolish riddles, helped him refight a few battles with his figures and then put him to bed with Caley the dog and the “magical” knife Fallon had given him. She busied herself cleaning up the house, doing as much as she could to keep her hands occupied, even if her mind was not, and put off the time when she would have to go to bed and begin to really imagine what could be happening to Fallon, on a small ship on a sea surrounded by selkies, warriors and angry wizards.

A clatter behind her made her turn, heart leaping into her mouth, to see Kerrin and Caley at the dinner table, both looking incredibly guilty. The lid to a container of Fallon’s favorite oat biscuits lay broken on the floor.

“What are you doing?” she screamed at them.

Instantly the dog leaped off the table and cowered beneath it, while Kerrin dropped the oat biscuit he had taken out of the earthenware container and raised to his lips.

“S-sorry, Mam, we were hungry,” he said, his face going white. “We didn’t mean to break it!”

“How could you be hungry? You both ate well for dinner! And what are you doing sneaking out of bed like that, not to mention having that filthy animal on the table that we eat off! What were you thinking?” She knew she was raving at him, shouting like she had never done before, but it was impossible to stop.

“I didn’t mean it! I’m sorry!” Kerrin pleaded, tears in his eyes.

“Get to bed! Go!”

Boy and dog raced for the bed and disappeared beneath the covers. She stormed after them, hand raised, only to drop it down to her side.

She sat on the end of the bed and felt the tears come.

It seemed like an age but a wet nose nudged at her arm and then a small hand touched her shoulder gently.

“Mam, are you all right?”

She dried her face with the cleaning cloth and forced a smile. “I’m sorry. I was just being foolish. I hate it when your father is away.”

“But he’ll be fine. He always is. Nobody can stop him,” Kerrin said with utter conviction, reaching out to hug her.

She held him tight, then smiled when Caley forced her head into the embrace as well, rubbing her face against them.

“I know,” she said, forcing brightness into her voice. “Now you really need to get some rest. Your father will be home with the dawn and you want to see him then, don’t you?”

“Yes!”

She tucked him in and left Caley regarding her with large eyes and thumping her tail on the bed.

“Don’t say a word,” she whispered to the dog and went back to cleaning. At least she had something to clean up this time.

But no matter how she polished and scrubbed, she could not shake the feeling that something was very wrong.

Brothers Sean and Seamus hated the fyrd. Even more than they hated Fallon, and that was a lot, especially since he humiliated them in front of the whole village, then made them clean up the mess they had made in the meeting hall. To spend one day a moon to train for a battle that would never come seemed stupid in the extreme when they could be spending it drinking. Not that they would ever say that to Fallon, of course. But they were quick to say it to anyone else around. As for hunting for selkies, that was ridiculous, so they were happy to stay behind and watch the village instead.

“Nothing’s going to happen. We’ll each sleep for half the night and still look like heroes,” Seamus said.

Sean was only too eager to agree with his older brother, although he noticed that Seamus seemed to be doing more sleeping than watching. No matter. Nothing would happen.

He was staring into the fire, his eyes almost closed, when a strange noise made him sit right up.

“Hey, Seamus, did you hear that?” He shook his brother awake.

“Hear what? I’m trying to sleep here,” Seamus replied irritably.

Sean stood up, looking down towards the harbor, blinking eyes that had been staring into a bright fire and trying to see into the darkness. “Is that the ship? Are they back already?” he asked.

“Can’t be. It’s not much past midnight,” Seamus yawned.

“But there’s a ship sitting in the harbor,” Sean said.

The brothers looked at each other in horror and turned to run.

There was a snapping noise out in the darkness and something flew in and hit Seamus in the head. He flew backwards and collapsed onto the shingle. Sean looked around wildly, only for something to hit him under the ribs, knocking all the wind out of him. He dropped to the ground, fighting for breath, as footsteps crunched on the shingle all around him. Sean tried to scream a warning but nothing would come out, as he fought just to fill his lungs with air. He’d just had a glimpse of shadowy figures racing for the village when everything went black.

Bridgit gathered the pieces of the broken earthenware lid carefully and sighed. There was absolutely nothing else she could clean or tidy or polish. There was nothing for it but to go to bed and have nightmares about Fallon dying.

She turned from the table only to hear a chilling growl from Caley.

“Don’t you start at me!” she warned the dog, but Caley was crouched on the bed, her hackles up, lips drawn back from her teeth and deep, rumbling growls of hate coming out of her chest.

“Now that’s enough! I just stopped you from eating a bloody biscuit!” She stormed over, but Caley raced past her and to the door, where she kept growling, a deep, throaty noise that set Bridgit’s teeth on edge.

Oh, Aroaril. “What is it, girl?” she asked, looking around and grabbing one of her freshly cleaned and sharpened kitchen knives. She raised the latch and peered out the door, half-expecting Caley to race out into the night after the squirrel or whatever she had heard out there.

Instead the dog slunk between her legs, although she kept up her growling, her fur bristling up off her back.

Bridgit peered into the gloom, trying to see what was happening. For a long moment she thought the dog had gone crazy and was about to lock her out for the night – and certainly not let her back on Kerrin’s bed for a good long while – when she caught sight of movement down by the harbor. Shapes began to materialise out of the night. A huge ship was filling the small harbor, and dark figures flitted in and out of the homes at that end of the village.

It took a few heartbeats for her tired mind to understand what was happening. And then her heart really began to pound. Caley’s behavior became clear. These were the same attackers who had taken her first family.

In that instant all her imagined fears disappeared in the face of this very real one. If she’d had any time, she’d have marvelled at her steady hands. All those years she had wished for a calm, clear mind and it took this to bring it about.

“They won’t be getting us,” she said softly, then turned and raced back to Kerrin’s bedside.

“Quick! Wake up! Follow me.” She grabbed him by the arms and lifted him up.

He came awake quickly, blinking. “What is it, Mam? Is Dad back?” he asked.

“No questions. No sound at all. Come with me. Hold my hand,” she ordered, tugging him along.

She snuffed out the candles on the table so there would not be a flare of light when she opened the door, then hurried out, Caley by her side, the dog’s growling now a soft noise in the back of her throat.

Bridgit had a clear plan in mind. They had to get out of the village and into the woods beyond the fields. She instinctively knew the attackers had to be quick, for Fallon and the men would be back at dawn, so there would be no time for a long hunt through the woods.

Once she was sure they could get clear, she planned to raise the alarm, shout as loudly as she could – but only when she was sure she and her child were safe. She felt a pang for the friends and neighbors she was betraying by doing so but Kerrin was everything. She had to get him clear; that was the only thing that mattered.

On silent feet they raced past several houses towards the edge of the village, Caley a silent ghost at their heels. Bridgit was breathing hard, but she pushed on. Her spirits rose as she saw the fields and safety beyond – but then Caley gave a warning growl.

She slowed and ducked into the side of a house without thinking, scanning the area.

For a moment she thought it had just been a whim of the dog and was about to cuff her over the head for delaying their escape when she saw a line of figures rise out of the crops and begin walking forwards. There was no escape that way.

She felt herself quail at the thought of being taken, then dashed it away. “Your hiding place. The one you and dad made. Where is it?” she hissed.

“At the back of the house, beneath his sword chest,” Kerrin said. “Why? What’s happening, Mam?”

“Follow me and say nothing!” she whispered and then raced back to their house. She knew she was lucky Baltimore was a big village and luckier still their house was almost in the center. Those on the edge had already been taken and she could sense the noose tightening around them, the attackers working swiftly through the houses. For a moment she hesitated at the thought of what she must do and wondered if there was a chance of breaking through. But the silence of the village told her that was a foolish idea. If they could work through so many houses without anyone raising the alarm, they would be ready for runners. It was not even a hard choice. Kerrin had to be saved and she would do anything and everything to protect him.

The weapons crate sat at the back of their house, not looking big enough to hold even Kerrin. But Kerrin opened the lid and began to haul out what was inside, piling the swords and other gear on the ground.

“There’s a hole we dug underneath. We can both fit,” he said proudly.

Bridgit smiled, although the tears were close behind.

“I’ll never fit in there,” she said softly. “But you can, and you must stay there, not move, not say anything, until your father comes back for you.”

Kerrin’s eyes widened and she had to bite her lip to hold back her feelings.

“But what about you, Mam? Where are you going to hide?”

She leaned down and embraced him desperately, kissing him hard on the head. “Listen to me,” she said hoarsely. “You are my brave boy and I love you with all my heart. Tell your father what happened here, and how I love you both more than life.”

“Mam, no! What are you going to do?” Kerrin wailed and she shut his mouth with her hand.

“Not a sound more,” she said. “You must be silent. Understand?”

He nodded slowly, but she could see and feel the tears trickling down his face.

“I’m so scared,” he whispered.

“So am I. But you have to be brave for me.”

“I don’t think I can stay there by myself. Can I at least have Caley?”

Bridgit shook her head. “We can’t trust her not to make a noise. You have to be so quiet, like a mouse.”

“But she
can
be quiet! Grandpa gave me a magic word for her! Look – Caley, talk!”

The dog’s soft growls and whimpers stopped immediately and she looked up at Bridgit.

“She can’t make a noise now. And at least I can hold her while I wait.”

Bridgit could feel time slipping away, so nodded, praying she wasn’t making a huge mistake. “And not a sound until Dad comes for you. Remember, wherever you are, I shall be watching and I shall love you both with all my heart.”

Boy and dog scrambled into the hole and she kissed Kerrin’s head, trying to push all her love and hope into him through the contact. She didn’t want to stop, didn’t want to leave him but knew she had to. She forced herself to break away from him and then, through the mist of silent tears pouring down her face, replaced the sacking – thank Aroaril for Fallon – then the wooden swords and tools to hide any evidence of what was in there. But she kept out the old practice sword, its edges blunted by years of smashing into wooden posts.

“Stay safe. Stay quiet. I love you,” she told him in a whisper, her voice shaking, then straightened up. They must not find her near there.

She cuffed tears away from her face and dragged a shuddering breath deep into her lungs. It felt as though she had left her heart back in that crate. In exchange, her chest was filled with ice. Now to use it. For years she had wanted to have some of the magical powers her father had enjoyed and sometimes she thought there was just a little she could do. She concentrated on her voice, trying to make it as loud as she could. She had to draw all the attention away from her house and Kerrin’s hiding place.

“Awake! Attack! Run for your lives!” she bellowed into the night. Perhaps it was only her imagination but the words did seem far louder than she had ever shouted before.

“Awake! We’re under attack! Run! Run while you can!” she screamed into the night, walking down towards where she had seen figures going into houses.

People began shouting, doors banged open and lights flared up all around Baltimore. The attackers had got into perhaps half of the houses already but that left dozens still untouched. Women, children, old and young tore out into the night, screaming. The few remaining men grabbed families before weapons and ran in all directions, rather than rallying.

Bridgit did not spare them a second glance. Tears were still running down her face but inside she was at peace. Kerrin would be safe there. With the hornets’ nest she had helped stir up, these strange attackers would be far too busy trying to stop anyone escaping to worry about looking through every possible hiding place. She might even have spared some villagers, if any could make it out of the noose in the confusion. Now she was going to make the invaders pay for what they had forced her to do. And maybe leave evidence for Fallon to find.