“I can think of plenty of better things to do than that.”

  Owen sneered and then with a muttered oath he snapped the brush in two and let it fall to the floor.

  “You don’t know what you’ve just done,” Kevan said with a gasp. “That might have been the last chance we’ll ever have to change the course of. . . .”

  Kevan trailed off and closed his eyes, seemingly being too depressed to speak any further. Then he hunched his shoulders and rocked forward before kicking off from the floor. On the run he plowed into Owen and carried him backward until he slammed into the wall.

  Owen braced himself and then grabbed hold of Kevan’s right arm. Then, with a contemptuous push, he shoved Kevan away. Kevan stumbled backward, his ineffectual assault having been rebuffed without any problems, but even so Gideon set off toward the nearer of their two captors, Domhnall, to try to make use of the distraction.

  Owen gestured at Domhnall, who swung his bow around and aimed at Kevan. A moment later an arrow thudded into Kevan’s upper chest, causing him to scream in pain and drop to his knees.

  With a deft movement Domhnall backed away from Gideon and nocked a second arrow, but he didn’t get enough time to do anything with it as Gideon lunged and grasped hold of the bow. He twisted it to the side and then slammed a round-armed punch into Domhnall’s cheek that knocked him into the side of the doorway.

  As Gideon drove forward and pinned his opponent in place, Ferguson shook off his torpor and moved toward Owen. He had taken only one long pace when Owen twisted around to face him with his sword thrust forward ready to stab him if he took another pace.

  Ferguson stopped and rocked backward. For several seconds the two men faced other. Then Owen shook his head with a silent warning and while keeping the sword pointed at him he edged sideways as he went to Domhnall’s aid.

  Domhnall had managed to drag the bow closer to his chest and he was now pushing Gideon away with it, so Owen would only need to take another two paces before he would have an unhindered chance to attack Gideon. Despite what had happened between them Ferguson couldn’t let them happen and he leaned forward.

  His action caused Owen to stop and turn to him, so he took a half-pace forward and when that led to Owen thrusting the sword toward him he stepped to the left. Owen followed his movement with the sword, but Ferguson feinted to move to the right before committing himself to his original action.

  Thankfully, he had managed to confuse Owen and he brushed past his sword and took hold of his wrist. Owen retaliated by stepping forward to meet him and using his free hand to grasp his throat.

  Owen’s tight grip closed off Ferguson’s windpipe, so Ferguson gripped Owen’s forearm and strained to pry his hand away. He failed and, worse, he felt his own grip around Owen’s wrist starting to weaken.

  With his vision darkening he figured he had only moments to act before Owen was able to free his sword arm so he released Owen’s forearm and planted a hand on his chest. He pushed while lurching backward and his effort had the desired result when he tore himself free from Owen’s clutches.

  He drew in a strangulated gasp of air and then straightened up, but it was only to find that Owen had followed him and he swung up his sword to hammer the hilt up under his chin. Ferguson’s head rocked back and he toppled over to land on the floor beside Kevan.

  He shook his head as he tried to gather his senses, but he struggled to focus on the blurred shape of Owen standing over him and with a groan he accepted he was powerless to avoid what his assailant did next. As it turned out Domhnall cried out in distress and Owen moved away to go to his aid.

  Ferguson rubbed his eyes and jaw and then forced himself to rise up into a sitting position. When he was able to focus on the scene the situation was broadly as he’d thought it would be with Gideon having gotten the better of Domhnall in their tussle.

  He was now standing behind Domhnall with his arm wrapped around his throat and the bow lying at their feet. Owen was taking steady and small steps toward them as he looked for an opening to stab Gideon while not risking doing harm to his colleague.

  Ferguson reckoned it would be only moments before Owen found that opening and he moved to go to Gideon’s aid, but when he tried to roll to his feet he accidentally put his hand down on Kevan’s leg. He slipped and fell back down on to the floor.

  Kevan was lying still, his glazed eyes suggesting he’d already died and that thought made Ferguson note the arrow lodged in his chest. The copious amount of blood soaking Kevan’s smock showed it had done plenty of damage, but it hadn’t embedded itself deeply.

  He grasped hold of the shaft and tugged. The arrow held for a moment and then came free, and to Ferguson’s delight the sharp head was still firmly attached. He grasped the arrow in his fist and rose up.

  Owen showed no sign that he’d heard him move as he concentrated on getting close enough to Gideon to lunge toward him so Ferguson rolled his shoulders and then charged forward. He had covered two paces when Owen flinched and then swung his sword around toward him, but Ferguson had committed himself and he threw himself at Owen while jerking his arm down.

  As Owen’s sword arm battered against his side Ferguson hammered the arrow into Owen’s back below the shoulder blade, causing him to grunt in pain and stumble. The movement made the shaft break in Ferguson’s hand, but he’d already inflicted all the damage he could with it.

  With Ferguson’s weight pressing against Owen’s back, the two men toppled over. Owen landed on his front and Ferguson went sprawling over his back and then his head and shoulder crunched into the wall.

  Ferguson’s vision swirled again and he was unable to summon the strength to resist when Owen shoved him to one side, causing him to roll over on to his back. He blinked rapidly and then groaned when he found that Owen was now standing over him.

  Owen was hunched forward with his hands thrust out as he prepared to try again to the throttle him. That made Ferguson wonder why Owen had discarded his sword when he could have just run him through.

  Then Owen’s eyes glazed and he toppled over to land on his side revealing that Gideon had been standing behind him and he was withdrawing Owen’s bloodied sword from his back. As Owen twitched and then became still, Gideon winked at Ferguson and then turned around.

  In the corner of the room Domhnall was lying on his back, presumably after having been knocked down. He shook himself and then scrambled along beside the wall as he tried to reach his bow.

  He didn’t get to within a foot of the weapon as Gideon took a long pace forward and cleaved the sword down at his chest. Gideon then raised the sword and a second blow to Domhnall’s neck ensured that he wouldn’t give them any more problems.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Gideon checked that Owen had been killed and then slapped Ferguson on the back. Then, with the sword in hand, he hurried to the door. He listened for a few moments before slipping outside.

  “I can’t see or hear any signs of consternation,” he said when he returned. “So Macklin must be outside and he didn’t hear what happened.”

  “We’re some distance from the main entrance so that’s possible,” Ferguson said.

  Ferguson then got to his feet and shuffled across the room. When he’d confirmed that Kevan was dead he turned around and shook his head, but Gideon’s attention was now on the sacks of gold. Gideon then moved on to stand beside the hole in the floor.

  “Now we just have to decide whether we try to. . . .” Gideon trailed off, seemingly acknowledging that as their earlier frank exchange of opinions had made their positions clear, he didn’t want to deal with the consequences just yet. “I’ll check where this passageway goes and confirm it is a way out.”

  Gideon then slipped into the hole, dropped down on to his knees and crawled away. When he’d disappeared from view Ferguson stood by the door. All was quiet in the tower and he used the time to rub his brow and his various sore spots as he forced himself to regain his senses.

  By the time Gideon returned he felt more in control of himself and he had armed himself with Domhnall’s bow. He had once trained as an archer, but it had been a long time since he had been called upon to use those skills. He still reckoned he could come off best in a confrontation if Gideon reported that they could sneak away, provided he acted first.

  “Where did it go?” he asked as Gideon clambered out of the hole.

  “At the end of the passageway there’s a stone slab. I managed to scrape it to one side and peer through the crack, and annoyingly I was close to the garden.”

  Ferguson hefted the bow into a comfortable position as he prepared to nock an arrow.

  “Then we might be able to escape.”

  “We might, but you’re right that first we need to deal with Macklin,” Gideon said with a smile, seemingly misinterpreting Ferguson’s action. “If we don’t he’s sure to kill Lorcan and Sullivan and then come after us.”

  Ferguson nodded and stepped to one side to let Gideon lead the way. Then they hurried along until they reached the tower. Nobody was in sight, so they slipped along beside the side wall and then the front wall until they were standing a few feet from the entrance.

  Nobody was visible on the stretch of land that was visible to them and it was quiet, so Gideon edged up to the entrance and bobbed his head forward. Then he turned to Ferguson and mimed nocking an arrow.

  Ferguson followed Gideon’s order. Then using only gestures, Gideon indicated that Macklin was standing around twenty feet away in front of the entrance. As he also had his back to the entrance Ferguson reckoned he’d have enough time to adjust his aim before firing so he didn’t need to check on the scene first and risk getting spotted.

  He rolled his shoulders and then took long steps to the left to stand in the entrance. He winced as Macklin wasn’t where he had expected him to be, so he took another pace and this time he was able to get a clear sight of him.

  Unfortunately, Macklin was moving stealthily toward the entrance – presumably he had heard them and had feared the worst – and on sighting the armed Ferguson he raised his sword and charged toward him.

  Ferguson loosed off an arrow that missed its moving target by over a foot. Before he had time to chide himself for his rusty skills Macklin had reached the entrance and was swinging his sword back ready to hammer a blow at him, but then he stepped to the side.

  Clearly he had feared that Ferguson wasn’t the only one to have left the garderobe and his move saved him when Gideon lunged forward into the entrance with his sword thrust out. Gideon kept moving forward so Macklin turned to meet his next thrust and their swords met with a resounded clang.

  They strained for a moment until they both accepted they couldn’t better the other man and drew back their swords. Macklin then tried a short stabbing motion, that Gideon evaded with a step backward, followed by a long step forward and a wild cleave at his head.

  The second attempted blow failed as Gideon backed away again and that caused Macklin to accept that Gideon’s tactic was purely designed to hold his attention while Ferguson prepared a second arrow. He turned around and it was to find that Ferguson had an arrow in hand, but he was taking his time to string it as he tried to summon up his old skills.

  Macklin smirked and then set off toward him, and to Ferguson’s irritation he fumbled over the arrow and it slipped from his grasp. He caught it, but then thought better of trying to aim and fire before Macklin reached him and he twisted away.

  He ran for three quick paces and then turned back, only to find that Macklin was close behind him, but Gideon had followed them using light footsteps. While Macklin’s attention was on Ferguson, Gideon raised his sword high overhead and hammered it down toward their opponent’s neck.

  At the last moment Macklin detected his approach and twisted around, but he moved too slowly and the sword bit deep. Macklin went down where he twitched and grunted before becoming still. Gideon planted a foot on his back and then prized the sword free.

  “I’m grateful you got him,” Ferguson said and then threw the bow to one side in disgust.

  “You did well to make him overconfident by making it look as if you’d never fired an arrow before,” Gideon said.

  Ferguson mustered a laugh and then gathered up Macklin’s sword. Both men then turned to the entrance where Lorcan was standing with his arms folded as he surveyed the scene inside. His expression was pensive and showing none of the relief Ferguson would have expected.

  The reason became clear when he noticed that Sullivan was moving away from the tower. Some distance beyond the monastery grounds dozens of riders were approaching, their tight formation showing that they were a company of soldiers.

  “It looks like we fought our way out of that for nothing,” Ferguson said.

  “I’m not giving in yet,” Gideon said with a shake of the fist. “They’re not here yet and we could still—”

  “We can’t fight off this many men.”

  “I’m not saying we should try, although whatever we do next will depend on Lorcan’s cooperation.”

  The mention of his name made Lorcan come forward.

  “You did what was necessary to save your lives so you have nothing to fear from me,” he said, gesturing at Macklin’s body. “Commander Duncan MacKay will be leading the approaching soldiers and he might see things differently, but I reckon I can come up with a version of events that he’ll accept involving a fight getting out of hand between those men and our guards.”

  Gideon smiled. “That’s a relief.”

  Lorcan moved closer to Gideon and when he spoke again he used an urgent tone while sporting a firm-jawed expression that was unlike his usual meek manner.

  “I’ll only do that if you’re prepared to leave here afterward without causing further trouble and without taking all of the gold that you had planned to steal.”

  “Then we have a problem because. . . .” Gideon trailed off and chuckled as he clearly noted the implied offer in Lorcan’s statement. “Does that mean you’re offering a deal?”

  “I believe it is in both our interests to accept that we won’t get everything we want.”

  Gideon gave a curt nod and without further comment Lorcan adopted his usual placid demeanor and headed outside to join Sullivan in greeting the newcomers.

  “I would guess that if we try to escape he’ll tell Duncan about us,” Ferguson said when Lorcan had moved out of view.

  “That would seem to be the implied threat, and it’s one I can accept.” Gideon patted Ferguson’s shoulder and then turned away. “Keep watch on the scene while I move the bodies into the tower.”

  As Gideon scampered away, Ferguson muttered to himself in irritation. The chance had now gone for them to reach an agreement about they would do next before they could work out the other deal with Lorcan.

  He figured that Gideon would honor his promise and not try to escape so he did as he’d requested and edged forward to monitor events outside. Lorcan and Sullivan were now standing together with their shoulders hunched over, having adopted concerned postures.

  Several riders were moving ahead of the company, the bodies outside seeming to have attracted their attention. They pulled up beside the stalls, jumped down and formed a defensive half-circle, but Lorcan headed over to them while giving a calming gesture.

  One man moved forward and spoke with him. Then he turned to the bulk of the company and waved them on. By the time they arrived the advance party had walked around the bodies, but nobody had shown an inclination to come inside the tower, which was fine with Ferguson as so far Gideon had only managed to move Owen’s and Kevan’s bodies into positions close to the entrance into the annex.

  Outside one man called everyone toward him and his loud voice carried to Ferguson letting him conclude that he was Commander MacKay and he wanted a report on what had happened. When that had been provided to his satisfaction he moved on to stand over the body of O’Neill, one of the two mercenaries the custodian guards had killed.

  It was likely that the tale Lorcan had spun would paint this man as being one of the instigators of the trouble that had led to other custodians and their guards being killed, but to Ferguson’s surprise Duncan stood over the body with his head bowed. When other soldiers followed his lead in paying their respects Ferguson winced and backed away, heading deeper into the shadows.

  “Owen’s men weren’t mercenaries,” he murmured to himself. “They were just members of this company and they were following Duncan’s orders to come here.”

  The other man from Owen’s group, Cleland, to die in the initial skirmish was lying where he had fallen beside the entrance. When everyone moved on to pay their respects to him they would surely notice any movement in the tower so Ferguson hurried toward the annex.

  The bodies of Owen, Domhnall and Kevan were now lying close together in postures that suggested a fight had erupted in which they had all died, so Ferguson ran along the corridor to the garderobe. When he slipped inside Gideon was kneeling down beside the open hole with a sack in hand.

  “I was getting worried that you’d wait back there for too long,” Gideon said.

  “You don’t look worried. You look as if you’re getting ready to escape.”

  Gideon shook his head. “I’m not. I’m putting one of the sacks in the passageway before sealing it up. That’ll be the minimum deal with Lorcan I’m prepared to accept. Now what’s happening out there?”

  “It seems you’ll get to negotiate that deal as Commander MacKay appears to have accepted Lorcan’s story.”

  Gideon kicked at the sword he’d left lying on the floor.

  “Then I suggest we leave our swords nearer to the tower and find somewhere to hide. If anyone comes looking for us we’ll pretend to be frightened pilgrims.”

  “We could do that, but first: what do you plan to do after you leave here?”

  Gideon winced. “There isn’t time to—”

  “There isn’t so talk quickly,” Ferguson snapped.

  Gideon raised an eyebrow in surprise at Ferguson’s attitude and then stood up.

 

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