Page 137 of Laird of Steel
“Saveme,m’lady,” the haycart driver pleaded. “Don’t take my passenger. The man who paid me for her will cut my throat.”
“What man?” Feiyan asked.
He shrugged. “I don’t know his name.”
Feiyan nodded at Merraid.“Shewas about to cut your throat. That’s why I stopped you.”
The driver clutched his throat and gave Merraid a horrified leer.
“I wouldn’t have,” Merraid assured him, “and neither will Gellir.”
“Gellir?” Feiyan scowled as she drew her dagger to sever the rope around Merraid’s ankles. “What the hell is going on?”
“There’s no time to waste, m’lady,” Merraid said. “I can explain on the way.”
“On the way?”
“To Perth.”
Feiyan helped her up and nodded. “Perth. ’Tis what I feared.”
She gave a loud whistle then, and out of the woods emerged the company of Rivenlochs from Darragh. Laird Deirdre and her husband Pagan led the clan. They were flanked by their young niece and nephew, Isabel and Ian. Hew’s sister Jenefer followed, armed with her bow and arrows. Her husband Morgan carried an enormous broadsword. Gellir’s brother Brand tapped his fingers restlessly on the hilt of his sheathed sword. Behind them marched a dozen Rivenloch knights wielding swords and axes, war hammers and flails, bows and spears. They’d come prepared for war.
“Och, m’lady,” Merraid said. “I think ye misunderstand. There’s hope for peace.”
“Aha!” Isabel smugly chimed in. “I told you. I said love would win the day, didn’t I, Brand? And I just knew—”
Laird Deirdre jostled her shoulder to quiet her. Then she confronted Merraid. “Peace?”
“Aye, m’lady,” Merraid replied. Explaining was going to take a while, and Gellir was in danger. So she nodded toward the road back to Perth. “Will ye not walk with me?”
Lady Deirdre agreed, motioning the others to follow.
Merraid didn’t much like the idea of showing up at Perth with a contingent of armed clan warriors. Especially Rivenloch warriors, who had a fearsome reputation.
Perhaps by the time they arrived, there would be no need for fighting.
As they hurried down the road, Feiyan muttered to Merraid, “If ’tis so peaceful at Perth, then why did Gellir pay a man to cart you away?”
“Gellir doesn’t believe ’tis possible, m’lady,” she confided. Then she turned, skipping backwards to address the clan. “But I believe peace can be achieved. And so does Adam.”
Feiyan stopped her. “Adam? What does my brother have to do with—”
“I knew it,” Ian exclaimed. “Adam found some clever disguise, didn’t he? And—”
Pagan scowled the lad into silence.
Feiyan wheeled Merraid around to resume walking. “I wondered where he’d gone off to this time.”
Merraid explained to Laird Deirdre, “Adam came with me to Perth.”
“Why Perth?” Deirdre asked, as if she already knew the answer, but wanted to hear it anyway.
“We were seekin’ an audience with the king.”
“Mm-hmm.” Deirdre’s lips were tight.
Merraid gulped. Clearly, the laird didn’t approve of their plan. She turned to Feiyan. “M’lady, ye know how ye’ve always taught me that confrontation is a last resort?”
