Page 36 of Highland Slayer
Kaladin’s eyes widened. “Of course,” he said. “Why dinna I think of our brother? Wigton House is very close!”
“Wigton?” Titan repeated. “Isn’t that in Cumbria?”
“Aye,” Estevan said. “It’s Darien’s demesne. Wigton House used tae belong tae my mother, her family’s home, but she gave it tae him as a wedding gift. It’s a big manor house with a decent army.”
“How many men does your brother carry?”
“Two hundred, the last I heard,” Estevan said. “It’s a smaller army, but very well appointed. My brother spends money on his men. Most importantly, they can be here in two days at the most. Since they are smaller, they can travel more swiftly.”
Before Titan could reply, Rodion spoke up. “Youdorealize that all of this will go away if we do one simple thing, don’t you?”
Everyone turned to him. “What is that?” Estevan asked.
Rodion lifted his hands as if it were the easiest solution in the world. “If the Ormsfolk come looking for Leonore, all we have to do is deny that she is here and they’ll move on to the next target,” he said, looking at the men around him. “We are assuming that St. Margaret’s is going to be attacked. We can solve this issue by simply denying the woman they’re looking for is here.”
Estevan cocked an eyebrow. “I know itseemssimple, Rody, but it isn’t,” he said. “The last time I mentioned this situation tae Mother Michael, she was convinced that her women could protect this place from anyone who attacked it, including the Ormsfolk. I think her arrogance alone will compel her tae tell the truth, and then we’ll have a wild bunch of animals trying tae scale the walls. And they willna stop. My da tells stories of the Serpent People attacking in waves, for months on end, until hardly anyone was left alive.”
Beside him, Kaladin was nodding his head. “And they poison their weapons,” he said. “Take care that ye’re not nicked by a blade, because they rub poison on them. If the wound does not kill ye, the poison will.”
Rodion could see how serious they were, so his argument was a losing battle. “God help us,” he muttered. “Is the mother abbess really that stupid?”
“Not stupid, but proud,” Estevan said. “Ye’ve been around enough proud men tae know that their arrogance outshines theircommon sense at times. ’Tis the same with the abbess, I think. If they ask, I fear she’ll tell them the truth.”
“If that is your genuine fear, are you going to tell her to keep her mouth shut?” Rodion said. “Even if she does not want to lie about the woman in her care, are you going to tell her that if she does not, she’ll be in a battle she cannot win?”
“Of course I am,” Estevan said. “But in the event she doesn’t listen, we will need reinforcements badly. We need tae send for Darien because I’m not entirely sure that forty or fifty women, plus the five of us, can hold off the Ormsfolk if they are determined enough tae get in. Do ye want tae die at their hands, Rody? Because I dunna. I’ll not let that proud woman end my life because she thinks she can hold them off.”
That summed up the situation, and Rodion was compelled to concede the point. “Then I suggest we send a messenger immediately,” he said. “If this is as dire as you think it will be, there is no time to waste.”
“I’ll go,” Kaladin said, watching everyone turn to him. He shrugged. “I have the fastest horse. I can make the journey tae Darien in a day.”
Estevan sighed at the announcement of his younger brother, so bold and so daring. All of life was a big adventure for him. “Ye do have a fast horse,” he admitted. “But if ye get yerself killed, Baby Bull, Mabel will have my hide.”
“I do not think we have much of a choice,” Titan said quietly. “We cannot send one of the women to deliver the message. They would not know where to go.Iwould not know where to go. I’m afraid you or Kaladin are the obvious choice for this, since you know exactly how to reach Wigton House.”
“I said I’ll go,” Kaladin said in a tone that discouraged argument. “The sooner I leave, the better.”
Estevan was forced to give in. But he looked at his brother for a moment longer, hoping he was making the right choice. “Verywell,” he said. “Collect yer horse. We’ll speak tae Mother Michael about the situation.”
With a quick nod, Kaladin left the sanctuary, throwing open the big, heavy wooden door open to the light and air outside. And he left it ajar. Estevan had to smile because it reminded him of when they were young, how Kaladin left every single door open, enough that his mother would shout at him to stop being so inconsiderate. Chamber doors, entry doors, stable doors, wardrobe doors… it didn’t matter to Kaladin. Doors were not meant to be closed, in his opinion.
Even sanctuary doors at an abbey.
“I’ll ensure he departs with a clear head,” Rodion said, moving past Estevan. “He’ll need to think clearly, you know. He cannot stop at The Butcher’s and he cannot stop at every tavern he sees. He’ll need to ride until he reaches Wigton and not stop for anything.”
Estevan waved toward the door. “Then ye tell him,” he said. “He never did listen tae me.”
With a smirk, Rodion headed out, following Kaladin’s trail, leaving Titan and Estevan alone. Over against the wall, Mateo was snoring again, that heavy snore that was the result of congestion. Estevan had given him the onion water with honey almost as soon as he and Anaxandra returned to the abbey, and it seemed to be helping a little, as he slept heavily. Estevan’s focus lingered on him for a moment before he turned to Titan.
“We must tell Mother Michael about all of this,” he said. “She wasna in the sanctuary when Anaxandra and I returned, and my priority was Matty at the time, but now that he’s settled and we have a plan, we must speak with her. I suspect she’ll be none too happy about us sending for reinforcements.”
Titan waggled his eyebrows. “Anaxandra, is it?”
He was focusing on something that was not the subject of the discussion. It took Estevan a moment to realize what he’d said,and when he did, all he could do was roll his eyes. “Good Christ,” he muttered. “I traveled with the woman. Of course I’m going tae ask her name.”
Titan fought off a grin. “I did not say a word about it.”
“It was yer tone.”
