Infinite Devotion (44 page)

“See the swords of Glen Imayle,
Flashing o’er the English pale
See all the children of the Gael,
Beneath O’Byrne’s banners
Rooster of the fighting stock,
Would you let a Saxon cock
Crow out upon an Irish rock,
Fly up and teach him manners.”

Again the chorus comes in, and the boys are now jumping from table to table all singing at the tops of their lungs. The excitement’s so thick in the room it makes my eyes tear‌—‌not wanting this great moment to end.

“From Tassagart to Clonmore,
There flows a stream of Saxon gore
Oh, great is Rory Oge O’More,
At sending loons to Hades.
White is sick and Lane is fled,
Now for black FitzWilliam’s head
We’ll send it over, dripping red,
To Liza and her ladies.”

Yips peal out, and the boys jump into the circle for dancing the last chorus. ’Tis a sea of bobbing heads, all shouting and pushing each other off them for room to dance, all the while smiling, though. All hold the last note for as long as they can, and when done, cheer so loudly I have to hold my ears to keep them from ringing. Cahir’s up on the table, and he jumps onto the boys in the circle, who catch him and spin him high in the air. I look to Síofra, who is glowing from Cahir’s performance.

Suddenly, a man I’m unfamiliar with reaches over, grabs Síofra, and holds her face against his in a rough kiss. Cahir seeing this from above, jumps from the boys’ hands, and vaults across the bar onto the man, pulling him down to the floor without harming Síofra. He gets up on top of the man quickly and gives him a puck of his fist hard on the side of his head, causing the man’s head to whip and knocks his two eyes into one. Cahir gets up and spits on his shirt. “You’re out of the gang. Get out of here fast before I lose my temper!”

The man gets up, unsteady, and makes his way out the door quickly. Síofra’s still glowing. Cahir turns to check on Síofra but takes a step and falls on the ground.

William says, “Fell over his shadow, he did!” and everyone laughs as Liddy and William carry him to a room with Síofra tending to him.

Art and Kelly head to my table and sit. Art says, “I think that’s Cahir’s first infraction.”

“Oh, shut your gob, Art,” Kelly says.

“’Tis a good man’s case, though.” Captain hits me on the back.

“No, Art’s right, ’tis one of our rules. This is the first warning. I’ll give it to him when he’s feeling grand in the morning.” They laugh.

“I’m going to get another drink.” Captain pulls his chair out.

Kelly says, getting up to go with him, “Watch it, Captain, Art’s counting drinks!”

Art moves over to Captain’s seat, and I know what’s coming. “So, you went right home, huh?”

“Art, you have no call in telling me when I should go home.”

A chair pulls out on the other side of me, and I see ’tis Alister in plain clothes.

“You have just saved your distance, Alister!”

“For what?” he asks.

“Oh, nothing, came at the right moment, is all.”

Art takes the hint and carries his pint over to the bar.

“How about a steak, you greedy-gut?” I call Sean over.

“Just a pint, Sean.”

Sean nods, and I ask, “So what’s the hard word, then?”

Captain comes back and sits to listen. I nod to Alister and say, “Captain’s one of us now.”

He gives a nod to Captain. “Sorry to dampen your celebrating, but there’s a lot going round in the garrison.” He sits back as Sean brings back a pint. “A proclamation’s gone out, Redmond, that if the local people don’t give you up within twenty-eight days, then four men will be shipped to the plantations in America.”

“They can’t be serious, Alister, can they really do that?” I ask.

“Can’t tell if they’re serious or not, but they’re making the threat tomorrow. Picking the four men at random and taking them in to make the locals talk.”

I can’t say anything.

“Hate to tell you at the same time, they’ve raised your bounty to £100 and £50 for each of your men.”

Captain laughs. “I could retire on the fortune this room would bring in!”

Alister gives me an unsure look at my new friend’s black humor.

“The last thing is they’re going to start felling trees in glen woods, trying to find your hide-outs.”

“Well, many thanks to you, can’t say my night’s not ruined, but thanks all the same. Sean’s got something for you.” He nods and goes over to the bar.

Captain asks, “You think the locals will trade you in?”

I blow out some hot air. “Can’t be sure, but they’ve said to me before they’d rather live in extreme poverty with dignity than to inform.”

“Let’s hope that’s true.” He takes another swig.

“The key to keeping your own from betraying you is to imagine your men like a pack of wolves. Keep feeding them the best cuts of steak, even if you get left with scraps. Just make sure they don’t want for anything, and they’ll never bite the hand that feeds them.”

Captain pushes back stiffly in his chair. “Never forget, though, that a
caged
wolf will pass up a steak for the want of freedom. A pardon is a mighty tempting thing.”

“Not to my men.” I take a drink, but the worry fills my head.

By the time I reach home, the house is dark. I open the door quietly, take my shoes and outer clothes off, and crawl into bed.

Muirin wakes up, though, and turns over. “Oh, you’re finally showing up, then?”

“Sorry, we had an outlaw come from far away to join us, and tonight we celebrated.”

“I don’t even understand why you got married, if all you want to do is run around the woods with these vagabonds.”

She turns back over to face the wall.

I sit there in the dark thinking about how I’ll wake up before she does and slip out the door again.

I’m on the island again, and this time there’s no lamb but a large fish in the lake that flops out on the dirt and is running out of air. I move to put the fish back in the lake, but I hear a growl behind me. ’Tis a large grey wolf baring his teeth at me. I pick up the dying fish and throw it to the wolf, but the wolf has no interest and pounces in the air at me.

The nightmare wakes me up, and I decide there’s no better time to disappear than now. The purple light of early dawn is coming through the window, and the morning chill is in the air. I turn to look at Muirin’s beautiful face as she’s sleeping. She has her pillow scrunched up in a tight ball, and her brown hair spills off the pillow onto the bed around her. I feel sick at what I’ve done to her, but I can’t make myself stay home when there’s so much to do. I throw on my clothes and boots and open the door inch by inch.

Twenty-eight days come and go, and the good people of our village keep their mouths tight, even at the risk of the four men awaiting deportation. Frustrated by their loyalty to me, Lucas realizes the threat doesn’t work and releases the men back to their families. A month later they try a new tactic: if the villagers won’t point out outlaws, then make the outlaws turn themselves in. A proclamation’s made that any blood relative or wife can be taken and brought to the gaol and released only when the outlaw turns himself in. As soon as Alister informs me, I head straight to our house and get Art to bring Ma and Da to form a plan. Muirin’s giving me the cold shoulder, but as soon as she hears about the proclamation, she speaks to me. “We have to leave Armagh?”

Art replies, “They’ll be coming for you all first. Best be leaving this very day.”

Muirin glares at me. “Well, you’re coming too, right, Redmond?”

I pause for a moment, and she breaks down in tears, throwing herself on the bed.

Right away, Ma tries to pacify the situation by going over to her. “We won’t go far, sweetheart, maybe a day’s travel or so. Redmond can come whenever he pleases.”

“He already comes whenever he pleases.” She keeps sobbing.

Art gives me a reproachful look and goes to sit at her foot, while Da shrugs.

“I have to stay here, Muirin. If I go there, the proclamation has gone out to all counties. You all are at risk wherever I go with you.”

Da chimes in gruffly, “This is a fight he must finish, dear.”

She sits up and wipes her tears. “I’ll only go if Art can go with us.”

Art looks a little too satisfied with that comment, and I reply, “Of course, he’ll be the one who is taking you to Donegal.”

“No, I mean I want him to live with us. I’ll feel safer with him around.”

“He’s an outlaw too, Muirin, the same danger lies there!”

But Muirin’s far too clever. “He’s not my husband or your blood relative. He’s much less known than you, and you can’t think I’ll go a day away without him. He’s the only person who looks in on me.”

This is a dig at me, and I know she’s only doing this to hurt me. I look at Art and ask, “Would you want to go with them?”

He sees Muirin’s pleading eyes and turns back. “If Muirin will only go if I go, then of course I’ll go for her safety.”

She throws her arms around his neck, and I feel like walking out. Ma walks over, trying to assuage the situation. “You can come visit us whenever you like Redmond. We’ll get along fine.”

I busy myself with packing up both cottages in the two carts they’re taking with them. Everything that doesn’t fit, we leave behind. I kiss Ma and Da good-bye, and Muirin gives me a weak hug. I nod to Art in thanks and watch the two carts bob and buck up the hill. I take one last look at the cottage that had once been so happy and has now turned into some sort of cage to me. Now ’tis empty and free for some happy family to fill.

Chapter 18

The next night, an old outlaw friend of Captain’s invites him to a rich dinner party. He asks me, William, Ned, and Cahir to come along since we all speak English. He has a big stone manor the size of Muirin’s father’s on an old Irish estate on the edge of north Armagh.

Cahir whistles at the grand house. “He stole enough to buy this?” Then he looks at me with his dark eyebrows raised. “Maybe we ought to reconsider keeping all our takings for ourselves.”

Captain replies, “Well, he’s about retired now, I think. He was a highwayman before most of you were even a glimmer in your father’s eye.”

The door opens, and a rosy-cheeked old fellow grabs Captain Power with both arms in a long embrace. “Good to see you again, my boy!”

“Pleasures all mine, Harry. Thanks for having us. These here are my business partners, Redmond, William, Ned, and Cahir.”

The man’s eyes sparkle while he looks us over. “It’s like I’m seeing a legend come to life.”

He welcomes us into his dining room, and already at the table sits an older man and woman.

“Let me introduce you all to Patrick and Kate Mulligan. This here is the famed Richard Power and his men.”

Captain shakes and kisses hands. “So nice to hear such an old Irish name.”

We all sit, and the food and drink keep coming. Every once in a while, I notice Harry will get up and pace in front of his large window. I wonder if he’s always this anxious, or if he has some sort of troubles. I look to Captain, and by the way he’s shoveling his face, I guess ’tis some strange quirk of Harry’s. Toward the end of dinner, Patrick Mulligan, who’s been pretty quiet the whole dinner, says to us in Gaelic, “Beware, fellow countrymen, he’s pacing at that window because he’s watching for troops to come. Once they arrive, he has to give a signal, and you’ll all be trapped.”

We’re all silent, but Captain has the wherewithal to say, “Thank you for that charity,” in a happy unsuspecting tone.

Harry turns quickly with a fake smile. “Oh, come now, don’t all start speaking Gaelic when you know I can’t understand a word of it.”

Captain laughs, and we pretend to also. Captain picks up his glass and stands. “I’d like to make a toast in thanks to our generous host, one of the best and most trusted friends I ever had.” He holds up his glass, and all of us do as well. “Better fifty enemies outside the house than one within.”

Harry hesitates a moment, swallows hard, and nervously glances out the window, and replies, “My turn to toast.” He stands and starts, “To one of my oldest friends. ‘May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings, slow to make enemies, and quick to make friends. And may you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.’”

Instead of drinking from his glass, Captain throws his drink right in Harry’s face. Once the man wipes the stinging alcohol from his eyes, he sees Captain with his pistol pointed at his face. The Mulligans run from the room.

Harry speaks with great effort, “’Tis better to be a coward for a minute than dead for the rest of your life.”

Captain replies, “Well, now you’re both.”

He shoots him right between the eyes. Harry falls back to the floor, and Captain stands over him and curses, “May the cat eat you and the devil eat the cat.”

He sees a large red-jeweled golden cross on top of his velvet coat. “I always wanted this,” he says as he rips it off in one pull. Captain goes to the window to see if the troops are there yet. “All looks clear, boys. Let’s go before the redcoats arrive.”

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Days later, I walk into the tavern, and Sean immediately goes under the counter for something. “This came here for you, I think. It has my name on it, but it’s from Donegal.”