The Key (20 page)

“Rabbie sent me to fetch ye, me lady! That English bastard is shooting fire over the wall!”

Grateful that she had decided to remain fully clothed when she had retired, Iliana leapt
from the bed and hurried toward the door. She had it open and was moving through it when
she suddenly whirled toward the man following her.

“A plaid!”

Confusion covered Elgin's cherubic face. “Me lady?”

“My attacker. The man who stabbed me,” she explained. “I just realized that he wore a
plaid.”

Elgin's eyebrows rose. “There was no plaid among his things, me lady. I was there when
Laird Angus searched the body. He had naught but a few coins.”

Iliana frowned; then her gaze moved to the window as another fireball flew over the wall
and a wave of screams rose from the bailey. “Damn!” she murmured, hurrying from the room.

“What is it? What is about?” Drawn by the shouts and screams below, Lady Wildwood came
rushing into the hall, Ebba and Janna on her heels. At the same moment, Gertie and Giorsal
appeared in the door to Angus's room.

Shouting an explanation, Iliana hurried down the stairs with Elgin on her heels. Reaching
the front doors of the keep, she pushed through them, then froze. Burning debris was
strewn about the bailey, threatening to set fire to the many cottages within the wall.
Women and children of all ages were running this way and that, attempting to douse the
fire with whatever they could find.

“My God.”

Glancing over her shoulder at her mother's whisper, Iliana saw that all of the women had
followed, and were now crowded behind her and Elgin on the top step. She was about to
order them back into the keep when the cook pointed past her.

“The stables!”

Even as she turned back, Iliana could hear the frightened whinnies of the animals within
the stables. It was aflame. Cursing, she started down the steps, intent on rescuing the
few animals that had remained behind when Duncan had marched out. There had only been a
dozen or so left behind, but most of those were ponies and pregnant mares who were near
their foaling.

She was barely halfway to the building when the next fireball came over the wall.
Staggering to a halt, she shouted a warning and waited to see which way the missile would
go. It seemed to be one large ball of flames at first; then she realized that it was
actually a collection of debris that had been set alight and shot over as one. As it came
down the pieces separated, spanning a large section of the bailey as it flew in every
direction.

Iliana's shout was taken up by the others, becoming one panicked cry as the women and
children began to scatter, fleeing the fiery rain of debris. Iliana herself leapt to the
side to avoid one falling shard, only to step into the path of another. She stumbled when
it struck her shoulder but kept her feet. Brushing at her arm to be sure that her gown had
not caught flame, she glanced behind her, relieved to see that, while Elgin had followed
her, he was unharmed.

“Tend to the horses!” she yelled above the sluieks filling the bailey, then hurried to the
nearest victim of the flaming debris. Helping the woman to her feet, Iliana glanced at her
mother with surprise when she was suddenly there, tending to the woman's burns.

“Take her into the keep and stay there,” Iliana ordered, pushing them in that general
direction. “We must get them all to the keep,” she shouted to the others, who were trying
to douse the flames.

“They will not go.” Janna approached her. “These are their homes they try to save.” “Their
homes will do them little good if they are not alive to enjoy them,” Iliana snapped
impatiently. “Then you'd best get up on the wall and see what you can do.” “Do?” Iliana
peered at her as if she thought her mad, and Janna nodded. “They tried this same tactic in
Lady Agnes's day.”

“Lady Agnes,” Iliana sighed the name. Giorsal had used the woman often against her when
she had first arrived here. Black Agnes had been able to hold the keep against the English
for six months in her husband's absence. “What did she do?”

“Giorsal told us that, after each volley, she distracted them with insults and curses
while the women rushed about, dusting up the fire.”

“Insults?” She looked doubtful, but Janna nodded.

“And curses, me lady.”

“I see.” She peered at the flames the women were hurriedly trying to put out, then whirled
away, hurrying to the wall.

“Me lady!” Rabbie's relief at seeing her would have been gratifying if Iliana had not felt
so incapable of managing this mess. 'Twas obvious she was the only one who seemed to
realize how inadequate she was to the task.

Forcing a somewhat stiff smile for the man, Iliana took in the fact that he and the other
remaining men were all busily shooting arrows down at the men on the other side of the
wall. For all the good it appeared to be doing. Moving to the wall as he turned back to
continue shooting his arrows, she leaned through an opening and peered down at the men
below. The mangonel was positioned at the base of the causeway, directly across the moat.
She supposed Greenweld had positioned it close by so that he could get maximum range into
the keep. It might as well have been on the other side of the forest, for it was
surrounded by men bearing shields. Even now they were preparing another ball of fire.

Iliana took in the collection of debris they were preparing to liglit. A glance back at
the bailey showed women hurrying this way and that. Turning back, she shouted for
Greenweld.

One of the figures disengaged himself from the crowd of men about the catapult and moved
to stand behind the barrier of shields to peer up.

“Would that be my sniveling brat of a daughter?” he bellowed.

'I'm no daughter of the devil!“ she snapped. ”But you, sir, are a coward."

“Coward, is it?”

“Aye! Only a coward would force a woman to marry him, then beat her near to death! And
only a coward would sneak up on his adversary as you have done!”

“ Tis not my fault your husband left you unprotected.” His words made Iliana's gaze
narrow, but before she could ponder them he roared, “Give her to me, brat!”

“Lady Dunbar to you... you pig!” Not very impressive, she decided glumly.

“Send her out! She is my wife by law. You cannot refuse me!”

“She is my mother. I cannot agree. Besides, I do not know that she is your wife any
longer. The annulment may already be complete.”

Furious, Greenweld turned to yell at one of the men beside him, and an arrow came shooting
toward her. Iliana instinctively thrust herself to the side, heart pounding as she heard
the missile hiss by.

“You bastard!”

Iliana whirled back to the wall at that, gaping at her mother as she bellowed down at the
men below. She had not even heard her join them on the wall. Neither had she ever heard
her speak so.

“Turning your weapons on a female! Fie! Have you no shame at all?” “All, my stubborn,
shrewish wife.” “Not for long! Mayhap not even now!”

Since it was the same taunt Iliana had cast and earned an arrow for, she knew
instinctively that he would take it no better from her mother. Muttering under her breath,
Iliana tugged her to the side just in time. A second arrow whizzed past them both.

“Mother, I am supposed to be taunting him.”

Lady Wildwood gave a breathless laugh and brushed the hair back from her face. “That was
close, was it not? My, I must say it feels good to speak my mind to the beast.”

Rolling her eyes, Iliana turned back to the wall and chanced a quick peek down. Greenweld
was gesturing at the man with the torch. Even as she watched, the soldier set the debris
ablaze. Cursing, she straightened and turned back toward the bailey, shouting a warning to
the other women. When they immediately began fleeing for cover, her gaze slid to the
stables. It was engulfed in flames. “Did Elgin get the horses out?”

“Aye. He took them around behind the kitchen. They should be safe there.”

“Behind the kitchen? Not through my garden!” The words had barely left her mouth when she
heard the catapult being released. Grabbing her mother, she jerked her back against the
outer wall. A split second later another fireball passed overhead.

Iliana hurried to look down at the bailey the moment the danger had passed. Assured that
no one had been harmed by the latest missile, she moved back to peer at the army outside.
The arm of the catapult was back in place and already half-loaded in preparation for
another shot, she saw with dismay.

“He will continue to pummel us with fire until Dunbar is a pile of ashes,” her mother
predicted gŸmly, balancing herself on Iliana's back with one hand as she leaned up to peer
over her.

“Then we shall have to destroy the catapult,” Iliana decided, straightening now and moving
out of harm's way behind the wall.

“And how will we manage that?” Lady Wildwood asked dubiously.

“I ordered the women not to leave you alone. How is it you come to be up here without at
least two of them trailing you?”

“They were busy. And you still have not said how you plan to destroy the catapult.”

Grimacing, Iliana glanced down at the bailey again. The stables were merely a pile of
glowing embers now. They would never house horses again. She supposed the building had
been rather old. That was the

only reason she could think of for it to burn so quickly. It was not as if it had been
doused with whiskey first, as the bedchamber had been ere it was set alight.

“Rabbie.” She straightened abruptly.

“Aye, me lady?”

“I need someuisgebeatha .”

His eyebrows rose at that, but he moved past her and bent to retrieve a pitcher that she
had not noticed sitting next to the wall. “It kept the nip off during the night,” he
explained when she raised her eyebrows.

Lifting it to her nose, Iliana sniffed the contents, then glanced at him. “Do you suppose
Laird Angus has a lot of this?”

He pursed his lips. “Well, that would depend on how much ye thought was a lot.”

Iliana turned to peer down at the catapult again before answering, “As much as you can
bring me. All of it.”

“All of it?” He goggled at her, then narrowed his eyes unhappily. This wouldn't have
something to do with another one of those plans of yours, would it?"

“Buck up, sir,” Lady Wildwood said cheerfully. “My daughter's last plan worked.” “Oh, aye
I worked alright. But it cost us our supper... Now she's wantin' theuisgebeatha. ”

“Do yon understand what I want yon to do?”

Rabbie nodded morosely. “Aye. But 'tis a fair waste o' good whiskey if it doesn't work.”

“Then we must pray that it works,” Iliana commented dryly, peering at the people lined up
before her. Eight women and eight men. The women had resented being pulled away from the
task of dousing fires below, until she had explained that she hoped that her plan would
put an end to the volley of fireballs that continued to whiz over the wall. They had
settled in to help with a small measure of contentment then. Ripping the linen Iliana had
sent for into strips, they had wrapped them around the tips of arrows, then set them to
soak in the half-empty barrel of whiskey she had had Rabbie split open for them.

Now the women waited by the barrel of soaking arrows, lit torches in hand, while the men
stood by the eight barrels of whiskey that Rabbie had found.

“All right. Remember, you must try to get them as far as possible as quickly as possible,”
she reminded them once again, then leaned to the wall to see what Greenweld's men were
doing. Seeing that they were about to light yet another fireball, she told the people on
the wall to get ready, then shouted a warning to those below.

The people on the battlement pressed themselves close to the wall just as the fireball
flew over, then hurried back to their places. The men rushed to the barrels. Working in
twos, the four pairs picked up a barrel each and hurled them over in unison before rushing
back to get their second. The women moved to the arrows then, each of them grabbing up a
whiskey soaked weapon in their free hand and moving to the men's sides as they hurled the
last barrels over.

Assured that they were doing exactly as she had instructed, Iliana moved to the wall to
peer down at the Englishmen. They seemed quite confused by this turn of events. Four
barrels of Scottish liquor had just flown off the wall and crashed on the half-built
causeway, splashing every which way, and soaking a lot of the men as well as the catapult.
Even now, another four were tumbling through the air. It was obvious that her fellow
countrymen did not know what to make of it. But then, doubtless they did not know what she
had learned by accident.Uisgebeatha was like food for a fire.

Glancing over her shoulder at her own people again, she saw that the men had split up to
their individual slots and were even now loading their bows with the arrows the women
handed them. Once that was done, the women each used the torches they held to spark the
whiskey-soaked cloth tips to life. The men turned, aimed, and fired.

Iliana turned to peer below again. She had been worry specific about where to aim the
arrows. Four of the men were to shoot at the catapult, two at the causeway, and two at the
barricade of sThelds, which she had hoped might get splashed. Her men were right on
target. The first arrow hit the causeway, and even she was startled at the way it burst
into flames, the fire splashing outward just as the whiskey had done before it, following
its trail. The other arrows seemed to hit all at once, sparking the catapult and the men's
shields at the same time. The whole area burst into flames with a whoosh.

Swallowing, Iliana peered at the catapult again, sighing when she saw that it was now
gloriously ablaze. Hearing the people along the wall begin to cheer, she straightened and
turned toward the stairs wearily.

“Watch them, Rabbie. Do they do anything else, fetch me. The rest of you get below and
help put out the fires,” she ordered without looking back. The Scots all fell silent at
that, peering worriedly at her slumped shoulders before moving to follow her instructions.

When she reached Angus's room, Iliana found her mother and Janna already there, doing
their best to hold the old warrior down in his bed.

“Nay. You will not get up,” her mother was arguing as Iliana entered.

“Aye,” Janna panted, pressing down hard on his uninjured shoulder in an attempt to keep
him down “Ye've been sore injured.”

“ 'Tis naught but a scratch, woman. Let me up.” When that had no effect on Iliana's
mother, he turned to glare at Janna. “I am yer laird!” he pointed out on an outraged roar.

The maid hesitated at that, then shook her head. “Nay. Ye said Lady Iliana was in charge
until ye recovered. Yer not recovered.”

He opened his mouth to blast the poor woman for that, then spied Iliana. “Lass! There ye
are. Tell these harpies to let me up.”

Iliana smiled slightly at his pleading expression and moved to the bedside to peer down at
him, taking in

the angry red in his cheeks. “You are feeling better then?”

“Aye.”

Reaching out, she felt his forehead, relieved to find that fever was not the reason behind
his new color.

“Good,” she announced abruptly, gesturing to Janna and her mother to leave him be. Janna
moved away from the bed at once, but Lady Wildwood hesitated.

“He should not be up yet. He needs rest to heal properly.”

“He will rest. We will not let him do anything strenuous, but he can sit below and give
orders now.”

Her mother relaxed at that while Angus stiffened.

“I am laird here, lass. I'll decide what I can or cannot do.” He shifted his legs over the
side of the bed and stood abruptly, then paled and swayed sickly on his feet.

Iliana reached out to steady him at once.

Grabbing her hand gratefully, he sank back onto the side of the bed again. “Well, mayhap I
shall take it a bit easy.” Even saying that made him grimace with distaste. Frowning, he
speared Iliana with a look. “Yer mother told me o' yer plan with theuisgebeatha . Did it
work?”

She nodded solemnly. “The causeway and catapult are ablaze. Rabbie is watching to see what
they try next. I told him to call me if they did anything.”

“Good.” He nodded solemnly. “And the messenger?”

“You were asleep when I returned. Gertie was to tell you that he was missing.”

“Missing?” Janna asked with obvious surprise.

“Aye. He must have slipped out ere the gate was closed.”

“Nay.” She shook her head firmly. “He was abed after we brought the laird up here. I
checked on him myself.”

“He was not there yester eve when I looked.” Janna frowned at that, as did Angus.

“Go check on him again. If he is not there, post guards and start a search,” he ordered.

Nodding, Iliana turned toward the door. Janna started to follow her, then hesitated and
glanced toward Lady Wildwood, then Angus.

“Go with her,” Angus waved her away. “I'll keep an eye on Lady Wildwood.”

Iliana's mother scowled at that, then smiled sweetly. “Aye, and I shall be sure he does
not overdo.”

Shaking her head at the war of wills that was about to play out between the older couple,
Iliana led the servant out of the chamber and down the hall to the room the messenger had
been given. She truly did

not expect him to be there, so when she opened the door and stepped inside to see him
lying in the bed, apparently sound asleep, she stopped abruptly and frowned.

“See,” Janna whispered. “Mayhap in all the excitement ye peered into the wrong chamber.”

“Nay. 'Twas this chamber.” Shifting her feet, she glanced around the room, looking for any
sign that might prove he had not been here the last time she had looked, but there was
nothing. Peering at his face again, she shook her head and stepped back out of the room,
pulling the door quietly closed.

“Mayhap he went in search of the privy,” Janna suggested.

“Aye, mayhap, but...”

The woman raised her eyebrows at Iliana's hesitation. “But?”

“There are a couple of things bothering me just now.” Iliana sighed. “It probably means
nothing... but I shall tell you anyway. This morn, when the attack started, Elgin came to
fetch me.”

“Aye?”

“Well... you remember the night I was attacked?”

The woman nodded, shuddering. “Laird Angus said 'twas a mighty close call.”

“Aye, well, when I rolled over this mom and found Elgin looming over me, I thought the
attacker had returned.”

Her eyes rounded at that. “That must have been distressin'.”

“Aye, but it was then that I realized that he wore a plaid.”

Janna frowned. “Elgin?”

“Nay. Well, aye. But I meant that the attacker did as well.”

She considered that briefly. “Maybe he stole it and” She paused when Iliana began to shake
her head.

“The dead Englishman had no plaid in his belongings. Besides, there is something else.
When I spoke to Greenweld, he said something that bothered me as well.”

“What was that?” “He said 'twas not his fault that Duncan had left us unprotected. How did
he know Duncan had left?” “Mayhap he and his men were already here when Duncan and the
others rode out.”

“Mayhap,” Iliana agreed. “But he knows not what Duncan looks like. How did he know it was
my husband leading the men, and not Angus? 'Sides, if he was nearby when Duncan left, why
did he not attack right away?”

Janna frowned. "You are thinking that the reason the messenger was not here was that he
was somehow

sneaking about, giving Greenweld information? But why would he do that? If he works for
Lord Rolfe“ ”If heworks for Lord Rolfe.“ The servant gasped. ”You think“ ” 'Twas most
convenient for Greenweld that Duncan was called away when he was, do you not think?“ Her
face darkened. ”No one saw the message," she whispered.

“Aye. What if the dead man was the messenger? What if the live one was Greenweld's man?
What if the reason the message went missing was that it did not say what they wanted it
to?”

“Gor,” she breathed, her expression frightened. Then she frowned. “But how could they have
been nearby all this time? Laird Angus had the woods searched twice. He even led the first
search. And how could the fellow have gotten information to them? The gate is closed
tight.”

Iliana sighed and shook her head. “I do not know. I have not pieced it all together yet,”
she admitted, then stiffened at a muffled sound from the door they stood in front of.
Exchanging a glance with the servant, she quickly pushed the door open and stepped inside,
Janna directly on her heels. Iliana had taken several steps before she realized that, not
only was the bed empty, but the messenger was nowhere in sight. Just as she realized that,
the door slammed closed behind them.

Whirling, she stared at the messenger. He had been behind the door. Now he stood before
it, sword in hand. Raising her chin, she eyed him coldly. “You appear to be well healed,
sir.”

“ 'Twas a paltry wound at best,” he said with a shrug. “Most of the blood on me came from
Lord Rolfe's man when I killed him.”

Janna gasped at that, but Iliana merely let her shoulders sag slightly. “You are
Gieenweld's man.”

“Aye, but then, you had all but figured that out, had you not?”

Iliana shrugged. “I presume that Lady Seonaid is all right, then?”

“Aye. Lord Rolfe's message merely explained that they would be delayed. He did not wish
her father to worry. Most considerate of him, would you not say?”

Iliana ignored his sarcasm. “So, what do you plan to do next? Tis clear that now that you
have been discovered, you shall not leave this keep alive.”

“ 'Tis not so clear to me,” he disagreed easily. “All I need do is kill you and your
companion and my secret is safe.”

Iliana ignored Janna's gasp of honor and forced her own expression to remain calm as she
murmured, “I fear not. Laird Angus is aware that you were absent earlier. He also knows we
came to check on you. Should we go missing you would be his first suspect.”

“Then 'tis good that that was not the plan.” Iliana's gaze narrowed on him grimly. “And
what exactly is your plan?”

“Well, itwas to take Lady Wildwood, and deliver her to my lord.” "Take my mother to
Greenweld? How the devil did you plan to accomplish that? The gate is down and

the bridge up. There are guards posted.“ ”I have it on good authority that there is
another way out, Lady Wildwood.“ ”Lady Dunbar,“ Iliana spat. ”And there is no other way
out."

“I fear you are wrong. I've already seen it. It is a very narrow, presumably secret
passage and opens only one way, from the inside out. Tis why I had to be inside, to allow
the others in. They cannot open it from the outside.”

Iliana glanced sharply toward Janna. 'Twas obvious from her expression that if such a
passage existed, the woman had no knowledge of it. She looked as uncertain as Iliana felt.

“I was originally to take Lady Wildwood out. Holding her, it was expected that you would
be forced to surrender the keep.”

“It would seem then that I have ruined your plans. You shall never get your hands on my
mother now.” “Nay, but I am sure you will do just as well. Unfortunately, I see no need to
drag your maid along.”

Both women blanched at that announcement, but when the man stepped toward Janna, raising
his sword, Iliana stepped before her. “I think not. Do you try, I shall surely shriek the
stone walls of this castle down. How far do you think you would get then?”

“Most like as far as I would did you not,” he answered with vague amusement. “ Tis only
women, children, and old men within the walls. Hardly a threat to me.”

“Then there is surely no need to kill Janna. We are but two women. What harm could we do?”
she argued. “ 'Sides, should someone find her, they may be alerted to your plans. Angus
may figure out where we disappeared to when we are not found in the keep. He could block
the passage.”

He hesitated at that, then shrugged and lowered his sword slightly. “It matters little, I
suppose.” Reaching out then, he grabbed Janna and dragged her up to his side, then glanced
at Iliana. “We are going to the burned-out room. You shall lead the way. Move quickly and
quietly. Do you cry out or attempt to flee, I shall kill your maid. Understand?”

Iliana took in the woman's frightened expression and tried to offer a reassuring smile
even as she nodded at the man. She moved abruptly to the door when he gestured with his
sword toward it.