Chapter 57: Chapter Sixteen

ADA

“I will kill that man. Who was that?”

“Lord Ciaran, the commander of Oranmore’s army.”

“Well, he just secured his death.”

“The only reason he treats me so well, the reason I am ~actually~ here, is because he wishes to ride me.”

“That is obvious,” he said. “What did he mean by pending marriage? You are to go to England?”

“Before I answer any other questions, I must tell you Ciaran kissed me just a week ago. I pushed him away though, and have made it clear nothing more will happen between us.

“I have stayed true to you, have only thought of you, have only dreamed of you. My heart is only for you.”

“I know, Ada. I know. I half expected that men would have fought to claim you. You cannot imagine the nightmares that played out in my mind.

“You have done what you needed to survive…” He paused for a moment. “But, tell me, who exactly are you to these people? I am confused by your position.”

“I’m the king’s ~forgotten~ daughter. Somehow, I am the only other surviving child of the king…and now a bargaining piece with England. It was the reason I was brought here.

“The reason an alliance has been solidified between Ireland and England. The reason England will be sending a great army to ~defeat~ the Vikings. Without me, it all fails.”

For the first time since I met him, Cayden seemed completely shocked by my words.

“That is a lot to take in, but you will have to explain everything at another time. For now, I must tell you the plan before anyone else comes,” he said, placing his hand on my cheek.

“I do not want to leave you tonight, but it will be the safest way for you to get away with our son.”

“I trust you. Tell me the plan.”

“Tomorrow morning, you will join the training as usual so as not to look suspicious. It will bring all the men away from the camp.

“You will hear one of us blow a horn when we begin our attack. That will be your sign to run here and grab our son. One of us will ride to get you.”

“Our friends are here?”

“Of course. They have helped me day and night to search for you. And finally, I have found you,” he said, kissing me.

“I must go now. Remember, listen for the sound of the horn and then run as fast as you can.”

That night I could barely sleep. I tossed and turned, wondering how tomorrow would play out. Sable came into the tent very late that evening, trying her best not to wake me or the baby.

I desired to tell her about Cayden’s visit, about the plan. I wanted to bring her with me. We had grown very close over these past months.

I felt guilty that I had not shared more with her about my past, but Myrna had been the one to dissuade me from confiding in anyone else.

Even if Cayden did not agree, I would offer her the choice to leave with us tomorrow.

One of the men walked around the camp the next morning banging his sword against a cooking pot as our morning call.

I was already feeding the baby, not having been able to sleep much throughout the night. Sable drowsily raised her head and stretched her body out.

“You two are up early. I did not even hear him stir.”

“You did arrive back at the camp very late last night.” I smiled knowingly at her. “Would you care to divulge?”

“All I can say is I am weak. Knowing all the women who have been with Lord Ciaran, I could not resist him last night. But do not worry, I have not pulled up my skirt just yet.”

“He will have to work a little harder for that,” she said as she giggled. I smiled but could not help but feel apprehensive for her.

Ciaran’s charm seemed to mask his true identity—and I feared I would soon discover his unpleasant side.

While Sable was fixing her hair, I took out the parcel Myrna had given me and a few other things for Cay and secretly placed them in the bottom of his crib.

I just hoped no one would look there this morning.

***

Rocking Cay in my arms by the fire, I watched Ciaran whisper something in Sable’s ear.

He was certainly trying his best to lie with her, and I knew it was only a matter of time before Sable gave in to him.

The men began to make their way out of the camp and toward the training area. Sable walked over to me to take Cay while Ciaran was pulled to the side by one of the senior soldiers.

“Say goodbye to mummy,” Sable said to the baby. She lifted his little hand and pretended to wave. I kissed it and felt myself becoming overwhelmed at the thought of leaving him.

“What is wrong, Ada?”

“I will miss him, that’s all.”

“Don’t worry, we will be right here when you return.”

I joined the other men down in the training field. One of the men approached me, a close advisor to the commander, and said I would be running the morning drills.

I looked around for Ciaran, but he was nowhere in sight.

“Where is our Lord Ciaran this morning?”

“He had some other business to attend to,” he answered nonchalantly.

I took a deep breath, hoping Cayden’s presence had not been discovered. I could not leave to find out and decided to carry on with the plan.

I stood there, conflicted after lining the soldiers up with their backs facing the hill that the men would come from. These men were only here to learn how to protect their people.

They would be innocent men caught in the crossfire of my rescue. I could not set them up for an ambush. Perhaps I could manage to save some.

“I want every man to pick up a shield and a sword. Battles are long and exhausting. You must build up your stamina if you are to endure the length of war.

I want you all to run as fast as you can toward the end of the valley and back. We will do this three times throughout the day,” I shouted to them.

I hoped Cayden was within earshot, but to look toward the forest would only give his position away. “On my call. Ready, go!”

The men took off running, creating a great distance between us. The senior soldier stood near me. I was starting to get nervous.

What if Cayden and his men were not ready to approach yet? What if they were not even in place? Had I been thoughtless in my decision?

But I heard the sound of the horn. The soldier looked at me, grabbing his sword. “I knew you could not be trusted.” He swung his sword at me and I ducked just in time.

The men were riding down the hill and the soldier moved his attention to behind him. I took a second to watch Cayden ride toward us with gallantry, feeling my heart flutter.

The soldier turned to prepare himself for the fight, and I took off to the camp as fast as I could.

“Sable! Sable!” I cried over and over. I ran into our tent to find that neither Sable, Cay, nor the crib were there. I stumbled a few times running toward the middle of the camp.

“Sable!” There, I saw the crib by where Sable had sat for breakfast this morning. Upon hearing my voice, the baby began to cry.

I felt instant relief knowing he was safe and we would be riding away from here within moments. Sable threw open the flap of the commander’s tent and hurried out.

“What is it?” she asked with a guilty face.

“We must go. I will explain later, but we must go now.”

I started toward the crib to pick up Cay when Sable’s limp body fell to the ground. Ciaran had hit her over the back of the head.

He stood there, shirtless and full of malicious intent, next to the crib.

“Where are you planning to go?” he inquired. “You aren’t planning on running away, my lady, are you?”

He took a few steps closer to the crib. I was crippled with fear, trying to think what the safest move would be. I could either attempt to grab Cay and run, or try to get Ciaran away from the crib.

This would at least give one of the men the opportunity to save Cay, even if that meant sacrificing myself. He raised his sword up and held it over the crib.

“King Toren has ordered me to kill your son if you try to leave. It is not something I ~wish~ to do, but I ~will~ if it comes to that… So, what are you doing?”