Chapter 68: Chapter Nine

ADA

Cayden jerked his body upright, waking me up. His hand was already on his sword. I was about to ask him what was wrong, but he was already moving slowly toward the front of the tent.

He opened the flap, listening very carefully—we could both hear the sound of a galloping horse. It suddenly stopped, and we waited to hear if there were any more.

“Ada,” a voice started shouting. Cayden and I looked at each other. “Ada! I need to speak with Lady Ada!”

This caused me to get up as well, and I reached over to put my boots on. When I looked back at the door, Cayden was already gone.

He knew very well that I could not leave the baby here alone, nor would I venture into danger like this with him. Frustrated, I poked my head out, unable to see anyone.

I would just have to wait for Cayden to return.

Padriac opened the flap to the tent an hour later. “Ada, you must come.”

I was already dressed, holding Cay in my arms. I kissed his little nose and handed him over to Padriac. He told me he would bring the baby over to Kyra’s tent until I was done.

He left me by the table, where several men stood around the prisoner. I walked around to the other side to see Oisín sitting there.

He had been beaten up very badly, and my heart ached to think Cayden had done this to him.

“Oisín!” Trying to go near him, Cayden caught me before I could go any further. Even though I trusted Oisín, at one time I had trusted Sable as well.

I stayed in my place, with Cayden’s arm draped across the front of my body.

“You know this man?” Barra’s voice boomed over the other men. Silence fell across the group.

“Yes, he is the king’s steward. His right-hand man.”

“He refuses to speak to anyone but you. As you can see, we tried to persuade him otherwise.”

“Well, if you wish to speak to me, Oisín, I am here.”

Oisín looked as though he was about to faint. I asked one of the slaves to bring him a cup of ale and a piece of bread. After taking a swig of the drink, he started to speak with me in English.

“I have ridden all night to bring you devastating news. Are we not able to speak alone?”

“No. I am afraid not, not after Sable betrayed me yesterday in her attempt to murder my son.”

Oisín’s demeanor completely changed. Where he had held onto pride and anger, he was now understanding. He switched back to Gaelic and began to address the whole group.

“King Toren is dead. In his dying wish, he has sent me here to warn you Silas will attack with his army tomorrow. Silas’s only purpose is to kill Ada, the heir to the throne.”

Cayden’s arm protectively tightened around me. I felt a number of eyes fall upon me as Oisín finished his statement. I was scared my loyalty would be in question again.

“How can we trust that you speak the truth?” I asked him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a white cloth blotted with blood.

He unraveled it, and I recognized the ring as soon as he put it on the table—it was Toren’s.

“This is the only proof I have, but I give you my word, as ~your~ steward, that what I say is true.”

“Whether this man’s words are true or not, we must prepare for battle,” Barra said, directing one of the men to take Oisín away.

We sat around the table for the rest of the night devising a plan of attack. There were three waves of warriors who would be released at different times during the fight.

Gosta and Caxton would lead the first line of men. Cayden would follow, with Barra bringing in the last.

Sayer thought another wave should surprise attack from the right of the field. First by arrow, and then charging onto the battlefield. The other men agreed.

Sayer would need to scout it out, but he believed the forest would keep the men concealed until they made it over the hill. The arrows would give them enough time to make it down the hill.

This would be the last line of men to join the battle. Barra finished giving his orders, and I noticed my name had not been called yet.

“Sayer and Egil will lead this line of men.”

“And who will I ride with?” I asked.

Barra’s eyebrows shot up. “You wish to ride into battle with us?”

“Yes, I wish to kill Silas just as much as you do.”

“Then you shall. You will go with Sayer,” Barra said, moving on to the next orders. “Padriac, you will stay with Kyra. Any sign of attack or defeat, you take her and my grandson away.”

I had half-expected to be denied participation in the battle, which made me regret volunteering myself. Had I just decided my fate? Would I die in this battle?

I looked over at Cayden, who continued to listen to Barra’s instructions.

Once we were dismissed, I went over to tend to Oisín. I wanted to make sure he was all right before we went back to sleep for a few hours.

He was leaning against a tree with his eyes closed, and I could see they were swollen and bloody. I carried over a wet rag and some more food for him.

Kneeling down in front of him, I was about to touch his forehead with the rag when his eyes suddenly opened as wide as they could and his hand grabbed my throat.

I started to gasp, and my two hands tried to break his grip.

“Oisín, it is me. It is just me,” I said through a constricted voice, and his hand released me. Cayden found me gasping for air and coughing.

Being his overprotective self, he was about to pounce on Oisín when I put myself between the two of them.

“It is my fault. He was sleeping when I approached. It is hard for him to see through the swelling.”

Cayden called over one of the slaves to tend to Oisín and started to pull me away. I thanked him for bringing us the news about Toren, promising he would not be harmed as long as it was correct.

As Cayden escorted me away, I slipped my hand into his. We would only have a few hours to rest, and he assured me I would need every bit of energy for the battle.

With the baby still with Kyra, Cayden and I went back into our tent. As we lay facing each other, I tried my best to rest my mind, but I could not stop worrying about my decision to go into battle.

Cayden’s words from the other day repeated in my head. Was I abandoning our son for my own selfish reasons? What if both of us were killed? What would life be for him without a mother and father?

As if reading my thoughts, Cayden said, “You do not have to go.”

“And what would be my reason not to? That I am scared? Weak?”

“Because you have an infant son here to protect. No one expects you to leave him.”

“Cayden, this battle is ~because of me~. Silas killed my father ~because of me~. He is bringing his army here ~because of me~.”

“Ada, do not carry the weight of this fight on your shoulders. Silas may ride into battle because of you, but Barra rides into battle for his own purpose. This is about avenging my brother’s death.

“He will not stop until Silas dies. The battle would have happened whether you were here or not,” he said in his own attempt to comfort me.

I could feel my lip beginning to quiver and tried my best to bury the tears that were forming. He put his arm around the small of my back and brought me closer to his body.

“I can see my words did not ease your mind.”

“I will admit to you, as my husband, that I am scared… Very scared.”

“You cannot go into battle being scared.”

I blinked back a few more tears. “All I can think about is that one of us may die.”