Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

A fter finally managing to pry Kai out of the common room, Magnus dragged his little brother out into crowded area in the heart of the small town. The air was thick with laughter and music, the atmosphere festive. With so much celebratory energy all around them, Magnus knew it was going to be difficult to keep Kai on task. He turned to his little brother, fixing him with a stern look.

“I’ll make ye a deal,” Magnus said.

“A deal, eh?” Kai replied. “All right then, let’s hear it.”

“Ye stay focused and on task with me until sundown and I’ll give ye the night tae dae with what ye please. Ye can go drinkin’ and chasin’ skirts tae yer heart’s content,” Magnus said. “On the condition that ye’re up and ready tae get back tae work in the mornin’.”

His brother pulled a face and seemed to think it over for a moment before his lips curled back in a wide smile.

“Deal,” he announced.

“All right then.”

Magnus surveyed the grounds around them, searching the faces of the people in the crowd. With hundreds of people milling about, he knew this would be no simple task.

“’Tis like tryin’ tae find a needle in a bleedin’ haystack,” he grumbled.

“Worse than that,” Kai said. “We dinnae ken if this bleedin’ needle even exists.”

Magnus didn’t want to encourage his brother by telling him he was right, but the simple fact was that he was. They were there in Seabridge chasing a rumor. It was a story told by somebody who told somebody else who then told Domhnall. It was, to that point, unfounded, but his older brother had taken it seriously enough that he had sent Magnus and Kai up to Seabridge to investigate.

Magnus was happy to go. Any threat to the clan, as far as he was concerned, was to be taken seriously. And if there was somebody out there collaborating with the English, perhaps mounting an attack on their family’s lands, then he would find them. Although Kai looked like a man who didn’t seem to take much of anything seriously, just as Magnus, he had a deeply ingrained sense of duty. One that had only deepened after the death of their father. They didn’t consider anything, not even chasing rumors, to be a waste of time if it meant securing their lands and keeping their clan safe. And as much a Kai tried to look careless most of the time, Magnus knew very well he was as bothered by the rumor as him.

“So? What dae ye hear, big braither?” Kai asked.

Magnus closed his eyes and focused, shutting out the chorus of voices that flooded into his mind the way Mor had taught him. He slowly opened his eyes again and scanned the crowd, listening into the thoughts of every person his gaze fell upon. Just like it had been in the common room though, it was nothing more than an array of inane, nonsensical words—the musings of people intent on having a good time at the games.

Magnus didn’t hear anything sinister, nor anything that led him to conclude he’d found their spy. Worse, there were so many people clustered together in such a small area, the voices of everybody around them ran together in one confused jumble, making it difficult for him to distinguish one train of thought from the next.

With a grunt of frustration, Magnus closed that door in his mind again, closing out all the voices in his head. “We’re goin’ tae have tae dae this the hard way.”

“What are ye goin’ on about?”

“There are too many people here for me tae hear a single thought. One just overlaps with another like a bleedin’ knot I cannae untangle.”

“So, what are we goin’ tae have tae dae then?”

“We’re goin’ tae have to walk around the grounds and use our eyes tae look fer our spy.”

Kai sighs. “Dae we really?”

“Aye. We dae. So, quit yer bleatin’. Ye sound like a bleedin’ mule.”

As if sensing the sudden and serious shift in Magnus’ mood, Kai did as he was told and fell silent as he waited for his older brother to give him his orders.

“What is the plan, braither?” Kai asked.

“Dae ye recall the description of the woman we’re lookin’ fer?”

“Aye. Small in stature, delicate features, hair like gold and eyes the color of the meadows around Dunvegan in spring. Skilled with a bow and a blade…”

At that point, Kai’s recitation cut off and he laughed. Magnus planted his fists on his hips and stared at his brother, annoyance on his face.

“What?” he demanded.

“It’s just the idea that this lass is some sort of skilled warrior who can kill us all… doesnae it strike ye as a little too strange tae be true?”

“Are ye saying lasses cannae fight?”

“I mean… nae as well as we.”

“Ye’d dae well to never let yer sisters Thora, Enya or Domhnall’s wife hear ye spew that nonsense,” Magnus said.

Growing up, their father had insisted all the siblings learn to master a variety of weapons. He had made sure they were all well prepared and capable of fighting and defending themselves—and each other. He knew a day would come when they would need to put those skills to the test and had ensured they were all ready for it. As a result, not only were Magnus and his brothers skilled and accomplished warriors, so were their sisters. Although they rarely used their skills, Thora and Enya were as deadly with a blade in their hands as Magnus, Kai, or Domhnall.

“Ye should ken better that tae say such stupid things,” Magnus grumbled.

“’Twas only makin’ a joke. I’m just sayin’ that this lass Domhnall has us out here chasin’ sounds like somethin’ out of the stories Ma used tae tell us when we were babes. She just doesnae sound real tae me. That’s all I’m sayin’.”

Magnus eyed him. “’Tis our duty tae find out if she’s real or nae.”

“What makes ye think she’s even here?”

“If what Domhnall was told is true, she’s lookin’ fer allies. This would bae the place to find ‘em,” Magnus said. “She’d bae able to blend in with the crowd and ask around more discreetly. She likely wouldnae stand out since a lot of people came tae the games lookin’ tae build alliances of one sort or another.”

“Aye. I suppose that makes sense.”

“Of course, it does,” Magnus said. “Now, get out there and start lookin’ fer her. And I mean it, Kai.”

“I give ye me word. Just remember the deal ye made me.”

“If you happen tae find her, dinnae engage,” Magnus warned. “Find me first.”

“If ye say so. But if she’s as fair as the description makes her sound, perhaps I’ll just charm her into givin’ me all her secrets.”

“Kai—”

“’Tis a jest, braither. Good Lord, ye need tae loosen up.”

Kai shot him a sly smirk that made Magnus shake his head and sigh as he stalked away from him and melted into the crowd. Small in stature, delicate of features, hair the color of gold, and eyes the shade of the grass in the meadows in spring. That was how she had been described to them. Truthfully, it could have described half the women in the crowd that Magnus passed. Every time he spotted a woman who fit that description, he took a quick peek inside her mind and had yet to find one who had any sort of nefarious intent in her thoughts.

After purchasing a bowl of roasted meats in a brown sauce with bread and something to drink and leaving a few extra coins for the vendor, Magnus found a quiet place to sit down and eat. His stomach rumbled, chastising him for going all day without food. It was basic fare but quite good. He was just thinking about asking the vendor what they’d spiced the meat with, wanting to take that bit of knowledge home with him, when a woman passing by caught his eye.

The woman turned to him and their eyes locked for just a moment and when they did, he felt a bolt of lightning fire through his veins. Something about her struck a chord deep inside of him and he wasn’t sure what it meant. Her eyes were the color of spring grass in the meadow and her hair, though hidden beneath the hood of her cloak, shone like gold. She was petite, her features soft and delicate. The woman’s gaze slid away as she turned away and continued on.

“Ye’re bleedin’ kidding me,” he said, feeling a rush of excitement was through him.

Magnus got to his feet and followed the woman at a discreet distance, not too close to spook her, but not so far off that he would lose her among the throngs of people. Music and laughter filled his ears, but the only thing he was focused on was the woman in the dark green cloak ahead of him. He could see the tip of a sword sheath peeking out from beneath her cloak. She was armed and ready for a fight. She moved as if she’d been trained and knew how to use them, which further piqued his curiosity.

Unlocking the door in his mind, Magnus focused on the golden-haired woman. He listened closely, trying to hear her thoughts… but heard nothing. The silence coming from the woman was strange. It was something he had never encountered before. Everybody had stray thoughts running through their minds at all times. It was just part of being human. A person’s mind was never silent. And yet, that was exactly what he was getting from the woman in the green cloak. Nothing. Absolutely nothing but the purest silence he had ever heard.

“What in the bleedin’ hell?” he muttered.

He watched as the woman walked by a table with fruits and breads laid out on it.

Her appearance as well as her nimble, dexterous movements intrigued him. It made Magnus think that luck had finally landed on his side, and he’d found the needle in the haystack. Until he had something more definitive though, he opted to not make a move on her just in case he was wrong. With every step though, he was increasingly certain he had found her. He had found the spy. Which meant the rest of the story was true too.

While excited to have uncovered the traitor, Magnus found himself concerned about the potential for a fight coming their way they were not prepared for.

“Who are ye?” he whispered to himself. “And what dae ye want?”