14

Meehall rushed to keep up with his brother, hurdling over roots and kicking acorns on his way out to the perimeter of the sacred grove. He couldn’t see them through the thick trees, but he knew the Murray clan’s warriors stood guard out beyond them. Without a care who heard, he shouted, “Eoin, wait for the rest o’ us. Ye dinna want tae leave us, dae ye? We wull hae yer back in a fight afore any o’ the Murrays dae!”

Even as he said this, Meehall knew his brother did wish to leave the Murrays behind. The druids sent Eoin on errands, which because of the MacGregor curse, Eoin couldn’t refuse. The Murrays couldn’t know about the errands or the curse anymore than they could be allowed to find out about time travel, or there would be hell to pay from the druids.

The first Murray Eoin encountered was one of the men usually sent to scout, young and light on his huge bay gelding. "Bran, quick, gather the other scouts and fly. The Cameron clan is camped west o’ here. We hae tae find them. Gae!"

Bran was running off to find the other scouts when he ran right into Searc, the Murray clan chieftain, who stopped him. "Nay sae fast," Searc said as if to Bran, but he was looking right at Eoin. "I would hear all that went on with the druid ye summoned."

Meehall had caught up now, and he approached Searc. "’Tis true. The Druid did say the Cameron clan lies west o’ here, and na far. He bade us make haste, says an abomination be planned for  Sarah's clanswomen."

Meehall admired Searc’s calmness and level head. The clan chieftain looked to where Sarah, Ciaran, and Baltair were just now coming out of the trees. "Baltair, what transpired in there? Did an auld Druid appear, indeed? What did the man say?"

Eoin leaned in. "We already telt ye what he did say. As well he said we must needs make haste—"

Searc turned on Eoin, and Searc’s hackles were up: spine rigidly straight, shoulders back, considerable muscles bulging. When the chieftain spoke, it was with the strength of power realized, rather than the yearning of power sought. “I thank ye, Eoin, for doing what ye could tae find the answers we seek. I wull now decide what is tae be done, ye ken?"

Eoin opened his big fat mouth to protest and get himself shunned by the whole Murray clan, if not Meehall, Ciaran, Baltair —and Sarah and Malina as well.

Meehall put out a hand on his little brother's arm and pulled him away from Searc.

Eoin turned on Meehall with a fist ready to strike his nose.

But Malina was there now, and she stepped in front of Meehall just in time. "Eoin, Searc is the clan chieftain."

Eoin seemed on the verge of objecting again, but looking into his wife's eyes, he slowed his breathing. His mouth closed from a grimace, and he slowly lowered his fist to his side. "Aye, o’ course Searc is the clan chieftain, and we await his decision on what should be done."

Searc had turned his back on Eoin the moment Meehall pulled him away. The chieftain was facing Baltair, who was giving his own recollection of what happened. Which was the same as Meehall's and Eoin's.

Apparently satisfied, Searc looked up into the setting sun. "We make camp just west o’ here.   Bran, rally the scouts and gae west. Find the Camerons and return."

***

Meehall didn't notice it amid the hubbub of setting up camp, but once they were seated around the family fire, he saw the worry, sadness, and downright despair in Sarah's eyes. Feeling guilty for ignoring his friend's distress, he reached out and gathered her up against him in a hug as they sat there side-by-side in the dirt by the fire. For a moment, he merely held her as they watched the flames rise against the darkness outside their wee family’s circle of light.

But in a minute she was sobbing out her tale of woe as she clung to him and her tears wet his shoulder. "Nadia and Ellie are wonderful friends, Meehall, as wonderful as ye and Jaelle and how Eoin used tae be. We were all such wonderful friends, remember?"

"Aye, I remember." He ran his hand in small circles on her back, in an attempt to calm her.

She kept sobbing. "Nadia went oot o’ her way tae make me feel at home when I first came tae Celtic University. She is the one who invited me tae lunch that first time and said tae come back every day after. I ken the three o’ us are the ainly American clarks at Celtic, but she didna hae tae dae that. She makes me feel like we hae been friends forever." She struggled against her sobs. "And Ellie. Ellie is sae much fun, sae full o’ wonder. But she has been hurt in her past, Meehall. She tries tae hide it by jesting all the time, but ye can see it if ye pay her heed. 'Tis a crime that I let such a person fall intae such a dreadful situation."

"Wheesht." Meehall kept trying.

But she clutched him in obvious agony, sobbing and going on. “How could I be sae stupid as tae bring such peace-loving women tae this feud-driven time? They are such angels, sae selfless and good. They dinna deserve what I hae brought them tae! They could be safe in the hallowed walls o’ the school, writing and smiling and pressing flowers, but I hae dragged them intae a hell! Their bonnie faces wull be drawn in horror ere long!”

As he continued trying to mollify Sarah, Meehall noticed something.

Ciaran and Baltair were sitting around the fire, too, but they weren’t talking, not even in respectful hushed tones, like Eoin and Malina were. They were careful not to look at him and Sarah, but it was obvious to Meehall that his distant MacGregor cousins were listening intently to Sarah’s portrayal of the other two modern women.

Meehall didn't get the chance to soothe Sarah into calmness.

Eoin jumped up when Searc was passing by their fire. "If 'tis true the scouts hae found the Camerons, then now is the time tae attack. While we can surprise them. Afore we are spotted!"

Meehall deliberated for just a moment. On the one hand, he had a friend who needed comforting. On the other hand, his stupid brother was going to get himself killed by the clan chieftain. It was a close call, but he chose his brother, jumping up and jogging over. "Eoin, let Searc make a plan—"

Eoin rounded on Meehall. This time, he did slug him. He kept slugging, making Meehall duck about. "Had yer wheesht! Ye are a coward, Meehall. A coward who would rather sit aboot the fire with the auld folks, blubbering about how bad the waurld is. This calls for the action o’ warriors, na the blubbering o’ cowards. Stay behind. Let the warriors attack. Now. This verra night."

Meehall wasn't going to take this from his younger brother, no matter how big Eoin had gotten. He ran at his brother and tackled him.

The two of them rolled around in the dirt of the pathway through the camp, all jabbing elbows and snapping teeth, like two small boys.

Meanwhile, Searc rallied the clan. "Warriors! We ride this verra night. Past the inn and clear up the mountain afore we sleep. At first light, we attack."