Chapter Eighteen
Miran waited for the guards to walk by before she slipped out of the opening of her shelter and ran behind the next tent, where the soldiers slept. Judging by the height of the moon, it was verra late, and she hoped to get to Kai without being caught. Aye, she had much to say, though she still loved him.
Another soldier trudged by, looking left and right, before he moved on, beyond the edge of the encampment, probably told to patrol farther in case Igor and his band of marauders tried to attack. Miran blew a stray hair from her face, wondering if Colin and Tiva had been reunited yet. She had prayed in earnest for them, having already decided she would do everything she could to make sure no one interfered with their future. She liked Colin.
Peeking around the side of the tent, she dinna hear or see anything. Good. She ran the distance to Kai’s tent, inching along the back of it, once again pausing to make sure she was alone.
“A mhic Ifrinn! A mhic an uilc! ’S e plaigh a th’ annad!” O son of Hell. O son of evil! Ye are a plague!
What woman would be inside Kai’s tent, and why would she curse him? Surely she wasna imagining it, for she had drunk an extra serving of potent wine earlier, making it easier to abide by Kai’s refusal to let her go with Colin. She shook her head as if to clear her mind and listened harder.
“Do ye know how long I have waited to exact my revenge? To see ye laid low?”
Her jaw dropped. Jesu. Should she find the guards? Or leave Kai to fight his own battle, for the woman inside his tent could be a scorned lover. The thought broke her heart. Were one of her maids secretly bedding him? Jealously hardened her heart momentarily. Let him suffer the consequences of…
“Yer father was a lying bastard.”
Nay. Kai had said nothing in his own defense yet, and whoever the woman was, her voice was strained and filled with hatred and rage. Had she already hurt Kai?
Quickly, Miran braced herself for the worst outcome and forced her way inside. She wanted to see this woman for herself.
What she found frightened her!
“Cadha! What are ye doing here? And why are ye holding a knife to the captain’s throat?” Though Kai’s eyes were open, he dinna move, dinna even blink.
Cadha hissed and turned. “Miran. I could ask ye the same question. Why are ye in the captain’s tent in the middle of the night? Has he finally succeeded in making ye his whore?”
Miran growled. “How dare ye! Get away from him. Now!”
As soon as Miran took a step toward Cadha, she shoved the knife under Kai’s throat again. “Take another step and I’ll slit his throat ear-to-ear.”
The woman was obviously irrational, mad even. “Why?”
“Why?” The older woman laughed. “Do ye know how long I have bided my time? How long my family has planned for this moment?” She looked over her shoulder at Miran. “Aye, I see the confusion on yer pretty face, lass. I tried to protect ye, to give ye fair warning, even a whipping to make ye remember why cavorting with this heathen would hurt ye. But I see I am too late. So ye may as well watch while I kill him.”
“Nay!”
“There is nothing ye can do to save him. The bread he brought back to the camp was poisoned.”
How had she known about the bread? And Miran had eaten a piece. How was she unharmed? “I ate the bread.”
“Not enough,” Cadha said.
“How did ye know to poison the bread?”
“Twas my cottage Igor sent him to.”
Miran’s mind reeled with a hundred questions.
“Igor is my nephew. Cacalay my home. A decade ago, the Sutherlands sought experienced men for two ships they wanted to send to Constantinople, eager to trade for silk. My grandfather and brother, both seduced by the coin they were promised from the earl, left their wives and children behind to set sail for that heathen land.”
Miran gasped as understanding dawned. But ten years ago, Kai was but a lad. “Surely the captain had nothing to do with yer misfortune?”
“No’ directly. But his wicked sire, the regional governor and a powerful prince, ordered all of the men on my father’s ship to be executed after they were caught with stacks of the highest quality silk. A crime punishable by death, even now.”
“B-but…”
“Doona try to defend Prince Kuresh! He can hide behind his Highland name, dress as a MacKay, even speak like one, but he is still the son of Lord Kalil. He owes my family a blood-debt, and I will collect my reward!”
“Nay.” Miran shot forward, unable to contain her desperation much longer. Cadha refused to listen to reason. What should she do? She wouldna be able to breathe if anything happened to Kai. She loved him, wanted to marry him. Please, God. Spare him. Let our love take root. Let us have children. Forgive my stubborn pride! Tears filled her eyes but she swiped them away. There was no room for weakness. “Doona hold Kai responsible. Is a son guilty of his father’s sins?”
“Aye,” Cadha dinna hesitate to answer, “if reparations havena been made.”
Miran swallowed the bile in her throat, feeling hopeless and helpless. If she attempted to overwhelm the maid by throwing herself at her, Cadha would surely follow-through with her threat and slit the captain’s throat. And if she yelled for the guards, they’d never make it in time to save him. Nay, better to keep her talking.
“Is it wealth ye seek? I will pay whatever ye ask if ye but spare him.”
“Ye are the devil’s mistress, then. Get out or I will kill ye, too!”
“Cadha,” she said firmly. “I am still a maiden.”
The maid held her gaze and nodded. “Then I willna harm ye.”
“Ye are a Christian, and murder is forbidden.”
“I gave up on the Almighty long ago, lass. There is but life and death. Blood for blood.”
“Surely ye blame the Sutherlands, the earl. He must have known the risks of buying that silk. What other reason would he have for financing two ships with men that weren’t his own? Why risk his own neck when he could send innocent men to die in his place? If they had succeeded, all the better. But since they died, no one is the wiser about his selfish and heartless deed.”
“We know.” Cadha pressed her hand to her chest. “This whole village knows. Tis why we conquered this place—so we could rob and kill any Sutherlands travelling this way. Like a slow-bleeding wound, we find ways to make the earl suffer.”
“Petition the king. Surely he will demand restitution for yer suffering, for yer loss.”
Cadha wiped her brow and let out a long breath. “The king doesna care.”
“Let me try for ye.”
“Go, Lady Miran, unless ye wish to see him die. Let me put the captain out of his misery, for the poison has already robbed him of his voice and movement.”
Miran stared at Kai’s motionless body. His eyes were still wide open. Could he hear what they were saying? Did he know how close to death he was? Please, God. “What kind of poison is it? And why dinna more of us end up like the captain?”
“Tis a slow-acting tincture. Boils the blood and burns a man from the inside out. Even if I were to let him live, he would likely die. As for the other, perhaps the captain and ye were the only ones to eat the bread he bought. I couldna believe my good fortune when he appeared at my doorway. I knew right away why Igor had agreed to sell our bread to him—it was time to kill him.” She faced Kai again. “Tis yer time to die.”
As the maid raised her hand, Miran ripped the dirk from the sheath she kept hidden under her skirts. In one fluid motion, she threw it, the blade landing between Cadha’s shoulder blades. She uttered a gut-wrenching shriek and collapsed to the ground, dropping her own knife.
“Why?” Cadha cried out.
Miran dinna waste any time, she kicked the maid’s weapon out of reach before she knelt beside her. “I told ye I wasna a lady.”
As Cadha breathed her last, Miran closed her lifeless eyes. Somewhere deep inside, Miran felt a measure of pity for Cadha. Her life had been full of bitterness and suffering and had ended tragically. She stood then, staring at Kai.
Guards swarmed inside the tent, followed by Dedra and the other maids.
“What happened here?” Kenneth asked her.
“I-I…” Before she could answer, the world went dark.