Chapter 136

Ailene got out of bed and Frang helped her put a robe over her thick night dress. It was sufficient coverage for family and no one need be shamed by it. He helped her down the stairs, though she seemed to do well enough on her own and he was only there in case. The others were happy to see her out of bed. Ailene had more soup and willow bark tea and got through her meal without incident though her headache got marginally worse from moving around, despite the tea. When she was finished, Bjarkë helped her back to her room since he was going to look after her until bedtime.

He got her sat up in bed and comfortable and took a seat beside her, holding her hand.

"Frang is going to start me on real world training when I'm good to start again," she said.

"What do you mean by that?" Bjarkë asked.

"We're going to start moving off the training grounds, into trees and on uneven ground, with obstacles and multiple opponents. While we're still going to use training blades, we'll stop as soon as a killing touch is made and try to determine if there was anything we might have done to stave off death from using obstacles to block blades or hide behind, throwing dirt, to doing as you did today. Because we're dead, and to remind us as such, the training ends at that point except to determine if there were any other options to dying. Start again the next day."

"Lass, that's amazing. Most of the time, a man's come off the training grounds somewhat ready to fight, but never prepared for the complete confusion and finality of the real thing. It's only after you've gone through a couple real battles you're ready for the real thing, if you survived that long. Let me see what you come up with and I'll probably use the same thing for my own lads. What a great idea."

"Mostly Frang's. He realized his training of me was deficient for real world conditions. He realized your advantage was having gone through the real battles multiple times, making you come up with unusual solutions to unwinnable situations."

"Smart lad, but all the Cameron boys have more than their fair share of smarts."

"I think so."

"All you lasses are smart, too. Solid, makes you even more attractive than just your appearance. If I were a younger man, I'd be looking for someone just like you."

"Are you saying I'm pretty?" Ailene teased.

"You've got what it takes to put some wood in an old man's pecker."

"Bjarkë!" Ailene laughed, almost choking. "What a shocking thing to say."

"I was never one for flowery words and phrases and pretty much speak my mind. You and Isobel are lovely lasses. I know it when I see it."

"How come you never found a girl and settled down?"

"It's been a hard life for me. Not one to subject a woman to. Gone most of the time, fighting in other people's wars, looking after Thorburn. If I'd had children, she would have been raising them herself."

"Isn't it the history of Vikings? Raiding, pillaging, women minding the hearth until the men came home unless they were shield maidens?"

"Aye, but historically, we only raided in the summer months and returned during the winter. This mercenary business is different. Gone for years at a time. It's not the same."

"What about now? Surely you can find a somewhat attractive, smart, widow to lay claim to. I know you have a few maids visit your bed, even now."

"Mostly for fun and games. They tend to be a bit empty headed or they wouldn't be giving it to old men for a coin or cheap trinket."

"But they still find you attractive and able to please them, else I doubt a cheap trinket would be worth it to them," Ailene said. "Apparently you're lusty enough for even younger lasses."

"If I could find one like you, I'd probably settle down. I suspect my fighting days are mostly over except this business with Blackthorne."

Ailene patted his hand. "I shall be on the lookout for the right one. Someone who can still put wood in an old man's pecker."

Bjarkë laughed with her.

"Speaking of Blackthorne, I've been thinking about the tunnel and how it can be used."

"Thorburn was pretty sure it can't be used to attack the Manor," Bjarkë said. "He'd know."

"But we don't really have to attack the manor, do we? We only have to attack Blackthorne."

"What do you mean?"

"All we have to do is trap Blackthorne down there. Blackthorne uses the dungeon for himself. It's his play room. If he had someone down there to play with, it wouldn't take but a few men to take him out. We don't have to capture the manor. Once he's gone, our problem is solved. Might not even have to kill him. Have the magistrate with us and proof of what he does down there, and he could be arrested for his crimes."

Bjarkë thought about it for a few seconds. "My God, you're brilliant! What a marvelous idea. Give him a reason to be in his dungeon and take him. Forget the Manor."

"We'd have to dangle the right bait," Ailene said. "Probably a woman, since he's so fond of torturing them. I'd be perfect. Easy enough to arrange. Drop a few words to the right spies, put myself in his way. If it were one of the men, he'd probably kill them right away, get them out of the way. But we know he likes to take his time with the women, so if the rescue team were in the tunnel when I allowed myself to be captured, they could break in and snag the bastard."

"Oh no, lass. Stuart and Thorburn would never agree to risk your life so. Nor Frang for that matter. It would have to be someone else."

"Risk some other woman when I won't risk myself? I don't think so. Anyone else, he might not want to torture as much as he would me. He might just rape them and kill them. He'd want to take some time with me. It's the only thing that puts him in the dungeon when we want him to be there."

"And what if he rapes you for a few days before he starts the torture? We can't hide in the tunnels forever waiting for him to bring you down there. Stuart wouldn't stand for it."

"I didn't say it was a perfect plan. It's an alternative to what we have now. I haven't worked out all the details. Thorburn and the others might have some ideas to make sure he brings me down there right away. Maybe a frontal attack at the same time. Right now, it's just an idea. Teárlag might have some ideas. She's familiar with what he does down there. I can't recall if she said how many men are down there when he is. We'll need to ask her."

"We still don't know if we can trust Teárlag," Bjarkë said.

"Then we can't tell her until we're sure. I'm not ready to do it yet. We need to consider all the options Thorburn might come up with, but I think we have a chance of success if we do it, so we should consider it. We'll throw it out there the next time we have a group meeting. Discuss the pros and cons."

"Lady Cameron, I felt a right bastard hitting you on the head so hard. I don't know if I could ever forgive myself if I let that wretched bastard ever get his claws into you."

"So think of something else. I'm not eager to surrender myself to his tender mercies either, but I want this over with. I want to quit worrying about my husband and my future children and my friends. I don't want to bury any more Màiri's."

"Neither do I, lassie. Neither do I."

"Let's talk about more pleasant things, shall we. Out of all the women who've come to your bed; who'd you like the most and why? Might give me some ideas of the type of woman I should be looking for meeting your tastes."

Bjarkë laughed. "Well, there's a couple I remember with particular fondness. I can tell you about them."

"Wait, are any of them around here?"

"Maybe one of them," Bjarkë admitted, "though I've not had her to bed."

"Go ahead then. I'm all ears."