“Away from Earl Siward.”
I nodded. “They are as much my kin as his. I must have them fostered by those who would not teach them to seek vengeance now…or later.” Unless I acted now, it would be Lulach who would have to deal with his unruly cousins backed by a Northumbrian army. I needed to do what I could to stop the bad blood from boiling.
Banquo inclined his head to me. “I will send spies south to track Malcolm down. There was a rumor that the younger son, Donaldbane, had been sent to Iona.”
I frowned. “Macbeth didn’t send anyone to retrieve him?”
Banquo shook his head. “No. I will see to it. We were so worried about Lulach and Fleance…”
I nodded. He was right. We should have thought of it before. “We’ll do what we can now. Thank you.”
Banquo nodded then handed the same scroll toward me once more. “Macbeth is victorious.”
I took the parchment and read over the dispatch. Macbeth had played his part. Very well.
“And Thorfinn?”
“He and Magnus have also had their victory.”
“Thank the Great Mother,” I said with an exhausted sigh then sat down.
“Are you all right?” Banquo asked.
“Yes…just weary.”
Banquo chuckled. “That is battle weariness. When you can, you will sleep for days. But for now…” he said then motioned to the stack of scrolls waiting.
“Thane,” someone called, waving to Banquo.
Another messenger had arrived.
Banquo motioned to the man to stay a moment.
“Go on,” I said tiredly. “You have much work to do. I’ll be here.”
“Rest, if you can, Gruoch,” Banquo said, his eyes lingering on mine. I could see there was more he wanted to say, wanted to do, but he could not with everyone’s eyes on us. Already everyone thought we were lovers. But in the presence of all our people, it didn’t do to show our feelings openly.
Banquo set his hand gently on my shoulder then turned to see to the messenger.
I lifted the first of the scrolls and began going through the reports. By all accounts, Earl Siward had survived. He’d left Duncan in the field and retreated with a large portion of his army. We had spies on him. In the future, I would have to pay for more eyes and ears at his court and would have to protect my own from such infiltration. But for now, Macbeth and I needed to move toward Scone. Only once we had the kingdom safely in our palms with crowns on our heads could we begin to think about what would happen next.
I spent the next several hours going through reports and receiving messengers. We’d had our own losses, but they were not as great as we feared. Still, it was too many men. Too much of a price to pay.
I was staring at yet another scroll, my eyes going misty from exhaustion, when someone called my name.
“Lady Gruoch?”
I looked up to find Standish there.
“Standish? What is it?” I could see from the expression on his face that everything was not well.
“Can you come with me a moment?”
I rose. Every muscle in my body protested, and my head swam. No matter the work, I needed to sleep soon.
I crossed the hall to join Standish. “What’s happened?”
He motioned for me to follow him. We made our way out of the castle and back across the yard—which was still bustling with people—toward the stables.
“Thora, your bonnie lass, disappeared out the gate and into the fields right after you returned. She just came back…leading that one,” Standish said, pointing.
I followed his gaze to see a groom guiding Kelpie, who was limping badly, to the water trough.
“Kelpie,” I called, rushing to him.
At the sound of his name, the old stallion turned and nickered at me.
I rushed to him. But even from a distance, I could see the terrible wound on his leg.
“He’s taken a bad injury, my lady. Looks like something caught his leg. A sword, maybe. I’m going to clean and dress his wound now. He… There is a lot of damage, my lady.”
I stroked Kelpie’s ear. “I’m going to have a look now,” I told him.
Kelpie had lifted his hoof, holding his leg up. There was damage to the ligament. He would recover from the injury, that was evident, but he could never be ridden again.
The groom caught my eye. The expression on his face told me he’d already come to the same assessment.
“Treat it as best you can. We must keep the wound clean, let it heal as best it will. Do you need medicines?”
“No, my lady, we are well stocked to deal with such wounds. But some say that when a horse’s leg is too badly—”
I raised my hand to stop him. “No. He will be lame, I understand. I’ll not reward him for a lifetime of service and friendship in that manner. Oats and pasture. That will be his future.”
The groom breathed a sigh of relief. “I hoped you’d say as much.”
I pressed my head against Kelpie’s neck, wrapping my arms around him. “I’m sorry, old friend.”
Kelpie neighed softly at me.
I patted Kelpie once more then turned to look at Thora who was sitting nearby. I bent to take her face into my hands, ruffling her ears. “My good girl. What would I ever do without you? Why don’t you head to the kitchen and see what scraps you can win. You’ve earned them.”
Thora thumped her tail, licked my face, then turned and trotted off to the kitchens.
Willful, magical, and wonderful dog.
“Rest and heal, old friend,” I told Kelpie. I patted his neck once more then nodded to the groom who took Kelpie by the lead and coaxed him toward the stable.
Watching them go, I sighed. I then turned my attention to the yard. A tent had been erected along the east wall. There, the wounded men were receiving care for their injuries. Even from this distance, I could hear their groans.
We had won, but it had come at a cost.
Now, we had to make good on everyone’s sacrifice.
Rather than heading back inside, I climbed the rampart and looked out over the army encamped there. Dusk had come once more. As far as I looked, I saw the light of campfires. Like fireflies in a summer field, the soldiers’ fires illuminated the landscape.
I closed my eyes.
Everything the Morrigu predicted had come to pass.
Duncan was dead.
Macbeth would become king.
I would be queen alongside him.
I should have felt happy, excited.
Instead, I felt terrible loathing and dread.
Maybe I had won the day, but I didn’t really want it. I didn’t really want to be queen. I wanted Duncan to die, to pay for what he did. The rest? No. Once upon a time, I’d dreamt of a life that was of my own imagining, a life not willed by the gods, or memories of past lives, or led by anyone or anything but myself. I’d dreamt of a peaceful life at Cawdor. A life with my children and a man who loved me.
A soft hand settled on my shoulder.
In that moment, I felt frustrated with Banquo for breaking apart my memory.
I opened my eyes to see the shade of Gillacoemgain standing there. He was looking down at me, a soft, sad smile on his face. He reached out and touched the bruise on my cheek.
The caress felt so real.
I lifted my hand to lay it on his.
When I did so, the expression on Gillacoemgain’s face changed. A look of terror crossed his features.
I followed his gaze to my hand, which was dripping with blood.
Suppressing a scream, I pitched sideways, black dots appearing before my eyes.
“Lady Gruoch,” one of the watchmen called.