Page 89 of Come the Morning

“I killed the man who came with a staff—” Joshua began, then broke off, wincing.

“You were brave, indeed. Margot, bring the poultice, and your strongest ale; he needs to sleep.”

“Aye, son, rest is the strongest healer now,” the white-haired man said.

The woman who had worked at the hearth bobbed to Waryk and hurried to the bed with the poultice she had heated over the fire. Mellyora stood and turned to him. She quickly colored, and he realized that Angus and the MacKinny had come to stand behind him, and that she was seeing young Ewan for the first time since her marriage.

“All is well here?” Waryk inquired.

“Aye,” Mellyora murmured, lifting a hand and indicating Joshua’s carefully tended wound, and the way that his wife served him now.

Waryk stared at the man with the white beard.

“Laird Lion, arrived most opportunely!” the man said, and bowed, watching him with open curiosity. “I’m Father Phagin, Laird Lion, but since it’s rumored my father was a Viking runemaster and my mother a Celtic witch, my flock just call me Phagin. I advise, I heal, I communicate my very best with Heaven.”

Waryk thought that Phagin might turn elsewhere when he didn’t feel that Heaven was answering, but he instinctively felt that whatever his ways and means, Father Phagin was a spiritual man, and probably did commune more closely with God than many a more orthodox man. “There are two dead, Father?” he asked.

“Aye, young Avery, the smith, and old Joseph, a mason.”

“Let the women prepare them tonight; we’ll hold services tomorrow.”

“Aye, Laird Waryk. And sir, welcome to Blue Isle.” He smiled somewhat grimly. “We are not so incompetent, sir, as it might have appeared when you first arrived. You must be weary from your journey. If you wish to settle into your new home, I can promise you that we will take care of the houses here, our people, and all that needs be tended to from this heinous attack.”

Waryk watched him, and nodded. Mellyora still stood across the room, silent for once, and appearing stricken.

He reached out a hand to her. “Come, my dear. Indeed, show me my new home, I’ve a need to reachourchambers.”

She was ashen, and he wondered if she would fight him, as she so often did—especially since he had emphasized the fact that they would share quarters and that he had done so in front of MacKinny. If she did, it might be well—he’d make the point immediately that he was laird of this castle.

But apparently, she didn’t want any points made.

“Father Phagin, we’ll speak later. Margot, pray, take good care of Josh.”

“Aye, lady, he’s my life,” Margot said passionately, and she sat at her husband’s side, taking his hand. They were neither young, nor especially pretty people, but there together, the tenderness they shared, despite whatever hardships in life faced them, seemed to cast a beautiful glow upon them both. Their lives were simple; poor perhaps, but in Margot’s eyes, he could see that she believed she had everything, for her husband had survived.

Waryk found himself pausing. “Don’t worry in the days to come, Joshua. You bravely withstood an enemy. Whatever you need that we can give, you will have.”

“Thank you, me mighty Laird Lion,” Joshua said humbly. “Thank you fer that boon, and thank you fer arriving in time to kill the heathens!”

“Aye, well, that thanks belongs to God, for we could not have planned it so, Joshua,” Waryk said. “Mellyora?”

At last, she found motion and strode from the bedside. She hesitated just briefly, teeth clenched, before she accepted his hand and let him lead her from the cottage. “The tide is rising—” she told Waryk as he led her toward Mercury.

“Mercury can manage.”

“The water is cold,” she murmured.

Perhaps the water was cold; he had not thought so charging into battle, but then he had to admit to himself, he had been wild with rage. This,thisplace was his. His property had been attacked. And he would fight any man to the death.

“Aye, lady, then—”

“There are boats on the shore. My people will see me across,” she said smoothly, intending to walk right past him.

“Really? Tell me, were thoseyourpeople who just attacked?”

She stopped dead, turning furiously to him.“What?”

“Vikings. We were set upon by Vikings.”