The Battle for Duncragglin (18 page)

Sir Ellerslie gave Alex a gentle shove. “True!” He laughed. “The lesson I will take from today is to
never
underestimate my adversaries – or my friends.” He put a hand on Craig's shoulder. “Thank you, Craig, for asking me to put up my hands rather than shoot me. That was good of you.”

Craig blushed. “I wouldn't have wanted to shoot you, Sir Ellerslie.”

“I'm glad to hear that. There are far too many people out there who do.”

“Did you win the battle?”

“Which battle? There have been so many. Do you mean the one with Rorie's men? Yes, I did survive that, although they put up a better fight than we thought. I suspect they were a special force of Hesselrigge's best men, on a mission to capture or kill William Wallace.”

Back at the bathing pool, the boys quickly finished scrubbing their clothes and bundling them up. Clad only in sacks, they led Sir Ellerslie to their hiding spot. They found Annie, now in her mostly dry clothes, picking through Katie's tangled hair with the comb Alex had carved. At the sight of Sir Ellerslie, Annie hastily reached for a rock and Katie sprinted out of sight.

“It's okay, this is our friend, Sir Ellerslie,” Alex called out.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, lass.” Sir Ellerslie gave a deep bow.

Alex explained who he was, and Annie lowered her arm. It took several minutes, however, for Katie to peer out from behind a boulder.

The boys set about spreading their wet clothes over rocks. Sir Ellerslie sat near the fire. He glanced about the camp, nodding approvingly.

“You're well hidden and sheltered here. How'd ye find such a lovely spot?”

“We were lucky, that's all.” Annie lifted the lid of the warm pot at the edge of the fire. “Would you like to have some stew?”

Sir Ellerslie leaned forward to have a look. “
Mmm
, that smells mighty fine, but I don't want to be taking your food.” He settled back.

“But, I insist.” Annie gave the pot a stir. “We have plenty, and tomorrow we're going crab-hunting anyway, so it's best we finish up the remains.”

Sir Ellerslie relented. He took the wooden spoon, ladled up some stew, and had a sip. Alex watched carefully, but by the time Sir Ellerslie was finished, he still hadn't spotted either of the rabbit eyeballs.

“Can you tell us, Sir Ellerslie,” Alex asked, “where we might be able to get our hands on some torches, or perhaps some oil lamps?”

“We've got lots back at our camp. But why would ye be needing them?”

“To find our way through the caves,” Craig blurted eagerly.

Sir Ellerslie paused. “Caves?”

Craig covered his mouth. “In case we find one,” he added quickly.

“Where are these caves?”

There was nothing to be gained from lying. “Down by the castle,” Alex said, and he told Sir Ellerslie of the entrance that
could be reached only at the lowest tide. Sir Ellerslie laughed when Alex described how it led up a shaft they thought might have been a toilet. Then he suddenly looked serious.

“Tell me, do these caves lead into the castle?”

“I think so, but we haven't been that way.”

There was a gleam in Sir Ellerslie's eye. “The castle is almost impenetrable in a frontal assault, and we fear much loss of life,” he said. “Should this be a back door to the fortress, we might have the answer.” He continued to press them for details. Finally satisfied, he rose to his feet.

“Well, lads and lassies, I must be off. Low tide is but a few days away, and there is much to prepare.”

“Can we come with you?” Craig asked.

Sir Ellerslie ruffled Craig's hair. “I havenae the time to be traveling with wee rascals. Besides, I think it would be better for ye to stay here. Ye should be safe enough until I return with Malcolm and a band of his men. Soldiers do, however, make patrols, and I strongly urge that any time any of ye venture from this hiding spot, ye keep a close eye out for them.”

Sir Ellerslie looked to Katie. “I am very sorry to hear about what happened to your family, Katie. I will personally see to it that ye are looked after properly, when all is said and done.”

Katie dropped her eyes. “Thank you, sir.” She gave a small curtsy, her lip trembling.

“I'll be back within two days.” Without a further word, he departed.

Craig said what everyone was thinking: “I wish he didn't have to go.” It felt safer when Sir Ellerslie was with them.

Now a sense of nervousness and anxiety came over them all.

“He'll be back, don't worry. He knows where we are now,” Alex said.

The rest of the day was spent waiting for clothes to dry, tending the fire, and contemplating what was to come. Annie finished combing out Katie's hair. She had transformed her from a scruffy urchin with matted hair into a little girl. She was still reluctant to meet anyone's eyes for more than a second or two, but Alex often noticed her watching him. Wherever he went, Katie was never far away.

At dinner, they almost finished the rabbit stew and ate the last of the dry bread and biscuits Annie had salvaged from the soldiers' camp. Alex wondered what kind of crabs they would catch the next day and whether he could possibly bring himself to eat something that looked so disgusting.

As the sun set, they rearranged the blankets. To accommodate Katie's wish to sleep between Annie and Alex, Craig ended up between Annie and Willie and he was quite happy about it. He made no bones about not wanting to be on the outside edge. This left Willie and Alex on opposite ends again, each with their bow within reach, and Annie where she wanted to be, smack in the middle.

Satisfied with this arrangement, they settled into sleep, no longer plagued by the prospect of werewolves and vampires. Alex felt Katie snuggle into his back. He was her big brother now, the only one she had. And she was the little
sister he never had. He tugged the crossbow closer, wanting nothing bad to ever happen to her again.

Flames lapped up the sides of a large piece of driftwood. The fire's faint pop and crackle and the hypnotic tongues of flame soon lulled him into a deep and restful sleep.

“W
here's Katie?” Annie shook Willie. “Katie's gone. Get up, hurry!”

Willie pulled his blanket up over his head. “Don't worry,” he mumbled sleepily. “She'll be back soon. She went crab-hunting.”

“When?”

“I don't know … it was early … the sun was barely up.”

“That was ages ago! We have to go look for her. Oh, how could you let her go on her own? You heard what Sir Ellerslie said about soldier patrols….”

“Don't blame me! I told her to go back to sleep, but she wouldn't listen. She said it was the perfect time to catch crabs and away she went.”

The weather had taken a turn for the worse. A cool, light drizzle misted them as they clambered over the rocks to the water's edge.

“Where can she be?” Annie fretted. “The tide is too far in to be catching crabs.”

“What's that over there?” Craig asked. Something half-submerged was bumping into a distant rock with each rise and fall of the waves.

“Katie!” Annie shrieked.

Alex felt a clammy chill.
Please let it not be Katie.
They raced to the shore. It was only a sack rolling about in the waves. A swell brought it up within reach.

Craig dragged it out of the water and held it open. “There are a couple of crabs in here,” he said. “But why would Katie have left it?”

They looked fearfully up and down the coast. There was no sign of her.

“Spread out and keep looking,” Annie said.

Alex rounded a point. Seeing movement, he threw himself down flat. Not more than a half a mile down the coast was a small band of four or five men on horseback. He raised his head to have another look. His worst fears were confirmed – they had seen him. Several were pointing in his direction and spurring their horses into a gallop.

Alex ran back around the point to where Willie, Annie, and Craig were searching for Katie. “Soldiers are coming! Quick, get back to the hiding place. They're on horseback and they're almost here!”

Willie froze. “What? Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Alex shouted. “They've seen me and they're coming fast.”

Craig began to run, tripped, and sprawled. Annie helped him get up, and they both sprinted for the hiding place.

Alex stopped. The realization of what he had to do came with a numbing chill.

“I'm going to the forest,” he called. “They don't know you're here and they'll follow me. I'll lose them in the woods.”

Willie started after him. “I'm coming with you.”

Alex waved for him to stop. “No, no, no! You need to look after Annie and Craig. GO! Quickly, before they see you.”

Alex ran the other way, scrabbling up a slope. Stopping for breath, he looked back and saw the horsemen down by the shore drawing near at a steady gallop. One spotted him and gestured to where he stood. They drew up their horses, conferred briefly, and turned inland. The horses picked their way around rocks and headed up a steep gorge.

Good. Annie, Craig, and Willie will be safe … for now.

Alex made a quick calculation. The gorge led up to the cliff plateau. From there, they could shoot down on him or chase him anywhere. He simply had to make it to the plateau and into the forest before they could intercept him.

He scanned the cliff. There was no trail, so he decided to climb straight up. The further he climbed, the steeper it became. The drizzle made the rocks slippery. Alex squinted against the rain and looked for new handholds. Finding fewer cracks and crevices, he feared he would reach a dead end.

He was up so high that a single slip would mean certain death. There was no time to climb back down and try elsewhere.

His arms and legs trembling, he reached for far-off finger grips and toeholds. He pictured the soldiers looking down at him from above, laughing as they casually strung their bows. He wondered if it would be better to jump or wait for the arrows. He gritted his teeth.
I've got to make it, I've got to….

Each time he thought there were no holds left, a stretch enabled him to reach another. Finally, he reached a fissure covered by tall grass. He scrambled up the remaining slope, careful not to slip on the crumbly earth. His head popped over the top edge. Before him were rolling, grassy hills that ended at a solid green wall of forest. He glanced in the direction of the gorge. The horses had not made it up yet.

Alex sprinted through the open fields.
Must reach trees; must reach trees; must reach trees.
Suddenly, to his dismay, there they were, galloping across the field, each hunched in his saddle. They were approaching fast.

Alex fought back tears of rage.
Is this just a big game for them?
He wished he had his bow, so he could stop and aim.

But he did not have a bow, and to stop would be to die of that, Alex was certain.

The forest looming ahead, Alex put on extra speed despite the severe pain in his chest. He heard the thunderous hooves drawing near, shaking the ground as he ran. An arrow streaked by him. Then he was among the trees. The underbrush quickly thickened. He dove under bushes, their thorny branches scratching him and tearing his clothes.

The soldiers dismounted and followed. They were not exhausted from running and would be able to run him into the ground. The pain in his lungs, his sides, and his legs was too intense to go much farther. His breath came in ragged gasps.

Alex searched for some way to turn, some way to take a last stand, however futile. Above was a twisted tangle of branches. He climbed, pulling himself high up through the limbs until he was shielded from the ground by a thick leafy
cluster. There, he waited as quietly as he could while still gasping for air.

The soldiers drew nearer. He heard rustling, their voices, someone cursing. “Damn it all, ye had a clear shot back there. How could ye have missed?”

“Stop your complaining. We'll get him yet.”

Alex held his breath when the soldiers passed under his tree. He braced for the worst, but they crashed on into the woods without slowing. Alex could hardly believe his luck, but he knew the soldiers would soon be back. A bold plan came to him, but could he do it?