“We’re ready,” Lulach said.
I went to him first and kissed his hand. “I will see you soon,” I whispered. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he said with a cheerful smile.
I then went to Fleance. “And you, my sweet. I’ll see you safely home in no time.”
Fleance looked less certain. He quickly glanced toward his father, for whom he was putting on a brave face, then back to me. I took his hand.
“Corbie,” he whispered.
“All will be well. I promise,” I whispered. “Have I ever broken a promise to you before?”
He shook his head.
I squeezed his hand. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
At that, I stepped back and joined Banquo, linking my arm in his.
Both Banquo and I bowed to the group who in turn nodded to us.
I motioned to Standish, who ordered the men to open the gate. Standish hadn’t asked me anything, but his eyes surveyed everything, watching the druids, Fleance, and Lulach.
The druids turned and rode out into the darkness, Fleance and Lulach along with them. My mind tripped over a million things: had I packed enough food for them, did they have enough warm clothes, were their boots new enough, were the puppies old enough, did Banquo select horses who were sure of foot, and on, and on, and on.
And then the gates closed once more.
I left Banquo and climbed the rampart. I scanned the horizon, expecting to see them on the road, but there was no one there. Thinking they’d followed the wall to the river, I looked in both directions, but I didn’t see them there either. No matter where I looked, they were just gone.
Standish climbed the steps and came and stood beside me. His arms folded across his chest, he surveyed the landscape, making the same assessment I had.
I looked back at Banquo who waited for me. My confusion must have been evident on my face. Banquo gently touched his brow. I turned back and looked across the landscape once more, a feeling of relief washing over me.
Standish nodded slowly. “You have done the right thing, my lady. It pains you. I see that. But leave it to you and Lord Banquo to find a way to hide Fleance and Lulach in the one place Duncan would never think to look.”
“The one place?”
“Under the shield of the old gods,” Standish said then smiled. “Where none will find them.”
* * *
True to my promise, I joined Banquo in his chamber that night. My heart ached for Lulach, but I knew he was safe. Banquo and I lay together late into the night, holding one another, our fingers entwined.
“When we win, what will you do?” Banquo asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Macbeth will go to Scone and then to Edinburgh. He will need to win back the hearts of the lords he knew in his youth. Will you go too?
“I will go to Scone.”
“And after?”
“And after, I will return to Cawdor. I am the Lady of Moray.”
“And queen, hereafter.”
“If we win.”
“We will win.” Banquo kissed the top of my head. “I love you, Cerridwen. And so does my son. You cannot know how much that means to me.”
“I love him too and his father.”
Banquo laughed. “Then kiss me again, lady. Tomorrow the army will begin to fill the fields outside Cawdor. Let me have one last night in a warm bed with the woman I love.”
So I kissed him again, and again, and again. And that night, as I lay in Banquo’s arms, I had a very strange dream. I saw Macbeth in an elaborate dining hall talking with Banquo. Macbeth smiled and smiled, the face of a friend and madman all at once. Macbeth’s eyes shimmered with wild glee. When Macbeth poured Banquo a glass of wine, his hands shook, and he wet his lips in anticipation. When I saw Banquo’s hand reach for the drink, a feeling of terror gripped me so hard that it shook me from my dream.
Gasping, I sat bolt upright.
“Cerridwen? What is it?”
I shook my head. “Just…a dream.”
Banquo pulled me back down beside him. “You’re shaking.”
“Banquo,” I whispered. “You must not trust Macbeth.”
Banquo pulled me close and kissed my bare shoulder. “I don’t. Sleep, my Cerridwen, and dream of something nice.”
“I’ll dream of Sid. She would be jealous to see us here without her.”
Banquo chuckled. “There is no one quite like Sid.”
“That is an understatement. When it is all settled, we should ride south and see her.” But my stomach twisted then, realizing that if Banquo ever saw Crearwy, he would quickly learn the truth. But then, it was Banquo. What harm would it do to reveal the truth to him? “I love you,” I whispered, the last of the anxiety the dream had provoked fading. It was just a dream, after all.
“I love you too.”
* * *
Three days later, a dispatch came from Lord of Mar that the king was on the road north with an army right behind him. The time had come.
Chapter 47
All across the north, the red banner of war was raised. On the one hand, Duncan sent riders letting everyone know he rode in peace with his brother in law, the Earl of Northumbria, to tour the north. On the other hand, reports of a massive army amassing to the south and ships spied off the coasts came flooding in.
As Banquo had anticipated, not all the northern lords were quick to trust Macbeth. And despite Macbeth’s pretty words and rallying at Inverness, I found my hall full of lords and clan leaders who saw the same thing in Macbeth that both Banquo and I had seen, the shimmer of madness and the rotten seed of his father.
“My lords,” I said, addressing the assembly. “Lord Banquo of Lochaber will lead the army south. He is a loyal Thane and loyal to the north. This war will have a ripple effect. Duncan seeks to unseat the north and fix his English-loving allies here. We cannot allow this. Cnut and Duncan are playing games. If Duncan defeats us from the south and his armada, combined with that of Cnut’s, manages to win in the north, we will be crushed in the middle. Duncan would seat his own puppets in here, men loyal to him and his English factions. And Caithness and Orkney will fall to Cnut. But Duncan is a fool. How long before King Cnut decides little King Duncan is all that stands in his way? We must stop the English incursion now.”
“My lady, where is King Magnus?” someone called.
“North with Lord Thorfinn. An armada approaches the northernmost provinces. We will defeat those forces and assist King Magnus, who is now of age and a good and loyal ally, in retaking his throne.”
“Lord Macbeth went with his ships? He is not leading his men south?” another man called, a sour tone in his voice.
“No. Macbeth is a ship commander. His skills are best used at sea. A second wave of ships, an English armada, has been spotted near Aberdeen. He will sail to meet them.”
That news stirred up some talk, and some grumbling, in the room.
Banquo rose. “My lords, I am well known to some of you and not at all to others. But I assure you, we are ready to ride south. Each day our army expands. We have the men we need. We are a mighty force, and we shall roll over Duncan’s army like a wave.”
“That’s all well and good, but we cannot forget, Thane, that you rode with Macbeth when the former Lord of Moray was displaced,” a young man called from the back. I eyed his tartan. He was the eldest son of the Lord of Mar and would take his father’s place when the old lord passed away.
“My lords, the Thane of Lochaber can be trusted.” I knew there was a rumor about Banquo and me, and in this moment, I hoped it actually served me. But aside from that, the swirling druid’s designs on Banquo’s arms and on his brow spoke of his true allegiance. “The Thane is loyal to this land, and to the gods.”