Ram shrugged. “They do nae approve.”
Unbelievable. “Red was wrong. He could have been killed.”
“Aye, he could have, but he wasnae.” Ram picked up a piece of bacon and plopped it into his mouth.
“Ye tae?”
Ram held up his hands. “I’m on nae one’s side. I’m just an innocent bystander. Though I will tell ye, there is a bit of a fuss about letting Stuart out of the dungeon. And everyone wants tae ken what the outsider ye captured has tae say about everything. Patrick has been questioning him, but he hasnae enlightened all of us.” With that Ram too got up and left. He at least was finished with his food.
Irritation prickled along Ciaran’s neck, then amusement followed unexpectedly. He grinned and shook his head, no longer feeling like eating. Red had apparently won over the clan. Grabbing a piece of bread off Angus’s plate, Ciaran stuck it into his mouth and headed toward the dungeon.
The opening of the dungeon was through a door at the far end of the castle, then down a flight of stairs. Ciaran had always hated this place as a kid. He opened the door and was immediately hit with humidity and the scent of stale air. Someone had lit torches along the wall, and a good thing too. The stairs were steep and narrow. If you made it down to the dungeon alive, you likely didn’t stay that way. Not that he really knew. The dungeon hadn’t been used since his great-grandfather’s day.
Voices drifted up the stairs as Ciaran climbed down them. One of those voices was Patrick’s. The other he didn’t recognize, so it must be the admiral.
“After I saw all the children, I realized it was wrong,” the admiral was saying as Ciaran stepped into the long narrow corridor that ran down the middle of the room. On each side were barred-off cells. Only three of those cells were empty. The rest were being used as storage for old armor, kitchen stuffs, and various old trunks from former castle inhabitants, full of old clothing and such. One cell held old furniture.
A rat scurried across Ciaran’s path, running to another cell. And Ciaran began to have second thoughts about keeping Stuart here. Perhaps he was being too harsh. Red had certainly thought so, and he’d had no qualms about telling Ciaran.
Marcus sat in a ladder-back chair in front of one of the cells, and Patrick stood behind him, with his hands on Marcus’s shoulders. They both looked up as Ciaran approached.
“Morning.”
“Good morning to you too,” Marcus said, though his voice sounded a little strained.
In the cell behind them, Stuart stood at the bars, holding on to them and listening. The admiral sat on the floor of the cell in front of them, with his back against the wall and his legs stretched out.
Ciaran nodded to Stuart, and Stuart nodded back. And damn if Maggie’s hurt expression didn’t haunt him, followed quickly by Fiona’s glare and Angus’s departure. With a sigh, Ciaran reached up to the wall beside the cell and took down the ring of keys. He opened Stuart’s cell door. “Get out of here, and so help me if I catch ye going against the clan again….”
“I was trying tae protect the clan, lad. I see now that I was wrong. And if it’s all the same tae ye, I’d like tae stay and listen.” He dipped his head toward the admiral, who, along with Marcus and Patrick, was watching them.
Ciaran nodded his agreement. But before he could question Marcus and Patrick, Stuart slapped him on the back. “I’m sorry, lad. I never should have doubted ye. For what it’s worth, ye have my support now. And I agree with ye, we need tae stop these outsiders.”
Blinking in surprise, Ciaran nodded.
“Jenkins was just telling us how he’s a fugitive.” Patrick snorted as though he didn’t believe a word of it.
Marcus patted his hand, then said to the admiral, “Continue your story. You changed your mind….”
The old man nodded and glanced up at Ciaran, then resumed his story. “I saw the children who the IN was creating and abandoning on Regelence when they did not live up to the expectations, and I had a change of heart. I realized these children were the ones suffering. No one had asked if they wanted to be born. No one even asked what they wanted their future to be. They’d been created to serve as soldiers, and when they didn’t make the cut, they were just left to their own devices. Left to survive on the streets on their own.” He shook his head and looked up at Ciaran with pleading eyes. “I have a son of my own and….” He shook his head. “It’s neither here nor there. The IN’s plans changed from winning the Aquarius War to messing with other planets and destroying their whole society, changing their laws, and….” He sighed, looking truly disgusted. “I couldn’t be a part of that. I live on Regelence. I love the planet and what it stands for. I, too, enjoy its freedoms, and I will not see them destroyed. I came to find you both and take you back there so we can wage our own war. We’ve got to stop this. When I tried to do so on my own, the IN tried to kill me. My wife and I narrowly escaped. I have no idea what became of my son, but he had no idea about any of this, so I think the IN will leave him alone.”
“Why did ye abandon Patrick and Marcus here?” Ciaran asked.
“To keep them alive. The IN sent assassins to kill them. That was when I first realized this whole thing had gotten out of control.”
Marcus scoffed and sat forward, but Ciaran believed him. Jenkins looked like a desperate man. And Red had spoken well of him.
Patrick opened his mouth to say something, then shook his head and let out an exasperated breath. It would seem he too believed the admiral. Though Ciaran could certainly see why he didn’t want to. This man had cost them both a lot.
Apparently the admiral came to the same conclusion; he winced.
“What is the plan fer Skye?” Stuart asked. He’d come up beside Ciaran and was standing with his hands on his hips.
Jenkins ran his hands through his hair. “The IN wanted it because of the extreme cloud cover. They wanted to establish a base here, breed soldiers and train them with no one the wiser, but they’ve yet to perfect the Regelence procreation method.”
“Which was why they were abandoning the children on Regelence.” Patrick nodded. “If Regelence is aware of the abundance of orphans, it won’t be long before they realize where they are coming from.”
“I’ve no doubt,” Jenkins said with a nod and a rather smug look. “Nate will figure it out. He’s a good man. It’s why I chose him as my successor. But he can’t stop it unless it’s all brought into the light. That is why I’m here. I need you both to testify with me at the IN Council meeting. We have to stop this before it gets any bigger. And it will get bigger. Already they have men in place in Regelence’s and Englor’s governments. This all started just to end the Aquarius War, but they got power hungry.” He shook his head and ran his hands down his face. “The IN won’t stop until they’ve taken over completely.”
A chill raced down Ciaran’s spine. He’d been right to destroy the base. Now they had even more work to do. “Ye canna just go testify at some meeting. If this thing is as big as ye say, it’s got tae be dismantled piece by piece or ye risk an all-out war.” And that would not be good for any of them. Och, but they needed to make plans. “Patrick, how long before ye think ye planet will come fer ye?” Patrick had sent a message last night before they’d burned the base out. “Where is Red? He should be here fer this.”
Patrick shook his head and looked at Marcus.
Marcus craned his neck to turn and look up at Patrick. Then they looked back at Ciaran with expressions of… pity? Even the admiral looked at Ciaran askance.
Uh-oh. Ciaran’s breath caught in his throat, and a prickly sensation trickled down his spine. When Patrick spoke, it sounded like he was in a ten-foot-deep well.
“Bannon left an hour ago….” He continued to talk, something about the captain, but Ciaran didn’t hear him.
He stumbled backward, feeling as if his knees were going to give out.
Red had left him.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Home is not always where the heart is.”
&n
bsp; —Timothy on love.
June 14, 4831: Planet Regelence, Townsend Castle
Bannon’s righteous anger took him all the way back to Regelence and all the way into his meeting with King Steven and King-Consort Raleigh. But it had started to fade, and he found himself wondering if Ciaran had been reinstated as chieftain and how the garden was coming along. If the bogles were still running amuck in the great hall. Who would protect him on cattle raids?
Damn Skye and their lack of technology. Somehow this was Ciaran’s fault too, Timothy snarled in his head.
“Bannon?”
He looked up to find King-Consort Raleigh’s face a study in patience. King-Consort Raleigh came forward and sat down next to him on the sofa. Apparently he’d drifted off again. He and Timothy had been arguing about leaving since about halfway home. Mostly they were in agreement. Ciaran didn’t respect him, and without respect, a relationship just wasn’t possible. He refused to continue the way he always had. Things were going to change, and he should probably start that now.
Louie sat across from him, giving him encouraging nods. She had not wanted to leave Skye and Angus, but she’d done so for him.
Scattered around the room, King Steven, Admiral Hawkins, Viscount Wentworth, and the Marquess of Ravensburg were all staring at him. Bless them, their expressions held complete patience even though there was a bit of anxiousness. They’d all been so kind to him. King Steven and King-Consort Raleigh had hugged him when they’d first seen him, and told him how happy they were that he was alive. They had then sent for his family posthaste. Admiral Hawkins had clapped him on the shoulder and expressed gratitude for Bannon’s well-being, then informed him that his consort and son were anxious to see Bannon. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he felt accepted and loved here at home, so why then wouldn’t the emptiness in his chest just go away?
“You were telling us about the attack you witnessed,” King-Consort Raleigh prompted.
“Right.” Bannon nodded. “Sorry.”
Across from him, Louie scooted to the edge of her seat and said, “He didn’t just witness it. He was in it. Bannon charged one of the mercenaries on his horse. Diving off of the horse—”
“Flùr. My horse’s name is Flùr.” He missed Flùr.
Louie nodded. “Right. He dove off Flùr and right into the middle of battle, then wrestled a rifle from one of the mercenaries. Bannon shot him and turned on the other mercenaries. He saved a lot of lives.” There was so much pride in her voice, and then she looked at him and winked.
Bannon grinned back but continued his story. “That was the first battle. Once we learned that the base was indeed a base, we decided to attack it. By then we had procured fraggers and my friend—one of the Regelens I told you about who had been abandoned on Skye—is very good with technology, and he made solar rechargers for the fraggers. Anyway, when we raided the base, we found Admiral Jenkins.”
As expected, there were gasps and a barrage of questions, but Bannon ignored them.
“Unfortunately I don’t know more than that. As I told you, he was responsible for my new friends being abandoned on Skye, but he claims to have done so to save them from the IN since they had discovered so much of the IN’s plans. He’s being held until my friends are rescued, and they promised not to kill Jenkins as he apparently has information we need. Captain Kindros came before I was able to find out more.”
“And these Regelens who were on Skye? Who are they? I have a feeling you aren’t telling us everything,” King Steven asked from his place on the front of the desk.
So he caught that, did he? For several moments, Bannon debated what to say. He’d told them about Marcus and Patrick, but he hadn’t told them told them. He had mentioned a Regelen IN lieutenant commander and his spouse. Damn, but he’d done the same thing when he’d told Marcus and Patrick about Trouble. He just wasn’t sure how everyone would deal with the shock. “I…. You are right. I haven’t told you everything. You’re going to retrieve my friends from Skye, right?”
King-Consort Raleigh nodded. “Of course. They are Regelens, and it sounds as if they were marooned on Skye for trying to protect Regelence. Is that why you haven’t told us more about them, because you fear we will not retrieve them if you tell us who they are?”
Bannon bit his bottom lip and glanced over at Louie.
As usual she seemed to read his mind. “They need to know now.”
Right! Bannon cleared his throat and stood up. He couldn’t sit still and do this. He went to the far side of the room, closest to the french doors, and peeked out the curtains. Damn, but it was good to be back home. So familiar, so civilized, yet something had changed. Perhaps it was he himself. He longed for the craggy mountains and the forest. The clear lake….
What would Marcus and Patrick say when they got home? Would they miss Skye too? “No, that isn’t it at all. I just think it will come as a shock.” He dropped the curtain back into place and faced the anxious faces of his audience. “I did not tell Captain Kindros or anyone on board the Lady Anna about Admiral Jenkins or my friends. I did not want to risk their safety. But because of the attack on the base, you need to send a ship right away. We do not want the IN to find them. And the MacKays need protection. You need to send soldiers.” The sooner they got to Jenkins, the better. Marcus promised to not let Patrick kill Jenkins, but Bannon did not realize until he was on the Lady Anna that he had not obtained the same promise from Marcus.
King-Consort Raleigh nodded. “It will be done. Now, who are these Regelens? You said a lieutenant commander and his spouse?”
“The Marquess of Winstol and Marquess-Consort Winstol.”
There were gasps of surprise from everyone except King Steven, King-Consort Raleigh, and Admiral Hawkins. King Steven went suddenly pale and gripped the edge of the desk until his knuckles turned white. King-Consort Raleigh just stared at Bannon with no expression whatsoever.
Admiral Hawkins didn’t react at all either, but his eyes looked haunted. And who could blame him? How hard would it be to give up the son you raised? Not that Bannon thought Marcus and Patrick would make him, but he’d still have to share.
Finally, King Steven spoke. “Are you certain?”
Bannon nodded. “Positive. Marcus and Patrick are alive and well.” He grinned, thinking of the men. “I’ve become rather fond of them both.”
“As have I. They are our friends, and they are most definitely who they say they are.” Louie stood and came across the room to him. She gripped his hand, then turned back to the room at large. “Marcus was instrumental in getting us home. He made a beacon to signal Captain Kindros and let her know our whereabouts. We promised we would not breathe a word of their existence until we spoke to you.”
Everyone started talking at once, firing questions at them, but a commotion from the foyer stalled all answers.
The door to the study swung open, and Bannon’s father strode in, followed closely by his sire. They both looked as unkempt as Bannon had ever seen them. His father looked as though he had not slept for days, and his sire had lost weight—weight he could not afford to lose, as he was already very thin.
Eversleigh glanced around the room until his gaze landed on Bannon. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out, then strode forward. “Thank galaxy you are alive. It’s a miracle.” He rushed in, followed by Bannon’s sire, who slapped a hand over his mouth. Both their eyes filled with tears, and then Bannon was immediately engulfed in their embrace. They stopped only long enough to grab Louie and include her in the hug as well.
Bannon’s head swam. His chest swelled. He’d known they would miss him, but…. He had no idea they’d miss him this badly. His father could be an absolute stickler for propriety, but he didn’t even seem to care they had an audience.
“Bannon?” Blaise pushed into the embrace, maneuvering both their parents out of the way. “Little brother, you gave me a scare!” He held Bannon at arm’s length long enough for Bannon to catch a glimpse of Dalt
on standing next to them smiling.
“Glad you are okay, Bannon.” Dalton slapped him on the arm.
Then Blaise pulled him back into his embrace. “You are not leaving Regelence again. I’ll go to war with our parental units over it, I swear I will!”
“No need for that, son,” Sire said, and he separated Bannon from Blaise. “Your father and I will not be letting him out of our sight for the next decade or so.”
Another round of hugs ensued for him and Louie, then Father put on what Bannon thought of as his ambassador face. He turned to King Steven and King-Consort Raleigh and said, “Have you been briefed?”
King-Consort Raleigh nodded. “Yes. We were in the middle of that when you arrived. Have a seat. We’ll let Bannon finish, and then we’ll fill you in on the rest later.”
With a hand in each of his parents’, and feeling as if he had fallen into an alternate universe, Bannon allowed his parents to drag him to the sofa.
Louie went back to the other sofa, and Blaise and Dalton sat next to her.
Bannon smiled when he noticed that Blaise was holding on to Louie’s hand.
After Bannon finished his story, the room erupted into endless chatter, discussing strategy and asking the occasional question. Neither of his parents seemed inclined to release his hands, and Bannon was glad. He’d missed them too. He also noticed his father kept directing questions to him and asking his opinion.
The door banged open again, snaring everyone’s attention. Aiden barged right in, his gaze searching until he found Bannon. “Stardust! Bannon! Louie! You are both alive!”
The Duke of Knighton, who stood behind him, blanched a little and shrugged. “He wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
Aiden rushed forward, and Bannon jumped to his feet.
Once again he was embraced, and then Aiden looked him over, then hugged him again. “Rupert will be here later. Colton, Tarren, and Trouble are all anxious to see you as well.”
My Highland Laird: Sci-Regency Book 5 Page 29
