To Be a Spy

Chapter 21

"What be you doing, me lady?"

Rowen closed her eyes in annoyance then turned to face her cousin. "Donngal, why do you persist in following me? And why must you question me ever move?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I follow you to find out what sorta person your like. To see if you be the ruler the Mavericks need."

"And if I dona pass your test? What then? You will kill me? Replace me with someone more suitable for the task? Yourself, perhaps?"

"Me lady, please, I dona wanna argue. But U feel as if you be not experience enough to rule. We both wanna see the people succeed."

"But do we? Lead-merchants, Donngal? It be too dangerous."

He fought to keep anger and sorrow off of his face. "I know the dangers, me lady, mayhap even better than you. But why do you? You have been talking to Briana."

"And I have? Do you turn your back on your sister, now?"

"How dare you excuse me of betraying me own kin!" He drew in a deep breath and released it. "Begging your pardon, me lady, I forgot me place." The next words he said as if he was trying to distance himself from them. "You see, me lady, our father was killed in a lead mine. They be why Briana be so against them."

"But you dona feel the same way?"

"Actually, me lady, I do, but I put aside me personal feelings to do what I thought be best for the Clan. It seemed to me the only way."

"But you canna just ignore your past. It be a waste if you dona learn from your mistakes."

Ignoring her words, he continued, "Then you came along and proposed a plan that made me look like a fool and you the hero."

Donngal, I be sure that the people still respect you."

He stiffened at the sound of sympathy in her voice. "Me apologies, me lady, for boring you with me words." He bowed and hurried away toward the Hall.

"Just when you think someone willna surprise you," she muttered to herself. Her cousin had raised an important question even if he didn't realize it. How much was Briana to be trusted? Her sweetness had contrasted so sharply with her brother's moodiness that it made Rowen more likely to confide in her. Had that been a mistake? What if it was Briana who should be avoided and Donngal that should be trusted? She shook her head. She had broken one of Edward's most important rules: Never assume. He had told her so many times that she thought it would be impossible to forget, but she had. It was time she started acting like a spy. There were questions that only spying could answer. She needed to sleep now if she wanted to be fully alert that night. After telling a servant to make sure she wasn't disturbed, she fell asleep.

Much later, her eyes snapped open taking in the dark room. Silently, she got up and put on a dark cloak. After straining her ears to hear if anyone might be out in the hall, she pulled out a coil of rope from her closet. With a practiced hand, she swung one end over a roof support beam. Clutching both ropes together she walked up the stone wall. Using one last effort she locked her legs around the wood then inched her way up so the she was on top of it. Like a cat, she crouching in the darkness, scanning the area around her, visualizing where she had to go. There were no barriers up here, the walls didn't extend past the joists. Jumping from beam-to-beam she hurried off to her left. She paused above Briana's room to steady her breathing. By this time, her eyes had adjust to the darkness so that she could make out the furniture. With the help from the rope, she lowed herself to the floor without a sound. From what she could remember there was a desk to her right. There wasn't enough light to see anything aside from the general outline of things. Half a candle was leaning to on side in its holder. Rowen's gaze shifted to the slumbering form in the bed. Holding her breath, she struck her flint and steel together until a spark turned into a flame. Carefully she shielded the light away from Briana.

It only took a few minutes of searching before she realized she was wasting her time. There was nothing of importance, barely anything was written. She restrained a sigh of frustration. Of course, Briana would not know how to read or write. After blowing out the candle and leaving everything right where she had found it, she pulled herself back up to the ceiling.

Donngal's room wasn't far from his sister's and in a matter of minutes Rowen was over top of it. There was a window that let in a faint beam of moonlight. By the pale glow, she could make out a long knife on a side table near the sleeping man's hand. Rowen smiled. Her cousin was no fool. But neither was she which was why she had the same habit of keeping a weapon close-by at night. Working by the light of the moon, she began going through his papers. There were letters to various Clan leaders. It was a disorderly search. There was nothing that she was particularly looking for she was just going off of the hope that she might stumble upon something useful. The bed creaked as Donngal shifted. Rowen froze, knowing movement would attract unwanted attention. There were several more squeaks from the bed but she didn't dare chance a look.

"Something be amiss." Rowen's heart seemed to jump into her throat. Donngal was awake. Out of habit, she had placed herself in the darkest corner, but now she wasn't sure that the dark could hide her well enough. The rope dangled behind her, useless. She would make far too much movement going up it not to be caught. Another noise. He was leaving the bed. Using her peripheral vision she saw her cousin walk over to the door and open it. She had already seen what was outside; two guards.

Through the quiet of the room, Donngal's words were clear. "Go to the Lady Maverick's room and see if all be well with her."