Chapter 15: Carlyle Comes Home
The day had been a long one. They had spent the day creating an inventory of all the goods, treasures and food that the robbers had stashed away in their caves. But now it was late in the afternoon, and everyone in the mountains knew the one unbreakable rule: It was deadly to be caught out after the sun goes down. They had to start thinking about shelter for the night.
“I hope Mother is alright,” Carlyle muttered, kicking a loose pebble. Shame pricked at him; he’d been so caught up in everything that he’d hardly thought of her at all. “We’ve been away all day.”
“She’s fine,” said Catherine, confidently.
“How do you know?” asked Carlyle.
“I’ve been getting regular reports all day,” said Catherine, gently stroking one of the ravens on her shoulder.
“Oh, of course,” Carlyle said. “I forgot about those birds.”
“Your father is perfectly safe as well,” Catherine said, turning to Alfred. “In fact, he’s with our mother now. They’ve been eating supper together.”
“Is he still angry at me?” Alfred asked.
“My raven friends can’t tell what he is thinking,” Catherine replied. “They only report to me what his movements are.”
“I bet he’s still angry with me,” Alfred said. “He was furious when I joined you in the battle yesterday. We had a huge argument last night. He was so mad he nearly broke the table. And then this morning, I snuck out before he woke up.”
“You’re welcome to stay in the caves tonight with us,” said Catherine.
“Yeah, thanks. I think I will,” Alfred responded.
“I’m not sure it’s a smart idea to stay in the caves,” said Carlyle. “I don’t trust the robbers.”
“Neither do I,” said Catherine. “That’s why I’m staying here. We need to keep a close eye on them. Now that the robbers have surrendered to us, it would be a mistake to go away and leave them by themselves.”
“Fine, keep a close eye on them in the daytime,” said Carlyle. “If you go to sleep next to them, they’ll cut your throat while you sleep.”
“My wolves will protect me,” Catherine said.
“Will they?” asked Carlyle. “Or are your wolves just as likely to turn on you once you’re asleep.”
“The wolves are too afraid of me to try anything,” said Catherine. “And also, right now they’re very pleased with their new den in the caves, and the soft quilts and blankets that they are sleeping on. And, I might add, they didn’t say no to all the food that was given to them. They often make a big deal of talking about how they like to hunt and catch all their own food, but when the food was placed in front of them, they curled up like lapdogs. They’re learning my value. And if they forget, I can at least count on the ravens to keep watch and to alert me before danger arrives.”
“We are delighted to serve,” said Branoc, bowing his head. “I and my children will keep guard through the night while you sleep. Ravens can see in the dark much better than humans can, so you’ll be safe with us.”
“I still don’t like it,” said Carlyle. “But I can see that your mind is made up. Very well then.” Carlyle turned to Alfred. “Alfred, you don’t have to stay here,” he said. “You can stay at my place if you’re worried about your father.”
Alfred offered a weak, ironic smile. “Didn’t you hear? “My father’s at your place.”
“He’s probably not going to stay the whole night,” Carlye said.
“I’d rather not chance a run-in,” Alfred said, shaking his head. “Besides, I’d like to stay and help Catherine and the others.”
“Which others are staying?” asked Carlyle.
“Shawn, Gabrielle, Kevin and Stella have agreed to stay with us in the caves for the night,” Catherine said.
“That leaves Lucas, Marcus, Paul, Lucinda, Molly and Abby,” Carlyle said. “I’ll see if they’re ready to go.”
Everyone on the mountain understood that they should never walk anywhere alone. Bad things happened to children who walked off alone, such as Jack, who had once been their playmate, before he had walked off alone one day, and never came back. They had never found so much as a scrap of his coat.
Carlyle walked down with the group until they got near his house, then he said goodbye to them and ran the short distance to his house.
He knocked on the door. “It’s me,” he yelled through the wood.
He heard someone removing the barriers, but as the door was moved away, Carlyle saw Brian’s bearded face instead of his mother.
Carlyle nodded at Brian, trying to ascertain if he was still mad at him. “Hello,” Carlyle said.
Brian scowled. He had evidently still not forgiven Carlyle. “Where is my son?” asked Brian.
“Alfred’s safe,” Carlyle said. “He is staying with Catherine at the robbers’ cave.”
“What?”
“It’s okay,” Carlyle explained. “The robbers have surrendered. Catherine and Alfred and a few others are just staying up there to watch over things.”
Brian reached out his right hand and grabbed Carlyle by the throat. “If anything happens to my son…,” he yelled.
“Stop it, Brian,” Margaret’s voice said from inside the house. “Threatening Carlyle won’t help Alfred.”
Brian’s grip tightened for one agonizing second before he shoved Carlyle away. He spun on Margaret, his face purple. “Then you tell him! Control your children before they get the rest of us slaughtered!”
“I can’t control them anymore,” Margaret said. She sounded hollow, completely drained. “They stopped listening to me the day Finn died.”
Carlyle rubbed his bruised neck. “Alfred is safe. He’s with Catherine.” Carlyle actually wasn’t so sure that Catherine and Alfred were in the safest place right now, but he didn’t want to further upset Brian. “He’s decided to stay up in the caves because he was afraid you would still be angry at him.”
“So is that what he’s thinking,” Brian said angrily. “He thinks if he just stays up there in the caves then he won’t have to worry about his father? I’ll go up there myself and drag him down by his hair.”
“Brian, no,” said Margaret, and again Margaret’s voice sounded tired. “Look outside. The sun is almost down now. You can’t make it up there and back before dark.”
Brian glared at the doorway, the reality of the mountain rules settling over him.
“He’s safe for the night,” Carlyle repeated. “Catherine’s with him. She can protect him.”
“Catherine!” Brian spat the name like venom. “I’m more terrified of that girl than I am of the bandits. Is she going to burn him alive like she did the others?”
“She won’t harm him,” said Margaret. “She’s not like that.”
Brian shook his head in bewilderment. “I don’t understand any of this,” he said. “I’m going back home.” He turned his head and addressed Margaret. “I’ll be back in the morning,” he said, and he left.
Carlyle came into the house, and helped his mother replace the door, and put the bolts back in place.
Then, Carlyle turned at last to Margaret.
“Are you alright, Mother?” Carlyle asked.
“No, of course not,” Margaret said walking to the back of the cave. “I’ve been sick to death with worry all day. For fifteen years, your father and I have endured all kinds of hardship to keep you two safe on this mountain. And now you are deliberately putting your lives at risk.”
“But our lives were always at risk,” Carlyle said. “Father’s death proved that. Father thought we could just keep to ourselves and the robbers would leave us alone. But he was wrong. The robbers attacked us anyway. Sitting still doesn't make us safe. Striking first does.”
Margaret let out a long, heavy sigh that seemed to rattle her old frame. “I see that I cannot stop you,” she said. She walked over and took Carlyle’s hand in hers. He looked down, struck by how frail and wrinkled her skin looked against his own. “I only ask one thing.”
“What?”
“You and Catherine shouldn’t make yourselves the leaders. Let the others lead.”
Carlyle frowned. “The others wouldn’t have done anything unless I convinced them.”
“But now they’re doing something.”
“They still need to be told what to do.”
“Then let Shawn do it,” Margaret pleaded, her grip tightening. “He’s the natural choice. The others love him. He’s popular.”
“He is,” Carlyle admitted. “But—”
“Let him be the leader. You and Catherine can still tell him what to do in secret, but in front of all the others, you can let him give the orders.”
“But why?” Carlyle asked.
“Because,” Margaret threw her hands up, tears of pure exasperation welling in her eyes. “Because it’s what I want. Why do you two always have to argue about everything?”
“But I don’t understand,” Carlyle said.
“It’s dangerous to be seen as the leader of anything,” Margaret said. “You make yourself a target.”
“I don’t mind,” said Carlyle.
“Have you no care for me?” Margaret wailed.
“But it’s not fair to Shawn then,” Carlyle said. “If being the leader is dangerous, then why put Shawn in danger?”
“Listen to me,” said Margaret. “Your time has not yet come. When the time comes, you will become a leader. But you’re still too young.”
“I’m as old as Shawn is.”
Margaret burst into tears. Carlyle had never seen his mother cry like this before. Margaret and Finn had always been so strong. He didn’t know what to say. He simply waited until she had stopped crying, and when she had dried her tears, he helped her into bed.
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