Chapter 33
Winter in Scotland proved to be long and harsh, with storms blowing into the valley on a regular basis. In order to contribute to the clan, Aiden was taught the use of the bow, mastering it quickly. He was now equipped to hunt alongside the men of the clan and brought in more than his share of game. Ulad personally thanked him for staying on and helping to feed their families. They had also given him clothes, as Aiden's robe was not enough to protect him from the cold and snow. As he changed out of his robe, the chieftain noticed the scars on his back, left by the crack of the whip during his purging. Years had since gone by and he no longer felt then pulling against his flesh. And although the chieftain was deeply concerned, he quickly walked away so as not to cause Aiden to become self-conscious. But, Aiden had already sensed his presence and realized that there would, again, be questions.
That evening, he joined the chieftain and his family for dinner, just as he had since arriving at their village. Food was abundant and thus, was dinner. Venison, biscuits, and gravy. The chieftain drank ale and in spite of Aiden's religious life, invited him to sample a bit. The chieftain's wife gave him a second glance of anger at his proposal for Aiden to consume alcohol. But, Aiden had already seen the effects of alcohol and reached the conclusion that such things only serve to cloud the mind. With this, he graciously declined the chieftain's offer.
The evening grew late and the children had been sent to bed. The chieftain's wife soon followed, leaving both men to speak uninterrupted. Given the subject about to arise, it was best that such matters not be discussed in the presence of women or children. The chieftain fell silent as his mind tried to formulate his inquiry into what he'd seen earlier. But, during this moment, the words came to him, Aiden began his own inquiry into what he knew the chieftain had seen.
"You're curious, yes?" he asked. "Who left those marks on you?" the chieftain asked.
Some questions cannot be asked delicately and Aiden took a moment to gather his words, to tell the story is still blazed in his memory.
"Many years ago," he began. "I was required to undergo something called the purging. It was a process meant to drive all remaining sin and evil from both body and soul."
He continued describing the event in stark detail as the chieftain sat, horrified by the agony it had been forced to experience.
"Exactly how long had you lived with these people?" the chieftain asked.
In a monastery, time is irrelevant and it is not possible to count the days of one's life, much less, years.
"I think I was six when my mother and father gave me up," Aiden answered. "It doesn't matter anymore."
The chieftain found Aiden's story difficult to comprehend and held a quiet degree of sympathy for him. If one bears deep physical scars, those carved into the soul must be at least as deep.
Morning came early to the village as each of the MacGyver clan rose and began their daily routines. Not knowing how they lived, Aiden did what he could. But by late morning, he noticed a change. Something was different. He could feel it. It was as though he was being watched. At first, he thought it might be one of the men from the clan. Some still saw him as an outsider, but most accepted aid based on the fact that he was a committed man of God, as well as the trust the children had placed in him. He scanned at the nearby snowscape and saw nothing. But as he glanced toward the tree line, he saw something. Movement. It was so slight that Aiden initially questioned his perception of it. Moments later, he sought it again. It was still very slight. Anyone else might not have seen it. Aiden called Ulad over.
"Is everyone in the village accounted for?" Aiden asked.
"Why," Ulad replied.
His voice reflected a sudden obvious suspicion.
"We are being watched," Aiden said. Ulad began to draw his sword.
"Where are they?" he demanded.
Aiden stepped in closer, cautioning Ulad against being too obvious.
"Wait, they don't know that they have been seen. That gives us the advantage." Winning a battle relies on the use of the mind as a weapon as well as does the wielding of one's sword. Maybe a little more.
"Just look at me," he continued. “He is just beyond the trees, on the hill to the south."
Ulad became angered but refused to risk the safety of the clan by pointing out the stranger's presence.
"Damn Stewart's," he cursed. "They are camped to both the North and South. It is a wonder we still survive. We are allied with those to the north, but the others give us no peace."
Aiden tried to focus on inventing a plan. "We should tell the chieftain," Ulad said. "Wait," he replied. "We cannot risk alarming the rest of the clan. We need to be calm and quick."
Ulad became frustrated and would just as soon charge up the hill and slaughter the stranger.
"We must use stealth," he continued. “Tell the chieftain and be ready with my horse."
Aiden had a plan and as Ulad turned to inform the chieftain, he grabbed his bow and headed northwest, out of the village. He would disappear into the woods, circle back to the East and come up behind what he now considered his adversary. He wasn't just protecting the clan. Aiden also saw this pursuit as a game of sorts. And he intended to win.
Finding his way through the northern foothills, Aiden carefully made his way south, moving silently as a mouse across the snow. He stayed low to the ground, stepping from tree to tree until, from a distance, he spied his quarry. Only a few yards within the tree line, Aiden saw two kilted figures. This required a change of strategy, as the distance he initially found them at led him to believe there had only been one intruder. But, he needed to strike quickly and could not allow them to escape back to their clan, possibly attempting to plan out an attack. Removing two arrows from his quill, he held up his bow. He needed to fire both in quick succession I would first bring down the man closest in order to hinder the escape of the other. The first shot promised to be flawless and certain to bury itself in its chosen mark. The woods fell into a timeless silence as Aiden notched an arrow and taking careful aim, slowly let his breath drift from his body. All had come to stillness as Aiden released the arrow. With this small act, he had become committed to his pursuit of the men, who seemed intent on bringing down the village. The place he had come to think of as home.
The arrow found its way through the chilly winter air, striking the first man high in the back of the neck, just beneath his skull. The man fell dead as the second turn, drew his sword and charged into the woods, only to be stopped by Aiden's second arrow. Its sharpened tip buried itself deep in his chest, piercing his heart. And bringing him down to the snowy ground, left him with his life quickly draining out onto the white powdery earth. It was done. But, Aiden's actions were not for himself. There were many people in the village below. More importantly, there were children. And children do not understand the act of killing. To some degree, Aiden considered the people of the clan family. But, his true obligation was for the protection of the clan's children. He remembered the chieftain's words. 'It is no fault to plant your blade in a man. As long as you do it for the right reason.'
Aiden stepped out from behind the tree and approached each of the men he'd brought down. Their skin had already begun to pale. He left the arrows where they landed and walked towards the tree line. Looking down, he discovered that they had not only taken up a remarkable vantage point, but they had also been sketching the layout of the village, using a piece of birch bark. Aiden grabbed the bark from the snowy ground. The drawing was done with a piece of charred wood and was nearly complete, leading Aiden to believe that they had been watching for quite some time.
He returned the path. Wanting to conceal his steps, Aiden walked within the prints he'd already left. He met Ulad at eastern tree line and as planned Ulad brought, not only Aiden's horse but his own as well.
"Bring the horses," he said.
Ulad followed him without question. Having recognized him as a warrior of God, Ulad had developed a degree of respect for him and was willing to fight alongside him in battle, trusting him with his life.
They arrived at the place where the dead men lay in the snow, their bodies still pierced by Aiden's well-placed arrows.
"We need to move the bodies," Aiden said.
If the dead men were found by their clan, it could spell disaster for the village. The southern Stewart clan might attack as an act of vengeance and two lost lives were better than the destruction of a village filled with men, women, and children. "Where will we put them?" Ulad asked. Aiden paused for a moment, searching his mind for a plan.
"The village," he replied. "They would never dare to come looking there."
Ulad nodded with a faint grin.
"Aye, but we need to move quickly," he replied.
With their ankles tied together, the dead men were dragged through the woods by horse. Their bodies no longer bled, but still marred the snowy earth, leaving a trail behind them. Ulad expressed his concern for the trail they were leaving behind as the bodies plowed through the snow. Aiden managed to calm his anxieties, explaining that an oncoming storm would be more than adequate to cover their tracks.
He soon arrived in the village, dragging the dead men behind them and were met by the chieftain, who looked down at the bodies with obvious urgency. Ulad was the first to speak.
"These men were spying on the village from the trees."
The two bodies were still tied together at the ankles, their arms stretched up over their heads. Aiden stood silently as Ulad turned and pointed out where they had been discovered. The man Aiden shot in the back of the neck lay on his back, the arrow broken off near the base of his skull. The chieftain approached the bodies and kicked on over on its stomach, examining the broken end of the arrow. He looked up at Ulad with curiosity.
"And which of you brought these men down?"
Ulad was quick to answer. He saw Aiden as both a skilled warrior and a valuable asset to the clan.
"It was Aiden who brought them down," he answered.
This time, both men had dismounted their horses and stood to face the chieftain with a great number of the clan looking on.
"Aiden," the chieftain began. "From what distance did you fire on them?"
The chieftain wasn't simply curious. He was also trying to assess Aiden's skill with the bow as well as his courage and cunning. Aiden thought for a moment. He hadn't taken distance into consideration. He simply wanted to make as close an approach as possible.
"Perhaps twenty paces," he answered.
The chieftain smiled and gave him a slap on the shoulder.
"You got in close then, didn't you?"
Ulad spoke up with a somewhat serious tone.
"Chieftain," he began. "I would like to make it known that Aiden possesses great courage and skill, and I would fight to my death alongside him without a single thought."
This was high praise indeed, coming from a man given to quiet suspicion. The chieftain nodded with a slight smile.
"As would I," he replied.
Aiden was at a complete loss for words. His life in the monastery had been so regimented that he had never experienced the pleasure of a simple compliment. As a result, it only made him self-conscious.
"I am honored," he said. "But, there is more," he continued.
He held out the birch bark with the map deftly drawn on it.
"There were drawing out a map of the village."
Now, the chieftain grew deeply concerned. Maps are generally drawn for the purpose of navigation, to develop a route of travel. In many cases, one does not wage war without them. The chieftain took the map and briefly examined it. It didn't take long for him to reach the assumption that they may soon fall under attack and that a plan must quickly be devised. He directed his attention to Ulad.
"Tell the men to gather with their weapons," he began. "But no one must be seen outside with anything more than their swords."
At this point, the chieftain knew they could not afford to be seen making preparations for battle. If the southern Stewarts, whom they had long seen as their enemy, saw them in preparation, it might put them on the defensive. But, the chieftain had the luxury of knowing that a storm was on the way. And from the looks of the southwestern sky, it promised to be one that would likely cripple any attempt for open battle.
When Ulad returned, the three men gathered in the chieftain's home along with the clan's best warriors. The chieftain laid out a map of the area, displaying the valley occupied by the MacGyver clan as well as the northern and southern mountains of the Stewarts. The spies brought back by Aiden and Ulad had come down from the southern mountains. Everyone agreed that they were likely from the southern Stewarts. The northern Stewarts were allies and it would have been impossible for anyone to cross the valley unseen. The first order of business was to consult the northern Stewarts. Their alliance was based on a shared agriculture. Food cannot be grown in the mountains, so with the MacGyver clan offered them half the valley for the growing of grain. There was plenty of land for both clans to feed their families. In exchange, the MacGyver's appealed to the northern Stewarts for an indefinite peace. Both agreed that the terms of the alliance to be more than fair. And although it was never spoken, the MacGyver's intended that should the Stewarts break the terms of their agreement, their crops would be burned and their clan utterly destroyed. Both clans realized that no alliance can exist where dissent and treachery live.
It was decided that two warriors would be sent as emissaries to appeal for military support from the northern Stewarts as a battle plan was drawn up. Topography was taken into great consideration. Should both Stewarts decide to attack, the MacGyver's would be defenseless and forced to divide their warriors, fighting both Stuart clans with greatly reduced numbers. In such a case, the MacGyver's would face certain slaughter. Every man woman and child would either be killed or enslaved. There will would first be broken by the likely event of witnessing their chieftain and his family burned alive. Their faces twisted in agony, their voices shrieking painfully as the skin melted from their bodies.
It was a certainty that the attack would come down from the southern mountains. It was also quite possible that their village might be outflanked on either side. But, no one would be going to battle for God. They would be fighting for their survival and the lives of their wives and children. Living from one harvest season to the next, every adult was well aware that death could come calling at any time. And for decades they had been free of war, living in a tense standoff with the southern Stewarts.
It was hoped that the warriors sent to the north would return before the storm reached its full ferocity. The first few flakes drifted down from the steely sky as attack scenarios were discussed. Places that could easily be defended were pointed out and by the time the wind began to roar, the warriors had returned with news from the northern Stewarts. They walked into the chieftain's home without knocking. Normally, he would be infuriated by such an intrusion, but what they brought would be critical to the outcome of what was believed to be an eventuality.
"They refuse to support us," one of the warriors said.
The chieftain immediately sensed a conspiracy. The southern Stewarts could leave the clan in ruins, only to be joined by the northern Stewarts later. Together, they would become unified as one clan, taking the entire valley as their own. The chieftain could not allow this. But, Aiden still held one last secret and he would use it to defend the clan. On the other hand, he was with the impression that the people of the clan knew little, if anything, of the true power of God. And if it became necessary to make use of his gift, the chieftain may very well suspect him of witchcraft. However, he was willing to risk his own life to protect the people of the clan.