Part 16 (1/2)

”How did Red Alex save your life?”

The silence weighed heavy. Fayth thought he wouldn't answer, but finally he said, ”Alex knows about the monks... not that Dunfermline was anything at all like Rees Abbey, where I was. He says most of the monks at Dunfermline were good men... but he understood that some of them...” He swallowed hard and met Fayth's steady gaze. ”Like Father Rae, aren't very G.o.dly.”

”Not G.o.dly?” Fayth was more confused than ever. This was not what she'd expected from a band of outlaws-from Red Alex's band of outlaws. ”Who is Father Rae? What did he do?”

When it became clear Laine would say no more about his time at Rees, or Alex rescuing him, Fayth asked, ”Does Eliot owe Red Alex his life?” She glanced back at the one-armed man. His eyes were still fixed on her.

Laine gazed at Eliot for a few seconds. ”Aye... but it was long afore I came to be with them. Eliot is a Maxwell and kin to Alex. Red Rowan took him in when his father was murdered. By a Graham, of course.”

Fayth fought her scowl of irritation. Of course. As if only Grahams went about murdering Maxwells.

”He lost his arm in a hunting accident. He would have lost his life, if not for Alex.”

If not for Alex. Fayth found her gaze drawn to Alex again, but she resisted. ”Why does Eliot keep staring at me?”

”Red Alex probably set him to guarding you.”

Fayth noticed another man loitering nearby, but he wasn't nearly as vigilant.

”He certainly takes his duties seriously.”

”We all do, Hugh. We're not merely a band of outlaws. We have a home and we mean to keep it.” His head jerked back to the bag.

Fayth studied the lad. He didn't speak in the rough border accent of the others. Though he was certainly a Scot, this speech bore the mark of education. He'd spent a good while at the abbey.

Laine finally pulled dried meat and a loaf of hard bread from the sack. ”You'll want to watch out for Eliot, he's not fond of strangers. It took him some time to tolerate me. He can't abide Davie.”

”Davie?”

Laine broke the loaf, offering half to Fayth. He pointed across the clearing to a pale-haired man, sitting beneath a tree, grinding something with mortar and pestle. ”Aye, Davie's our leech. He's only been with us a few weeks. He doesn't speak and cannot hear.”

Fayth accepted the flagon of beer Laine pa.s.sed to her. ”If he can't speak or hear, how did he learn to heal?”

”His sister was one of the finest healers on the border. The villagers hated him-thought he was a half-wit. She took care of him after their mother died. But she drowned one day, no one knows how or why, though her husband, an angry man who wanted nothing more than to be rid of the dullard, accused Davie of murdering her. When we came through the village Davie was being tried for murder.”

Fayth looked again at Davie, frowning. ”How did you convince the villagers he was innocent?”

”We didn't. Red Alex and Skelley sat through a bit of the trial, for it was a public thing, and not much of a trial at all. In the end, took him at sword point.” Laine took a bite of his meat and spoke around it. ”And so here he is.”

Fayth stared for a long time at the fair-haired leech. This was all so troubling. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear any more of these stories. She looked away and noticed several men had joined Eliot and his attention was now on them as they played cards.

Laine gnawed at his bread, following her gaze. ”Stay clear of Eliot and you'll do fine, lad.” He grinned suddenly and Fayth was relieved for some unfathomable reason that he was no longer annoyed at her. ”If you prove yourself worthy, Alex might even let you stay.”

Fayth wouldn't be around long enough for that to happen. ”Is that what you did? Proved yourself worthy?”

”You ask a lot of questions.”

Fayth smiled blandly. ”I'm curious about my uncle, is all.”

Laine grunted.