We said nothing more of Rathnait or of the betrothal. With the others riding so close by, such a sensitive topic could not be aired further. Besides, although I found myself happy that we were friends again, I knew I could not make plans for the future until my mother’s child was born. What occurred then would inevitably shape the path for us thereafter. I wanted to ask Aidan for more of his friend’s story, for I wondered how Cathal had become the difficult, odd man he was, and I thought the clue might be in his origins. A humble birth, the friendship of a chieftain’s son, an excess of pride . . . But now was not the time to ask.

We got home late in the day to find a party of men getting ready to ride out through the forest, Gareth, Mikka and Sigurd among them. With dusk approaching, this must mean urgent business. While Aidan and Cathal went over to speak to their fellow warriors, I headed inside to find Father, leaving Doran to help the girls down and deal with the horses.

Father and Johnny were in the small council chamber. The door was open, and I heard Johnny say, “Are you quite sure you don’t want me to go in person?”

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” I said, feeling I had done more than enough eavesdropping for one day. “Can you tell me what’s going on?”

“We’ve received word that Eoin of Lough Gall is back,” said Father. “I want a message to go to him without delay. Gareth’s taking it. And no, Johnny, I don’t want you to go.” He glanced at me, then back at my cousin. “We’re facing a challenging time; I’ll need you here at Sevenwaters. Gareth knows how to present this to Eoin tactfully. All your other men need to do is stand next to him as a reminder that I do have the forces of Inis Eala backing me, should anyone decide to make this grounds for conflict.”

“Are you inviting Eoin to a council?” I asked him.

“Gareth will extend that invitation to him, yes. When he’s seen Eoin, he’ll ride on to do the same for the other northern chieftains. I won’t commit to the exact timing while matters are so uncertain here. With Gareth’s party likely to be away for some time, we’d best send for some men-at-arms from Glencarnagh to bolster our numbers here, Johnny. You could see to that in the morning.” Glencarnagh was our other holding, to the southwest. It had belonged to my mother’s family.

“Is there anything I can do to help, Father?” I asked. “Do the men have adequate provisions for the journey?”