“Go,” her mother repeated when Iliana glanced toward her uncertainly. “We shall see Angus to his room.”

Nodding unhappily, Iliana turned to walk toward the stairs she and her mother had helped Angus down not more than half an hour earlier. Aware that Willie was lagging behind, she glanced back at him sternly. “Pick up your feet, lad,” she ordered with as much authority as she could muster. “’Tis not a Sunday picnic we are heading to.”

The boy’s eyebrows rose at that and he did speed up to walk beside her. He even managed to look a little less positive that they were doomed.

One glance down the wall when she reached the stablemaster’s side told Iliana that this was not a problem that could wait for her father-in-law to regain consciousness.

Greenweld was below. She recognized him in his armor. He was mounted and shouting orders at the men building the causeway across the moat.

“If they finish that, they’ll be within the walls in no time,” the stablemaster announced as she straightened. “They’ll set fire to the bridge and gate.”

“Aye.” Iliana racked her brain for a solution.

“Our arrows are no good with that barricade over their heads,” he informed her helpfully.

“I realize that.” Iliana sighed, then glanced toward the mound of boulders in the inner bailey. The men had just managed to finish the wall ere leaving on the expedition to rescue Seonaid. That was a blessing. They would have been in quite a spot had they not. Still, there was stone left.

Iliana remained silent for a moment, her mind working over the problem that had been presented to her. Her gaze slid to the rocks again. Most of them were too large for the idea forming in her mind, but the smaller ones would do quite nicely.

“Collect as many men as you think you will need and fetch that rock up here.”

“Rock?” He peered where she pointed dubiously.

“The smaller one on the edge of the pile,” she explained.

“I don’t think—”

“Do it.”

“But ’twill take at least six men to get it up here.”

“Then take six men,” she responded promptly. “And send four more to the kitchens with two long posts to fetch Elgin’s vat of stew up here as well.”

“The cook’s stew?” He goggled at her.

“You heard me.”

“Aye, but—That will leave only two men up here to keep shooting arrows at—”

“There is nothing to shoot at, sir,” she pointed out dryly. “As you have said, they cannot shoot through the barricade, and the others are out of range. Now, stop questioning me and do as I have ordered. I have a plan.”

Rabbie opened his mouth to argue further with her, caught a glimpse of her stubborn expression, and thought better of it. Closing his mouth on a sigh of resignation, he turned and moved away, shaking his head.