After a brief respite, the brothers led us west through the darkness until we arrived at the entrance o' a narrow tunnel, gusts o' cold air howlin' frae its mooth. One by one we entered, forced tae crawl on hands an' knees. Mair than a dozen times I banged my heid against rock, the walls o' the tunnel damp, the echo o' rushin' water growin' louder wi' each passin' minute.

An' then, finally, we arrived.

It wis a massive subterranean chamber, harborin' an underground river, black an' cold, its depths impossible tae fathom by the light o' our torches. Thoosands o' pointed rocks hung like fangs frae its vaulted ceilin', an' a steep wall along the opposite shoreline wis alive wi' bats. The hideous animals scurried ower one another like winged vermin, wi' several occasionally flyin' off intae the darkness.

MacDonald offered answers afore I could organize my thoughts intae words. "The river flows frae the belly o' the Loch tae the northeast for four leagues afore emptyin' intae the sea."

"An' the cavern?'

"Forged by ice long afore men came tae these parts. This juncture marks the river's narrowest point, an' we shall use it tae complete our mission."

"MacDonald, if we can access this passage, then the English can, too. An' who among us wid remain in this Hellhole tae guard the Bruce's keep?"

"Ah, but that is the beauty o' the plan. We shall use the Guivre as oor appointed minions, an' none, no' even Longshanks, shall challenge them."

"An' whit are the Guivre?"

"Some folk say they're sea serpents, others describe them as dragons. Me, I call them the De'il himsel'. The head is that o' a great gargoyle, wi' teeth that can carve a man doon tae his bones. The females are feared the most as they grow the largest, as long as a belfry is high. Nasty creatures they are, but born intae darkness, they prefer the depths, away frae God-an' man's light."

"An' how are we tae use these creatures tae safeguard that which belonged tae the Bruce, an object the English King wid gie half his treasure tae capture?"

"This is the passage the young Guivre must traverse when they enter Loch Ness frae the Moray Firth. When they reach maturity, the adults must again follow the river and return tae the sea. By blockin' the passage, we'll keep the largest o' the creatures frae leavin', an' Scotland's Holy Grail shall be protected."

As he spoke, the Templar Knights began unpackin' their satchels, removin' heavy lengths o' flat irons, the kind used tae gate drawbridges.

MacDonald smiled at me, the madness aglow in his eyes.

An hour has past, an' I rest noo by the fire, my body still weary frae oor descent. As others toil, boltin' together the iron gate, I ponder the repercussions of MacDonald's plan. Assumin' these dragons even existed, whit wrath wid Nature bring doon upon our heads…