1 - MORCANT

His strength was slowly coming back to him. He could see and hear better, day by day. But the pain on his face was sharper now, and burning. And he still couldn't manage to sit for more than a little while, or he would feel like fainting. A Cruthin healer came every now and then to clean his wounds with some healing poultice, and that burnt even more. Morcant would have shouted at him, if he had strength enough. Instead, injured as he was, all he could do was to let the damn Cruthin healer do his job, hoping that he was really curing him and not poisoning him.

Morcant didn't know where he was exactly. Injured soldiers were lying around him, inside a ragged tent which didn't even protect them from the chilly winds outside. Sometimes some of them talked, in the Cruthin language, the language of his brother-in-law.

It was still very confusing, being among Cruthins and hearing that Alt Clut had been sacked and his father the Guletic had been killed. The gods only knew what had happened to the rest of his family. A pounding headache hit him whenever he thought about that.

Áedán himself had visited him once and had told him that his wife and children were held as hostages by his father's cousin, Neiton. Morcant didn't know what to make of that. It was true that his father had confided to him his suspicions about a conspiracy plotted by Neiton and his cohorts. But this situation was much worse: Morcant was living a real nightmare.

An injured soldier lying at some distance from him said some words in Cruthin, watching at him. Morcant could understand some of the Cruthin language, but he was too weak and tired to try and understand what that soldier was telling him, so he just let himself doze off.

Just a little while later, he suddenly woke up: some soldiers had entered the ragged tent, carrying a stretcher. They were quick. They came to him and they moved him on the stretcher. What was happening? He tried to oppose them but he was too weak, and even when he muttered "Stop!" probably they didn't even hear him, so feeble was his voice.

They carried him outside, walking fast. The cool air lashed Morcant's face: it was a pain and a relief at the same time. Now he could recognise where they were, it was the swampland behind the Rock. Very soon he saw where they were bringing him. It's his tent, he thought.

They passed through the open flap and they went inside the tent. There, the soldiers laid the stretcher down on the floor.

Lifting his head, Morcant saw Áedán mac Gabráin sitting in front of him. "All of you, go out", he said with a gloomy voice in the Cruthin language. Some soldier tried to reply, but Áedán raised his voice: "Out, I said! Erc will stay with me, I won't need anyone else!".

When all the soldiers had gone, Áedán turned his head and spoke to a woman who was silently tidying up in a corner, probably a slave or a servant: "I said everyone out, you also. I will call you later". The woman meekly ran out.

Then, the Cruthin commander spoke, in Brittonic this time: "In different circumstances, King Morcant, I would have let you more time to recover. But today... I received very bad news. My eldest son, Artúr, has been kidnapped by your brother Riderch's men".

Morcant got very confused by those words: "My... I thought my brothers were killed...", he said with a quivering voice.

"Culfulch and Ardderchddrud, yes. But Riderch and his family were not seen in Alt Clut, and now it looks like they are somewhere down in Rheged", Áedán answered, darkly.

His brother-in-law was speaking a fairly decent Brittonic, but that didn't help Morcant to understand what was going on.

"Listen," continued Áedán, "I will be straightforward. If we want to collaborate, I need to know if you were aware that Riderch, with his wife and his children, were not in Alt Clut, and why. I smell something fishy here. Since my wife is your sister, I would rather be on the same side, but if it turns out that your brother planned this all along on purpose, I cannot let that go".

Listening to the confirmation that Culfulch and Ardderchddrud had died was a hard blow for Morcant, but he tried to gather his thoughts quickly, and he cleared his voice: "I don't know anything of Riderch's plans. We have never been close", he said, gloomy. Then, after a moment of pause, he continued this time more resolute and trying to let his voice be audible: "But it is very strange, at the least, that even his wife and children were with him, far from Alt Clut... It has hardly ever happened. It is actually suspicious. He... he has always been an idiot, worried only about his belly and his dick. He never ever cared about our family, our clan...".

"I don't really care about that", answered Áedán. His voice was trembling with controlled rage: "He abducted my son!". He stopped for a moment. "And maybe you will be more interested than me", he added in a dismissive tone, "in knowing that Riderch might have your family's ancestral sword: Neiton swears that it was missing when his soldiers searched your father's abode, and he's convinced that it must be with Riderch because it hasn't been found anywhere".

Morcant was hit once again by a stabbing pain on his face. Caledbulch? That bastard has stolen Caledbulch?? For what purpose?... What's his purpose?...

A fire was starting to burn inside him, now: "Prince Áedán... If what you tell me is true, it appears to me that my brother has a plan in mind. I don't know what plan, but if it involves stealing my family's ancestral sword and watching Alt Clut burning from far away, saving only himself, his wife and his children... Then... then it's a plan... a plan against my own family... Against myself as the new Guletic of Alt Clut". Morcant couldn't believe that his own voice was saying that in front of the Cruthin commander who had just ravaged the Rock, but the words came out easily, almost unsolicited. His heart was pounding and he didn't feel pain anymore.

"It looks like we share a common foe, Guletic Morcant", Áedán said looking at him. "So, what are we going to do about it?".

Morcant heaved a sigh: "I owe you my life, Prince Áedán, and that is a lifetime debt. I will help you deal with Riderch, as soon as I recover, and I count on standing on my feet soon. My own requests are simple: to save my wife and my two sons, and to kill Neiton and all the conspirators".

"And once you will be back in power, what will happen then?", Áedán asked him, softly and slowly.

Morcant gathered what strenght was left in him, in order to answer: "It's up to the two of us to deal a long lasting alliance which will benefit both our powers. I will support your claim as the future High King of Dál Riata. After all, in that way my sister would become a queen".

Áedán looked pleased: "My spies are already in place inside Alt Clut and we can organise how to rescue your wife and children. As for the other part, we must proceed cautiously: I will give you a list of the conspirators, those ones that I am aware of". He made a pause, then he said: "But first, King Morcant, you have to regain your strenght. If we want to proceed that way, we will need all the strenght we can master".

"You can count on that, Prince Áedán", replied Morcant. "And regarding what my brother Riderch is planning behind my back, I can assure you that I want to get to the bottom of that, whatever it takes. My sons are held as captives, as your son Artúr is. We are in a similar situation in this regard, and I promise you that I won't find peace until my sons and your son, who is my nephew after all, will be freed".

Áedán stood up, came close to Morcant and stroke both his shoulders. Surprisingly, Morcant didn't feel pain, he just felt his blood flowing more strongly in his veins.