The cursed towers 205
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the end of the Second Fairgean Wars. The lock system had maintained the water level in the Berhtfane,
controlling the flow of the tide up the river, and allowing ships to be raised and lowered at will, while
keeping the hostile sea-faeries out. The Bright Soldiers had stupidly blown them up during their attack on
Dun Gorm, destroying many of their own ships in the ensuing flood and making themselves vulnerable to
attack from the Fairgean. Although there were signs the Bright Soldiers had tried to fix the gates, they
had obviously been unsuccessful, the sea serpents having broken down their crude barriers with
contemptuous ease.
Lachlan and his engineers puzzled over the remains of the gates for some time without being able to work
out how to fix the great wheel that had opened and closed the gates. Then Dide the Juggler brought an
old man with a crippled foot to see the Righ. Named Donovan Slewfoot, he had been the harbor master
at the Berht-fane for thirty years and had worked on the canals since he was a mere lad. After the
Lammas invasion, he had joined the rebels in Dun Gorm, fighting the Bright Soldiers from the shadows.
He had escaped the first Fairgean onslaught with Dide and Cathmor and had served in the Righ's army
ever since as an engineer's assistant and jack-of-all-trades.
Donovan Slewfoot grinned when Lachlan explained their problem. "Och, that one is easy enough to fix,"
he said cryptically and lay down on his back to slide under the wheel, coiled with thick chains. When he
struggled out again, he held a spanner in his huge, rough hand. "I jammed the gates wi' this when those
blaygird Bright Soldiers first attacked the harbor master's tower. I never thought it would hold the gates
open for more than two years!"
With Donovan Slewfoot's advice, it was not long before the harbor and the river were once again safe
from invasion by the sea-faeries. Sadly it would take a lot longer to rebuild Dun Gorm and none of them
had had the heart to try. Instead Lachlan's men had spent the early spring months consolidating their hold
on the land they had won and recovering their own strength.
Almost four thousand Bright Soldiers had surrendered to Lachlan's troops after the battle at Rhyssmadill,
but close on a thousand had escaped the carnage and fled through Clachan, retreating back toward
Arran. There they had been met by fresh troops who had marched through the fenlands at the first thaw,
determined to continue the war against the heretical witch-lovers.
With all of southern Eileanan again under their control, Lachlan and Iseult were determined to drive the
Tirsoil-leirean back to their own country and to unite both Tirsoilleir and Arran under the MacCuinn
banner. Their confidence was running high after the victories of the past two years, and the comrades
they had lost had only honed their resolve. They had called the lairds and prionnsa-chan to Dun Eidean to
plan their summer campaign.
The Bright Soldiers had set up their headquarters at Ardencaple, the closest major town to the border
with Arran, which was well able to supply provisions for the Tirsoilleirean battalions. Built on the Arden
River, Ardencaple was a well-fortified town surrounded by rich fields and orchards. Since that part of the
countryside was quite flat, Lachlan and Iseult had puzzled for some time about how best to approach
their enemy.
"The trick will be to take the Bright Soldiers by surprise," Iseult said. "They must know our intention is to
strike against them before they march too far into Bles-sem or Clachan. It is so hard to tell what the area
is like from these maps. Where is the NicThanach? She must know this countryside better than anyone.
Happen she will know the best way for us to advance on Ardencaple."
Melisse NicThanach, the eldest daughter of Alasdair MacThanach, was called to the war conference. A
slim woman in her mid-twenties, she had golden curls tied back in a snood sewn with pearls, a wide satin
skirt all covered over with lilies and roses, and long trailing sleeves of green velvet and gold net. Next to
