The cursed towers 229
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Killiegarrie within firing range by leaving their gates open and their men hidden. Although the Duke was
trying to call the retreat, the bridge behind them had been blown up and the Graycloaks were trapped
between the town and the river.
Meghan and her party came to a halt at the crest of a slight hill which gave a view across the battlefield.
Beside them the Arden River flowed through willows and alder trees, shading them from the hot sun.
Iseult bit her lip thoughtfully, examining the lie of the land and the extent of the Tirsoilleirean defenses.
Although she felt as if her body was a cup overbrimming with rage and pain, she had herself under tight
control. She fixed Iain and Gwilym with her grave stare and said shortly, "Any chance o' calling up rain to
dampen those fuses? We canna hope to win the day if we do no' disable those blaygird cannons o'
theirs!"
They glanced at each other and then at Meghan. "If we all work together, happen we could," Gwilym
said hesitantly. "This still, warm air will work against us though."
"We are c-c-close to Arran," Iain said. "I f-f-feel my m-m-m-mother's hand behind this hot weather. We
are n-n-near the coast and should be f-f-feeling a sea wind."
"Very well. Call the other witches. Do we have enough to make a circle o' power with Jorge and
Matthew gone?"
Again Gwilym glanced at Meghan. The old sorceress was staring up at the sky, her face crumpled and
worn with grief. With her white hair and haggard face, she looked every one of her four hundred and
thirty years.
"I do no' ken if Meghan is up to much works o' power," Gwilym said in a low voice.
Even though she was some distance away, Meghan turned at that and limped toward them, saying
harshly, "Worry about your own powers, Ugly! I have more power in my little finger than ye have in your
whole body, never forget that!"
He gave a wry grin, saying, "How could I possibly?"
"I shall stay with ye and lend ye my powers, then ride to join the men when we are done," Iseult said.
"Indeed, my will and my desire are strong today. I long to strike at those foul, loathsome, slimy maggots
that call themselves men. Bright Soldiers! Better that they should be called filthy, black-hearted,
mud-dwelling, blood-sucking scum!"
She paused, getting control of her temper again while the others stared at her in some amazement, never
having heard Iseult raise her voice or utter anything but the most well-considered words. They saw the
muscles in her jaw clench, then she said calmly, "Wait while I talk with Duncan and work out the best
approach, then I shall be with ye."
Gwilym found a clear patch of earth near the water and carefully laid a fire, using a bough of each of the
seven sacred woods, which the witches always made sure were included among the supplies. Then he
drew a wide circle around the fire with his witch's dagger, leaving a small gap to act as a doorway.
Within he drew a hexagram for, with Iseult joining them, they had six witches, including Dide and Dughall.
Neither Iseult nor Dide was fully trained but both had power and would be able to supplement the
strength of the others. Working weather was always difficult unless you had a Talent for it and so Gwilym
was doing everything he could to focus and augment their strength.
The one-legged witch then sprinkled the circle with water, earth, ashes and salt, chanting: "I consecrate
