‘I have never seen horns so wide,’ the boy said quietly. ‘They must be seven feet from tip to tip. Is it a freak?’
‘No,’ whispered Jaim. ‘It is an Isles bull. One and a half tons of short-tempered unpredictability. One flick of that head and the horn would pass right through a man.’
‘Then how are we going to steal it?’
Jaim Grymauch grinned suddenly. ‘We’ll use the old magic, lad. I’ll summon a Seidh spirit.’
‘You shouldn’t joke about such things,’ said the youth sternly.
‘There’s nothing in this world that I cannot joke about,’ the man told him, his smile fading. ‘Sometimes, deep in the night, I believe I can hear the gods laugh at us. If they did create us, Kaelin, they created us for a joke. Nothing else. And a bad joke, to boot! I’ll mock the Seidh and I’ll mock the Sacrifice. I’ll mock any damn thing I please!’
Kaelin Ring loved and trusted the scarred warrior, but he knew when to fall silent. Jaim was just like one of the bulls he loved to steal, brooding, short-tempered, and wholly unpredictable. Dawn was still a little way off and Kaelin hunkered down into his borrowed coat. It was thick and warm and smelled of woodsmoke, coal dust and sweat. He closed his eyes and dozed for a while. Pain woke him, and he cried out.
‘Quiet, boy! What’s wrong?’ hissed Jaim.
‘I’ve cramp in my calf,’ muttered Kaelin, reaching down to the spot. Jaim knelt beside him, his huge fingers closing firmly over the knotted muscles. It was excruciating. Jaim dug deep into the tortured tissue. Kaelin tried to make no sound. Gritting his teeth, he held his breath for as long as he could. Just as it seemed he could take the agony no longer the muscles eased, the pain sliding away.
Jaim patted the youth’s thigh. ‘Good lad,’ he said. Reaching up, he pulled clear the black cloth headband that protected his ruined eye. The empty socket had been stitched some years before, and was now sealed tight. Jaim rubbed at the scars. ‘It baffles me,’ he said, ‘how an eye that is long gone can still itch.’ Settling the cloth back into place, he glanced down the hillside. There was still no sign of herdsmen, even though the sun had been up for some minutes. ‘They breed ’em lazy in these parts,’ he said with a grin.
Kaelin did not reply. He was gently massaging his calf. They had crossed the mountains yesterday, and, though Kaelin was strong and as fleet as any youngster of his age, he had struggled to keep up with Jaim Grymauch. Especially when they reached the pass. Jaim had said it was open, yet still they had to dig their way through one snow-blocked section and make a precarious climb across a high icy ledge. Kaelin had been relieved to see the glittering water of Moon Lake, the paddocks and outbuildings of the Moidart’s western estate nestling by its banks.
He and Jaim had slept in a derelict shack close to a long-deserted coal quarry. Jaim lit a small fire, while Kaelin roamed the area in the twilight gathering the fragments of coal that still dotted the hillside. Kaelin loved to watch coal burn. It was a mystery to him how the black rock could catch fire, and how the flames could suddenly hiss and turn blue.
They slept on the floor of the shack and Kaelin was awakened by Jaim three hours before the dawn. ‘Time to find the watching spot,’ said Jaim. Sleepily the youth followed the big man out into the darkness and down into the lower, gorse-covered hills. Using a broad-bladed knife Jaim cut several thick branches, handing them to Kaelin for carrying. The youngster handled them with care, for the needle-sharp thorns could lance through skin as easy as winking. Jaim moved further down the hillside, seeking out a hiding place. Decided on an old gorse bush, skirted with heather. He cut an entrance into the eastern side of the bush, then, from within it, he and Kaelin built up a layered outer wall of the branches he had cut. When the hide was completed Jaim squirmed across to the western-facing branches and gently parted them with his hands. Satisfied he had a good view of the outbuildings and paddocks he squatted down, delved deep into his leather undershirt and produced two hard baked oatcakes. He passed one to Kaelin.