Chapter 4

Holyrood Abbey, Edinburgh, later that night

Robbie MacDonald stood in the back of the abbey awaiting the arrival of the bishop. Regret soured his stomach. He should be with Agnes and Murdoch, not doing the bidding of a greedy old man. He stretched his back, twisting side to side to loosen his muscles. He’d spent the day teaching his younger brother swordsmanship, something Robbie was late to do for the lad. He tilted his head up into the abbey. The Norman arches disappeared into the darkened ceiling above; only a few torches lit the perimeter of the church. At well past midnight, the spring sun had finally set, giving way to the blackness.

Robbie was familiar with the blackness. It had crept inside him and refused to leave. When his parents had been cut down by thieves before his fifteenth summer, a little blackness bled in. But he’d done what was needed to care for his younger siblings, Murdoch and Agnes. Within a few years, he’d noticed Agnes’s health was beginning to fail. Without the means to seek the help of a physician, she’d only received care from a few local healers who would take furs in payment. It wasn’t enough, and none of the healers could tell him what was wrong with her. That’s when he took up the sword. Robbie had always been muscular, and with some practice, he’d learned he wasn’t bad with a blade. He began contracting himself out as a mercenary. The work made him question his morality, and the blackness inside him grew. Yet with his skill and efficiency came more jobs and more coin to get better physicians for Agnes. Yet, of all the physicians he’d been to, no one could heal her. That was why he’d agreed to meet with the bishop. The bishop said he could change all that.

“You came.” It was the bishop. Following behind him was a servant carrying two velvet covered chairs.

Robbie stood tall as the man approached from the front of the church. “You knew I could not refuse.”

The old man nodded, waiting for the servant to place the chairs. Once he seemed satisfied with their placement, the bishop dismissed the servant and took a seat. “Sit and we shall talk.”

“I will stand,” Robbie said. Only the king sat in the abbey; no man would disrespect him, present or not, by sitting in his church. No man, it seemed, except for the bishop. Folding his arms across his chest, he carefully watched the man who had summoned him. He was more ornamented than a crown. His fine gown sparkled with golden threads, and his hands were covered with gemstone rings. Even his finely made shoes reflected his wealth. The bishop was rich and powerful. Some claimed he had more power than the king himself, but the king was too preoccupied with his works to take notice.

“Do you know why King David built this church here?”

“Nae,” Robbie said.

“Some years ago, when the king was a young man, he stood on this spot and had a vision of a stag and a cross.” The bishop nodded toward the altar. “He prayed there for days and days until he heard God’s voice speak to him and command that he build an abbey here, an abbey grand enough to house Scotland’s most treasured relics.” The bishop’s eyes filled with fire. “One particular relic has been kept here under the watchful eye of a dedicated few for a long time, but five days ago it was taken.”

“Stolen?”

“No. The king gave it to the orphan girl, Isobel.”

“For what purpose?”

“I fear the king’s mind is not well. He doesn’t know himself, else he would have never let her take it.”

“Where has she taken the relic to?”

“I do not know her journey’s end, but I heard word she was headed toward Stirling,” the bishop said. “I have asked you here to find the girl.”

“And retake the relic?”

“Yes. Bring it back to me, and I will send the best healers in the kingdom to see to Agnes’s condition.”

Robbie’s spine tingled. He looked sharply at the bishop. I never told him Agnes’s name. Robbie felt uneasy about this mission, but he had no other choice. “You want the relic back so it can be protected?”

“Precisely. Who knows what this girl intends to do with it? It has been safe here for decades, and I will see to it that it remains safe for many years to come.”

“And you swear to send someone to help Agnes.”

“I have the best healers in my charge, MacDonald. They will make her well again.”

Though he knew the bishop lied about his intentions for the missing relic, Robbie could not walk away. He needed to help Agnes, and he’d exhausted all other options. He would take this mission and pray his sister would finally be well again.