Free Highland Light by Cherime MacFarlane Page B

motioned to his men to turn as well. The MacNab nodded his head.
    "Good day ta ye."
    He pulled his horse's head to one side and they all galloped off. They were gone but they knew her father was gone. She had mentioned a 'husband', and perhaps should not have done so. Ailene absently chewed a nail. Nothing she said would have mattered in any case. The MacGrough was not in residence and that would be enough to rouse MacNab's suspicions.
    Ailene walked over to her clansmen and they conferred for a moment. They would need to be more cognizant of both the MacNabs and MacNaughtons. Those clans would be making assumptions, which could cause Ailene trouble later on.
    It was time to see about building both the escape tunnel and the new wall. It was possible that the main body of the MacNabs was chasing the king. If they continued to concentrate their attention on pursuing The Bruce, their numbers could be reduced sufficiently that they would leave Ailene alone. In any event, training must continue. Ainsley and the younger boys were going to need to hone their skills. Thinking about putting lads no older than ten or ten and one into danger made her angry but what choice did she have? She would have to hold this land for the men to have something to come home to.
    Ailene made another decision. The women of this clan would learn how to use a bow. They might need every able arm available to defend themselves. Being a woman was no guarantee against being used and killed. Knuckling under and allowing either of the other clans to turn them from their homes or worse on a suspicion of supporting the king was not going to happen if she could help it.
    There was a certain amount of grumbling from the women when Ailene insisted the women come to the training field and learn how to use a bow. After the initial complaining was over with they watched Ailene. They attempted to put into practice what she demonstrated. Ailene did not hold them to it for too long. The double burden of woman's work and the additional chores left to them by the absent warriors meant the days were not long enough.
    Ailene with Caelan's help took up the wood floor of the storeroom. The uneven rock beneath the floor was not big enough to admit a grown man. Ailene knew she would need to enlarge the hole. The only good thing was that the rock shelf extended only partially under the foundation. They would be able to dig the tunnel out toward the wash shed. It was men's work. This would tax her and the lads to the limit.
    Splitting the rock away so they could dig the necessary tunnel was something she was not looking forward to. The theory was easily related the actual work was another matter. Ailene had searched her father's room. After locating the old storage box she found what she thought might be the drill and splitting tools. Ailene did not recall what her father had called them. The names were not essential, knowledge of their use was another matter. What would be required was brute force.
    In the morning Ailene took the tools down to the storeroom and sat on the floor joists inspecting the rock she must somehow remove. A spur of the foundation rock extended down into the ground. The lads would need to scrape out the rubble and dirt, which filled the hole. Then they would have a better idea of how much rock must be removed.
    At the same time Ainsley would be skidding rocks down from the head of the glen for the wall that was planned for outside. Ainsley would be using the horse and rock sled for that chore.
    The rock sled was old and Ainsley would need to inspect it to see if any repairs needed to be done. It was an immense amount of work. But she had been entrusted with the improvements and she was going to do the best she could. The wall would be made with two walls of dry stone. The interior open section between the two outside walls would be filled with dirt and rubble They would gather some of what was needed from the excavation of a trench on the outside of the