The Drunk Wolf novel · Chapter 6 of 32
Chapter 6: Silver in the Wood
"One cup," Struan said. "Maybe two."
He looked at the water butt.
Then he looked at his hand, and I watched him notice it was shaking again.
"Moonbane," I said.
"Not enough to drown it. Enough to slow me down." He laughed, short. "Clever. Nobody drew blood."
"We call it off."
"We can't call it off. A consort who won't take the Challenge forfeits the cord." He tipped the rest of the kettle onto the cobbles. "Then your uncle gets his crown and I get a bolt."
Morag made him drink salt water until he was sick in the burn.
It helped a little.
At noon, the castle yard was packed to the walls.
The clans stood in a ring three deep around a square of raked gravel. The chiefs had chairs along the south wall. Tormod sat in the middle of them in his dark tweed, with his signet ring catching the light.
Murdo's forty Strachans filled the east side, in their kilts, already chanting.
On the west side stood nine wolfless stillhouse workers in leather aprons, with Morag in front of them and a pot lid in her hands to bang.
Ailsa stood at my shoulder.
"I've never been so proud of anything in my life," she said. "Look at them. They look like a pub quiz team."
The youngest lass cupped her hands round her mouth. "Murdo Strachan, your kilt's on backwards!"
It wasn't. Half the yard looked anyway.
Murdo stepped into the square with a stave in his fist.
Struan stepped in after him in shirt sleeves, with my cord on his wrist.
He was pale and his eyes were too bright.
"Three falls," the Charter keeper called. "In human form. Begin."
Murdo hit him so fast I didn't see the stave move.
Struan went down on his side in the gravel.
The Strachans roared.
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