As a healer turned outlaw, I still have occasion to practice my craft now and again. It gives me the perfect guise to pay a visit to Moss's tent and take a look around, perhaps even find a few valuables, without arousing any suspicion. Or so Nion has decided.

I've had to abandon the rich clothing I've been wearing since the failed raid on Brigid's Bruidean. The fancy braids are all undone now too, although my hair is still a bit wavy from being coiled up in such a queenly style. Nion let me keep the silver combs but we scattered the rest of the stuff around the cool meadow bordered with bilberry bushes, where all the lovers are wont to meet. Finders keepers! Now I am dressed in a nut brown leine and plain green brat, a basket of freshly picked nettles on my arm. I enjoyed playing princess for awhile but this is much more comfortable. And I can still carry my sword hidden in the folds of the cloak. My dagger, of course, is always within easy reach.

Nion pinches my cheek. "Just look at ya! It could be Airmed herself."

I slap his hand away and he snickers, then sobers and says, "Meet me at the gates, with or without Keu. We want to be on our way to Inver Colpa ahead of the big crowd that'll be leaving at the close of the feis. It will favor an ambush! I have a bag of loot, mostly small ornaments of precious metals, some of them bejewelled, along with a few knives and half-decent sword that I - uhhh - collected from unsuspecting revelers. I can carry the load meself but we could sure use those three horses the MacRoth promised to bring, not to mention the silver. And try to keep that tail-chasin' son of mine off the lasses for a time, or he's gonna hurt himself!"

The hunchback gives a lecherous wink, hitches the sack up onto the back of his fleetfooted mare and without any further ado hops on and rides away towards the gates.

I go straight to the healer's tent. I didn't expect so many people to be here, and all of them so badly hurt. Well, this will make my arrival even more timely! Now where is the one called Moss?

As if in answer to my silent question, a scream comes from inside the tent. I didn't see Keu among the warriors sprawled on the grass nor did I see Hadaig or Sean. The scream makes me suspect they are in the tent. I run to see what's happening.

Pushing aside the flap, I almost stumble over someone on the floor - a handsome red-haired ranger, pale as death, with a woman bending over him trying to revive him. And sure enough, there's Hadaig and Sean, right beside a cot where Keu is resting. They look both puzzled and shaken. I wonder why. With them is the healer herself, standing quite still with a bunch of nightshade wilting in her hands, her mouth agape with shock. She looks at me, recognizes my herbalist's dress, and starts to smile.

But it's no use now. Something has just gone amiss and I don't know what. Instinctively, I drop my basket and bring the sword out from under my cloak.

"Help us get him up, it's time we were out of here!" Hadaig barks, jerking his head towards Keu.

"We can't drag him along, he'll only slow us down," protests Sean the archer. "Let's take the healer instead, she'll make a good hostage!"

"NO!" screeches the woman by the door.

At that, a gray wolfhound bounds into the tent, madly growling and snapping at everyone, including Moss. Awakened by all the noise, Keu sits up and looks around, still in a daze. Hadaig grabs him by his good arm and pulls him off the cot. Together they stagger outside, kicking the unconscious ranger out of the way as they go. Sean follows while I give the two women - and the crouching, snarling wolfhound - a very close view of the hair-splitting point of my sword. This holds them in place for awhile until I'm sure my companions have had time enough to get a good distance away. Then I dash out of the tent and make a run for the gates of Tara.