“I’m going to kill them, Mother,” Hughie said.
“Yes, you are,” Mary MacKim agreed. “You will kill them when you are ready. At present, you’re only ten years old, and they are full men and trained soldiers. I’ve lost one son. I don’t wish to lose another so soon.” She leaned closer to him. “You must avenge your brother, Hugh, but not until you are older.”
“I’ll join the army.” Hughie fought the tears that threatened to unman him once more. “I’ll be a trained soldier, too.”
“Not yet,” Mary MacKim said. “You’re far too young. By the time you are old enough, you’ll see that I am right. When the time is right, Hughie, you will learn how to fight the way the redcoats fight, and you will find the monsters who murdered Ewan.”
Hughie knew he could not argue with his mother. He shook his head. “
