Chapter Summaries

Roger's attempt to recruit islanders by offering free meals drew hundreds to the Red Mill, though many arrived under the mistaken impression that they would join a group fight. After seeing how few able-bodied men remained on Allen Island, Roger offered another meal and began gathering potential defenders for the castle and town.

• Roger waited at the Red Mill while only a handful of locals came for the free soup and bread.
• A farmer learned that the meal was free and asked whether people who joined a group fight would receive extra rewards, prompting the waiting farmers to summon others.
• Hundreds of islanders rushed to the Red Mill with bowls and farm tools, overwhelming the food stall.
• Bitter Melon Face told Roger that fewer than sixty able-bodied men remained on the island and that more ingredients would be needed.
• Roger told Bitter Melon Face to recruit strong men as warriors, promised another free meal at sunset, and asked him to borrow flour from White John.
• Roger sent Baldhead to gather his self-proclaimed warriors and left the Red Mill, hoping Ponytail's recruits would be more capable.

Olaf learned that Sea Monster might have betrayed the pirates’ first leader and secretly warned men who hated the second leader to watch his associates. In Brodick, Roger recruited islanders to defend the town and castle, leaving Master Gowan to select the able-bodied men before Roger chose the final group.

• Olaf realized that Sea Monster might have colluded with Baron John to kill the first leader, then ordered a lackey to warn men who disliked the second leader.
• Baldhead told islanders a boastful account of Roger killing Ulf, while many islanders left after learning they faced murderous pirates.
• White-faced John calmed the islanders, explained the recruitment’s purpose, and raised the pay for ordinary recruits; Roger promised food and hired bards to keep people there.
• Roger asked the veteran constable Gowan to help select warriors, and Gowan dismissed recruits who were too young, frail, or burdened with family responsibilities.
• Gowan narrowed the recruits to fewer than fifty, then accepted Roger’s silver pennies to buy the men ale and returned to the castle.

Roger recruited islanders for a nighttime attack on the pirates’ northern hideout, using gold rewards and news of a poisoning plot to persuade them. He left the church with eighteen volunteers, while the remaining islanders were ordered to stay put until nightfall.

• Roger allowed Gray Rat, who had fled during the previous day’s fight, to rejoin the group after Baldhead beat him.
• Roger brought the selected islanders into Brodick Church for a blessing, then revealed they would attack the pirates’ nest rather than merely defend the castle.
• Roger offered gold coins and a share of the pirates’ treasure, and Fat Widow and sixteen other islanders volunteered to fight.
• Baldhead revealed that Baron John had placed an insider among the pirates and that most of them would be poisoned that night.
• Roger assigned Gray Rat to scout the enemy for half a gold coin and ordered the other islanders confined in the church until nightfall.
• Roger led the eighteen volunteers out toward the castle barracks to prepare for the night’s attack.

Roger searched Brodick Castle for weapons and armor to equip his men, but found mostly rusted, damaged scraps. After arguing with John, he secured a hunting crossbow, two sets of weapons, and the release of several imprisoned thugs for his force.

• Roger found the watchtower armory nearly empty, with only a few damaged weapons and six short spears.
• The guardsman showed Roger two ruined padded armors and a badly damaged coat of plates, and Roger ordered the islanders to carry everything away.
• Roger entered the Baron's residence and stopped John from tugging at a pretty boy.
• Roger argued with John and obtained a hunting crossbow and two full sets of weapons from the residence storeroom.
• John refused to release the five guardsmen, so Roger arranged for young, able-bodied thugs, including Blackhide Dog, to leave the manor's basement and join his force.

Roger assembled a twenty-two-person force from islanders, thugs, and released prisoners to fight pirates in the north, gathering weapons and assigning equipment according to their experience and ability. The makeshift Bandit Suppression Army left Brodick Castle with a horse and a mule and headed north.

• Roger brought Blackhide Dog and two other released thugs from the dungeon to the barracks, where Baldhead greeted them and shared his hidden bread.
• Roger ordered Baldhead to gather useful weapons from the market town, pay the islanders rent for them, and bring a mule loaded with food and wine.
• Roger inspected the recruits' battle experience and distributed armor and weapons, assigning Baldhead to use the crossbow from the rear ranks.
• Roger gave the damaged cloth-covered iron armor to Blackhide Dog and watched Fat Widow choose a blacksmith's hammer.
• Roger led the twenty-two warriors, a horse, and a mule out through Brodick Castle's rear gate toward the north.

Roger led the reluctant Bandit Suppression Army to a concealed cave south of Rocklanza Village, then went with Gray Rat to scout the pirate lair. The chapter left Roger watching the abandoned mill from nearby bushes, trying to count the pirates and assess their weapons.

• Roger sent Gray Rat and another young hooligan ahead to scout the route and wait at the ambush camp.
• Roger forced the men who tried to desert to continue marching, using threats and violence to keep the group together.
• The Bandit Suppression Army reached the cave before sunset, where Roger arranged food, rest, and guards.
• Roger and Gray Rat left the cave to reconnoiter the pirates, and Gray Rat reported that two lookouts watched the hill south of the mill.
• Roger led Gray Rat through the woods to bushes near the abandoned mill and began observing the pirates inside.

Ponytail infiltrated the pirates’ camp and tried to poison their meal, while Roger watched from hiding and prepared to lead his men against them. The chapter ended with Roger returning to the hidden camp to bring Baldhead and Blackhide Dog’s group toward the mill.

• Ponytail learned that the pirates planned to raid Whiting Bay the next morning and poison the camp’s water with liquid medicine.
• Ponytail added the poisoned water to the cooking pot and secretly treated cups as he set the pirates’ table.
• Two bandits beat Ponytail and smashed his vial, so he threw the green-soaked dirt into the meat broth instead.
• Roger confirmed Ponytail had infiltrated the camp, memorized the route to the mill, and returned to the hidden camp with Gray Rat.
• Baldhead and Blackhide Dog asked Roger about the pirates, and he led them inside to discuss the situation.

Roger briefed and organized his men for a nighttime attack on the mill, assigning groups to kill the pirates and archers to cover the exits. He led the Bandit Suppression Army toward the mill, where candlelight and laughter showed that the pirates were still inside.

• Roger told the gathered men that about fifteen pirates were at the mill, but only six or seven posed a serious threat, and promised them the loot if they won.
• Roger assigned Blackhide Dog and Gambling Addict to attack the left, Old Joey and three others to attack the right, and Black Charcoal with three men to attack the center.
• Roger ordered Baldhead and two hunters to guard outside with bows and crossbows, while Gray Rat was told to protect them with a club.
• Roger said they would leave the two pirates on Lu Jia's ship alone until the mill was secured, then take them out if the attack went smoothly.
• Roger led more than twenty men along a shepherd's trail to the thicket near the mill, where they heard laughter and saw candles lit inside.

The pirates’ feast erupted into a fight between the second-in-command and the third-in-command after a scout reported signs of an incoming attack. Ponytail accidentally exposed the mill in flames, then realized the pirates had been poisoned as the fighting left the leaders and many others dying or incapacitated.

• The second-in-command promised the pirates all the spoils from a raid on Whiting Bay and Milkhouse Manor, while the third-in-command objected to slaughtering civilians and challenged his authority.
• The second-in-command humiliated Ponytail and sent the old pirate lackey away, then ordered Ponytail beaten.
• A scout returned from Brodick and reported fresh tracks suggesting Baron John’s men were approaching the mill, prompting the third-in-command to draw his sword on the second-in-command.
• The pirates divided into factions and fought inside the mill while Ponytail fled; the old pirate lackey walked toward Mooring Cape as Roger and his warriors waited nearby.
• Ponytail set dry grass around the mill on fire, and the flames revealed poisoned pirates collapsing amid the battle.
• Ponytail recognized the poisoning and crawled under a table, where he found the scout hiding and learned they needed to stay quiet.

Roger led a sudden assault on the pirates’ mill after the planned signal failed, and his group quickly overwhelmed the remaining pirates. Blackhide Dog was badly wounded by a concealed attacker, so Roger left him in Fat Widow’s care and set off to seize the pirate ship.

• Roger rallied Blackhide Dog and several others to charge down from the mountainside toward the burning mill.
• Roger killed pirates at the entrance, and Fat Widow, Old Joey, Blackhide Dog, and Black Charcoal joined him in defeating the remaining fighters.
• The other armed men rushed in after the fighting began, and the group killed or subdued the pirates inside and around the mill.
• Roger discovered that a surviving pirate had stabbed Blackhide Dog, then treated the wound and ordered Fat Widow to keep pressure on it.
• Ponytail emerged from beneath a table with a lackey, while Roger assigned him to search the mill and took Baldhead, Old Joey, Black Charcoal, Gambling Addict, and Missing Tooth toward the pirate ship.

After killing the pirates at the mill, Roger led four warriors to seize their ship at Sheltered Cape. He killed two lackeys on the path, learned only an old man remained aboard, and confronted him at the ship’s cabin.

• Two pirate lackeys left the ship to investigate the fire at the mill, leaving the old lackey alone aboard.
• Roger hid with Blackhide Dog, Old Joey, and the others, then ambushed and killed one approaching pirate.
• Roger’s men subdued the second pirate, and Roger killed him after learning that only one unarmed old lackey remained on the ship.
• Roger and his companions reached the pirate ship and found a gangplank still connecting it to shore.
• Roger boarded with Baldhead’s crossbow and shouted for the old lackey to stay still, sending an arrow into the cabin door.

Roger tortured captured pirates at the abandoned mill to learn where Sea Wolf had hidden his gold and silver, but Olaf refused to speak. Roger threatened to kill the prisoners before the people from Brodick arrived, leaving Olaf facing a crossbow at his forehead.

• The Bandit Suppression Army slept at the mill while Old Joey, Black Charcoal, and two hunters guarded against curious villagers from Rocklanza Village.
• Roger salted a wounded pirate’s chest wound to torment him, then questioned Olaf about the missing treasure.
• Olaf said he did not know where Sea Wolf hid the valuables and refused to trust Roger.
• Roger threatened to kill Olaf and the other prisoners if they did not reveal the treasure before the people from Brodick arrived.
• Baldhead aimed his loaded crossbow at Olaf’s forehead and demanded that he talk.

Roger tortured Olaf’s surviving companion until the man died, then forced Olaf to reveal the location of a pirate gold cache. After arranging for Olaf and the two lackeys to be fed and rested, Roger went to check on Blackhide Dog’s injuries.

• Ponytail tried to persuade Olaf to surrender, while Roger threatened him and continued tormenting his dying subordinate.
• Olaf recalled how poison, infighting, and a night raid had left only three and a half pirates alive, and finally broke under Roger’s pressure.
• Roger stabbed the wounded bandit through the heart and ordered Baldhead and Ponytail to bury him separately.
• Olaf revealed a hidden cache containing more than forty pounds of gold and asked Roger to bury three of his companions properly.
• Roger had Olaf and the two lackeys taken into the mill for food and rest, then went with Baldhead to check Blackhide Dog’s wounds.

Roger set aside the most valuable loot and weapons for himself, then called a meeting to divide the remaining spoils among the warriors according to merit. He proposed ranking their contributions, but the chapter ended before he announced the rewards.

• Roger put the finest valuables and captured weapons and armor aboard the pirate ship, intending to keep them for himself.
• Roger sent Gray Rat and an islander to Brodick Castle with news of the raid and began assessing the warriors’ contributions.
• Gambling Addict, Missing Tooth, Baldhead, and the others argued over who deserved credit for the pirates killed during the attack.
• Roger warned the warriors to clean the possibly poisoned cookware carefully before using it for people.
• Roger silenced the gathering and proposed dividing the money into three merit ranks, each receiving a different amount.

Roger ranked the fighters who had helped defeat the pirates and divided the captured treasure among them. After sending a group to the captured ship and allowing villagers to retrieve two bodies, he ordered Bitter Melon Face and Little Horseherd to board the ship and summoned Fat Widow, Old Joey, and Black Charcoal.

• Roger assigned three ranks to the fighters and divided the gold, silver, and goods according to their contributions.
• Ponytail and Baldhead collected their shares, and the remaining men took their allotted money and goods before Fat Widow invited the underlings to claim the leftovers.
• Roger sent Baldhead and Ponytail with a group to board the captured pirate ship, while he waited at the Corpse-Drying Yard with the others.
• Roger allowed villagers to take the bodies of two pirates who had been dragged into the conflict as underlings.
• Bitter Melon Face and Little Horseherd arrived, and Roger ordered them to board the ship at Sheltered Cape before calling Fat Widow, Old Joey, and Black Charcoal over.

Roger sent Fat Widow and the others home with the loot, then confronted White-faced John over the pirates’ spoils before sailing away. After reaching Holy Island, Roger slept for several hours aboard the pirate ship and woke in the stern cabin.

• Roger lent Fat Widow and the others horses, mules, and donkeys to carry their loot home, and told them to return the borrowed farming-tool weapons.
• White-faced John arrived at the mill with his troops and found the pirates dead, then demanded their money, weapons, and armor.
• Roger told White-faced John that the loot had been divided among the warriors, returned Brodick Castle’s worn equipment, and claimed a piece of padded armor as his reward.
• Roger left the mill and sailed toward Lamlash Bay with Ponytail, while White-faced John stayed behind in a fury.
• Roger slept aboard the pirate ship for about three hours, then woke when Little Horseherd entered the stern cabin.

Roger inspected the captured pirate ship, identified its added triangular sail as a lateen sail for sailing against or across the wind, and learned the aging vessel was worth only fifty or sixty pounds. After reaching Lamlash Bay, he arranged for Blackhide Dog to be taken to the manor and chose to continue to Holy Island, where Bitter Melon Face suggested Igo stay and serve him.

• Roger examined the Cog's hull, towers, and sails, then guessed that its triangular foremast sail helped it sail against or across the wind.
• Bitter Melon Face estimated that the poorly maintained ship was worth fifty or sixty pounds and asked Roger about its unusual sail.
• Roger ordered the ship to dock at Lamlash Village, sent Blackhide Dog back to the manor, and arranged for food to be delivered to Holy Island.
• Roger told Bitter Melon Face to inform his mother that he was safe but would stay on Holy Island until the next day.
• Roger kept Baldhead, Ponytail, Missing Tooth, and Gambling Addict aboard, while Bitter Melon Face proposed that Igo stay with Roger as his servant.

Roger brought his men to Holy Island’s Salt Beach to inspect his family’s saltworks. After seeing its poor condition, he learned how the workers prepared brine and used peat to boil salt.

• Baldhead paid an honest fisherman to deliver money and a message to his grandmother in Brodick, then threatened him not to steal it.
• Roger ordered Baldhead and the others to sail the ship to Salt Beach on Holy Island, where they anchored in the shallows.
• Roger went ashore with Ponytail and Little Horseherd and was disappointed by the saltworks’ shabby sheds and stone house.
• Little Horseherd explained that the workers drained seawater before boiling the brine and burned peat from the island’s mountain lake to save fuel.
• Roger and his companions entered the workshop, where the tools and last year’s dried peat were stored in the stone house.

Roger settled the captured pirates on Holy Island and planned to make the island his base, while reflecting that returning to the East under Mongol-Yuan rule might leave him a low-status outsider. The next day, he ignored his adoptive mother's pleas to abandon his companions and prepared to return to the island with supplies.

• Roger ordered Ponytail and Little Horseherd to prepare the island's huts and bring the captives, lamps, and blankets from the ship.
• Roger realized the East was ruled by the Mongol-Yuan and considered staying in Scotland, where he could build a comfortable life or return to smuggling.
• At Milkhouse Manor, Roger's adoptive mother scolded him for associating with lowborn men and keeping pirates on Holy Island, and urged him to marry.
• Roger reminded his adoptive mother that the lowborn men had saved him from the pirates and left for the kitchen despite her protests.
• Roger collected fermented bread, food, blankets, and clothes with Little Horseherd Igo, then headed toward the coast to take a rowboat back to Holy Island.

Baron John’s campaign in Galloway ended in a devastating English ambush that destroyed most of Allen Island’s army and cost him his brother and nephew. He returned to Allen Island with fewer than fifty survivors, while two ships and much of the force were lost.

• Baron John led Allen Island’s army into Galloway, captured Glenluce Fortress, and plundered the western peninsula.
• Donald MacCann and Roland MacGah attacked as Baron John’s troops boarded their ships, while five English warships blockaded Loch Ryan.
• Baron John led his men ashore and fled toward Ballantrae, but English forces pursued and repeatedly intercepted them.
• Colin led a rearguard to protect Baron John, and Colin and Colin II died during the fighting.
• English forces captured White Sail and another ship, while Baron John escaped by sea with the surviving remnants of his army.