Leaping Wolf, page 29
part #2 of Caledon Saga Series
He tried to listen to the younger headman as he spoke but his mind kept drifting off to think of Tegwen. He’d still had no chance to speak with her, not that he had any idea what he would say. Rylion, clearly as surprised as he was, had simply said; ‘this is your father’ when they had met, and Tegwen had just nodded dumbly. Perhaps she’d already seen the resemblance between the brothers, perhaps not, but nonetheless the shock on her face had been plain. Neither father nor daughter had known what to say next and Taliesyn had broken the awkwardness by inviting her to leave with him, saying that they could meet and talk later when better prepared. Gawan couldn’t decide if he was more grateful or annoyed at the young chief for his actions.
He watched him as he paced about, extolling his own virtues as humbly as he could, and trying to talk down Karadoc without seeming too petty about it. He was doing a fair job. Gawan had to admit he wasn’t a bad candidate, but the sight of him with Tegwen had taken some of the shine from the young man. It was well known that he changed lovers the way most men changed clothes and the thought of him treating Tegwen in such a way made Gawan unjustifiably angry. You’ve been a stranger her whole life and now you decide to become protective? You damned fool!
When they had left the house he had considered following them out but Rylion had forestalled him, advising him to wait a day or so before approaching her. With his mind half on the moot Gawan might make a mess of all this, and he would not get a second chance at a first impression. Gawan was fairly sure Rylion was taking care of her feelings rather than his but all the same he felt grateful to his brother, who even went so far as to go and see her himself to prepare the ground for the meeting with her father. They had a long way to go, but it was good to know that he and Rylion were becoming a family again. Whether Tegwen would be a part of that was another story of course.
So instead of chasing her down and trying to become a father, Gawan had spent most of his time at the house with Anryn, the older man trying to talk his worries away as they waited for the moot. The bachelor was both a good talker and a good listener and though Gawan had hardly poured out his soul to him, their conversations had helped him to relax. A little. Anryn never pried and was happy to ramble on with some tale or another whenever Gawan didn’t feel like talking.
The Gadarim shifted on the bench and focused his mind on the meeting at hand. Taliesyn was winding up his speech and Gawan noticed that Karadoc was glaring murder at him, as if trying to strangle him with just his eyes. He was clearly regretting having taken the initiative by speaking to the assembly first, since he was now forced to watch in silence as his rivals made their arguments. Boryn was watching the speech with what looked like polite interest, occasionally pulling on his moustache but otherwise sitting still and relaxed.
Taliesyn finished speaking and several headmen banged their fists on tables and benches in support. Hywel cleared his throat and rose from his seat beside Baercban’s chair.
‘Blessings and thanks, Taliesyn son of Cylren.’
The young man bowed his head and strode to an empty patch of bench, where one of the seated chiefs clapped his shoulder as he sat down. Hywel addressed the room again, his voice high and clear.
‘Step forward Boryn son of Maldom.’
The elder chief rose from his seat and bowed to the druid before addressing the headmen. He was shorter than either of the other candidates but he held himself with great dignity, and his audience paid attention.
‘Camelas’ blessing on you all. I am no great speaker and will keep this brief.’
He looked around the room, speaking seriously and gesturing little.
‘If Baercban’s chair is offered to me I shall do all I can to repair the hurt that has been done to our tribe these last few years. I shall strive to keep peace with our neighbours, listen to advice when it is given, and rule justly and fairly to the best of my ability.’
Beside him, Gawan heard Duran whisper very quietly.
‘A fine notion, but not a strong enough view to sway anyone.’
Gawan looked at him out of the corner of his eye, not wanting to seem disrespectful to the speaker. His fellow Gadarim had tied his long hair back at the nape of his neck, highlighting the sharp lines of his face. So far he sported no permanent battle-marks there, but after his service at Nantwyn Gawan felt he had more than earned some. Duran was younger than the First Man but very nearly as experienced, and could boast of heroism in a score of battles. He had fought Dariniae, Caderyn, Gaians, and Sarracs in his time. He had even, long ago, fought alongside Gawan to take down a warrior of the Grenn. Gawan could still remember the great brute today, a monster to rival Broad Kellas in size. Yes, Duran would make a fine First Man once this was over.
Gawan nodded his head subtly and replied in a low voice.
‘Boryn is wise. Many older men and druids will support him.’
Duran shrugged and said what Gawan had already suspected.
‘True, but his support cannot rival that of either of the other two. Many older headmen are dead and the young ones will want a solid idea to hold on to. The world is changing, brother.’
Gawan resisted the urge to sigh and turned his head back to Boryn.
‘Maybe so.’
The elder headman had finished saying what little he had to say and Hywel stood again and bowed to him.
‘Blessings and thanks, Boryn son of Maldom.’
Gawan knew what would come next and was already standing up when the druid turned to face him.
‘Gawan son of Dearg, First Man of our Gadarim, what say you?’
If anything Gawan was even less of a speaker than Boryn but it was expected of him, and he knew his duty. He bowed to the white-robed men before addressing the benches.
‘Druid Hywel, fathers, headmen of the Gorvicae; I have little enough to add to the words already spoken. Each man has made good arguments and any one of them might make a capable leader. But my own first choice to be chieftain of our tribe would be Boryn son of Maldom.’
Both Taliesyn and Karadoc were looking at him with hostility but Gawan didn’t care. It might not be the cleverest thing to say, given Boryn’s chances, but it was the truth.
‘He is the eldest of the three men here and has spoken with much wisdom, and I know him to be a loyal and dedicated man.’
There were rumblings from the benches and Gawan raised his voice.
‘Besides which I have fought beside him and know his worth on the field of battle. He makes no grand promises today but he is a fine man and a true Gorvic. Let that be enough to make him our chieftain.’
The hall had fallen to silence as he spoke and Hywel raised his open hand before any muttering could begin.
‘Thanks and blessings, Gawan son of Dearg.’ He swept his eyes around the room.
‘We have heard all that there is to be heard. Now show your hands, and let the Gorvicae make their choice.’
He paused and a silent tension seemed to float through the hall before he spoke again.
‘All those who would favour Karadoc son of Ofryd?’
A chorus of ‘aye’ went up from several throats and Gawan saw hands being raised above heads. None of the druids there had sided with him but the chiefs significantly outnumbered the holy men, and plenty of grizzled Gorvicae had raised their hands for Karadoc. The man himself smirked a little but Gawan could tell it was forced. Young druids were diligently counting the hands but it was plain at a glance that less than half the hall supported him. The robed youths approached Hywel and told him the result, and their senior nodded without expression.
‘Very well. All for Boryn son of Maldom?’
More hands went up, including those of several druids, and Gawan raised his own to join them. More chiefs than he would have thought had declared for Boryn but it still looked like fewer than Karadoc had gained. Gawan wondered briefly if his words had swayed any of them to Boryn’s side, but then rationalised that Hywel might well have spoken to some of them too. Once again the youngsters counted but Gawan suspected it was the next question that would truly decide this moot. Hywel spoke up for a third time.
‘All for Taliesyn son of Cylren?’
Gawan saw Duran raise his hand and voice in support, along with a cluster of headmen and even one or two of the druids. Once again the hands were counted and for a final time the result was given to Hywel. The elder druid frowned but he was not one for dramatics and did not pause before announcing the result.
‘Nineteen hands to Boryn son of Maldom.’
A few fists banged onto tables but otherwise the room stayed silent.
‘Twenty-six hands for Karadoc son of Ofryd.’
The applause was greater this time and Karadoc’s smile widened. The noise died down soon enough though as all eyes turned to the druid. Hywel took a single breath before he spoke.
‘And twenty-six hands for Taliesyn son of Cylren’
A few of Taliesyn’s supporters tried to make some noise but most of the hall stayed awkwardly quiet. The man himself was sitting expressionless on his bench, watching Hywel and waiting for him to speak again. The white-robed man called out to the hall.
‘Will any who raised their hand for Boryn consider declaring for another?’
A nail might have dropped outside and they all would have heard it. Even discounting the draw between Taliesyn and Karadoc, Boryn was so close behind them that it was practically all even. The druids generally liked a new chieftain to be chosen by a large majority, and Gawan doubted if such a close-run moot had been seen in generations. The silence lengthened as nobody offered to change their decision, and Hywel’s shoulders seemed to sag a little. It was Karadoc who spoke first.
‘Well?’
He was speaking to Hywel but the druid did not reply. The tall chief tried again, this time addressing the moot in general.
‘Would you have us choose no chieftain? What manner of men are you?’
If he was hoping to persuade more chiefs to his cause he was going the wrong way about it, and Gawan saw Rhysgon fold his arms across his chest, a look of defiance on his face. Taliesyn stood up as well and raised an open hand.
‘We cannot end the moot here, we need a decision.’
Karadoc rounded on him.
‘If you had not confused the matter with all your damned talking...’
Taliesyn interrupted him.
‘My damned talking? It is no fault of mine that you cannot...’
But then he too was interrupted as a man beside Karadoc spoke up, closely followed by the headmen on Taliesyn’s side of the hall. Boryn tried to step between them but his voice was drowned out by the others. Hywel was still just standing there, a look of pained disappointment on his face. Gawan stared at him. Just tell them what to do, damn it! No man would refuse you if you told them to accept a decision, and they need leadership right now! He almost snarled. Druids had such vast power, in more ways than one, yet they were sworn to only assist and advise the chiefs, never to rule them. Gawan wanted to curse him. When the Caledon was formed it had been Reaghan, wisest of the druids, who had created it more than anyone, was that not an exception to the rule? He had not sought to control it but he had seen division and turned it to unity, why would Hywel not do the same?
The voices grew louder and angrier and Gawan knew that if things got any worse there was a real chance of violence ensuing. He had to stop that from happening. The Gorvicae had enemies enough without tearing themselves apart from within. The First Man stepped forward and raised his voice.
‘Silence!’
It carried even over the bickering chiefs and most of fourscore faces turned to him. For a moment a spiteful voice in his head told him he had no right to address them so but he ignored it with an effort. Flawed he might be but this needed to be said. He looked around the hall and gave them his second-best glare.
‘If you cannot agree amongst yourselves then there is a simple solution; we can call in another voice to force a decision. Since the druids are sworn not to interfere,’ Gawan tried not to sound bitter about that, ‘our best choice is to bring another High Chieftain here and hear what they have to say. I say we send word to the Wildcat.’
About half of those present looked ready to keep listening but the rest of the chiefs began jabbing fingers at Gawan and arguing all the louder, and the Gadarim took a deep breath to shout them down. Hywel got there first however, his words calm but somehow magnified to a greater volume than any bellow, and Gawan knew that he must have poured magic into his voice.
‘Enough!’
The hall became deathly silent as men who’d fought a hundred battles looked with fear at one old man. Druids might not use their power any more than they had to, but the greatest fool of all the tribes knew to respect what they were capable of. Hywel’s voice reverted to its usual pitch, though his eyes were still intense as he spoke again.
‘You have not made a single choice and the First Man’s suggestion is wise. This has happened before now, though long before your time, when a moot has been undecided. There is provision in the law for an outside chieftain to step in to arbitrate, and Rhianwyn daughter of Carradan is the obvious choice.’
Gawan chipped in before any of the more angry-looking headmen could object.
‘Baercban declared us a part of the Caledon and only a High Chieftain should have the right to say we are leaving it. Since we have no such man we are still a part of that alliance...’
Karadoc interrupted him, shoving his way towards him through the throng.
‘You dare to speak of Baercban? You of all men ought to be ashamed to speak my cousin’s name!’
Gawan didn’t back down. He knew what he had done, and he knew what he had to do.
‘I fought him because he would have prevented justice for a brother Gadarim. I took no joy in it.’
Gawan had always been honest about what had happened that day in Bryngarth’s hall but all the same Karadoc looked ready to retort. Boryn spoke up first.
‘Does any man here dare to call Leaping Wolf a liar?’
Unsurprisingly nobody answered him. Karadoc might sneer at him but he clearly wasn’t prepared to make such a bold statement outright. Hywel nodded politely to Boryn.
‘I am sure that no man here would doubt our First Man’s word. We all know what manner of man Sedryn was. And we all know that Baercban would still have defended his son. The past is not in doubt, let us look to the future.’
Karadoc took that as a sign that he could start talking again and began before anyone could stop him.
‘This woman has no place among us! Caledon or not she is no Gorvic.’
Gawan was fast growing weary of this man’s attitude.
‘But I am.’
That was enough to silence several would-be objectors but Karadoc was not so easily put off.
‘Whatever your notions of justice she killed the son of our last chieftain. You think Baercban would want Sedryn’s killer deciding who should take his chair?’
Once again Boryn stepped in to answer.
‘Sedryn was justly slain for the murder of Carradan.’
Karadoc looked surly and Taliesyn saw his chance to make a point.
‘Baercban all but sold us to the Gaians. He may have thought it the right thing for our survival but he was wrong nonetheless. We cannot bind ourselves by thinking on what he might have said or done.’
Karadoc snarled at his rival.
‘He was our chieftain and my cousin, boy! And whatever his mistakes I’ll not hear his name slandered in his own hall.’
Taliesyn bristled and Gawan could see that things were beginning to escalate again. He seized upon an idea.
‘It was Baercban who agreed to bring this tribe into the Caledon. It was he, Ierryn, Carradan and Reaghan who first began this alliance.’
Karadoc turned to him, ready to argue, but then stopped himself. Several others who had seemed on the verge of adding their voices to his support let out their breaths quietly or looked away, embarrassed. Though he was Caderyn, Reaghan was without doubt the most respected druid in the west, and Gawan struggled to imagine a Lurian who would dare to contradict him. Granted, Reaghan had disappeared on some errand known only to him but that could be dealt with later. If the Gorvicae could be made to agree on this then the Caledon might stand a chance. It wasn’t much of a plan but it was all he had.
Yet again it was Hywel who came to his rescue, and Gawan could have sworn he saw a twinkle in the old man’s eyes.
‘The Caledon was indeed formed by these men and until there is a new chieftain I say that we are bound to it. And the matter of the moot is simply enough resolved: We have here our three candidates. Are you content to bring this to Rhianwyn of the Caderyn?’
Karadoc folded his huge arms and spoke a flat; ‘no’, but first Taliesyn and then Boryn raised their hands and spoke; ‘aye’. The big man scowled at them both but neither one seemed at all discouraged. Taliesyn was trying to hide how pleased he was and Boryn was looking as calm and tranquil as ever. Karadoc turned from them to the druid and made a last ditch attempt at avoiding this outcome.
‘Is Rhianwyn not facing a trial of her people for bringing the Gaians to this battle with the Breiryn?’
Gawan blinked. This was the first he’d heard of such a thing. He turned to Boryn who shrugged a little, his face apologetic.
‘Forgive me, I thought you knew?’
Gawan shook his head. He shouldn’t really have been surprised, he’d been a strong voice in objecting to the Blackbirds’ involvement after all, but all the same he was taken aback. The Caderyn must have known that Rhianwyn had acted in her people’s best interests? Like him they might not like it but that made it no less true. He pictured the Wildcat being taken back to her father’s hall under a guard of her own people, but he quickly drove the image away. He’d felt himself begin to think more of her body than of her plight, and guilt and awkwardness threatened to interrupt his focus. He could ill-afford that right now.
‘Whatever the matter is, I am sure it will be resolved easily enough.’
He wasn’t sure quite how confident he was in that, given the hard wills of men like Alraig, but he persuaded himself that all would be well. There were a few sceptical glances at him from the chiefs and Hywel spoke again, sounding thoughtful.
