Leaping Wolf, page 31
part #2 of Caledon Saga Series
‘While you were in Tamora, eating fine food and ordering slaves to wash your feet, Governor Portunus sent men to take over the production there. He had two dozen enforcers watching over every chip and nugget we mined. Their captain soon saw a chance to line his own purse with our labour and began forcing our people to work harder and faster, while still sending the same amounts to his superiors.’
His voice was growing quieter but harsher at the same time, his face now uncomfortably close to hers.
‘When Portunus caught on to this he sent an inspector there, and the enforcers blamed my workers for the theft. I saw a man of sixty winters flogged to death for it, the punishment carried out before the eyes of his wife and children.’
Rhia’s breath caught in her throat as she listened. She’d known from Meghan that some of the Gaians had been ruthless or cruel, but the impression she’d had was that most of them had been peaceful. She’d not heard of anything like this happening in her lands. Yet are you really surprised? Marius and Glaucus were good enough men, but the Gaians look down on anyone who isn’t them. ‘Barbarians’ they call us. To so many of them we are little more than animals. Alraig continued his tale, his eyes burning into hers.
‘I tried to intervene, as any chief would have done, and the enforcers held me fast while their leader threatened to cut out my tongue.’
He opened his mouth and pulled one cheek aside, and Rhia saw that nearly all of his teeth on that side were missing, exposing the dark red gums. He lowered his hand again.
‘They settled for a few of those.’
Rhia wanted to say something but she couldn’t find the words, not that Alraig was looking for a response.
‘After we buried Larryn I understood the true nature of the Gaians. We killed eight of their men that night. Cut their bodies apart and hid them in the hills.’
Rhia’s eyes widened. Whatever wrong had been done it was madness to defy the legions. Alraig seemed to read her mind and almost smiled. Shadows flickered across his face as he did.
‘We could not fight their armies, but we could fight the men sent to guard us. The next morning we sent a wagon of silver away to Glysger and let them think it had been ambushed on the road. It was over a moon’s turn before they began to grow suspicious.’
Rhia couldn’t help but ask the question, her voice very quiet.
‘What happened then?’
Alraig tilted his head and gave another of his almost-smiles, the expression full of bitterness.
‘More than even we had feared. When we were discovered the captain picked out one of our women at random and blinded her with hot irons. When her husband tried to stop them they caved his head in with their truncheons. I can still hear the way that Enfys screamed as they took her eyes. I can still see Baridan’s brains in the mud.’ He pulled away from her a little, straightening up again as he composed himself. ‘That day we killed every Gaian who had set foot in our mines and tossed their heads into the deepest shaft. We all expected Portunus would send a legion to crush us but we didn’t care. Justice had been done.’
Once again Rhia found herself struggling for the right words and in the end she settled for another question.
‘Why didn’t he?’
Alraig shrugged.
‘I sent my people into hiding and went to Bryngarth to try to delay him, but then you returned and gave them all something bigger to worry about.’ He leaned back and took a tiny step away from her. ‘I am grateful for your work in helping us defeat them, truly I am. Because of this I was content for you to become chieftain of our tribe.’ His voice hardened. ‘But you betrayed us by allowing the Gaians back here again, and that I cannot ignore.’
The tall man turned away from her and walked back towards the door. Rhia wasn’t sure what she could say. She knew, or mostly knew, that she’d had no choice and had acted in the best interests of her people. But Alraig’s story… after what he had been through he would never be persuaded. When he reached the door he turned back to face her, his expression as blank as when he’d first come in.
‘Believe it or not I do not hate you, Rhianwyn. But I do hate them. I will trust to the traditions of our people and the judgement of my fellows. If they find you to be innocent I will say no more of this.’ His eyes flashed in the candlelight. ‘But I will do all in my power to ensure that they do not. At the very least they will ensure that you and your boy never set foot in our lands again. At most?’ He shrugged with what seemed a quite disturbing amount of indifference. ‘The gods have little sympathy for traitors.’
Chapter 26. A Family Meal
‘I tell you it is true, unsettling though it may sound.’
Gawan’s eyebrows rose a fraction but otherwise he didn’t react. He knew that there was plenty in this world that he didn’t understand, and Anryn was a very honest man. All the same, it seemed a little far-fetched. The white-haired brewer went on, gesturing with his spoon and spilling lumps of porridge onto the table.
‘He saw the sylph at the woodland’s edge and the lust drove him mad enough to follow her in. She walked through twisting paths but still he pursued her until eventually he reached the bower of leaves where her three sisters lay. The fool lay with them until the dawn, and then they drew his soul from his body as easily as they’d drawn his seed.’
Gawan kept spooning porridge into his mouth, but Rylion was smirking at the older man.
‘I can think of worse ways to go than being humped to death by a bevy of sprites!’
Anryn frowned at him.
‘At the cost of your soul?’ He shook his head. ‘Foolish boy.’
Rylion wasn’t the type to take such a comment from most men but with Anryn he settled for a surly shrug. Gawan took a sip of milk and hoped his affable mood would keep up. He might need his brother on his side today if he was to speak to Tegwen.
They would be heading south soon but he had determined to see her before they left just in case she wasn’t accompanying Taliesyn. He might not get a chance to speak to her for months if she remained at Graigarw, and wary or not he knew it had to be done. He also knew that he ought to be planning the right things to say to her but he had no gift for it and soon gave up in frustration. Instead he cocked an eyebrow at Anryn again and tried not to dwell on it.
‘If this man was killed in the middle of the woods then how did the story ever reach you?’
Rylion looked up with interest but the brewer was prepared for the question.
‘I did not say he was killed my friend, only that his soul was drained.’ He took a sip of milk before continuing. ‘A man can live with only a shred of his soul remaining in him, though it leaves him an empty husk. When this man staggered home he looked to have seen fivescore winters, yet he was only as old as you are, Rylion.’
The blonde man blinked uncomfortably for a moment as Anryn looked at him. The bachelor was getting into his story by now and his voice lowered as he leaned forwards.
‘He told his tale to a herbwife he had known all his life and then dropped dead only two days after. With so little of his spirit yet remaining to him, who knows if he even saw the Bridge of Souls?’
Anryn looked grave and Rylion shuddered, and even Gawan wasn’t sure what to make of it. He’d seen some strange things in his time, Camelas knew that, and he knew that creatures of many kinds still lived in the dark places of the world. But at the very least some of these tales had to be exaggerations, even if a grain of truth lay at their heart. Or maybe you just want them to be fables? He remembered how nervous he’d been going into the woods below Bryngarth and wondered just how keen Mabonac would be to watch over him now he was disgraced. He shrugged it off uncomfortably. Such knowledge was for the druids. He was respectful to the gods and had learned to take care in strange places, let that be enough. The Gadarim kept his eyes on his breakfast and waved his spoon noncommittally.
‘More fool him for going in there anyway. Any idiot knows you cannot trust what you find in the woods, what did he expect?’
He pictured the old man and without thinking drove a knuckle into his open palm for good fortune. In the corner of his eye he saw Rylion make the same gesture and felt an odd moment of kinship with him for it. Anryn tilted his head and shrugged.
‘Perhaps he was foolish but generally spirits are more good than bad. They will guard their territory fiercely of course and are wary of strangers, but mostly they are hostile only to those who are hostile to them.’ He dipped his chin and looked at them through his brows. ‘We cannot always say the same’
Gawan wasn’t quite sure what to say to that and took another mouthful of honeyed oats. Rylion seemed in a similar predicament and so Anryn went on.
‘In all my time I have heard of few men indeed who have suffered such fates without somehow earning them. Sprites and Sidhe and suchlike are all reflections of the gods, and many can see a man’s heart for what it is, even if his fellow men cannot.’
Gawan began to feel awkward and was glad that Rylion asked the question he wanted answered.
‘All the same it’s hardly fair to suck out a man’s soul, even if he got to plough a few pretty girls first. What if the man had done bad things before but might have gone on to do good things had he lived?’
Gawan wasn’t sure if Rylion was speaking generally or making a specific reference to him, but either way he was glad not to have asked himself. Once again, Anryn had his answer ready.
‘The gods would know that though; they see not only a man’s deeds but also what he may yet do. It is his heart that they look upon, not just his history, and there can be no secrets from the gods.’
The First Man wondered if he might take some shred of hope from that, but he was in no mood to discuss his feelings here. He took a last mouthful of porridge before washing it down with some milk.
‘So this man you spoke of had it coming to him regardless?’
Anryn shrugged his shoulders again.
‘Likely so, though nothing is ever certain where the likes of the Sidhe are concerned. Sometimes they are kindly and guide our paths as they should go. Or it may be he merely trod where he should not have out of simple ignorance and they took offence at it. Wise though most are, some spirits can be fickle.’
For a man stating that he didn’t really know something Anryn somehow still managed to sound knowledgeable. Gawan wasn’t sure if he was more impressed or annoyed about that and so simply half-smirked.
‘Well, the damned fool should have seen the trick and turned back when the sylphs reached for his trews. I can’t imagine a bevy of girls wanting to pleasure a stranger on a whim. Bloody dolt ought to have known that.’
Anryn’s eyes met his for a moment.
‘Some things are difficult to resist, even if we know they may do us more harm than good.’
The image of Rhianwyn came to him in a flash and Gawan appreciated just how true that statement was. To his shame he found he still dreamed about her sometimes, with woad on her face and fire in her eyes, or standing in that tub with the water shining on her skin. Then suddenly she would become Emeryn with blood drenching her golden hair, and then Bronwen, then Tegwen, all glaring at him with hatred. He grimaced despite himself and Rylion spoke with what seemed like concern.
‘Worrying about Tegwen?’
Gawan nodded.
‘Among other things.’
Even with these two he didn’t feel like chatting, and Anryn’s well-meaning comment just made him grind his teeth.
‘You are doing right in seeking to be a father to her. She will respect that.’
Gawan snorted. Would she? And after twenty winters without a father, did she really need one now? He felt Rylion’s hand slap his back.
‘Even if she is upset at first, it will pass if you prove yourself to her.’
He knew they were trying to be encouraging but all it was doing was making things worse, and Gawan felt himself growing angry despite himself. Both men had good intentions but he was holding back an urge to punch them for it. He forced himself to breathe slowly, focusing on Mabonac’s fire at his centre. He managed a few words, though they came out more as grunts.
‘I hope so. I cannot know yet.’ He poured himself some more milk from the jug. ‘I just...’
But he got no further than that. Mid-sentence there was a knock on the door and without thinking Gawan called them to come in. The door opened and for a moment he thought he saw Bronwen standing there. Now that he thought about it there was much in Tegwen’s face to remind him of his wife, though he saw a shadow of his own face there as well. As best he knew it anyway. But her squarish jaw somehow enhanced her looks rather than taking from them, and her eyes were so like Bronwen’s they were almost painful to look at. She was keeping her expression plain in the same way Gawan did when fear threatened him, and to her credit she was doing a fine job of it. Only the stiffening in her back and shoulders betrayed the fact that she was nervous to be there. She spoke calmly but did not quite meet his eyes.
‘I had just come to tell you; I will be riding south with Taliesyn.’ She paused for a heartbeat and made an effort to seem disinterested. ‘Should you wish to talk.’
The three men stood up and Gawan cleared his throat before replying.
‘I am glad.’
He struggled to think of what best to say next but Anryn saved him the trouble. He turned to Rylion with an affected casual air.
‘I heard a creak in the rear axle of my wagon the other day, would you help me take a look at it?’
It was a feebly obvious lie to get them both out of the room, and Rylion hesitated for a moment before playing along.
‘Of course.’
Gawan suspected that he was a little reluctant to leave the two of them alone for the first time and Tegwen too seemed on the verge of asking him to stay, but neither one said anything and the two men left without another word. Father and daughter stood there in silence for a while, neither one knowing what to say first. Gawan knew he ought to be telling her how sorry he was to have left her but he just couldn’t find the words to express it. It was strange. Apologising to Rylion hadn’t been nearly this hard, and he felt he’d gladly take another beating rather than stand here in this silence. But then fighting was the only thing he was ever any good for.
It took an effort of will but he shook his doubts aside and said the first thing that came into his head.
‘How long have you known Taliesyn?’
As soon as the words were out Gawan realised it was a stupid way to start but it was too late to change that now. Tegwen seemed taken aback by the question but she answered it all the same, her voice even.
‘We met when he brought warriors together to march south to Caderyn lands, after the Panthers withdrew to make for Nantwyn.’
Gawan nodded. He and Marius had led a small force of the Dragon Legion to disrupt the Panthers as they moved through Gorvicae land, and their commander had decided to unite with Lepidus in the south to concentrate their army in one place. Taliesyn’s warriors had arrived just as Second Nantwyn was ending, though his people had not been idle in the battle. The Dragons had been in no shape to pursue the retreating Lion Legion, and the newly-arrived Gorvicae had maintained pressure on them until the Blackbirds came.
Gawan shoved away the memories and rebuked himself in his head. She was here to speak about the two of them, not about her lover. He opened his mouth but Tegwen spoke first, shifting her weight onto one leg.
‘I did not look for you.’
Her face was defiant and Gawan didn’t know how to answer her. She carried on.
‘When I was small I wondered where you were but I did not look for you. Rylion and Harlen always said you did not want me. Is that true?’
Her words were calm but there was pain beneath them and her shoulders were still tight with tension. Gawan felt a fresh stab of guilt and did his best to answer her.
‘It was true once. It is not true now.’
It wasn’t the answer Tegwen wanted and she cocked her head to one side, anger in her eyes. Gawan set his jaw. Damn it she wants more than that from you after twenty years!
‘Your... your mother’s death hurt me.’ Saying it aloud felt like having teeth pulled from his skull but he kept going. ‘It hurt me badly. I had no love left in me after that and... I would have been a poor father to you.’
From her face it was clear that Tegwen wanted to snap something at him but she controlled herself, speaking in a voice that was half-curious and half-mocking.
‘What was it that changed your mind?’
A flood of images threatened to invade his thoughts but Gawan shut them out.
‘I came to realise that I was wrong to leave you. I wish to make amends.’
Tegwen’s eyes, so like Bronwen’s, grew hard.
‘So you are here because you feel guilty and you wish to make that guilt go away?’
Gawan held up a hand. There was truth in what she said but there was more to it than that.
‘No, it is...’ he floundered for a moment before continuing, ‘I have come to think more of my family and I want to do what is right by them.’
He was half-tempted to say, ‘ask Rylion’, but it would have sounded like a child’s excuse. Besides, she almost certainly had already. It seemed he hadn’t done much to convince her of her father’s sincerity but then again, he might well have tried his best and failed. Tegwen looked at him with that same hard glare.
‘I have managed well enough without you so far. Harlen and Garaidh were fine parents to me.’
Gawan spoke without thinking, an edge of anger in his voice.
‘But they were not your parents.’
Frustrated though he was he regretted the words instantly. He saw Tegwen’s nostrils flare.
‘They were more my parents than you ever were! I have never needed you before, Gawan, and I never shall.’
She was leaning forwards with her fists clenched and Gawan fought to hold back his own impatience. It was his fault, not hers, that this whole thing was so hard for him, and he pushed away his pride and spoke as gently as he could. Gawan’s voice was made for shouting warcries not for soothing women, but he did the best that he could.
