Bones of the Dragon - Margaret Weis [182]
“I had not thought of it that way,” Garn admitted, and he sighed, “You are right.”
“Therefore you will come,” said Skylan. “You will stand by my side in the shield-wall. And you will earn so many silver bracelets for brave deeds that you will not be able to lift your arm.”
“I will come,” said Garn with a wan smile. “I will stand by your side in the shield-wall.”
The two men embraced as brothers.
“My friend,” said Skylan softly, “I want you to know something. I did try to save Draya’s life. I fought to save her! I couldn’t reach her in time. They hit me and kept hitting me. Her blood . . .” He found it hard to go on. Drawing a shaking breath, he said fervently, “If I could have saved her by giving up my life, I would have done so, Garn. I swear to Torval!”
Skylan clasped his amulet convulsively. “I swear!”
“I believe you, Skylan,” said Garn.
“Good,” said Skylan, embarrassed by his outburst. He wiped his hand over his eyes and nose and mouth and wished he’d kept quiet. “Good. Now go talk to Aylaen for me.”
“Yes,” said Garn with a long, heavy sigh. “I must go talk to Aylaen.”
CHAPTER
3
The Kai Moot lasted for several days. The Bone Priestesses and their acolytes locked themselves in the Great Hall of the Gods to discuss the many problems facing the Vindrasi nation. The proceedings were secret; the Bone Priestesses were forbidden to reveal the nature of the deliberations to anyone. Yet wives talked to husbands, sweethearts whispered to lovers, and almost every person in the Heudjun clan found some excuse to pass the Hall, hoping to hear something.
As was traditional, Skylan ordered warriors to stand guard at the door to stop those who might seek either to harm the Priestesses or unduly exert influence on them. The placing of the guards originally came about as a result of a disastrous incident at a Kai Moot during the time of the great Chief of Chiefs Grimwald Liefson. A clan known as the Laerad had been angered at the Chief’s harsh punishment leveled against them for stealing cattle. In retaliation, they raided the Kai Moot and carried off the Kai Priestess, Grimwald’s wife. The Laerad held her for ransom, demanding that the punishment be lifted.
Grimwald was furious at the abduction of his wife. He refused to negotiate and went to war against the Laerad. The two clans formed shield-walls. Grimwald was about to launch an attack when he saw, to his horror, that the Laerad had placed his wife in the front ranks. Grimwald was in agony. If he attacked, his wife would be the first one to die. If he retreated, the Laerad Clan would claim victory, and he would be seen as weak. Other Clan Chiefs would challenge his authority. No one would pay heed to his judgments.
The Kai Priestess knew her husband faced this terrible choice. She made the decision for him. She grabbed a sword from the warrior standing next to her and thrust the weapon into her own belly. She died on the battlefield as her husband watched in dismay.
Vowing to Torval that the Laerad Clan would pay for his beloved wife’s death, Grimwald and his warriors attacked with such ferocity that the Laerad were utterly destroyed. Since that time, all Chiefs have placed guards at the doors of the Kai Moot.
The warriors Skylan chose were men of his own clan, among them Bjorn and his brother Erdmun. He chose these men, he said, to honor the Kai. The fact that the warriors stood with their backs against the door, which put them in a position to eavesdrop on the meeting, also played some part in his thinking, as it had in the thinking of every Chief of Chiefs before him.
Once they entered the Hall, the Priestesses were forbidden to leave until their business was concluded. This meant that they had to eat and sleep in the Great Hall, sometimes for days.
Led by Fria, the older women sought to conduct the Kai Moot in an atmosphere of calm. This proved impossible. Skylan learned from Bjorn that the Kai were in turmoil, finding it hard to cope with the series of disasters that had come tumbling