Daggerspell - Katharine Kerr [179]
“At least you know what a war’s like. I’ll speak to Lord Rhodry for you.”
And they were grateful, sincerely and deeply grateful, that such an important man as he would do them a favor.
Rhodry was gone from the great hall, and the pages had no idea of where he was. Cullyn searched the ward, and finally, as he passed by a storage shed, he heard Rhodry’s voice and a woman’s giggle—Jill. Cullyn felt that he’d been turned into a tree and taken root on the spot. He’d been a fool to take Rhodry’s offer; Jill was very beautiful, and Rhodry already had sired one bastard, hadn’t he? Since he couldn’t quite hear what they were saying he cautiously edged around the shed until he could just see them, standing between a stack of firewood and the dun wall. They were a decent space apart, but they were smiling at each other with such absorption that they never looked up and saw him.
Cullyn’s hand sought his sword hilt of its own will, but he forced it away. He’d sworn a solemn oath to Rhodry, and later he’d have a talk with Jill. As he walked away, he saw Nevyn coming toward him.
“Looking for me?” Cullyn said.
“For Jill, actually. Her Grace wants her.”
“She’s back there.” Cullyn jerked his thumb in her general direction. “Talking with Rhodry.”
Nevyn’s eyes narrowed as he studied Cullyn’s face. Cullyn stared right back, a battle of wills that Nevyn eventually won when Cullyn could no longer bear to look at the man who knew full well the cause of his jealousy.
“Tell my lord I need a word with him, will you?” He walked off, leaving Nevyn to think what he would.
Amid piles of chain mail and racked swords in the shed that did Dun Gwerbyn for an armory, Cullyn was just taking down a practice sword when Rhodry caught up with him.
“My lord? Three of the Cannonbaen spearmen want to ride for you. They claim to know somewhat about sword-craft.”
“Try them out. If you think they’ll do, I’ll take them on. You can make that a general principle, truly. I trust your judgment of a man.”
“My thanks.”
For a long painful moment they merely looked at each other. Since Cullyn had never been given to pondering his feelings and considering subtleties, he began to feel as if he were drowning. How could he both admire Rhodry and hate him this way? It was because of Jill, but it was more than Jill. He simply couldn’t understand. His enraged bafflement must have been obvious, because Rhodry grew more and more uneasy. Yet he, too, couldn’t seem to break away, and the silence grew so thick it was painful.
“Cullyn?” Rhodry said at last. “You know I honor you.”
“I do, my lord, and you have my thanks.”
“Well, then.” Rhodry turned idly away and seemed to be examining a nearby sword rack. “Would I do somewhat that would cause you grief?”
Somewhat. As palpably as if she’d walked in the door, Cullyn felt Jill’s presence between them.
“Well?” Rhodry said. “Do you hold me in such low esteem as all that?”
“I don’t, my lord. If I did, I wouldn’t be riding for you.”
“Well and good, then. Here, do you remember when I asked you to play Carnoic with me?”
“I do, and truly, I never thought we’d live to do it.”
“But we have. Tonight I’ll bring a board over to your table, and we’ll have a game.”
After Rhodry left, Cullyn stood in the shed for a long time, the wooden sword in his hands, and wished that he were better at thinking. On the long road he’d seen more courts from the underside than any man in the kingdom, and never had he met a lord like Rhodry, so much what every lord was supposed to be but so few were. If only it weren’t for Jill. If only. He swore aloud and went out to the practice ground to work his frustrations away.
Cullyn worked a little too hard. By the time he realized that he had to stop, his head was swimming. By walking slowly and concentrating on every step, he reached his