Days of Air and Darkness - Katharine Kerr [101]
“Where have you been, lad?” the old man snapped. “Your master’s been calling for you.”
Jahdo ran across the ward and rushed into the great hall. The dun’s womenfolk stood or sat near the dragon hearth, huddled together just like the farmwives, noble lady and serving lasses alike. Her face as pale as death, Princess Carra sat slumped in a chair with her dog leaning against her knees, but there was no sign of Yraen. Meer stood right behind her, clutching his staff in both hands, as if he’d taken over the silver dagger’s guard duty.
“Meer, Meer, it’s Jahdo!” Jahdo ran to them, remembered to make a bob of a bow to the princess. “Your Highness.”
Carra raised one hand but said nothing, merely went on staring out at empty air. Lady Labanna seemed to be about to speak, then stayed silent. When Meer reached out a hairy hand, Jahdo caught it and guided it to his shoulder, then leaned against the bard. Here in the dun, the battle noise drifted up from the town muted like an evil wind, howling and whistling round the towers. The sound of the rams seemed only distant drums, beating to some alien song, keeping time with Jahdo’s heart. He could feel himself shaking under Meer’s strong grip, but the bard himself stood perfectly still. Every now and then, Lightning growled; no one spoke.
All at once, the distant howling changed, grew lighter, more human somehow, and silver horns called. The drumbeat stopped. Labanna ran like a lass to the door of the hall.
“Guards, guards!” she called out. “What news?”
Although no one inside could hear the answer, she relayed what scraps of action that the men could see from their high perch. The Horsekin seemed to be—no, they were falling back to their camps. Some of their siege towers were burning. There were a lot of dead Horsekin on the ground, or maybe they were but wounded. Either way, their fellows were leaving them there and pulling clear of the walls.
All at once, Carra got up. She tossed her head, and her hands were clenched hard into fists.
“I hate them,” she hissed. “I hate them all! I wish I could swing a sword, I wish I could stand on the walls and kill one myself. I’d like that, stabbing one and seeing blood!”
“Your Highness!” Ocradda grabbed her by the shoulders. “You’re distressing yourself.”
The other women flocked round her, and suddenly the silence broke. In a flood of chatter and nervous laughter, washing over Carra’s outburst like a bucket of water thrown onto a floor to carry some filth away, the servingwomen swept Carra up and hurried her upstairs. Labanna, however, returned to the hearth.
“I cannot say I blame her highness,” she remarked to no one in particular. “Ah, well, the gods will bring what they bring.”
“Just so, my lady.” Meer swung his head round in her direction. “And well said.”
“No doubt the men will stay on the walls for some while, but I think we may count ourselves safe for the time being.”
“So it would seem, and the princess’s brave words have given my heart strength. When the next attack comes, my lady, my place will be on the walls.”
“My good bard! I don’t mean to be insulting, mind, but I doubt if you could fight—”
“Of course not! But I can invoke the curse of a sworn bard, one acknowledged by gods and men alike, upon the impiety being committed here by these foul swine, these ravening beasts of the northlands, these demon-ridden scum. If a flicker of life remains in their ugly souls, perhaps my words will reach and move them to think better of their deeds.”
“Perhaps so. I thank you.”
As the sound of cheering grew louder, they fell silent, listening to the victory coming toward them from the walls.
“Well, they all know we’ve got dweomer on our side now,” Dallandra remarked. “May the knowledge spoil their night’s sleep!”
“It would have been splendid to see their faces, sure enough,” Jill said, grinning,