Days of Blood and Fire - Katharine Kerr [64]
“Your Grace, I’ve come to tell you that as far as I can tell, Cengarn’s in no immediate danger. But I can’t swear to you that the raiders won’t return and soon. I believe that they have good reason to make another strike upon us.”
“Indeed?” Cadmar said. “I see. Well, that’s grim news.”
“Your Grace?” Gwinardd broke in. “You know that my men and me are at your disposal for as long as you need us.”
“And mine, too, of course,” Matyc said, much more slowly.
“But you’ve got a few affairs of your own that could use a little tending, eh?” Cadmar smiled. “And the same goes for you, too, Gwinardd, I’m sure. You both have my leave to return to your own lands if it’s needful, just so long as you return if our enemies do.”
“I don’t know if it is or not, to be honest, Your Grace,” Matyc said. “I’ll send a messenger to my lady straightaway, by your leave.”
“Of course. We all need to discuss this matter at some length, once you’ve heard from your wives and stewards.”
Matyc and Gwinardd rose, bowed all round, and strode off. Cadmar watched them go, then turned Jill’s way with a questioning eyebrow raised. It was time, she realized, for honesty, but although she was perfectly willing to tell the gwerbret everything she knew, she wondered how much he would understand. A version of the truth would be, no doubt, truer than the truth itself, and she had one ready.
“Your Grace,” she said. “Let me put the matter simply. Someone is trying to kill Carra in order to kill Dar’s unborn child and heir. They had faulty information about her whereabouts and sent that raiding party into your territory too soon. I doubt me if they know what she looks like, either.”
“And so they killed every pregnant woman they found.” Cadmar looked physically sick for a moment. “Our prince has some ruthless enemies, I’d say. More like demons than men.”
“Well, they’re not truly human nor elven, either.” Jill considered for a moment, then decided to let him continue to think of the prince as the enemy’s target. “If they can kill him, you see, his clan will be dead. He’s the last heir to any of the seven thrones of the far west, so that makes him the only heir to all of them, well, such as they are.”
Cadmar smiled in a brief and painful way.
“The prince has told me the situation. Weeds and nettles, broken stones and wild animals—that’s my kingdom and courtiers, Your Grace, or so the lad always says. But I take it that someone else wouldn’t mind having the title to the wrack and ruin, eh?”
“As far as I can tell, that’s the case. The ancestors of the Gel da’Thae destroyed the kingdom somewhere back in the misty past, and judging from what Meer tells me, they still rule what’s left of it. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that some ruler or other wants to legitimize his claim. It’s a story that’s happened many times before.”
“They’re human enough for that, eh? Wanting their title to rest secure, without the true king running round siring heirs to it. An old tale, indeed. Hum. I wonder if there’s a faction seeking to overthrow this ruler? They could easily be threatening to bring back the old line.”
“That’s also happened, many times over. Meer’s cursed closemouthed, Your Grace, not that I blame the man, but there we are. I’m only going on partial information, but I think we can say that the situation’s dangerous.”
“You do have a gift for understatement, Jill. Very well. The prince and his people have done me many a favor in the past, and we have a treaty of sorts between us, too. Let’s be honest. Without the Westfolk trading us horses, we’d all be walking to war, not riding, up here in these rocky hills. And now these raiders have caused me and mine great harm. I think me we can say it’s war.” The gwerbret rose, and of course, she stood with him. “I’ll have a little talk, like, with my captain and the chamberlain, just to see how we stand in the way of provisions, men, spare horses, such things as that.”
Jill bowed and left him, reaching the back door of the great hall just as Rhodry stepped in. Seeing him silhouetted against the sunlight made a