Fire Dragon - Katharine Kerr [49]
“Be they enemies?” he called out.
“I hope not,” Maddyn called back. “Wait—there's just two of them. Can't be enemies.”
As the two riders trotted up, Maddyn could see that one of them was wearing, tied over his mail, a tabard appliquéd with the red wyvern, a piece of clothing that identified him and his companion as speeded couriers. A few more yards, and he recognized the men for silver daggers, Alwyn and Tarryc. They trotted up and stopped their horses beside his.
“So,” Maddyn said. “You're riding for Dun Deverry, then?”
“We are,” Alwyn said. “A cursed strange thing's happened, Maddo.”
“Not more fighting?”
“Not that at all.”
“What's Braemys doing, then? Running for Cantrae as fast as he can?”
“He's not.” Alwyn was trying to suppress a smile, and Maddyn realized that he was building up to some sort of jest. “He's travelling north.”
“Oh, is he now? And why might that be?”
Alwyn paused, grinning. By then the other men in the escort had walked their horses back; they all leaned forward in their saddles to listen.
“Lord Braemys,” Alwyn said, “is heading for Cerr-gonney.”
“What? Why?”
“Well, now, it seems that our prince gave him a choice, like, to swear fealty or leave the royal lands forever. So he's packed up his people and women and children, and a lot of cattle and sheep and suchlike, and he's leaving.” Alwyn paused for effect. “Gwerbret Ammerwdd's escorting him to the border. Braemys has handed Dun Cantrae over to Prince Maryn, down to the stones and the dungheaps.”
“He's daft! There's nothing up there in those hills.”
“There will be, and soon enough, most like, when he gets there.”
Maddyn shook his head in amazement. Young as he was, Braemys had a touch of genius when it came to tactics. When it came to common sense, however, he seemed more than a bit lacking.
“Ah well,” Maddyn said. “The noble-born do what they will, and there's naught for a bard like me to do but remember it for them.”
“Just so.” Alwyn glanced around at the men crowding in to listen. “Let us through, lads! We've got a fair bit of daylight left, and we need to be on our way.”
The couriers walked their horses around the straggling wagon train, then trotted off fast, heading east to bring this peculiar news to the princess and her fortguard. Maddyn's lot followed at their usual slow pace.
To pass the time for both of them, Lilli had taken to teaching Prince Riddmar how to play carnoic and gwydd-bwcl of an afternoon. They would sit at a table in the great hall, empty except for the dogs, circling flies, and a few servants, who generally watched the game and offered bad advice to both of them impartially. When the two silver daggers arrived with messages from the army, the two gamers happened to be the only noble-born persons present. The messengers knelt at Lilli's side and proffered the message tubes.
“From Prince Maryn, my lady,” Alwyn said. “Is the princess here?”
“In the women's hall,” Lilli said. “I'll take these up.” She glanced at a lurking servant lass. “Get these men food and ale.”
As she climbed the staircase Lilli looked back and saw that Riddmar had gone to sit with the riders. No doubt he was going to badger them with questions about the fighting.
Lilli was planning on handing the messages to Elyssa or Degwa at the door, but when she knocked on the door of the women's hall, Bellyra herself opened it. She wore only a simple shift, so old that the linen was shiny, and it seemed to Lilli that she could have counted every bone in the princess's body. Bellyra paused, looking her over with dull eyes. Lilli, who was of too low a rank to speak first to a princess, curtsied, then merely waited while her breath caught ragged in her throat.
“What are those?