The Dragon Revenant - Katharine Kerr [184]
“Welcome home, cousin,” Blaen said.
“My thanks, Your Grace. It’s been a cursed strange road I’ve been riding. Tell you about it some time.”
“Do that. Our mutual cousin here has offered you his hospitality, by the by.”
“My thanks, Lord Sibyr.” Rhodry turned to him. “It gladdens my heart to see you.”
“And mine to see you, Your Grace.”
There were bows and smiles all round, and Jill curtsied as best she could whenever anyone bowed to her, but all the while she was looking over the crowd for Cullyn. When she finally found him, off to one side, he winked at her, a gesture that made her feel calmer than she had in days. At least I’ll have Da there, she thought to herself; I can go through with this. Just then the crowd parted to let a man with gleaming-pale hair make his way through. It took her a moment to recognize Calonderiel, dressed as he was in more finery than she’d ever seen on an elf: knee-high boots and fitted trousers of the finest white buckskin, a linen tunic stiff as leather with floral embroidery in swirling vivid bands, the quiver at his hip gleaming with solid gold appliques, the bow he carried obviously a ceremonial weapon, inlaid as it was with gold and gems. Everyone around goggled and gasped as he bowed to Rhodry and held out his hand.
“My name is Calonderiel, Banadar of the Eastern Border. I’ve come to offer my friendship and alliance to Gwerbret Aberwyn.”
Rhodry grabbed the offered hand in both of his and squeezed it.
“Rhodry, Gwerbret Aberwyn accepts with all his heart and soul. Cal, you bastard! A banadar, are you? And here you never even told me before!”
“Wasn’t any reason to.” Calonderiel turned to Jill and grinned at her. “I’ll explain later, but by the Dark Sun herself, it’s good to see you.”
“And it gladdens my heart to see you. I always thought I’d be riding west one day. I never dreamt you’d be riding east.”
“No more did I, but it just proves the old saying: who knows what Wyrd will bring you?”
As if at some prearranged signal Blaen and the other noble-born men swept in and surrounded Rhodry and Calonderiel to lead them away in an important mob, all serious talk and grim expressions as they bent their heads toward each other and shut out the common world. For a moment Jill hesitated, caught between them and the warbands, but Cullyn appeared at her side and slipped his arm through hers.
“Come along, my sweet. There are horses waiting.”
“They can wait a bit more. Oh, Da, it’s so good to see you.”
“And you can’t know how it gladdens my heart to see you.” He caught her by the shoulders and grinned at her. “You’ve got your cursed gall, Jill, running all over two kingdoms for three long years and never even sending your old da a letter.”
She started to laugh, then flung herself into his arms and wept while he held her tightly. Her tears were brief, though when she looked up, she found his eyes suspiciously moist as well. As the crowd broke up, and the men hurried to fetch their horses and fall into line behind the noble-born, they strolled after slowly, arm-in-arm.
“Has it really been three years, Da?”
“And a bit more. It’s a stupid thing to say, but I’ve got to say it, anyway: you’ve changed, my sweet, changed a fair bit, and I don’t think it’s just the passing time.”
“It’s not. Da, there’s somewhat I’ve got to tell you. I’m studying the dweomer.”
She’d been expecting some dramatic gasp or oath, but he merely nodded in a thoughtful sort of way.
“Can’t say I’m surprised.”
“Truly?”
“Truly. You were always such a strange child, Jill, talking to the Wildfolk, having strange dreams, seeing omens in every wretched cloud or fire.” He shuddered a little, remembering. “But this is no place to talk about that. There’s Lord Rhodry, mounted already and waving at us. We’ll have a bit of a chat later.”
Yet, with all the confusion of arriving at Sibyr’s dun and getting so many riders settled for the night, it was after sunset before Jill got a private moment alone with her father. By then