The Gold Falcon - Katharine Kerr [204]
“Let’s all go inside,” Drwmigga said, “and take you up to the women’s hall. It will be nicer there.”
The women ate in their own hall that night, leaving the great hall to the men of the fort guard under the command of Lord Oth. Everyone but Adranna talked bravely about all sorts of things, none of which truly mattered except for Branna’s betrothal. Yet, even though her cousin did show some pleasure at the news and ask for some details about Neb, Branna changed the subject as soon as she could. Adranna was about to become a widow, and Branna refused to dwell on her own happiness. She did wonder, though, if Adranna would mourn her lord. She had accepted the marriage freely enough, Branna knew from the talk of the older women in her clan, but had she come to love him or hate him during those years shut up with him on the edge of the wild forest? Adranna gave no sign either way as the talk flowed around her like water around a rock in a stream.
It was late that evening before Branna had a moment alone with her niece. Since there were no other noble-born children in the dun, and thus no nursemaid, Treniffa would sleep on a trundle bed in her mother’s chamber, but exhausted though she was, she was afraid to go to sleep alone. Branna lit candle lanterns, gave one to Trenni to carry and took the other, then led her up to the room. Midda had already laid clean linen sheets and a blanket on the narrow little bed’s straw mattress. Branna set the lanterns down where there was no danger of tipping them onto the braided rushes covering the floor. Shadows danced in the curve of the wall and made Trenni flinch.
“It’s too hot tonight for a blanket,” Branna said, “so we’ll fold that up and make you a pillow instead.”
Trenni nodded. She was looking around the chamber wide-eyed, staring at the shadows and the flickering light. “You’ll stay till I go to sleep?” she said at last.
“I will.”
“Will you leave the candles burning?”
“I will indeed.”
“Will Mama be up soon?”
“I’m sure of that. She’s very tired too.”
“Then will you stay till she comes?”
“I will, love. Don’t you trouble your heart. You’re safe now.”
Branna helped her take off her dress, torn in places and filthy from the trip to Cengarn. Underneath she was wearing a thin shift of linen that was yellow and shiny with age.
“Do you have another dress with you?” Branna said.
“I don’t,” Trenni said. “We didn’t bring much. Mama was afraid Da would change his mind and not let us go. So we just grabbed some things and ran downstairs.”
“I see. Well, on the morrow we can sew you a new one.”
Trenni sat down on the edge of the bed. “Aunt Branna?” she said. “Will they kill Matto when they take our dun?”
Branna hesitated. She wanted to say neither the truth nor the lie. The truth would hurt the child now, but a lie would wound her more deeply later.
“They will, won’t they?” Trenni’s thin voice went flat. “I don’t want him to die.”
“Neither do I,” Branna said. “My Neb promised me he’d try to save him, and he’s got some very important friends there with him.”
Trenni lay down and turned on her side to hide her face against the improvised pillow. Branna thought at first that she was weeping, but she’d fallen sleep without another word.
Adranna came up soon after and released Branna from guard duty, as Branna was thinking of it. Since the night had turned stifling, Branna took one of the lanterns up to the flat roof of the main broch tower. Clouds, coming up from the south, covered half the stars, and a soft wind blew some of the day’s heat away. From the western quarter of the sky she heard what at first sounded like thunder, but instead of dying away, it strengthened into a regular drumlike sound, growing louder and closer. Arzosah, she assumed, and she looked up in hopes of seeing the great wyrm as she flew by.
While Branna did see a dragon flying from the west, the wyrm shone as silver and bright as a full moon against the gathering clouds. She could guess that it was Arzosah’s mate, Rori, surrounded by Wildfolk of Aethyr. He flew hard and steadily,