Birds of Prey by Damion Hunter

Author:Damion Hunter
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Canelo Digital Publishing Limited
Published: 2024-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

There had been no time to question that, no time to cling to Loarn. Iorwen had taken her arm, and with Gwladus hurrying after them, had led her to a chamber in the queen’s quarters of Porth Cerrig, where there had been no queen in anyone’s memory.

“You will bide here until morning,” Iorwen had told her.

Now she sat in the queen’s chamber alone except for Gwladus. What would come in the morning she didn’t know. The chamber was luxurious by tribal standards, and even by the standards of the frontier fortresses where Faustus had served earlier. The bed had a wooden frame with carved and polished legs that ended in a beast’s four-toed feet. It was piled with soft woolen blankets and furs, and a bronze oil lamp sat on an inlaid table beside it. There was a smaller bed for Gwladus, cushioned chairs against the woven wicker walls, and a small brazier to supplement the heat that rose through a central column from the ground floor hearth to sift through the roof thatch above them.

She yearned for Loarn with a ferocity that startled her but without him there, misery over Lucius clouded her head again. She had felt brave and in charge of her own fate when she made the decision to go with Loarn. Now she sat and waited to see what his people would do with her.

A slave brought her food and drink, a pot, and a bowl to wash in. Outside it was still light, the beginning of Britain’s long summer twilight, but the interior of the hold was lit only by lamps and rushlights and the glow of the hearth. When Gwladus began to snore, Silvia was tired enough to sink into the furs and sleep. In the morning, Iorwen came back.

“Where is Loarn?”

“Loarn may not come to you. Teyrnon will come – or I will – to teach you what you need to know. Your woman may help in the kitchen when you do not need her.”

“What is it I need to know that I do not already?” Silvia asked rebelliously.

“A great deal,” Iorwen said.

Silvia looked at her suspiciously. “You don’t want me here either,” she said.

Iorwen made a noise somewhere between a sigh and a growl. “Llamrei is not known for tact. It is not that I do not want you, or that any of us do not, it is that we fear what will happen if my brother the king finds he has made a mistake.”

“What if I have made a mistake?” Silvia snapped.

“That will make no difference now,” Iorwen said.

Silvia was silent. She had not made a mistake, she told herself. She was certain of it.

“You may leave,” Iorwen told Gwladus. “Do not go outside the walls.”

“You have only to call for me,” Gwladus said pointedly to Silvia.

“She is loyal,” Iorwen said. “That is good. But you have lessons to learn and the more you speak with me the better. Your speech has the accent of your Dobunni maid, and that is not fitting for my brother’s queen.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.