The Promised Heart (Hearts of the Conquest Book 3) by Paula Quinn
Author:Paula Quinn [Quinn, Paula]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, romance, Historical
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2023-12-27T16:00:00+00:00
Chapter Fourteen
âI want my war.â Cedric, son of King Rhysâ brother, Owain, stared out over the timber palisade encompassing one of the twin towers of Prince Dafydd ap Gruffuddâs fortress. His dark gaze spread over the steep mountain slopes and wooded hillsides in the distance. Gwynedd. He enjoyed a deep inhalation of cool, pine-scented air. So much of the north was still unsullied by Norman invasion. The land here was as wild and as brutal as his dreams. His jaw, lightly dusted with chestnut stubble, tightened. This was where he would make his home after the war. Indeed, he decided he would live in this very fortress once its current owner was removed.
âRhydderch of Powys and that dolt, Prince Amren of Gwent do naught while the Normans slowly advance deeper into Cymru. I understand some of Lord Benevereâs men on the central marches have taken Cymry wives. Our enemy is seeping into our lives and our land like a disease.â
Standing beside him, Prince Dafydd nodded. âYour brother follows their example by marrying a Norman.â
âAye, and after all the Normans have done.â Cedric returned his cool gaze to the landscape. âThey attacked Ystrad Towi and left Llandovery in ruins before my uncle handed it all over to Gareth. They killed many, and my brother repays them by taking one as a wife.â
âHave you forgotten what your man, Bleddyn, told us?â Dafydd asked him. âPrince Gareth is Wyfyrn. If he spoke the truth, then your brother has killed many Normans.â
Cedricâs mouth twisted into a smirk. âWyfyrn, the peopleâs hero who hides behind a helm.â He laughed, but the sound was void of any mirth. âHeâs afraid of the Normans. From the day we first met the king my brother has preached peace. King William frightened him with his vast armies. Thatâs why Wyfyrn hides. He killed a few Normans because they raped a peasant or burned a few huts down. He doesnât possess the passion for war, the pride of the Cymry.â
Beneath Dafyddâs bushy brown beard, his jaw twitched and his lips tightened. âAfraid or not, he snatches life from his victims like a wraith. Are we wise to underestimate a man who held Lord Hamilton of Chepstow captive on his own land, in his own castle, after he decimated the warlordâs garrison?â
âOf course not, Dafydd,â Cedric assured him, softening his voice. âThatâs why we havenât attacked Garethâs village outright, but weâve meticulously planned his death, along with my uncleâs. That is, unless King William kills Gareth before we do.â
âDo you think the Norman king will believe the attack on Winchester was ordered by Prince Gareth?â
âAye. My men carry Garethâs banner. But then, I donât really care whose order he thinks it was. One way or another, Iâll force the Normans onto the battlefield, where Iâll rid Cymru of them for good.â
âCan Bleddyn be trusted?â
âHeâs been in my service for three years.â
âAnd the other?â
Cedricâs lips curled into a grisly smile. âHe wants Gareth dead as badly as we do. Heâll lead Gareth straight to us.
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