Shadow of Stone (The Pendragon Chronicles) (59 page)

Arthur nodded. "Thank you, Kustennin."

"But Britain is our home," Bedwyr said. "Not here."

They all agreed that Chlodovech needed to be taught a lesson. But Cador was obviously not the only one who thought the Armorican kings should be the ones to do it. Hoel provided at least half their fighting force, but just days after the news of Medraut's betrayal reached them, Budic returned to his own seat with his troops. Hoel had sent men after his son-in-law, assuring them he would see to it that Budic "did not do anything treacherous."

Of course, that did not mean Budic's son Medraut could be kept from doing anything more treacherous than he already had. And as long as Arthur was on the border between Frankish and Armorican territory, there was no guarantee he could react in time at more bad news from Britain.

* * * *

Cador to Yseult, greetings.

The news you sent of Medraut's betrayal and Gareth's death has hit us all hard. But with Chlodovech's army harrying the border to Armorica, Arthur sees no way at present to return to Britain and address the issue, as you may have already heard through other sources. Arthur could no longer keep Gawain and Gaheris, however — they are returning to Caer Leon and hope to raise a strong enough army to attack Celliwig and avenge their brother's death. I can only hope that Arthur will consider his job here done before they do so and we can march against the traitor together.

I realize the news you sent from Britain is bad, but despite that, every time I think of you returned safely, and with the child I had given up ever having, I do not care; my heart opens. Riona — what a lovely name. What is she like? Is she talking yet, walking? What color are her eyes? I don't know if you can imagine how I long to see her and hold her in my arms. But I will be a stranger to her. I will have to earn the role of father.

As I do not know if you are still in Caer Leon or have moved on to Lindinis, I will send a copy of this letter to both places, in the hope that it will reach you as soon as possible.

Wherever you are, I hope this finds you and Riona safe and well.

Your Cador

Yseult to Cador, greetings.

Shortly after Medraut ran off with Ginevra, I removed to Lindinis, as you suspected. Before we left Caer Leon, I visited Illtud, where I ran into Gildas. He begged me to send you his apologies, which I found odd, but he said you would understand.

We are doing well, as long as we do not dwell on political developments. Gareth's second-in-command has taken over as magistrate in Caer Leon, but when Gawain and Gaheris return, they will most likely assume those duties. Before I left, I had word that Aurelius was successful in finding Kevern, the only surviving witness to Modrun's death. Kevern confirms that the "bandits" who murdered her were in Medraut's employ.

For now Medraut is out of reach of justice, safe in the hill-fort of Celliwig with Ginevra's army. But Gawain and Gaheris will find ready allies in Modrun's sons.

Brangwyn has come with us to Lindinis, but she means to return to Dyn Tagell before the first snow — assuming she can tear herself away from Riona. Life here now revolves around your daughter. Your mother dotes on her, as do we all. She has few words as yet, but she charms all who come near her, and that despite a noticeable lack of hair. But her eyes are large and bright, of a light brown hue similar to yours, and the smiles and grimaces with which she communicates are truly creative.

Believe me, she will not care that you are a stranger — she will do her best to charm you as she does everyone, glad you are such an easy conquest. All fathers must earn the love of their children; mothers nurse them and create the relationship of dependence that makes love hard to avoid. You have already earned the role of father more than once with a child not your own; I find it hard to believe that you would do any worse with your own flesh and blood.

For your sake and ours, I hope Arthur will soon decide his duty to his father-in-law is fulfilled.

Your Yseult

Cador to Yseult, greetings.

While I would much rather be with you and Riona, I am nonetheless glad to be corresponding with you again, to have news from you every few weeks and know you are well. It is a great comfort to me while we engage in skirmish after skirmish with Chlodovech, deciding nothing. The Frankish king is as clever a commander as Arthur. Neither one can provoke the other into an unwise attack; neither can lure the other into a position of weakness because both recognize the situation before it is too late. And thus we attack and retreat, attack and retreat, and in between there are negotiations which lead nowhere, because Arthur and Chlodovech do not trust each other. The only thing Arthur would trust would be if we could push the Frankish king back to the river Sequana in the east or the Liger in the south, or if we could gain a victory decisive enough to weaken him and thwart his ambitions to take Armorica in addition to all the other former Gaulish provinces he has conquered.

Given the way things are going here, I fear I have no news as to when we will be returning to Britain. I would have hoped the fighting would be over by winter, but it does not look as if my hopes will become reality.

I know we have much to discuss, but be assured that my thoughts are with you and our daughter. I look forward to seeing you, whenever that might be.

Your Cador

Yseult to Cador, greetings.

I have news that you will not want to hear, assuming it has not already reached Arthur. At first it came to us only in rumors, but now it has been confirmed by both my cousin in Dyn Tagell and my steward in Lansyen. As expected, Medraut and Ginevra are now acting as rulers of Cerniw from Ginevra's seat in Celliwig — but not only that, Medraut has been recruiting and training warriors, many more than he would need for defense alone. No one here now has the necessary fighting men to contest Medraut's claims, but I have begun to set up a system of spies to monitor the developments and track movements to and from Celliwig. I have also alerted the landholders between here and Celliwig, and sent Rufinus and Alun out to recruit young men who can be trained as warriors now that the harvest is over.

Please, speak with Arthur about the preparations his nephew is making. If Medraut is planning war in truth, it is unlikely he will attack before spring. On the other hand, if Arthur waits until Medraut begins to move against his neighbors, it will probably take him at least a month to respond from Gaul, and that might well be too late for many of the small towns in southwest Dumnonia.

I will do my best in your absence to defend your house and hearth, but I would be more at ease if you and your men were here — as would we all.

Keep yourself safe from Frankish warriors and return to us soon.

Your Yseult

Cador to Yseult, greetings.

Your news is very disturbing; unfortunately, not everyone sees it as you do. I have spoken with Arthur, and to his way of thinking, Medraut's recruiting of warriors could well be no more than a defensive strategy, an attempt to ensure that he is able to keep what he has already gained — the Queen of Cerniw. That is the title by which Ginevra is referred to exclusively here now. Arthur does not want to hear her name, does not want to acknowledge that she had anything to do with him, does not want to deal with the matter of Medraut and Ginevra — and as a result, Cerniw and Dumnonia have become a blind spot in his strategic thinking.

At the same time, we have finally had some major successes against Chlodovech, and we may soon be in a position to demand concessions from the Frankish king regarding the British kingdoms of Armorica. Naturally, this makes Arthur even less interested in abandoning the campaign. Progress has been slow, but last week our forces won a significant victory, taking the city of Subdinum and its Frankish sub-king, Rignomer.

Given what you tell me, I can only hope that our success soon becomes enough for the Dux Bellorum. In the meantime, keep yourself and Riona and my mother safe, I beg you. More than anything else, I want to someday hold my daughter in my arms.

I have all confidence in you to be able to arrange for the defense of our mutual kingdoms. The measures you have taken to contain the threat Medraut poses meet with both approval and admiration on my part. I believe your son has his talent for military strategy more from you than his father. After all, you are a warrior princess of Eriu. And surely there is a reason you are known as the Lioness of Dumnonia.

Your Cador

Yseult to Cador, greetings.

Thank you for your confidence in me. I am glad to hear that the situation in Gaul is improving; I cannot say the same for ours here in Britain. Medraut has begun referring to himself as "King of Cerniw" and, even worse, "King of the South." It is now well known that Ginevra is highly pregnant with a child that could impossibly be Arthur's. According to the stories being spread from Celliwig, the babe will be the heir to both the lines of Medraut and Ginevra — and is thus the true heir of Erbin, legendary king of Dumnonia. No matter that there are many more who can claim direct descent from Erbin, among them you, Kustennin, and Arthur. What worries me is that Medraut seems to have learned the trick of harnessing the power of the word. It may not sound threatening to a warrior like Arthur, but we have had bards coming through the market of Lindinis singing tales of the hero Medraut, deprived of his birthright and fighting to get it back. The power of the word is underestimated in Britain; in Eriu we have ever been aware that those who control the stories control history. While Medraut has not come out and said it, he is doing everything in his power to make it look as if he should be Arthur's heir. Arthur may not claim the high kingship of Britain, but I am convinced that is what Medraut is reaching for.

I cannot impress on you enough that, from what I see, it is more than time for Arthur to return to Britain. This goes beyond any assistance we might need, although that is also a major concern. I realize that Arthur is reluctant to confront his wife and his nephew, but if he could only understand that the situation is more than a personal failure and grasp the political dimensions he does not want to see, perhaps he would be able to realize what damage the war games he is playing with the Frankish king could cause here. Has he forgotten his old war cry, "
Britannia Patria
"? What is he doing fighting back barbarians in Gaul, given the recent developments in Britain?

I know how much you admire your cousin, and yes, I know that both his mother and his sister call Armorica home. But given the signs, I am almost certain that Medraut will mount an attack against us in spring at the latest.

And now I have filled up two sheets with my forebodings. Forgive me. I find it hard to close with any comforting personal anecdotes, but if nothing else, at least I can assure you that Riona is well and we have been able to double the men for the defense of Lindinis since my last letter.

I hope you are well, and I hope you will be able to return to us soon.

Your Yseult

Cador to Yseult, greetings.

I have spoken with Arthur again, but he insists we must winter here in Gaul; if we were to return to Britain, he fears Chlodovech would see it as a perfect opportunity to regain the territory the Frankish tribes have lost to us, winter or no winter. The weather is more mild than in Britain — making the season for war longer as well.

This chafes me so much, but as Dux Bellorum, Arthur commands my loyalty. Not only that, I cannot forget the service he did Britain in defeating the Saxons so soundly at Caer Baddon that they have not been a serious threat since. And yes, I understand that the threat is now coming from within, from problems Arthur either refused to acknowledge or refused to address when they arose. But I cannot leave him now, as much as I want to. If you are directly threatened, however, I swear I will leave Arthur's service whether he allows it or not.

In your next missive, please send me word of Riona. I long for some good news to hold on to and make the time here waiting for the next battle a little more pleasant.

Your Cador

Yseult to Cador, greetings.

I am sorry that I forgot to tell you of Riona's progress in my last letter. She is walking (unsteadily) now, and babbling merrily in a language no one understands except for a few words here and there, such as "Mama" and "Enid" and "no." I suspect part of the problem is that we do not always know which dialect she is trying to speak — that of her mother, or that of her home.

We continue to make progress in recruiting new warriors, and have recruited a new bard as well, young Taliesin, who was in Illtud's monastery school for a time. Otherwise the news is not good. Not only is Medraut developing a small army, our spies have reported that he now corresponds regularly with the traitor Cerdic of Vectis. Unfortunately, we have not yet been able to intercept any of their communications, but some of my advisors fear, given the fact that Cerdic has a Saxon wife, that Medraut is attempting to enlist the assistance of the Saxons in whatever plans he is making. Our men took one of the messengers, but he had nothing in writing on him and he died of his injuries before he could be brought to Lindinis. But even if Medraut is allying himself only with Cerdic, it would be enough to put us in a very difficult situation here in Lindinis, with Medraut to the southwest and Cerdic to the southeast. I will continue to try and intercept a message in order to have a better idea of what we will be facing and when.