Dragon of the Island (39 page)

“It matters little enough now,” Esylt said
impatiently. “If you are done with your harassment of me, do I have
my lord’s permission to go to bed?”

Maelgwn longed to slap his sister’s sneering
face, just once, to see her recoil in pain. But he stayed his
hand—he had too many other things to attend to.

The four men met in the nearly deserted
hall. They sat down at a table by the fire for a late supper of
sausages, apples and barley bread.

“So, Gareth,” Maelgwn began when they were
all seated. “What did Wydian have to say about telling the other
women that Gwyrtheyrn and Constantine had joined forces?”

“Not much,” he growled. “She said she
overheard two soldiers who were gaming speak of an alliance between
Gwyrtheyrn and Constantine—but of course she can’t recall who the
soldiers were. She claims she thought little of their words then,
and it was only when she saw a chance to torment Aurora that she
remembered.”

“There is truth in that,” Balyn said between
mouthfuls of sausage. “I spoke with Gwenaseth, and she remembered
Wydian’s words exactly. She saw it as a deliberate attempt to
humiliate Aurora in front of the other woman.”

“Wydian must be lying,” Maelgwn said
thoughtfully. “But at least she didn’t accuse Evrawc of telling
her—I am glad to know that he is cleared from suspicion.”

“What about Esylt?” Balyn asked pointedly.
“You spoke to her—what was her story?”

“The same as always,” Maelgwn said in
disgust. “She claims to know nothing about the rumor, and
naturally, she could not resist suggesting that it was Aurora who
knew all along what Constantine was up to.”

“Well,” Gareth said quietly. “There is
something to that. How
did
Aurora know to send you a message
of warning?”

Rhys had not spoken yet, but now he pushed
his plate away and faced Maelgwn resolutely. “My lord, I, too,
would like to know—how do you explain that Aurora has run off to
Viroconium with one of your captains?”

“I can explain!” Balyn interrupted. “I spoke
to Gwenaseth. Elwyn tried to keep Aurora from going, but when he
couldn’t, he went with her to protect her. It seems to me that if
Gwenaseth trusts her husband with the queen, then we should not
suspect them of disloyalty either!”

Maelgwn sighed deeply and said nothing. The
other three men watched him uneasily. More than ever, they felt the
weight of responsibility their king bore. Each could not help
wondering—if Aurora were his wife—would he trust her?

Aurora looked sideways at Elwyn as he rode
beside her. How could she ever repay him for his help? She had
talked bravely enough before she left Caer Eryri, but the truth was
that she would have never made it this far without Elwyn. Even in
daylight, she could not have found her way over the mountains by
herself, and the injury to her head still bothered her—she tired
easily and sometimes grew so dizzy and sick she could hardly stay
on her horse.

Elwyn caught her looking at him and
smiled.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Aye,” Aurora answered. “The mornings are
the worst, as the day wears on, I begin to feel more like
myself.”

“We are almost halfway there,” Elwyn said,
his smile disappearing. He anxiously surveyed the frosty moors
ahead of them. “I can’t believe that we have not yet met up with
your father and Gwyrtheyrn.”

Aurora frowned, too. “It does seem like
they’re taking their time. I thought they would be advancing into
Gwynedd by now. I wonder if the messenger from Viroconium could
have been mistaken. Perhaps Gwyrtheyrn was there to talk to my
father about something else. Perhaps they do not mean to make war
on Maelgwn after all.”

Elwyn shook his head. “I wish I could be so
hopeful, but Maelgwn’s man in Viroconium is an experienced
soldier—he could easily tell the difference between a peaceful
envoy and an army ready to do battle.” He looked at Aurora
critically. “Are you sure you still want to do this?”

Aurora held her head up stubbornly. “Aye, I
must talk to my father.”

“Do you know how dangerous this is, Aurora?
If Gwyrtheyrn suspects that you are trying to turn your father
against him, he may have you killed!”

“I know what a risk I’m taking, Elwyn,”
Aurora answered with a sigh. “It’s funny, the young woman who left
Viroconium barely four months ago would never have dared to do this
thing, but after all I have been through with Maelgwn, I have to
try and help him somehow.”

“You love him, don’t you?” Elwyn said in a
soft voice.

“Aye, I love him!” Aurora answered with a
gasp of emotion. “I have fought it and denied it, but it’s true.
Perhaps that makes what I have to do even harder. With Gwyrtheyrn,
I will have to pretend that I despise Maelgwn, and that I have come
to betray my husband.”

“If he believes you, it might work.
Gwyrtheyrn is a greedy, scheming man. He will not question that you
would show no more loyalty to Maelgwn than that. Once we have his
trust, perhaps we can influence things in Maelgwn’s favor.”

Despite Elwyn’s reassuring words, Aurora
suddenly seemed to grow pale. She stopped talking of their plans,
and a short distance later she pulled Paithu to a halt and
dismounted. She barely made it a few paces before she doubled over
retching.

Elwyn watched her in concern. Was it the
strain of the coming confrontation with Gwyrtheyrn that made her
ill, or could it be that she had not yet recovered from her recent
fall? He begged Aurora to stop and rest, but she stubbornly
refused. It was past midday now, and she wanted to have her meeting
with Gwyrtheyrn before nightfall.

Aurora noticed that the landscape was
changing again. The mountains were behind them, and they had
reached the soft rolling hill country. They were taking the same
route that they’d followed when she’d left Viroconium for Gwynedd
as Maelgwn’s new bride. She guessed that they were about two days’
ride away from Viroconium by now—surely they should meet up with
her father soon.

Just before sunset, as they mounted the
crest of another hill, both Aurora and Elwyn looked down on the
plains below and gasped. A vast army was spread out on the valley
below them. Gwyrtheyrn’s standards were purple and gold, and in the
light of the setting sun, the whole field seemed to bleed with
color.

Aurora felt her throat closing up in
fear.

“The gods help us,” Elwyn whispered. “I did
not expect this. Even Maelgwn will be hard put to defeat this large
an army.”

Aurora cleared her throat and sat up
stiffly. “That makes what we have to do even more important.”

They spurred their horses on and rode down
the hill toward the army. It was growing dark when they reached the
sentry at the edge of the camp.

“Who goes there?” the man cried, thrusting a
torch up to peer at their faces.

Elwyn spoke up briskly.

“I am escorting Lady Aurora, daughter of
Lord Constantine—she seeks refuge in her homeland.”

They could hear the guards whispering among
themselves in the darkness.

“Lady Aurora?” one of the guards said after
a moment. “The Lady Aurora who was wedded to Maelgwn the
Great?”

“Aye, this is she,” Elwyn answered. “She
comes east to seek protection.”

There was more murmuring, and then the guard
with the torch lifted it up even higher so that the smoke swirled
into their faces. Aurora and Elwyn held their breath, but
apparently the sentry was satisfied by what he saw, for he handed
the torch to another man, and then grabbed Paithu’s bridle.

“Come then,” he said. “You can tell your
story to Gwyrtheyrn himself.”

They were taken quickly to a large tent near
the center of the camp. There they dismounted and their horses were
led away. Another soldier escorted them to the tent and then, with
a few gruff words, presented them to Gwyrtheyrn.

Aurora looked into the shadows and saw a
gaunt, feral face.

“So, you are Lady Aurora, or should I say
Lady Maelgwn now?” the man suggested derisively.

“Aye, that I am.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I’ve left my husband. When word came that
my father had joined forces with you, I decided I no longer had to
endure my unhappy marriage.”

“Your husband treated you unkindly?”

“Aye, he kept me almost as a slave, even
locked me away at times. I have to say that I feared for my life at
my husband’s hand!”

“A touching story,” Gwyrtheyrn said with a
sneer.

He stood and moved out of the shadows, so
that Aurora could see him more clearly. He was not a large man, but
there was a lean, dangerous cruelly about him. Aurora stood as
still as possible, trying to control the trembling of her
hands.

Gwyrtheyrn walked around her, and his eyes
inspected her warily, but at last he smiled. “I’m surprised that
Maelgwn let such a beauty get away from him. Your account of things
should help keep Constantine’s army eager to fight for your honor.
My men will escort you to a safe place. But your guard,” he
motioned to Elwyn. “He will stay with me.”

Aurora moved closer to Gwyrtheyrn and tried
to make her voice soft and enticing. “There is something else I
would ask of you, my lord,” she purred softly. “I have seen the
standards of my father among your army. I would like to go to him
and assure him personally of my safety.”

“You may set your mind at ease on that
account,” Gwyrtheyrn answered. “I will go to him myself and tell
him that you are safe.”

Aurora moved even closer, hoping that
Gwyrtheyrn would catch the scent of the sweet perfume she had
hurriedly anointed herself with before they met the sentry. Then,
with a subtle hand, she reached up to pull her cloak away from her
face. As she did so, her loose tunic slipped down slightly,
revealing the smooth, white skin of her shoulder. Aurora saw
Gwyrtheyrn’s fascinated stare and waited.

After a moment, Gwyrtheyrn looked back into
Aurora’s face and laughed. “You are a bold one, aren’t you? Cover
yourself up, woman. It is cold, and I have no desire to taste
Maelgwn’s leftovers—not when Constantine has two other lovely and
unspoiled daughters to choose from. You will be taken to see your
father when I choose, and not before.”

Gwyrtheyrn dismissed them. Aurora had one
last desperate look at Elwyn before she was led away, and then her
guard shoved her roughly into small tent.

Aurora sat down heavily on the bare ground.
There was no lamp, and no furs or blankets for comfort. She was a
prisoner.

She tried to relax and think. Her heart
still pounded unnaturally from her confrontation with Gwyrtheyrn.
She could not help wondering what she would have done if Gwyrtheyrn
had decided to take what she offered. Even if she had been able to
see her father and change the course of the coming battle, would it
have been worth it? Aurora shuddered just thinking of Gwyrtheyrn’s
clawlike hands swarming over her. No, perhaps she was lucky after
all. Somehow she feared that even if she did it only to help him,
Maelgwn would never be able to forget the image of her in
Gwyrtheyrn’s arms.

But what was she to do now? She was
helpless, trapped in this tent with no way to reach her father.
Even faithful Elwyn was gone. Aurora shuddered again. What if they
hurt him? How would she ever make it up to Gwenaseth if Elwyn were
killed?

Aurora shook herself, trying to clear her
mind. She must not let her fears get the best of her—she must
concentrate and think of a plan.

It was a bitter cold night in the highlands.
Maelgwn’s soldiers huddled by the fire and stomped their feet to
get warm. Maelgwn was restless, as always before a battle. Would it
be tomorrow or the next day? By morning, they would be in the
foothills—surely they would meet with Gwyrtheyrn soon.

He walked quickly through the camp, stopping
occasionally to give an order or share a word with a group of his
men. He had almost reached his own tent when he saw a familiar
figure, sitting alone by one of the fires.

“Evrawc,” Maelgwn spoke softly. “So, you,
too, are troubled by your thoughts tonight.”

Evrawc nodded as Maelgwn sat down beside
him.

“You know, Evrawc,” Maelgwn began. “I want
you to know how sorry I am about that business back there. I should
never have suspected you of disloyalty.”

Evrawc looked at the king. His face was even
more careworn and angry than usual, but his eyes looked kindly,
even tender. “There’s nothing for you to say, my lord. I know that
you are a king, and you must always suspect the worst of those
close to you. I can’t hold your caution against you.”

“All the same, Evrawc—you’ve served me well
over ten years now. I should not have thought...”

“It was natural enough,” Evrawc interrupted
in a dismissing tone. “No doubt most men do share secrets with
their wives. But I...” Evrawc laughed bitterly. “It seems I share
nothing with Wydian except anger and contempt.”

“There are your two children—Ofydd seems
like a fine boy.”

Evrawc gave a snort of disgust. “Lately I
have even begun to wonder about my children—are they really mine,
or has Wydian kept a lover all along?”

“Wydian has a lover?” Maelgwn asked in
surprise.

“So, it would seem. I just found out. As
painful as it was to have you accuse me of treachery, it was even
worse to learn that my wife had brought another man to our
bed.”

“Who is he?” Maelgwn asked impatiently. “It
is not just idle curiosity either, Evrawc,” he added hastily as he
saw the man’s troubled look. “If Wydian shares her bed with another
man, perhaps she shares secrets with him as well.”

“You think
he
is the source of the
rumors about Constantine and Gwyrtheyrn?”

“It seems likely, does it not?” Maelgwn said
excitedly. “You said that Wydian was not interested in men’s
affairs, but if a lover told her a story that seemed to make the
queen look bad, she would surely remember it. What do you think?
Could the man your wife betrayed you with be the one?”