such rage on his daughter? “Why does he hate the man so much?”
Karelinn laughed, a light, bitter laugh. “But Father doesn’t hate him, Your Grace.”
Shima blinked at Karelinn in surprise. “He doesn’t?”
“Oh, no, Dragonlord—Father despises him. Utterly. It seems that Merri’s charming suitor has a cruel streak in him that he’d been careful not to show her. He got into some kind of trouble back home—that was why he was in Pelnar. His father had sent him away to stay with a distant kinsman.
“You see, Lord Charming and his friends often made a game of tormenting those who couldn’t fight back. Most of their victims were peasants, particularly peasant children. Quite safe—who would take their word against that of noble young lords?”
Shima snapped out a curse in his native tongue. “That’s not just cruel,” he said in disgust, “it’s the worst form of cowardice.”
Now the laugh was real. “Almost my father’s exact words, my lord. But one day they made a mistake. The wretches should have looked more closely at the clothes those ‘peasant brats’ had left on the riverbank when they went swimming. Two or three of the boys will bear whip scars until they die, Father said. One is the son of a friend of his, Lord Dunhallow. That’s how Father knew that the tale was true and not just malicious hearsay.
“And,” Karelinn went on, frowning slightly, “there might be worse. Father wouldn’t tell us, because he didn’t know how much was rumor and how much was truth. Merri and I overheard part of it. Whatever happened, it might have been only a tragic accident, or … We never knew for certain. It was something about a horse and a young boy—and the boy died.
“When Merri heard all this, she confronted Lord Charming. He tried to make light of it. To him, he’d done nothing wrong. It broke her heart that he was not the person she’d thought him to be. Oh gods—how he raged when she told him that she would no longer hear his suit. He was like a madman. Said that if he couldn’t have her, no one would.
“When his kinsman heard why Lord Charming had left Kelneth and that he’d threatened Merri, he turned the craven out. Then Father told Lord Charming that he’d Challenge him if he ever came near Merri again.”
Shima asked, “And is your father a good swordsman, Lady Karelinn?”
She smiled. Like a cat looking at a mouse, Shima thought with amusement.
“Your Grace, Lord Charming was gone by the next dawn.”
Ten
“See that, lad?” Raven said. He pointed to a wooden sign hanging from the branch of a huge old oak at the head of a small lane that branched off the road. It bore the gaily painted image of a brown-and-white cow standing in a patch of sunflowers.
“This is the Spotted Cow. Aunt Yarrow said that it’s a day’s ride to Balyaranna from here. But it’ll be less than that for us, won’t it?” He guided the Llysanyin onto the turnoff to the inn.
Stormwind nodded, but turned his head to look back at the road as if to say, So why are we stopping? It’s early yet.
Raven laughed and patted him. “I know you’re still fresh, but I’m about done in, we’ve been riding that hard. And I’m tired of camping by the wayside to save Aunt Yarrow’s coin. A hot meal and an easy night’s rest will do us both good. Not to mention a bath for me and a good grooming for you. I want us both to look our best when we reach the fair.”
The Llysanyin rumbled deep in his chest as if agreeing. They rode slowly down the lane, baking in the noonday sun.
* * *
A short time later, after a meal and a rest, Raven decided to wander out to the stable to see how Stormwind was faring. Before he could get to the door, it opened and some travelers he had passed earlier that day entered. Raven stood to one side.
Three of the travelers, two men and a tired-faced woman, all dressed as servants, hurried past him. They carried bundles in their arms.
They were followed by another
Karelinn laughed, a light, bitter laugh. “But Father doesn’t hate him, Your Grace.”
Shima blinked at Karelinn in surprise. “He doesn’t?”
“Oh, no, Dragonlord—Father despises him. Utterly. It seems that Merri’s charming suitor has a cruel streak in him that he’d been careful not to show her. He got into some kind of trouble back home—that was why he was in Pelnar. His father had sent him away to stay with a distant kinsman.
“You see, Lord Charming and his friends often made a game of tormenting those who couldn’t fight back. Most of their victims were peasants, particularly peasant children. Quite safe—who would take their word against that of noble young lords?”
Shima snapped out a curse in his native tongue. “That’s not just cruel,” he said in disgust, “it’s the worst form of cowardice.”
Now the laugh was real. “Almost my father’s exact words, my lord. But one day they made a mistake. The wretches should have looked more closely at the clothes those ‘peasant brats’ had left on the riverbank when they went swimming. Two or three of the boys will bear whip scars until they die, Father said. One is the son of a friend of his, Lord Dunhallow. That’s how Father knew that the tale was true and not just malicious hearsay.
“And,” Karelinn went on, frowning slightly, “there might be worse. Father wouldn’t tell us, because he didn’t know how much was rumor and how much was truth. Merri and I overheard part of it. Whatever happened, it might have been only a tragic accident, or … We never knew for certain. It was something about a horse and a young boy—and the boy died.
“When Merri heard all this, she confronted Lord Charming. He tried to make light of it. To him, he’d done nothing wrong. It broke her heart that he was not the person she’d thought him to be. Oh gods—how he raged when she told him that she would no longer hear his suit. He was like a madman. Said that if he couldn’t have her, no one would.
“When his kinsman heard why Lord Charming had left Kelneth and that he’d threatened Merri, he turned the craven out. Then Father told Lord Charming that he’d Challenge him if he ever came near Merri again.”
Shima asked, “And is your father a good swordsman, Lady Karelinn?”
She smiled. Like a cat looking at a mouse, Shima thought with amusement.
“Your Grace, Lord Charming was gone by the next dawn.”
Ten
“See that, lad?” Raven said. He pointed to a wooden sign hanging from the branch of a huge old oak at the head of a small lane that branched off the road. It bore the gaily painted image of a brown-and-white cow standing in a patch of sunflowers.
“This is the Spotted Cow. Aunt Yarrow said that it’s a day’s ride to Balyaranna from here. But it’ll be less than that for us, won’t it?” He guided the Llysanyin onto the turnoff to the inn.
Stormwind nodded, but turned his head to look back at the road as if to say, So why are we stopping? It’s early yet.
Raven laughed and patted him. “I know you’re still fresh, but I’m about done in, we’ve been riding that hard. And I’m tired of camping by the wayside to save Aunt Yarrow’s coin. A hot meal and an easy night’s rest will do us both good. Not to mention a bath for me and a good grooming for you. I want us both to look our best when we reach the fair.”
The Llysanyin rumbled deep in his chest as if agreeing. They rode slowly down the lane, baking in the noonday sun.
* * *
A short time later, after a meal and a rest, Raven decided to wander out to the stable to see how Stormwind was faring. Before he could get to the door, it opened and some travelers he had passed earlier that day entered. Raven stood to one side.
Three of the travelers, two men and a tired-faced woman, all dressed as servants, hurried past him. They carried bundles in their arms.
They were followed by another
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