round,” I said.
“No more.” Finbar’s small voice was firm. “It’s time to walk on now.”
“Are you sure?” He had surprised me again. Was this game too simple for him?
“Yes. Thank you for showing me, Maeve.” Solemn as a little owl.
“That’s all right. I know a lot of games. But it’s a while since I played most of them.”
We walked on, my shoes and Luachan’s sandals squelching as we went.
“Did you play games with Bounder?” Finbar asked.
A silence drew out, punctuated by our footsteps on the pathway and the gushing of a nearby stream. What to answer? The easy lie: no. The bare truth: yes. Or the difficult answer the questiondeserved? Come on, Maeve. I thought you prided yourself on honesty.
“I remember Doran making me a ball out of hide strips,” I made myself say. “Bounder liked chasing it, but he wasn’t so keen on bringing it back. And he loved a good tug-of-war.” Ten years, and it still hurt to talk about him.
“Teafa had puppies not long ago,” Finbar said. “Three of them. You could keep one if you liked.”
“Father already offered and I said no.” It came out too sharply. This wasn’t Finbar’s fault. “What about you? Don’t you want a dog of your own?”
He shook his head solemnly. “The chieftain of Sevenwaters always has a pair of wolfhounds. Father told me. But that’s not for a long time yet. If I got a dog now it might die before I needed it.”
He had shocked me again. “But you might want one, just because it’s lovely to have a dog for a friend and companion. That’s why Father has Broccan and Teafa, I’m sure, not because it’s…expected.”
“If it’s lovely,” Finbar said, “why don’t you want a puppy?”
“Enough, Finbar.” Luachan had not contributed to this conversation, but now his tone conveyed an order. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, glancing at me.
I felt somewhat annoyed that he thought to protect me from my brother’s piercing honesty. “It’s all right, Finbar,” I said. “It’s because I miss Bounder too much. He can’t ever be replaced.” And since I had gone so far, I might as well give him all of it. “Besides, after what happened that night, the night I lost him, I don’t think I can trust myself to look after another dog. I’d always be worried that I might do it again. Or something like it.”
The two of them looked at me as if I’d said something ridiculous. “It makes perfect sense,” I said, fixing my gaze on the path ahead.
We walked on in silence to a point where the track branched, one path continuing along the lakeshore, the other heading up into the forest.
“We could take you to see the place I mentioned,” Luachansaid. “The pasture, the animals and so on. It’s a longish walk. You may be tired.”
“We have food,” Finbar put in, glancing at the bag the druid had slung over his shoulder.
“Honey cakes,” said Luachan. “A flask of mead, watered to suit young tastes. Some apples. We’re planning to eat when we reach the nemetons.”
I wished I had waited for Rhian. Still, when it came to the point I could always say I wasn’t hungry. “I’d like to see the place. But I mustn’t be away too long or Rhian will worry about me. I told her I’d be at the stables.”
“Duald saw us all together,” Luachan said easily. “Your maidservant will doubtless ask him and reach the right conclusion. Shall we move on, then?”
It was a long way, but I was used to walking. The cool damp air of the forest, the crunch of the first fallen leaves underfoot, the high chorus of birdsong calmed and restored me. My companions did not attempt further conversation, either with me or with each other. As we made our way up and down the paths, over gurgling streamlets and under venerable oaks, I thought about Bounder, and why I could not forgive myself for what had happened. Bounder had been first in my prayers every night since he had come into my life as a six-week pup; prayers were not an
“No more.” Finbar’s small voice was firm. “It’s time to walk on now.”
“Are you sure?” He had surprised me again. Was this game too simple for him?
“Yes. Thank you for showing me, Maeve.” Solemn as a little owl.
“That’s all right. I know a lot of games. But it’s a while since I played most of them.”
We walked on, my shoes and Luachan’s sandals squelching as we went.
“Did you play games with Bounder?” Finbar asked.
A silence drew out, punctuated by our footsteps on the pathway and the gushing of a nearby stream. What to answer? The easy lie: no. The bare truth: yes. Or the difficult answer the questiondeserved? Come on, Maeve. I thought you prided yourself on honesty.
“I remember Doran making me a ball out of hide strips,” I made myself say. “Bounder liked chasing it, but he wasn’t so keen on bringing it back. And he loved a good tug-of-war.” Ten years, and it still hurt to talk about him.
“Teafa had puppies not long ago,” Finbar said. “Three of them. You could keep one if you liked.”
“Father already offered and I said no.” It came out too sharply. This wasn’t Finbar’s fault. “What about you? Don’t you want a dog of your own?”
He shook his head solemnly. “The chieftain of Sevenwaters always has a pair of wolfhounds. Father told me. But that’s not for a long time yet. If I got a dog now it might die before I needed it.”
He had shocked me again. “But you might want one, just because it’s lovely to have a dog for a friend and companion. That’s why Father has Broccan and Teafa, I’m sure, not because it’s…expected.”
“If it’s lovely,” Finbar said, “why don’t you want a puppy?”
“Enough, Finbar.” Luachan had not contributed to this conversation, but now his tone conveyed an order. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, glancing at me.
I felt somewhat annoyed that he thought to protect me from my brother’s piercing honesty. “It’s all right, Finbar,” I said. “It’s because I miss Bounder too much. He can’t ever be replaced.” And since I had gone so far, I might as well give him all of it. “Besides, after what happened that night, the night I lost him, I don’t think I can trust myself to look after another dog. I’d always be worried that I might do it again. Or something like it.”
The two of them looked at me as if I’d said something ridiculous. “It makes perfect sense,” I said, fixing my gaze on the path ahead.
We walked on in silence to a point where the track branched, one path continuing along the lakeshore, the other heading up into the forest.
“We could take you to see the place I mentioned,” Luachansaid. “The pasture, the animals and so on. It’s a longish walk. You may be tired.”
“We have food,” Finbar put in, glancing at the bag the druid had slung over his shoulder.
“Honey cakes,” said Luachan. “A flask of mead, watered to suit young tastes. Some apples. We’re planning to eat when we reach the nemetons.”
I wished I had waited for Rhian. Still, when it came to the point I could always say I wasn’t hungry. “I’d like to see the place. But I mustn’t be away too long or Rhian will worry about me. I told her I’d be at the stables.”
“Duald saw us all together,” Luachan said easily. “Your maidservant will doubtless ask him and reach the right conclusion. Shall we move on, then?”
It was a long way, but I was used to walking. The cool damp air of the forest, the crunch of the first fallen leaves underfoot, the high chorus of birdsong calmed and restored me. My companions did not attempt further conversation, either with me or with each other. As we made our way up and down the paths, over gurgling streamlets and under venerable oaks, I thought about Bounder, and why I could not forgive myself for what had happened. Bounder had been first in my prayers every night since he had come into my life as a six-week pup; prayers were not an
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