had released it completely did he release her hand. Shamefully she dropped it to her side.
Tulellcoe’s face could have been chiseled from stone for all the expression it held, but his eyes cut into her soul like white-hot steel. “As much as I hate that damn Council, I have to admit they’re right.”
“You don’t know that,” she shouted.
“And you don’t know they’re wrong.”
Roland, speaking softly, startled them both. “I do.”
Tulellcoe turned to face him. “What did you say?”
“I said I know the council is wrong.”
“You know nothing.”
Roland shook his head sadly. “The only thing I don’t know, is how I know what I do know. But I do know the Council is wrong, as only I can know such things.”
Tulellcoe shook his head, but while outwardly he scoffed, AnnaRail saw that Roland’s words had stung him, and she understood then that he was forcing himself to do what he thought was right, even while he hated the doing of it.
“Use your own judgment,” she said to him. “Don’t follow the dictates of the Council blindly.”
He frowned uncertainly, then looked at Roland, and the silence between them grew heavy and stilted. Then he turned about, threw the doors of the castle open, and walked out into the stormy night.
Olivia stepped out of a shadow near the base of the stairs. “Well done, Roland. You may have just saved Morgin’s life.”
AnnaRail exploded. “What do you mean well done? You betrayed my son to that pack of wolves and now you speak of saving his life.”
The old woman threw her head back and laughed hatefully. “Oh you foolish woman! Do you think there is anything you do within these walls that I do not know about long before the doing of it? If I had wanted those jackals to have him, they would have had him. Do you believe for an instant you could have spirited him away without my help? Who do you think instructed the guards to open the gates for the swordsman and the twonames and the peasant? Had it not been for me those gates would have never been opened in the first place.”
Speechless, AnnaRail spluttered, “But—”
“But nothing!” the old woman shouted. “Your greatest danger was Tulellcoe, and you didn’t even realize it. He feels responsible for Morgin. He knew about this talisman even before Csairne Glen, but he failed to help Morgin then, and he failed to help him during the intervening months, so he blames himself now that Morgin is under sentence of death, and he would rather kill Morgin himself, kill him cleanly, than let those jackals have him.”
“But why didn’t you stop him?” AnnaRail demanded.
Olivia shook her head. “The only way to stop Tulellcoe when his mind is made up is to kill him, and not even Morgin is worth that. Tulellcoe can be as stubborn as Morgin, and as uncontrollable when his mind is set. The two of them are alike in so many ways, if I didn’t know Tulellcoe better I’d wonder if he didn’t do a little whoring about nine months before Morgin was born. The only way to stop Tulellcoe is to convince him to stop himself, and Roland began that process by introducing doubt with his intuition. But you had to lose control like a stupid young girl, and in doing so you hurt Morgin’s cause in Tulellcoe’s mind. We can only hope the doubt Roland introduced will grow, for Tulellcoe will find the whoreson, and if that doubt fades between now and then, then Morgin will die. It is that simple.”
~~~
Rhianne stumbled up to her room, conscious only of the sword and its power. A part of her knew she should feel some triumph at Morgin’s escape, but the talisman demanded too much of her for her to feel anything beyond a need to find a place where she would not be disturbed.
Her handmaidens were waiting for her excitedly, and immediately they began a flood of gossipy twittering that threatened to overwhelm her. But she silenced them with a single, angry bark, and when they finally took notice of the magic in her eyes they
Tulellcoe’s face could have been chiseled from stone for all the expression it held, but his eyes cut into her soul like white-hot steel. “As much as I hate that damn Council, I have to admit they’re right.”
“You don’t know that,” she shouted.
“And you don’t know they’re wrong.”
Roland, speaking softly, startled them both. “I do.”
Tulellcoe turned to face him. “What did you say?”
“I said I know the council is wrong.”
“You know nothing.”
Roland shook his head sadly. “The only thing I don’t know, is how I know what I do know. But I do know the Council is wrong, as only I can know such things.”
Tulellcoe shook his head, but while outwardly he scoffed, AnnaRail saw that Roland’s words had stung him, and she understood then that he was forcing himself to do what he thought was right, even while he hated the doing of it.
“Use your own judgment,” she said to him. “Don’t follow the dictates of the Council blindly.”
He frowned uncertainly, then looked at Roland, and the silence between them grew heavy and stilted. Then he turned about, threw the doors of the castle open, and walked out into the stormy night.
Olivia stepped out of a shadow near the base of the stairs. “Well done, Roland. You may have just saved Morgin’s life.”
AnnaRail exploded. “What do you mean well done? You betrayed my son to that pack of wolves and now you speak of saving his life.”
The old woman threw her head back and laughed hatefully. “Oh you foolish woman! Do you think there is anything you do within these walls that I do not know about long before the doing of it? If I had wanted those jackals to have him, they would have had him. Do you believe for an instant you could have spirited him away without my help? Who do you think instructed the guards to open the gates for the swordsman and the twonames and the peasant? Had it not been for me those gates would have never been opened in the first place.”
Speechless, AnnaRail spluttered, “But—”
“But nothing!” the old woman shouted. “Your greatest danger was Tulellcoe, and you didn’t even realize it. He feels responsible for Morgin. He knew about this talisman even before Csairne Glen, but he failed to help Morgin then, and he failed to help him during the intervening months, so he blames himself now that Morgin is under sentence of death, and he would rather kill Morgin himself, kill him cleanly, than let those jackals have him.”
“But why didn’t you stop him?” AnnaRail demanded.
Olivia shook her head. “The only way to stop Tulellcoe when his mind is made up is to kill him, and not even Morgin is worth that. Tulellcoe can be as stubborn as Morgin, and as uncontrollable when his mind is set. The two of them are alike in so many ways, if I didn’t know Tulellcoe better I’d wonder if he didn’t do a little whoring about nine months before Morgin was born. The only way to stop Tulellcoe is to convince him to stop himself, and Roland began that process by introducing doubt with his intuition. But you had to lose control like a stupid young girl, and in doing so you hurt Morgin’s cause in Tulellcoe’s mind. We can only hope the doubt Roland introduced will grow, for Tulellcoe will find the whoreson, and if that doubt fades between now and then, then Morgin will die. It is that simple.”
~~~
Rhianne stumbled up to her room, conscious only of the sword and its power. A part of her knew she should feel some triumph at Morgin’s escape, but the talisman demanded too much of her for her to feel anything beyond a need to find a place where she would not be disturbed.
Her handmaidens were waiting for her excitedly, and immediately they began a flood of gossipy twittering that threatened to overwhelm her. But she silenced them with a single, angry bark, and when they finally took notice of the magic in her eyes they
Similar Books
