“Where shall ye go? Back into the mountains? They are no‘ called Dubhslain for naught. Apart from the satyricorns, who ye say shall kill ye if they find ye, there are ogres and cursehags and dragons too. It is no place for anyone to live alone, no matter how doughty. And believe me, lassie, I ken. I ran away from my home too, when I was just a lass myself, and I lived in the wild mountains as best I could for quite a few years. Being able to change shape into a tree helped, o’ course, but it was a cruel hard life, ye must understand that. And lonely. Bitterly lonely. It was that which drove me out o‘ the mountains in the end, a longing for those o’ my own kind, for love and friendship.” She bent and pressed her cheek against Niall’s beard and he put up one hand and caressed her leafy hair.
The girl was silent, though her chin was still raised defiantly and her hands clenched.
“Happen she should come to the Tower o‘ Two Moons with me?” Lewen said diffidently. His parents looked at him in surprise.
“It’ll take us some time to travel to Lucescere,” he went on. “Nina and Iven and I can try and teach her what we can on the way, and there’ll be other apprentices too, for sure, and they’ll help too. And then she can tell the Rìgh what she kens herself, I’m sure he’ll have questions he’d want to ask her. And Aunty Beau will want to talk to her too, I ken.”
“Why, though, laddie?” Lilanthe sounded a little puzzled. “Ye think the lassie has Talent?”
“She’s tamed the winged horse,” Lewen said. When his father went to say something he held up his hand in entreaty. “Nay, I mean, really tamed her, Dada. When I went in this morning, well, the mare had kicked out the door o‘ her stall and broken her headstall and torn up the whole place, but… well, they were sleeping together, like mare and foal, as sweetly as ye could imagine. And she talks to her. Tells the mare to stay and she does.”
Niall’s brown eyes and Lilanthe’s slanted green ones both swiveled to the girl’s face. She stared back at them haughtily. “She mine,” she said.
“She says she’s tamed horses afore, in the mountains. She calls to them and they come.”
“Happen it’s the Tower o‘ Horse-lairds we should be sending her to,” Niall said softly.
“Happen so,” Lewen agreed. “But there’s plenty o‘ time for that, if that’s the right place for her to go, isn’t there? There’s no-one to take her there now, and she would ken no-one there nor how to go on. And the Rìgh would want to see her first, dinna ye think so?”
“Aye, he would.” Niall stroked his beard thoughtfully. “I can see some merit in this plan o‘ yours, my lad. Though we must make sure news o’ the Yeoman’s death travels faster than ye will. It’ll take ye a month or so to reach the palace, and my laird will be anxious for news o‘ his Yeoman. I wish we could scry to him, but the mountains stand in the way. What a shame the Tower o’ Ravens is so infested with ghosts and we canna use the Scrying Pool there. It would be so much easier to keep in touch with the court and Coven.” Niall sighed and dug his fingers into his beard more vigorously.
“Come, we can work out the finer details later,” Lilanthe said. “For now, I think it is a good plan. I would no‘ like to just send the lassie off somewhere all by herself, for all that she is so fierce and strong. The Tower o’ Two Moons is interested in all Skills and Talents, and there are satyricorns at the royal court that may be able to help her find a place for herself.”
“Lewen’s right, the Rìgh will want to question her about the Yeoman’s death himself,” Niall said, almost as if he had not been listening to his wife. “And happen on the way Lewen can make her realise that wearing the clothes o‘ a Blue Guard is treason!”
The girl had been listening to all this with narrow, suspicious eyes. At this last comment she flashed him a quick
The girl was silent, though her chin was still raised defiantly and her hands clenched.
“Happen she should come to the Tower o‘ Two Moons with me?” Lewen said diffidently. His parents looked at him in surprise.
“It’ll take us some time to travel to Lucescere,” he went on. “Nina and Iven and I can try and teach her what we can on the way, and there’ll be other apprentices too, for sure, and they’ll help too. And then she can tell the Rìgh what she kens herself, I’m sure he’ll have questions he’d want to ask her. And Aunty Beau will want to talk to her too, I ken.”
“Why, though, laddie?” Lilanthe sounded a little puzzled. “Ye think the lassie has Talent?”
“She’s tamed the winged horse,” Lewen said. When his father went to say something he held up his hand in entreaty. “Nay, I mean, really tamed her, Dada. When I went in this morning, well, the mare had kicked out the door o‘ her stall and broken her headstall and torn up the whole place, but… well, they were sleeping together, like mare and foal, as sweetly as ye could imagine. And she talks to her. Tells the mare to stay and she does.”
Niall’s brown eyes and Lilanthe’s slanted green ones both swiveled to the girl’s face. She stared back at them haughtily. “She mine,” she said.
“She says she’s tamed horses afore, in the mountains. She calls to them and they come.”
“Happen it’s the Tower o‘ Horse-lairds we should be sending her to,” Niall said softly.
“Happen so,” Lewen agreed. “But there’s plenty o‘ time for that, if that’s the right place for her to go, isn’t there? There’s no-one to take her there now, and she would ken no-one there nor how to go on. And the Rìgh would want to see her first, dinna ye think so?”
“Aye, he would.” Niall stroked his beard thoughtfully. “I can see some merit in this plan o‘ yours, my lad. Though we must make sure news o’ the Yeoman’s death travels faster than ye will. It’ll take ye a month or so to reach the palace, and my laird will be anxious for news o‘ his Yeoman. I wish we could scry to him, but the mountains stand in the way. What a shame the Tower o’ Ravens is so infested with ghosts and we canna use the Scrying Pool there. It would be so much easier to keep in touch with the court and Coven.” Niall sighed and dug his fingers into his beard more vigorously.
“Come, we can work out the finer details later,” Lilanthe said. “For now, I think it is a good plan. I would no‘ like to just send the lassie off somewhere all by herself, for all that she is so fierce and strong. The Tower o’ Two Moons is interested in all Skills and Talents, and there are satyricorns at the royal court that may be able to help her find a place for herself.”
“Lewen’s right, the Rìgh will want to question her about the Yeoman’s death himself,” Niall said, almost as if he had not been listening to his wife. “And happen on the way Lewen can make her realise that wearing the clothes o‘ a Blue Guard is treason!”
The girl had been listening to all this with narrow, suspicious eyes. At this last comment she flashed him a quick
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