"The counsels of kings. I have seen the lords of An Beag and Caer Damh sit with the King; I have seen Caer Donn and Caer Luel in the same company . . . and the veriest center of it is Caer Donn. Did you not know?"
"Perhaps I knew."
For a moment the shadow was silent. Something dark and hound-like crept to his side and merged with him. "You are cruel."
"So they say of the Sidhe."
"This Man, this Ciaran mac Ciaran—this brother of Donnchadh of Donn—"
"—is my affair."
"You have tangled me in bargains. Your Man has loosed this on the world. It was his doing, from the beginning, and always you have protected him. Take Donnchadh to your heart: he is no less peril ous."
"Donnchadh is beyond my reach."
"Yes. Beyond your reach. But not beyond the reach of other things. You are a fool, my lady of the trees. You are everlastingly a fool, and not alone, no longer alone. You have your enemies. And those seduced by them."
"Leave me."
"Oh my lady fool—were your own kind immune to jealousy? To ambition?"
She strode away. He followed, a flutter of darkness slipping through the mist.
"The King is weak and weakening; they poison him now with more than words. But I delay to take him. There will come the day I must. And what then—who then, but Donnchadh? Slay him, my lady: one thrust of an elvish sword—and the world is saved."
"No. Not saved. Leave me. I am weary of you."
"Of me, your messenger. Of the upstart you send to watch your borders—Oh lady fool, well if you had listened long before this. What a merry visitor has come to the Caerbourne! And I can name you others lurking here and there. Stop and listen! This Man of yours —let me have him. You cannot take Donnchadh; your reach is too short. But I could remedy matters. For fear of this Ciaran the King has taken evil counsel—For fear of what he saw on that field that day, of help you gave this Man of yours. Do you not know? There is no one in all the kingdom the King fears so much as Ciaran of Caer Wiell—no, certainly not those he ought to fear instead."
Lord Death had pricked her interest, however painfully. Again she stayed, and stopped in mortal Eald. "You know something you have to telclass="underline" you choke on it— Say it and be done!"
"I know this, while you have been interested in other things: that the King distrusted the old lord of Caer Wiell because of this Man, and others stepped in to widen the gap until there is no closing it. And worse with Donnchadh of Donn—ah, much worse. He has stirred up something. I know not what. You say you cannot touch him. But something of Eald has risen up there. It hovers about Caer Donn, skulking and vanishing and I can put no hand on it. Would that I could."
For a long moment she was silent, and the stone burned cold at her heart. "Would you had told me this at the beginning. This is no glad news."
"Come there. If Eald is there, there you can set foot. Deal with it. Let me have this troublesome lord of Caer Wiell. We may yet turn all this aside."
cheek and stood straight, facing the darkness in the mist "Godling, you have no leave to be here. Keep from them. I have warned you."
"You take risks, I say." The shadow became utterly black, a hole in the mist. A horse stamped in the fog. "I have fared along the edges. You have set something stirring. You set me to hunt the marches—but you will summon me here: no! name me no threats. I know them all. You have raised them all. But threats will not send them back. And it grows."
She shrugged and turned away. "You tell me nothing new. Try again."
Steps trod beside her in the grayness, a soft and bodiless pacing. "There is a place called Caer Donn. You would know it."
She turned again, disturbed and caring not that he saw it, her Huntsman, her Warden of the marches. "What of Caer Donn?"
"That its lord is close to the King. I have heard their counsels at Dun na h-Eoin. You should regard me. I come and go with kings. And beware Caer Donn, I say. Its history blinds you. You delude yourself. You take risks, I say, risks in which your allies have no profit and no patience."
"My allies." She drew herself up and set her hand on the small hilt at her belt. "You and your brothers have no interest in my defeat, that is the only sure thing. Let us say the truth. What have you heard at Dun na h-Eoin?"
"The counsels of kings. I have seen the lords of An Beag and Caer Damn sit with the King; I have seen Caer Donn and Caer Luel in the same company . . . and the veriest center of it is Caer Donn. Did you not know?"
"Perhaps I knew."
For a moment the shadow was silent. Something dark and hound-like crept to his side and merged with him. "You are cruel."
"So they say of the Sidhe."
"This Man, this Ciaran mac Ciaran—this brother of Donnchadh of Donn—"
"—is my affair."
"You have tangled me in bargains. Your Man has loosed this on the world. It was his doing, from the beginning, and always you have protected him. Take Donnchadh to your heart: he is no less peril ous."
"Donnchadh is beyond my reach."
"Yes. Beyond your reach. But not beyond the reach of other things. You are a fool, my lady of the trees. You are everlastingly a fool, and not alone, no longer alone. You have your enemies. And those seduced by them."
"Leave me."
"Oh my lady fool—were your own kind immune to jealousy? To ambition?"
She strode away. He followed, a flutter of darkness slipping through the mist.
"The King is weak and weakening; they poison him now with more than words. But I delay to take him. There will come the day I must. And what then—who then, but Donnchadh? Slay him, my lady: one thrust of an elvish sword—and the world is saved."
"No. Not saved. Leave me. I am weary of you."
"Of me, your messenger. Of the upstart you send to watch your borders—Oh lady fool, well if you had listened long before this. What a merry visitor has come to the Caerbourne! And I can name you others lurking here and there. Stop and listen! This Man of yours —let me have him. You cannot take Donnchadh; your reach is too short. But I could remedy matters. For fear of this Ciaran the King has taken evil counsel—For fear of what he saw on that field that day, of help you gave this Man of yours. Do you not know? There is no one in all the kingdom the King fears so much as Ciaran of Caer Wiell—no, certainly not those he ought to fear instead."
Lord Death had pricked her interest, however painfully. Again she stayed, and stopped in mortal Eald. "You know something you have to telclass="underline" you choke on it— Say it and be done!"
"I know this, while you have been interested in other things: that the King distrusted the old lord of Caer Wiell because of this Man, and others stepped in to widen the gap until there is no closing it. And worse with Donnchadh of Donn—ah, much worse. He has stirred up something. I know not what. You say you cannot touch him. But something of Eald has risen up there. It hovers about Caer Donn, skulki
For a long moment she was silent, and the stone burned cold at her heart. "Would you had told me this at the beginning. This is no glad news."
"Come there. If Eald is there, there you can set foot. Deal with it. Let me have this troublesome lord of Caer Wiell. We may yet turn all this aside."
"No," she said, holding the stone within her hand. "No. I've no doubt your brothers urged it. But I take no counsel from you, Hunts man. None."
"Is it fear, then?" Death whispered. "Oh, you pretend to be wise— you pretend secrets. But say it: you are afraid—and you keep your life unchanged. For what? For what do you live? To watch, you said, to prevent what you yourself caused, and now you retreat and save yourself and your trees and this one favored Man—for how long, and to whose benefit but your own?"