The scout, p.31
The Scout, page 31
“You have been oddly silent on this matter, Domhnall,” Ithel said, gesturing to him.
Domhnall pressed his lips together, his gaze darting around the table as he seemed to take each one of us in. He shifted in his seat, fidgeting with one of the rings on his hand before clearing his throat. “My aim since coming to Castle Clogwyn has always been to serve the people of Blaidd. Whatever form that may take.”
Bran grumbled something under his breath and I narrowed my eyes at Domhnall. It was a vague response, leaving me feeling that he was more interested in covering his own hide than anything else.
“I believe that the Wolf Spirit has been clear in who it has shown its favor to,” Mother said. “Seren may have things to learn, but she can learn them. She has what matters most: a willingness to care for the people of Blaidd.”
“I am afraid I cannot agree with your confidence, Banrion Esyllt,” Laoise said. “Seren is not my choice for the next Ri of Blaidd. I believe that role should go to Domhnall.”
“Though it would be irregular and not without its troubles, I am inclined to agree,” Ithel replied.
Two against one, I thought, my stomach churning as I waited for Arwel and Domhnall to voice their choices—if they would even allow Domhnall to do so. If they didn’t, it would come down to Arwel. He had never been an ally of mine and to my knowledge, he rarely sided against Ithel on council matters.
“I do not think it wise for Domhnall to voice a choice in this matter,” Arwel said. “It would be a conflict of interest. And as I find myself inclined to support Seren, we find ourselves at an impasse.”
My breath caught. That was a development I wouldn’t have anticipated in a hundred years.
“I think everyone here trusts Pennathe Lewella’s judgment,” Mother said.
“Pennathe Lewella is hardly an unbiased choice,” Laoise snapped.
“One could argue the same regarding you and young Domhnall,” Arwel replied. “Do not think we have all not noticed the way you have taken him under your wing of late, Laoise. Pennathe Lewella, your choice?”
“After the events of what happened in the wilderness of Ioliare and seeing Seren’s devotion to saving this land and its people from Fianna, while I do not deny Domhnall’s own fine qualities, I believe Seren to be the best choice for Blaidd,” Lewella answered.
Laoise’s nostrils flared, her hands clenching into fists on the table, while Ithel’s neck corded and a vein popped up under the skin.
“Then I suppose it is decided,” Ithel said, his voice tinged with barely disguised bitterness. “Seren will be the next Ri of Blaidd and I will be leaving this council effective immediately.”
He stood from the table, shoving his chair back in place with a loud thump. He gave me no nod of respect, not even an acknowledgement, before storming out of the room, the door to the study banging shut behind him. It was childish and uncalled for, and even more ridiculous after all the things he had accused me of.
“Would anyone else like to abdicate their position?” I asked. “For I would far rather know of your unwillingness sooner rather than later.”
I was met with silence, though I noticed Domhnall would not quite meet me gaze, his lips still pressed together into a thin line.
“I believe that everyone at this table is willing to serve you, Ri Seren,” Arwel answered. “Any personal misgivings aside.”
Mother smiled, giving me a respectful nod that Arwel copied. Though Laoise still wore a scowl, she did the same, followed by Domhnall and Lewella. There would still be an official ceremony to come, but as each of them nodded to me in return, I was struck by the gravity of what had taken place. It had happened. I was now Ri of Blaidd.
“The announcement will be made to the castle tonight at the evening meal in the Great Hall,” Arwel continued. “I assume, Banrion Esyllt, that you will wish to oversee the Enwi ceremony?”
“Yes,” Mother replied.
“Then I think we have covered what we must for today,” Arwel said. “Though I would advise the matters of making an official selection of warrior chief and finding a replacement for Ithel be a priority.”
“They will be,” I replied.
“Congratulations, Ri Seren.” He gave me another respectful nod before getting up from his seat.
The others followed his lead, gathering their things as they rose. Mother pulled me into a hug as soon as we got to our feet.
“You will be good leaders for the people of Blaidd,” she said, looking over at Bran as we eased back from one another.
“Thank you, Banrion Esyllt,” Bran replied, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.
Lewella came over to offer her congratulations as well, and I promised her that I would confirm her as warrior chief as soon as possible. There was no one else I wanted for the task. Arwel and Laoise had left the study, the latter in a huff, but Domhnall lingered near the door, his expression unreadable as he stared at us. Our gazes locked and he dropped his chin, slipping out into the hallway. I immediately excused myself from the others, following after him.
Guilt left my throat thick, but there was a sense of betrayal that simmered in me as well, leaving behind an ache in my chest. I should have perhaps told him privately about my marriage, but what in the blazes had gone on with him and Laoise to get her to push for him to be Ri? How could he pretend to be my ally and then go behind my back? I called his name as I caught up to him and he stopped, waiting as I closed the distance between us.
“When did you marry him?” he asked, his hurt bleeding through into his voice.
“When we were outside Dearg. Before the battle. I should have told you. That’s what a friend would have done.”
“Right.” The quiet chuckle he let out as he crossed his arms held a trace of bitterness. “A friend.”
“And what of the stunt you just pulled with Laoise?” I asked, my anger flaring once more with his show of petulance. “Is that why you’ve been avoiding me? So you could plot with her behind my back? I was counting on you to support me.”
“Seren…” He dropped his gaze to the floor, rocking his weight back onto his heels for a moment before looking back up at me. “I had no idea she was going to do that. She sprung it on me as much as she did on everyone else. And I haven’t been avoiding you. I was worried that she was going to work with Ithel to undermine you and I was trying to talk her out of it, but I swear to you, she said nothing to me of becoming Ri.”
I shook my head, still feeling the hurt of his betrayal. “Then why did you not speak up in my defense?”
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It’s not an excuse, but I was trying not to provoke Laoise. With as close as we’ve become these last few months, she knows certain things, things she could use against me. She’s crafty, conniving. You know this.”
I worried my lower lip. I couldn’t exactly disagree with his assessment. Had I not seen just how conniving Laoise was just now?
“If she has threatened you,” I said, “I will not stand for any sort of blackmail on the advisory council.”
“It hasn’t come to that,” he said, his tone soothing as he placed a hand on my arm. “And I don’t think it will. I can handle Laoise.”
“You will tell me though?” I asked, my brow furrowing. “If she threatens you. I mean it when I say that I won’t tolerate such behavior on the council, even if my father did.”
“I will, if it comes to that. I promise. Forgive me for not speaking out more. The news of your marriage, it threw me, and then Laoise stunned me even more with her outlandish idea of me becoming Ri. Believe me, I want to keep my place here and my place on your council.”
“I want you to stay on the council as well,” I said, biting my lip. “I just need to know that I will have your support when I need it.”
“You will.” The smile he gave me was weak, but he held my gaze.
“Thank you.” I glanced over my shoulder at the study door. “I probably need to get back in there. There’s much to plan.”
“Of course,” he replied, gently squeezing my arm.
A niggling part of me felt that there was still something off with him as he flashed me another half-smile, but I shrugged it off. As he’d said, he’d had a number of unexpected things thrown at him today. Not to mention whatever Laoise is holding over him, I thought. I had every intention of getting to the bottom of that. Shaking my head, I returned to the study. I would have to deal with that later. Right now, I needed to focus on bringing stability and peace to my people. It was time for change.
Chapter 47
The Opportune Moment
Alannah
I worried I’d left Aengus too soon, that with time away from me, he would be tempted to give in to his fears, but Fianna had been insistent that I travel to the village of Gefell. While my flight south had been uneventful, I had been met with disturbing and infuriating news when I reached the village outside Castle Clogwyn. Seren had been chosen as the clan’s next Ri and Bran was to be her Tiarna.
From the moment I’d heard the news, I’d been seething, though Fianna had had little patience for my anger. At least with each passing day, Aengus’ uncertainties had begun to lessen, as he too had begun to hear Fianna’s voice. He was slowly changing his views and every night I spent in his bed had me longing more and more for the future Fianna had promised.
It was a future I was especially eager for tonight as I sat in in the raucous, crowded tavern in the heart of Gefell. Fianna had guided me here and I’d managed to get one of the last tables the Golden Ram had. The meal had been better than I’d expected, a delicious plate of roasted lamb smothered in sauce and goat cheese, and the ale was decent. For the most part, I’d been ignored by the rest of the tavern’s inhabitants, most of them well into their ale for the night and occupied by the rowdy musicians performing in one corner of the room. A place like the Golden Ram was an easy enough place to disappear in plain sight, and that was exactly what I needed tonight.
I washed down another bite of lamb with a swig of ale as the musicians played a particularly lively tune. What exactly I was waiting here for, I wasn’t entirely certain, but Fianna had made it clear to me that the Golden Ram was where I was to stay, and the Stag Spirit could be quite persuasive. I absently rubbed the mark on the inside of my wrist, recalling the fiery pain that had erupted from it when I had challenged Fianna earlier, telling it that my time would be best spent flying to Castle Clogwyn and slitting Seren’s throat.
He is here, Fianna said as the door to the tavern banged open. I sat a bit straighter in my seat, searching the crowded room for the newcomer. My gaze fell on one Cadfael’s advisors. Domhnall was his name, if I recalled correctly from the snippets of conversation I’d overheard while lurking around the castle for Lorcan. His height and fine clothes made him stick out in the crowd, and my brow furrowed. This pathetic whelp was who Fianna wanted to help us sow its darkness?
Yes, Fianna replied. He will serve his purpose.
I went to get up from my seat, but a sharp pain in my wrist had me plopping right back down.
Wait, Fianna hissed. Appear too eager and you will cost us this opportunity.
Domhnall pushed his way through the crowded room, taking a seat at a table mere feet away from me. His cloak and hair were damp from the steady rain outside and there was a noticeable droop in his shoulders as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on the scarred and worn wood table.
I watched him, continuing to sip on my drink while doing my best not to make it too obvious that he had drawn my eye. He ordered a pint of ale, finishing it quickly and calling for another as soon as he was done. Two pints turned into three and the more he drank, the more it took hold of him. His face began to grow flushed and every so often, he would sway in his seat, but he continued to throw coin down on the table and throw back drink, seemingly oblivious to his inebriated state.
Now, Fianna said. When he is at his weakest.
I got up from my seat, Domhnall so deep in his ale that he didn’t notice me approach his table.
“Mind if I join you?” I asked, pulling out the chair across from him and flashing him my most flirtatious smile.
He blinked slowly as he looked up at me, then gave me a drunken grin.
“By all means,” he said, his words slightly slurred and his movements uncoordinated as he motioned for me to take a seat.
“Forgive my forwardness,” I said as I settled in the chair, “but do you by chance hail from Castle Clogwyn?”
“I do,” he answered, puffing out his chest before downing another large gulp of ale. “I’m a member of the advisory council.”
“What an honor to meet someone so important.” I brought a hand to my chest, my eyes widening as I feigned a sense of awe that I most certainly did not feel. I’d spied on Clogwyn enough to know that the man across from me was nothing more than an opportunistic idiot.
“I’ve been serving at Clogwyn for a number of years now. My mother is Ri Muireann of Seabhac.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Was it possible for a man to have a more overblown ego?
“Truly, it is an honor,” I said. “If it isn’t too bold of me to ask, have you met the new Ri? I’m visiting from Dearg and there has been much talk about her of late.”
His expression darkened and he briefly fell silent, staring hard at his mug. “Yes, I am well acquainted with her.”
“Do you think she will do well for the people?”
His scowl deepened and he swished the ale in his mug. “Not as well as another might have done.” He took another long drink but then suddenly slammed the mug down, causing ale to slosh over the edges of it, splattering the table. “I was going to be Ri. Did you know that? We had planned it all. I would marry Seren and take the title. I loved her. I was going to rescue her. But then she ruined it all and went and married that bastard.”
I softened my expression. Jealousy was certainly something I could work with. “The new Tiarna, you mean? Are the rumors about him true? Is he really a shapeshifter?”
He clenched his jaw, giving a jerky nod. “She made a mistake, throwing her lot in with him. He’ll only bring this clan to ruin. His kind aren’t fit to rule. And now she’s cost me everything.”
I inwardly bristled at his hateful words, working hard to keep my expression neutral. This was the prejudice that had almost cost me my life.
It will come back to him tenfold in the end. Tell him he can have what he wants, Fianna said. So long as he aids us.
Aids us how?
We will break her and we will start by taking away what she holds most dear: her precious shifter. Once he has been lured away from her side and destroyed, she will be one step closer to being brought to heel.
Domhnall was broodily swishing the ale in his mug again and I rested my chin in my hands, tilting my head.
“It sounds like you don’t think this shifter should have the place of Tiarna,” I said.
“He shouldn’t,” Domhnall spat, his face becoming redder. “He’ll turn on her. Betray her. Betray us all. She should know better, especially after what happened to her father and brother. If that shifter isn’t a servant of the Dark Spirits now, he soon will be. They’re all the same in the end.”
Anger rose in me again and I gritted my teeth. He was a pawn in this game. I had to keep reminding myself of that, and when Aengus took his place one day, Domhnall and those like him would learn to regret such words.
“What if,” I said, trailing my fingers along the table as I took on a more demure, seductive tone, “I told you I knew a way to lure the shifter away from Castle Clogwyn? Surely, once Seren is out from under his spell, she will see that she has been misguided in her decision to trust him. More than that, once she sees proof that he is a danger to the clan, surely she would not wish him to stay.”
He grabbed a hold of my arm, his erratic movement almost knocking over his mug. I steadied it with my free hand, barely saving myself from having its contents spilled all over me.
“You can do that?” he asked, his eyes wide.
I gave him a slow smile. “I can do that and more. But I would need your help, of course. A lowly villager like me can’t exactly enter Castle Clogwyn with ease.”
“You’ll get rid of him?” His grip tightened. “Make sure he never comes back?”
“I can promise that you will never lay eyes on him again,” I replied.
Because I will kill him, I added inwardly, my pulse thrumming. Bran’s demise would be a particularly enjoyable one to bring about.
“What must I do?” Domhnall released his hold on me but gripped the edge of the table so hard, his knuckles grew white. His eyes glittered with anticipation and too much ale as he eagerly awaited my response.
He will meet you in this place again tomorrow night, Fianna said. If he is earnest in giving his aid, he will come and ask for you by the name of Alis.
“If you truly wish to aid me, you will meet me here again tomorrow night,” I told Domhnall. “That will give me time to see to the business I have here.”
He frowned, his eyes unfocused. “Tomorrow? You swear it?”
“I swear it,” I replied.
He gave a slow nod, taking another sloppy swig of his drink. “Tomorrow then.”
“In the evening, just after sunset. Ask for Alis.”
“I will.” He drained his mug, wiping his mouth with his sleeve, only to miss half the ale that still dribbled from his mouth.
I gave him a broad smile, even as disgust for him curled within me. “I will forever be indebted to you. Ri Seren will be a fool indeed if she does not see what she could have in you.”
He grinned, calling for more ale, his obnoxiously loud voice making me wince. How could I even trust that he wouldn’t completely forget this whole conversation in his drunk stupor? Even worse, what if he decided to report back to the castle what I had said once he became sober once more?
