Authors: Phoebe Conn
Egan could almost hear her grappling with what he
hoped was temptation, and just as he did in battle, he seized the advantage. With a quick lunge, he grabbed her shoulders and in one deft motion rolled her beneath him. He was so drunk with desire he longed to ravish her and argue about it later, but doubting such an argument would ever end, he fought to keep a painful check on his emotions. He kissed only her fluttering eyelids and then propped himself on his elbows and smiled.
What Oriana truly feared was that they were damned no matter what choice they made. The gods had the power to bewitch as well as destroy, and she felt incapable of outsmarting such clever beings. Egan, of course, harbored no doubts whatsoever. She envied him the ability to take what he wanted without the fear of dire consequences, but it was far too great a leap for her.
“I’ve never had a suitor,” she confessedly shyly.
Her remark was so completely unexpected that Egan barely caught himself before laughing out loud. Grateful to have avoided unwittingly humiliating her, he slid his lips tenderly over hers. “You do now.”
“It would appear,” Oriana agreed, “but you are far too forward, my lord.”
“A king is expected to be bold,” Egan exclaimed before kissing the tip of her dainty nose.
Oriana reached up to brush his hair from his eyes. “Whom did your father tell you to wed?”
In truth, the selection of his future bride had been the subject of many amusing conversations, but that Cadell would never know the lovely lass in his arms filled Egan with a profound sense of loss. That he had so recently sworn never to want the woman who had kept him from his father’s bedside struck a particularly discordant note. His chest tightened with an anguished sorrow, and while he still wanted Oriana, he moved aside to gently cradle her head upon his shoulder.
Robbed of his warmth and strength, Oriana knew she had only herself to blame. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have mentioned your father at such an inappropriate time.”
“No, you needn’t apologize. I don’t want him to be forgotten.”
Certain he was merely being polite, Oriana settled into his embrace. For a few precious moments, she had felt adored, but by mentioning Cadell she had stupidly inflicted needless suffering. She had such little experience at pleasing men that surely nothing would ever run smoothly for them. Egan’s swift downturn of mood served to confirm her decision to leave the fortress on the morrow.
“Cadell would not have approved of me either,” she murmured absently.
“Not only would he have approved,” Egan teased, “he would probably have insisted on your spending our wedding night with him. It is a king’s right.”
“What?” Oriana sat up with a start. “Oh, I’ve heard there’s such a custom, but no king would treat his son that badly, would he?”
Intrigued by her question, Egan propped his head on his hands. “Would that be treating only me badly? Would you welcome the opportunity to make love with another man first?”
“First?” Oriana mimicked. “I don’t recall agreeing to make love with you.”
“And yet we’re discussing how you might have spent our wedding night?” His earlier hesitance forgotten, Egan began to laugh at the absurdity of her complaint. “My father never took another man’s bride, nor will I, but there is no pleasing you, Oriana.”
“Nor you either, my lord,” Oriana was quick to respond, but she had not meant to sadden him and was enormously relieved to hear him laugh. Turning away, she yanked a pelt up to her chin and tried to sleep, but she missed the comfort of his warm shoulder and wished there might have been a different end to their final night together.
The next morning, Egan waited until he was ready to leave his chamber before waking Oriana. She was curled
amidst the furs like some hibernating forest creature and sleeping so soundly he had to shake her shoulder twice.
“Come, my beauty, the pheasant are waiting.”
Oriana opened one eye to peer up at him. He had rolled back the tapestry covering the windows, and the chamber was aglow with the pale rosy light of dawn. She covered a noisy yawn and snuggled deeper into the furs.
“I wish you great success. I’ll sleep until your return.”
Egan rested his fists on his hips, but quickly decided he dared not leave her alone in a household filled with curious strangers. He again leaned down to grasp her shoulder and this time was insistent.
“You’re coming with me. Get up and dress while I fetch our breakfast. I’ll not allow you to go another hour without eating.”
Oriana raised her palms to muffle a second wide yawn. She had meant to feign sleep, but truly was too tired to move. “I don’t believe I slept at all last night. Please, hunt with your friends and leave me to my dreams.”
Her eyes fell closed as though he had granted her request, but Egan quickly scooped her up into his arms and then nearly tossed her into the air. “Wake up. It isn’t like you to lie in bed. I want you to see the hawks and tell me if any resemble the one your mother owned.”
Oriana slid her arms around his neck to hold on. Freshly shaven, his cheeks were so smooth, she could not resist the impulse to caress him with her fingertips. “It was too long ago. Please let me sleep.”
Her touch was featherlight, but she was fondling him nevertheless. It was a victory, although a small one. “If you’d rather, I’ll cancel the hunt and stay here in bed with you,” he offered.
Oriana watched his smile slide into such an enticing grin, there was no mistaking his intentions. “Is that my only choice, to be with you either in or out of bed?”
Egan laughed. “It’s still a choice, my lady, and I urge you to make it before I drop you. I should hate to see you too badly bruised to sit a horse.”
“You would never drop me,” Oriana replied.
Her voice was low, softly confident, and for an instant, Egan felt as though she could see into his soul. Though it was flattering to learn he had finally won her trust, the knowledge held a chill of danger. He wanted to drop her then, if only on the fur-cushioned bed, but his arms refused to release her.
No one had called him a fool this time, but he felt one all the same. He carefully placed Oriana on her little bare feet and with a forced bow backed away. “I promised breakfast,” he announced firmly, and swiftly left the chamber.
Deeply puzzled as to what had just transpired, Oriana thoughtfully reviewed their brief conversation as she bathed with the jug of water Egan had thoughtfully left warming on the hearth. Had she not known him better, she would have sworn fear had driven him away, but that was too absurd a notion to entertain.
Surely he had only been too hungry to tease her any further, but as she dressed, she began to wonder if perhaps he would be sufficiently distracted during the hunt to allow her to ride away. It was a possibility at least, and if the chance came, she vowed not to waste it.
When they reached the bailey, Oriana found not Brute, a horse she would have felt justified in taking, but a small gray mare Egan had chosen. “What a pretty little horse,” she exclaimed.
“If she pleases you, consider her a present,” Egan responded, but after assisting her onto the mare’s back, he quickly turned away.
Now convinced something truly was amiss, Oriana watched with a wary eye as Egan gave the final instructions to the boy who would carry the cadge, the wooden platform on which four magnificent hooded birds rested. Three were large gyrfalcons and the fourth a smaller peregrine.
More than a dozen young men were gathered for the hunt, as well as several guards who handled the hounds,
but Oriana wondered about the absence of Bevan and his sons. She searched for Kieran, but when he and Egan got along so poorly, she supposed he had preferred to remain in bed. There were no other women present, but she received polite nods in greeting as though she were welcome.
As they left the fortress, Egan and Albyn closed in beside her and she soon gave up any hope of slipping away unnoticed. The morning air was crisp and cool, fine for hunting from what she overheard of the men’s conversation. The hunting dogs would flush the pheasant from their nests in the grass, and they trotted along seemingly as eager to hunt as the men.
“You’re very quiet,” Albyn observed.
“I didn’t rest well,” Oriana replied.
Egan glanced past her to catch Albyn’s eye. “You needn’t smirk. She’s complaining about the storm, not my attentions.”
Any young woman should have been happy with such attentive male company, but Oriana’s mind wandered as Albyn and Egan continued to exchange teasing barbs. The mare had a smooth gait, but she was still uncomfortable. She slid her free hand over Adelaine’s wooden beads and wondered if she had ridden over the same trail.
“This meadow will do,” Egan suddenly announced, and as the others drew to a halt, he slid from Raven’s back to pluck Oriana from her mare. He offered a heavily padded gauntlet. “Would you like to cast one of the birds, or merely watch?”
Still perplexed by her memory-laden dream, Oriana shook her head. “I’ll be content to watch, my lord.”
Egan slid his left hand into the glove. He waited for the cadge boy to place the cadge on the ground and then bent down to unfasten the leash holding his favorite bird. He lifted her easily, then took a firm grip on the belled jesses tied to her legs. He turned to face her into the wind, and she flexed her wings.
He removed the falcon’s hood, allowing the bird to peer at Oriana with its large dark eyes. “Is this the type of falcon your mother owned?”
She was a beauty, but smaller than what Oriana remembered. “I was very young, so it’s difficult to tell.”
“Perhaps seeing her fly will refresh your memory.” Egan called to his companions. “I’ll send my bird out first, then the rest of you will have a chance. Release the dogs.”
Set free, the spotted dogs leaped and barked as they rushed into the grassy meadow and immediately sent a pheasant fluttering into the air. Egan relaxed his hold on the jesses and cast his gyrfalcon aloft. She streaked away, her wings a graceful bow as she climbed high.
Fascinated, Oriana stood quietly by Egan’s side as they watched the falcon circle overhead to gain the necessary altitude to swoop down for the kill. Then from out of nowhere came a second and much larger falcon. It climbed with Egan’s female, then flew in close to catch a clawed foot, and with wings aflutter, the two birds spun together in a tight spiral.
Oriana reached for Egan’s arm. “Are they fighting?”
“No, he wants to mate with her, but I’ve never seen a male grow to that size.”
“Neither have I,” Albyn agreed, as did the men who closed ranks behind them.
The pheasant forgotten, the falcons continued their slow graceful descent until level with the adjacent treetops. Then the male released the female and soared toward the sun. Blinded by the light, all had to look away, but when they dared scan the sky, the male had vanished without a trace, and Egan’s female had brought the pheasant to earth unobserved.
The
knowing
spoke to Oriana clearly then, and she looked up at Egan with a radiant smile. “That was the falcon my mother owned.”
Egan cautiously turned his back toward Albyn. “Lugh cloaked in feathers?” he whispered.
“Did you hear that too?” Oriana asked excitedly.
“No, I simply saw it in your face.” Egan again glanced toward the heavens, but found only the clear azure sky. “What does it mean?”
Oriana considered it a sign that she had neither been forgotten nor abandoned. It had been an astonishing sight, and over far too swiftly. “It has to be a good omen. Now, shouldn’t you fetch your bird before she leaves nothing of the pheasant but a pile of feathers?”
Egan squeezed her hands in a gesture that made it clear he would have more to say later. “Aye, my lady. She’s been taught to expect a nice piece of meat in exchange for her efforts, and I’d hate to disappoint her.”
Oriana remained where she stood as Egan strode off through the meadow. She could feel the weight of Albyn’s glance, but was too elated to care. “It’s been many years since I’ve watched such a hunt, but it’s wonderfully exciting, isn’t it?”
Her eyes were aglow with a striking brilliance, and she was so beautiful Albyn found it difficult not to stare. “The wild falcon was huge, like nothing I’ve ever seen. You described your mother as being as gentle as her name. Did she truly own such a fierce predator?”
Oriana shrugged demurely. “Childhood memories are often vivid, but sometimes inaccurate. Perhaps she had only a pet sparrow.”
“I doubt that, my lady.” He raised a hand to cover a yawn. “Forgive me. I did not sleep well either.”
Oriana thought better of discussing how each had slept, but she was enjoying the morning more than she had thought possible. The sun lent Egan’s hair a glossy blue sheen, and striding through the meadow with his gyrfalcon on his arm, he was breathtakingly handsome. It was a memory she longed to keep, but as they neared the fortress on their return, she grew alarmed.
“Where’s the guard?” she asked anxiously.
Undaunted, Egan rode on through the gate, but he swiftly drew Raven to a halt, for it appeared his whole
family had gathered in the bailey to await his return. Their expressions were darkly forbidding rather than welcoming, and grasping for a necessary advantage, he remained seated astride his stallion. When Garrick left the crowd to approach him, he swore under his breath.
“How good of you to make such a swift return,” the Druid greeted him.
“Was there some doubt that I wouldn’t?” Egan replied.
Garrick laughed and gestured toward the waiting crowd. “You have wandered in the past, and the habit has inspired a challenge.”
Egan sent Albyn a quick sidelong glance, but his old friend just shook his head, clearly as dumbfounded as he. “What sort of challenge?” he asked.
Kieran broke free of the crowd to approach his half brother. “There are those who believe that I’d make the better king.”
“You?” Egan responded incredulously. He thrust his chin toward the crowd. “Do you need our whole clan for the courage to confront me?”
“I need no one but you, and I demand the ancient trials.”