Dragon of the Island (40 page)

Evrawc sighed and his face twisted with
bitterness. “It was one of the soldiers left to guard Caer Eryri
while we were in Manua Gotodin. Grimerwyn is his name.”

“Grimerwyn? He is one of my sister’s cast
off lovers!”

“Aye,” Evrawc said disgustedly. “It is bad
enough that my wife betrays me, but she must do it with a churl
like that, too.

Maelgwn stood up abruptly. “I’m going to
look for Balyn. I want you and him to go among the men and find
this man, Grimerwyn. When you find him—bring him to me!”

It did not take long for Evrawc to hunt down
Grimerwyn and drag him to Maelgwn’s tent. As the man was brought
before him, Maelgwn clearly recalled his swarthy face and thin,
wraithlike form from the visit to the Brigantes.

The king stood, so that he towered above the
prisoner, but he kept his voice controlled and impersonal.

“Do you know why we have been brought here,
Grimerwyn?”

The man shrugged and glanced insolently at
Evrawc. “It would seem it has something to do with that bitch,
Wydian.”

Evrawc glowered back, and his hands curled
into fists, but he said nothing and made no move against
Grimerwyn.

“Aye,” Maelgwn said impatiently. “This has
something to do with her—something to do with a story you told
her.”

Grimerwyn remained cool and arrogant. “I say
many things when a woman is in the mood for talk.”

“Ah, so then you admit that you told Wydian
that Constantine was planning to invade Gwynedd.”

Grimerwyn began to look around uneasily. His
dark face seemed to grow darker still and the whites of his eyes
shone luridly in the lamplight. There was the sickening rasp of a
sword being drawn, and the sudden dazzle of a blade at the
prisoner’s throat.

“Answer me!” Maelgwn thundered.

The air of defiance that Grimerwyn had worn
was fading. Those watching could see the beads of sweat begin to
form on his face, and his voice was a harsh croak.

“Aye, I told her that—what of it? She did
not even seem very interested—she was much more interested in
complaining to me about the queen.”

“How did you know? Where did you hear of
it?”

Grimerwyn looked around at the grim faces
staring at him. He stopped when he got to Maelgwn’s still, deadly
countenance and smiled weakly.

“It’s odd about women, isn’t it, my lord?
They seem so weak and unimportant most of the time, but if they
betray you, it hurts more than it does with a man. We are all fools
when it comes to them.”

“Explain yourself!” Maelgwn ordered. “Was it
a woman who told you of Constantine’s plans?”

“Aye, it was a woman, my lord... someone you
would never expect... or would you?”

Maelgwn’s calm mask seemed to crack, and his
hand holding the sword wavered visibly, but he said nothing more,
indeed, he seemed incapable of speaking.

Balyn moved forward to grab Grimerwyn’s
shoulder roughly. “Enough of your clever insinuations,” he hissed.
“Tell us her name.”

Grimerwyn let out his breath slowly.

“It was Esylt.”

“Esylt?” Maelgwn sounded stunned. “Why? When
did she tell you this?”

“It was... I don’t recall the time
exactly... it was before you left for the north.”

“Did she... she say how she knew this?”

There was a raw grating sound as Grimerwyn
laughed.

“You still don’t understand, do you,
Maelgwn? Esylt told me—nay, she bragged to me, that she had made
sure that you would pay for your mistakes at Viroconium.”

The man paused and looked at Maelgwn with a
mixture of pity and defiance.

“It seems she has spread a web of lies
halfway across Britain, and you and Cunedda are to be the victims
of her cunning deception.”

“Cunedda?” Evrawc cried in surprise. “What
does he have to do with this?”

Grimerwyn’s face was bright with sweat and
there was a wild cast to his eyes. “You see how shrewd she is? You
still have not guessed, and by now you are too far away to help
him. The Picts that you thought you were fighting—that was
Cunedda’s son making it look as though barbarians were ravaging
Manau Gotodin. It was only a ruse to get you away from Gwynedd and
to distract Cunedda until half of his forces had joined up with
Ferdic. Even now, Ferdic is moving in to crush Cunedda and take the
kingship for himself.”

Everyone seemed paralyzed with shock.
Finally, Balyn cleared his throat and asked the question which
filled them all with dread.

“And Gwyrtheyrn and Constantine—did Esylt
have any part in their joining forces?”

Grimerwyn flashed his ugly, ironic smile
again. “Of course. Constantine would never have allied himself with
a wolf like Gwyrtheyrn if he did not feel he had been sorely
wronged. It was only when he heard that Maelgwn the Great had raped
and beaten his beloved daughter that he even considered
revenge.”

He looked at Maelgwn with grudging
admiration. “You had that one right, my lord. Constantine loves his
youngest daughter dearly—he would make a pact with the gods of the
underworld themselves to avenge her.”

Maelgwn’s voice seemed to come in a ragged
gasp. “But it’s not true! I love Aurora! I never meant to hurt her!
I certainly did not rape her or beat her!”

“Ah, but you were not there when Constantine
heard of your abuse. I, myself, carried the news to him. He was
eager to believe the worst of you, and when several other soldiers
reported that you struck your wife not two days after your
wedding... well, he was enraged, so furious I thought he might have
a fit and die right there.”

The group of men in the tent waited for a
moment in stony silence. Finally Evrawc spoke.

“I think we’ve heard enough, Maelgwn. Now
that this foul scum has spilled his guts, I say we make quick end
to his miserable, worthless life.”

Maelgwn still seemed dazed. “What... I...
No. We may need to ask him questions. Indeed, I have another
question to ask of him now.” He moved forward to look directly in
Grimerwyn’s face. His voice was soft, almost pleading.

“Why, Grimerwyn? Why did she do it?”

The man’s face was scornful. “Why should I
tell you? You’re only going to kill me anyway.”

“I have a right to know,” Maelgwn said
painfully. “I
have
to know.”

Grimerwyn cleared his throat and spat
nervously on the ground.

“It was Aurora, I think. Before she came to
Caer Eryri, Esylt could feel that she had some control over
you—that she could influence your decisions. But then you married
Aurora, and Esylt knew it was all slipping away from her.
Eventually, Aurora would truly be queen, and she would be...
nothing.”

“But now she is nothing anyway,” Maelgwn
said in an agonized voice. “Did it matter so little to her that
Gwynedd might be destroyed, her own people slaughtered?”

Grimerwyn shrugged. “Ferdic and Gwyrtheyrn
both promised her part of the spoils. I believe she hoped that they
would even let her rule Gwynedd after you were killed.”

Maelgwn sighed and put his sword away with a
defeated gesture. The rest of the men watched him, full of pity.
They didn’t know what to say, or how to comfort him.

The king looked at Grimerwyn again, as if
suddenly remembering him.

“Take this man away, and keep him safe. I
don’t have time to deal with him now. Then go among the men and
pick out those soldiers who have any tie to Esylt—lovers, servants,
whatever. Keep them under guard. I won’t have any traitors within
my ranks!”

Maelgwn’s eyes lingered over his officers,
and they all longed to look away from the suffering in his face,
but they met his glance warmly, with compassion.

“And when you have done those things,” he
continued, “try to get some rest. We may have a battle to fight in
the morning.”

After he dismissed his men, Maelgwn himself
lay down. He had barely closed his eyes when the images came to
him. He and Esylt playing as children. Her small brown hand resting
on his own. Her face flushed with excitement. Her dazzling sapphire
eyes bright with passion. What a waste, he thought bitterly.

Then Aurora’s face appeared before
him—enigmatic... exotic... beautiful. Even in a daydream, she made
his pulse quicken. Had that been his mistake? Had he chosen wrong?
Even now, Aurora was somewhere near Viroconium, trying to persuade
her father not to fight him. If she did not succeed... if he did
not win... he might never see her again.

Ah, but he felt her. Even across the
miles... the lowlands that lay between them—he could feel her warm
presence, hear her soft whispering voice. She loved him. She would
not betray him. Maelgwn sighed in his sleep and thought no
more.

Aurora swooned in her sleep. She was
surrounded by monsters—huge, with wings of molten metal that
blinded her. The creatures beat their wings threateningly. The
sound was deafening—Aurora could feel it drowning out her breath
and the beating of her heart. She was terrified. She tried to move,
but her limbs seemed frozen. She struggled against the invisible
bonds that held her down. Her mouth was full of the bitter taste of
bile.

Soft white things, like snow, began to drift
down on her; they buried her lips and filled her mouth. She tried
to cry out, to scream, but there was no sound—only whiteness
everywhere.

Then she saw Maelgwn. He was calling to her,
speaking soundlessly. The wind blew back his dark hair, and his
blue eyes blazed like liquid fire. She saw him reach out his hand,
and she reached out to him... forever... into an endless
darkness.

Then there was a fluttering sound in her
ears, and a familiar voice. The world came back to her with a
painful, dizzying rush.

“Aurora!”

She woke and looked up into her father’s
worried face.

“Papa?”

“Aye, I am here. Your man, Elwyn, sent me to
you. Thank God you are safe.”

“It was just a dream,” Aurora said uneasily.
“I saw Maelgwn, but I couldn’t hear him. I couldn’t understand what
he was saying.”

“Hush, my love. He won’t hurt you anymore. I
promise you.”

Aurora sat up, startled, suddenly realizing
where she was and why she was there. She was still in the small
tent, but a pallet of straw had been placed beneath her, and a lamp
burned nearby. She could see her father’s worried face.

“Papa?” she asked quietly. “Is there a guard
outside?”

Constantine nodded.

“Do you think he speaks Latin?”

“He is a common soldier—I think not.”

“Good,” Aurora said, switching to the old
Roman tongue. “I have something to tell you. Something which must
not reach Gwyrtheyrn’s ears.”

Constantine looked startled. “What is it?
What must you tell me?”

“I love Maelgwn.” Aurora looked into her
father’s surprised face and shook her head to silence him. “Aye, it
is true, and I have come to talk you out of fighting him.”

“But it’s too late!” Constantine protested.
“I have made an agreement with Gwyrtheyrn. I don’t understand...
how could you love Maelgwn... after what he has done to you.”

“It was all a mistake, Father. He never
meant to hurt me. He loves me!”

“He raped and beat you, and now he tells you
he loves you! Oh, my sweet child—how could I have married you off
to such a demon?”

“Maelgwn never raped me,” Aurora protested.
“He struck me once, but I’m sure he was sorry. We did have...
misunderstandings, aye, but they are all over now. We love each
other.”

“But how can that be? One of Maelgwn’s own
men told me of his abuse. Then, a few weeks ago, I received word
that you were badly injured, perhaps wouldn’t live. Elwyn just told
me that you had not completely recovered yet.”

Aurora reached out to touch her father’s arm
with a patient, soothing gesture. “I fell off my horse, Papa. I was
caught in a rainstorm, and I was so cold and tired that I fell and
hurt my head. Maelgwn was there beside me as I recovered—he never
left me. As for my illness now...” a smile lit up Aurora’s pale
face. “I think I am ill because... because I am going to have
Maelgwn’s baby.”

“Oh, Jupiter,” Constantine said in a ravaged
voice. “What lies have I listened to. What cleverness Gwyrtheyrn
has used to entrap me!”

Aurora sat up so that her mouth was close to
her father’s ear as he knelt beside her.

“It’s not too late,” she whispered. “You
could still ask your men to turn against Gwyrtheyrn. In the heat of
the battle, they could switch to Maelgwn’s side.”

“I don’t know,” Constantine whispered in
dread. “If Maelgwn loses, we would be slaughtered by Gwyrtheyrn,
and if Maelgwn wins... who can say if he will stay his hand against
us.”

“I will make him,” Aurora said. “I know that
he will do what I ask.”

Constantine shook his head. “But Maelgwn
won’t win. Gwyrtheyrn is too strong, even for him. We will be well
into Gwynedd by the time his army arrives from the north. We are
less than four days’ march from Caer Eryri now. We will crush his
stronghold, and then we will cut his army to pieces before he can
get reinforcements from the coast.”

“No, Papa, I have warned Maelgwn. Even now
he is probably waiting with his army between here and Caer Eryri.
Nay, I know he is there. J can feel him.”

Constantine looked at his daughter in doubt
and confusion.

“I don’t know what to do. It’s too late to
stop Gwyrtheyrn. He has come this far—he will not turn back without
fighting Maelgwn.”

“But once the fighting starts, could your
men get away then?”

“Perhaps,” said Constantine. “But there is
no guarantee that our defection would turn the battle. And if
Maelgwn lost...” Aurora could read the fear in his eyes.

“Papa, would your men change sides if you
asked them? Would they abandon Gwyrtheyrn and fight for
Maelgwn?”

Constantine considered. The lines in his
forehead puckered in thought.