The Beast of Caer Baddan (27 page)

When they returned home, Redburga went into the bedroom to find the twins fast asleep. She was weary and upset from the horrible day and immediately joined them, but Leola's active thoughts would not let her rest.

She stared at the blade in her hand with the tree letters scratched on it. It was Owain's knife, and she had killed a Britisc ridend with it. Perhaps even one of his own men. If he should come looking for her and discover the bodies, what would he say? What would he do?

“He shall not come,” she said aloud. “He has a hundred wives and cares nothing for me.”

Yet why then had he given her his father's ring? It was certainly both a unique and valuable piece of jewelry that she had not ask for. Would he really have been so generous with his precious things if he did not care at all about her? He was a Britisc aetheling, a ruler of her hated enemy. He and his men had destroyed her town, and with that, her parents' hut, which they had painstakingly built with their loving hands. He was her master and master over her people, and yet he had treated her with kindness.

Leola laughed as she thought of how Raynar, a Gewissae as herself from her own town, had tried to murder her. Then one of the Britisc should call her “Beauty,” feed her good food, give her of his valuables, and think nothing of it when she tried to kill him.

Leola could not come to any conclusions on the matter and thus stayed up much of the night pondering it.

“Prince Iestyn,” Britu said.

“Ie, Prince,” Prince Iestyn replied.

They were in one of the sitting rooms along the main hall of the castle in Venta. Britu had maps unrolled and letters out in disarray. His studious finger ran the course of the roads drawn across the paper, trying to determine the surest way to travel.

“I have had a report that one of the war ponies belonging to the two missing knights has been found,” he said, speaking of one matter and staring at another.

“Ie,” Prince Iestyn said. “Sir Diras’ war pony has returned to its stable. It seems to have been attacked by wolves but has escaped.”

“Do you know where the knights were going?” Britu asked.

“I heard from another knight that they meant to see something of Gewis, Prince,” Prince Iestyn said.

“Why, I should wonder?”

“Forgive me for a hasty judgment, Prince,” Prince Iestyn replied, “but both knights have a reputation.”

“What knight does not?” Britu replied, with a long bemoaning inhale. “They go here or there and cause trouble, picking fights, chasing common girls, and stealing cattle. Now some village has had their revenge on them and we must find their remains for their families to bury.”

It was the same story with knights. They just could not control themselves. Power and no responsibility made them violent hateful people towards those beneath them in society.

“Unfortunately, Prince,”  Prince Iestyn said.

“What is closest to here?
Anlofton?” Britu asked.

“I believe so” Prince Iestyn replied.

“Start there and work your way southwest,” Britu rubbed his tired face. “Just find the knights.”

“They may have been devoured by animals, Prince.”

“Then be sure of it. I do not want their bodies dishonored by these pagan Saxons.”

“As you wish
, Sir.”

“God keep you, Prince Iestyn.”

“God keep you, Prince Britu.”

Prince Iestyn bowed his head in respect and went to the door.

“And Prince Iestyn?” Britu said.

“Prince?”

“The knights you take with you,” Britu said, “do not let them out of your sight.”

“As you wish, Prince.”

Prince Iestyn left, and Britu tried to focus on his maps.

Chapter Twenty Two: Caught

Leola strode out of the hut and across the front yard to the little wooden gate. Erna and Ead were sitting in the grass whispering between
themselves, and she noticed that they stopped to watch her.

“Where is your mother?” Leola asked.

“One of the new babies has turned all yellow, so she has gone to sun him,” Erna replied.

She is doing what?

“I'm going to see Drudi,” Leola said aloud. “I shall not be gone long.”

The twins just stared at her with the awkwardness of two guilty consciences.

“What is it?” Leola asked.

“Tell her!” Erna cried.

“Shh!” Ead hissed back at her sister.

“You have to tell her, Ead!”

“What is it?” Leola said.

Ead opened her apron to show a small knife she held within its folds. Leola's eyes grew wide with horror as she spied the strange markings across the blade.

“You took the Britisc ridend's knife!” she cried.

“They’re dead!” Ead cried. “They need it no more!”

“That is not the point!” Leola cried. “You cannot keep a Britisc knife!”

“But you do,” Erna said.

Leola was flabbergasted.

She had not realized that her young cousin could tell the difference between her knife and the ones their mother had. She had never thought that the child would prize a foreigner’s possession because of seeing them among Leola’s things.

“The Britisc ridend-” Leola said trying to find her words.

“They’re dead,” Ead said again. “They cannot punish me for it.”

“But the other Britisc can,” Leola replied.

She took the knife from the girl and pointed to the makings on it.

“See these? These are not scratches, Ead. They are letters, words. They mean things. Anyone of the Britisc can read them and know who it belonged to! They shall know it came from one of those ridends and shall know that we killed them!”

“They shall not find it!” Ead cried.

Leola glanced at Erna's horrified face and then into the direction of the girl's stare. She could see a large group of Britisc ridends on horseback, coming in at the entrance to the village.

“Take it inside,” Leola said, handing the weapon back to Ead. “Dig a hole and bury it deep. Quick!”

The twins ran inside, frightened enough that Leola was certain they would obey her.

And now what?

Leola let a deep sigh of resignation. She knew that she must address the leader of these Britisc redends and convince him to leave, but this was the last thing she wished to do.

Sometimes things happen for a reason
.

With that thought, Leola walked out to meet the strangers.

“You there,” one of the Britisc said to her in Saxon.

He was at the head of the party and more decoratively attired then the rest, so Leola suspected that he must be in command.

“Yea, good Sir,” Leola replied, looking up at him with wide innocent eyes.

“I'm looking for two Britisc ridends who have passed by here.”

“There have not been any ridends passing by, good Sir,” Leola replied, trying to keep her voice steady and even.

The man looked on her with a keen eye, as if to hear her whirling thoughts.

“Perhaps you have gone the wrong way,” she said, “or your friends have gone on to another village and passed this one by.”

“I am here and am looking here,” the man replied.

“Well, you waste your effort, for there have been no ridends here.”

“You Saxons are not to be trusted,” the man said, still studying her face. “I shall search the huts, every one of them. And if I find any trace of Britisc things, I shall cut your heads off.”

Leola’s heart told her he spoke the truth, and with the many men with him, armored and ready to fight, she knew the village women could not defeat him. If she did not act now, Ead’s secret knife and the odious ridend Raynar would both be found. The whole village would die.

Give me courage
.

“Who are you to command such a thing?” Leola asked.

She raised her chin and eyebrows as if to give herself more power.

“How dare you question me,” the man said, his voice dripping with disdain. “I am Aetheling Iestyn, a Centurion of the Armies of Atrebat. I have been given the authority to search Gewisland by Britu Aetheling of Atrebat.”

Britu? I know of him. I heard his voice in the other room of the tent. He was angry at Owain for taking me
.

“You do not look like a Britisc aetheling to me,” Leola replied. “You wear simple clothing and armor, and not enough gold. How can I know that you are an aetheling?”

“And you, a commoner, think you know what an aetheling wears?” Prince Iestyn said, and he seemed amused at the thought.

“I am a commoner,” Leola replied, “but I have seen the dress of a great aetheling and it was of many colors, and much gold and jewels, and pictures and letters carved into his armor. You would anger him by bothering me, so I suggest you leave.”

He seemed to enjoy her words as a pathetic joke. “And who was this great aetheling who would be so angered?”

“My husband, Owain Irael-son Aetheling of Glouia,” she said. “He is an Andoco,” she added this last part thinking it might be important.

Leola could not have guessed Prince Iestyn's response, for his face turn deathly white and his lip quivered.

“How do you know Aetheling Owain?” he cried. “What do you mean?”

“I am his wife,” Leola said. “Here is his ring,” and she showed her open palm up to him to see the large carved ring. “My husband would not like you bothering me. It is best that you leave now and not return.”