Conn turned to Egwahl. ‘Major, send someone for a first aid kit.’
Derryth laughed. ‘You do know that it won’t work on stone…’
‘You never know…’
But the time the kit had arrived, they had removed all the debris from around the idol. It was hard work as they had little light to work in. With the arrival of the bandages, Conn placed the breast back into position, and strapped it into place with the bandages. Then the hand and finally he placed the haligdom onto a bit of the marble hand that wasn’t kept in place by a bandage.
He then stepped back. No sooner had he finished when the stone started to emit a very faint light, and as they watched, the light got stronger. Conn issued a warning;
‘Everyone, close your eyes as hard as you can and steady yourselves!’
No sooner had he said it that a huge pulse of light emitted from the idol and probably was seen even from outside the cave. When they opened their eyes, instead of a stone idol, Lilith herself stood before him, in her naked glory, and in a shimmering blue glow. Everyone fell to their knees – except Conn and the Twacuman. They bowed.
‘Conn il Taransay. So we meet again.’
‘You could have told me you were stuck in a cave...’
She smiled as her aura flickered over all the people in the room. ‘That is not how things work. You should understand that by now.’
‘Where are your Folgere? I have yet to see any in Meria…’
She walked up close; her breasts inches from his chest. ‘I have lots of Folgere – but they are not here – they are everywhere. I have lost touch with them a little because of my injury but they still follow my ways.’
‘Lots of Folgere? So all of those of the Blood are
all
Folgere. I was wondering how the ten got chosen – they were the ten Folgere that survived the earthquake.’
Lilith licked her lips seductively. ‘Perhaps. Even now I can feel again the devotions of all my Folgere as they worship me – it sends tingles up and down my body – as you can see.’ She cupped her pert breast to show him. She then sighed in frustration. ‘If I had the power to really be here, then you too would know the ecstasy of true devotion. You would be mine forever – and I’ll never have to share you with my sisters again. Anyway, we do what we can.’ She looked him up and down. ‘Hold out your hands.’
Conn did so; the gold band of the Torc visible on one arm.
‘Where is the other one?’
Conn retrieved in from his pouch and showed her.
‘Get the other one off your arm and give them both to me.’
Not really understanding how, he reached across and pulled, and it came off like it was made of rubber. He then put both into her cupped hands. As soon as they touched, they moulded together into a single band and she picked it up, and reached forward with the long band of gold.
‘This is something I can do for you that none of the others can…’
As soon as she let go the thin band reformed into a Torc.
She almost bowed as she smiled. ‘So the Casere has returned…’
Without another word, she then turned around and walked back to sit on the stone throne. She held up her hand under her left breast and smiled at him before the light faded and the stone idol returned; thought this time the bandages were gone and the idol was perfect again; the blue gem lighting up the entire room.
Wilric was the first to speak through his tears. ‘Now, that is something you don’t see every day.’
Derryth laughed through his tears. ‘Well, I’ve seen it before.’ He walked beside Conn as they all followed him outside. ‘Now this will put the cat amongst the pigeons.’
‘Not if we don’t tell anyone.’ Conn did up his collar to hide the Torc.
It was dinner by the time they had returned and they settled down for the evening. Brandur ate with them. Conn asked him to stay long enough to ensure that the cavern was cleared of all the debris, and then he was to take the horses, the men, and the prisoners, and ride down to Sinope, and ask for him there. He also instructed them not to speak of the Torc. He agreed.
‘How are you getting to Sinope?’
‘Same way we came up. On foot; that is the quickest way and the path of little bloodshed. Your path is slower even on horseback.’
The next morning they headed out and down the hill; Hallvi had questions as they walked.
‘Feorhhyrde, I don’t quite understand what the Ancuman were trying to do.’
‘I suspect that they were going to collapse the cavern so that it would never be recovered. They were carrying oils and they had axes; perhaps they were going to start such a large fire inside the cavern that they hoped it would all collapse. What surprises me is that they found out about it. Lilith is called Lilith of the Mountain – so with all the Stewards that are Ancuman at the moment, I presume that one of them blabbed.’
‘You have Merian theow… did you know?’
‘No, I didn’t – another good question.’
After a day of very slow travel, they were able to walk more normally and were soon were in sight of Sinope. It was an excellent town; tucked into the mountain and bay with a harbour on three sides and extensive fields fanned out from the village to the right. It would be hard to attack from land. Conn wasn’t however attacking from land. He had a detailed plan of every building, every palisades, and every guard post, and he knew what had to be done – easier if he could kill people but a bit harder if he couldn’t. And he wasn’t allowed to kill anyone.
They now had to sit and wait for night.
Every wall has a blind spot and they targeted that – a couple of days after the new moon. It was still very dark, and Conn threw his grappling hook to the top of the wall, and he pulled himself up to the top. There he dropped a rope ladder that went down both side. He descended while another ascended and they continued until all forty men were over.
Everyone down, they went to work. Conn and the Twacuman would find the Steward and Mundborak while Egwahl and the Merian subdue and replace the guards. By morning, Sinope should have witnessed a bloodless coup.
Arriving at the main roundhouse, Conn left the siblings as guards at the door, as he Derryth entered the building. The Steward and his theow should be asleep on the second level. Fires burnt in the middle of the room – small blazes and in some cases embers. He and Derryth stoked the fires. Soon the room would be warmer and lighter. Someone would wake. They set a pot of water of the fire and when it was boiled, they had a cup of coffee.
Eventually one of the lighter sleepers woke and noticing that people were sitting at the fire, climbed down and, still drowsy, asked a question.
‘Master – why are you up?’ She didn’t get an answer as Conn’s wakizashi appeared in front of her nose.
‘Have a seat – quietly.’
She sat down between Conn and Derryth, and the sight of two strange men brought tears to her eyes and she started to weep.
‘Shhh.’ Conn instructed. ‘You are in no danger – nothing bad will happen to you. Cynilda has sent me to reclaim her birth-right.’
‘Cynilda?’ The girl was shocked. ‘She was my friend when we were children – and she is still alive.’ She stopped crying and looked up to where the Steward was sleeping. ‘Agthora will be disappointed to hear that.’ She looked back at Conn, smiling. ‘What do you want me to do?’
‘Can you get the Steward down here? Without waking the rest? I won’t hurt him.’
She smiled deviously. ‘I can try.’ She took off her top and handed it to Conn. ‘This usually works.’
As she climbed up the ladder to the loft, Conn and Derryth faded back into the shadows so when Steward sat up and looked around, he saw nothing strange except his theow’s breasts as she leaned over his bed. She whispered something to him.
They hear him respond. ‘Now? But I’m asleep.’
She whispered again.
‘
Anything
? Okay, I’m be right there.’ She climbed down and he soon followed. Conn handed her the top as she descended. As soon as the Steward was on the ground and he turned under the landing, Conn’s wakizashi appeared at his throat.
The girl looked at him, smiling. ‘Sorry. I did it for Cynilda.’
He sighed. ‘I knew it was too good to be true. I normally have to beg.’ He then realized what she’d said. ‘Cynilda? What has she got to do with this?’
They marched him over to the bench next to one of the fires. Conn introduced himself and Derryth to the Steward and told him what was happening.
‘Cynilda is back. Oh, dear. She is going to kill me.’ He looked at Conn almost pleadingly. ‘You can stop her from doing that, can’t you?’
Osnoth, the Steward of Sinope, almost seemed relieved that it was all over – and even more so when Conn told him that Cynilda wouldn’t kill him. He was also genuinely in awe of Conn.
‘So tell me again how you got in without anyone knowing?’
It wasn’t long before their conversation – the Steward was loud – woke everyone up and his five theow and a few children converged down at the fire. Finally the Mundborak woke –and she wasn’t happy; she yelled.
‘What is the meaning of this – why don’t you all shut up! It is not even light outside.’
When she noticed that everyone was down at the fire she descended and was starting to abuse the girls until she noticed Derryth and the sight of him stopped her in her tracks.
‘By the Gyden – what is a Twacuman doing in my roundhouse in the middle of the night?’
Derryth pointed to Conn. ‘I’m with him.’
She looked at Conn. The flames flicked off his blond hair, blond beard and pale skin. She knew immediately who he was, because the black stone around her neck told her. The feeling of unadulterated hatred that the Ancuman Gyden had for Conn was so strong that it cause Agthora to grab at her amulet before fainting.
Strangely they all looked at her crumble to the floor without a lot of sympathy. Eventually a couple of the women, sighed in resignation, and collected her; placing her on cushions.
Osnoth looked at Conn. ‘Do you always have that effect on women?’
‘No – only some Ancuman.’
As they waited for morning, Derryth went outside and returned with Egwahl. The village inside the palisades was under his control.
‘How many wiga do you have?’
‘Forty. How many Ancuman are there in the port?’
‘About ten. Agthora like to keep a few around. They live in one of the inns on the docks – the Blue Goose – and although they are here supposedly for her protection, she mainly goes down there to fornicate with them. I’m told sometimes three at a time.’
Conn looked at Egwahl and he nodded and exited the roundhouse. Conn then asked for a smaller roundhouse where they could secure Agthora. Osnoth personally directed them to the building and they deposited her inside and locked the door; leaving two guards to ensure her safety.
Once she had recovered she was furious. She yelled and screamed abuse at all and sundry from inside the roundhouse – but mostly Osnoth for his incompetence.
By morning, she had stopped screaming and the ten other Ancuman were buddled into the roundhouse as well.
As they ate breakfast, Osnoth confirmed his new reality. ‘So Cynilda is your theow?’
Conn nodded.
‘Which means that you are now the Steward?’
Conn agreed.
‘And you won’t let Cynilda kill me? She is going to be very angry with me…’
Sir Njil and the rest of the hird were at sea, off the coast waiting. Conn had set pigeons three days ago to give them a date for his arrival. Derryth had already been to the top of the highest wall and fired a flare into the night sky; it had been received and responded to. As soon as breakfast was over, they all walked down to the docks to await the schooner, and with the light, it glided into harbour. The gangplank lowered, and his hird walked down, led by Cynilda. She hugged Conn; there were tears in her eyes.
‘Why are you crying?’
‘Our Gyden came to us in our sleep. We have all been crying. She has not been with us before… it was very strange but wonderful.’ She kissed him. ‘I hope you have lots of energy – you won’t be sleeping tonight.’
She then took in that he wasn’t very surprised.
‘Is this all because of something you have done?’
‘It may well be – I’ll explain later. To the business at hand…’ he stepped aside and Osnoth was standing there with his hird. Osnoth winced as she looked at him with fury in her eyes.
‘He promised that you wouldn’t kill me,’ he whimpered. She slapped him instead.
‘Did he promise that I wouldn’t slap you?’
‘No. Are you going to hit me again? I am sorry – it wasn’t all my fault…’
She ignored him as she greeted others in the hird and then headed up the hill to the roundhouse. As they got inside, she stopped as she heard the screaming from the roundhouse. ‘What is that noise?’
‘That’ Conn reported, ‘is a very upset Ancuman theow. The former Mundborak.’
She looked at her brother. ‘What are you going to do about that woman?’
‘I’m open to suggestions… I’ve never liked her… especially because I don’t think she will let me fornicate with her anymore…’