“I don’t mind the barracks either,” Marc said.
“You can stay with me,” I said. “I will have room after all.”
Once everyone had settled upon the sleeping arrangements they started to head out but I had one more announcement, “Before you go… I have some bad news.”
“Haven’t we had enough bad news for one evening?” Dorian replied.
“I’m afraid this is even worse. The kingdom of Gododdin will invade Lothion come spring. Arundel, Cameron and Lancaster will be the first to feel the brunt of the assault,” I informed them.
“How do you know this?” Dorian asked, furrowing his brow.
“One of Penelope’s visions and some timely information from the Lady of the Evening Star,” I nodded at Penny and Marc.
Everyone began talking at once and I was forced to shout to be heard, “I know this is unexpected but hear me out!” After they had quieted I began detailing what we knew, which wasn’t much, other than the time and place. I also shared my conversation with King Edward; they needed to know that help wouldn’t be forthcoming. When I had finished the conversation rapidly fell into chaos again.
Royce interrupted. Though he spoke calmly everyone stopped to hear what he said, “I have a suggestion. Why don’t we sleep on it? You’ve told us what you know, but we’re still getting a handle on it. We should wait until morning to start making plans, our heads will be clearer then.”
That sounded like a good idea so I seconded the notion. Soon people began to drift out and Penny took Cyhan by the arm, “I’ll show you where the barracks are.”
I’m sure an old veteran would be able to find the barracks without help but I didn’t say anything. Marc and Dorian were heading for the stairs. They were giving me glances which I figured meant they planned to grill me back in my rooms. I rose to follow them but my father stopped me. “I need to talk to you for a minute son,” he said.
I told Dorian I’d be along in a little while and turned to give him my attention. I had little doubt what he wanted to talk about. I steeled myself, disappointing him had always been my worst fear. He gave me a thoughtful look but didn’t say anything. He had a talent for talking without words. After a long silence he finally spoke, “Well?”
“Well what?” I replied. I felt like a rebellious teenager again, which was odd since I had never really had a rebellious stage. I imagined if I were a teenager and rebellious, this was probably what it would feel like.
“What do I tell your mother?” he asked.
“Why isn’t she here anyway?”
“Because you didn’t bother to stop on your way in and tell her you were back. You’re lucky I was here or I’d still be thinking you were in the capital too,” his words were a rebuke.
“Sorry I didn’t think. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately. I’ll come by in the morning and see her,” he already had me apologizing. I never understood how that happened.
“What’s going on with you and Penny?”
“I don’t really understand it myself Dad. She lied to me about this bond…,” I gave him a little background. I don’t think he had ever really understood exactly what an Anath’Meridum was before. I also told him about the voices and the stone lady. Before long I was stumbling over my words. It was hard to talk about my emotions. They all seemed so petty when I put them into words before him.
I couldn’t tell him about her vision. So I also had to leave out my reasons for wanting to break the bond. Avoiding those things I wound up talking mostly about my experience with the voices, or the onset of madness as everyone else had felt it was.
He listened without comment, until I had run out of things to say, and then he waited a while longer. I began to wonder if he would say anything at all when he finally spoke, “I’m not going to tell you what to do about the girl. You’ll have to figure that out for yourself, although I’m sure your mother will have a lot to say about it,” he chuckled. “About these voices though… what were they like?”
I described them, as best I could. For the most part they had been wordless experiences, almost like an extension of my senses, except for the stone-lady. Her voice had been as clear as my father’s. I told him about her appearance at the bonding ceremony.
“I don’t know much about wizards or magic, but I do know a thing or two about the earth,” he held up his rough calloused hands. “I’ve worked with iron for most of my life. Most men think it to be hard and unyielding, and it is… if you treat it like something to be shaped on a whim. Iron takes patience and strength of will. You have to plan and think… it won’t give itself over to be shaped by pure force. No matter how strong you are.”
As deliberate as he usually seemed, I couldn’t see how this had anything to do with my experiences, “Dad listen I don’t think…”
“Let me finish! Iron is a gift of the earth. What I just said is true of blacksmiths, but it’s also true for stone masons and even woodworkers. They’re all gifts from the earth. I don’t know much about the gods but I know a bit about the earth. You can trust it. If you’re sure it was the earth you were hearing,” he finished.
My own feelings had been similar to what he was telling me but I had been too uncertain to voice them. Everyone had been so certain I was going mad and the stone-lady had only made it worse. “What do you think about the stone-lady?” I asked.
“Hell I’ve never understood your mother, much less any other woman. I’d be careful if I were you,” he replied.
I laughed, “Thanks Dad.” I gave him an awkward hug. He never had been very comfortable with overt displays of affection.
I turned to go but he had one more thing to say, “Mordecai.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t be too hard on the girl. You’re a fool if you let her go over this, life’s too short.” He didn’t wait for me to answer, just headed for the door.
I stared at the doorway to the great hall for a long minute after he had left. “If only it were that easy Dad.” Finally I turned and headed for my rooms. I was expecting another long conversation once Dorian got me alone.
Chapter 19
The carpenters and masons had been busy while I was away but much of the interior of the castle was still unfinished. Today that was notable in the fact that my new reception chamber, while completed, still didn’t have a table. Instead we gathered at the high table in the feast hall after breakfast was done.
The conversation started with a much more subdued babbling than the day before. My father had been correct; a good night’s sleep had given everyone a chance to put their thoughts in order. Now we just needed to figure out how to put the county in order. “If everyone will stop talking for a moment I’d like to start our first planning session,” I had to speak loudly to get their attention. It wasn’t in my nature to run meetings, but I figured as the new Count di’Cameron I’d better get used to it.
Everyone went silent and I looked down the table. On one side sat Dorian, Marcus and my father, on the other Penny, Cyhan and Joe McDaniel. I had included Joe since he had become Dorian’s second hand man in running the town militia and since they were our only ‘military’ force at present I thought he ought to be in on the planning. In all honesty the only person at the table with any real standing was Dorian. He had already agreed to stay on permanently as my seneschal in Cameron Castle and handle my garrison (when I had one) and other such security concerns.
The others were there for less official reasons. Cyhan as an advisor obviously, and Marcus too, since he knew much more about the workings of the aristocratic world than I did. Penny was there… well I wasn’t sure what reason I could point to… but even now I wouldn’t think of leaving her out of something so important.
“As a wise friend once told me, let’s start by first cataloguing what we have. Then we’ll consider what sort of force we will be facing in the spring. Once we have those two things spelled out as clearly as possible we’ll see what can be done between now and then to solve our problem,” I stated and then I looked over at Joe, “Mister McDaniel, how many able men do we have in the militia presently?”
