However things turned out, Aedan was past feeling guilty. Now, he felt only anger, not so much at Laera as at himself. Once again, he had received a painful lesson in the foibles of human nature-in this case, his own. Belatedly, he understood the true meaning of self-discipline.
Laera had excited him, and he had wanted her. He would not take refuge in choosing to think she had seduced him, for even though she had initiated their affair, he had been a more than willing participant right from the start.
He had known full well what he was doing, as he had known the consequences, and yet he did it anyway. He could blame no one but himself, and whatever punishment would come his way now, he would certainly deserve it. If only, somehow, his parents could be spared the disgrace of their son’s folly.
Torn between anger at himself and agonized concern over his family, Aedan rode quickly down the trail leading from the castle, reining in at a bend on a promontory that gave a commanding view of the 80 town of Seasedge and the spreading fields of the coastal plain. As his gaze swept across the wide expanse of gently rolling, grassy fields, he searched for a lone rider. Finally, he spotted him, galloping across a meadow to the east, not far from the edge of the forest. He had flown his hawk, and the bird had already stooped to make a kill.
Aedan urged his horse into a canter down the serpentine trail, and when he reached the more gradual incline of the lower slope, he kicked his horse into a gallop. Michael would be angry with him, and to make things worse, he had not brought his hawk. He tried to think of what he would tell the prince, what excuse he could make for his tardiness.
He felt a brief pang of guilt at the thought of lying to him, but if Laera talked, Michael would learn the truth soon enough. If not, it was just as well. He was too young to understand about such things, and there was nothing to be served in causing him undue distress.
Aedan had neglected his duties long enough in thinking only of himself.
Now he would have to think about the prince, which he knew he should have been doing all along.
He lost sight of Michael when he reached the plain, and he used the ends of his reins to whip up his mount as he galloped in the direction he’d last seen him. He should have brought a guard escort with him, as he usually did, but it was too late to worry about that now. As he topped a small rise, without slacking pace, he scanned the fields ahead of him.
No sign of the prince. Perhaps his hawk had stooped upon its prey in a slight depression and Michael had dismounted out of sight.
He continued riding in the same direction, heading east, toward the edge of the pine forest.
He didn’t like the idea of Michael’s being out alone, and he liked even less the idea of his being so close to the forest. The province of Boeruine was not Anuire. They were on the frontier, and there could be brigands in the forest, or bears, or some equally dangerous creature.
Renegade elves were also a possibility, though Aedan didn’t think it likely they’d risk coming so close to Seaharrow. Still, Michael should have known better than to go riding off alone. And, he immediately thought, he should have known better than to be distracted from his duties.
He topped another rise and reined in briefly to look around as his restive horse pawed the ground and snorted. Still no sign of Michael.
Where could the boy have gone? Surely, he would not have been f foolish enough to ride into the forest? But then, Aedan reminded himself, this was the fearless Prince Michael Roele, conqueror of imaginary elves and goblins, slayer of monsters from his dreams.
Michael simply didn’t know enough to be cautious.
And if he had gone into the forest…. Aedan swallowed nervously. A grown man could easily get lost in there. He urged his mount into a gallop once again.
As he rode, he scanned the sky, thinking he might spot Michael’s hawk, but there was no sign of the bird, either. He glanced back toward the castle. He was pretty sure he had reached roughly the same spot where he had seen Michael from the trail leading down from Seaharrow. The boy could not have ridden very far.
“Michael!” he called out. “My lord!”
He waited. There was no response. Aedan felt a knot of tension in his stomach. Suppose the prince had fallen from his horse and was lying injured somewhere nearby, unable to respond? Aedan called out again. No answer. He searched for tracks.
After a while, he found them. They were leading toward the forest.
Aedan swore softly to himself and followed the tracks of Michael’s horse. As he approached the tree line, he heard an unmistakable screech and looked up. It was Slayer, Michael’s hawk. He had helped Michael train the bird himself. He whistled loudly, calling the bird.
With an answering cry, it came flying out the trees just ahead. He held his arm out, and the hawk came down to roost. Aedan winced as the sharp talons dug into his forearm. He had neglected to put on his hawking glove. He looked around.
There
