The Legend of Lady Ilena Read online

  Heir to Dun Alyn! The phrase has echoed in my mind since Spusscio first said it. It is so unbelievable I cannot even focus on it; my mind refuses to take the thought seriously. I understand that Belert can keep control of Dun Alyn if his people believe that I am the real heir, but I don’t see how it could be true. And even more than I want to help Belert or to stay at Dun Alyn, I want to know my proper place.

  Why did Moren and Grenna keep me in the West, away from everyone they knew? I had hoped to find answers at Dun Alyn, but each day brings more confusion.

  Spusscio mounts his mare and looks back to me. I pull my thoughts to our present situation and swing onto Rol’s back. It feels good to ride again, but we keep the animals at an easy gait. I can see moonlight gleaming on a lake, so we must be near Dun Dreug. There is a sharp scent of wood smoke on the evening breeze, and I fancy I can smell food cooking.

  Spusscio turns onto the track that leads upward and waits for me to ride beside him. When we move out of tree cover, I hear the notes of a trumpet from somewhere high on the ramparts. There is a clink of metal ahead of us, and three sentries step out onto the path through the first entrance.

  “Who approaches?”

  I look to Spusscio and see that he is watching me. I gulp and say, “Ilena. Ilena of… of Dun Alyn. And my companion, Spusscio.”

  A sentry thrusts a torch into our faces.

  Another speaks. “Aye. That’s the lady Ilena. She is friend to Durant.”

  The man with the torch says, “Follow me.” The others move aside and let us by.

  At the second entrance we are scrutinized again, and another guard with a torch joins our escort. When we reach the main gate, Spusscio is riding a few paces behind me, and the two sentries walk beside Rol’s head. The trumpet sounds again. They must recognize me in the torchlight because the gates swing open.

  A large man on horseback blocks our passage through the entrance. The torches move closer to him, and I recognize Cochan.

  “Well met, Cochan,” I say.

  He nods to me. “Well met, Lady Ilena. Chief Perr is in council in the Great Hall.” As he speaks, he peers behind me where Spusscio sits in deep shadows cast by the gates.

  “Well met, Cochan.” There is laughter in my companion’s voice.

  “Spusscio!” Cochan moves his horse around me and reaches out a hand in greeting. “I thought you had been killed by the painted ones long ago. I’ve heard nothing from you.”

  Spusscio replies, “And you! How have you managed to live so long with half the Northmen after your head?”

  I move Rol farther into the compound, and the two of them, still exchanging friendly insults, follow me to the Great Hall.

  Elban is at the door. “My lady! It is good to see you again. Chief Perr is unable to greet you now, but I’ll find Gola to take you to your quarters.”

  “I need—” I start to protest, but Spusscio interrupts me.

  “Tell Chief Perr that Ilena of Dun Alyn requires immediate counsel.” There is a note of authority in his voice that I haven’t heard before.

  Elban looks from Spusscio back to me and nods. “Certainly, lady.” He hurries into the hall.

  “Ilena! Ilena, is that you?” It is Gola’s voice.

  “You said you missed her,” Cochan booms. “I fetched her for you.”

  Gola laughs. She takes Rol’s bridle and reaches an arm up to help me dismount. “I’m glad to see you well, lady. Shall I take your things to the women’s quarters?”

  “Please, Gola.” I hand Rol’s reins to a boy who has appeared from the direction of the stables.

  Spusscio speaks from behind me. “See that these horses are rubbed down well and fed extra rations. They’ve had a hard trip.”

  Cochan says, “I’ll make sure of it, Spusscio. And I’ll put your things in the men’s quarters for you.”

  Elban speaks from the doorway. “Perr asks me to bring you to him.”

  Five people are gathered at a table by the fire in Dun Dreug’s Great Hall. Two men rise to greet me. Perr says, “Well met, Ilena. And what brings you back to us so soon?”

  I look to Durant, who stands beside the chief. The swelling on his forehead is gone, and a smile lights his face. I feel a tremor that surprises me when our eyes meet. I force myself to turn to Perr. “Well met, sir. There is trouble at Dun Alyn, and Belert asks assistance from you”—I turn back to Durant—“and from Arthur’s people.”

  “As we feared.” The speaker is a short, gray-haired man who wears a single woolen garment draped around his body and shoulders in the old style. Tattoos much like Cochan’s decorate his bare arms, but his face shows no marks of the painted ones.

  Perr turns to the table and introduces me. “The lady Ilena came to us from the West. She is kin to those at Dun Alyn.”

  Spusscio speaks from behind me. “And through that kinship is heir to Dun Alyn.”

  The room is quiet. Durant watches me with an expression I can’t read.

  Perr breaks the silence. “You all know Spusscio, liege to Belert.”

  “And friend of Arthur’s cause.” A tall man with auburn hair and a flushed complexion stands and steps past me to greet Spusscio with a warrior’s handclasp.

  “This is Hoel, cousin to Arthur,” Perr says to me. He turns back to the table and nods toward the gray-haired man. “Doldalf of Dun Selig.” He indicates the woman seated at the end of the table. “Lenora of Glein.”

  Both stand and greet me. Lenora wears a woolen dress of deep red with a girdle worked in green leaves. Her long dark hair is unbound and held with a gold circlet. Despite the lady’s costume, she has the broad shoulders and muscular arms of a warrior. Doldalf is dark, with the weathered look of a man who spends much time outdoors.

  When all are seated again, and space on the benches has been found for me and Spusscio, Perr calls a servant girl. Soon Spusscio and I have ale and trenchers that hint of warm food to come.

  Durant looks to me. “Will you tell us what brings you here?”

  I look around the table and then to Spusscio with a question on my face.

  Perr understands my concern. He says, “You can trust everyone here. All are pledged to Arthur’s cause. Hoel and Durant are his emissaries here in the North. Lenora and Doldalf are chiefs of large holdings in this area. We meet now to consider the situation throughout the North and especially the rumors we’ve heard about Dun Alyn.”

  “If Lady Ilena permits, I will tell something of the matters at Dun Alyn,” Spusscio says.

  I try to keep relief out of my voice as I answer him. “Please, Spusscio. Go ahead.”

  As he begins, the servant returns with a kettle of meat and vegetables. I’m happy to eat while I listen.

  “Ogern has been Druid of Dun Alyn since the time of his sister, Gwlech. When the first monks arrived, Gwlech and her children, Moren and Cara, accepted the new religion over Ogern’s fierce objections.

  “When Belert became Cara’s husband, he supported her attempts to stop the sacrifices in the Oak Grove and in time accepted the Christian faith himself. Ogern felt his own influence slipping away and became more and more determined to preserve the old ceremonies. He also plotted to keep Dun Alyn allied with the clans of the Far North.

  “When Cara and Belert decided this past summer that Dun Alyn should join Arthur’s alliance, Ogern increased his efforts. His friend, Resad, has been a frequent visitor to the fortress. Though Belert refused to believe it at first, I have good reason to think Ogern invited the attack that killed Miquain and Cara.”

  “And so we’ve come to believe,” Hoel says. There is a general hum of agreement around the table.

  Spusscio continues, “With Cara and Miquain gone, Ogern pushes his granddaughter as rightful heir to Dun Alyn. The child is daughter of Cara’s cousin.”

  “And Ogern, of course, would be the real ruler,” Lenora says.

  Spusscio nods. “There was little way to counter that claim until Ilena arrived.”

  “And what is Ilena’s cla
im?” Hoel asks.

  Spusscio says, “Ilena is Moren’s daughter.”

  “Ah,” Perr says. “That is a valid claim.”

  Durant looks puzzled. “How so?”

  Perr answers, “Moren was Cara’s brother. Ilena then would be Cara’s niece.”

  Durant nods. His expression is guarded when he looks at me.

  Doldalf asks, “What assistance does Belert require of us?”

  “Ogern has aroused people in the fortress,” Spusscio says. “Ilena is so like Miquain in appearance that many believe she is Miquain herself, returned to us from the realm of the dead. As Samhain approaches, fears of such spirits heighten, and Ogern’s power to weave spells in people’s minds strengthens. As long as he can convince people that Ilena is a shapeshifter from the Sidth, they will not listen to anything Belert says. Your presence would bring order so Belert can advance Ilena’s claim as heir.”

  Durant says, “You ask us then to ride and stand beside Belert as he declares Ilena chief of Dun Alyn.”

  Spusscio looks sideways at me. “The lady was sent to request that. I was given two instructions. One, to support her plea.” He hesitates and looks at me again, then speaks slowly. “The second direction from Belert is that, should help not be available for us, I am, by whatever means necessary, to take the lady Ilena back safely to the Vale of Enfert.”

  I drop my dirk on the table and turn to him in shock. “I swore to fight for Dun Alyn. Do you and Belert take that promise lightly?”

  “No. We know that you spoke sincerely and that you will keep your word. But Belert cannot bear to risk your life again.”

  “Again?” Durant’s voice is sharp.

  Spusscio says, “She was attacked at the fork on her way to Dun Alyn. When she was rescued by our war band and brought to the Great Hall, Ogern had her taken to a cage in the Oak Grove.”

  Doldalf asks me, “Who attacked you at the fork?”

  “Those from beyond Red Mountain. And Resad was there,” I answer.

  “Resad!” Hoel says. “We hear much of Resad.”

  “Aye,” Spusscio says. “He meets with the painted people from beyond Red Mountain and does Ogern’s evil.”

  “Not just with those beyond Red Mountain, I’m afraid,” Hoel says. “Saxons have sailed down into the Great Glen. They’ve made an alliance with those painted ones.”

  “Resad plays traitor not only to Dun Alyn but to all of Britain,” Durant says. “Our sources name him as organizer of the alliance against Arthur in the North. It is likely that Ogern does Resad’s bidding.”

  Lenora says, “So Dun Alyn could become a base on the coast for Saxons.”

  Hoel nods.

  There is silence around the table. The servant refills our flagons, and Spusscio takes a chunk of meat on his dirk. I notice that I have eaten most of the food before me.

  Perr breaks the silence. “Belert knows I will come to his aid.”

  Lenora asks, “What strength have we here?”

  Perr says, “I can raise one hundred trained men and women with a day or two’s notice during the spring and summer. Now, with winter approaching—”

  Durant speaks. “I fear we don’t have a day or two, Perr. Hoel has heard of a band from the Far North still below Red Mountain despite the season. And Ilena and I saw a small troop west of here several days ago. If we cannot wrest control of Dun Alyn from Resad and Ogern quickly, we may find it occupied by painted ones.”

  “And Saxons with them,” Hoel adds. “I agree with the need for haste. I have three men with me.”

  “I brought a party of six,” Lenora says.

  Doldalf says, “Seven rode here with me.”

  “Twenty good warriors from Dreug to move at daybreak,” Perr says.

  “Some inside Dun Alyn will hold with Belert,” Spusscio says.

  “What say you, Ilena of Dun Alyn?” Durant asks. “Will that be enough?”

  I count carefully. Forty-three and Belert with any who stand beside him. Moren once told me that fifty well-trained fighters were worth two hundred ordinary warriors. “It seems so to me. You are all wiser than I in warfare. What do you say?”

  Perr says, “It is what we have, so it must be enough.”

  Doldalf nods in agreement. “It will be fine if we deal only with those at Dun Alyn. If others arrive we will do what we can.”

  Hoel and Durant exchange glances, and Durant speaks. “We will ride with you. I ask only one thing.” He hesitates and looks at me. “The lady Ilena is important to this plan. She would be safer here at Dun Dreug. We can send for her when Dun Alyn is secure.”

  I am too surprised to speak. I look around the table. Hoel and Doldalf are nodding agreement. Lenora has an amused expression on her face. Spusscio watches me closely as does Perr. Finally I find my voice.

  “I will not be left at Dun Dreug.” I glare at Durant and turn to Spusscio. “I will not be taken to safety in the Vale of Enfert.” I look around the table and measure out my words slowly, with as much emphasis as I can muster. “My place is at Dun Alyn. I ride out at daybreak.”

  Durant’s lips tighten. He would like to say more, I know, but remains silent. The others make no argument. I sense that they approve of my stand.

  Lenora speaks her thoughts. “Good! A chief does not seek safety while others fight her battles.”

  “Then let’s get to bed,” Perr says. “I’ll send word to my people.”

  There is a general shuffling and scraping of benches. Spusscio nods to me and hurries out of the hall. I move slowly, hoping for a word with Durant.

  He and Hoel are behind me. I can hear Hoel speaking. “Bad luck this, Durant. Your son will wait a few weeks longer to see his father.”

  “Aye,” Durant says. “I promised him I’d try to return by Samhain. I hate to disappoint him.”

  I move on quickly, with no more desire for a private conversation. A son! My face burns with embarrassment. I did not think about a family. How foolish my thoughts have been. He said that he would be my brother, and I imagined he meant more. Of course he would be married. He is older than I, perhaps by ten years. How could I have let my feelings build with no evidence that they were appropriate?

  I hurry into the women’s quarters. The central hearth space is deserted, but the doorskins are pulled aside on three of the rooms. Gola is smoothing the bed in the room I used before; my pack is on the table beside a basin of steaming water.

  “Thank you for waiting for me,” I say. I long to talk to someone, to share my pain and disappointment, to confess my foolishness to someone who would understand. If Fiona were here, I would blurt out my feelings, but I haven’t known Gola long enough yet to share such intimacies.

  “I wanted to talk with you,” she says. “And Cochan waits in the men’s quarters for Spusscio. They are old friends.”

  “That water is welcome. I’m cold and dirty from traveling.”

  “I can bring more in the morning if you wish to bathe.”

  “Thank you, but I leave at first light.”

  Her face falls. “I was hoping to have a good visit with you. Must you return so soon?”

  “Spusscio and I came for help. Chief Perr and the others will go back with us to aid Belert.”

  “If Perr plans to take a war band, Cochan and I will surely go along. At daybreak, you say?”

  “Yes. I hope we can get there before nightfall the second day.”

  “If we leave early enough, and if snow holds off, we should manage that. I must prepare packs for Cochan and myself and be sure the kitchen can supply rations. May I leave you now?”

  I puzzle over that question for a moment and then say, “Gola, I enjoy your company, but I can wash and dress myself. Go, and I will see you in the morning.”

  I drop the doorskin behind her and prepare for bed. The warm water feels good, but I don’t linger over washing. It will be a short night. I try to think of the problems at Dun Alyn and what may be happening while Spusscio and I are gone, but I can’t concentrate.
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  Durant’s face when he bade me farewell last week and the smile when he saw me tonight seemed to send a message I wanted to hear. Hoel’s words about a child told me something else. It doesn’t make sense to me. There is only one thing I’m sure of. I must stop thinking about Durant.

  I burrow into the bedskins, and my tired muscles relax. There is a pain in my heart that swells and pushes away sleep and sensible thought. At last I give in to it and weep. The pictures in my mind blur and blend until I do not know if I weep for Moren and Grenna, for Belert, or for myself.

  A HORN SOUNDS IN THE DARK. I HEAR VOICES AND THE jingle of harness. It seems the middle of the night, but I hear Lenora’s voice outside my door. Another woman answers her, and their conversation fades as they move to the entrance. I pull the doorskin aside to let in light and warmth from the fire.

  I dress as quickly as my tired body will move and carry my pack outside. The grounds are a jumble of horses and stable boys. Men and women in full battle dress move into the Great Hall. The sky is turning light with approaching dawn.

  “Ilena. Over here.” Gola’s voice rises above the din. She motions for me to join her at the hall entrance. “Breakfast first. And gather enough food for your pack.”

  Inside, torches sputter around the walls, and the fire blazes. Durant sits with Hoel and Perr near the hearth. He rises and comes to meet me. “Will you reconsider, Ilena? You would be safer here.”

  “No, Durant. I thought I spoke plainly last night.” My voice is sharper than I intend.

  He sighs. “Then will you remember that as a chief you must stay inside the fighting ring?”

  I know that warriors try to protect their chiefs, but I also know that I must show leadership. I answer, “I will be careful. I hope that there is no battle, anyway. Belert believes the presence of his allies will stop opposition to me.”

  The horn sounds again, this time a series of quick notes in an urgent rhythm, and people begin to move out of the hall. I hurry to gather loaves and dried meat, and Gola brings me warmed ale.