Aislin of Arianrhod (Land of Alainnshire)

by S. L. Jesberger

  Devin came back from putting the child to bed and sat on the chaise across from her. “I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you. I really thought they were going to kill us both. They had their knives drawn. And then one of the men who held us remarked how much Maeve resembled the other human woman held in their prison. I don’t think I was supposed to hear them, but I knew they were talking about you. I begged them to take us to you. I told them we were your family and you’d be very upset if they harmed Maeve. They finally agreed. Still, they were pretty rough with us. I took a pretty good right hook to the stomach from one of them.”

  “I’m very glad neither of you was hurt. They weren’t very gentle with Roderic and me when we were captured either. They hate humans. If you’d hear the story that I just heard from Tristan, you’d understand why. I don’t know what it was about us that kept Tristan from killing us both.” Aislin swallowed hard as she thought of her niece with a Sylvan knife at her throat.

  “I’m sure it has something to do with your uncanny ability to wrap everyone around your little finger as soon as they meet you.” Devin grinned at her.

  “I do no such thing.”

  “Is that how you got the bruise on your cheek? The elf you were with—Tristan—did he hit you?” Devin was clenching and unclenching his fists in his lap. “Because you were human?”

  “No! No, not Tristan. It was...another elf who hit me. Tristan...took care of it.” Aislin stammered, swallowing the lump in her throat.

  Devin nodded slowly as he studied her. His eyes moved over the wounds on her wrists and back to her face.

  “I know. It looks bad, but the wrists are my fault. I’ll tell you about it later,” she said, averting her eyes.

  “Where’s Roderic?”

  “They let him continue on to Wyndham about four days ago. Tristan let him go on horseback, so he should have arrived by now.”

  “If anyone can make it, Roderic can,” Devin said.

  “I keep thinking that, but if he doesn’t get to Wyndham, there’s no way we’ll know. Without Wyndham’s army at our backs, we have no chance. He will know that he must get there, and I have confidence in him, but this forest is obviously full of surprises.” Aislin shook her head. “In any case, Mother and Gwen must be rescued before the army gets to Arianrhod, or it won’t matter. Bryce will never agree to move Wyndham’s army against Jariath while his mother is in the dungeon, and I don’t blame him. Jariath will know he has the upper hand.”

  Devin hung his head. “If only they hadn’t found the cave.”

  “I’m not surprised to hear that he found it. Jariath is nothing if not persistent. He’s proven that time and again over the years, hasn’t he? I’m just glad you and Maeve made it here safely. I can’t thank you enough for taking care of my little girl.”

  “You don’t need to thank me, Milady. I know how much she means to you.”

  Aislin yawned as she took note of the late hour. The emotions of the last few days had left her exhausted.

  “We’d better get some sleep. I think we’re going to have a rough couple of days ahead of us,” she said.

  After Devin went to his rooms, Aislin changed into a nightshirt and slid into bed beside Maeve.

  She gathered the girl into her arms and held her close. Maeve stirred and said dreamily, “I love you, Aunt Aislin.”

  Aislin kissed her on the cheek and said, “I love you too, little girl.”

  Chapter Twenty Six

  TRISTAN STAYED IN COLVEN’S ROOMS after Aislin left and told him what Duff had done. He spared no detail, from the brutal way Duff handled her, to the stakes driven into the ground near the fire. Colven clucked and shook his head, but in the end, he seemed unsure of what to do about it.

  “As Duff was a member of council, this clearly needs to be discussed. I simply can’t believe he would go out and do such a terrible thing on his own. It’s good that your foresight was able to lead you to her in time.” Colven sighed. “Though I don’t know what they will say when they find out you banished him because of a human. Not that you didn’t have a reason, but they will not see it that way.”

  “When did we become as bad as humans?”

  “What do you mean?” Colven asked, surprised to hear Tristan say such a thing.

  “We kill them now as we were killed all those years ago, and yet there’s not a human alive who is responsible for Madaheth’s evil. Aislin asked me to judge her on what she had done, not the things done by others, and as I think on it, she’s right. I certainly wouldn’t want to be judged on the deeds done by another.”

  Colven dropped his head. What Tristan said was shocking to hear, but it had a ring of truth to it. Yet he knew the hatred of humans was so ingrained, the prejudice so automatic, it wouldn’t be easy to sweep away. Even children born long after they had come to Oakenbourne soon learned to fear and hate humans.

  Colven said quietly, “This is why you are the chieftain of our people. Your wisdom astonishes me sometimes. It is hard to hear, but very true that we cannot...should not...judge all humans by the actions of a few. But it is also true that you will have a difficult time convincing the Sylvan to accept Aislin. You’ll be challenged, and it won’t be easy for you. You will have to be vigilant so she is not taken again.”

  “I know. But I believe once they get to know her, they will...care about her...as much as I do.”

  Colven raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.

  “As always, I appreciate your patience, Colven. You’ve always heard me out without judgment, even when what I say challenges everything we have always believed in. I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”

  Colven took Tristan’s shoulders in his hands, smiled warmly and said, “You’re like my own son. Off to bed with you now. We have full days ahead of us. I’ll speak with you tomorrow.”

  Tristan had only been in bed for an hour or two when the nightmares started. They got progressively worse, and he finally bolted up in bed, sweating profusely, in the grip of an unnamable terror. Was that Aislin laying wounded on the ground, a tall man standing over her with a club in his hand? His dreams had been cloaked in shadow, and he wasn’t sure. Nightmare or vision of things to come? He didn’t know, but he knew what he had to do.

  The pounding at the door pulled Aislin out of a deep slumber. She looked to see if the noise had disturbed Maeve, but the little girl was still asleep, snoring softly, her mouth slightly open.

  The knocks on the door grew louder and more persistent. Aislin rolled over and got to her feet, still groggy.

  “Who’s making all that noise at this hour?” Aislin grumbled under her breath, as she pulled a shawl around her.

  Her jaw dropped when she saw who was doing the pounding.

  “Tristan, what’re you...?”

  Tristan pulled her out of the doorway and pushed her up against the wall outside with such force that at first she thought he was angry with her about something. But then he covered her mouth with his own in such a fierce kiss, she almost started to laugh. Did he miss me that much?

  Devin also heard the commotion and came out into the hallway, looking irritable.

  Breathing hard, she pulled away from Tristan, and turned to give Devin her best pleading look. Devin disappeared back into his room, a bemused look on his face.

  “What are you doing?” she laughed, turning back to Tristan.

  “I had to make sure you were safe.”

  “What’s wrong? What happened?” Gooseflesh raised on Aislin’s arms. Her first thought was that a vigilante band of elves was coming to take the three of them from their rooms.

  “I know you wanted to be out of here as soon as possible, but I want you to stay for another day or two. You need more instruction with the pike.”

  “What? You woke me up in the middle of the night just to tell me that?
”

  “Aislin, please. You need another day or two with me on the pike. Trust me.”

  “Explain.”

  “I...can’t explain. But I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t vitally important.”

  Aislin tilted her head. Something had rattled him. Tristan was literally white, shaking with fear. “What have you seen?”

  “I don’t know. I really don’t know. It might have been a nightmare, it might have been a vision. I can’t tell the difference sometimes. I only know that you—I think it was you—were on the ground, injured, and he was standing over you.”

  “Who was?”

  “I don’t know! Damnit, Aislin! I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think it was crucial. Will you please humor me on this?”

  “I’m not going to commit to anything until I’m fully awake. It’s the middle of the night and I’m exhausted,” Aislin said. “I can see something has you upset, and I agree it wouldn’t hurt if I had another lesson or two on the pike. We can talk about this later on this morning if you like, but I’m not going to give you an answer until I know more about what you saw.”

  Tristan pulled her into his arms and kissed her again. “I’ll be back for you in the morning.” And then he was gone.

  Bewildered, Aislin stood in the hallway for a moment, shaking her head.

  Turning to go back into her rooms, she ran smack dab into Devin, her nose bouncing off his sternum. Even here, he was looking out for her, and she smiled up at him. He peered down at her, his arms folded across his massive chest.

  “Aislin, who holds every man she meets at arms length, has finally fallen...for an elf,” he said.

  “Be quiet, Devin,” she said, smiling, doing her best to sound cross.

  “I’m delighted for you, but your mother will not be pleased.”

  When Mother sees him, she will have nothing but hateful things to say. “I’ll worry about that when I have to. Right now I’ve got more important things to think about.”

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  THE GRAY TURRETS OF WYNDHAM’S castle were finally looming on the horizon. Roderic shifted uncomfortably on Delphas and gave a silent prayer of thanks. He didn’t think he could spend one more day on this horse. It had been four days since his release and he was exhausted, beat up, and more than a little hungry.

  Even Delphas seemed to be out of energy. He reached down and patted her on the neck. “Almost there, girl. Just stay with me for this last mile.”

  He’d been lost plenty of times in the last four days, and it had cost him precious time. He’d tried to guide the horse in the direction he thought they should go, but he noticed she seemed to resist him when he was the most confused. He was amazed to find that if he just let Delphas go on her own, she had an unerring sense of direction. She’d even stood watch over him at night, once killing a hungry wolf with her back legs as it approached while he slept. His successful arrival in Wyndham on this day was due in no small part to a very intelligent horse.

  The gravel walkway crunched under her feet as she plodded along slowly, her head down. He let her take her own pace. He owed her that much.

  The brown walls of the stable came into view beyond the pines, and Roderic almost wept. He’d made it to Wyndham.

  A young groom came out of the barn and caught the reins as he slid to the ground. He gave the horse an appreciative pat on the neck and told the boy, “Take excellent care of this horse. And no one else is to ride her. She’s mine.” The boy nodded obediently, and led Delphas into the stable.

  His backside was numb, but being in familiar territory added a spring to his step. He strode briskly over the drawbridge. Aldo, the gatekeeper, pulled open the portcullis when he saw the familiar figure loping toward him.

  “What are you doing back already? I thought you were staying in Arianrhod for another month.”

  “Change of plans, Aldo. I must see the King immediately.”

  Aldo nodded, and dropped the portcullis behind him.

  He continued across the bailey to the castle itself. Built of very light gray granite, Wyndham’s castle was one of the largest in the surrounding kingdoms, and quite elegant. Consisting of multiple levels, a mass of jutting towers and corbelled turrets, it spoke of tradition and wealth. Roderic had never seen another castle that compared to the Castle Wyndham.

  Pushing open the wide banded door in the front, he found Geoffrey, the butler, sleeping in the tall velvet chair that stood just inside.

  “Geoff, we’ve been overrun by the enemy,” Roderic whispered urgently in his ear.

  Geoffrey half-slid, half-jumped off the chair, his arms flailing in the air, his long legs falling out from under him. He landed in an undignified heap at Roderic’s feet.

  Geoffrey looked up peevishly at a grinning Roderic. “Damnit, Rod, I hate it when you do that! What are you doing back so soon? I never get any sleep when you’re around,” he grumbled, as he picked himself up and brushed himself off.

  “I must see the king. Do you know where he is?”

  “The whole family is dining in the upper hall. Do you want me to see if he’ll grant you an audience?”

  “Yes, and it’s urgent. Tell him I must see him. Make haste!”

  Geoffrey dashed up the stone stairs, his long, spidery legs carrying him up and out of sight.

  Acoustics in the airy and expansive entry hall being what they were, Roderic heard the echo as Geoff rapped on the double door of the dining hall where King Stanis and his family were gathered.

  “Roderic has returned, your Majesty, and requests an audience with you. He said it’s urgent.”

  “Back already? I hope it’s nothing serious. Yes, please bring him up to us,” Roderic heard King Stanis say.

  Serious indeed.

  Roderic walked slowly up the curved stairs to the dining hall, trying to think of a way to deliver the news. He knocked on the door, and heard a cheery voice call “Come in, Rod! No need to knock.”

  He pushed the wide doors open and immediately saw the smiling face of King Stanis of Wyndham.

  Roderic found it quite amusing that King Stanis and Emara were siblings. Emara was tall, slender, golden, every inch a queen. Stanis was rather short, balding and a bit on the portly side. He loved to eat, and did so frequently. He was loud and gruff, and tended to be a bit dramatic, but there was no one with a bigger heart or a better mind. He was the king, but he was also Roderic’s friend.

  “I thought you were staying awhile in Arianrhod!” Stanis said jovially, waving a turkey drumstick in the air. “Come and sit down here! There’s plenty of food for you.”

  “Majesty, if you please. I have news.” Roderic tried and failed to keep the tension from his voice.

  Stanis turned completely around in his chair to look at Roderic. Bryce snapped his head up, eyes wide.

  “What’s wrong? Has something happened?”

  “Jariath of Morrigan invaded Arianrhod with his army about ten days ago. Emara, Gwen, Devin, Aislin, Maeve and I were able to escape him by using the underground river.”

  “What!” Stanis and Bryce were on their feet in an instant. Queen Drucilla, Stanis’s wife, gasped and put her hand to her mouth. Everyone stopped eating and turned horrified eyes to Roderic.

  “How can this be? How did this happen?” Stanis guided him by the elbow to a seat at the table.

  “Jariath has been after Aislin to marry him for years, and I guess he got tired of being refused. He must have known she was vulnerable, and he used his considerable army to try and change her mind.”

  “Fool!” spat Stanis, throwing his napkin down onto the table.

  “I wouldn’t marry that swamp rat either,” said Princess Yvonne, Stanis’s youngest daughter. “I’ve heard how violent and brutal he is!”

  “No one has been harmed?” asked Bryce.
r />   “Your mother, grandmother, sister and Devin are hiding in the cave along the underground river. They have enough food for three weeks or so. Aislin and I continued on in an effort to seek help from Wyndham,” he said.

  “Of course we’ll help! Jariath will not get away with this!” Stanis nodded to his eldest son, sitting across the table. “Barrin, get the army ready, and I mean every available man down to the last. And send a courier to the king of Brethmore asking permission for our men to travel across the southern part of the kingdom. It will be the shortest way.” Barrin nodded, took the napkin from around his collar, and quickly left the room.

  “Roderic? Where’s Aislin?” asked Queen Drucilla.

  He’d known they were going to ask, and he wasn’t sure what to tell them.

  Stanis frowned at Roderic. “Yes, if you left together—where is Aislin?”

  Roderic gulped. “Well, we came out of Arianrhod through the caves at Stoney End, and I have to tell you, your Majesty, your niece is a genius. Jariath had already moved some of his men to the border, and it was her idea to float down the river under the ledge right past Jariath’s men.”

  “Yes, yes. Get on with it!”

  “We crossed the border safely into Blackthorne Forest, and had only walked a day or so, when we were both captured...”

  “By whom! By the gods, they will be sorry...” The silverware jumped as Stanis pounded his fists on the table.

  “I don’t know exactly who they were. The one man I had the most contact with kept a hood over his head the whole time, as though he were hiding something. He insisted Aislin stay behind as a hostage.”

  “Dear, sweet Aislin! A hostage!” Queen Drucilla was fanning herself dramatically and seemed about to faint.

  “We’ll go that way and rescue her first, and then continue on to Arianrhod.”