The Black Raven. Katharine Kerr

needed. I made his father a promise, and I intend to keep it. I can’t cure your husband, no. But I might know someone who can.’

      Marka wept in sheer relief.

      ‘But it’s not going to be such an easy thing,’ Evandar went on. ‘This person is far away in your husband’s homeland. The kingdom of Deverry. Do you know about it?’

      ‘Well, a little. It’s supposed to be a horrible place where everyone’s a barbarian, and all the men carry swords and get drunk and chop each other to pieces.’

      ‘A slight exaggeration.’ Evandar grinned at her. ‘Be that as it may, Deverry’s also a wretchedly long way away, across a mighty ocean and all that, and I’m not truly sure of how we’ll get there, or if she – the person I’m thinking of – can truly heal him once we do.’

      Hope sank and left her exhausted. She rubbed her face with both hands and tried to think.

      ‘My apologies,’ Evandar said. ‘I wish I could offer you a certainty. Although, don’t lose heart! If the person I’m thinking of can’t help, there may be others.’

      ‘If anyone could do something – I’m just so frightened.’

      ‘No doubt. Well, I’ll be off then to see what I can find.’

      Evandar bowed to her, then turned and began to walk toward the cliff’s edge. He stopped and glanced back.

      ‘Take care of my horse, will you?’ he called out. ‘I won’t be needing him.’

      He walked two paces more, then set one foot on the air as if it were as solid as a step, hauled himself up, and disappeared.

PART ONE

       Winter, 1117 Deverry

      Kings in their arrogance say, ‘We were born to rule any land we can conquer.’ I say to you, ‘The universe holds lands beyond our imagining and peoples beyond our conquering.’ Be ye always mindful that your sight is short and the universe, long.

       The Secret Book of Cadwallon the Druid

      In Dun Cengarn, up in the far northlands of Deverry, snow lay thick on field and thatch. The lazy sun stayed above the horizon a little longer each day, but still it seemed that the servants had barely cleared away the midday meal before the darkness closed in again. On these frozen days the life of the dun moved into the great hall. Servants, the nobleborn, the men of the warband, the dogs – they all clustered at one or the other of the two enormous hearths. On the coldest days, when the wind howled around the towers of the dun and banged at the doors and gates, everyone stayed in bed as long as possible and crawled back into their blankets again as soon as they could.

      At night, up in her tower room, Dallandra and Rhodry huddled together under all the blankets they owned between them. They slept in their clothes for the warmth, then stayed late a-bed as well.

      ‘You’re much nicer than a pair of dogs,’ she remarked one morning. ‘Warmer, too.’

      ‘I’m glad I please my lady,’ Rhodry said, yawning. ‘I was thinking much the same about you, actually. And no fleas.’

      She laughed and kissed him, then rested her head on his chest with the blanket drawn up around her ears.

      ‘Is it snowing out?’ Rhodry said. ‘With the leather over the shutters, I can’t tell.’

      ‘How would I know? Dweomer doesn’t let you see through stone walls.’

      ‘That’s a cursed pity. I don’t care enough to get up and see. I –’ He paused, listening. ‘Someone’s at the door?’

      Dalla poked her head out of the blankets. Sure enough, she could hear someone shuffling on the landing outside, with the occasional deep sigh, as if whoever it was feared to knock.

      ‘Who’s there?’ she called out.

      ‘Jahdo, my lady.’ The boy’s voice sounded of tears. ‘I were wondering if you or my lord should be needing somewhat.’

      ‘Come in, lad. I think me you’re the one who needs a bit of company.’

      Bundled up in a cloak, Jahdo opened the door and slipped in, ducking his head and rubbing his eyes with the back of one hand.

      ‘Sit down at the end of the bed,’ Dallandra said. ‘There’s enough room to get most of you under the blankets.’

      Jahdo did as he was told, sitting crosswise with the cloak around his back and the blankets over his legs. Dalla could see the streaks of tears down his dirty face.

      ‘What’s so wrong?’ she said.

      ‘I be bereft, my lady, a-missing my Mam and Da and my sister and my brother and all our weasels.’ Jahdo paused for a moist gulp. ‘There be a longing on my heart for home.’

      ‘Well, I understand. I miss my homeland, too, and Evandar,’ Dallandra said. ‘My heart aches for you, but soon with the spring, we’ll be riding west.’

      ‘So I do hope.’

      ‘Oh come now, lad,’ Rhodry said. ‘I made you a promise, didn’t I?’

      ‘You did, but so did Jill, and then she –’ His voice cracked. ‘And then she died.’

      ‘True spoken, but I’m too daft and mean and ugly to die.’ Rhodry sat up, grinning. ‘At least when there’s no war to ride, and truly, my lady Death seems to be spurning my suit even then. When Arzosah flies back to Cerr Cawnen, we’ll be on our way. She knows the weather and the seasons better than any sage or bard.’

      Jahdo nodded, considering this. Privately Dallandra wondered if they’d ever see the dragon again. Wyrmkind was not known for its faithfulness.

      ‘It won’t be so long till spring,’ she said to the boy. ‘We’re well past the shortest day.’

      ‘I know, my lady. And truly do I think I could wait with good heart but for my worrying about my kin. My Mam, she be frail in the winter, and then my sister, she were to be married, and here I don’t even know which man they picked for her.’ Jahdo paused and took a deep breath. ‘Uh, my lady, I did wonder somewhat, you see.’

      ‘Could I scry your family out, you mean?’

      ‘Just that.’ He was looking at her with begging eyes.

      ‘Jahdo, I’m so sorry, but I can’t. I can only scry someone out if I’ve seen them in the flesh first.’

      ‘Oh.’ He gulped back tears. ‘Why?’

      ‘It’s just the way dweomer works. I don’t truly know why. I’m sorry. It’s a hard thing to be missing your kin and have no way to get news of them.’

      ‘That be true, sure enough. At least Evandar comes and goes, and you do see him now and again.’ Jahdo paused to wipe his eyes with the back of a grubby hand. ‘I did wake so cold this morning, and I did think on how warm it be at home.’

      ‘Oh come now!’ Dallandra said with a laugh. ‘Cerr Cawnen’s a good bit farther north than we are. It must be even colder.’

      ‘Ah, you know not about the lake. Our lake, it be warm, my lady, even in winter. My Da did tell me once that way down in the deeps of the lake lie springs, where water bubbles up from the fire mountain, and it be as hot as you’d heat for a bath, hotter even.’

      ‘Fire mountain?’ Rhodry said. ‘Does your town lie near a fire mountain?’

      ‘Too near, some say. I mean, we sit not in its shadow, but it be close enough. One of our gods does live in it, you see. As long as we do honour him and bring him gifts, he’ll not harm us.’

      Dallandra