Page 5 of Queen of the Hollow Hills

“Yes. Very new,” she replied tartly, then pulled her hand away.

Venu gave her a brief but sharp glance, then smiled at me again. “Wearegrateful, Cartimandua.”

I met his gaze, exchanging a knowing look. Perhaps his wife was not so thrilled by the new alignments of power, but Venu was trying.

“We must talk about the Carvetti’s perpetration for the winter,” I said, knowing well that the late King Cuneda cared little for his people. As long as he, personally, was well stocked, it did not matter much if his people starved. My reallocating of fertile Carvetti lands to the Dardani and Novantae would also cause a lean winter.

Venu smiled lightly and inclined his head to me. “My queen.”

“I would not see the Carvetti people starve due to the poor choices of their masters.”

“And does King Eddin feel the same? Will he aid us if need be?” Alys asked pertly. “As I understand it, much of the Carvetti’s crops of wheat, fields of cattle, and apple orchards are now in the Dardani’s hands.”

“You meanreturnedto the Dardani’s hands,” I said with a light smile. “King Eddin is under no obligation to offer you any aid. You are Brigantes now, and I will ensure you endure the hard winter without unnecessary hardship.”

“Of course,” she replied with a forced smile.

Venu gave his wife a warning glance and then turned back to me. “It was an honor to see the moonrise on the new year that the henge, Queen Cartimandua. May it be a dawning of a new and better time for us all,” he said, then bowed to me, gave Cormag a polite nod, then turned and gestured to Alys that it was time to leave.

Alys curtsied and then turned to depart.

So much for that smirking, jovial girl I had met at my father’s funeral games who was so eager to win Venu’s attention from me.

As they went, I saw Venu take her arm and lean into her ear. The expression on his face told me that Alys’s sharp tongue would not go unchecked. Although I found Alys’s pettiness agitating, I did not like the way Venu gripped his wife.

Cormag watched them go but said nothing. In his gaze, I saw mistrust. Many thought I had made a mistake in letting Venu live, but it was foolish to believe I had let Venu slip away unfettered. He was alive. He was the chieftain of his tribe. But the Carvetti were a prideful lot. I had broken them, and not all creatures surrender when wounded. I would have to rely on Venu to keep his tribe in check. That would be no easy task. I had spared the man I once loved, but the burden I had given him in the process was a heavy one to bear.

I sighed heavily, then returned to the baked apples, serving myself a hearty portion. Taking a bite, I relished the sweet, spiced treat, forgetting my troubles in the moment.

Cormag eyed me as I ate. After a time, he smiled softly and set his hand lovingly across my shoulders.

“What is it?”

“There is honey and fresh bread,” he told me. “Shall I get you some?”

I nodded.

Smiling to himself, he rose, pausing to kiss me on the head before flagging down a kitchen maid.

Momentarily puzzled at his gesture, I paused and looked at my plate. It was heaped as tall as Chieftain Andoc’s platter. I was glad Ystradwel was not here. Her constant side glances and sneering had always kept me in check. How often had I left the feasting hall hungry simply to escape Ystradwel’s silent judgment? In Cormag’s warming presence, a relaxed side of myself was emerging. Apparently, that side of me was hungry.

With a shrug, I dug in again, but my mind drifted to Ystradwel. She had sent a messenger asking my permission to remain at Bell’s Harbor for Samhain. Her father’s health had taken a turn for the worse, and she feared he would die soon. Cam would soon be gone, and Ystradwel would take her father’s place. It would be up to her to quiet any remaining Setantii defectors. Could she manage it?

Along my western coast, I had two destabilized lands.

And between them, Eddin, whose absence I felt so keenly, I found it hard to force myself to ignore it.

“Smile, Queen Cartimandua, or that Parisii snake may think she has unsettled you,” Corva said as she sat beside me.

Smiling, I laughed loudly. “Better?”

“Yes. Remember, whatever she sees, her father will know. Make sure she sees exactly what you want her to see, now and in the future.”

Cormag returned a moment later with another platter of chicken, a servant following him with bread and honey. He offered some to Corva, but she waved it away, her eyes scanning the room.

Saying nothing, Cormag set the platter before me, the servant leaving the bread and honey. A bemused expression on Cormag’s face, he sat once more, gave Fergus a bite to eat, and then leaned forward to talk with Damhan and Brodi. The trio had switched to a language I didn’t know. Whatever they were talking about, Brodi and Damhan seemed to be teasing Cormag, which made him laugh.

Corva, on the other hand, looked positively stoic. “You will meet with them in the morning before they depart?” she asked, her eyes on the chieftains.

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