Page 97 of Queen of the Hollow Hills

Rolling my shoulders back, I turned and made my way back upstairs.

“Thank you,” I whispered to the darkness. “Thank you for your warnings. I will not let you down.”

CHAPTER 27

Rather than returning to my bedchamber, I went to my workroom, unlocking the small chest on my desk. I began looking through all the dispatches I had received from my eyes to the south.

There was nothing from Gaul aside from trade. But that trade was amping up to levels unseen in the past. Even at Mydils, Roman traders came and went. In fact, Lady Flora had sent me a gift of a blown glass songbird, a Roman creation, which sat on my desk. In my kitchens, a whole collection of glass wine goblets had been sent from Venu and Alys as gifts from Roman traders who’d come to their port. Fabius had happily helped me stock my cellars with Roman wine, in which he imbibed whenever possible.

And then there was the lighthouse.

A massive lighthouse had been erected at the major Roman port in Gaul. The Romans were planning. And while Corva had warned me for weeks that my crows in Gaul were too quiet, I had ignored her. I hadn’t wanted to think of Rome. The cost had been too much last time. But now…

Leaving aside my hunt for Romans, I sat back in my seat and considered my last message from Brennan. He and Aedanhad been struggling with Parisii Chieftain Remick, brother of the deceased Chieftain Baglan. So far, the Parisii chieftain had merely been an annoyance, felling timber on Brigantes lands and lying about it, over-taxing Brigantes traders passing through his lands, and hunting on lands no longer his. But just this week, I had received word from Aedan that the chieftain had stolen cattle from a former Parisii man who had shifted his allegiance to the Brigantes. When the man confronted Remick, a fight ensued, leaving the Brigantes man dead.

I had shown Remick too much patience.

It was time to curb his boldness.

Pulling out a piece of parchment, I readied a note to King Ruith, outlining my complaints and demanding that he put a stop to it.

But then, I paused.

Sitting back in my seat, I stared at the note as I considered.

By the time I had decided, the wind had stopped blowing, and the sun had risen once more. I rose and tossed the note into the fire. I then made my way back outside. In the central courtyard, I saw that Conall, some of the guards, and other workers had come to assess the damage to the wall.

“Queen Cartimandua,” Conall said. “We are down one tree and a section of wall.”

“Have the men cut the tree for firewood and assign workers to mend the wall at once. Employ men from the village if you must.”

Conall raised an eyebrow but inclined his head. “My queen.”

“There will be damage in the village. I heard something crash. If the people have damaged property, organize workers to look into the repairs.”

“Yes, Queen Cartimandua.”

“Send riders. We must check the outer walls as well. Any repairs should be made immediately.”

Conall studied my face. “Cartimandua?”

My gaze on the broken edifice, I added, “And send a rider to recall the king consort. Say only that Queen Cartimandua requests his return.”

Conall stared at me for a long moment, then said, “Many say they heard the caoineag in the wind. From grooms to kitchen maids to guards, they all speak of it.”

“Did you hear the caoineag?” I asked.

Conall shifted. “I did.”

“As did I. She was not the only one awake and whispering last night. A gray time is upon us again, my friend. Send a rider to Aedan. Tell him I will ride to Isurium Brigantum first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Are we riding with men, my queen?”

“A guard,” I said, then paused. “Conall, when you go to the village to inspect the damage, stop at the tavern and order three ales.”

Conall eyed me carefully. It was not my first time sending the man on such a task. Those who watched in the shadows knew the sign. The queen was summoning her eyes. “Very well,” Conall replied.

“And get the walls fixed.”

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