Page 274 of The Daughters of Avalon
If not over Cael, then mayhap overmagik?
Ready to do battle over her right to defend herself, Rhiannon summoned another palmful of water, and then cast it away, marveling over the rush ofmagikthrough her veins.
Only adewine’seyes could spy the small points of dew that flew to her hand, each lit by a soft incandescent glow that reminded Rhiannon of tiny stars—dew lights, she’d called them as a child.
Oblivious to those dew lights, Jack rode beside her, regaling Rhiannon with tales of his days at sea with his father. He recounted all their travels, the ports they’d visited and all the commissions they’d accepted from her half-sister Matilda.
“That’s how I came to know your sisters,” he said, and Rhiannon frowned.
“Sisters?”
He smiled ruefully. “Seren and Arwyn,” he said. “My papa wascapitaineof theWhitshed. Sadly, he died in the same fire that took your sister’s life, though I do not blame Arwyn.”
“I-I’m… sorry,” Rhiannon said, stunned.
Why hadn’t she realized sooner?
This, then, was the reason for the melancholy so evident in his pale blue eyes, ever present even despite his good humor. Apparently, he’d been a witness to her sister’s sacrifice, and by no choice of his own, had lost his father as well. Only, it occurred to her suddenly that if he was there that day, he would also know if Seren survived. Because of her infuriating shackles, Rhiannon never had the opportunity to find out. Now, she was afraid to ask.
“Four years ago, last month,” he said. “I miss him still.” And then he crossed himself and kissed his thumb.
Rhiannon’s fingers fluttered to her breast, pressing the dampness into the rough wool of her tunic. “And Seren?”
He shook his head, and Rhiannon’s heart tripped painfully.
“I’ve not seen her in years,” he said, “though I believe she and Rosalynde now reside together at Warkworth.” He smiled sadly as he added, “You know, it was Arwyn who first taught me my letters, and then… Seren who held me together…”
He didn’t seem able to finish, and Rhiannon’s gaze shifted into the treetops, hoping to stem the flow of tears—relief and sorrow warring inside her.
Seren was alive!
“I did not mean to upset you,” he said.
A well-worn grief came back to haunt her, and Rhiannon lifted her hand to her throat, shaking her head mutely. Emotion stuck in her throat.
It was not Jack’s fault.
It was not Jack she blamed.
Rhiannon was the one who’d encouraged Arwyn in those final moments… That day, she’dmindspoken, defying their lack of proximity, earning herself a pair of manacles and her sweet sister a fiery end. Thereafter, Rhiannon had wept for days, until Morwen’s lackey arrived to place her in shackles. From that day forward, she’d nourished her anger, because grief alone would have broken her entirely.
“She was a kind soul,” Jack said. “Unlike my father, your sister had a way of making figures seem like the most diverting task. She made me long to read.”
It had been so long since Rhiannon had had news of any of her sisters, the telling of his tale was bittersweet. Her breath hitched, remembering Arwyn…
Her sweet, young sister could raise anyone’s spirits. She had loved fiercely, and in the end, had proven that love. The world was darker without her.
“She had this… crystal,” he said. “As my reward for a job well done, she would betimes allow me a look at it to see what I could spy.”
Merlin’s Crystal.
The scrying stone her sisters had destroyed before leaving London. Older yet than the Book of Secrets, it was priceless and irreplaceable. Alas, like every scrying stone, it only revealed itself to those with the sight.
“And did you ever spy anything?”
He shook his head. “Your sister made me believe I could… but nay… never.”
Rhiannon nodded, grateful for all that he’d shared. “Thank you,” she said, wanting to know more, but not strong enough to ask. At any rate, he was a bit of ablathererpraterand she didn’t really need to coax him.
