that.â
âThe Church will receive an abbey.â
âA small price for a large betrayal.â
âNot really,â Meg said grimly. âThe Church has been seeking ways to lessen Henryâs power. Duncan will be beholden to Church rather than to king. No cry of excommunication will be raised. If I can see that, surely John can as well.â
âBy Hellâs deepest reaches, John is a clever man,â Gwyn muttered. âWould that he were compassionate, too.â
âThere is nothing in him now but a burning need to see his son inherit his lands.â
Gwyn hissed again, shaking her head. âWhat ofyou, Glendruid daughter? Will you take Duncan as your husband?â
âI refused.â
âGood.â
âThen John ordered Duncan to begin the slaughter immediatelyâ¦.â
The old woman cocked her head as though listening. âI hear nothing from the bailey but wenches calling to one another about their sweethearts.â
Meg took a deep breath and spread her hands. âI told him I would do what I must.â
There was a silence so deep that the tiny sounds of flame eating into candle wax could be heard. After a long time Gwyn sighed.
âIs it true?â Meg asked finally.
âThat you arenât Johnâs daughter?â
âYes.â
ââTis true,â Gwyn said casually. âHe is not your father. His stepbrother was a man full of laughter and smiles. Anna went to him two fortnights before her wedding.â
âWhy?â Meg asked, shocked.
âShe had no love of John, but knew the heir to the Glendruid Wolf must somehow be born.â
âThe heir to the Glendruid Wolf?â Meg asked. âWhat are you talking about?â
âA man who would be wise enough to bring peace to our lands.â
âAhhh, the fabled Glendruid male . Instead, I was born. Female. A disappointment to all.â
Old Gwyn smiled and touched Megâs cheek with a hand as soft and dry as candle flame.
âYou were a boon to your mother, Meg. She enjoyed Johnâs stepbrother, but she didnât love him. She felt neither passion nor love for John. But you she loved. For you, she endured John until the vassals had learned to love you, too.â
âAnd then she walked out to the haunted place and never returned.â
âYes,â Gwyn said simply. âIt was a blessing for her, Meg. Hell had nothing to teach her after living with Lord John.â
Turning away, Gwyn looked at the herbal without seeing any of it.
âWould that we would be blessed now,â Gwyn whispered after a few moments. âBut I fear that by the time a man is born who can wear the Glendruid Wolf, there will be nothing left to inherit but the wind.â
âWhat is the Glendruid Wolf?â Meg asked, perplexed. âIâve heard vassals whisper of it occasionally, but they fall silent when they realize Iâm listening.â
ââTis a pin. A pin that was old a thousand years ago.â
âWhat does it look like?â
âA wolfâs head cast in silver with eyes made of colorless gems so hard not even steel can scratch them,â Gwyn said. âThe pin is the size of a manâs hand.â
âYou never mentioned this to me before.â
âThere was no purpose. There was nothing to be done.â
âAnd now?â Meg asked.
âChange comes. A wise woman hopes for the best and prepares for the worst.â
âWhat is the worst?â
âWar. Famine. Disease. Death.â
Meg barely suppressed a shudder at hearing her worst fears spoken aloud by Old Gwyn.
âAnd the best?â she whispered.
âThat the man who wears the Glendruid Wolf will bring peace with him.â
A thrill of hope coursed through Meg at thethought of a land no longer riven by strife. The feeling was not unlike what she had known while she watched Dominic handle the peregrine with such exquisite
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