debris. He knew in his heart those verra feelings had surely led his father to his death.
The crunch of horse’s hooves against frozen ground echoed from beyond the blackened walls. Gray snorted and moved deeper into the belly of the silent monument of betrayal. It had to be Colum approaching. No one else had the courage or stupidity to interrupt him while he searched through the debris for what seemed like the hundredth time. The answer had to be here. There had to be an overlooked sign pointing to his parents’ murderer. All he had to do was find it, and find it he damn well would.
“Come out, Gray. Ye ken as well as I ye’ve tramped through those ashes too many times a’ready. If the answer lay hidden within those walls, ye would ha’ found it well before now.” The slow, steady scraping of the horse’s gait halted beyond the collapsed bit of wall to Gray’s right.
Gray pushed aside a blackened beam and squinted at the patch of ground where it had rested. “My mood will no’ bear yer lectures today, Colum. I advise ye leave off and tend to other business.”
Colum’s horse snorted and scraped a hoof against the ground, moving uneasily back and forth as though the scent of the place made the beast uneasy. “Easy, lad,” Colum said as he eased the horse closer to the dismantled wall. “Come out, Gray. Even Rua knows ye waste yer time.”
Gray rested both hands atop the cold, jagged blocks of crumbled stone and leaned in to the wall. The scorch marks were darker here. The fire must have burned longer on this side.
Colum’s horse drew closer, fogging the air with a huff of warm, moist breath mere inches from Gray’s face. The mount shook its head, grumbled a low nervous whinny, then blew a burst of sliminess across the tops of Gray’s freezing hands.
“And how long did it take ye to teach yer horse to snot on command?” Gray flung the mess to the ground then wiped the back of his hands across his arse.
Colum chuckled. “Rua always seems t’know the remedy for any situation.”
Gray ignored the urge to knock Colum’s grinning arse out of the saddle. ’Twould be unseemly for a chieftain to behave so. Stomping back through the debris, Gray stepped through the broken archway and emerged from the ruins. He held his hands out to the freezing mist still drizzling down from the clouds. Might as well make use of the damnedable rain to wash the soot and horse snot from his hands. “Did ye come up here for a reason, or have ye no better use of your time?” Perhaps he needed to assign more responsibilities to the worrisome man-at-arms.
Colum’s face darkened. His chin dropped and he stared at the knotted reins draped across his thighs. “I come here because of Tamhas.”
“Tamhas?” Gray straightened and took a step forward. “What of Tamhas?”
Colum cleared his throat and kneed his horse back several steps. “I fear the old man is unwell, or perhaps dead. No smoke comes from his dwelling and ye know how he hates bone-chilling days such as this. He would surely have a fire.”
Tamhas never allowed his fires to die, not even during the hottest days of summer. But if Colum was so concerned about the old conjurer, why had he no’ checked on the man himself? Gray shook away the freezing rain and shrugged deeper into his plaid. “Did ye no’ call out to the man or pound upon his door?”
Colum’s face blanched a shade lighter ’neath the reddish stubble of a day’s growth of beard. He quickly shook his head, staring at Gray as though he’d sprouted a second head. “Och, no. Ye think me a fool just beggin’ to be cursed?”
“Fool? Nay.” Gray chuckled low, then jabbed a finger toward the center of Colum’s chest. “Coward? Perhaps.”
Colum’s eyes narrowed and his chin lifted as he wound the reins around one hand and turned the horse away. “Aye, well…I dinna think it cowardly to give a man so powerful in the old magic the privacy and respect he deserves.”
“But ye think I
The crunch of horse’s hooves against frozen ground echoed from beyond the blackened walls. Gray snorted and moved deeper into the belly of the silent monument of betrayal. It had to be Colum approaching. No one else had the courage or stupidity to interrupt him while he searched through the debris for what seemed like the hundredth time. The answer had to be here. There had to be an overlooked sign pointing to his parents’ murderer. All he had to do was find it, and find it he damn well would.
“Come out, Gray. Ye ken as well as I ye’ve tramped through those ashes too many times a’ready. If the answer lay hidden within those walls, ye would ha’ found it well before now.” The slow, steady scraping of the horse’s gait halted beyond the collapsed bit of wall to Gray’s right.
Gray pushed aside a blackened beam and squinted at the patch of ground where it had rested. “My mood will no’ bear yer lectures today, Colum. I advise ye leave off and tend to other business.”
Colum’s horse snorted and scraped a hoof against the ground, moving uneasily back and forth as though the scent of the place made the beast uneasy. “Easy, lad,” Colum said as he eased the horse closer to the dismantled wall. “Come out, Gray. Even Rua knows ye waste yer time.”
Gray rested both hands atop the cold, jagged blocks of crumbled stone and leaned in to the wall. The scorch marks were darker here. The fire must have burned longer on this side.
Colum’s horse drew closer, fogging the air with a huff of warm, moist breath mere inches from Gray’s face. The mount shook its head, grumbled a low nervous whinny, then blew a burst of sliminess across the tops of Gray’s freezing hands.
“And how long did it take ye to teach yer horse to snot on command?” Gray flung the mess to the ground then wiped the back of his hands across his arse.
Colum chuckled. “Rua always seems t’know the remedy for any situation.”
Gray ignored the urge to knock Colum’s grinning arse out of the saddle. ’Twould be unseemly for a chieftain to behave so. Stomping back through the debris, Gray stepped through the broken archway and emerged from the ruins. He held his hands out to the freezing mist still drizzling down from the clouds. Might as well make use of the damnedable rain to wash the soot and horse snot from his hands. “Did ye come up here for a reason, or have ye no better use of your time?” Perhaps he needed to assign more responsibilities to the worrisome man-at-arms.
Colum’s face darkened. His chin dropped and he stared at the knotted reins draped across his thighs. “I come here because of Tamhas.”
“Tamhas?” Gray straightened and took a step forward. “What of Tamhas?”
Colum cleared his throat and kneed his horse back several steps. “I fear the old man is unwell, or perhaps dead. No smoke comes from his dwelling and ye know how he hates bone-chilling days such as this. He would surely have a fire.”
Tamhas never allowed his fires to die, not even during the hottest days of summer. But if Colum was so concerned about the old conjurer, why had he no’ checked on the man himself? Gray shook away the freezing rain and shrugged deeper into his plaid. “Did ye no’ call out to the man or pound upon his door?”
Colum’s face blanched a shade lighter ’neath the reddish stubble of a day’s growth of beard. He quickly shook his head, staring at Gray as though he’d sprouted a second head. “Och, no. Ye think me a fool just beggin’ to be cursed?”
“Fool? Nay.” Gray chuckled low, then jabbed a finger toward the center of Colum’s chest. “Coward? Perhaps.”
Colum’s eyes narrowed and his chin lifted as he wound the reins around one hand and turned the horse away. “Aye, well…I dinna think it cowardly to give a man so powerful in the old magic the privacy and respect he deserves.”
“But ye think I
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