Read Online The Swans' War 1 - The One Kingdom by Sean Russell - Free Book Online

both your people and to ours. You must know the legends ... ?" she said to the Valemen.
    "We don't," Tarn said, a bit embarrassed by this admission.
    Genn regarded him a moment and then shook her head.” Well, they're old tales. Tales of both our peoples." She resettled herself in her chair. Darkness was now complete and the faces of the Fael were lit only by the colored lanterns.
    "During the earliest wars of men, long before was forged, when the princes still ruled their own lands, there was a prince—a renowned warrior named Der borgil. He went to war against Prince Sifore, though his own mother was filled with foreboding and begged him to make peace.
    "But Derborgil was a proud man and a warrior above all else, and he mustered his armies and set out for the borders of Sifore, who had offended him. It was a terrible war, long and with many men lost on both sides.
    "To the despair of all, before each battle a dark bird appeared and flew overhead or perched upon Derborgil's standard and cried out whist once for every man who would die that day. The men dreaded the coming of the whist and its terrible count, but none would slay it, out of fear, for they believed it an unnatural creature. But Derborgil took his long bow and, before a battle, shot the whist as it came down from the sky, crying as it did, whist, whist. He cut off its wings and adorned his helm with them, saying, 'Now I am the crier of death.'"He led them into battle then, a terrible fight that lasted a day and a night and the next day as well. Finally Derborgil won through to Sifore' and slew him after a long struggle. But when he looked around he saw the field was silent and still. Only he remained of all the men of the warring armies. He knew then that his mother's premonition had been true, and he threw himself upon his sword.
    "When those who watched came onto the field of battle to seek their fallen brothers and husbands, they found no sign of Derborgil though they had marked where he had fallen." Genn paused.” Suddenly, they heard a bird crying in the darkness, over and over, whist, whist.” In the land of Forlyn the crying of a whist is still believed to herald death, and though they consider the bird the worst omen they won't harm it, knowing the fate of Derborgil." Genn gazed intently at the three Valemen.” But your people misunderstand the tale. The whist only foretold the deaths, it didn't cause them. When the whist spoke they refused to listen." Genn looked around at the others, tugging her shawl close about her shoulders.” But still, the whist is not a good omen to your people.” The other story is older yet," Genn said into the silence, "but concerns our people. And the ancestors of Cynddl in particular, so I will let him tell the story." Tam thought Cynddl hardly looked Fael. His skin was almost pale, his hair gray and cut short, though his eyebrows were thick and black. He seemed to have no vanity, unlike the other Fael men and women Tam had known, nor did he seem to harbor any resentment toward the "outsiders." Though he had only been in the man's presence for a few moments, Tam had the impression that Cynddl was not much concerned with matters believed to be of import by either of their peoples.” The whist..." Cynddl began, his voice seeming too old to belong to its owner—a complex voice, so laden with experience that one believed it immediately.” The whist was an omen for our people, too, though of a different sort. In the days we now remember only in poetry and song, it was the whist that found us wandering the seas. We hadn't gone our separate ways then, but were all Fdel-scena, 'seafarers,' unlike the landfarers some of us have become. Invaders had driven us from the islands we loved, out into the open ocean.” Cynddlyn led our people then, and he was the finest sailor of his day. It was said he had once lain with a sea maiden and she told him the secrets of the sea. It is from Cynddlyn that my own family descends," he said,