Read Online WindSeeker by Charlotte Boyett-Compo - Free Book Online
Authors: Charlotte Boyett-Compo
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going, but I knew Alel would guide me. I rode for nearly two days, all the
way to the seacoast, near Ciona, before I found her." His face shadowed with grief. "She had been hurt."
"And you made it right?" She smiled down at him with love.
He took a long breath and let it out slowly. "I made it as right as it will ever be for Jenny and her
parents." He shook his head. "But I’m not sure what I did really helped her."
Liza wanted to ask him about what had happened, but his face had taken on a closed look she
recognized all too well. Conar held many a secret from her, and when his eyes turned blank as they were
now, she knew better than to question him further.
"How did the garden come by its notorious name?" she asked, deciding to get back to the original
conversation.
He seemed to mentally shake himself from the past. He refocused and looked up at her. "There was a
brash young man who had fallen in love with his neighbor’s betrothed. He desired her more than anything
in the world and would have done anything to have her as his own. He tried to woo her, but she was
afraid her husband-to-be would slay them both if she gave in. The young man knew she wanted him as
much as he wanted her, so he went to Alel, begging the Great God to intercede. Alel, it is said, is a
romantic, that He is softhearted where lovers are concerned. He told the young man He would grant him
one night with the woman in exchange for giving a great deal of money to the poor. Times were very bad
that year. There was famine and drought, and the poor were having a particularly hard time of it. They
needed money to buy food and water.
"So, the young man swore he would give a wagon full of silver coins to the poor if Alel would grant him
one night with his love. The young man truly thought that if he could have but one night with her, she
would see her love was greater for him than her fear of her husband-to-be and would run away with him.
"Alel knew the man was lying. He can tell if you are true and honorable, and the young man needed to
be taught a lesson. So He granted the man his one night with his neighbor’s betrothed; but He told him
that it would have to be for one night, and one night only, for the woman’s husband-to-be was a good
man and deserved better. He said there could be no repetition of that night, ever, if the young man did
not want to suffer the consequences."
"So the man was warned?" Liza asked.
"Severely warned, it was said; but he didn’t pay any heed. He wanted more than just one night, so he
employed the services of a great sorcerer to see that the lady would fall so hopelessly in love with him
that night, she would never want to leave him. He had been planning all along to trick Alel, for he had no
intention of keeping his bargain with the Grandfather.
"When dawn came the next morning, the lady could not bring herself to leave, for her heart had been
truly ensnared by her lover. She forgot all about her husband-to-be, who sat at home grieving. The young
man swept her up on his horse and carried her to this very keep where he was personal servant to King
Kyle, my great-great-great-grandfather.
"The lovers spent their second night in this garden, beneath the willow where we are now. It is said that,
if you listen closely, you can hear their sighs in the wind through the willow branches and her laughter in
the waters of the fountain.
"Alel let them have their second night, but then He came down from the vault of heaven and confronted
them by the seagate. Such was His wrath that He decided to leave them in the garden together forever.
Even though the young woman had been innocent in the matter, having been seduced through sorcery, it
didn’t matter to Alel. Sometimes your punishment for not adhering to His wishes draws someone you
love into the punishment along with you. Sp He punished the young woman, for he knew how much it
would hurt her lover to see his beloved suffer for his crime.
"Alel
way to the seacoast, near Ciona, before I found her." His face shadowed with grief. "She had been hurt."
"And you made it right?" She smiled down at him with love.
He took a long breath and let it out slowly. "I made it as right as it will ever be for Jenny and her
parents." He shook his head. "But I’m not sure what I did really helped her."
Liza wanted to ask him about what had happened, but his face had taken on a closed look she
recognized all too well. Conar held many a secret from her, and when his eyes turned blank as they were
now, she knew better than to question him further.
"How did the garden come by its notorious name?" she asked, deciding to get back to the original
conversation.
He seemed to mentally shake himself from the past. He refocused and looked up at her. "There was a
brash young man who had fallen in love with his neighbor’s betrothed. He desired her more than anything
in the world and would have done anything to have her as his own. He tried to woo her, but she was
afraid her husband-to-be would slay them both if she gave in. The young man knew she wanted him as
much as he wanted her, so he went to Alel, begging the Great God to intercede. Alel, it is said, is a
romantic, that He is softhearted where lovers are concerned. He told the young man He would grant him
one night with the woman in exchange for giving a great deal of money to the poor. Times were very bad
that year. There was famine and drought, and the poor were having a particularly hard time of it. They
needed money to buy food and water.
"So, the young man swore he would give a wagon full of silver coins to the poor if Alel would grant him
one night with his love. The young man truly thought that if he could have but one night with her, she
would see her love was greater for him than her fear of her husband-to-be and would run away with him.
"Alel knew the man was lying. He can tell if you are true and honorable, and the young man needed to
be taught a lesson. So He granted the man his one night with his neighbor’s betrothed; but He told him
that it would have to be for one night, and one night only, for the woman’s husband-to-be was a good
man and deserved better. He said there could be no repetition of that night, ever, if the young man did
not want to suffer the consequences."
"So the man was warned?" Liza asked.
"Severely warned, it was said; but he didn’t pay any heed. He wanted more than just one night, so he
employed the services of a great sorcerer to see that the lady would fall so hopelessly in love with him
that night, she would never want to leave him. He had been planning all along to trick Alel, for he had no
intention of keeping his bargain with the Grandfather.
"When dawn came the next morning, the lady could not bring herself to leave, for her heart had been
truly ensnared by her lover. She forgot all about her husband-to-be, who sat at home grieving. The young
man swept her up on his horse and carried her to this very keep where he was personal servant to King
Kyle, my great-great-great-grandfather.
"The lovers spent their second night in this garden, beneath the willow where we are now. It is said that,
if you listen closely, you can hear their sighs in the wind through the willow branches and her laughter in
the waters of the fountain.
"Alel let them have their second night, but then He came down from the vault of heaven and confronted
them by the seagate. Such was His wrath that He decided to leave them in the garden together forever.
Even though the young woman had been innocent in the matter, having been seduced through sorcery, it
didn’t matter to Alel. Sometimes your punishment for not adhering to His wishes draws someone you
love into the punishment along with you. Sp He punished the young woman, for he knew how much it
would hurt her lover to see his beloved suffer for his crime.
"Alel
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