Breath of Heaven (5 page)

Whoever she was, she was extraordinary. She was beauty and strength in one delightful package. Her skin glowed with good health and her teeth were white and straight. She was perfection from the tip of her toes to the top of her head. Except for her ears.

Rhys pulled Yorath to a stop. Her ears. They were pointed. The tops of them slanted up into tips. That was what was so strange about her. Between his fall and the fact that she’d held an arrow notched and ready to fly into his chest, he had not taken time to think about it.

“Milord?” Mathias asked.

Rhys shook his head. “Nothing,” he said. “I thought I saw something, but I was mistaken.” He urged Yorath onward with a quick squeeze of his thighs. He’d been too long in the snow, and the cold was affecting him. He’d imagined the entire episode. Or had he?

I
should have killed him.”

Llyr had no reply. He just kept on walking while Eliane led Aletha up the trail that led to Madwyn’s home in the forest. It was not the first time she’d said it. Anyone who trespassed into the woods was fair game. Usually those who went in that deep never came out again. All those who lived in the area knew it. The townspeople never ventured into the forest unless they were in the company of a woodsman. The inhabitants of other estates only entered it hunting game or the treasure that was rumored to be hidden there. The fools did not know that the treasure was not something that could be taken.

So, who was the knight who had ventured into the forest? She recognized his knighthood at once. Who else but a knight would wear a mantle of wolf pelt lined with velvet of the deepest blue? Who else but a knight would wear silver spurs or carry a sword with a ruby set into the pommel? Who else but a knight would have the audacity to say that he was merely hunting rabbit for his dinner when he so brazenly trespassed? Who else but a knight would have the impudence to look at her with eyes as dark as the blackest sin and make her insides go weak at the thought of putting an arrow through his heart?

He’d seen her ears. Why, oh why, had she taken off
her cap? Because it itched. Because she hated it. Because she should not have to hide who and what she was, especially when she was in the forest.

What tales would he tell when he returned to the outside world? Why was he here? What was it about him that had stayed her arrow and shaken her confidence when he gazed upon her?

“I should have killed him.”

Llyr loped on ahead as Madwyn’s cottage came into view. It was set atop a small hillock that backed up to a stone cliff. Next to the cottage a spring bubbled forth from the forest floor. Steam rose from the spring in the frigid air and Eliane longed to soak in its warmth. Mayhap that would relieve the tension that gathered in her neck and shoulders as if she carried a heavy weight upon her back. Mayhap it would make her forget about the things that troubled her, for a moment or two. Then again, mayhap it would not. She let out a long sigh.

The cottage itself looked as if it were part of the hillock. Made of daub and stone, it was of the same shape with a perfectly round window in the front. The sides seemed to grow out of the stone face of the cliff. Ivy, strangely thriving in the cold, grew up the side and over the thatched roof. A well of stacked stones had been dug by the arched door, and a path of stone set into the earth and swept free of snow. Smoke rose merrily from the stone chimney, and the smell of baking bread greeted Eliane as she strode up the path. To the side of the cottage was a three-sided shed where Madwyn’s palfrey stood. The mare turned at their appearance and neighed a greeting to Aletha.

Eliane loosened Aletha’s bit and dropped the reins, sure in the knowledge that the mare would stay put.
Her stomach rumbled in anticipation as she ducked beneath the arch of the door and greeted Madwyn. Llyr already lay in front of the fire and held a huge bone between his paws. His tail thumped as Eliane removed her cloak and hung it on a peg by the door. Overhead, dried herbs hung from the rafters and a loom in the corner held the beginnings of a thick rug. Pelts of several small animals were stacked in a corner, just waiting to be sewn into the lining of a cloak or a pair of boots, and bread sat rising on the hearth. In the back was a huge bed, draped with curtains of deep velvet and piled high with blankets and furs. It sat against a wall covered with a huge tapestry that was so old, Eliane could not even guess whence it came. In the corner next to the window, a snowy white owl perched upon a branch that had been inserted into the daub of the wall. It stirred when Eliane came in and looked at her intently with its great golden eyes.

“I’ve brought a rabbit,” she said by way of greeting.

Madwyn smiled as she took the rabbit and placed it in a basket for cleaning. “That is not all you bring,” she said as she looked carefully into Eliane’s face. “What troubles you this day?”

“Is it that apparent?” Eliane asked. “Will I ever have any secrets from you?”

Madwyn shook her head and took Eliane’s hand in hers. “ ’Tis only because I know you so well,” she said. “Indeed, you are quite adept at hiding your feelings. It is only here that you reveal them.”

Eliane looked into Madwyn’s beautiful face and saw no judgment, only earnest caring.

“Come and sit,” Madwyn said. “Tell me of your troubles.”

Eliane sat at the well-worn table while Madwyn mixed herbs and steaming water together in thick mugs and set one down before her. “The list is long,” Eliane said. “I am not sure where to begin.”

“Begin at the beginning,” Madwyn said as she sat down across from Eliane.

Eliane took a sip of her tea and looked at the woman across from her. She was ageless. She looked the same as she had when Eliane was a child crying in her arms for her mother. Thick blonde hair streaked with silver tumbled down her back to her hips. Vivid blue eyes beneath upward-slanted brows looked at her with concern. Her face was remarkably smooth, with only a few creases around her eyes from laughter, and her hands were as fine and spotless as Eliane’s.

“I saw Gryffth’s son,” Eliane said.

Madwyn’s laugh tinkled merrily. “Is it your intent to find out the details of my midwifery?” she said in reference to one of the many roles she played at Aubregate. “Is that the first priority on your list of troubles?”

“Nay,” Eliane admitted. “It only reminded me that Gryffth wished to bring the babe for Father’s blessing. I bade him wait.”

Madwyn touched her arm to stop her. “This is one thing you do not have to hide from the people, Eliane,” she said. “They know of Edward’s decline. They will mourn his passing with great sorrow.”

Eliane nodded. “I fear they will miss him even more when they see that I am all that is left to protect them.”

“Is that what troubles you so? The responsibility?”

Eliane nodded. “I fear I am not worthy.”

“You have always known what lies ahead for you. Why does it suddenly weigh upon you so much?”

“Because of something my father said this morning.”

“What did he say?”

“He said the time has come for me to marry.” The words tumbled forth now. “Yet I do not know whom he expects me to choose. I have given him leave to choose for me, but there is no time left. There is no one handy, except for Renauld, and I would rather die than marry him. Yet the alternative is to become a ward of the king, a pawn in his political maneuvering. How will that serve Aubregate and its people?” She looked at Madwyn with hope. Hope that the other woman would have answers for her.

Madwyn gently patted her hand and sipped her tea. “Your father is a wise man,” she said. “He will make sure all is taken care of before he passes.” Her answer was not what Eliane had hoped to hear.

“Do you know something I do not?” Eliane asked impatiently. “Do you know where Han is?” She narrowed her eyes. “Papa has bade me to dress as a lady on the morrow,” she added. “Does someone come? Someone I do not know about?”

“Han is here,” Madwyn replied. “You just missed him. I am surprised you did not see him on the trail. He is on his way to the keep as we speak.”

“Because I stopped to hunt,” Eliane said. “Which led to something else. Something I must tell Han.”

“What is that?”

“I found a stranger in the forest. A very richly garbed stranger. A knight for certain, possibly even a lord.”

“A lord? Here?” Madwyn’s blue eyes widened with interest. “What happened? What did you do?”

Eliane told the tale, concluding, “I released him. I
bade him find his way out if he could. Yet I feel that I should not have done so.”

“He did not discover anything. He could have been merely hunting, as he claimed. He would not know of any reason not to enter the forest if he was not of these parts.”

What Madwyn said made sense except for one thing. “I was not wearing my cap when I came upon him,” Eliane admitted.

“Oh,” Madwyn said. Eliane watched as Madwyn’s hands went to her ears. She pushed the silver and blonde locks behind the fragile peaks so similar to her own. Han possessed them too. Most inhabitants of the forest had the same ears and did what they could to make sure they were not seen by any outsiders. The townspeople and the castle folk were all used to the anomaly; occasionally the strangely formed ears would show up on the new babes born to the townspeople or crofters. None seemed to care. Everyone knew the trait was a throwback to the days of yore when all were of the forest.

Eliane’s mother, Arden, had had ears that were rounded and normal. She remembered as a child touching the curve of her mother’s ears, then her own pointed tips in wonder. When she realized that her ears were different from nearly everyone she knew, she wondered why. Why her?

The only thing that kept the gossips from questioning Eliane’s parentage was the fact that she had the same bright hair as her father, along with his temperament. It was also not prudent to bandy about rumors concerning one’s lord and benefactor.

Madwyn had reassured Eliane many times that it
was not strange she had the ears. Her mother’s people had been forest folk going back more generations than she could count. Still it was difficult for Eliane to accept her difference when she realized at an early age that she was the only child in the keep with misshapen ears.

“I thought I would be safe.” Eliane shrugged as Madwyn considered her tale. “I was not thinking clearly,” she added. “It is hard for me to recall the last time I did think clearly about anything.”

Madwyn took her hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “It has been many years since any of us have run across a stranger in the forest,” she said. “You could not have foreseen it happening this day.”

“It is my responsibility to protect the forest and all within,” Eliane said. “What will happen when this strange knight returns home and tells the tale of my ears? Will others come to discover the truth of it?”

“They will more than likely think him drunk or under a spell,” Madwyn replied with a smile.

“That does not reassure me,” Eliane said. “If a spell was cast, they might come looking for the pointy-eared witch who cast it.”

“Eliane,” Madwyn exclaimed. “There are no witches about. And no need for you to worry. No one would think such a thing.”

“People condemn what they do not understand. There are those in the Church who would call us demon possessed. If they knew what lay within these borders, they would condemn it.” A tremor of fear ran down her spine. “They would kill us all and burn the forest to the ground.”

“Hush, child,” Madwyn said. “You are trying to
weave a blanket with nothing more than a thread.” She pushed the mug of tea into Eliane’s hand. “Drink. It will calm you. I will send a message to the huntsmen to look out for a strange man in the forest. If they find him still wandering about, then they can take care that he does not live to tell the tale. And if he is gone, then we will watch to see if anyone takes note of his ramblings. If he has any wit, he will keep his tales to himself so as not to damage his own reputation.”

Eliane let out a sigh of relief. She seemed to be doing that quite a bit lately. It was easy to let Madwyn solve her problems for her. She’d been doing so for most of her life. Could it all be so simple? The stranger, if found in the forest, would be killed.

A vision filled her mind. The strange knight lying facedown in the forest with his body full of arrows. The thought disturbed her for some strange reason.

“Nay,” she said. “Let him be.” She looked at Madwyn, who had already gone to the owl’s perch to send a message. “He is wise enough to find his way out and he should not have to pay with his life for my mistake.”

Madwyn smiled. “Your father has taught you well,” she said. “To recognize wisdom in others and mistakes in yourself. ’Tis the mark of a wise ruler.”

Eliane shook her head and then lowered it to the table with a thunk. “What you call wisdom others may call foolishness. You see me as a mother sees her child.”

“I see you as you are, Eliane,” Madwyn said firmly. “Do not think me so foolish as to be carried away by feelings. I have lived many years and seen many things.” She crossed over to the fireplace and peered at the bread in the oven before she turned and addressed
Eliane with her hands on her hips. “The problem lies in the way you see yourself. If you see yourself as weak and ineffective, then those you are trying to lead will see the same thing. You must learn to trust your instincts just as you did this day. Something stayed your bow. Something told you not to kill this knight. You must trust that it was the right thing to do and await the day when the reason is revealed to you.”

“What if the reason is nothing more than a lustful heart?” Eliane cried out. She thunked her head upon the table once more as if she could drive the thoughts from her head. “I was weak when I gazed upon him. His face had the look of both angel and devil. He was beautiful, yet frightening, and I felt as if my body was not my own when he looked up at me.”

Madwyn’s lips lifted at the corners and Eliane waited in fear that she would laugh at her confession.

“I am sorry I missed him,” Madwyn said finally. “He sounds…interesting.”

“I feel as if a spell has been cast upon me.” Eliane hit the table again with her forehead. “See how worthless I am? How easily swayed by a handsome face?”

“Pish!” Madwyn exclaimed. “Enough of this wallowing.” She turned back to the oven and, with a cloth, reached in and pulled out two loaves. She placed them on the table before Eliane and slid the rising loaves inside. Madwyn added two short logs to the fire and turned back while wiping her hands upon her apron. “I will send word to the keep,” she said. “You will stay here with me tonight. We will soak in the spring and I will wash your hair and rub scented potions into your skin. Then we will talk of happy things.”

Eliane looked up at Madwyn, who peered down at
her expectantly. Her suggestion sounded wonderful. A momentary escape from what awaited her come morning. Her father had commanded her to put away her chausses and tunic and dress as befitting a lady. He must have a reason for his instructions.