Shadow of Stone (The Pendragon Chronicles) (60 page)

I hope Arthur soon wins enough ground to feel comfortable in returning home; we are doing our best to prepare ourselves for war, but we would feel much less anxious if we had more experienced fighting men among our troops.

Stay safe, help Arthur defeat the Frankish king, and come home soon.

Your Yseult

Cador to Yseult, greetings.

Cold winds and unrelenting rains have put an end to our campaign against Chlodovech for the time being. We celebrated Christmas and the Christian new year here in Subdinum; I would have much preferred to return to Lindinis in order to be with you and Riona for my daughter's first birthday. But whether Arthur would have allowed it or not, the seas have grown rough and very few ships dare the crossing at the moment.

I can only hope that you are wrong about Medraut's plans, but I fear that is not the case. If there are any actual troop movements, either by Medraut or Cerdic, send to me immediately, I beg you.

At least correspondence between Gaul and Britain is more reliable than it was between Britain and Eriu; I rejoice that I now hear regularly how you fare. Given the fierce weather at the moment, however, it may take some time for this letter to reach you — I doubt there will any boats crossing until the present storms let up.

I long to see you and talk to you again, and pray daily for this war to soon be over.

Your Cador

Yseult to Cador, greetings.

Spring is only a hint of warmth on the wind, but war is coming to Britain early this year. Medraut is besieging Lansyen and Voliba, and Cerdic and his son Cynric have left their island and are marching north against Venta. I hope this news is serious enough that Arthur will consider changing his plans and return to defend Britain, or, at the very least, send a contingent of warriors for the defense of Dumnonia. We gave up the vast majority of our army for the war against Chlodovech, and now we are easy prey for these ambitious leaders who are using Arthur's absence to take advantage of our weakness.

I have written Arthur as well, but I beg you to speak with him personally and make our case. We cannot hold out against two armies at once without reinforcements.

We have learned that before Medraut began his campaign, Ginevra gave birth to a baby boy, Melou — a little over a year after Riona's birth. With the help of some very creative genealogy, Medraut now claims that Melou is the heir of the High Kingship of Britain.

If Arthur does not return soon, all is lost.

Your Yseult

Book VI

Love Returned

Chapter 27

When summer came, Arthur made ready to set out for Rome, and was already beginning to make his way through the mountains when the news was brought to him that his nephew Mordred, in whose care he had left Britain, had placed the crown upon his own head. What is more, this treacherous tyrant was living adulterously and out of wedlock with Queen Guinevere, who had broken the vows of her earlier marriage.

Geoffrey of Monmouth,
The History of the Kings of Britain

Cador drew in a deep breath and pushed back the flap of Arthur's tent.

His cousin looked up from the wax tablet on which he had been composing a letter, and one of his rare smiles lit up his features. "Well met, Cador." Then he seemed to take notice of Cador's expression. "Or not?"

Cador shook his head. "Not. I have come to inform you that I am returning to Britain."

Arthur put aside the writing tablet and rose. "But we are nearly at our goal! Finally we are winning battles against Chlodovech rather than just chasing him from one site to the next."

"I have had word that Medraut is attacking Lansyen."

The smile died on Arthur's lips. "From Yseult?"

Cador nodded shortly. "Luckily, she is in Lindinis."

"Go to Caer Leon first," Arthur said, clasping his hands behind his back in his typical strategist pose. "Gareth and Gaheris must have built up a respectable army by now, and they will ride with you against Medraut."

Cador shook his head. "I will send them word. I need to get to Yseult, make sure she's safe."

"Good, but be careful. We will follow as soon as I can wring a treaty out of Chlodovech. It should not be much longer. Keep me informed so I know which port we must make for."

Trying to hide his disappointment, Cador nodded shortly and exited the tent. Even with Medraut attacking his neighbors, Arthur still did not deem it necessary to put a halt to his nephew's rebellion immediately.

What had become of the savior of Britain?

* * * *

There were no Easter festivities being planned in Lindinis this year. The news that Cerdic and Cynric were attacking their neighbor Natanleod in Calleva reached Yseult only a handful of days after they learned that Venta had fallen.

Yseult dismissed the messenger and turned to Enid. "I must speak with Ricca."

"I will go with you."

Yseult picked up Riona and settled the toddler on her hip. Together the women left the villa in the direction of the fields that had been transformed into practice grounds. As the most experienced warriors in Lindinis, Yseult's personal guard had taken over the training of new troops, advancing to military leaders of the patchwork army. Most of their days now were spent in arms and riding lessons with farmers and craftsmen, as well as the occasional practice skirmish.

As Yseult and Enid came through the apple orchard next to the fields, they could hear the clunk of wooden swords and shields, and the ring of real weapons as well. Although the spring day was cool, men grunted with exertion and wiped sweat from their brows.

Their steward Alun saw them first and hurried over. He had found himself neglecting his agricultural duties in order to help with preparations for war. The best planting would come to nothing if an enemy army trampled it down.

"Is there news of Arthur or Cador?" Alun asked as he joined them.

Enid shook her head. "Cerdic's forces are moving north into Natanleod's territory."

Alun sighed. "We can only hope Calleva will not fall as quickly as Venta. If it does, it is only a matter of time before Cerdic marches west."

Yseult caught sight of Ricca and signaled to him. "Precisely. And our villa here would be extremely difficult to defend."

Alun and Enid looked at each other, and Yseult could feel their sorrow; they suspected what she was going to suggest.

"What news?" Ricca asked, sheathing his sword.

Riona was squirming to be put down, but Yseult held her tight. "Cerdic will soon be attacking Calleva. And the messenger we sent to Lansyen almost two weeks ago still has not returned."

"You think it has fallen to Medraut's forces?"

"I think we must prepare for the worst." Yseult thought of all the people there who were dear to her, thought of Drystan's standing stone she would no longer be able to visit. "Come, let us move away from all these swords and horses."

Yseult led the way back to the villa and into the herb garden. They sat down on benches at the edge of the arbor. Yseult put Riona down, and she began chasing birds and butterflies at an unsteady run. "With Medraut claiming the kingship of Dumnonia and no word from Lansyen, I suspect he will soon have his sights on Lindinis."

"Don't you think he would try to take Isca first?" Alun asked.

She shrugged. "He might. But he might also decide that it would make more sense to trap us between two armies, perhaps intending to capture me and Riona. Besides, Isca would be much more difficult to take."

"Ah, this beautiful villa," Enid sighed.

Yseult watched Riona bend down to pick dandelions. "Yes. But it is not a fortress."

"You think we should move to the hill-fort of Dyn Draithou," Ricca said.

She nodded. "We will be safer there."

"Some of the buildings have fallen into disrepair," Alun said.

"But the defensive structures are intact," Ricca added.

Enid leaned forward. "Since it is in the system of signal fires established by Arthur, Cador continued to keep a small force there even after we moved to the villa. They are also responsible for the maintenance of the most important buildings. We would not be moving into a ruin."

Yseult shot her mother-in-law a grateful smile. So like reliable Cador to be prepared for every eventuality.

She turned to Alun. "I want you to take carpenters and masons and whatever craftsmen you think you might need and go to Dyn Draithou, see how much work would have to be done before we could move the household there."

"I will go with him," Enid volunteered. "I can inspect the kitchens and calculate how many people the houses will hold."

"Our new soldiers can help build more," Ricca said.

Riona clapped her hands and laughed out loud at the sight of a bird ruffling its feathers in the bird bath, and Yseult couldn't help but smile. "Good. We should be prepared to move as soon as possible. Our enemies might decide to attack at any time."

The others nodded solemnly. None of them wanted to leave the comfortable villa life behind, but to keep the lives of their people safe, they would.

* * * *

A mean wind whipped across the wide, flat top of Dyn Draithou, making spring feel very far away. Whenever Yseult came out of the protection of the defensive walls or the sturdy wooden buildings, she had to fight against the wind, which always seemed to push her in a different direction than she wanted to go. It ripped strands of hair out of her braid, slapping them into her mouth, and there was little she could do but spit them out again, hardly behavior fit for a queen.

The hereditary seat of the ancient tribe of the Durotriges was an impressive defensive structure, the sides of the hill grooved in a series of four thick, earthen ramparts. Next to Ynys Witrin, it dominated the central plain of Dortrig.

It was less than ten miles from Lindinis to Dyn Draithou, but moving all the livestock and furnishings had taken them over two weeks. Yseult had made the decision after a scout confirmed that Lansyen and Voliba had fallen. Weapons practice had come to a halt while warriors repaired disused buildings and put up new dwellings.

Yseult sent messages to Isca and Durnovaria informing the magistrates of the measures they were taking in Lindinis. She wrote Brangwyn in Dyn Tagell begging her and her family to stay safe. She wrote Cador informing him of their removal from the villa to the hill-fort.

But from Cador there was no word.

She could only hope he was already on his way. If that were the case, it would be almost impossible for a messenger to find him.

Yseult brushed another loose strand of hair back from her cheek and stopped to observe some men putting up a series of simple wooden houses near the western ramparts; there were not enough accommodations in Dyn Draithou for all those who sought the safety of its walls. For now, many were living in tents and sleeping on the ground.

The carpenters nodded and waved when they saw her watching. Yseult nodded back and continued on her tour of inspection. More men were at work on the main hall, covering the outside walls with plaster to better insulate the building.

Space was definitely a problem. The area of Dyn Draithou was nearly half that of the city of Lindinis, certainly larger than many a small town — but it would be impossible to put up all the livestock inside its walls. Stables were being built in the northwest corner of the hill-fort for the most valuable horses, but for the rest, pens on the plains to the north would have to be enough. Hopefully if they were attacked, they would be able to bring the rest of the horses and the cattle to safety; it would be more than irresponsible to allow good mounts to fall into the hands of the enemy.

Nearby, the cooks and maids who had come with them from the villa were cleaning out the kitchen buildings, while a wagon full of pots and pans stood outside. For the last decade, Dyn Draithou had rarely held more than twenty men at any one time, a small unit responsible for the signal fire and keeping an eye on the surrounding plains. They would not have needed the kinds of utensils Cador's cooks required for a banquet with guests from all over Britain — or even for a normal day with little more than half of Cador's household present.

One of the cooks unloading some pans shrugged and gave a comical grimace as Yseult passed, gesturing behind her towards the modest kitchen buildings.

Yseult waved. "Hopefully we will soon be able to build whatever you need."

The chubby woman chuckled. "Yes, hopefully, Lady."

At that moment, they heard a warning shout from the western ramparts. Yseult lifted her skirts, bunching folds of fabric in both hands, and ran.

A number of soldiers had already gathered when Yseult arrived. "What news?" she panted as several of them proffered hands to help her scrabble to the top.

"Fire," a red-headed warrior replied, pointing west and south.

Yseult's gaze followed where he indicated to see dark smoke swirling into the sky.

It was the direction in which Lindinis lay — and Cador's villa.

"I assume there have been no messengers?" she asked shortly.

"None, Lady."