Taminy (60 page)

“I’m
not afraid of you,” Taminy said, and Feich scoffed.

“Then
send your bear away.”

Taminy
knew Feich’s demand posed no mortal danger. She looked up over her shoulder
into Catahn’s dark face. “It’s all right, Catahn. Stand down. He can’t harm me.”

Reluctantly,
the Hillwild removed himself from Taminy’s side, fading into the shadows
beneath the arch. Taminy moved close to the portcullis.

“You
feel nothing for me, Taminy?”

“I
feel pity.”

“Prove
that. Give me your hand.”

She
put her left hand, palm up, through the grille. The star, golden, gleaming,
shone at him. He started to take it, hesitated, and jerked away when their
fingertips brushed. His face burned red and he wriggled as if ants crawled upon
him.

She
withdrew the hand. “Now who is afraid?”

“I
will return to Creiddylad and I will, myself, be set before the Stone.”

“While
Airleas lives? Then you will be Cyne of a land divided completely. Your only
chance of maintaining Caraid-land’s unity is to have Airleas at Mertuile.”

“Half
a country is better than none at all. I will be set before the Stone, and the
Throne and Circlet shall remain in my possession and be passed down to my sons.
The Osmaer Crystal will be in the hands of Feich from this day forth. And no
Malcuim shall ever take it from us. And as for you, dear lady, I shall hound
you and yours until I have eradicated every last one of you. These hands-” —he
held them up before him— “These hands caressed you and drew such passion from
you not that long ago. Today I would cheerfully use them to strangle you. But I
think you’re worth more to me alive. The people love you, Taminy-a-Cuinn.”

“And
I love them.”

Calm—she
was too calm. He spoke to her with passion threatening to tear itself loose and
devour him, and those green eyes gazed back with the coolness of sea water. He
quaked with the effort it took not to scream at her—not to thrust his hands
through the grille and tear at her throat.

Why did she not love me
?

“You
can’t receive what you refuse to give,” she murmured, and there was nothing
left to do but stare at her, hating and wanting, until he could make himself
turn away from her gaze and return to his horse.

When
he was Cyne, he thought, as he turned his troops about, things would change. He
would hold the Crystal and, with Ladhar’s help, he would learn to wield its
power. He had always been fey, though he’d kept it well-hidden. Then, as
Cyne—no, as more than that, as Osric—he would let that Gift come to the fore.
Caraid-land would find itself possessed of a very powerful leader. First, the
Taminists would be eradicated, then the Deasach would be made to tremble.

He
turned in the saddle just before the trees obscured the gates of Halig-liath
from sight. She still stood there, watching him, looking small and vulnerable
and absurdly young.

Heat
licked up his spine, irritating him. He dug his heels into his horse’s flanks
and rode to the head of the long column.

oOo

Taminy
felt Catahn’s presence at her side as a spot of soft warmth in the cold, iron
shell about her. She allowed the shell to melt away into the earth and sagged
back against the Hillwild’s comforting bulk.

There
was a creak of leather and one large hand came to her shoulder. “He will
return, Lady.”

She
nodded, thanking the warmth that spread from his hand to suffuse her. “He will
return when he realizes that Airleas is Cyne of Caraid-land’s heart and that to
possess that heart, he must possess Airleas.”

Catahn
snorted. “He’ll be happy enough with the body for a while.”

“Not
long.”

“When
he returns, will he find us here?”

She
shook her head. “No. With us here, the people of Nairne are in danger. We must
be elsewhere when Daimhin Feich revisits Halig-liath.”

She
turned and re-entered the courtyard, Catahn maintaining his place beside her.
She ignored the questioning faces that greeted them for a moment, and paused to
gaze up and over the high eastern walls. The five of the seven peaks of the
Gyldan-baenn marched away toward the south. Far and away, she could see the
snow-capped thrust of Baenn-ghlo, for once, not wrapped in the mists that gave
it its name. The smaller summit of Baenn-ratha stood out in stark relief
against its bright, massive flank. Somewhere among those crags and forested
passes, Catahn’s stronghold, Hrofceaster, snuggled in near-inaccessible safety.
It would be a difficult place for those used to milder climes to winter, but
there they would be safe, and there they would not be subject to siege.

Catahn
had followed her gaze to look lovingly and longingly on those same peaks. “Shall
we begin preparations for travel, Lady?”

She
smiled and squeezed his hand where it still rested on her shoulder. “Thank you,
Catahn,” she said and moved to where Cwen Toireasa and Airleas waited in the
midst of a cluster of other believers.

oOo

Catahn
watched her till she was absorbed by the group, then pulled his eyes back to
the Gyldan-baenn. His heart swelled with a surge of something big and fine and
warm. He would go home soon, and he would bring the Lady of the Crystal Rose
with him.

ay
= “ay” as in “hay”

bh
= “v” as in “victory”

dd
= “th” as in “the”

dh
= a soft “d” with a slight aspirant

ey
= “eye”

fh
= the softest possible “f”; almost a “v”

gh
= a hard “h”

th
= “th” as in “the”

y
= a long “i”

Claeg
(Clayg): “House of Earth” — midland House of
traditional warriors; sword-cleft rock on a field of red.

Cuillean
(Kwil-een): “House of the Bear” — northern House;
brown bear on a green field.

Dearg
(Deerg): “House of the Red Man” — midland House;
red hand on a white and yellow field.

Floinn
(Flown): “House of
the Red Child” — breakaway northern House related to the Dearg; dagger-bearing hand on a yellow and white
field.

Feich
(Fyke): “House of the Raven” — southern neighbors
of the Claeg; raven on a yellow field.

Gilleas
(Gi-lee-as): “House of the Disciples (of the
Meri); midland House, traditionally strong allies of the Malcuim; golden star
on a midnight blue field.

Glinne
(Glin): “House of the White One” — House
traditionally dedicated to the worship of the Gwenwyvar or White Wave; white
wave cresting on a purple field.

Graegam
(Gray-am): “House of the Bray Man” — western
neighbors of the Feich; castle keep on a red and white field.

Jura
(Joo-rah): “House of the Broken Heart” — the
family of the martyred Osraed Gartain; twained heart on a white field with a
red border.

Madaidh
(Mah-dayth): “House of Wolves” — a sea-faring
House thought to be descendants of Deasach immigrants to Caraid-land; brown
wolf on a yellow and blue field.

Malcuim
(Mal-kwim): “House of the Sands” — the Royal
House of Caraid-land; clasped hands on a gold and green field.

Skarf
(Skarf): “House of the Cormorant” — a House of fisherman
and merchant seamen; white cormorant on a teal field.

Teallach
(Tee-lak): “House of Iron” — northern House;
sword on an orange field.

Aine
(Ayn): “fiery one”

Airleas
(
Ayr
-lee-as): a traditional Caraidin name meaning
“a pledge” or “an oath”

Ardis
(
Ar
-dis): “warm”, “ardent”

Arundel
(Ar-un-
del
): “dwells at the eagle’s grove”;
family estate of the Osraed Wyth

Bearach
(
Bay
-rak): “spear carrier”; heroic Cyne of
Caraid-land who won the First Battle of the Crystal against Buchan Claeg

Bebhinn
(
Beh
-vin): “melodious lady”; swift-flowing
northern branch of the Halig-Tyne

Bevol
(
Bay
-vol): Hillwild name meaning “wind”

Bitan-ig
(Bee-tan-
eegh
): “preserving”; Cyne and hero of
the Battle of the Chalice and the Skull

Brys
(Bryss): “quick” or “ambitious”

Caime
(Kaym): “crooked”

Calach
(
Kah
-lak): “companion”

Caraid-land
(Car-
ayd
-land): “land between the streams” hence,
“friendly land”

Catahn
(Ca-
tawn
): Hillwild name meaning “champion” or “warrior”

Ciaran
(Kee-
ar
-an): Hillwild name meaning “dark one”;
the most famous (or infamous) Ciaran was Cyne Ciaran, grandfather of Cyne
Colfre

Ciarda
(Kee-
ar
-da): a Hillwild name meaning “child of
the dark one”; a Cyne of Caraid-land and Colfre-s father

Colfre
(
Kol
-fray): Hillwild name meaning “a dove,” hence,
peaceful

Creiddylad
(Creh-
dee
-ly-ah): “jewel of the sea”; traditional
home of the Malcuims and capitol of Caraid-land since the reign of Malcuim the Uniter

Cuinn
(Kwin): “wise”; family name of Taminy-a-Cuinn;
from a small settlement east of Nairne

Daimhin
(
Day
-fin): “poet” or “savant”

Deasach
(
Dee
-sak): “southern”; Caraidin word for the
country beyond the southwest arm of the Gyldan-baenn; also used to refer to its
people

Desary
(
Deh
-sa-ree): a Hillwild name meaning “longed for”

Doireann
(
Dwa
-ree-an): “sullen”

Eada
(
Yah
-da): “prosperity” or “blessedness”; large
seaport to the north of Creiddylad situated on the mouth of the Ead-Tyne

Ealad-hach
(Ay-lad-
hak
): “ingenious” or “a scientist”

Faer-wald
(
Fayr
-wald): “mighty traveler”

Feich
(Fyke): “a raven”; one of the Caraidin Houses

Fhada
(
Vah
-dah): “long”

Gled
(Gled): “glad”, “joyous”

Goscelin
(
Jos
-e-lin): “the just” ; a great Caraidin
heroine

Gwenwyvar
(
Gwen
-wy-var): “white wave” or “white phantom”;
Eibhilin being associated closely with the Meri; often a bearer of Her messages

Gwynet
(
Gwi
-net): “white” or “blessed”

Gyldan-baenn
(Gil-dan-
bayn
): “golden mountains”; chain of
mountains that wraps from northeast to southwest about Caraid-land, forming a
border with the Deasach lands.

Haefer
(
Hay
-fer): “sanctuary”, “safety”; given name of
the great Hillwild Osraed and hero Haefer Hillwild

Hageswode
(
Hag
-es-wode): “from the high forest”; family
name of Osraed Haefer Hillwild

Halig-liath
(Ha-lig-
lee
-ath): “holy fortress”

Halig-tyne
(Ha-lig-
tyne
): “holy river”

Hrofceaster
(Rof-
kays
-ter): “sky fortress”

Ileane
(Ee-lee-
an
): “light bearer”

Iobert
(
Yo
-bayrt): “glorious warrior”

Iseabal
(
Eesh
-a-bal):
“dedicated to God”

Lach
(Lak): “by
the water”

Ladhar
(Lah-
dar
): “path”

Ladmann
(
Lad
-man): “guide”

Lealbhallain
(
Leel
-val-layn): “loyal champion”

Liusadhe
(
Lee
-oo-sath): “bringer of light”

Lufu
(
Loo
-foo): Hillwild name meaning “love”

Madaidh
(Ma-
dayh
): “the fox”

Meredydd
(
Mer
-e-dith): “guardian from the sea”

Meri
(
Me
-ree): “star of the sea”; the Being through
whom the teachings of the Spirit are conveyed to earth. The Meri is the
firstborn of the Eibhilin beings of which the only the Gifted are truly aware

Mertuile
(Mer-
tweel
): castle around which Creiddylad is
built; ancestral home of the House Malcuim

Nairne
(Nayrn): “place by the river alder grove”

Ochan
(
O
-kan): “boy” or “youth”

Osmaer
(
Oz
-mayr): “divinely glorious”; station-name of
the human Vessel of the Meri-s spirit

Paeccs
(Payks): “peaceful”; second Cyne of Caraid-land;
son of Malcuim the Uniter

Phelan
(
Fay
-lan:) “little wolf”

Ruadhe
(
Roo
-ah): “the red”

Ruanaidhe
(
Roo
-nayh): Hillwild name meaning “red one”;
treacherous nephew of Haefer Hageswode; said to have been turned into a river
silkie after murdering Cyne Siolta

Saxan
(
Sak
-san): “swordsman”

Scandy
(
Skan
-dee): “boisterer”

Siolta
(Shee-
ol
-ta): “teal”

Taminy
(
Ta
-mi-nee): “pure”

Thearl
(Thayrl): “stern one”; Cyne of Caraid-land during
the Blue Cusp; son of Cyne Siolta and Goscelin the Just

Toireasa
(Twa-
ree
-sa): “reaper”

Wyth
(Wythe): “dweller in the willows”; by
implication, “a healer”

abbod
(
ab
-od): the foremost Osraed at Ochanshrine

aidan
(
ay
-dan): Hillwild term for the aislinn Gift; literally “little fire”;
indicates the touch of the Eibhilin realm