They left the beaten path, and Brenna led her granddaughter up one hill and then down another. They made their way through a small, dense wood with only the light of the bright moon to show them the way. The night was silent, for the creatures belonging to it had long ceased their songs. Here and there a bird would trill nervously, certain that the bright white light signaled the dawn. Occasionally they would rest, but Brenna dared not stop for long. She did not fear pursuit, but rather she feared her own mortality. They crossed a large grassy meadow where deer were grazing in the early light, and then entered a second wood. Above them the sky was visibly lightening. They had been traveling for some time now, and Cailin had the feeling that they were moving up.
“How much farther is it, Grandmother?” Cailin asked after they had been walking for several hours, mostly uphill. She was weary from the unaccustomed exercise. She could only imagine how the older woman must feel. It had been a long time since Brenna had walked such a distance, and certainly never in such a precarious state of health.
“Not far, my child. Your grandfather’s village is on the other side of this wood.”
The forest began to thin out, and the sky was bright with color as they exited from the trees. Before them rose a small hill, and atop it was the Dobunni village. Suddenly a young man appeared before them. He had obviously been on watch, and was surprised to see someone out so early. Then his face lit with slow recognition.
“Brenna! Is it really you?”
“It is I, Corio,” Brenna answered him, and her knees buckled beneath her.
“Help me, sir!” Cailin cried, attempting to keep her grandmother in an upright position, but it was futile.
Corio, after his initial amazement at seeing Brenna, jumped forward and caught the fainting woman up in his arms. “Follow me,” he told Cailin, and without so much as a backward glance at her, he ran up the hill.
Cailin hurried behind him, her face creased with concern. Her curiosity was strong, however, and she noted that the hill was ringed with three stone walls. Behind the third wall, they entered into the village. Corio made directly for the largest house, and Cailin followed him through its entrance into a big hall. A woman, fully six feet tall and dressed in a deep blue tunic, came forward. She glanced briefly at Cailin, gave a start of recognition, then looked at the burden Corio carried.
“It is Brenna, Grandmother, and she is injured,” Corio said.
“Put her there, boy, on the bench by the fire pit,” the older woman commanded. “Then go and fetch my medicines.” She looked at Cailin. “Are you squeamish, or can you help?”
“Tell me what you would have me do,” Cailin answered.
“I am Ceara, Berikos’s first wife,” the tall woman said. “You are Kyna’s daughter, are you not? You look like her, yet there is something a bit different about you.”
“Yes, I am Kyna’s daughter. My name is Cailin.” The girl’s eyes filled with tears. “Will Grandmother die?” she asked.
“I do not know yet,” Ceara answered honestly. “What happened?”
Cailin shook her head. “I do not know. I came home from the Beltane festival. The house was ablaze, and Grandmother had collapsed outside. She says my family is dead, but I know nothing more. She was insistent we come here. She would not even allow me to inform the authorities, or wait for the slaves to return from their holiday.”
“Berikos! Brenna’s voice rasped harshly. “I must speak with Berikos!” She struggled to rise from the bench where she lay.
“You must lie quietly, Brenna,” Ceara told her. “I will send for Berikos, but if you persist in this behavior, you will not live to tell him whatever it is you must tell him. Rest now.”
“Ceara! What is this I hear? Brenna has returned?” Another woman, not quite as tall as Ceara, but taller than Cailin, joined them. She had the prettiest, sweetest face that Cailin could ever remember having seen. There was something familiar about it, and yet Cailin could not place it. That face was now puckered with distress as she bent over the half-conscious woman. Her blue eyes filled with tears. “Brenna! It really is you! Ohh, I never thought to see you again!”
“Maeve,” Brenna said softly, but Cailin heard the affection in her grandmother’s tone. “You are still a fool, I see.”