A Shore Too Far - By Kevin Manus-Pennings Page 0,28

of our cavalry escort for the princes had been left at the camps behind our lookout, but the princes’ honor guard and a twelve-man guard of our own still rode with the Kullobrini royalty. Only the hoods and shoulders of the riders’ cloaks were soaked, telling me that the rain ended just a few miles south. The group swung toward me after passing the hill and I stood from my fire to receive them.

Both Prince Eglanna and Prince Eldrazz dismounted and approached. When they were within a few steps, they bowed low, their tightly curled hair rich and dark.

“We humbly apologize if we gave offense, General,” Eglanna began, rising and speaking over the rain. “Our intent was only to protect our persons.”

“I see,” I said, waiting for the rest.

“Your Prince Eric has made us see the errors in our judgment. We should have trusted two truly noble rulers and divulged everything,” Eglanna proclaimed.

“Your apology is touching, if late,” I said.

“We have been overly cautious, Princess, victims of our own fears.”

“Perhaps so,” I said and glanced at Eldrazz to get his reaction, but he avoided my gaze and studied the tent behind me.

Finally, he said, “I owe you an apology, too, General. My words were sharp at our last meeting. You did not deserve them.”

“Consider it forgotten, Prince Eldrazz,” I said, rankling still under the memory. “Your journey to our lands has been a trying one, I’m sure. Even the noblest of tempers can wear under such conditions.”

“You’re very gracious,” he replied. “I fear that I take failure rather hard.”

“Very hard,” said the young Eglanna, and touched Eldrazz’s shoulder.

Eldrazz smiled and looked at his younger brother.

“Can I walk with you?” I asked after a moment. “Conversation, they say, is a foundation for trust.”

Eglanna motioned for me to join them. “It would be an honor. And my people have a similar saying: ‘Trust moves through words, lives through deeds.’”

“Nobly put,” I said, untying my horse and leading it toward the princes.

“If I may ask, Princess, what breed of horse is that?” Eldrazz asked as we walked our mounts toward the shivering walls of the tent city.

“A Valley Long, referring to its leg length,” I answered, “though no doubt that name will change after seeing your beasts.”

Eldrazz laughed and continued to study my horse.

“Are you a man of horses, either of you?” I asked.

“More so my brother than I,” said Eglanna. “This horse,” he said, resting a hand gently on his own horse’s muzzle, “is known as a Shepherd’s Mute as it cannot neigh. It is often used in the highlands by our shepherds and has been known to drive off wolves when left among a flock of sheep.”

“Remarkable,” I said, shouting over a low peal of thunder.

“Our father had a great love of horses,” Eldrazz said.

“He is no longer with you then?” I asked.

“No,” Eglanna said matter-of-factly. “His flagship sank at sea some years ago.” He glanced quickly at me. “What of you? I understand your father is widowed.”

“Yes,” I said, “my mother died when I was very young. Thus far my father has seen fit not to remarry.”

We fell silent and studied the puddles that dotted the road leading to their tents. The cavalry escorts had taken an awkward position behind us on foot, the jingle of their tackle and armor matching the falling rain.

Eldrazz pointed to the rainbow arcing over the sea. “A rainbow on a day with sun and rain at the same time. Do your people consider that an omen?”

I shook my head. “Though the Men of the Gray Valleys take it as a warning from their gods that a divine judgment is coming. To die on such a day is taken as condemnation from the gods, a punishment for the wrongdoing of the deceased or his family.”

Eldrazz listened intently and nodded. “The Mun Dovari, I believe, call it the Thatcher’s Curse. If your roof leaks on a day like today, your luck is said to be bad until two full moons come and pass.”

“I had not heard that,” I said.

Eglanna looked across his older brother to me, a pleasant and diplomatic smile fixed on his face.

“A people somewhere should believe that it brings good luck, that it is a good sign,” Eldrazz said softly, his head turned toward the sea.

We walked again in silence and I searched the tents for more information through their labyrinthine folds. The Cloth of Blessing was wet for the first time I had seen it and as we neared I could make