Spindle and Dagger - J. Anderson Coats Page 0,37

of travel bread into wool-wrapped hands and giving kisses on round red cheeks.

I have a pretty good idea that something will involve warm breath on my neck and a lazy hand drifting up my belly.

I find the children under one of the trestles. They’re playing a game William calls border raids. He’s holding Not Miv around the middle so she can’t crawl away or eat rubbish off the floor.

“She’s my horse,” William explains.

“My horse,” David says, holding up his ratty cloth.

I join them under the table and ask who they’re raiding, how many spoils they’ve carried away, what they’ve burned. William spins out a story about a ford and an ambush and five thousand Norman knights. David slides against me and grips my hand, damp and sticky.

They’ll be out of danger. Untangled from the war Owain tried to “enhance” and free from his attempt at vengeance that they never should have been part of in the first place. They’ll be out of danger, and I’ll never see them again on this earth.

William holds his giggling sister’s smock like reins, tugging her left and right, while David sucks his thumb and waves his rag like a banner. The older boy talks faster, and now there are a hundred thousand knights and the ford runs red with blood and they have so much plunder that he needs David to bear some of it on his horse, so David slides away from me toward his brother, squealing, “I carry it! Me, I carry!”

Feet clomp past. Einion penteulu. There aren’t many reasons he’d come into the kitchen, and none of them are good. Cadwgan has released Nest and the little ones, and it must be that Owain will not let such a thing stand.

Einion penteulu must be here to kill them.

I put a finger to my lips and William pauses mid-sword-stab, head cocked. “It’s the enemy,” I breathe into his ear. “We must be quiet so we’ll not give away our position.”

William nods, grinning, and puts his own finger to his lips at David. David looks between me and his brother, eyes huge. I give him my miracle-girl smile. Absolutely nothing is amiss, this is all a game, and the enemy will never find us. David does not scramble back against me. He’s wary, but he stays near William and holds tight to his rag.

Einion penteulu stomps toward the rear of the kitchen, asks the cook something, swears, and heads outside once more. I wait till the echo of footfalls is gone some moments, then let out a long breath and turn to the little ones. They must keep out of sight till I can put a stop to this.

“You stay here and guard this border,” I whisper. “William, you’re the king. David, you’re penteulu. Don’t let the enemy past, and don’t let them take your livestock.” I pet Not Miv’s soft hair. “Stay together, and don’t leave your position.”

“Not go,” David says, and he grapples the end of my cloak into the same fist as his cloth scrap.

I shush him and glance at the door. Einion penteulu will be back when he can’t find them anywhere else. “I’ll be a scout. I’ll go find where the enemy is hiding. I’ll make sure he thinks we’re somewhere else.”

“Not go,” David repeats, doubling my cloak-end in his grip.

“Stand to, field captain,” William says cheerfully to him. “She’ll be back. She came to find us after we had to leave with that warbander all in a rush. Right, scout?”

David draws a sobby breath and wrings my cloak-end. If I pull away and leave, he’ll cry. If he cries, Einion penteulu will be back in a heartbeat, blade in hand. So I nod. Instead of saying farewell, like I came here to do. Then, because his eyes are so big and swimming, I tell him, “Duckling, I’ll always come back.”

“Told you,” William says to David as he gentles my cloak out of his brother’s fist. “You’ve your orders, scout. My field captain and I will ambush the next warband that happens past.”

“A good ambush needs quiet,” I remind them. “Hold your border here and stay together.”

I slide out from under the table. David makes a tiny puppy sound even as William whispers something in his ear and firmly closes his brother’s fingers around the red cloth square like it’s a fire iron.

I’ll find Owain. I’ll convince him. I’ll beg. I’ll promise him anything. He said no comfort, but that’s a world away from murder in cold blood.

I’ll