Here Be Dragons - 1 Sharon Penman (paper ebook reader .TXT) 📖

&' fionydd. Our people took refuge inCricieth Castle, and he swung sou into Lleyn, burned your manor at Pwllheli.Before retreating in Meirionydd, he crossed into Arfon, harassed the monks atBeddgeie when they balked at emptying their larders for his men."

533Adda rarely laid his emotions open for others to see. But he'd loved Gruffydd too much to be dispassionate now. "There is no mistake, Lle^glyn. Gruffydd is known on sight throughout most of Gwynedd. JvOr did he seek to conceal his identity. To the contrary, he flaunted his banners for all to see. He wanted you to know, Llewelyn, went to some pains to make sure you would."Llewelyn turned toward Ednyved. "I want a courier to depart at dawn forMeirionydd. He is to tell Gruffydd that I command him to appear before my court to answer for his actions."Ednyved nodded, then gave Llewelyn the only comfort he had to offerprivacy.Adda and Morgan followed him from the chamber, leaving Joanna in a quandary.Her every instinct counseled her to remain, but she was at an utter loss for words. Gruffyddno less than Johnhad always been an exceedingly dangerous subject, to be broached only with the utmost caution."Do you think Gruffydd will obey your summons?""No," Llewelyn said, "I do not.""Then ..." Joanna paused. "What will you do, beloved?"At first she thought Llewelyn did not intend to answer. He moved away from her, stood for some moments staring at her newest acquisition, a wall hanging of heavy linen embroidered in brilliant shades of worsted yarn."You look at that hanging and what do you see, Joanna? Unicorns and birds of paradise, Eden. But up close the pattern becomes thousands of individual threads. Pull just a few, and the entire pattern can unravel.""I do not understand what you are saying, Llewelyn.""Authority is no different, unravels just as easily. Men obey me for a number of reasons, one of which is that they fear the consequences if they do not.""You're telling me that you cannot afford to let Gruffydd's raiding go unpunished. But can you do that, Llewelyn? Can you truly make war uPon your own son?""I do not know," he admitted. "And that is what frightens me so, 'oanna. Ijust do not know."' RDINJG the River Mawddach at Cymmer Abbey, Llewelyn led his men utn' They were deep in Meirionydd now, having reached the mile-Slake called Llyn Myngul. It was a beautiful valley, but narrow andP< and although Llewelyn's scouts had been able to allay his fears of^ Us"' he was relieved nonetheless as they left the lake behind, ed onto more open ground.

534"Did I ever tell you about the time I clifimbed Cader Idris?" Ednyved gestured toward the towering summit orm their right. "There's a lake hidden away up there as dark as ink, and lo-ocal folk say it has no bottom say that a creature of terrifying mien lurUks in its depths. Mind you, never saw it myself, but..."Llewelyn turned in the saddle. His evyes rested for a long moment upon the other man, a plain face made nwiore so by a disfiguring scar, a familiar face showing little of the sharpo, pragmatic intelligence that made his advice so valuable, his friendshijp so dear. Llewelyn knew that Ednyved's son Tudur was one of Gruffydod's most trusted companions He knew, too, that Ednyved had been uiinable to track down Tudur's whereabouts, might well find him with Gruffydd.And yet he'd said nothing of his own anxiety, instead had bbeen doing his utmost to keep Llewelyn from dwelling upon the comings confrontation.You are indeed the friend lauded inn Scriptures, he who sticketh closer than a brother. But Llewelyn daredB not say it aloud, lest his emotions break free.He had twenty-five yearrs of memories he must somehow keep at bay, memories that stretcheod from Gruffydd's first spoken word to his last choked "Rot inHell.""Look!" Ednyved pointed, but Llewvelyn already saw; one of their scouts was coming up from the southwesst, coming fast."They've gathered near Craig Ader^yn," he gasped out as soon as he was within hearing range. "I saw - your son's banners, my lord They're waiting for us, waiting to do batt-tle."CRAIG Aderyn was a breeding ground fifor peregrine falcons, and the were circling overhead, airborne and umcaring witnesses to the human drama about to be enacted below them. From time to time a man would glance upward, as if wondering what th»e sleek birds of prey portended Tudur suspected that to many, the falcorns seemed suddenly as unlucb as ravens, feathered omens of ill fortune.Warfare as they knew it usuallyconsisted of raids and siege' Pitched battles were a rarity, and as he- moved among the men, Tudi could sense their unease. But it was m»ore, he knew, than their lack < battlefield experience.Although Gruffy.dd was their lord, Llewelyn ** their Prince. Most of them felt very strongly that Gruffydd had bee grievously wronged. Few of them were eager, however, to take up a against a man who was already becoming something of a legend m own lifetime. , jMoreover, this war had split famili- es asunder. Tudur and Gru 5^ were not the only ones facing blood ki-n across a battlefield, and ^ was not alone in his dread of what was to come. He felt torn m W '

535he was not here now in Gruffydd's encampment by choice It was simply that he had not known how to tell Gruffydd that he wanted no part in Gruffydd's war"Amlyn, ought we not to say a prayer ere the battle begins ask God's blessing upon us7"The other man nodded "Tudur, I do not like this, not at all I just tried to talk to Gruffydd, but I do not think he heard a word I said He's acting right strange, Tudur Not once did he take his eyes from Llewelyn's banner, not once"Gruffydd was astride his favorite destrier, a black stallion so temperamental that none but he could ride it The horse bared its teeth now at Tudur's approach, and Tudur's mount shied away "Gruffydd7 Gruffydd,