Brynn felt eyes on her and glanced back as they left the main hall.Tolvir watched her, his gaze not wavering even after Brynn caught him.
His notice made pinpricks crawl along the back of her neck.She didn’t know the boy well enough to read his expression and that made her uneasy.Turning away, Brynn hoped it was nothing.
4
Cenric
Cenricspentthenightdrinking with Ovrek, Hróarr, and many other friends he hadn’t seen in years.Most of them commented on his trimmed beard and all of them made at least one joke about Hylden, but each one congratulated him on retaking Ombra.And they all complimented Brynn.His wife might not have understood the praises given by the Valdari warriors, but she seemed to guess by their tones and expressions.
Cenric complimented their wives and concubines in turn as was the custom.Brynn stayed close to him the whole night, declining an invitation from Vana when several of the women went off together for a short time.
Snapper wandered in and out of the hall, getting pets and scratches where he could, exploring new smells.He and a few other dogs from Ovrek’s household tussled over bones on the floor.
As the night wore on, Ovrek announced it was time for gifts.It was custom for a jarl to give gifts to his warriors at a feast.Some nights he might only be expected to provide choice cuts of meat to his favored men, but the size and number of gifts was dependent on the jarl’s wealth and how much he wished to reward his followers.
It seemed that Ovrek had become a jarl of jarls in many ways.Tonight was a special occasion, and the king handed out gifts of finger rings, jeweled daggers, silver coins, and silver brooches, many of them taken directly from his own person.
Ovrek drifted about the room, speaking with the jarls and chieftains and warriors gathered through the hall.Some of these men had been bitter rivals last time Cenric had been here, but one would never know it now.Ovrek placated his enemies with treasure and rewarded his friends with double.
Sifma, Ovrek’s wife, was a quiet woman, as stern as her husband was gregarious.She occupied the seat beside Ovrek in her white furs, draped in silver, precious stones, and stamped fabrics that could only have come from beyond the southern seas.As her husband distributed wealth among the men, Sifma gave out gifts to their wives and female companions.
Queen Sifma spoke no Hyldish, but with Cenric as translator, she gifted Brynn a bright blue headscarf made of silk.The fabric was dyed the deep hue of the ocean under a summer sky and must have cost an exorbitant amount even back in its country of origin.
Brynn bowed to the queen, expressing her thanks through Cenric.Despite the language barrier, he noticed her watching silently, reading interactions between the various jarls, their warriors, and their women.
“Cenric!”called a female voice.
Brynn’s hand clenched tighter around his arm.
Cenric turned to see a magnificent woman with silver temple rings, dressed in dark, rich blue.Her hair was mostly covered by the veil of a married woman, but it was the same copper red her father’s had been before the white took over.
“Lady Tullia,” Cenric bowed.“It’s good to see you.”
“And you.”Mischief glinted in Tullia’s eye.“Who is this pretty thing on your arm?”
“This is my wife, Lady Brynn, daughter of Eormenulf.”Cenric switched into Hyldish for his wife’s benefit.“Brynn, this is Lady Tullia, daughter of Ovrek.”
Tullia clasped both of Brynn’s hands as if they were old friends.“Your father was Eormenulf?I have heard so many tales of him.”
Brynn blanched, surprised to hear Hyldish from the other woman.“Thank you, lady.”
“Very good, Cenric,” Tullia beamed.“I am so proud of you.”
Cenric smiled wistfully.“I did nothing to deserve her, I fear.She is my wife only through the gods’ generosity.”
Tullia laughed at that, leaning toward Brynn as if to share a secret.“You have him well-trained, I see.That is good!Cenric always did need a firm hand.”
Cenric’s brow furrowed at that.
“But we made a fine warrior out of you.”Tullia looked Cenric over with something like fondness.Tullia was much like Ovrek, so magnanimous and friendly, one could almost forget her legendary temper.
“Lady Tullia,” Brynn repeated the name slowly, as if committing it to memory.“Am I saying it right?”
“Yes!It’s strange, I know.My father named me after a Kelethi lady he knew.”Tullia let off a little laugh.“In case you haven’t noticed, my father is obsessed with his time in Kelethi.”She sighed, releasing Brynn’s hands.“I am so pleased you are here.Both of you!I must host you in my house some night and hear all about how our dear boy managed to wed such a fine lady.”
“We would be honored,” Cenric said.
“Do you have an interpreter?”Tullia asked Brynn.“A servant, perhaps?”
