Ovrek laughed.“You and your foretelling and hound-speaking.”Ovrek tugged at the braids on his chin.“Can you speak to this one?”He gestured to Snapper under the table.
Friend?Snapper asked, wagging his tail at the king.
“This is Snapper.”Cenric scratched Snapper’s rump, earning a string of happy thoughts from the dyrehund.“He’s one of my dogs, yes.”
“What’s he saying right now?”
Snapper cocked his head at Cenric, sensing that they were talking about him.
“He’s asking if you can be friends.”That was what Snapper usually wanted to know.
“Would you like to be friends, son?”Ovrek lowered a hand toward the dog.
Friends!Snapper’s tail thrashed wildly as he stepped forward, licking the back of Ovrek’s knuckles.
“Good dog.”Ovrek rubbed Snapper’s ribs and earned an appreciative snort from the dyrehund.“I saw you brought another one.”Ovrek patted Snapper one last time.“A pup?”
Cenric indicated his wife.“That is Brynn’s dog.”The dyrehunds did not understand ownership in the way humans did, but Guin definitely favored Brynn.
“I see.And you hunt with them?”
“We do,” Cenric said.“They’re good trackers.”
“Can you still throw a javelin like you used to?”Ovrek quirked a brow.
“I can still kill what I aim at.”Cenric hadn’t had as much time to hunt lately, but he was still proficient.
“I should like to see that.A hunt with mind-speaking dogs,” Ovrek mused.“I shall have to visit your land.”
“That would be an honor.”Cenric felt Brynn’s eyes on him and added, “King Aelgar would be pleased to meet you, I am sure.”
Ovrek gave no sign that was anything other than what he wanted to hear.He turned his attention to Hróarr.“I’m glad we were able to get him to come.”
Hróarr inclined his head.“It has been too long since my cousin was in the fatherland.”
That wasn’t entirely true.Cenric had been in one of the southern towns last autumn, searching for the man who had killed Brynn’s son.But it was probably unwise to boast of abducting Valdari warriors.
“Indeed!”Ovrek pointed a thick finger at Cenric.“You and I must speak tomorrow.”
Brynn went rigid at his side, but she hid it on her face well.
“I shall await your summons,” Cenric said.
“Bah!”Ovrek laughed at that.“No, son.Just find me when you can.I will be with the shipbuilders all day.Work of kingship and all that.”
Cenric inclined his head.“I will.”
“Here.”Ovrek removed a large silver cuff from his wrist and handed it to Cenric.At a glance, Cenric guessed it was easily worth a good mare back in Hylden.“I am honored by the presence of a brave warrior and alderman of Hylden.”
It would have been an insult to refuse, so Cenric accepted the gift with a bow.“You honor me.”He turned to Brynn and slid the cuff over her forearm.
She seemed surprised, but didn’t protest, adjusting the silver circlet over her sleeve.Brynn might not understand the significance of it, but from the way Ovrek followed the gesture, he seemed to catch Cenric’s intent.
I’m keeping Brynn.
Ovrek turned to Hróarr.“And you!”Ovrek took a ring from his finger, studded with a large ruby.“It is always good to have you here.”
Hróarr inclined his head, accepting the gift with both hands.“You honor me.”He also handed the ring to Vana and she began to plait it into the end of a braid.
