Brynn petted Guin’s head, thinking.It would be best for Cenric to stand by and do nothing, but he wouldn’t.From the way he had drawn his sword to defend her, even in front of Ovrek, he would never let them hurt her while he was alive.
That thought filled her with a sick sense of dread, but she couldn’t quite wish it was otherwise.No one had been willing to die for her in a long time.
“It looks like you did it, Brynn.”Vana’s words came out slowly, as if she didn’t want to speak them.“Intentionally or not.”
Brynn ground her teeth in frustration.She should have known better than to try to help Gistrid.It was all being used against her now, turning her into the proxy for murder.
Brynn had killed dozens, maybe even hundreds of people on the battlefield, but she had never been accused of murder before.
“Gistrid’s handmaidens said she had been sick for several days,” Brynn protested.“Stomach pains and tiredness.”
“She was with child.”Vana blinked.“That is hardly suspicious.”
Brynn didn’t expect Vana to be convinced, not really, but thinking out loud was useful.“She was almost dead.”
“We have only your word for that,” Vana pointed out.“Sifma and the handmaidens said she was getting better.”
They were lying.Either they were also trying to pile the blame on Brynn or they feared Ovrek’s wrath if he learned just how much they had hidden from him.Maybe both.
Brynn fought to think past her hurt and sense of injustice.“I healed her, and then it looks like she was given a much larger dose.”Brynn considered that.“I don’t think killing her was the goal, just the baby.”
“Why would anyone kill a baby?”Vana protested.
Brynn grimaced.Her own son had been a baby, murdered a year ago.The pain of that loss lingered, but though the boulder of her grief still took up space in her heart, it no longer crushed her beneath its weight.
“The child might not have survived birth, or its first year.”Vana shook her head.“It could have been a girl for all we know.”
Brynn studied the sleeping puppy in her lap.Vana was right.It made no sense.Brynn was still missing something.
Tullia might well have wanted to make Gistrid miscarry out of spite, but it wouldn’t explain changing her mind to want the girl dead.Tullia did not seem the sort to change her mind easily.
Vana exhaled a long breath.
“Why do you think I did it?”
“I did not say that.”
“But you do.”Brynn watched the glow of the hot coals falter.Esa would need to stir them when she returned.“Don’t you?”She tried not to sound defensive, tried to quash all sense of betrayal deep, deep down.
“I don’t think you meant to hurt her.”
“And Ovrek?”
“I don’t know.”Vana sighed.“Tolvir says that you must be a spy for Aelgar.”
Brynn supposed that was to be expected.
“Hróarr said you might be trying to sow discord among the Valdari.”
Brynn closed her eyes.If she had wanted to do that, she would have attacked Tolvir, not a random young woman.Tolvir was a man of fighting age, despite being young and impetuous.He was by far the bigger threat.
“I don’t think word has spread of it yet.They’re trying to say it was an accident for now.”
Brynn considered it.A king who could not protect his own pregnant concubine would hardly be seen as worthy by the warlike Valdari.They valued strength and power.Maybe someone was trying to discredit Ovrek before his planned invasion.
“Does Ovrek have any enemies besides my uncle?”
Vana let off a little laugh.“Half the men here either fought against him or had a close kinsman who did.”
