Here Be Dragons - 1 by Sharon Penman (best inspirational books txt) 📕

the smells of horses and hay and manure were comforting in 'heir very familiarity. He sat there for some time, alone in the semi^arkness, listening to the soft nickering of the animals, trying to make Sense out of emotions that were as contradictory as they were compelIri8- His senses were normally acute, but he'd let himself be lulled into "Caution, and he did not hear the footsteps in the straw, jumped when a v°ice spoke suddenly out of the shadows.How disappointed you must be." k The voice was familiar, and yet it was not.It sounded like Davydd, Jt held none of Davydd's vaunted control, the icy indifference that

580Davydd had learned to wield like a whip. This voice was uneven, raw with rage, throbbing with hatred. Gruffydd got slowly to his feet, and one of the shadows moved, revealing that it was indeed his younger brother. But this was a Davydd he'd never seen before, and he instinctively dropped his hand to his sword hilt."I do not know what you mean.""Yes, you do. You deliberately goaded Papa into riding that stallion, knowing full well that the horse was not broken!""That is not true. I did not know."Davydd's lip curled back. "Liar!" he jeered. "No man buys a horse without riding it first. And you even claim you were warned it was skittish. You'd never have resisted a challenge like that, not you! You tried to ride that stallion, and if there were any justice, you'd have broken your worthless neck! Was that when you got the idea? When you found you could not master him yourself?"Gruff ydd took a swift, threatening step forward. He towered over the younger man, but Davydd stood his ground. Gruffydd had flushed. Lying did not come easily to him, and he made no more false denials, instead fell back upon the truth, as he perceived it to be. "Even if I did know about the stallion, I had no evil intent in mind, never meant for Papa to be hurt.""I'll grant you that. You were more ambitious, were hoping for more than a broken leg. I think you've grown weary of waiting, think you wanted him dead!"Gruffydd gasped, then lashed out. Davydd saw the blow coming and recoiled, but he was not fast enough. Had he not pulled away, it might have broken his jaw.As it was, it had enough force to snap his head back, to stagger him. He stumbled and Gruffydd swung again, buried his fist in Davydd's stomach. He doubled up, fell to the floor just as Joanna and Ednyved entered the stable."Jesus God, no!" Joanna gave Gruffydd one incredulous look of horror, knelt by her son. He was bleeding profusely, and she was afraid to touch him, afraid to find a wound that might be mortal.Ednyved, too, had whitened at sight of Davydd's blood. "Christ, what have you done?" he demanded, grabbing Gruffydd roughly by the arm.Gruffydd jerked free. "What do you think, that I stabbed him?' Outraged, he drew his sword halfway up the scabbard. "Do you see any blood on the blade? Ihit him, that's all.""He's lying, Ednyved, has to be. Jesu, look at all this blood!""Mama ..." Davydd coughed, struggled to sit up. "Mama, Im n hurt." . sGruffydd let his sword slide down the scabbard. "Your preclI'm not

581nestling has a nosebleed, Madame/' he said scornfully. "No more than that. .this time."Joanna could see now that Gruffydd spoke the truth, that this frightening rush of bright red blood was indeed coming from Davydd's nose. Forcing him to lie flat, she sought to stanch the bleeding with her veil. Gruffydd stood watching for a moment longer, then turned and stalked out.As soon as the bleeding ceased, Davydd insisted upon sitting up. "I need some water," he muttered. "I cannot go out there with blood all over me." Ednyved found a drinking pail, but when Joanna tried to help, Davydd snapped, "I am not a child, Mama, do not need to be coddled!""Davydd, that was not my intent!" But Gruffydd's taunt came back to Joanna then"your precious nestling"and her hand slipped from Davydd's sleeve. She would have protested, though, when he turned to go. But Ednyved caught her eye, shook his head."It's best to let him be," he advised, once Davydd was out of hearing. "His pride is sore, and that's not a hurt a mother can heal."Joanna did not agree, but she had not the energy to argue. Reaction had set in and she was trembling again. She looked about in vain for a stable workbench, dropped down upon the bale of hay. "Till the day I die," she said numbly, "I'll never be able to forget that sight, Davydd crumpled on the ground, drenched in blood, with Gruffydd standing over him, hand on sword hilt. Can you blame me, Ednyved, for thinking what I did?"Ednyved sat beside her on the bale. "No, for I thought it, too.""Llewelyn thinks Gruffydd wanted to see him take a fall. I would that I could believe he had nothing more in mind. Tell me the truth, Ednyved. Do you thinkGruffydd was hoping Llewelyn would be badly hurt, mayhap even killed?"He seemed in no hurry to respond. "I saw his face when Llewelyn was thrown. If he was not fearful for Llewelyn, he's a rather remarkable actor, and acting has never been one of his talents.""But he had to know the risk!""Joanna, you're asking me what only Gruffydd can answer. It may e that even he does not know for certes. If you're asking whether Grufydd hates Llewelyn, Ithink he has learned to hate him. But in a strange Way, I think he still loves him, too."'How can he hate and love Llewelyn at the same time?"Ednyved shrugged. "Probably the same way you hate and love "V he said, andJoanna jumped to her feet, began to pace.Gruffydd has no intention of honoring Llewelyn's wishes, of ac-

582cepting Davydd as his liege lord. As soon as Llewelyn is dead, he means