Pagan Siege (Tribes of Britain Book 5) by Sam Taw (10 best novels of all time TXT) 📕

level of pilfering.” He took a breath and hung his head, dropping his gaze from the puckered lips and furrowed brow of his Chieftain. Within a few moments, he plucked up the courage to continue. “The Lady Cryda tried to impose a system of rationing, but there was an outcry over the pooling of resources.”

The messenger shuffled backwards, as though he was expecting Tallack to lash out. “If you’ll forgive me for saying, Chief, there is a growing discontent with your intended, the priestess. Word’s got round that she’s hoarding a massive stash of offerings and won’t share them, even though many of the new folk’s kids are close to death with hunger.”

This news shook me to the core. Endelyn had shown me nothing but generosity and kindness. It never occurred to me until then, that she might have singled me out for special treatment in the hope that I might ease her way into the bosom of my family. She had known hardship in her time, especially during the long winters at the Nine Maiden Circle on the moors, but to deliberately deny sustenance to the weak and sickly was low indeed.

Tallack turned away, rubbing at his eye absently. The messenger looked up at me for counsel, unsure if the Chief wished him to leave or stay.

I settled his quandary. “Has the Lady Cryda welcomed the Chief’s new Duro bride to the island?” I asked, moving towards the centre of the hut.

The messenger nodded. “We only just got her roundhouse prepared in time for her arrival. She was given the best fabrics and furs, slaves and jewels from the elders.” He looked shifty, stopping mid-sentence.

“And?” Tallack snapped, keeping his back to the poor exhausted fellow.

“And she complained that the slaves were too slow, that they didn’t know how to cook and that her hut was too humid.”

I thought Tallack might bark at the man, finding this to be his breaking point. Instead, he spun around and laughed. “If the foolish girl thinks that I have the power to influence the weather, she’s in for a rude awakening.”

I couldn’t determine whether my nephew was gripped by a bout of hysteria or was just plain overwhelmed himself. Nothing seemed to be working out as planned. It was as though we’d lost the gods’ favour entirely. Tallack’s tittering spread to his men, who laughed from his doorway behind me. As far as I could see, there was nothing amusing about our situation. It called for a rational head and decisive action. Without waiting for the noise to die down, I moved closer to the messenger.

“How long did it take you to ride here?” I asked him, unconcerned about my nephew’s reaction to my meddling.

“Three days. I changed horses twice. There aren’t many homesteads left in our region where I could make an exchange, plus I had to take a longer route around the burning moors.”

“They still burn?” I gasped. He nodded slowly, his eyes glazing with remembered fear. After all that had occurred with the Alchemists, the heath fires had slipped my mind. That put an end to the jollity.

Tallack was focused and listening once more. “Has my mother and the Duro girl set off for the midsummer binding rituals yet?”

“They were making their final preparations as I left, Chief.”

Tallack stared at me; a long and knowing look in which we shared our collective concern for their welfare. “And who was tasked with accompanying them across the moors?”

There was a momentary pause, while the nervous messenger thought about his response. “Um, Skentel and that Duro girl of Fur Benyn’s…” He peered at me for help with her name.

“Vina.” I supplied.

“Yes, she and Skentel discussed the trip and decided that there would be too few men left to keep order in camp if they escorted your mother and the priestess to the stones.”

Tallack sighed. “What did they decide to do about that, in…my…absence?” The last three words he positively yelled.

“They…um… arranged for some Duro warriors to ride alongside for protection.”

Tallack spun away reeling from this revelation. His hands flew up to cover his face, his eyes closed in disbelief. I could see it all inside my mind. One foolish decision after another had put us in an impossible situation. The Alchemists held all our wealth and influence, our people were starving and angry, our territory was on fire, and now our most valuable womenfolk were under the protection of our former enemies; a tribe that revelled in holding hostages and overthrowing weaker foes.

I did not need to spell out our misfortunes to the Chief. He was sober enough to comprehend them fully. We exchanged glances for a few moments, but there was nothing more to be said. We had no way to stop our family’s power within the tribe falling into ruin.

I’d heard enough and I had no solution to our predicament. With a dull ache in the pit of my gut, I turned to leave. Our men were ashen faced as they parted allowing me a clear path through the throng. The gentle breeze blowing along the valley was refreshing, but not sufficient to lift my mood. Suffering with aching joints, I wandered back towards my hut, and churned over all that I had to disclose to my friend.

In the twilight of the day, I watched Ren attaching strips of eel leather to a wooden panel, creating a hinge with the door frame.

“Got the skins from one of the men.” He grinned. “Thought we deserved a bit of privacy for a change.” Renowden welcomed me inside where he’d laid out a feast of roasted sea kale roots with toasted whelks and a huge, steaming pink crab. “After your scare with the Alchemists today, I thought you could do with a bit of spoiling.”

How could I tell him that I would have preferred the hut open to take advantage of the cool air after all his troubles? Biting my tongue, I smiled at him as he secured the door behind us.

The meal was