Page 340 of The Daughters of Avalon
She was so confused now.
What if, all along, he’d been doing her mother’s bidding? What if he had brought them here to this godforsaken ruin instead of to Warkworth so they could be ambushed by her mother? For five long years, Warkworth had been preparing for this confrontation, and here they were… in a place and state of disrepair, with no chance to survive any siege and few allies to speak of—not to mention, they were ill-equipped to win a simple battle. If Morwen should descend upon them right now, whether alone, or with allies, they would be like lambs drawn to a slaughter.
“Listen to your heart,” said Rosalynde sweetly. “As you know, I wedded a huntsman, Rhiannon. Like you, I should have never trusted Giles.”
“And yet do you?”
Rosalynde nodded fervently. “Implicitly.”
“What has he said?” pressed Elspeth, not so kindly.
We are not aligned.
We are not aligned.
We are not aligned.
“That isnotthe question to ask,” reprimanded Seren, and then with a smile in her golden eyes, her middle sister kneltbeside Rhiannon, placing a hand to Rhiannon’s knee. Up close, Seren’s skin was perfectly radiant. Her hair shone like filaments of light. “As you once told Arwyn—remember? —you must trustyourheart.”
Rhiannon blinked away a tear. “You were there?”
“Nay, I was not, my sister. And yet I have seen it.” She sighed woefully, and said, “I have witnessed more than I ever cared to see. And still, I know what I know, and I do not know what I do not know.”
“What doesthatmean?” snapped Elspeth. “Please, Seren! Do not confuse her with riddles. She has enough of a burden to bear.”
“Goddess, alive! You might be eldest,” argued Rosalynde. “But you arenotall-knowing. Leave off with the tyranny, Elspeth!”
“Please, sisters,” begged Seren. “This is not the time to battle amidst ourselves.”
Rhiannon exhaled wearily.
So much had changed, and yet, so much remained the same. Elspeth was just as domineering as ever, only this time, it wasn’t her eldest sister and her at odds. She smiled ruefully over that, amused despite the situation. In all her days, she would never have imagined Elspeth defending her… at least, not since they were children. And here she was, precisely doing that.
As usual, Seren’s patience was heroic. “What I meant is this: I have seen the past, but the future is still to be written. I do not have the ability to see it. Rather…”
She turned to Rhiannon,mindspeakingher own words, and Rhiannon gave them voice. “Life is like a spider’s web—so many threads flowing from its center, all leading to destinations unknown.”
“Precisely,” agreed Seren. “Such as it is, I cannot receive answers for which I do not know the questions.”
Elspeth frowned. “Every day, you sound more and more like that crazy old bat, Isolde—riddle me this, riddle me that!”
“Isolde?” said Rhiannon, her attention piqued, and Rosalynde explained about the old crone’s visit to Warkworth, and all about the old crow that arrived at the same time. Remembering the crow perched on Marcella’s shoulder, Rhiannon wondered…could it be?
Just in case, she told her sisters about the encounter, and all that Marcella had told her, including the tale of her mother’s death, who was also, coincidentally, named Isolde.
“Isolde is dead?” asked Elspeth, confused.
“She died moons ago,” said Rhiannon. “Marcella claimed it was the year she deposited us all at Llanthony.”
“Hmm,” said Elspeth, clearly disbelieving. “And what about Marcella? Do you believe we can trust her?”
“Aye,” said Rhiannon, remembering the sword that the paladin placed between herself and Cael—or rather, between herself and Maelgwn.
Sweet fates,she was so confused.
“Indeed, you may trust me,” said Marcella. She stood in the doorway, cocking a smile at all four sisters.
“How long have you been there?”
