Page 36 of Tears of the Wolf
“Oh, I can promise that it won’t be mysnoringthat keeps you up tonight.”
Brynn watched their interaction, then looked to Cenric in question.
He shrugged. He had never understood Edric and Gaitha’s relationship—but that was their business.
“Gaitha, show my wife to our room. Then you can continue berating your husband.”
“Best jump to it, love,” Edric quipped. “I know how much you love to berate me.”
Gaitha swatted at Edric, and he laughed. “At once, lord, but you should know that your aunt sent word for you.”
Cenric braced himself. “What now?”
“One of her girls came to the longhouse yesterday and said she had Nettles locked in her barn.”
“Nettles?”
Nettles had been the dyrehund bonded to Cenric’s older brother, Godric. Thorn had taken the loss of his master badly, but Nettles had taken it worse.
Death was difficult for the dyrehunds to understand, but they usually grasped when people or other animals were gone.
Nettles didn’t seem to understand that Godric was dead. Thorn would often linger by the family graves, guarding the silent mounds. He must know that was where his master lay now. But years later and Nettles still often waited by the riverbank, her thoughts calling Godric’s name. Sometimes she disappeared for days or weeks at a time and Cenric thought she must be looking for him. Perhaps it was that Godric had left her behind in Ombra when he had sailed south for the war. She’d been a pup, so perhaps she hadn’t been able to recognize the rotting corpse as him.
Nettles had disappeared at the start of harvest and Cenric hadn’t seen any signs of her for months. Cenric had feared she was gone for good.
“It didn’t make much sense to me, either,” Gaitha admitted. “Old Aggie said the mules were safe, but that her sheep were now trapped in the cold. She wants you to come deal with the dog.”
Cenric’s good mood shattered. His aunt might have Nettles trapped in her barn or it might be a badger.
Last time Aegifu had sent for him, she’d sworn a mountain lion was carrying off her geese. It had turned out to be a young lynx barely bigger than a barn cat.
“Go tomorrow,” Edric said. “If Old Aegifu has survived one night with the beast, I’m sure she can survive another.”
Cenric grimaced, thinking. It was at least three hours to his aunt’s home in the hills, two if he took horses. That would still mean he wouldn’t arrive until sunset.
If the stupid old woman would move closer to the longhouse, they wouldn’t have this problem. But she had been given her farm as part of her dowry and swore she would die there. As her lands had been a gift from Cenric’s grandfather, then the alderman of Ombra, it was Cenric’s duty to honor their agreement. Part of that agreement was that the family would always see that her needs were met.
Her son had died in the war between Aelgar and Winfric as had her husband and Cenric’s father and brothers. Her daughter’s family had moved into the south long ago. Cenric was her only relative within three hundred miles.
And if he started breaking the contracts of his fathers…well, he wouldn’t do that.
Brynn looked between Cenric and Edric, probably trying to guess what was happening.
“Brynn, I will be back tomorrow.” He touched her shoulder. “Gaitha and Edric will see that you have anything you need.”
Brynn swallowed and he could swear disappointment flickered across her face. “I understand.” She angled her head down. “Never fear for me, lord. I shall be fine.”
She had gone quiet again, making herself small. Keeping his family’s promises to his aunt felt like he was breaking his own promise to Brynn.
Cenric wished he didn’t have to leave her alone. “Kalen,” Cenric called. “You’re coming with me. Get my horse ready and meet me at the stables.”
Kalen hastily set down a barrel he’d carried up. “Yes, lord.”
“Bring whatever we need to stay the night.”
Kalen was already out the door as his next “Yes, lord” carried on the breeze.
“Brynn?” Cenric turned back to her.
