Page 82 of Tears of the Wolf
Hróarr cocked his head at Cenric, seeming interested. “Of course, a man who recently took the king’s niece for himself might have his own ambitions.”
Cenric shook his head dismissively. “I’m not an atheling.”
Hróarr frowned, not recognizing the foreign word.
“I don’t come from kingly stock,” Cenric explained.
“If a man had enough spears at his command, no one would care,” Hróarr countered. “Hire a few thousand mercenaries.”
Cenric smirked at that. “And where would I get the silver to pay them?”
This was conjecture, nothing but fancy. Cenric and Hróarr had often made plans like this as boys, speaking of adventures that would never be had and conquests that would never be undertaken.
Hróarr shrugged. “Where’d you get the silver to pay the men when you retook Ombra?”
Cenric’s cousin already knew the answer to that. “Ovrek.”
The Valdari king could be a hard ruler, but he was generous with those who were loyal. He’d given Cenric two ships and thirty men to reclaim his inheritance.
Ombra had been years without an alderman by that time and Cenric had assumed he’d have to fight to retake the shire.Despite that, Cenric had ended up doing far less fighting than he or Ovrek had expected. Cenric had turned up to find his aunt Aegifu running the house and the main estate.
Aegifu had declared Cenric the rightful alderman and scurried back off to her own farm. Some of the wealthier thanes had objected, but most had come around to swearing loyalty to Cenric. Olfirth was one of the last hold outs.
“And they are my men now, not mercenaries,” Cenric corrected.
The men Ovrek had sent with him were former thralls who had been granted freedom in exchange for fighting for Ovrek. Edric had been one of them. Those men had been in Valdar too long to return to their old lives, but there was too much suspicion between them and the Valdari for them to stay in Valdar. They now made up the core of Cenric’s thanes.
Hróarr stroked his beard, seeming to consider that. “You’re right. You’re too poor to be a king.”
Cenric laughed, taking his turn to toss the dice. “I have enough to do managing my own people. I don’t need to deal with the rest of Hylden. The other aldermen dislike me as it is.”
“Which does make me wonder.” Hróarr’s dark eyes watched as Cenric moved his pieces across the board. “Why is such a poor man, so disliked by the other aldermen, marrying a king’s daughter?”
Cenric bristled this time. “I’ve already married Brynn. And I’m notthatpoor.”
Hróarr waved his hand at Cenric’s tone. “For a king, you are. Which means you are poor for a king’s daughter.”
Cenric glared at his cousin. Calling him poor once was a jest. Calling him poor three times in a row was venturing into insult.
Hróarr studied the tafl board, not meeting Cenric’s glower.
“If there’s something you want to ask me, ask it.” Cenric didn’t like where this was going. There had been a time when heand Hróarr had nothing and no one but each other. They had been closer than full-blooded siblings, closer than twins.
Somehow, Cenric had taken for granted that they always would be. But now his cousin was a Valdari mercenary, and he was a Hyldish alderman. Things were more complicated.
“Why did you marry Aelgar’s niece?” Hróarr’s question was blunt and bordering on accusation, but Cenric was glad to be getting to the point.
“Ombra needs a sorceress,” Cenric said. “Brynn was the first one willing.”
“A king’s daughter volunteered to marry you?” Hróarr’s skepticism was bordering once again on insulting.
Cenric almost began to defend himself, but the best defense was often an attack. “Brynn didn’t want me to come here.”
Hróarr grunted. “Hyldish women are like that, I hear. Fearful, whimpering things.”
“She thinks you’re lying about this raid.” Cenric cocked his head at Hróarr. “Or if it’s real, she thinks you’re working with the raiders and planning to split the silver I pay you once you repel them.”
Hróarr’s brows rose. “Well, that’s a good idea.” He looked back to the mouth of the river. “Clever, actually. I should try that one some time.” He turned back to Cenric. “I don’t suppose you know of any particularly gullible landholders along the coast?”
