Page 46 of Oath of the Wolf
“You would accuse my son?”Sifma demanded, eyes flashing.
Cenric frowned at that.“Brynn, did anyone else see Tolvir ask you?”Realizing the Valdari would be unlikely to believe Esa or one of his servants, he asked, “Anyone Valdari?”
Brynn hesitated.“Only him and his friends.And the translator Tullia sent.”
“Where is the thrall?”Cenric doubted anyone would trust the word of a thrall, but it might be useful to have her close.
“She…” Brynn turned, then glanced back and forth.“She’s gone.”
Not surprising.Most thralls knew to run at the first sign of trouble.No one would believe the word of a thrall against a queen anyway.
“Yourwife,”Sifma hissed, “came earlier today and offered to help.Gistrid was recovering, but now she’s dead.”
If Tullia had been behind this, then Tullia’s thrall had led Brynn into a trap.Worse, now Cenric couldn’t demand justice without making it appear he was pulling accusations from the air.
But Ovrek had killed Tullia’s husband.Who was to say she hadn’t killed his concubine in retaliation?
By the corpse, several handmaidens fussed and whimpered.They seemed oblivious to the standoff mere steps away.
Cenric caught the tramp of bootsteps as word spread of the concubine’s death.He tensed, glancing to Brynn.
“She was poisoned,” Cenric said flatly.They might as well start spreading the truth.“Brynn told the servants before this.Why would she have warned the household if she did it?”
Sifma turned away, shaking her head.“You should never have brought her here.”
“Mother!”Tolvir took in the scene with a gasp, horror washing over his face, but even he hovered back, not touching the threshold.“What happened?”
“She’s dead.”Sifma seemed to grow larger with fury.“Did you get the Hyldish woman to interfere?”
Tolvir pointed to Brynn.“She told me Gistrid was healed!”
“Foolish boy.”Sifma whirled away from her son and back to the girl’s body on the ground.
Tolvir spun around, glaring straight to Brynn.“What did you do?”His question was in Hyldish.
Brynn looked to Cenric in confusion.“I don’t understand.I healed her earlier today.”
“And now Gistrid is dead.”Tolvir stepped closer.“You told me she was better!”
“Watch yourself.”Cenric angled his sword to the youth.
Tolvir seemed to notice the blade for the first time.“You would dare draw a weapon in my presence?”
“Come closer and I’ll sheath it in your gut.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”Tolvir’s nostrils flared.
“Try me.”
“Cenric.”Brynn might not understand most of what was happening, but she could guess.Her hand stroked his upper arm, like she was comforting a wild animal.“We’ve all been taken for fools.Please.”Her voice dropped to a whisper.“We can’t fight our way out.”
Cenric wasn’t sure he believed that.Brynn probably could fight her way out, just not without a massive death toll.But Brynn was usually right.Cenric lowered his weapon.
“What is happening?”Ovrek’s authoritative bellow boomed over the gathered crowd.It was the same tone he had used to shout orders on the battlefield—a voice that made men want to fall in line.
Cenric almost stood at attention out of habit.
Ovrek marched up to Cenric and his son, taking in the two of them with a glare.“Threatening my son?”
