Oh, he knew she didn’t feel the same way for him. Not yet. God help him, every time he thought of the man she’d lain with, he wanted to gut Murtagh Ó Neill for touching her. And for breaking her heart.
Outside, he ordered a horse brought to him. When a servant returned with his gelding Lir, Davin stopped to study the slave’s face. Unlike Kieran, this slave kept to himself, his head lowered in subservience. He couldn’t even remember the slave’s name.
Not so with Kieran Ó Brannon. Fierce and selfconfident, Kieran bore his wounds with the carelessness of a warrior.
What sort of man was he? Davin had lived among servants and slaves for so long, he hardly noticed them. But Kieran Ó Brannon brought attention to himself in a manner that made him hardly fit to be a slave. It made Davin even more curious about the man’s past.
Kieran’s carving skills were startling, a master’s work. He far surpassed Seamus’s creations. How had a man with such talent come to be a slave? He couldn’t understand it.
He stopped in front of Seamus’s hut and peered inside. Kieran sat upon a bench, tapping a chisel with a wooden mallet. He remained fully focused upon the task, and it wasn’t until Davin blocked the sunlight that he looked up.
‘I haven’t finished yet.’
‘I realise that. I’d like to see what you’ve done.’
Kieran set aside his chisel with reluctance. Davin stepped closer and set his bow down, taking the carving in his hands. The face of his beloved had started to emerge from the wood. Iseult’s haunted eyes, the long hair that caressed the curve of her cheek…all of it was there. Except her smile.
Davin handed the wood back. ‘It’s a fine piece of work.’ Stepping to the side, he let the light back into the hut. ‘My men are hunting this morning. I want you to join us.’
‘I must finish this,’ Kieran argued. He picked up a bowl of melted animal fat and a leather cloth. With experienced motions, he rubbed the fat into the wood, bringing out the natural grains. It would prevent the carving from cracking.
‘It wasn’t a request.’ Davin picked up his bow. ‘I’ll supply you with weapons. Meet us at the gate in an hour.’
Davin didn’t care whether his slave wanted to go or not. He had his suspicions about the man’s origins, and he hoped to get those answers this day.
Iseult rode hard to the east, leaning into the wind. After a bit of coaxing, her friend Niamh had agreed to accompany her. The two had known each other only since the past winter, and Niamh had become a close confidant. Though Niamh bemoaned her brown hair and grey eyes, claiming that no man would ever find her beautiful, Iseult secretly thought her friend had a nice smile. She also had a sense of adventure and a tendency to get into trouble, rather like herself.
‘Are we nearly there?’ Niamh asked, slowing the pace to let her horse drink from the river. The silvery ribbon cut a path eastwards, glittering against the meadows. ‘We’ve been gone for hours. If I have to sit on this horse for another hour, my bottom will fall off.’
Mine, too, Iseult thought, but she didn’t say so. ‘If Hagen was right, it should be at the end of the river’s curve.’
‘Or if he’s wrong, we’ve come all this way for nothing.’
Iseult shrugged. ‘One more hour. And if we don’t find the rath, we’ll try again another day.’
Niamh gritted her teeth. ‘Give me a moment, won’t you? I haven’t any feeling left in my backside.’ She winced and patted her posterior. ‘I’m surprised you didn’t bring Davin with you instead of me.’ The young woman grimaced at the mention of his name. It didn’t surprise Iseult, since she knew her friend couldn’t stand Davin. Niamh made every effort to avoid him, claiming that he was far too arrogant for her tastes.
‘He had other responsibilities,’ Iseult responded.
‘More important than your child?’ Niamh scowled at the idea. ‘I’d like to know how hunting deer would be more important.’
Iseult shielded her eyes against the sun, straining to see the ringfort. ‘I didn’t tell him where we went.’
Niamh looked appalled at her confession. ‘Why not?’
Because Davin had already given up. He no longer believed in her quest. ‘Because he didn’t want me leaving Lismanagh. He is worried about the Lochlannachs,’ she added. That sounded convincing enough, didn’t it?
‘And so am I.’ Niamh shivered, eyeing the horizon. With a grudging shrug, she offered, ‘I think Davin was right. The Norsemen are fearsome, so I’ve heard.’
‘I’ve never seen one, so I wouldn’t know.’ But the memory of Kieran flashed through her mind. Raw and wild, he unnerved her, stripping away her sense of security. She wanted nothing to do with him, particularly a man so unpredictable.
‘Iseult?’ Niamh eyed her as though she’d been speaking and had received no answer.
She shook off the disorientation. ‘I’m fine.’ Forcing a smile, she added, ‘I’m glad not to travel alone. Thank you for coming with me.’
‘My father would have my head if I’d told him what I was doing. We should have brought the men with us.’
‘And who would have come?’ Iseult couldn’t think of a single man who might have acted as their protector. ‘They think I’ve gone mad.’
Niamh shrugged. ‘You’re right, I suppose. But we must return before sundown. Else Davin will send out every able-bodied man in the tribe after you.’ She opened a clay flask of mead and drank, handing it to Iseult.
‘It won’t be much further.’ Iseult drank and shielded her eyes, studying the landscape. ‘Look atop the hill. I think I can see the rath.’
‘Have you ever visited the Flannigan tribe?’ Niamh asked. ‘I’ve heard that they have nearly a hundred men and women. Several clans joined together, from what I gather, which makes them quite powerful.’
She hadn’t known. But it increased the possibility of learning more about Aidan. ‘No. But I’ve tried everywhere else. I have to go inland.’ Thus far, today’s journey was the longest she’d ever taken.
Though it was dangerous, she kept the vision of Aidan’s face within her memory. Her son’s serious blue eyes had always absorbed his surroundings. On the rare occasion of his laughter, Iseult had smothered him with kisses. The last time she’d seen him, he had not yet begun to walk. His tiny fingers had clung to hers while he struggled to march his bare feet.
I’ll find you, she promised. Somehow. If it meant travelling to the ends of the earth, she had no other choice. She only wished Davin shared in her determination. To him, Aidan was a lost babe. To her, the child was a missing piece of her heart. She could never be whole until she knew what had happened to him.
Niamh pressed a hand to Iseult’s shoulder. ‘And if you don’t find him? What will you do?’
‘I don’t know. Travel further, I suppose.’ She took another drink, not wanting to think about giving up.
They rode side by side, and with each mile, Iseult’s skin chilled. Her doubts taunted her: You won’t find him. He’s dead.
When they reached the gates, Iseult’s hands began shaking. Dread welled up inside her as she steeled herself for more disappointment. Two fierce-looking men stood at the entrance, spears in their hands. They regarded her with suspicion.
‘We wish to speak with your chieftain,’ she began, her voice revealing her fear. ‘I am Iseult MacFergus, and this is my friend Niamh.’
‘Brian