Night Birds' Reign(26)
The man turned and halted in surprise. “Gwydion! I didn’t know you were coming.”
“Listen, do you think you could do me a favor?”
“Of course,” Duach said with a bow. “As doorkeeper of Caer Gwynt, servant to Uthyr PenHebog, the wise and noble King of Gwynedd, I am always at the disposal of the great Dreamer of Kymru, the Walker-between-the-Worlds—”
“Will you stop that?”
Duach grinned. “So, what’s the favor?”
“I think,” Gwydion said dryly, “that I’ve changed my mind.”
“I know. You want to be announced. That’s my job. What, are you afraid I’ll overdo it? Me?”
“Possibly. And, yes, I do want you to announce me. I need to see Ygraine and if we make a little ceremony out of it she may not kick me down the stairs right away.”
“Come with me,” Duach said slyly. “I’ll take care of everything.”
Gwydion sighed. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“Spoilsport.” Duach gestured and a stable boy came over to take Gwydion’s horse. Elise left without any further derisive gestures. A first, thought Gwydion.
As the two men made their way across the courtyard to the ystafell, Duach said in a serious tone, “You know, Gwydion, you don’t look too good. You’re not sick or anything, are you?”
“No,” he said grimly. And he wasn’t. Not in the way that Duach meant, anyway. “Do you know where Susanna is?”
“Oh, in bed with Griffi still,” Duach said airily. “She just got back to Tegeingl two days ago. She’s been conducting tests all over Gwynedd for the last three months. I think she and Griffi are making up for lost time.”
“Duach, I’m going to need another favor. When Uthyr returns will you bring him straight to the Queen’s chambers? Later, when I ask, will you get Susanna and bring her there? And tell her to bring the testing device. I need to check it.”
“You’re up to something,” Duach said, looking at Gwydion speculatively. “But then, you always are,” he went on cheerfully. “Count on me.”
“I am. I must be out of my mind.”
Duach merely grinned at him as he knocked at the heavy wooden door of the ystafell and waited. After a moment a young woman opened the door. She was dressed in a plain, gray gown and her light brown hair was bound back with a dark blue ribbon. Her blue eyes widened at the sight of Gwydion.
“Ah, Siwan, my dear. The most beautiful girl in all of Tegeingl,” Duach said with a bow. “Allow me to introduce my companion, Gwydion ap Awst, Dreamer of Kymru.” At Duach’s signal Gwydion sketched a quick bow to the startled girl. “Ygraine’s expecting us, my dear,” Duach went on smoothly. “I trust we may come in?”
Siwan glanced nervously over her shoulder. “I don’t know, Duach. She . . . she never said anything about this.”
“No doubt it slipped her mind, what with the excitement of the testing today. It’s all right, Siwan. Let us in and I’ll take full responsibility.”
“Well,” she said dubiously, opening the door wide. “If you say so.”
The large room was luxurious. Thick carpets made by the best weavers in Gwynedd were strewn on the floor in colorful profusion. Heavy, carved chests and small tables of dark, satiny wood lined the walls at intervals. A large, throne-like chair with brightly embroidered cushions stood under a blue velvet canopy. Intricate tapestries lined the walls with bright, colorful bursts. Polished wooden stairs with a curved banister arose at the far end of the room.
“The Queen is upstairs. With Arthur,” Siwan said nervously. “I don’t think—”
“Just go back to what you were doing, Siwan.” Without pausing, Duach climbed the stairs, with Gwydion right behind him.
The two men stopped in the open doorway to Ygraine’s bedchamber and looked in. This room was even more luxurious than the first. A large mirror hung against the far wall. The silver frame studded with pearls gleamed in the noonday sunlight streaming through the open windows. Summer flowers stood in graceful gold and silver vases strewn on tables throughout the room. The huge featherbed was spread with a wool coverlet of white worked with silver thread and pearls. A canopy of the same material stretched over the bed, the curtains a dazzling white. There was a dressing table covered with small pots and jars of cosmetics and perfumes. A large silver jewelry box spilled pearls and sapphires onto the table. Tall wardrobes, exquisitely carved, covered one entire wall. Elaborate tapestries covered the remaining spaces.
In the corner by the large window, in a pool of sunshine, sat a cradle lined in blue silk. A coo from the cradle told Gwydion that tiny Morrigan occupied it.