Free Defiance (The Priestess Trilogy) by Melissa Sasina

beside her.
    A sad smile crossed Shiovra ’s lips . “Nothing,” she replied , glancing at him . “Do not worry.”
    Daire ’s eyes narrowed on her, but he did not press her further. “You could do for a good rest, cousin.”
    She could not deny the truth to his words. “Aye. That I could ,” she whispered, then started coughing.
    “Here,” said Daire , helping her to sit before reaching for a clay bowl of milky water that sat beside him, handing it to her. “This will help bring back your strength.”
    She smelled the infusio n and then drank it, w elcoming it’s warm, though bitter taste . Shiovra was far too familiar with the herbal drink.
    Daire w as silent, merely watched her .
    “Where have yo ur companions gone?” Shiovra asked , breaking the silence.
    “They made sure your wounds were tended to, and then continued on their way to take care of the rest ,” he replied. “As we should continue on ours. Árdal was only the first. There will be others hunting you , now that you have been seen . ” Daire looked down at his hands. “Forgive me. I had not intended for you to be hurt . I promised myself that when I took you away from Rúnda, that I would protect you myself. ” He sighed and looked back up at her. “The storm has passed, and midday approaches swiftly. We shall continue until nightfall, then make camp.”
    Shiovra nodded. The time to turn back was gone . She made her choice to defy her mentor and leave Rúnda. All that remained was to face the brother she had turned her back on and be the priestess that Tara was in need of.
    Daire offered her a warm grin and rose to his feet. “I am going to get us some water. Stay here. I’ll be back.”
    Shiovra nodded and watched him disappear into the trees. Slowly, she forced her body to stand , wincing slightly at the stabbing pain in her side . She looked down to find that bandages had been wrapped over her clothing and she knew her wound would need to be more carefully tended to. Hearing a soft rustle behind her, she turned to see Daire returning .
    “Shall we continue on to Tara?” he asked.
    Shiovra nodded. “Aye.”
     
    * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
     
    Shiovra sat in a tree, looking off in the distance towards the Tara. The sight brought back a flood of memories and remained an impressive even after her ten year absence . It could easily been seen why every High Chieftain of Éire chose the village for his home.
    The village of Tara stretched far and consisted of the high fort and two smaller ringforts . T he high fort stood at the summit of a hill and was enclosed by a circular earth bank surrounded by a stur dy wooden wall . Within , small cottages with clay daub walls and thick thatch roofs lay scattered around the main cottage where the chieftain and his kin resided. The main cottage itself was circled by a fence made of woven hazel sitting atop a raised banks ; another fence, linked to the first, stood around the Stone of Destiny . N orth of th e main cottage , nestled along the outer wall , was a small passage tomb known as Mound of Ho stages. Further north, just outside the bounds of the high fort was the long, narrow building known a s the Banqueting House. W e st of the hall, past the small ring - forts, were the Sloping Trenches.
    Shiovra felt both the warmth of fond memories as well as apprehension when looking upon her childhood home . Ten years was a long time to have been away. Ten years to have not seen her brother. She knew he would be angry with her and she loathed the thought of having to face him .
    “ Shiovra !” The voice invaded her thoughts, pulling her from internal battle . “ Shiovra !”
    She looked down at Daire .
    H e r cousin stood beneath the tree, shielding his eyes from the sun as he peered up at her . “ Come down, we… ”
    “No, I wish to tarry a bit longer ” she repl ied, her apprehension getting the better of her. The way she figured it, the longer she sat in the tree, the longer she was able to put off her