Free Divine Sacrifice, The by Anthony Hays Page B

wavered.”
    She turned to go, hesitated, and turned back to me. “Were I you, Master Malgwyn, I would speak to Lord Liguessac as well.”
    “Why Lauhiir?” I looked to Arthur, who had his eyebrows raised as if to say, “Why indeed?”
    “He has consulted with Elafius several times since his arrival at the Tor.”
    “Were you aware of this, Coroticus?” I spun and faced the abbot, but his features showed total surprise.
    “No. I had no idea.” His voice gave a hint of the lie.
    I turned back to Rhiannon. “Do you know the substance of these conferences?”
    She shrugged. “How would I? As you have pointed out, I was not close to the man, and I’m certainly not close to Lauhiir.” At that she turned away and left the hall.
    “My lord, two of your men?” I asked Arthur. He motioned for them.
    “Follow her,” I instructed. “I want to know where she goes and who she talks to. Be quiet about it. Try not to make a spectacle of yourselves.”
    These were older men, men I knew. They nodded quickly and slipped out of the hall.
    “Was that necessary, Malgwyn?” Coroticus complained.
    I turned to face him. “If you find that ants are ruining your grain, do you just step on the ones that you see, or do you follow them back and kill the whole colony? If she is involved, I
doubt that she alone is guilty. She may lead us to others. The problem is, my lord abbot, I do not know what is or isn’t necessary in this affair. ’Tis better not to take chances. The
lady may be as innocent as a lamb, but we cannot know that as yet.”
    Coroticus nodded slowly. “You have changed, Malgwyn. You act with a certainty you once did not possess. It is a welcome thing. See that this confidence does not turn into
arrogance.”
    “Malgwyn may be guilty of many sins, Coroticus,” Arthur said. “But arrogance is not among that number. I have wagered my crown on him and he did not disappoint me. You called
for him. He did not seek this affair.”
    While I had hated Arthur for many moons, I no longer bore him ill will. Aye, we were settling into something like our old rapport, when he was
Dux Bellorum
and I one of his captains. As
Rigotamos, he was proving as capable a governor as he was a general. And while I no longer commanded a troop of horse, I had moved even higher in his esteem, taking my place alongside Kay and
Bedevere as one of his closest confidants and counselors. We had come so far.
    “Why did you call me? You sent Ider galloping down the lane to hurry me along, and yet, now that I am here, you seem reluctant to place your faith in me.”
    “Let us move this discussion into my private chambers. What I would tell you is not for all ears.”
    Without another word, Arthur, Bedevere, Coroticus, and I slipped through the door into the small suite of rooms at one end of the great building. Once there, I watched as Coroticus’s
shoulders slumped. Gone was the erect bearing. In its place appeared a tired man with little confidence.
    “To answer your question, I sent for Malgwyn because I did not know that he would be coming with the Rigotamos, and I needed his peculiar talents. Elafius was dead, and I did not need to
desecrate his body to see that it was by the hand of another.”
    “With respect, Coroticus, just knowing that he died by another’s hand does not make clear the questions of how and why such was accomplished.”
    He took a step back and nodded, almost as if chastised.
    “Why are you so intent on absolving Rhiannon of any guilt? Are you bedding her?” In my experience men displayed an inability to think a woman was guilty of anything for only two
reasons. Either they were bedding her or they wanted to.
    “You are a hard man, Malgwyn. You spare no one in your quest. Be careful that you do not make more enemies than friends.”
    “A good man, Coroticus,” Arthur replied, “makes a dozen enemies for every friend that he can claim. Such is the price of being honorable.”
    Coroticus slumped into a