Camber of Culdi by Katherine Kurtz Page B

lot. It didn’t seem important at the time, but I wondered why the messengers were going back and forth from Valoret yesterday. I must have passed three or four on my way to Saint Liam’s.”
    Joram grunted. “Haven’t they any clues to the real murderer, Sam’l?”
    â€œNot yet, Father. Not any one person, at any rate. There be those who think it was the Willimites, but we have no proof. The Lord Camber has had men out asking questions for the past two days, and his own Truth-Readers among them, but—nothing. What with the general uneasiness about the tariff and all, and now this, he’s worried that other Deryni may be threatened. It was he who asked me to ride along with the young mistress today. He was afraid she might be harmed.”
    â€œSam’l, I love you dearly, but you’re an alarmist,” came a light, musical voice behind them. They turned to see a cloaked Evaine sweeping down the church steps, bright hair escaping from her hood.
    â€œFather knows I can take care of myself,” she continued. “Besides, who would try to harm me? I’ve done nothing to offend the Willimites, if they’re the ones to blame. And I certainly have nothing to fear from these good people.”
    She gestured toward the village with a nod of her head and smiled, slipping her arm around her brother’s waist in warm greeting as her eyes met Rhys’s. Rhys took her hand and kissed it, trying to control the momentary confusion which a first reunion with Evaine seemed to bring lately—and was pleasantly startled when she pulled him closer and kissed him lightly on the cheek, slipping her arm around him, too. Sam’l was also feeling the charm which Evaine could exude when she chose to, and he could not seem to find his tongue.
    â€œVery pretty, Sister dear,” Joram murmured indulgently. “But you’re going to have to do better than that. Is it true that Father thinks you’re in danger?”
    â€œOf course not.” She touched her forehead playfully to his and made a face. “It’s our loyal servants like Sam’l who were concerned about my safety. I’ll be perfectly all right, really.”
    â€œWell, I want to hear more about this,” Joram said. He disengaged himself from his sister’s embrace and signed for Sam’l to bring her horse. “We’d better get back to the castle, if you’re through here. Rhys, you can go starry-eyed later. I want to find out what really happened.”
    â€œSo, that’s as much as anyone knows,” Camber concluded, when the story had been told around the fire that evening. “Rannulf was found at dawn by old Widow Claret, and she went into hysterics because the body was on her land. Or I should say, part of the body was on her land. The head and one quarter. The rest—Well, let us just say that several other families in the village got similarly shocking awakenings that morning. The bailiff reported it to me shortly after dawn.”
    Rhys and Joram nodded knowingly as Camber refilled their glasses, imagining the activity which would have been precipitated by such an event; and no word was spoken for several minutes. The last of the servants had been sent to bed an hour ago, and now only the three men and Evaine remained by the fireplace in the Great Hall.
    Rhys, sitting near Evaine, sipped distractedly at the mulled wine in his cup and glanced at Joram, catching his slight nod. Gathering his resolve, he turned to address Camber.
    â€œSir, there is something which Joram and I think you ought to know about. It may or may not have a bearing on what we’ve just been discussing.”
    There was something in his voice which bespoke more urgency than his mere words, and all eyes turned toward Rhys. The young man bowed his head and searched for the proper way to begin, appreciating the gentle hand which Evaine laid on his. Especially, he could feel Camber’s gaze