for yourself!”
“No one? Were any of these dogs hurt? How many did you kill?”
Beolagh scowled in annoyance. “I don’t know. I might have killed one. What else could we do? They attacked us!”
Donaill laughed, though it was filled with contempt. “Oh, of course. You invade their home, so the creatures attack you, and then you have no choice but to kill them. Do you realize what a perfect idiot you resemble?”
Clenching his fists in frustration, Beolagh glared up at Donaill. “None of the Sidhe were harmed. We only want the gold!”
“Gold?” Donaill halted his horse, though he still kept his sword pointed at Beolagh. “What gold?”
Now it was Beolagh’s turn to look disgusted. “You know very well what gold! The gold right there in that cave!”
The man turned and pointed. There in the low light of Rioghan’s home, visible along the edges of the black cowhide hangings, were the glints of the gold and bronze and crystal objects that Beolagh had eyed the night before—a beautiful collection of pieces large and small, of rings and armbands and curving torques; of plates and small bowls with magnificent curling and interlocking designs; of stars and crescent moons and horses and dogs and deer and wolves perfectly rendered in gleaming metal and inlaid with sparkling crystals.
Donaill almost laughed. “So instead of serving as King Bran’s warriors you have decided to become common thieves? You would rather spend your time stealing the plates and cups of an undefended woman?”
Beolagh scowled and clenched his teeth, but he stayed among his men. “We are not thieves! That is Sidhe gold hidden in that cave. What need does a solitary midwife have for it?”
“Whether she has need of it or not, it’s no concern of yours. Anything in that cave is hers and hers alone. Did you not learn that as a child, Beolagh, as the rest of us did? Or were you out stealing the other babes’ toys on the day that lesson was taught?”
Donaill’s men began to chuckle amongst themselves. Also, he felt sure he could again hear the faint sound of laughing from above, and even from deep within the forest.
But Beolagh only glared hard at his captors; then he turned and spat on the ground. Donaill tightened his grip on his sword and lifted Cath’s reins.
“The Sidhe are not our people! They are nothing but animals roaming the woods!” Beolagh shouted. “They live in caves and wear skins and furs! What use do animals have for gold? It will cause them no harm whatsoever if we take it, no more than if we took a wagonload of rock from their forest! It will cause them no harm. No harm at all!”
Donaill cantered his stallion in a tight circle around the six captured men, forcing them to gather close together and raise their chins to look up at him. “Hear me, all of you!” he cried, pointing his sword directly at them as he rode by. “You are to stay away from this place. You are to leave this midwife and the Sidhe unmolested and in peace. You are to make no attempt to take their gold, or their bronze, or a clod of earth on the forest floor, or anything else that is in their possession. Am I understood?”
Beolagh looked as if he were ready to spit again, but thought better of it. “You are,” he muttered, and then elbowed his glowering companions. “Understood,” they all said, one after another. “Understood.”
Donaill halted Cath. “Good,” he said, and gave them all a sincere and pleasant smile. “Then I shall look forward to not seeing you here again. Go on now. You have a bit of a walk ahead of you. I hope you enjoy it.”
He backed his horse away from them, and glanced at his men to do the same. Beolagh scowled and looked from Donaill to his own sullen followers. Finally all of them turned and tramped off after their long-gone horses, walking down the dark road that would take them the long but simple way back to the fortress.
When the men were out of sight, Donaill turned to Irial. “All of
“No one? Were any of these dogs hurt? How many did you kill?”
Beolagh scowled in annoyance. “I don’t know. I might have killed one. What else could we do? They attacked us!”
Donaill laughed, though it was filled with contempt. “Oh, of course. You invade their home, so the creatures attack you, and then you have no choice but to kill them. Do you realize what a perfect idiot you resemble?”
Clenching his fists in frustration, Beolagh glared up at Donaill. “None of the Sidhe were harmed. We only want the gold!”
“Gold?” Donaill halted his horse, though he still kept his sword pointed at Beolagh. “What gold?”
Now it was Beolagh’s turn to look disgusted. “You know very well what gold! The gold right there in that cave!”
The man turned and pointed. There in the low light of Rioghan’s home, visible along the edges of the black cowhide hangings, were the glints of the gold and bronze and crystal objects that Beolagh had eyed the night before—a beautiful collection of pieces large and small, of rings and armbands and curving torques; of plates and small bowls with magnificent curling and interlocking designs; of stars and crescent moons and horses and dogs and deer and wolves perfectly rendered in gleaming metal and inlaid with sparkling crystals.
Donaill almost laughed. “So instead of serving as King Bran’s warriors you have decided to become common thieves? You would rather spend your time stealing the plates and cups of an undefended woman?”
Beolagh scowled and clenched his teeth, but he stayed among his men. “We are not thieves! That is Sidhe gold hidden in that cave. What need does a solitary midwife have for it?”
“Whether she has need of it or not, it’s no concern of yours. Anything in that cave is hers and hers alone. Did you not learn that as a child, Beolagh, as the rest of us did? Or were you out stealing the other babes’ toys on the day that lesson was taught?”
Donaill’s men began to chuckle amongst themselves. Also, he felt sure he could again hear the faint sound of laughing from above, and even from deep within the forest.
But Beolagh only glared hard at his captors; then he turned and spat on the ground. Donaill tightened his grip on his sword and lifted Cath’s reins.
“The Sidhe are not our people! They are nothing but animals roaming the woods!” Beolagh shouted. “They live in caves and wear skins and furs! What use do animals have for gold? It will cause them no harm whatsoever if we take it, no more than if we took a wagonload of rock from their forest! It will cause them no harm. No harm at all!”
Donaill cantered his stallion in a tight circle around the six captured men, forcing them to gather close together and raise their chins to look up at him. “Hear me, all of you!” he cried, pointing his sword directly at them as he rode by. “You are to stay away from this place. You are to leave this midwife and the Sidhe unmolested and in peace. You are to make no attempt to take their gold, or their bronze, or a clod of earth on the forest floor, or anything else that is in their possession. Am I understood?”
Beolagh looked as if he were ready to spit again, but thought better of it. “You are,” he muttered, and then elbowed his glowering companions. “Understood,” they all said, one after another. “Understood.”
Donaill halted Cath. “Good,” he said, and gave them all a sincere and pleasant smile. “Then I shall look forward to not seeing you here again. Go on now. You have a bit of a walk ahead of you. I hope you enjoy it.”
He backed his horse away from them, and glanced at his men to do the same. Beolagh scowled and looked from Donaill to his own sullen followers. Finally all of them turned and tramped off after their long-gone horses, walking down the dark road that would take them the long but simple way back to the fortress.
When the men were out of sight, Donaill turned to Irial. “All of
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