Born of the Sun Read Free Page B

so much riding.”
    His kinsman nodded and spoke to the girl, whose eyes flew in alarm to the king. Cynric grimaced a little at what he saw there. She need not fear that from him, and certainly not now, when he was so weary he could scarcely stand. “She had better sleep between the two of us,” he said to Cutha. “She looks the sort who might try to run away.”
    Cutha nodded and, standing, reached a hand down to help Cynric up. The king shook him off impatiently and forced himself to get to his feet unaided. He put a hand on the girl’s shoulder, ostensibly to guide her but in reality to steady himself, and began to walk in the direction of his bedplace. The girl’s bones felt small and fragile under his hand, but she bore his weight with surprising strength. She was tough, this little British princess, he thought. She might make a good alliance for one of his sons.

    Niniane was so weary that she fell asleep as soon as she realized that she was indeed going to be allowed to sleep alone. When she awoke several hours later it was to find the camp quiet. All the men were wrapped in their cloaks and sleeping on the ground around the dying fire.
    She lay very still. The night was still also and, except for the fire, pitch dark. Clouds had moved in during the course of the evening to cover the moon and the stars. Cynric and Cutha were sleeping deeply. Would it be possible for her to escape?
    Slowly and cautiously she sat up. There had to be a guard posted, she thought. But no one stirred. It was possible she might be able to creep out of camp unobserved.
    She sat there, alone, the camp sleeping around her, and contemplated the possibility. Once she got out of camp, where would she go?
    She could try one of the farms they had passed. Perhaps the people had come back by now and would hide her. But how to get to the farm? The Saxons would look for her on the road. They had horses; they would be able to overtake her before she could reach a safe haven.
    She would have to hide in the forest.
    Out of the darkness came the call of a wolf. Niniane shuddered. To leave the safety of the fire and go by herself into the fierce darkness of the forest, where there were wolves … She could not do it. It was shameful to admit, but she felt safer here, lying between the big bodies of these Saxons, than she would by herself out alone in the forest.
    The wolf called again and Niniane lay back down. She was a wretched coward. Coinmail would say it was her duty to take her chances in the forest. Well, she was not Coinmail and she would rather take her chances with the Saxons. They were surely planning to ransom her back to her father. That must be what Cutha had meant when he said she was valuable. It would be wiser not to do anything foolish just yet, wiser to wait and see what was going to happen. There was the gold jewelry she had hidden at Bryn Atha for a ransom. By summer she would probably be home once again.
    The Saxons rose early the following morning and were on the road shortly after dawn. “How far is it to Venta?” Niniane asked the thane who was leading her horse and who she had discovered spoke a rough but serviceable British.
    “We don’t go to Venta,” came the surprising answer. “We are for Winchester.”
    “Winchester? What is Winchester?”
    The thane, whose name was Eclaf, turned to stare at her in astonishment. “Winchester is the home of the West Saxon king,” he answered. “It is one of the greatest royal enclaves in all of England. You have not heard of it?”
    “England?” said Niniane.
    “This island you call Britain.”
    “Oh. No, I do not know of Winchester. I thought the king lived in Venta.”
    “Venta is the city that serves Winchester, but the king and all his eorls and thanes live in the royal enclave. You will see it shortly, my lady.” He spoke as if he were promising her a treat.
    They had been riding for several hours and the road before them was still empty, when suddenly the war band