Boudicca, page 37
“He is indeed,” said Cadoc.
Maldwyn’s cheeks flushed, but he nodded. My horse master’s skills were no secret.
“So we conclude the contest with a chariot race?” I asked.
“No,” said Cadoc. “After you strike all of the targets, you’ll leave your team at the end of the row and race on foot again to there, where your horse will be waiting.” He pointed at the other end of the field. “You’ll mount, and it’s a horse race all the way back across the field to the starting line, which will also be the finish.”
I grinned. “Two footraces. That is very good for me.” I shook my head. “I can’t imagine what Adminius was thinking. Does he really not know how fast I am and how much older and slower his father is?”
“I do not believe Adminius pays attention to anything except himself,” said Maldwyn.
“When his boasting became offensive, Mailcun tried to quiet Adminius,” said Cadoc. “But the foolish pup wouldn’t listen to his father’s shield. Instead he kept blustering and making outlandish claims.”
“Like Addedomaros being the best chariot driver in all the tribes,” I said sardonically.
“Exactly,” said Cadoc.
“You were there, weren’t you?” I asked my shield.
The old warrior didn’t even attempt to hide his grin. “I was indeed. Which is why the Iceni was the first tribe to accept the Trinovantes challenge.”
“Oh, so I accepted before I accepted?”
Cadoc did manage to look a little chagrined. “Would you really have stood by and let that spoiled boy spout lies?”
“No, I don’t suppose I would have. I am surprised his father didn’t step in and put an end to it, though.”
“Addedomaros wasn’t present,” explained Cadoc. “By the time Mailcun had fetched him, Leofric had accepted the challenge as well.”
“And Addedomaros couldn’t back out without looking cowardly,” I said.
“Aye,” said Maldwyn. Then he shrugged and smiled. “The tournament will be good for the army. It will give each tribe something to cheer about.”
“And all will cheer when the queen who leads the army wins,” said Cadoc firmly.
Abertha jogged up to us, her face flushed. “Comux has just accepted the challenge!”
Maldwyn and Cadoc shouted and clapped each other on their backs like youths.
“What is he wagering?” I asked.
“A barrel of Roman wine he pillaged from Verulamium,” said Abertha.
I was unable to hide my smile. “I look forward to toasting my victory with Roman wine.”
“Yes!” Abertha’s fist shot skyward.
“I prefer Wulffaed’s mulled mead, but I will make an exception,” said Cadoc, his eyes sparkling mischievously.
“When is the tournament?” I asked.
“Tomorrow,” said Cadoc. He glanced at the low gray sky. “Though I’m afraid the weather is going to be miserable.”
With a sly grin I said, “Then it is good that I am the only chief who’s young enough that my joints won’t be affected by the cold and wet.” I turned to Maldwyn. “Walk the course with me and let’s discuss horses.”
“Always a pleasure, my queen,” said Maldwyn.
“And I’ll go be sure no Trinovantes bastard sets your targets incorrectly,” said Cadoc.
“I’ll get the queen’s armor ready,” said Abertha. “Queen Boudicca, will you be using your spear or bow for the targets?”
“My spear,” I said. “It would be too awkward to drive the chariot and shoot a bow.”
“Aye,” said Maldwyn. “Good choice.”
As my shield and spear master hurried off muttering to themselves, Maldwyn said, “Perhaps seeing his father thoroughly beaten will temper Adminius and his boasting.”
Sounding much like my shield, I snorted.
* * *
“You’re sure I can’t talk you into changing mounts?” Maldwyn asked for the third time.
We’d walked the racecourse and then circled around to our herd. Ennis and Finley were in fine flesh. Maldwyn proclaimed them ready for the tournament. Then I’d called Tân to me. I noted that she, too, looked ready to run, which is when Maldwyn objected. It wasn’t that my mare wasn’t fit, but that stallions are larger and usually swifter than mares. The other chiefs would almost certainly be riding stallions, and Maldwyn thought I should be, too.
“I’m sure.” I caressed Tân’s flank. Her winter coat was thick and a lighter red than her sleek summer coat. She reminded me of a fox, and I laughed when she nuzzled me. “Stallions are bigger and faster, and they need to be if they’re going to carry the weight of the other chiefs. Maldwyn, I’m tall, but I’m also lean. I weight several stones less than even Comux, who is the smallest of the three chiefs.”
Maldwyn sighed and nodded. “You do have a point. The weight of the chiefs will be an equalizer.”
“It’s about more than just weight and speed. You saw the icy patches and the roughness of the training field. Racing over that ground will be treacherous and I’ll need a horse I trust completely.” I patted Tân’s soft muzzle. “That is Tân. She’ll keep me safe and bring me across the finish line victorious.”
“I cannot argue with one who knows victory so well,” said Maldwyn.
I smiled up into his eyes and took his hand. I knew I needed to talk with him, and the sooner the better. The last thing I wanted was for jealousy to fester between us. “Maldwyn, Rhan and I have become lovers.”
He did not look away as he nodded. “Yes. I thought so. What does that mean for us?”
I answered him with the honesty he deserved. “My heart is big enough to love the both of you, so my preference is that it change nothing between us, but that is not up to me. A queen who tries to command love is doomed to fail. It is your decision whether you continue to welcome me to your bed—and I mean me, Boudicca, and not your queen.”
Maldwyn cupped my cheek with his hand. “I could never turn from you, not the queen and not the woman. I am yours completely any way you will have me.”
I stepped into his arms and let my kiss be my reply.
* * *
Maldwyn remained with the herd, insisting he check and recheck the chariot and harnesses for tomorrow’s race, so I walked alone through camp back to my cave lodge.
“The goddess be with you tomorrow, Queen Boudicca!”
“Aye, we’ll be cheering you on.”
“Show those chiefs what a warrior queen can do!”
My people waved and shouted encouragement to me as I passed campfires burning brightly. I paused frequently, accepting a cup of mead at one fire, a steaming chicken thigh at another, and a hunk of roasted pork at yet another. By the time I made it to my lodge, it was dark and I was sated and warmed by the enthusiasm of the Iceni.
Rhan was seated before the central fire, working black raven feathers into an elaborate silver necklace. She looked up as I entered, and her smile lit the room.
“There you are!” said Wulffaed. “Your girls have already eaten and just took themselves and their wolves off to bed. Shall I bring you a plate of stew and bread?”
“No, I ate with the army. You may retire for the night, Wulffaed.”
The older woman bowed. Before she left the room she looked over her shoulder and grinned at me. “Teach those chiefs a thing or two tomorrow, my queen.”
“I shall.” Then I called, “Phaedra?”
Phaedra’s head popped out of the blanket that curtained her small room from the rest of the lodge. “My queen?”
“I’d like a bath.”
“Of course, my queen.” Phaedra bustled around the lodge collecting cauldrons before she called for several of Wulffaed’s daughters to help her fetch water to warm. While I waited, I sat beside Rhan, content to watch her long, slender fingers expertly wrap the raven feathers with silver.
“Are you nervous about the race tomorrow?” she asked without looking up from her work.
“No. I’m looking forward to it.”
“You’re riding Tân.” She didn’t frame it as a question, but I answered.
“Yes.” I paused and added, “How did you know?”
“It’s the right choice. You trust her. She trusts you.”
“Exactly,” I said.
“My queen, your bath is ready,” called Phaedra from my bedchamber.
I stood and held my hand out to Rhan. She looked up from her work then, smiled, and placed it on the stool beside her chair before she took my hand. Fingers entwined like silver and feathers, we retired to my bedchamber and the copper tub that was just big enough for two.
Chapter XXXVI
The next morning the low gray sky spit a stinging mixture of snow and ice, but the crowd that framed the training field was in such high spirits that they brightened the gloomy day.
Though I chose to go into battle with my hair unbound, I’d taken one look at the sky and had Phaedra braid the mass of it back away from my face. I’d awakened to an empty bed. After I’d dressed in the beautifully dyed leathers Wulffaed had made for me, I understood why Rhan had not slept beside me. When I joined her in the main room of the lodge to break my fast, she presented me with the exquisite silver necklace dressed in feathers she’d spent the night completing. It rested just above my collarbone under the thick golden torque I never removed. The silver caught even the wan light of the winter morning, and the feathers rustled like they were living things—and whenever I touched them I felt the presence of my goddess.
“Ah, Boudicca! I thought for a moment you might choose not to leave the warmth of your bed today,” shouted Addedomaros as I joined him and the other two chiefs at the starting line of our race.
I smiled at the Trinovantes chief, pleased that he was in good humor, even though it was his son’s bragging that had gotten him into a race that he must have known he would be hard-pressed to win.
“How are those old joints today, Addedomaros?” I asked with exaggerated concern.
“Do you insult my father?” Adminius thrust out his chest and glared at me.
Addedomaros cuffed the back of his son’s head. “Enough! Make yourself useful and go hold Black. Try to keep him calm so he doesn’t work himself into a lather before his part of the race begins.”
Adminius threw me a narrow-eyed look but stalked away toward the far end of the course, where our mounts would be held until the last leg of the contest.
“Well, I don’t know about Addedomaros, but I’m not ashamed to admit that my old bones are feeling the damp and chill today,” said Leofric, who was stretching and jogging in place, as if to keep his muscles limber.
“What about you, Comux?” I asked the Dobunni chief, who was closest to my age of the three men.
Comux barked a laugh, which sounded gravelly. He was pale, and the dark circles under his eyes were puffy and bruised, but his smile was authentic. “The Dobunni are used to the chill of winter. This is but a refreshing morning to me.”
We all chuckled at that, and then Rhan, who had been chosen to open the race, lifted her arm, motioning for us to take our places at the starting line. Earlier, we’d drawn lots for our positions. Addedomaros was in the first lane. I was next, with Comux beside me and then Leofric to his right. As I took my position, I had time to stretch, shake out my legs, and ready myself. Maldwyn was holding Ennis and Finley just before the man-sized straw targets about one-third of the way up the big practice field. Beyond them I could just make out Tân’s red coat where she waited for me, held by Cadoc.
“Chiefs and queen, ready yourselves!” Rhan called. “When I drop my arm, the contest begins.”
Rhan met my gaze, grinned, and then, with a dramatic flourish, dropped her arm.
I sprinted forward as the army cheered, but I shut them out, concentrating only on the field directly before me, which was rough with frozen ruts, black ice, and hunks of dirty snow. Within just a few feet I relaxed my upper body as my stride lengthened. I’d been training regularly, but it had been a long time since I’d felt the freedom of pushing my speed to the limit. In an instant I was transported to my familiar forest. The frozen ruts became roots of ancient oaks, and mounds of dirty snow turned to rocks and fallen limbs. I seemed to fly and was a little disappointed when I reached Maldwyn and the chariot.
“You are in the lead,” Maldwyn said quickly as I leaped into the cart, wrapped the reins around my left hand and forearm, and lifted the first spear. “Comux is a chariot length behind you. Leofric and Addedomaros are another two lengths behind him, but do not underestimate them—especially Addedomaros—and do not look back. Go, my queen!”
I didn’t look back.
“Hup!” I called to the familiar team of horses, and they surged forward. I controlled them, but only just. Ennis and Finley were eager to run and I wished I could give them their heads, but if I did so I would not be able to weave them through the six targets—and crossing the finish line without following the rules of the tournament would not be a true win. I also had to consider the rough ground. There was an especially deep rut of frozen dirt that ran the width of the space between our first two targets. Had I charged the team over that rut at full speed, the chariot could have been thrown into the air. So I held the eager team in check and threw my first and second spears before I noticed the other teams.
As I reached for my third spear, I saw Comux on my right, now less than a chariot length behind me. I threw the spear, hit the target, and as I lifted the fourth spear I caught a glimpse of Leofric on my far right. He had not caught Comux or me, but he also had not lost any ground.
When I lifted my fifth spear, Addedomaros suddenly flashed into my peripheral vision on my left. I could tell that he was closer than Leofric, and as I threw my sixth spear and then pulled Ennis and Finley to a halt beside Abertha, the Trinovantes chief caught up to and passed Comux.
“Run, my queen!” shouted Abertha with a feral grin.
I jumped from the cart and sprinted forward, breathing deeply and quickly and sending every bit of strength I had into my legs. Ahead of me I could hear the huge Trinovantes stallion snorting, more dragon than horse, though I kept my gaze shifting between the rough ground over which I ran and Tân, who waited quietly beside Cadoc, ears pricked toward me as I raced to her.
I reached her ahead of the chiefs. Cadoc’s hands formed a basket into which I placed my left foot and he easily boosted me atop Tân.
“For the Iceni!” Cadoc shouted.
As the other chiefs raced up to their mounts, I leaned forward, dug my heels into Tân’s flanks, and screamed the Iceni war cry as my brilliant mare exploded into motion. Unlike with the chariot team, I did not even attempt to hold Tân back. I knew my mare. She would not foolishly endanger us by ignoring the rough footing, and as we raced back along the path I’d so recently come down, she proved my confidence in her by jumping over blackened mounds of snow and avoiding spots of black ice.
I had time to look over my left shoulder to see that Comux and Leofric were neck and neck several lengths behind me. They didn’t seem to be gaining ground. I did not have to glance over my right shoulder. Even above the roar of the army and the sting of the sleet, I could hear the pounding hooves of Black. His dark muzzle came into view, then the rest of his head and neck.
I grabbed a fist of Tân’s mane and leaned closer to her neck. Her ears were flattened against her head as I encouraged her to give more. From deep within, my mare found a reservoir of speed, and Black stopped gaining ground. I heard Addedomaros shout and from the corner of my eye saw that he, too, was low over his stallion’s neck as the massive horse’s stride lengthened.
We’d passed the majority of the straw targets. I could see the finish line where Rhan stood, arm lifted again, ready to drop it when the winner raced past. Just a little more! We’re almost there! I shouted the Iceni war cry but realized Tân had slowed as Black’s muzzle came into view to my right again. He was definitely not slowing.
I almost dug my heels into Tân to insist she give me more speed, and then I remembered the roughness of the trenchlike width of the frozen, broken ground and did not ask my mare for more. As I understood why Tân slowed, I heard a horrible sound, and suddenly Black was no longer in my peripheral vision.
Instantly I pulled Tân up as I turned to see Black fall. I’d watched horses go down in battle—we all had. It is terrible and tragic. The unearthly shriek Black made as his front left hoof hit the ridge of the broken ground echoed throughout the valley. The tremendous speed at which he was going caused his cannon bone to snap like a piece of kindling. Black crumpled, head over rear end, throwing Addedomaros onto the unforgiving ground. The massive stallion rolled over the Trinovantes chief before the horse slid to a stop several feet away.
A great silence fell over the watching army as I vaulted from Tân’s back and ran to the fallen chief.
Blood trickled from Addedomaros’s mouth. He lay on his back. His thick, muscular body was flattened. Blood had begun to seep through his clothes, staining the snow around him bright scarlet. I went to my knees beside him and his eyes immediately met mine. I was surprised by the clarity in them.
His bloody lips twitched as he tried to smile. He coughed, spewing reddened froth down his chin. “Did I win?” He whispered the words.
I used the sleeve of my tunic to wipe the bloody sputum from his face and smiled. “Of course you won. No one can beat you and that stallion.”
“Yes, Black and I . . .” He smiled, exhaled a rattling breath, and did not take another.
Gently, I closed his eyelids and bowed my head as I rested my hand on his broken chest. “May you feast with your ancestors and know only eternal joy.”
“Father! Father!” Adminius shouted as he ran to us.
I stood and moved aside so he could kneel by his father’s body. Dazed, I looked up to see that Leofric was with Black. The stallion had somehow managed to stand. It was a terrible thing to see, as his front leg was useless, snapped completely in two. Only skin held it together. The Catuvellauni chief met my gaze and shook his head. He turned back to the stallion, attempting to calm him.
