The Two Tanists (A Bard Without a Star, Book 2) Read Online Free

“You’re not like other Ollam I’ve met.”
    “Like who?” Aodhgán said.
    “Kyle.”
    Aodhgán nodded. “He was
there when you were named heir apparent, right?”
    “I shouldn’t be surprised,
that you know, but it still catches me off guard,” Gwydion said.
    Aodhgán shrugged. “It’s part
of my duties to know these things. I can also guess that Kyle came off as a
pompous windbag.”
    “I would never put it that
way,” Gwydion said.
    “But I would,” Aodhgán said.
He shrugged. “There are some of the Ollam that are like that. I hope that I
showed you a different side to us tonight.”
    “That you did!” Gwydion
said. “So much so, that I wish I could go with you tomorrow.”
    Aodhgán began putting away
his harp. “We all have things we wish he could do.”
    Gwydion took the hint and
pulled his harp case up onto his lap. “I could at least escort you to the
border.”
    “I would like that,” Aodhgán
said. “Until the morning then.”
    Gwydion spent the next two
days with them, playing every time they stopped, and generally seeing the world
through their eyes. At the Dyfi River, he bade them farewell, saying, “Luck in
your travels.”
    “And in yours,” Aodhgán
replied.
    Gwydion shrugged. “My time
on the road is almost done, I’m afraid. I might stop at another caer or two,
but it is time for me to return to Caer Dathyl.”
    “And our time does not end
until the snow flies,” Aodhgán said. “We’ll spend a couple of months in Dyfed,
and then we’ll probably winter in Clwyd. But perhaps we’ll swing through
Gwynedd again in the spring or summer.”
    “It would be good to see
you,” Gwydion said. Watching them ford the river into Dyfed, Gwydion had a
sudden impulse to join them and abandon his responsibilities. But instead he
heaved a great sigh, and turned towards home.

Chapter 3: Plans
    “I want her, Gwydion, and I
think she wants me too.”
    The two young men rode
through the forest east of Caer Dathyl, taking their leisure while the dogs
sniffed out a deer.
    “Gil, you're dreaming. She's
completely devoted to Math, and you're not going to change that.”
    “But if I could just get her
alone for a while...”
    Gwydion laughed. “What, you
think you can sweet talk her into to loving you? How long do you think she's
alone in a day, anyway? She spends all of her time holding the old man's
feet.”
    “No she doesn’t,” Gil said.
“I talk to her at night, in the great hall, after Math goes to bed.”
    “So seduce her then.”
    Gil snorted. “Right, with a
hall full of people watching. Not even you are that bold.”
    “But it’s night, and she’s
ready for bed…” Gwydion said.
    “She would never do anything
if she thought Math might call. And he does you know, at all hours of the day
and night.” Gilventhy slapped his riding gloves on his pommel. “We've got to
lure him away for a while.”
    Gwydion pulled up sharply.
“Now you're talking idiocy,” he said, all traces of mirth gone. “You know that
the only time he would be without a footholder is if he went to war, and when
do you think that will happen?”
    “It could happen anytime,”
Gilventhy said defensively. “Gwynedd has plenty of enemies.”
    “And none of them are crazy
enough to attack us right now.”
    The larger boy looked at his
cousin sideways. “But they might be able to be tricked by a talented man...”
    Gwydion laughed again. “You
are the flatterer, aren't you? You might have a chance with Goewin after
all.” He sobered abruptly as the hounds began to bell. “We'll talk of this
later.”
    They hunted through the
morning, bringing home three fat deer for the table. Gwydion could see the
impatience in his cousin's eyes, and it amused him, especially since he was
learning more and more self-control himself. He made sure that untrustworthy
people were around him for the rest of the day, and watched Gil's countenance
grow darker.
    That night, as Gwydion
prepared for bed, Gil burst in.