Part 1 (2/2)
”It's terrible, Miss. The - Druids. They - he finally said too much.”
She shook the boy, fear making her impatient. ”What are you babbling about?”
”Y-Your father, Miss.”
Her fear grew as Grendl ran past Tyan and into the dark stable. She found her father's crushed and b.l.o.o.d.y body in his mount's stall. She knew before searching for a heartbeat that he was dead. ”Tyan!”
He was behind her, hovering in the stall opening. ”Yes, Miss?”
”Get someone to help move him to the house. Where is his horse?”
”It - ran away when I opened the stall.”
”Did you see what happened?”
”No, Miss. He was 1-like that when I came in to feed and set the horses loOse.” He swallowed convulsively. ”I - I will h-help you move him -”
”I told you to get help to move him, Tyan,” she said more harshly than she intended. Hearing his normally soft spoken mistress speak so sharply sent Tyan running from the stable to find help. Kneeling beside her father's broken body, she felt the coldness of his skin and shuddered. His fist was clenched tightly around something, and when Grendl pried his fingers open she found a single acorn.
The Druids. Her father's death had been meant as a warning against others not to speak against them. Hearing voices, Grendl put the acorn into her pocket and went to meet the help that Tyan had brought.
She was alone in the main room of the house when Andemus was shown in. As soon as they were alone, he said, ”I came as soon as I heard the news.”
Grendl went into his arms. ”Oh, An-demus. I am so glad you did.” She pressed her face into his shoulder and began to cry.
Andemus waited for her to stop before saying anything. ”What happened? From what my servants heard his horse trampled him.”
Grendl moved away, placing her hand in her pocket, where it closed around the small object there. ”No. He was murdered.”
”Murdered? By who?”
”The Druids. They killed him to silence him.”
”But - you cannot be sure of that, Grendl,” he said carefully.
She held out the acorn. ”This is all the proof I need. I found this in his hand. It was a warning.”
Andemus made no move to take the acorn from her. ”What will you do now?”
”Do? What can I do but continue what he began? He told me last night that the Romans have outlawed the Druids in other areas. He wanted that to happen here.”
”If you speak against them, you could be killed as well.”
Throwing the acorn into the fire, Grendl's face grew determined. ”I do not care.”
”Then you do not care for me.”
”Of course I do.” Her fingers caressed his cheek lightly before she moved away. ”But don't you understand? I cannot let them get away with this. I will not.”
”If you marry me, then no one would dare harm you.”
”Andemus, what I must do will be dangerous. If I were to marry you, you would be in danger as well.”
”I would not mind.”
”I would. I will not ask you to support my cause publicly, but do not condemn me for it. I beg of you.”
”Never. I only ask that you be careful, Grendl. The Druids can be ruthless. Even more than you know.”
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