Defiance (The Priestess Trilogy) by Melissa Sasina Page B

warmth. Like his son, Earnán bore a spiral by his right eye.
    The two men came in, talking and laughing, completely unaware of what had just transpired. Their entrance came to an abrupt pause, though, upon seeing the looks on Mahon and Ainmire’s faces.
    Earnán bowed. “Please forgive the interruption, my lord,” he said respectfully .
    Ainmire rose to his feet and approached the men, his face grave. “There have been grievous misdoings brought upon us , ” he told them sadly.
    Naal and Earnán look at him in concern.
    “Cúlráid has been attacked,” he continued with a heavy voice . “Burned to the ground. And…and…” His voice trailed off, unable to continue. Emotions, deep and sorrowful, racked through his body.
    Mahon stepped in. “Earnán, your sister Deirdre, and her son , are dead,” he said softly.
    The look of disbelief, followed by grief crossed both men’s faces .
    Earnán sat down roughly, face in his hands .
    Mahon watched Earnán. The man had recently lost his wife to illness, and now to learn that his sister and nephew were dead, he could even begin imagining how Earnán must feel.
    Naal stood by his father , maintaining better composure . “ Was it…Ailill ?” he asked after a moment.
    Ainmire nodded. “Aye,” he replied.
    “So it begins…” muttered Earnán. “Should we inform the High Chieftains?”
    “No, as I said in the past, we shall deal with Ailill ourselves,” stated Ainmire firmly.
    Suddenly, the cottage door was fl ung open and Daire strode in with a grin that stretched from ear to ear . “I have brought her,” he said eagerly , moving aside and beckoning to a shadowed figure standin g in the doorway .
    As the young woman stepped into the c ottage, she was washed over with the dancing firelight. She wore a pale gray shift with tight sleeve s over a longer plain white one. Her hair fell down her back in a long braid with a few loose curls framing her face. As she entered the room, she looked up, turning her gaze upon ever yone in the cottage in turn .
    Mahon watched as those pale, silvery-blue eyes came to a rest on him, leaving him with a warm feeling of familiarity. Her eyes remained steady as she looked at him. Mah on studied the woman in turn, taking in everything from the features of her face, to the stubborn gleam in her eyes . It was then that, for a brief moment, he was looking at a determined eight-year old girl instead of the woman standing before him now.
    The cup slipped from his fingers and c lattered noisily to the ground , mead spi lling onto the packed dirt, soaking in. Mahon found he stood there, mouth open as he fumbled to speak. “ Shiovra …?” he breathed, struggling not to make a fool of him . “ Shiovra , is that you?” It had been so long he wasn’t sure if she was his little sister or not. The woman before him looked so different from the girl her remembered , yet so much the same .
    She nodded. “I have returned home , brother ,” the woman said, a small smile curling her lips.
    Mahon moved swiftly towards Shiovra , catching her hands within his own. “Why have you been away for so long?” he asked anxiously. “ How did your training go on Rúnda? Did your journey here go unhindered? Why is Ceallach do angry? ” All the questions that had tumbled through his mind, all his worries and fears, began flooding out of his mouth unrestrained.
    Shiovra remai ned silent for a moment. “For the most part it was unhindered. There was one…delay … but it was dealt with quickly, ” she answered.
    He noticed she stiffe ned and her choice of words did not sit well with him. Mahon pressed further, “What happened?”
    “ I would rather not spe ak about such right now. I only just arrived , could I not rest first?” She paused, her eyes searching his face . “I know I have been away far too long, but I am here now.”
    Mahon found that his worry was quickly replaced with anger. “You didn’ t have to go in the first place! ” he countered