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“Then let the flames consume us,” I whispered back.
I woke with a jolt, covered in sweat, to the sound of an owl hooting in the trees above my tent.
I was very much alone.
CHAPTER 20
Grimhold was much lessgrim than I’d been expecting.
The town was small, perhaps a few hundred people or so. The buildings were wooden but painted in bright and cheerful colors that made them stand out against the dark background of the ancient forest that cradled the settlement.
The land for a few miles around the town had been cleared, the huge trees evidently being used in construction and limited trade. The wood must be valuable indeed. I wondered why the inhabitants of Cerunnos had not exploited the forest more than they had, stripping its bounty and shipping the timber to neighboring kingdoms for riches. I knew without question that my father and Arthur would have done so.
Even before we reached the wooden gates of the town, we could hear the sound of loud music and crowds of people.
“There must be a festival going on,” Draven muttered, as he slowed the piebald and rode beside me. “We’ll go in quickly. I’ll look for the healer’s shop, then resupply. If you need anything, you go and find it. We’ll meet at the tavern in the center of town. The Black Bridle.”
I nodded.
We dismounted and led our horses past the gates.
Inside, the entire town seemed to be out in the streets. The buildings had been decorated with flowers, garlands and ribbons. Laughing and shouting people streamed by, decked out in colorful clothing, their faces covered with masks in the shapes of animals, plants, and mythical creatures. I spotted a little boy wearing a mask over his eyes that reminded me of the exmoor and stared, wondering if it had been based on the real thing. As he turned and ran into the crowd, I saw a tufted tail bobbing behind him, tied around his waist with a string.
“Happy Khor’a’val,” a young woman wearing a turquoise bird mask shouted at Draven as she whirled past with a group of laughing ladies.
“Of course,” Draven murmured, staring after them. “They worship Khor here. I should have remembered.”
I looked after the ladies. “Who is Khor?”
“Vela’s consort.”
“Vela? The fae goddess? They worship fae gods here? But this is Cerunnos.”
“And in Cerunnos, they believe Vela and Khor made the world.”
I felt oddly offended. “Not the Three? Not even Zorya? The dawnbringer?”
