Page 29 of Boudicca

“By the gods, yes!” Addedomaros’s fist pounded on the trestle table Wulffaed had materialized outside my tent. “Londinium

and then Verulamium. Finally, the Trinovantes return to take back all that was ours.”

“But is it wise to wait four more days before we march on Londinium?” Adminius asked from his seat beside his father.

“Paulinus and the Twentieth and Fourteenth legions are at Ynys M?n,” I said. “They have just finished a battle there. Even

if today they departed the isle and marched to us, we would be days gone when they arrived here, and though Londinium is larger

than Camulodunum, it is because of the number of merchants rather than soldiers billeted there.”

Maldwyn’s sharp gaze caught mine. “There has been a battle at Ynys M?n?”

I drank from the mug of mead Wulffaed had placed before me, swallowing down the gravel that filled my throat at the thought

of the death of the Druids. “The isle is no more.”

Cadoc’s broad shoulders jerked in shock. “Derwyn?”

I shook my head.

“Our high Druid is no more?” Addedomaros’s face had gone pale.

I could have lied. Perhaps I should have, but I had no stomach for it. If I could bear it, then so too could these men. I

met the chief’s gaze and spoke truth. “The only Druids I know for sure are alive are the two we have with us. Your daughter,

the Iceni seer, and Adara, our healer. All who were on the isle perished, including the sacred oaks.”

For several heartbeats no one spoke. Wulffaed and her daughters and granddaughters froze. My war council, Cadoc, Maldwyn, Abertha—who had been brought on a litter—Addedomaros, Mailcun, and Adminius, was silent.

Finally Adminius whispered, “Have the gods deserted us?”

“No!” My voice cut through their despair. “How can you even think such a thing after the victory we were given at Camulodunum?

Last night as I returned to camp, Andraste rode at my side on the white stag of Brigantia. Addedomaros, did you not feel the

presence of Epona with your cavalry?”

Addedomaros cleared his throat. He still looked stunned, but he nodded. “Aye, as always I felt the goddess near.”

“Our goddesses will remain near as long as we honor them,” I said. “I know the truth of this deep in my spirit. I have spoken

with Andraste. The goddess will not desert the Iceni. To prove her fidelity she gave sign to Rhan at dawn. Three hares appeared,

running in a row toward Londinium. Three—one each for Camulodunum, Londinium, and Verulamium. Andraste promises those cities

to us. She has made that clear.”

“Then in five days we burn Londinium,” said Cadoc.

“And because our army will be well rested, immediately following the burning of Londinium we march directly to Verulamium

and level that Roman municipium,” I added.

“I still think we should march sooner. Perhaps in three days,” insisted Adminius.

I met and held his gaze. “Then it is a good thing that I am in charge of this army and you are not.”

His face darkened and he looked as if he would say more, but Mailcun’s hand went to his shoulder, gripping it so tightly his

knuckles whitened. Addedomaros stood and nodded to me.

“It will be as you say, Queen Boudicca. In five days our cavalry and Epona will enter Londinium with you and Andraste,” he

said. “Come, Adminius. We have horses to tend.”

Adminius stood and stalked away without looking at me. Addedomaros nodded briefly and followed. Only Mailcun bowed to me with

the proper respect.

***

At dusk the pyre was ready. It was an enormous mound of logs and brush and our dead. Like the pyre at Tasceni, it was laid

out in a circular formation. Choice pieces of meat had been placed within the pyre, as well as mead, ale, honey, and milk.

The bodies had been liberally anointed with oil. Rhan sent for me when all was ready, and as the sun set behind us and the

burning city glowed before us, Cadoc lit my arrow as Mailcun lit Addedomaros’s, and together we let loose the burning brands.

They lifted into the twilight sky, arched, and returned to earth, setting the pyre ablaze.

I was surprised that Adminius hadn’t joined his father at the lighting of the pyre. There was no doubt that he believed Tribe

Trinovantes would be his at the death of Addedomaros. He should have been at his father’s side. Rhan had been correct. Adminius

was the same spoiled favorite child he had been when I fostered with them, only now he wore a man’s skin. I glanced at my

daughters, who stood not far from me, watching the pyre burn with their wolves beside them. I did not know which of the two

would follow me as queen of the Iceni when I joined Andraste in Annwn, but I was grateful that both were maturing into honorable

young women who cared deeply for their tribe.

That night the army was subdued. I moved from campfire to campfire, speaking with the warriors, telling them that they were to rest for four more days before we would march on Londinium. I promised them that they could loot the warehouses that lined the Thames before firing the wooden buildings, and that any merchandise they could carry from the city would be theirs. My words were met with pleasure. There had been almost no looting at Camulodunum. I’d been eager to defeat the Romans billeted there and fulfill the curse. But Londinium was different. In the southernmost point of traitorous Catuvellauni land, it had been swallowed whole by Rome decades before and was a major trading center. I’d traveled there several times every year since I married Prasutagus and knew it well. It was a city filled with merchants with almost no defenses, especially once the wooden bridge over the Thames was breached. Unlike Camulodunum, the city had few Roman buildings, which meant the wooden roundhouses and warehouses would burn hot and fast—and my army was welcome to anything they could pillage before it was no more.

I was weary and returned to my tent, where I soaked in a hot bath as Phaedra combed out my hair. While I bathed, Briallen

reported that Enfys and Ceri had fallen asleep almost immediately upon returning from the pyre, and that before they’d slept

they had told the warrior that they would be fine without her now.

“The bairns are curled in a pile with those wolves and I cannot tell which one of them snores the loudest,” she said with

a wistful smile.

I understood the wistfulness of her smile. “They’re growing up.”

“Aye, well, it was bound to happen.”

“You’ve cared for them well,” I said. “And you’ll continue to. Someday you will be Queen’s Guard to one of them.”

Briallen’s brows lifted. “Och, well, do not make that day come too soon, my queen.”

I grinned at her. “I won’t.”

Briallen bowed and left as Maldwyn entered. His eyes crinkled at the corners when he saw that I was naked in my tub, but he

bowed formally to me and said, “Queen Boudicca, I came to report that the herd is recovering quickly, though I am glad you’re

giving them time to rest. It will serve us well when we drive them to Londinium and Verulamium.”

“How are Ennis and Finley? Was any of that blood that covered them theirs?”

“It was, but the wounds were only minor. Because of the days you have granted us they will be ready when next you need them.”

He paused and his smile turned intimate. “Is there anything else you need tonight, my queen?”

I looked into those kind eyes and remembered the passion that had ignited between us the night before. I felt a flutter of desire and opened my mouth to say yes, there was something I needed from him, but the tent flap moved and Rhan stumbled in. She’d lost the glow that had carried her through the night before and this day. Now she just looked wan and weary. Dark circles bruised the delicate skin under her eyes. Her hair was a matted mess and I could smell the scent of death she carried with her, even over the sweet herbs that perfumed my bath.

“Oh, forgive me, Queen Boudicca. I did not mean to interrupt,” she said quickly. “I shall ask Wulffaed to show me to the girls’

tent. Tomorrow I will have my own erected and—”

“Nonsense,” I interrupted as I stood and motioned for Phaedra to wrap me in a blanket. “You’ll stay here.” My eyes went to

Maldwyn. “Thank you for your report, Maldwyn. Tonight I need nothing more from you.”

“Then I wish you a good night, my queen.” He bowed to me. “Good night, Rhan,” he said, and nodded to her pleasantly before

he slipped out of the tent.

“Phaedra, have Wulffaed’s daughters empty the tub and then refill it for Rhan.” I glanced up at Rhan. “Have you eaten?”

“Today? I—I do not think so,” she said.

“I shall bring food,” said Phaedra.

“And more honey mead,” I added.

Phaedra hurried from the tent. I sat at the table beside my bed and used one end of the blanket to dry my hair.

“I do not want to be a bother,” said Rhan as a line of women began emptying and then refilling my tub with steaming water.

“Was I a bother when you cared for me when I could barely hold my arm up during those long first months of training?” I asked.

Her lips quirked into a ghost of her impish smile. “Would you believe me if I said yes?”

“No. Now take off those clothes. You smell like a grave.”

Phaedra gathered Rhan’s filthy clothes as one of Wulffaed’s daughters brought a tray of food and mead. I dismissed Phaedra when Rhan settled into the tub with a long, exhausted sigh. I pulled my nightdress on over my head and found the bowl of herbs Phaedra always sprinkled into my tub. Liberally I tossed several handfuls in as Rhan grinned up at me.

“Do I smell that bad?”

“Worse,” I said. “Dunk your head down and get your hair wet. I’m going to wash it for you. I can’t have grave smell in my

bed.”

She looked up at me. “I really can go to your daughters’ tent.”

“Why? I’d rather not be alone. Dunk your head.” I pushed gently on her shoulder.

Before she went under, she caught my gaze. “Maldwyn would not let you be alone.”

“True, and he doesn’t smell like a grave, but he is also not the person I am closest to in this world, and tonight you should not be alone.”

Rhan closed her mouth, nodded, and ducked under the water. When she came up, I handed her a mug of mead, and while she drank

I worked soap into her hair. I could feel Rhan relaxing, little by little, and when I refilled her mug I handed her a hunk

of cheese and bread, which she began devouring immediately.

“How bad was it with the shades?” I asked as I continued to work soap through the long strands of her slippery blond hair.

“It was odd,” she said between bites.

“How so?”

“You know how Romans bray about being so superior to women?” she asked.

“Oh, indeed I do. And I have the marks on my back to prove it,” I said.

She looked over her shoulder at me and flushed. “Of course. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I—”

I waved away her apology. “I understand. But what does their loathing of women have to do with the oddness of their dead?”

“Their shades were like small boys searching for their mothers. So, in life they subjugated their women, but in death they

cried for women to save them. It was sad,” she said.

“And you showed them compassion,” I said as I poured clean water from the bucketful Phaedra had left.

“Yes. Are you sorry I did?”

I thought about my answer and decided that it was different that night than it would have been before the fulfillment of my curse. “No. They paid for invading our lands with death. Vengeance was served.”

“I’m glad to hear you say so. It means you’ve healed,” she said.

“Hmm, I suppose it does. Briallen put it well. Fulfilling the curse lifted a weight from me. I am lighter knowing that those

men cannot violate anyone else. And now I will move on.”

Rhan ate the last of her bread and cheese and stood. I wrapped her in the blanket and she stepped from the tub. As she sat

beside the table and attacked the remaining food with enthusiasm, I dried her hair, thinking how it was like the finest of

embroidery threads and white as moonlight.

“Did you note my brother was not with my father at the pyre?” she asked suddenly.

“I did. I wonder how many of Tribe Trinovantes noted it as well.”

She sighed and took a deep drink of mead. “Many of them. Adminius really has not grown up. Imagine his shock when Father dies

and the tribe rejects him.”

I stopped drying her hair and sat on the bed. “Have you seen it? Will they reject him?”

“I haven’t seen it, but as I spoke those words to you I felt the truth of them. Adminius will never be chief of the Trinovantes.”

“That is a good thing for the tribe,” I said.

“I agree. But...” Her words faded as she stared into the flame of one of the candles that sat in a bronze holder on the

table. She shivered.

“What is it?”

Rhan spoke softly as she continued to stare into the flame. “I feel a great darkness when I think of the next Trinovantes

chief.”

“Do you mean the next chief will be wrong for the tribe?”

“No,” she answered quickly, then paused, her unblinking stare trapped in the flickering flame. “The next chief will be chosen

by the tribe, but that choice is made because of a great darkness.” Rhan’s breath released in a gasp and she blinked several

times.

“Are you back with me?” I touched her shoulder.

“I am. My brother is a problem that will resolve itself in a way that will be good for the tribe and bad for him. That is all I can see now, but I feel that there is more to it—something dark, something wrong.” Rhan drank deeply again and speared a hunk of meat.

“Should we do something?” I asked.

“What? Work to take away more of the consequences he has earned but my father has shielded him from? No.” Her voice was emotionless,

and I understood why. Adminius had been a difficult, contemptuous child who had grown to be a sullen, self-indulgent man.

I thought about my daughters and how much they loved and supported each other, and wished that Rhan had known that kind of

love and support from her sibling.

Rhan’s shoulders had bowed with weariness, so I changed the subject as I took one of my nightdresses from my chest and helped

her into it. I was a head taller than her, and it made me smile to see the soft cloth swallow her and make her look like a

girl again.

“Come.” I patted the spot beside me on the bed. With a deep sigh, she lay back. “I’ve been thinking about where we should

winter.”

Her eyelids had been fluttering closed, but at this they opened and she propped herself up on her elbow facing me. “I assume

we aren’t returning to Tasceni.”

“I wish we could, but I do not believe the Roman legions will simply pack their ships and leave Britain to us. We won’t be

safe in Tasceni. I’m afraid we won’t even be safe in Thetford.” Thetford was the Iceni’s winter stronghold deep in the heart

of the forest west of Tasceni. It was well defended by a wide ditch filled with water and cavalry stakes. Behind the ditch

was a tall wall made of thick logs and topped with lookout platforms. There was only one gate into the settlement, and that

was easily barricaded. Within were wells aplenty and our winter food stores. Our cattle, goats, and pigs not with the army

had been driven there. When the snows came it was difficult to navigate the forest surrounding it, but the Romans did know

about Thetford and I would not underestimate their siege ability, even in winter. “There is another answer. I believe I should

consider something unusual.”

Rhan smiled. “Something unusual. That sounds like you.”

I returned her grin. “Is that a compliment or sarcasm?”

“Can it not be both?” At my raised brow she giggled, and I ceased to be worried about any darkness clinging to her spirit.

Like me, Rhan would not let the dead overwhelm her life.

I relaxed back onto the bed and stretched out facing Rhan. “I have a feeling this winter is going to be long and cold.”

She yawned and nodded. “It is already cold and it isn’t even Samhain for another seven days.”

“Only seven days until Samhain? I hadn’t even thought of it, but if all goes well the fires lit that night will be Verulamium

burning,” I said.

“Our dead will approve,” said the Iceni seer.

I spoke softly, sharing my innermost thoughts with my dearest friend. “Rhan, it makes me weary to think of the battles to

come.”

She moved so that she could stroke my hair. “You already have the next two battles planned, do you not?”

“I do.”

“Then do not think of the battles to come. Think of the four days of peace you have before you must be a warrior again. Embrace

that peace so that when the time comes you can release the warrior again and control her ferocity.”

I closed my eyes. “Battle makes my spirit grieve. You lighten that grief.”

Her hand stilled for a moment on my hair. “Does Maldwyn lighten it, too?”

“Yes.”

“Then I am glad the queen of the Iceni has both of us.” Rhan stroked my hair again and her touch worked on me like a sleeping

potion.

“I love it when you do that,” I whispered, half asleep.

“Then I will not stop until you sleep,” Rhan whispered back.

“Thank you,” I murmured.

Just before I knew no more, I heard Rhan whisper, “Boudicca, you make the world’s sadness bearable for me, too.”