Beyond a Darkened Shore(104)

The castle bailey was quiet with an almost palpable unease. Leif and I rode our horses right to the doors of the keep, where I knew my mother waited inside.

“Máthair,” I called, because I knew her by no other name.

It wasn’t long before she came, followed by my sisters, whose golden hair brought tears to my eyes.

Her hands were in fists at her sides, and her face was as welcoming as a hailstorm. Worse still were my sisters’ reactions: they kept their eyes firmly on the floor, never meeting mine. “Where is the High King?” my mother asked.

“Defeated,” I said, and she sucked in a breath.

“You killed him, too?”

I flinched. “Defeated but not dead.”

She crossed her arms defensively. “Why are you here, Ciara? You aren’t welcome.”

Leif shifted in his saddle threateningly, but I raised my hand. “I may not be your daughter, but I am the eldest daughter of the king of Mide. I have come to claim my birthright, to keep Mide safe and to rule as its queen. This is my kingdom, these are my sisters, my clansmen. No harm will come to them while I rule. My alliance with Leif Olafsson will usher in a time of peace between our kingdoms and the Northmen.”

Máthair stood in stunned silence, and my gaze shifted to Branna and Deirdre behind her. Both were thin and pale, but Branna now looked at me with cautious hope in her eyes. What had happened while I’d been away?

I dismounted and approached them. Máthair shifted so she was standing in front of my sisters, and I glared at her through the hurt. Surely she couldn’t believe I’d harm them?

“I came back, Bran,” I said, addressing the one more likely to rebel against Máthair. “Just as I promised you.”

“It’s too late now,” Branna said, her tone quiet and sullen.

“What do you mean?”

Branna crossed her arms defensively, and Deirdre shifted uncomfortably. “I’m betrothed now—we both are. It doesn’t matter if you’re here now, because we’ll never live as a family again.”

It shouldn’t have surprised me, and yet, all I could see before me were two little girls. They’d been raised all their lives knowing that they’d be betrothed when they came of age. Their marriages would have formed necessary alliances, and perhaps if they’d been lucky, áthair would have taken pity on them and married them off to men no older than thirty years. But though it wasn’t unheard of, betrothals at their ages were far too early. I could understand why rebellious Branna chafed beneath this edict and soft-spoken Deirdre was apprehensive and fearful of what was to come. But lucky for them, I was queen now, and I would forge my own alliances.

I glanced at my mother, and a slow smile bloomed across my face. “Then we’ll break the betrothals.”

Máthair stiffened in shock, and I almost pitied her. “What? No. You cannot—”

From a relaxed position on his horse, Leif grinned as though watching a highly entertaining sword fight.

The matching smiles on Branna’s and Deirdre’s faces were well worth any anger from Máthair.

“I can, actually. I’m the queen.” To my sisters, I said, “Consider your betrothals broken.”

“Branna was betrothed to the High King’s son,” Máthair said, her voice desperately sharp. “We cannot just tell him no.”

“I’m sure the High King will agree to whatever Ciara tells him,” Leif said. “He was soundly defeated just now, but Ciara spared his life.”

Branna threw her arms around me, and I rested my head on hers. “Thank you, Ciara,” she said. “You don’t know how much I’ve fretted over this.”

After a moment, Deirdre joined in the embrace, and I let my breath out in a rush. Home. Family. I would never let any harm come to them now that I was queen. “My sisters should be able to marry whomever they please.”

“Such promises,” Máthair said with a sneer. “You know nothing of being queen, of making essential alliances. Part of growing up is in sacrificing one’s happiness for one’s clan.”

I shook my head. “I may not be an experienced ruler yet, but I do know I have power enough to keep Mide and this clan safe. What good is my power if my sisters must be bartered off to ensure we will have allies to come to our aid?”

The sound of many boots hitting the earth drew our attention, and I turned to find Arin and the other Northmen entering the bailey. My undead army followed, stony and gray-faced.

I caught Arin’s eye and waved him over. “There is someone I’d like you to meet,” I told Branna, while Deirdre ducked behind her shyly. Arin joined us, a wary expression on his face. “Arin, these are my sisters, Branna and Deirdre.”

Branna curtsied before him, and a wide grin split across Arin’s face. Máthair looked as though she had eaten something rather sour.

“I’ve formed an unbreakable alliance with Arin’s brother,” I said with a shared smile with Leif, “so you’ll be seeing much more of both of them in the future.”

Before my sisters could even react, Máthair let out a noise of utter frustration. “I’ve heard enough of this madness. Branna, Deirdre, come with me. Your father would be devastated by such a betrayal—to ally herself to a pagan barbarian. Ciara will destroy this family.” She turned on her heel and stalked off, but I called out to her before she could disappear within the keep. Reluctantly, she turned her head.