Medieval 01 - Untamed

the standing stones. Not even my father.”
    â€œDid he try?”
    â€œOnce.”
    â€œWhy?”
    Meg shrugged. “He thought the secret to having a son lay inside the stones rather than inside his heart.”
    â€œOr inside his wife’s heart?” suggested Dominic.
    Suddenly Crusader’s head came up. He tugged sharply at the reins.
    â€œGently,” Dominic said in a low voice, stroking the stallion’s neck. “There is nothing to fear in this place.”
    â€œHe scents the water,” Meg said, pointing toward a tumble of rocks and lush undergrowth that lay at the base of the mound.
    â€œA sacred spring?” Dominic asked neutrally.
    â€œNothing Glendruid will be offended if a stallion slakes its thirst. Is that what you mean?”
    Without a word, Dominic removed the stallion’s blindfold. Crusader looked around curiously, but showed no fear. Dominic led the stallion to the spring and waited while Crusader drank the crystal water.
    It was easy to follow the progress of the Reevers around the outer ring of stones. Faint shouts and the sad baying of a hound were heard from various points around the circle as the renegades tried to pick up the trail on the other side of the haunted ground.
    Between the stones themselves, nothing moved but the wind.
    â€œWhat lies at the center of the mound?” Dominic asked.
    â€œA chamber with no ceiling.”
    â€œIs there room inside for a horse?”
    Meg hesitated.
    â€œNever mind,” he said, reading her reluctance. “I’ll tie Crusader out here.”
    â€œNothing will bother him.”
    â€œGo to the mound chamber,” Dominic said. “If Duncan is brave or clever enough to get through the rings of stones, the chamber will be easier to defend than this open space.”
    â€œWhat about you?”
    â€œI’ll be along as soon as I see to Crusader. Or will I need special spells and incantations to get inside?” Dominic asked sardonically.
    â€œNothing more exotic than the eyes God gave you,” Meg said in a tight voice. “If this were an evil place, my cross would not tolerate it.”
    Dominic shrugged. “It matters not. I would trade with the Devil himself for shelter from Duncan and his Reevers.”
    â€œNay!” Meg said, horrified. “Never say that!”
    He laughed. “What an odd witch you are.”
    â€œI am not a witch,” Meg said, spacing each word. “I am Glendruid. It is not the same thing.”
    â€œThe common folk have trouble distinguishing between the two.”
    â€œThat is why they are common,” she retorted.
    â€œGo to the mound, Glendruid wife. I’ll join you there.”
    Meg walked around the mound until she came to an opening where the earth and rocks either had been sliced away or never piled up in the first place. The passageway was narrow, stone-lined, and thick with last season’s leaves. After a few yards it opened into a circular chamber. If the area had ever been roofed over, all sign of it was gone.
    Grass and wildflowers grew in a thick carpet. To the western side, last year’s leaves had piled at the feet of four odd white stones. They could have been supports for a shelter or obelisks surroundinga vanished altar or reference points capturing the slanting light at the change of a certain season. No living person knew.
    If the Glendruids had ever known the purpose of the mound, the chamber, or the obelisks, that knowledge had not survived the ages since brother had turned against brother and the Glendruid Wolf had been lost; and with it, the peace of the land itself.
    â€œYou look sad,” Dominic said from behind Meg. “Is this a melancholy place for you or are you unhappy that Duncan missed his chance to take you?”
    â€œIs that what you believe?”
    The temptation to goad Meg nearly overrode Dominic’s good sense. With a muttered oath, he reined in his tongue. His temper was always volatile when his blood was up after a battle. His men had learned to walk carefully around him.
    â€œLet me just say I am sick unto death of hearing about you and Duncan of Maxwell,” Dominic said bitterly.
    â€œSo am I.” Meg’s tone was as bitter as her husband’s.
    It was a visible effort, but Dominic held on to his temper.
    â€œStay here,” he said. “I’ll stand guard outside.”
    Without a word Meg watched Dominic stalk out of the chamber. It