‘Understood,’ says Donagan. ‘Don’t trouble yourself, I’ll be discreet. I think I can do this without saying anything about tonight. Trust me.’

Funny, how things sometimes come clear all of a sudden. I guessed already that he doesn’t want to leave Winterfalls, doesn’t want to leave the prince, but for some reason he’s going to anyway. Now I see that he wants to help his friend but doesn’t know how. Maybe, deep down, he’s hoping he’s wrong and we can find answers. ‘Seems a good fellow,’ I say. ‘Prince Oran.’

Donagan nods. He picks up the poker and stirs the fire. Throws on a bit more wood. ‘The best,’ he says. ‘You heard him at the council. A fine man. A worthy leader. His modest demeanour makes some folk underestimate him.’ He falls silent a bit, and I wonder if there’s a but coming. I don’t say anything.

‘If he has a failing,’ Donagan says, still not looking at me, ‘it’s that he is not very . . . worldly-wise.’

‘Mm-hm.’ Not sure what he means, and not going to ask. Is he talking about women? Wouldn’t a prince be able to bed whatever woman he fancied?

‘That’s in confidence,’ says Donagan.

‘Wouldn’t breathe a word.’ Except to Blackthorn, I’m thinking, but I don’t say it. Wonder how she’s getting on among the ladies of the house. Hardly seen her since we got here. Big crowd at meal times, both of us listening hard to who’s saying what, no time to have more than a word or two. The way it’s going, it’ll be full moon before we know it and Prince Oran will be off to his hand-fasting with no way out.

‘Big step, going away,’ I say. ‘Leaving your position and all. Any chance you’d change your mind?’

He’s holding a bit of firewood in his hands, looking at it as if he doesn’t remember why he picked it up. ‘If I thought you and Blackthorn could turn back time,’ he says, ‘or work magic, I’d say yes.’

I’ve always thought wise women could work magic. Seems he’s got no faith in that.

‘If anyone can fix this,’ I say, ‘Blackthorn can.’

29 Oran

29

~ORAN~

It was harder than I would have dreamed possible to maintain an air of calm. How could I go about my daily business as usual when the days seemed to be slipping by ever more quickly? The moon became a waxing crescent. It swelled toward half-full. Blackthorn did not report to me. I had done as she requested, and neither called her to see me nor sought her out. Evidently she had as yet uncovered nothing.