The question worried him. He had already established that Tae was a gentle soul, and did not want her to think badly of him. The way she put it gave him an easy escape, but he did not want to lie to her. ‘I would have killed them,’ he said. ‘But I did hope that your mother would speak out.’ He saw the disappointment in her face. ‘I am sorry, Tae.’
‘Is it so easy to kill?’ she asked. ‘It seems to me that a life should be considered precious. Farrar has a wife and two small children. He adores them, and they him. He can be pompous and condescending. But at heart he is a sweet man. Yet he could have been killed for depriving you of your pony for a little while.’
‘I can see how it could look that way,’ admitted Conn.
‘To a woman, you mean?’
‘To someone gentle and kind,’ he replied. ‘I am still young, and I have much to learn. Had I been wiser I probably could have handled the situation without threats. As it is, though, no-one died, and my mission continues. I am not an evil man, Tae. I do not seek the death of any brother of the Rigante.’
He saw her relax. ‘Let us talk about something other than war,’ she said. ‘Let us enjoy the beauty of the sky, the raging wonder of the sea, the magnificence of the sun rising. Let us talk like two people merely enjoying the company of each other. You promised me a glimpse of a tender heart, Connavar. I am wondering when I shall see it.’
‘Would you have me pay you compliments, Tae?’
‘Compliments are always welcome to a woman. As long as they are sincere.’
He fell silent for a while, and continued to scan the surrounding hills. ‘You are thinking of war again,’ she chided, gently.
‘Not at all. I was thinking of you. Truth to tell I have thought of little else since first we met. If I close my eyes at night I see your face and you are the first thought in my mind when I wake. It is very . . . distracting.’
He turned towards her, stepping in close. She did not move back, but tilted her head back, expecting a kiss. Then they heard a horse approaching. Conn walked towards the sound. Parax was riding up the hill. He waved as he saw the young warrior, and urged his pony on.
‘We need to talk,’ said the hunter.
‘Can it not wait?’
The old man saw Tae standing by the trees. He slid from his pony. ‘Aye, it could wait. But hear me first. You said there has not been a raid here in ten years?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then why do I find evidence that a longship beached here no less than two days ago?’
‘You are sure it was a longship and not a fishing boat?’
‘Would you mistake the spoor of a rat for a horse?’ answered Parax, sharply.
‘You are tetchy today, old man.’
‘Aye, well, I’ve not been charmed by the company of a beautiful lass. Anyway, there is more. Men climbed down from the longship. Maybe as many as twenty. It was hard to tell. They were met by a rider from Seven Willows. He rides a pony with a chipped hoof. Then they sailed away.’
‘Show me,’ said Conn.
Minutes later the three riders rode along the shoreline. Conn saw the deep trench made by the keel of the longship, and the churned mud on both sides where warriors had jumped down to haul it in. Further back they found the remains of a fire. ‘What does it mean?’ asked Tae.
Conn shrugged. He had not told her of the rider. ‘A longship beached here several nights ago. That is all we know. Perhaps it was a scouting party. It is hard to tell.’
They rode back to Seven Willows in silence, and Conn, having first obtained directions to the house of Phaeton, bade farewell to Tae.
The merchant was at home when Conn and Parax rode up. He was a tall middle-aged man, with greying fair hair and an easy smile.