| The commander of Calamden Keep permitted the two wagons to enter, though
having read Kayne's report he was sorely tempted to turn them away. He
didn't dare to do that, though, for if the girl was truly the daughter
of a duke then he could well find himself reduced to the ranks should she
complain to her father. He doubled the strength of the watch for the night,
and hoped for the best.
Rowena had not had much sleep the night before so, in spite of her worries,
on going to bed she fell asleep readily enough. She woke at dawn, not feeling
as refreshed as she had hoped. Fragments of what she suspected had been
unpleasant dreams dissolved before she could examine them. Then she heard
a frantic buzzing, that had perhaps been what had awoken her. On investigating
she found a bee caught in a spider's web in a corner of her room. That
was rather an eerie coincidence, she thought, in view of the strange words
of the beggar that he had claimed had come from Rham and Rhom themselves.
[8797]
She had never considered herself a credulous person, the sort who would
take any notice of what a doubtless mad beggar said. She wasn't even sure
that she believed in the existence of the twin deities of Allaria, though
she knew it would not be wise to admit her doubts to anyone. Yet in these
wild parts almost anything seemed credible, especially after the happenings
of the previous night.
Having washed her face in cold water from the jug provided for that
purpose, she got dressed, then went out into the corridor and knocked on
the door of Fred's next-door room. There was no answer. He must be still
deep asleep, she thought.
-
 She
knocked again, louder this time.
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