The Kings of Clonmel

Epilogue

In spite of Halt's desire to cover ground as quickly as possible, they made one detour, riding to the crest of a small hill to the west of Dun Kilty.

It was a windswept area, where the trees had been cleared to leave an open meadow. In the place of the trees there was a collection of stone cairns – perhaps fifty of them in all. Some were ancient and crumbling. Others were more recent. -One had been constructed only days before and the stones that formed it were bright and fresh from the quarry.

This was Cairnhill. This was the ancient burial ground where the kings of Clonmel were laid to rest.

As they reached the entrance in the low stone wall that encircled the burial ground, Horace checked Kicker, leaving Halt to ride on alone until Abelard stopped before the cairn of freshly quarried stone. For some time, the Ranger sat, not saying a word, looking at the burial cairn of his brother. After several minutes, he wheeled Abelardaway from the cairn and rode slowly back to where Horace waited for him. Without a word, Horace fell in beside him and they trotted their horses down the hill and back to the main road. They planned to spend the night at Derryton, a coastal village on the road to Fingle Bay.

Horace looked at the sky. It was midafternoon but dark clouds were scudding in from the west and there'd be rain before too long, he thought.

The silence grew between them until Horace finally spoke.

`He wasn't much of a king,' he said, 'but I suppose he was the only one they had.'

It wasn't quite the way he had intended to put it and he realised that he'd phrased the thought clumsily. He glanced anxiously at his companion, hoping that he hadn't offended him.

'Sorry, Halt,' he said awkwardly. Halt looked up at him and gave him a sad smile. He knew there was no malice intended in the young warrior's words.

'That's all right, Horace,' he said. 'He wasn't much of a brother, either. But he was the only one I had.'

The first big drops of rain hit them and Halt pulled the cowl of his cloak further over his head.

We should try to make Derryton before dark,' he said.