Keeper Of The Light Read Online Free PDF

take her as a dormuine. A second wife. A concubine.”
    Airt moved a little closer. She held herself very still. “Sabha…I am now one of the king’s warriors. I may well be chosen as one of his personal retinue, and they are second only to the king’s champion himself! Men of such rank often have a chief wife, and then a second or third wife as well. The law has always allowed it. King Bran has three such wives, and Cronan and Fergus, both part of his personal retinue, each have two. You know that it is quite usual for a man of rank to have secondary wives, and now that I am rising into such a level—”
    “You wish to have all the symbols of your success for all to see.” Sabha turned to look at him. She noted, as though from a great distance, that his face was pale and he seemed to be sweating. His eyes flicked left and right, and he would not meet her gaze.
    “We spoke of this very thing before our marriage,” she said. “I thought I had made it clear to you that I wished to have no other wife in this house. You said nothing about wanting to do such a thing. Why did you lie to me, Airt?”
    “I did not lie to you!” He looked up at her at last. “I simply…I just never spoke of it. I did not want to upset you. I do not ever want to argue with you, Sabha.”
    “And letting me believe the sky is blue, when it is actually red as blood, is not a lie?” Slowly Sabha shook her head, then looked down at the straw. “I see,” she whispered. “I see now.”
    She raised her head, staring across the room, and went on speaking. “You want a second wife. Some women can learn to be content with such an arrangement, but most cannot—no matter what the law allows. I know well that I cannot, and I made certain you understood this before we made the contract for our marriage. Do you not remember?”
    He looked down. “I remember. But…I feel certain, now, that once you understand that you will always be my beloved first wife…that no one will displace you from this honored position…that you and no other will be the chief wife…you will come to accept this, as the wives of such men always do.”
    “Airt, you are rising through the ranks of the king’s warriors, and you wish all to know of your status. What greater symbol of your status than another wife on your arm—and in your house, and in your bed?”
    He tried to look into her eyes, but his gaze wavered and at last he looked toward the fire. “You, too, will benefit from my bettered status. There are advantages for you as well. You could…” He turned to look at her again, but the hard mask of her features put a stop to his words.
    She said, “You are doing this for yourself alone. Do not insult me by trying to say that it is somehow being done for me. You have found a way to have extra women for yourself while still remaining married. That is for you and you alone.”
    But Airt held his ground. “Think how nice it would be for you, Sabha,” he pressed. “You would have a companion around for the times I am gone in service to the king, which can sometimes stretch into days or fortnights. She would always be here with you, a sister, if you like, to help you with the work.”
    “Then tell me this, please. If the custom of taking a second or even a third or fourth wife is such a fine thing, why is it only the men who want to continue it? Why does no woman ever ask that another wife be brought into the house alongside her?”
    He smiled down at her, and briefly patted her hand. “Sabha, Sabha…I know that this is often difficult for the chief wife at first. The other men spoke to me about it. But I want to reassure you that I will be as understanding as any husband could be. And I promise to bring you whatever you like as a special gift, something for you alone.”
    Sabha felt her face growing hot, even as a cold hand clutched her heart. “A special gift,” she murmured, and shifted slightly on their ledge. “I do not know how I can properly thank