As we rode through winter-dimmed valleys of moss and dying grasses hugged by rocky, mist-shrouded mountains and forests of deep green pine, I imagined a map of the area, trying to tease out Rohan’s strategy. This was a strategic area connecting the Damnonii to the west, Votadini to the south and east, and holding the Picts at bay to the north. If it were an independent kingdom, I could see the Damnonii and Votadini fighting over it, but it was clearly in Votadini control. Perhaps Rohan was scheming to wrest it from Evina. If he held sway over the border with the Picts, he may be able to use the threat of invasion to bring her to heel.
The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Just as Evina harbored ambitions to rule all of the lands north of Hadrian’s Wall, so might Rohan. If
