Moons' Dreaming (Children of the Rock) (37 page)

“
Well, keep trying. Anything useful from Dherrica?
”

“
King still chasing prince. Border guard still strong. Guards hate Rhenlan.
”
Palim squinted slightly, as though examining the words he
’
d just uttered.
“
Fear us, too.
”

Damon rested his elbow on the arm of the chair, hand in chin.
“
Healthy fear is useful, if it
’
s mixed with respect and admiration.
”
Dherrica
’
s strong borders and civil strife provided excellent motivation to constantly recruit more guards to Hion
’
s service.

“
Captain Dael
’
s admired.
”

“
I should hope he is. That
’
s one of the primary functions of the captain of the king
’
s guard, to play the hero while the king is busy with real work.
”

“
Hion
’
s been hero and king.
”

“
And wasted both opportunities,
”
Damon snapped.

The other man showed no remorse for making him angry.
“
Dael
’
s known to honor old traditions.
”

“
He can honor what he pleases so long as he obeys me. Don
’
t look so disapproving. You know I respect your advice. Have you any evidence that my captain
’
s loyalty is in question?
”

“
No, Highness.
”

“
Do you think that my tampering with established customs will turn Dael against me?
”

Palim hesitated.
“
Not sure, Highness.
”

“
Have your spies watch him come festival day. I
’
ve canceled the Story of Beginnings, and replaced it with a parade of the guards. Weigh your suspicions against his actions, and report back to me.
”

Palim nodded.

“
Dismissed.
”

Damon shook his head after the departing groom. Palim simply could not imagine anyone in Dael
’
s position not desiring to further his own ambitions. Palim was not a very good judge of character.

Of course, that little personality flaw made Palim a rare and wonderful find in their tradition-blinded world.

* * *

“
We
’
ll camp here for the night.
”

Feather guided her tired horse toward the broken stone wall where Felistinon, apparently anticipating the king
’
s decision, had already dismounted. Sene remained a moment longer in the middle of the hard dirt road, sitting straight and still in the saddle, one hand shading his eyes against the westering sun as he studied the surrounding landscape.

“
Not that there
’
s anything to see,
”
she muttered as she slid shakily to the ground. For a moment she rested her forehead against the saddle
’
s smooth, well-worn leather, too tired to care about getting one more smudge of dirt on her already grime-streaked face. Not once since leaving Telina had they encountered other travelers or the smallest patch of cultivated land. The unrelenting solitude of the Sitrinian wilderness made her feel small and insignificant and far too lonely for comfort.

“
I
’
ll take care of that, miss.
”
Feather jumped as Felistinon reached casually over her head to unlace her horse
’
s pack.

She put a possessive hand on the animal
’
s sweaty neck.
“
I thought I told you not to sneak up on me like that.
”

His dark-eyed glance was polite but unrepentant.
“
I don
’
t know how to walk any louder, miss.
”

“
I also told you I can manage my own belongings.
”
It was a futile argument. Her bags were already leaning against the low wall, and as they spoke Felistinon deftly removed saddle and pads as well.

“
Oh, never mind. I
’
ll just go stretch my legs before we eat.
”

“
Yes, miss.
”
He took her mount
’
s reins and began to lead it toward a break in the wall.

Feather set off down the line of tumbled stones toward the man who was to blame for all her problems. Sene
’
s horse, stripped and hobbled, grazed beside the guard
’
s rangy bay within the broken circle formed by the old wall. The king himself wandered along the inside of the rough fence, kicking now and then at objects hidden from Feather
’
s view by the tall grass.

Hurrying a little, she caught up to him when they were a third of the way around the wall from Felistinon.
“
Doesn
’
t this part of Sitrine have anything but ruins?
”

“
I
’
m afraid not.
”
The king
’
s broad shoulders moved in a half-shrug.
“
Trust me. This is a better place to camp than the open plain.
”

“
You
’
ve stopped here before?
”

“
Many times. This used to be an inn, the Blue Bottle. The well was somewhere along here.
”
He kicked aside another fallen stone.
“
I admit there
’
s not much trade these days between Sitrine and Rhenlan, but Brownmothers at least still travel where they will. We have a Brownmother house at Bren, a day
’
s ride south and east of Raisal.
”

“
I
’
ve heard of it.
”

“
We
’
ll pass the turn-off about
midday
tomorrow.
”
He smiled down at her.
“
You
’
ll be home in time for a bath before dinner.
”

Your home, not mine.
She thought of Jenil
’
s cluttered rooms and the quiet murmur of the Broad River below the windows of Garden Vale
’
s Brownmother house. She
’
d yet to encounter a proper river in wide, wind-swept Sitrine.

Trailing her fingers over the weathered surface of the ragged line of stones she asked,
“
Is the rest of your kingdom as sad as this place?
”

Sene stopped walking.
“
No, it
’
s not. You
’
ll see, when we reach Raisal.
”

He swung one leg over the wall and sat there, hands clasped loosely in his lap, at ease in the warm evening air. Feather had the impression he would be at ease anywhere, from the roughest campsite to the finest palace.

“
Has Jenil told you nothing about us?
”

“
She told me I am honored to be betrothed to your son.
”

“
Dreamer or not, I am going to have to have a talk with that woman. Listen carefully, young lady. A betrothal is not a marriage. No one is going to force you and Chasa to marry. No one is going force you to do anything.
”

Feather folded her arms.
“
So why didn
’
t Jenil listen to me when I said I didn
’
t want to leave Garden Vale?
”

“
Dreamers have the annoying habit of being certain they know what
’
s best for everyone.
”
A smile crinkled the corners of his eyes.
“
They
’
re usually right.
”

“
Then I
’
ll have to marry your son, won
’
t I?
”

Sene grew serious again.
“
Feather, do you remember any of your childhood?
”

“
Glimpses, here and there.
”

“
What about the rest of your memory? Since you came to live with Jenil? Did you learn what the Brownmothers teach?
”

“
I remember everything I was taught in Garden Vale.
”
Faces flashed in front of her mind
’
s eye, beloved teachers, dear friends. Miles and days away, all of them.

“
The Story of Beginnings?
”
he prompted her.
“
Tales of the kingdoms before the plague, of the war with the horse people, of Hion
’
s hunt for the last fire bear?
”

“
Yes, yes. I
’
ve heard them all.
”

“
But you don
’
t believe them.
”
Feather dropped her gaze, hoping that the growing darkness hid the flush that spread up her neck and warmed her ears. The too-astute king continued,
“
It
’
s not easy, I know. For years Keepers marry Keepers, and Shapers marry Shapers, and we raise our children and go about our own business without bothering anyone else.
”

His rumbling voice deepened.
“
Until the rules change and we
’
re suddenly expected to marry outside our own kind, to produce children who
’
ll never get married themselves, but who will live for hundreds of years, bending the power of the gods to benefit all of the Children of the Rock.
”

In spite of herself, Feather shivered.
“
Maybe that part is true, I know Jenil is real. Her power is real. And I can believe that Dreamers are infertile, just as Shapers and Keepers are usually infertile with each other.
”

“
Dreamers have to come from somewhere.
”

“
From your generation, Your Majesty. Not mine! New Dreamers were supposed to have been born ten or fifteen or twenty years ago.
”

“
Two were. My cousins followed tradition.
”

“
What of Hion
’
s cousins, and Dea
’
s cousins, and all the other Shaper families? Where were they when the Dreamers were killing themselves, searching for the cause of the plague?
”

“
Some of them were dying, too,
”
Sene said.
“
Others were too frightened to realize what was happening, or too bitter to care. None of which matters now. We missed our chance.
”

“
So you pass the burden to your children.
”

“
Not a burden. A gift. Do you believe in the gods, Feather?
”

“
I don
’
t know. Jenil does.
”

“
So does Aage. He doesn
’
t just believe, he knows. They talk to him. They
’
re giving us another chance. Maybe our last chance.
”

“
And that
’
s supposed to make me feel better?
”
Feather demanded.

“
I beg your pardon?
”

“
It
’
s all very well your being kind and charming and promising that no one
’
s going to force me into anything, except how can I say no when everyone says my saying no will mean the end of the world!
”

The king
’
s big, callused hand cupped the side of her face.
“
Gods, I
’
m getting as bad as Jenil.
”