Authors: Marion Zimmer Bradley
you told me.
I know, and it troubles me. I have tried to tell her several times that wild telepaths are
dangerous, but she only says that everything will be taken care of by the Guardian.
Who that might be, I can't imagine.
Another figure came into the corridor and approached them. Mikhail had to restrain
himself from shivering. He looked at Emelda, and saw the feral expression that seemed
a permanent one. Her eyes were greenish in the light of the foyer, but they had a
burning intensity that was disturbing. Except for their brief exchange of thoughts on
the day of his arrival, he had never been able to sense her
mind, not even the slightest thought. She seemed a blank point in the room. She
glanced at Liriel, at Mikhail, then back to the tall technician. "This is the Disrupter I
warned you of,
vai domna.
We must be careful, or the Guardian will be displeased,"
she whispered to Priscilla. Then she looked startled at the men who had accompanied
Liriel. "These should not be present! They must depart immediately!" Her hiss was like
steam on a griddle.
"My sister is weary from her journey," Mikhail announced ignoring Emelda. "I will
show her to her chambers. Duncan, will you show Tomas and the others where the old
maids' room is, and help get things settled."
Tomas gave a little sigh. "I don't suppose there are any old maids in the room, nor
young ones either," he muttered quietly, and his companions guffawed. Priscilla looked
bewildered, and the expression on Emelda's face turned murderous.
Mikhail could not bear the tension a moment longer. He wanted to grind his teeth or
shout, anything to relieve the rage that was boiling in his belly. He turned, grabbed
Liriel's baggage from where it sat on the floor, and started up the stairs. After a
moment, he heard his sister's footfalls behind him.
Mik, she is like a witch from some
old tale.
Who
—
Priscilla or Emelda? They both seem like crones to me, even though they are
not much different in age than we are. I should have warned you, but, frankly,
everything here is so strange that I didn't know where to begin. Priscilla won't even
pick her clothing without consulting Emelda. She seems completely in her power. And
the children . . . !
Who is she? There is something about her .
. .
I can't put my finger on it.
Emelda? Well, she claims kinship with the Aldarans, though she refuses to be specific.
She could be some
nedestra
child, I suppose. But I can't read her at all, which is very
disturbing.
Hmm. Aldaran. Now, what does that remind me of? My brains feel like cotton.
She seems to have that effect on me as well.
What? Do you mean . . . ?
I think she is influencing me, but I can't seem to do anything about it.
I see. That makes sense
—
you do not seem yourself, quite. Does Regis have any idea of
the situation?
Frankly, no. I have only Managed to communicate with him a couple of times, and he
seemed preoccupied. I have not wanted to bother him with my own troubles. He gave
me a task, and I intend to complete it! And he has enough on his 'plate, right now, what
with Father being difficult, and the Comyn Council being at sixes and sevens. I. . .
wasn't sure but what I was imagining things. It is so strange here, Liri!
Mik, you are an idiot. That woman reeks of
laran,
if
laran
had a scent, and she clearly
has enthralled Priscilla to a great degree. You should have asked for help much
sooner. And you should never have been sent out here on your own. I cannot think
what Uncle Regis is doing!
Mikhail hesitated. He would not criticize Regis Hastur, even to his sister, no matter
how he felt. Nothing could make him disloyal to his uncle. And, since his mother had
behaved so badly to her brother at the Council meeting, he was even more determined
to be a faithful vassal. But Regis had put him in an untenable situation—asked to do a
job he could not complete to anyone's satisfaction, let alone his own.
It is my
understanding that Priscilla was willing to let me become Regent for as long as it took
to find which of her sons might be suitable to take the throne, but nothing more.
And Regis agreed to that? Mik, that doesn't make any sense at all!
I know. It has been driving me crazy, when I can think at all. He backed me into a
corner, at the Council meeting, and he would not explain why. I almost feel that he sent
me here to get me out of the way, for some reason I do not understand. I have always
trusted Regis, more than I trust anyone alive, until this. And I wanted to do a good job
here, to prove that I was useful.
Useful? What for? I mean, Mik, you are a fine fellow. You don't need to prove
anything!
Thank you, sister. But would you think so if we were not family?
What is this nonsense? You are as capable and intelligent a man as I have ever known.
It must be trying to keep my head above water here. I don't feel very capable, let alone
intelligent! And the plain truth is I want to find a suitable Elhalyn to take the throne,
so I can be free of the Regency! I don't want to end up having to take the Elhalyn
throne and answer to Danilo Hastur for the rest of my life.
I see. I had not thought of it in that light, of course. So, tell me about Priscilla's sons.
There are three
—
Alain, Vincent, and Emun. I was doubtful of Alain before I came
here, because I had met him several years ago, and he seemed a little unsteady to me. I
was right. Alain is impossible, ruined, though not, I think, by his
laran,
but by some
other thing I have not discovered. But I had hopes of Vincent.
And now you don't. And Emun?
He is a frightened child, and I don't know if that can be remedied. I don't want to tell
you too much, because I need to know what you think.
She chuckled at this. I
can see that Marguerida has had a good influence on you.
What do you mean by that?
Only that in the past you did not care much for objectivity, brother.
She sniffed the air
as they came to the top of the stairs.
You did not really prepare me for this forsaken
place. No wonder the Elhalyn are so peculiar, living here.
You should have seen it before I had repairs done! It was a fine house, once, you know.
I can't think why Priscilla has let it go to rack and ruin, but she is convinced that she
is leaving here soon, though where she plans to go remains a mystery. There are a
great many plants that grow here that I've never seen anywhere else, and the breeze
from the sea of Dalereuth is very invigorating. At least, it was when I arrived here. I
had no idea how awful it was in winter
Mikhail, stop avoiding what is eating at you! You are the most maddening of men
sometimes.
Worse than Gabe?
Humph. In my experience, there is no one more maddening than our brother. But you
are really trying my patience!
Sorry, Liri. I was not doing it deliberately. This place has demoralized me
—
more than
I realized until this moment. When Regis asked me to be Regent before Midsummer. I
wasn't very pleased, but I did not imagine it would be this difficult a job. I had no idea
how the children had changed
in the four or so years since I last saw them, and I certainly did not expect Vincent to
turn out the way he has.
And how is that?
I don't quite know how to describe it, because I've never encountered anything like it
before. Priscilla has never said anything about Vincent's father, but I have been going
on the assumption that he was the same man as Alain's father. She will not name him
under any circumstances, just says that they are her sons.
What! No wonder she will not come to Thendara and has been keeping herself cooped
up here for these past twenty years. Why, she could have had a dozen lovers!
There aren't many opportunities for sexual license out' here, Liri.
True enough. Has she said why she won't leave?
Something to do with this Guardian she keeps talking about, or, rather, refusing to talk
about. I have asked and asked, but I just haven't gotten any good answers.
"Curiouser and curiouser."
This was one of Marguerida's favorite phrases, and the sound of it in Liriel's mind was
a little disquieting. He took a deep breath and dropped one of the bags, so he could
open the door to Liriel's room. "Exactly. This was the best I could do for you. I am at
the other end of the hall, and the children's rooms are between us, so you will likely be
awakened by_ nightmares."
"Now there's a pleasant prospect," she answered dryly.
Tell me what is bothering you
about Vincent.
Mikhail hesitated a moment. He had forgotten Liriel's habit of going directly to the
heart of things, her impatience and the clarity of her mind. Too, she seemed different
than he remembered her, more confident, even as he was less.
He seems to take delight
in projecting his nastiest emotions all over the place, and he particularly bullies his
younger brother Emun. I have caught him torturing small animals
—
he hung a cat
from the rafters, and it would have died but that Daryll discovered it first. There is just
something about him that is bone mean
—
something that wasn't present when I saw
him before.
Do you think he is the cause of the nightmares you spoke of?
Yes and no. He is the only child who sleeps soundly, but
he is completely untrained, so I don't know how he could manage it. The night I
contacted you, Emun had one where he was trying to get away from something
banshee-like that he said was trying to eat him. Then he told me that Vincent had told
him some tale of banshee ghosts being unstoppable
—
where do children get these
notions? But I cannot be sure if Vincent is merely feeding his brother and sisters'
imaginations, or is actively up to some mischief.
I see. You seem to be of two minds about this. I've never known you to be so confused,
Mik.
Damn right, Liri. I am at my wits end, or perhaps beyond that! I just don't know what
to make of the situation, which is why I asked for your help.
"This room faces away
from the sea, so you won't have a lot of wind to bother you, and the bedding is clean—
I made sure of that."
"That was very kind of you, brother. But after four days of racketing about in that
carriage, I should be perfectly content with a straw mattress and a skimpy blanket. I
have never been so glad to get out of a conveyance in my life— and the thought of the
return journey is very disheartening."
And if I read Priscilla Elhalyn rightly, she will
want me to depart on the morrow.
She paused, then turned toward the open door. "And
who is this," she asked in a quite different tone of voice.
Bright eyes beneath a tumble of dark curls shone in the flickering light of the torches
set along the hall. After a moment, an entire face emerged from its hiding place beside
the door, and Valenta stepped out, looking both curious and shy. In the flickering light
of the lampions, her high cheekbones and budlike mouth beneath a tiny and very
unElhalyn nose, seemed something quite remarkable.
"Hello, Valenta.. Sister, may I present Valenta Elhalyn. This is my sister, Liriel Lanart-
Hastur."
Liriel bent down, her tall, full body leaning until she was nearly at eye level with the
child. She extended her hand slowly, and Valenta reached her own to grasp it. Liriel
looked down at the small hand, with its six fingers, and nodded as if something had
finally made sense to her.
"You are named for the moon," Valenta said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Yes, I am."
"It is a very pretty name."
"Thank you."
What an attractive girl, Mikhail. And I think I may know who her father
was
—
no Ridenow, for certain. I think she may be half
chieri.
Chieri?
No one has seen one in years! I always thought they were gone, or only a
legend. But that makes sense, now that you say it. I hadn't even thought of that
—
my
brains must be turning to mush!
What of the other daughter? Is she like in form? Is she as beautiful?
No. She is red-haired
—
more typical in appearance than Valenta. A very beautiful girl.
If I had seen her when I was seventeen, I would have broken my heart over her. She