Wolf-like, she didn"t brood about the inevitable descent. That would be dealt with in its time. Nor did she brood about the summons from the Royal Beasts. Elation had a.s.sured her that if they pushed on past dark they could round the lake before the next dawn. Pushing forward, therefore, was what the wolf-woman concentrated on. The answers would come of themselves and time.
Several times they stopped to rest and nap. Firekeeper ate only lightly, accepting what Elation brought her with humble groveling. Elation"s finds were worth the thanks, indeed. . Although the peregrine herself ate nothing but flesh-and that preferably not only warm but still pulsing with the life of the creature that had grown it-Elation had made herself a scholar of human tastes. Twice she brought chunks of honeycomb, clotted with crystallized sugar. Once she brought a tattered bunch of wild grapes, tart and juicy. Nuts were awkward for the falcon to carry, but after Firekeeper cobbled her a sack from a still damp rabbit hide, the falcon brought them in such quant.i.ty that Firekeeper found herself wondering what squirrel would starve that winter.
The wolf-woman spared little sympathy for the squirrel, but cracked the nutsh.e.l.ls in her fist or between her jaws as she ran.
Day dimmed into dusk. The night sky darkened and then gleamed with hard, white stars. The moon rose, thin now, but fattening. At last a shifting wind brought Firekeeper the scents of many beasts gathered together. From the depths of the forest, a pale white form bounded to meet them at the tree line"s edge.
"Mother!" Firekeeper howled in delight.
She rolled on the ground at the silver wolf"s feet, rubbing her head against the she-wolf"s jaw and whining in an ingratiating fashion. The wolf gaped open her jaws in a fashion a human would have found alarming.
No food came forth, but Firekeeper, who had often been fed this way, reached inside the fanged jaws and touched the lolling tongue.
"Mother," she repeated, more quietly.
The she-wolf licked her, then licked Blind Seer, who rubbed against the silver wolf, almost knocking her off her feet with the force of his greeting.
"You"ve grown," said the One Female approvingly, "as has Little Two-legs. The hunting is good east of the mountains?"
Blind Seer gave a short barking laugh. "It could be. Not only are there deer and elk and rabbits, but the humans keep creatures they make stupid so that they can control them. Horses are not bad-some of them have spirit-but sheep and chickens beg to be eaten. What threat is a cow, especially when she has had her horns sawn off, or a bull once he"s been gelded?""You hunted such?" The One Female"s tone mixed curiosity and a certain degree of disgust-or maybe envy.
"No," Blind Seer drawled. "Instead, humans trembling in fear of my size and power carried already killed meat to me on sheets of beaten metal. I grew fat without effort-and would have grown fatter but for the need to watch over sweet Firekeeper."
Firekeeper snorted and punched the blue-eyed wolf in the shoulder. She glanced from side to side, sniffing the air.
"Is the One Male with you, Mother?"
"No. He remained to mind the pack. The puppies are growing both bold and stupid. We did not dare leave them with only the lesser wolves to discipline them."
The next moments pa.s.sed as the One Female brought them up to date on the status of their pack-a fairly large one, as the hunting in their territory was good and the Ones wise leaders. A yearling had broken his back in a fall. A two-year-old had dispersed and was reported to be hunting with a single male to the northwest. Two of last spring"s puppies had died: one of a fever or some poison, another from tangling too boldly with an elk.
"Elk do have horns-or rather antlers," the One Female commented mildly, "and none of his birth siblings will forget that lesson."
Firekeeper nodded somberly. She had experienced such losses before. A Royal Wolf pack did not produce pups every year as did the Cousins, but if its size diminished, the answering urge replied. In all her life with the wolves, she could only recall two years-and one of those dimly-that there had not been pups in the spring, and never once had every member of a litter survived into the following spring.
"Others wait," the One Female said, turning the conversation away from family matters, "to meet you and speak with you. Would you rest first?"
Firekeeper considered. "What do you advise?"
"Cry sleep," the One Female said promptly. "Bee Biter reported when you began this day"s run. None will doubt that you are tired."
"I am, most honestly," Firekeeper admitted, smothering a yawn behind her hand.
"Then rest," the One Female said. "If you need food, I will hunt for you. Best that you face these questioners with a clear mind and full belly."
Blind Seer growled as at a faintly scented danger.
"Mother, they don"t intend to harm Firekeeper, do they? I must warn you, if they have summoned her so far only to hurt her, I will spill their blood and all of mine if that is what is needed to defend her."
The One Female nipped him lightly on his left ear.
"Foolish pup! Do you think I would have nurtured Little Two-legs only to give her to enemies when she finally learned to hunt on her own? No, they don"t intend to harm her, but they are worried, and worried creatures have tempers sharper than a winter thorn tree."
Blind Seer relaxed, content with his mother"s rea.s.surance."Still, I believe I will not leave Firekeeper"s side."
"Sleep hungry then," the One Female said, approval in the slow wag of her tail, "and sleep lightly."
Elation, waiting unheeded all this time in a tree above their heads, called down: "I will tell them that Firekeeper will be rested when next dusk comes. You wolves sleep well."
"You"ve made a friend of that bird," the One Female said after Elation had flown off. "A good thing.
Perhaps you should make other friends among her kind. It would be useful."
"Why, Mother?" Firekeeper asked.
No answer came. Instead, the she-wolf curled herself into a ball, making a nest for herself among the dead leaves at the base of a tree.
Firekeeper stared at the One Female for a long moment. Then she shrugged acceptance of her silence.
Going to the lakeside to wash and drink, the wolf-woman was aware of shadowy figures bulking large against the trees a short distance away. From them she caught wisps of scents that should not be blended. These watchers did not trouble her, nor did she greet them.
Rejoining the wolves, Firekeeper rested herself against Blind Seer"s side. Even though she lay cradled between the wolves" great bodies she felt cold, chilled from within by apprehension of what the dawn would bring.
Her fears followed her into sleep.
The wedding. a.s.sa.s.sins surge out of the gathered throng. Firekeeper"s heart squeezes tight in her chest, tighter than the gown that tangles her feet as she tries to move.
Move she must. Blind Seer"s warning echoes in her ears. To fail would be to fail not these kings and queens, not these n.o.bles and diplomats, but to fail him-he who has trusted her to hear his cry and be his hands and feet.
"She must live. Someday we will have a need of her."
The Sphere Chamber is transformed, become King Tedric"s field pavilion. Once again, Firekeeper circles round and round, her blood trailing only slightly behind her. Prince Newell laughs mockingly. Then he is dead.
Firekeeper wants to rest, but the a.s.sa.s.sins are near. They want Sapphire and Shad. She alone stands between them. "Someday we will have a need of her." They must live. Someone has a need of them.
She raises her head, claws through the fog that enshrouds her mind, focuses on the a.s.sa.s.sins. For a moment, their features become clear.
She knows them. They are her friends.
King Allister found his entourage"s reception at Eagle"s Nest handled so smoothly that no one would have guessed that the master of the castle had been on the road himself until a few days before.Of course, he thought, Uncle Tedric and Aunt Elexa have been living here much longer than we have in our new home, and all their key staff didn"t get carried off by the previous tenants.
Allister and his family-including Princess Sapphire-were given rooms in a tower that offered among its amenities private" access to the castle"s grounds.
Sapphire commented with a strange, sharp laugh that this was the same tower in which Earl Kestrel and his party had been housed over the time when King Tedric had been inspecting Lady Blysse Norwood.
In those days, Firekeeper and Blind Seer had been much less familiar with human customs, and easy access to the outdoors had been something of a necessity.
Most of those members of Hawk Haven"s n.o.bility who would usually take rooms at the castle had found places to stay in the city or surrounding countryside. As the six Great Houses were becoming closely intermarried, it was not difficult for anyone who was anyone to find someone from whom hospitality could be claimed.
Most-but not all. Both Grand Duke Gadman and Grand d.u.c.h.ess Rosene-King Tedric"s younger brother and sister-retained their accustomed suites.
"All the better to see you, my dear," Allister thought, remembering Aunt Rosene"s greeting.
There had been something fierce and even threatening about both Gadman and Rosene-a ferocity tinged with bitterness. Gadman"s att.i.tude might have been slightly less so, but then he had seen one of his candidates for the place of heir apparent to the throne win the race-Sapphire was his granddaughter through his son, the recently deceased Lord Rolfston Redbriar.
That Rolfston had apparently been a disappointment to both his father and to his wife, Lady Melina Shield, and that Sapphire had so clearly allied herself with the king, her new father by law and a replacement for the lost Rolfston in fact, probably made the Grand Duke"s apparent victory rather bitter.
And probably made him resentful of me as well, Allister mused with an honesty that his own politically charged childhood had given him. Sapphire will reign after me and so she grants to me a certain degree of deference-deference that doubtless Uncle Gadman thinks should be his alone.
But contracts between the two newly allied families were not all charged with political overtones. At the banquet held the afternoon following their arrival, Prince Tavis rekindled his tentative friendship with young Nydia Trueheart, the elder daughter of Lady Zorana Archer.
It warmed Allister that their friendship was based on a shared enthusiasm for some of the cla.s.sic New Kelvinese poets. He liked thinking that his younger son might have at least one friend here in Hawk Haven who thought of him primarily as a person and only secondarily as a prince.
Allister snorted through his nose in derisive self-condemnation.
Nydia is only what-twelve? thirteen?-but her mother is ambitious for her children and will probably contaminate even that innocent friendship.
He said as much to Pearl during the relative privacy of a pair dance during the informal ball that followed the banquet.
"I think," Pearl said a touch sharply, "you may do Lady Zorana an unkindness. There is nothing wrong with a mother wanting the best for her children, and what is more useless than a surplus child of n.o.ble heritage but possessed of no t.i.tle or lands? Lady Zorana"s brother, Ivon, will inherit the barony their father won; her husband is, like herself, a younger child with minimal prospects."Allister nodded, twirled his queen away from him, exchanged her for another partner. When the movements of the dance brought her back into his arms again, he had his reply ready.
"All the more her duty then to see that her children have training for later life," he said. "My father did so for me and there could have been no more useless n.o.ble-born child than myself."
"Zorana did her best for her eldest," Pearl reminded him, strong disapproval in her softly spoken words, though her expression remained tranquil. "And now Purcel-a boy our Tavis"s age, remember-lies dead beneath the ground outside of Hope, dead fighting a war in which he hoped to serve his king and win honor for his family."
Allister used an intricate series of hand changes to mask an apologetic kiss.
"I will remember that sacrifice, and that many others paid the price for our dancing here in what was once the stronghold of our enemies."
Pearl softened. "And I will remember that many here will see our unmarried three-young as they are-as prizes to be won."
Sometime later King Allister noted that Sir Jared Surcliffe, who had been dancing with Lady Elise Archer, now stood near one of the refreshment tables, a gla.s.s of wine held loosely between his long surgeon"s fingers, a dreamy expression on his face.
Remembering his promise to Shad and Sapphire that he would accord Sir Jared at least the recognition of his evident favor, if not the position the princess thought he deserved, the king made his way to the younger man"s side.
Sir Jared came out of his reverie with a start, dipped a bow that was sincere if not polished, and asked how he might serve the king.
"I thought I"d request your professional opinion as to how Shad and Sapphire look," Allister said, gesturing for Sir Jared to be at ease. "They insisted on riding most of the way here from Silver Whale Cove, even when the weather got ugly and wiser heads sought a s.p.a.ce in the carriages."
"I don"t think their exertions did them any harm," Sir Jared replied promptly. "They"re young and possess the resilience of youth. Mind, I wouldn"t recommend a continuation of the punishment they"ve been giving themselves. Both were wounded during the war and Sapphire was injured shortly before that as well."
The healer"s voice dropped so that among the eddying tide of those who hovered hoping for the king"s notice-or even among the closer circle that a.s.sured him a measure of breathing s.p.a.ce-only Whyte Steel might have overheard his words.
"Yet, Your Majesty, I would advise you to find someone who shares my talent and make some excuse for keeping him or her close to the heirs. They would not have healed so swiftly-and thus so cleanly-without the aid I was pleased to give them. If they continue to insist on leading by example there will be other injuries and I cannot always be near to hasten their mending."
King Allister replied without thinking, "Would you like a post as their physician?"
Only as Sir Jared"s eyes widened in surprise did Allister realize that he had forgotten his new power. He had spoken as he would as master of his own former estate, one man offering another employment-not as a king bestowing honors and likely to be offended if the other refused. He hastened to add: "Feel free to decline if you so desire, Sir Jared. I realize you have other commitments."Sir Jared bowed. "My commitments are mostly to my cousin, Earl Kestrel, and I believe he would release me. Certainly your offer is tempting."
His gaze flickered for the briefest instant to where Lady Elise now danced with a scion of Duke Kite-a youth several years her junior and clearly enchanted with his lovely partner.
Allister Seagleam was no fool. He had noted the rapport between Elise and Jared, had realized, too, that such a match was probably impossible. Earl Kestrel called Sir Jared "cousin," but the relationship was one of several removes-an indication of the earl"s regard for the younger man rather than close kinship.
Baron Archer, like his sister Zorana, was only too aware of the tenuous nature of his family"s power. He would wish his only daughter"s marriage to serve future generations of Archers.
Suddenly, Allister thought he might understand why Sapphire had pressed both him and Uncle Tedric to grant Sir Jared some greater degree of recognition and he liked his new daughter-in-law all the more for this indication of her compa.s.sion for the impossible romance.
"Think on my offer," King Allister pressed the knight, "but know that you will be welcome in my court whatever your answer may be."
Too many others had claims on his time for the king to extend the audience. He accepted Sir Jared"s thanks and turned to smile upon d.u.c.h.ess Trueheart.
"Grace," he said, claiming her as a friend, since she had served under his command during the recent war.
"I heard that you had not yet arrived."
The young d.u.c.h.ess-a mere twenty-four and new to her t.i.tle-smiled. She kept her composure at the king"s friendly address, but from the way her eyes sparkled, she appreciated his including her among his intimates-and how the inclusion would raise her in the eyes of her doubters.
"We hit bad weather on the way in, Your Majesty," she said. "May I have the honor of presenting my husband, Alin, and our son, Baxter?"
King Allister turned to do so, accepting the man"s bow, and kissing the infant"s cheek.
And so we go, he thought wryly. Pa.s.sing on the aura of kingship, playing the game, cementing alliances.
Just beyond him, the dancers swirled and eddied. Lady Elise went by, this time looking less than happy in the arms of Jet Shield, the crown princess"s brother, and once Elise"s betrothed.
So we all dance, Allister thought, whether to music or to other, more subtle, less pleasant tunes.
Baron Endbrook hadn"t thought he"d be nervous. After all, he was an important man on Thunder Island and an internationally known shipping magnate-not to mention a baron, and a chosen member of the diplomatic contingent from the Isles. He decided that the last factor must be why he was nervous. Hawk Haven and Bright Bay had intertwined fingers and heirs and so made peace-a peace that looked as if it stood a chance of lasting, not like previous truces that merely had been intermissions in an ongoing conflict.
This time there was a new and important reason for both Bright Bay and Hawk Haven to keep the peace. They had made enemies in common and he, Baron Endbrook, was a representative of one ofthose enemies. An undeclared enemy, true, but one nonetheless.
They"d have done better to kill Queen Valora, Waln thought dispa.s.sionately, remembering the suppressed fury in his queen"s deep blue eyes. But then others would have taken up her cause.
Baron Endbrook wasn"t politically sophisticated enough to frame the thought that a dead martyr-especially a martyr who was a young and lovely woman-could be far more dangerous than most living foes, but the idea lurked around the edges of his mind, trying to take form.
It had almost done so when a subtle shift in the murmur of conversation caught Waln"s attention. The orchestra continued to play, the dancers to face off and form their elaborate patterns, but somehow the dynamics in the crowded hall had shifted.
Taking his cue from those around him, Waln glanced toward the high arched doorway into the hall. When he perceived who it was whose entry had caused the shift in mood his heart skipped a beat. There she was, the woman he had come so far to see: Lady Melina Shield.
Waln had glimpsed her earlier, an honored guest at the banquet King Tedric had laid on to welcome the visitors, but at that event, as was only appropriate for a close relative of the bride, Lady Melina had been seated at one of the head tables. The delegation from the Isles, though accorded every courtesy, had not been overly close to those august seats.
Then, as now, Lady Melina had been escorted by her son and heir apparent, Jet Shield. Jet was a young man in his early twenties, so impressively handsome that Baron Endbrook did not doubt that he had but to smile and the girls would fling themselves at his feet. Despite Jet"s elegant appearance-midnight black hair, glittering onyx eyes, a sensuous yet somehow brooding mouth-there was nothing effete about Jet Shield. From the thickness of his dark brows to the firmness of his tread, Jet was as male as a tomcat, though far more polished.
Baron Endbrook moved to where he could get his first close look at Lady Melina. Pride suffused the lady"s bearing, pride and an alertness that said she knew that people talked about her-and that sometimes, out of fear, they whispered.
Lady Melina"s skin was pale and somewhat translucent. There were circles under her eyes, yet these caused her to appear tragic rather than haggard, as they might have a lesser woman. Otherwise, Lady Melina was so smothered under veils and black velvet that nothing could be guessed of her figure or even her age.
Mother and son were clad entirely in black: gleaming rooks amid the brilliant rainbow that surrounded them. From what Baron Endbrook had heard, Jet always dressed in black, thus keeping theme-as all of Lady Melina"s children did-with his given name. Proof of this rumor was the diadem he wore even now, a thick band of gold set in the center with an intricately carved piece of jet.