Niara shifted again. “Why’d he leave?”
Vinet stared into the fire, caught in memory. “Because he loved travelling as much as the lady did, but he didn’t have the responsibilities that bound her to Ninaeva,” she replied. “They both knew this would happen and spoke no promises to each other. The lady was content to take up her duties in Ninaeva, and he would continue his wandering.” It had been like that too, at first. Until she had found out the price of that week of pleasure.
Niara smiled, humming before saying. “I’m going to wander too someday,”
Oh, my darling. “I’m sure you will.” Vinet stroked Niara’s hair. “That may have been the end of the story, except for one little thing. The time spent with the minstrel had an unforeseen effect. The lady realized she was carrying a child.”
Niara sat up straighter. “This is about Mama!” she exclaimed. “That’s me!”
Vinet laughed, though every muscle of her body was tense. “Yes, you little minx, you. Now, the lady did not know what to do about this at first. She wasn’t married, you see. The lords of Saemar tend to judge those who have children without a husband rather harshly.”
Niara screwed up her face, and Vinet had to laugh again. She’d had to explain long ago to Niara what bastard meant. “Yes, we both know that there’s no shame in it, but that doesn’t change what people think. The young lady was scared, so she talked to her sister and came up with a solution.”
“Mama talked to you?”
Vinet forced herself to smile. “Her sister was a religious sort and had always wanted to join the Sisters of Mazda. Many people would consider the Sisters the only place suitable for a woman who transgressed the way she had, so the sisters both went to the convent. The lady’s sister stayed to follow her calling, and the lady came back to Ilhelm, pretending to the world she brought her niece home with her. But instead, that child was her daughter, and she loved her with all of her heart.”
At Vinet’s last words, Niara turned to stare at her. Her mouth dropped open, and her bright green eyes, so exactly like Vinet’s own, were wide. Vinet didn’t dare move. She didn’t dare hope.
“You… you’re my mother?” Niara demanded.
Vinet nodded. “Yes, dearest, I am.”
“But… you told me you were my Aunt! That my mother was your sister who went to the convent!” The confused accusation in Niara’s tone was like a dagger through Vinet’s heart.
She leaned down to embrace Niara tightly. To her relief, Niara didn’t squirm away. “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice muffled in Niara’s shoulder. “I was scared and foolish, and I should have told you the truth a long time ago. Can you forgive me?”
She pulled back enough to look at Niara. Niara met her eyes for a moment, then tears started welling up.
Oh no, oh no, oh no. She’d ruined it. Her father had been right. She should have told Niara long ago. She should never have kept it a secret. “Niara, I’m so sorry.”
Niara shook her head vehemently. “You’re my mother!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around Vinet’s neck.
Vinet froze, then tightened her arms around her daughter. “Yes, yes I am.”
They sat that way for a long while. Vinet felt Niara’s tears stop, and Niara relaxed into Vinet’s lap again. “Is it still a secret?”
Vinet hesitated. Oh, my dear daughter. Wise beyond your years. She couldn’t hurt Niara anymore. “No one else knows,” she finally said. “Well, except my sister and your Aunt Gwyn. No one else can know yet, dearest. Do you understand?”
Her daughter looked thoughtful. “It’s because of the Lady thing, right? Repu-reputation?” Niara stumbled over the difficult word.
Vinet’s heart contracted at the ease that Niara accepted the necessity to lie. I will find a way to acknowledge her to the world. By Mazda, this I swear.
She nodded. “Yes. But no matter what other people believe, you are my daughter, and I will always love and protect you.” She felt a fierce wave of protectiveness.
Niara nodded. “Of course, Au- mother.” She smiled sheepishly. “Can I call you that?”
Vinet pulled her close again, blinking back tears. “Of course, you can, my daughter,” she whispered in Niara’s ear. “Of course.”
“Mama,” Niara snuggled into Vinet’s lap and chest, arms wrapped around her mother.
Vinet hesitated. “There’s more,” she said. “But this part really is a secret.”
Niara sat up again. “More?”
Vinet nodded. “You liked Kinaevan, right?”
Niara wrinkled her brow and nodded, confused.
“Well, he’s my father. Your grandfather.”
Vinet couldn’t conceal a smile at Niara’s expression of delight.
“An elf?’’ Her daughter exclaimed. “We’re descended from elves? Is that why he said I should have pointed ears?”
Vinet laughed. “Yes, it is. Though, dearest, I think you will have more pointed ears than I do,” she ran a hand through Niara’s hair, just brushing her ears. “You can’t see it, not yet, but you can definitely feel it.”
Niara wriggled proudly. “I’m an elf!” she proclaimed.
“Part elf,” Vinet corrected with a smile. “There’s still some human in you, little one.”
Niara rolled her eyes. “And my father?” she asked.
Vinet stilled. “I don’t know much more than I told you,” she said. “His name was Jaim. He was a minstrel who came to Ilhelm for Papsukkal. You remember Papsukkal?”
Niara drew up. “Of course! All the fun! All the dancing, and the world upside down!”
Vinet laughed again. “Yes, indeed. The day outside of time. And he certainly seemed that way to me.” She sighed. “I’ve suspected he may have had elven blood as well. So, you get it from both sides, dearest.”
Niara smiled, pride in her face. “I like elves,” she said.
Vinet shook her head but smiled. “I need to tell you one more thing,” she said. “You’re going to have a gift. It’s a gift of our heritage.”
“A gift? Like what? A horse? Can I have a horse?”
“Ask Gwyn when she thinks you’re ready,” Vinet said automatically to the familiar question. “No, not a gift like that. This one is a gift of magic.”
Niara’s eyes widened again. “Magic?”
Vinet nodded. “I see things, occasionally. Visions of different places. You will too.”
“Woah!” Niara was absolutely enthralled. Vinet’s heart tightened. She couldn’t ruin Niara’s enthusiasm. Not yet. She couldn’t let her know about the pain and terror of some of the visions.
“Promise me you’ll let me know as soon as you start having them,” Vinet commanded.
Niara stared at Vinet. “I promise, Mama.”
Vinet smiled. “And dearest, no one can know about Kinaevan being my father, alright? Can you keep that a secret?”
Niara nodded solemnly.
Vinet took a deep breath. She hoped she’d made the right choice. But only time would tell.
Chapter 9: New Acquaintances
Vinet resisted the urge to hold her head in her hands. The shouting had not ceased since she entered the council chamber.
“You had us call the men back when your precious Lord Auriel called it a wild goose chase!” Conn shouted. “You have only yourself to blame for his disappearance!”
Pellalindra sat firm. “There had been no progress. None. You were the one who told me of Torainn’s reaction to that!”
“Torainn disappeared because we showed no trust in him! Because we ignored his warnings about Darkmane!” Conn gestured wildly.
“Torainn was a foolish idiot if he went into the north alone,” Dannan snapped. “His fears about the revenant finally got the better of him.”
Vinet risked a glance around the chamber. The first order of business was to nominate a replacement for Lord General Torainn, who had disappeared into the north without a trace. Not only that, but Lord Artosbern was dead, leaving his young son Lord of the B
ern Forest. But instead of discussing a replacement, everyone had been shouting accusations for the last half hour. She leaned back and closed her eyes, confident that no one was paying attention to her, at least. They were too busy blaming each other.
Torainn had seemed like a good man when she’d met him, but then, she’d only met him once, in Venia. When Darkmane had first sent his message, he’d apparently been in a panic, completely unlike an experienced soldier. She didn’t know why he would disappear into the very region where Darkmane’s raids were heaviest.
“Is this a bad time?”
Vinet glanced up, startled at the new voice. To her relief, Conn stopped mid-shout, giving everyone a moment of blessed quiet.
The voice belonged to an older gentleman, with kind, soft eyes, and silver-white hair. He stood straight as a post and wore the uniform of the Regulars.
“Pardon my tardiness,” he said. “General Alexander Priam Lokris-Phythia. I’m to join the Council. Did Lord Auriel not inform you of this?”
Vinet saw the confused glances exchanged around the room. She had not been told of a new member of the Council, and felt the others were no better informed.
Conn’s eyes widened. “General Alexander?” he asked, his voice tinged with awe. “I’ve heard of your exploits in the Tigrian war, sir. I am honored to make your acquaintance.”
Alexander smiled. “You must be Lord Conn. Likewise,” he glanced around. “I presume this discussion involves choosing Torainn’s replacement?”
Vinet hid a smile as Kamian snorted. “We hadn’t gotten to that yet.”
“I see. Well, in that case, allow me to nominate my former colleague, General Lairan. A fine old fellow, who was honored for exemplary service in the last war.”
As the discussion began again, Vinet regarded Alexander. He had taken command of the volatile situation of the council chamber as easily as commanding troops. She would not have expected such a diplomatic approach from a General.
Ellil, too, was regarding Alexander, but with something bordering on dislike. Curious, Vinet thought. She’d heard nothing bad of any of their generals.
“General Lairan seems like a fine choice,” Pellalindra said. “Anyone have any objections?”
Vinet shook her head. To be truthful, she had no interest in who their next lord general was. She was more curious why Torainn had disappeared.
“So, what’s the next order of business, then?” Alexander asked, smiling.
Pellalindra cleared her throat. “There is the matter of cultists appearing in the southeast. There has been an influx of refugees to the capital because of it.”
“Not just refugees,” Dannan growled. “Tigrians. Fleeing from something over the border.”
Vinet sat very still. Mount Halon. It had to be. Kinaevan had been right.
“We don’t want Tigrians infiltrating Saemar,” Conn shook his head. “Who knows what kind of spies will slip across with the refugees?”
Vinet frowned. “What kind of information are those spies going to learn?” she asked. “If people are fleeing something, then offering them shelter seems the best thing to do. Maybe we’ll impress the Tigrians with our generosity. They worship Mazda’s Light as well as we do, don’t they, your radiance?”
Ellil met her eyes. “They do,” he said.
“Then as Mazdians, we owe it to them to provide shelter, and not punish and harass them,” Vinet argued. She looked around the chamber, daring anyone to disagree with her.
Dannan blinked. “You’d leave the border unguarded, then?”
Vinet restrained herself from rolling her eyes. “No. We need to find out what they’re fleeing from and guard against that; a goal which can be achieved without barring refugees.”
“We need to deal with the cultists,” Ellil broke in. His eyes were dark. “Let me lead a missionary group to the border. We will bring them back to Mazda’s Light.”
Vinet caught her breath, trying to find the words to express how inordinately a bad idea that was. There was something evil approaching from the southeast, something that the elves feared enough to seek an alliance with Saemar. If Ellil went himself, he and any priests that went with him would be in grave danger.
“Absolutely not,” Alexander said. “We will not place our high priest in such danger.”
Ellil’s eyes sharpened. “As high priest of Mazda…”
“Our priority should be finding Torainn!” Conn exclaimed. “He’s the one who can deal with this mess of a border situation and bring Darkmane to heel!”
“You have a great deal of trust in our vanished Lord General. Who says General Lairan will not be equally competent?” Pellalindra snapped.
“You drove him away!” Conn started to stand up.
“Enough!” Alexander command.
Vinet blinked at the command in Alexander’s voice. She regarded him with respect. Perhaps having a military man on the Council would not be such a bad thing.
“Blame will get us nowhere,” Alexander said in a quieter tone. “That is the first lesson on campaign. Deal with what you must, not whose fault it is you that you have to do it. Right now, we have to decide what to do with the border in the southeast.”
“General Alexander is right,” Vinet tried to mimic the general’s calm tone. “Blame is pointless. We need information about the southeast. The Faithful ambassador gave me some when I visited him earlier.”
Every eye turned to her. Ellil glared at her, and Pellalindra raised an eyebrow.
“You went to visit the elven ambassador?” Pellalindra’s voice was curious.
Vinet ignored the curiosity and nodded. “The Faithful are fighting a war south of Tigri right now, with something they call Mount Halon. He believes the cultists are part of the corruption that Mount Halon spreads.”
If she’d wanted to silence the council chamber, she’d succeeded. She squared her shoulders, waiting for someone to demand why she hadn’t shared this information earlier.
“The Faithful ambassador told you this? What is his name?” Alexander asked.
Vinet looked at the general. “Kinaevan Sindarilae,” she said, keeping her voice level.
“How are we supposed to trust him?” Dannan demanded. “He could be saying this to fool us, to draw us into a war that has nothing to do with us.”
She shrugged, struggling to keep any anger from showing on her face. “I would suggest you talk to him yourself if you have doubts,” she said. “For my part, I am convinced. We need to send scouts down there, armed with the knowledge of Mount Halon, and find out more information.”
“My scout died down there,” Pellalindra put in softly.
Vinet turned to her and nodded. “Because of a lack of information,” she said. “We need more.”
“I agree,” Alexander said. “To the common folk, wars are won by heroes. In reality, they are won with information.”
“And what about Torainn?” Conn demanded.
Dannan turned to glare at Conn. “Whatever your feelings about us driving him away, Torainn abandoned his post,” he said. “He is absent without leave. Your hero may not be such a hero.”
Conn’s face darkened, and Alexander held up a hand. “I do not believe Torainn is the sort of man to turn traitor,” he said. “Nonetheless, Lord Dannan has a point. Torainn was not thinking clearly when he disappeared. Short of following him, there is nothing we can do. And we need our military resources devoted to the southeast.”
Conn glared, but subsided at Alexander’s words. Vinet let out a breath. Having someone on the Council that Conn respected would be a good thing, too.
“Well, is that decided then? Good. I shall let the steward and General Lairan know, and they can get to work immediately.” Alexander pushed himself up from the table. “Good day, everyone. It will be a pleasure working with you.”
Pellalindra stared after Alexander, seemingly shocked by his dismissal. That was her duty, as Lady of the Council.
Vinet hid a smile. If Pellalindra wasn’t careful, she
would have a rival for her seat next year.
**********
“My lady.”
Startled by Gwyn’s formal tone, Vinet looked up from her book immediately. Gwyn only called her that when there was someone around who would object to her bodyguard simply calling her Vinet. She hadn’t expected to hear it at her townhouse.
“Yes, Gwyn?”
Gwyn met her eyes with a smile. Vinet relaxed. “There’s someone here I think you’d like to meet,” Gwyn said. “I met him on the street earlier today, and suggested he come here. He’s a refugee from the south.”
Vinet furrowed her brow. “A refugee? Not that I’d object to taking him in, but why would you…?”
Gwyn shook her head, cutting Vinet off. “Talk to him. You’ll see why.”
Vinet nodded and sat back in her chair. What would have Gwyn being so mysterious?
Gwyn disappeared, and Vinet took a moment to adjust her shawl around her. Although it was deep into Manyu’s Rise, it was still warm enough to be outside, and she wanted to savor the sunlight before the snows came. Gwyn stepped back into the garden, and Vinet’s eyebrows rose as she saw the man following her. She didn’t need any more elaboration as to why Gwyn thought she should talk to this man.
He was dressed in what had once been scholar’s robes. They were simple and brown, and worn and stained from travel. His straggly black hair fell past his ears, implying that it had been a long time since he’d been concerned about appearances. What stood out more than anything, however, was his jet-black skin. Vinet had never seen a man like him before. She’d seen various shades of brown on her travels, particularly in Hillsdale and Jyria, where the merchants travelled on the water, but never pure black. It made his white pupils stand out even more, and his brown eyes observed everyone and everything about him.
Vinet stood up as he approached, trying not to let her astonishment show.
He bowed as he approached her. “Nazir et-Alim, at your service, Lady Vinet.”
Nazir et-Alim. A name unlike she’d ever heard before! She shot Gwyn a look of gratitude.
Gwyn smiled and rolled her eyes. Vinet turned her attention back to Nazir.
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