Winter King
Page 34
“Damn you, Tembujin,” Andrion said with a certain rueful humor. Of the children only one was a girl, one of the twins, a tiny sprite with flaming red hair and eyes the indeterminate blue-brown of the sea. The other three were boys, all of them black-haired, sloe-eyed, and bronze-skinned, already moving with the suppleness of their father. “Three of them, you had to have three of them. And my councilors make worried remarks behind my back, for I have no heirs at all.”
Tembujin glanced over the children with the air of a farmer inspecting his crop, and grinned. “I have my talents.”
Andrion’s brows rose in exasperation. Dana touched his arm. “The goddess gifted us,” she said to both men. “I was honored to bear you each a child. Our daughter, Andrion, is the heir to Sabazel.”
Ah, well, yes; he should sacrifice that much to the Goddess. But Ashtar! Dana would take the girl and return with her to Sabazel, and there tell Sarasvati how their sons were safe in their father’s . . . yurt.
Valeria hugged her baby, her plump cheeks glowing next to the glow of the little face, laughing as the little hands entwined themselves in her hair. “And that child is the heir to Khazyaristan?” Andrion asked.
“His mother,” said Tembujin, “is the only one of my sons’ mothers to whom I am legally wed.”
Dryly, “Indeed.” Andrion had considered making Sarasvati’s son, his nephew, his heir. But the boy looked too much like his father to suit the still wary councilors. Hence this wedding he himself faced—gods! the procession must be entering the city! He spun about.
The populace cheered raucously as the parade advanced through the streets toward the open gateway of the palace. This stranger, Andrion thought, will bear my sons.
Elephants swayed ponderously under the arching palace gate. In the richest howdah sat a young woman. Her hair was silken black; her great brown eyes flamed with intelligence. She wore a sari of crimson silk woven with gold threads; her jeweled headdress jingled softly with the movement of the elephant, with the caressing touch of the wind.
Andrion leaned over the parapet, almost tripping himself with his sword. The princess looked up. Her generous lips curved into a smile, shy and yet pleased. Her eyes sparked with the light shining from the diadem. Her eyes—he could fall into their depths and nestle there. Just as the elephant passed under the gateway, eclipsing her shining face, she shrugged gracefully.
Andrion leaned precariously farther, drawn by that smile, by that wry shrug. Tembujin’s firm hand closed on his cloak and pulled him back. He shook himself, disoriented. Dana dissolved in laughter. “I can see you already suffering.”
With a plump, Andrion’s daughter sat down in the pathway. She found and gravely tried to consume a caterpillar. She gagged. Andrion bent to the child’s side and fished the creature from her soft little mouth. She glared at him, not at all grateful, and set up an indignant wail.
“The world is a bit much to swallow,” he agreed. “But we choose to try.” He stood, straightening his garments. He looked with glazed benevolence on these people, his family, and went to meet his bride.
About the Author
After starting out in science fiction and fantasy, Lillian Stewart Carl is now writing contemporary novels blending mystery, romance, and fantasy, along with short mystery and fantasy stories. Her work often includes paranormal themes. It always features plots based on history and archaeology. While she doesn’t write comedy, she believes in characters with a sense of humor. Her novels have been compared to those of Daphne du Maurier, Mary Renault, Mary Stewart (no relation), Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters, and J.R.R. Tolkien’s colleague Charles Williams.
Her fantasies are set in a mythological, alternate-history Mediterranean and India. Her contemporary novels are set in Texas, in Ohio, in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, and in England and Scotland.
Of Shadows in Scarlet, Publishers Weekly says, “Presenting a delicious mix of romance and supernatural suspense, Carl (Ashes to Ashes) delivers yet another immensely readable tale. She has created an engaging cast and a very entertaining plot, spicing the mix with some interesting twists on the ghostly romantic suspense novel.”
Of Lucifer's Crown, Library Journal says: “Blending historical mystery with a touch of the supernatural, the author creates an intriguing exploration of faith and redemption in a world that is at once both modern and timeless.”
Among many other novels, Lillian is the author of the Jean Fairbairn/Alasdair Cameron cross-genre mystery series: America’s exile and Scotland’s finest on the trail of all-too-living legends. Of The Secret Portrait, Kirkus says: “Mystery, history and sexual tension blend with a taste of the wild beauty of the Highlands.” Of The Burning Glass, Publishers Weekly says: “Authentic dialect, detailed descriptions of the castle and environs, and vivid characters recreate an area rich in history and legend. The tightly woven plot is certain to delight history fans with its dramatic collision of past and present.”
With John Helfers, Lillian co-edited The Vorkosigan Companion, a retrospective on Lois McMaster Bujold’s science fiction work, which was nominated for a Hugo award.
Her first story collection, Along the Rim of Time, was published in 2000, and her second, The Muse and Other Stories of History, Mystery, and Myth, in 2008, including three stories that were reprinted in Year's Best mystery anthologies.
Her books are available in both print and electronic editions. Here are her other Smashwords titles. Here is her website. Here is her Facebook fan page.