by Sharon Green
"Are you saying that both Naran and Tamrissa feel contempt for me as well?" Rion countered, refusing to look away from his brother's misery. "If so, I'm forced to disagree with you most strongly, as it's perfectly clear that they feel no such thing. All living beings need assistance at one time or another, and who better to give it than those who love you? And why would it be acceptable for you to do the rescuing, while Tamrissa's doing it is unacceptable?"
"You... weren't raised like most men are," Valiant groped, his confusion clearly having increased. "It's some-thin' the rest of us were taught, that the man has to be the strong one ... But if she doesn't despise me, why wasn't she here when I woke up? I'll bet Naran spent the night next to you."
"Yes, she did," Rion agreed at once. "But perhaps that was because I made no effort to cut her dead when I was helped into the coach. As I was there at the time, I can assure you that the same cannot be said for your behavior with Tamrissa."
"I... was feelin' raw and humiliated," Valiant said, rubbing his face with one hand again as he avoided Rion's gaze. "You have no idea what was bein' done to me when Tamrissa walked into the room... Was I really that hard on her?"
"I had the impression that you blamed her for having freed you," Rion told him frankly. "If she received the same impression, is it any wonder that she spent the night elsewhere than beside you?"
"No, no it isn't," Valiant admitted, now sounding and looking totally defeated. "As usual, all the trouble is my fault—but maybe this time it's for the best. The last thing she needs is a cripple who was once a whole man."
"Why don't you let her decide what she does and doesn't need?" Rion returned, definitely becoming annoyed. "Making the decision for her is downright insulting, a foolish thing to do in any event. Doing it to someone with her strength and ability in Fire magic ..."
Rion let the rest of the thought go unspoken, but Valiant clearly picked up on it anyway. The man's head came up as he remembered Tamrissa's temper, along with the fact that he was unable to protect himself with Water magic.
"And we've decided that Lorand can probably do something to cure your problem," Rion added casually, to give Valiant another point to occupy his thoughts. "If we ever manage to free him, that is..."
This second point struck home even more strongly, Rion was pleased to see. It should galvanize Valiant into making the effort to free himself from depression, and possibly even to repair his error with Tamrissa. And although Rion hadn't mentioned it, there would be no trouble at all with going down the rope. His Air magic would see to that, both for him as well as for Valiant. As long as no one saw them walking to the coach, their departure would be easy and uneventful.
But what in blazes were they going to do to free Jovvi and Lorand—not to mention the rest of the captives? And once freed, what in the world would they do with them all... ?
Sixteen
Eltrina Razas was more than simply annoyed. She paced back and forth in her husband's study, trying to figure out a way to report the outrage which had been committed without getting herself into hot water. Her appropriation of that Ro commoner hadn't precisely been proper, even though a man would have gotten away with it without the least effort. It simply wasn't fair, especially since she'd spent hours thinking and hadn't had a single idea....
Suddenly there was a knock at the door, even though she'd specifically left orders not to be disturbed. Her first urge was to ignore the knock, but she was far too angry for that. She needed to blister someone's hide, and whichever servant had dared to disobey her would do nicely for the purpose. So she strode to the door and yanked it open, and—
"Your pardon, Lady Eltrina, but this gentleman insisted that you be disturbed despite your instructions," the servant said with visible disapproval. "Shall I summon others of the staff and have him put out forcibly?"
"Ah ... no, Jomsin, it's all right, I'll see him," Eltrina managed to say after a moment. The caller was Lord Rimen Howser, a man who was soon to be made a High Lord. Everyone who was anyone at least knew of the man, only a certain lucky few actually knowing him personally. Once the shock had passed Eltrina could think of at least a dozen ways in which the man might be used to her benefit, so she wasn't about to let the opportunity slip out of her hands.
"Do come in, Lord Rimen," she purred, giving him her most attractive smile. "May I have the servant bring you something? Would you care to stay to lunch?''
"It's business which brings me here, Lady Eltrina," the man replied coolly as he entered the room and waved a hand. "Dismiss the servant, please, so that we can get straight to it."
Eltrina dismissed the servant with a nod, then turned to study Lord Rimen. The man was tall and slender and elegant, always dressed in the finest clothing, his dark hair curled in what was fast becoming the newest popular style. Aristocratic was the best descriptive word for him, especially when he walked to the middle of the room and turned to stare at her.
"The most important difference between men and women seems to be a sense of proper proportion," he said very flatly. "When a man avails himself of the use of one of the lower animals, he doesn't need to be told when continuing to keep the little thing becomes impolitic. Women, on the other hand, tend to cling ... My men are waiting outside, and when I summon them you will immediately show them to where you've put my animal—whom you should never have appropriated in the first place."
"I—ah—you don't understand," Eltrina began to babble, not only in shock again but now frightened as well. "I did have the man, but I returned him some time ago. If he's been misplaced somehow, it's Dilis's fault, not mine. Dilis is such a fool, always doing something wrong and then blaming some perfectly innocent person—"
"Lady Eltrina!" Lord Rimen interrupted sharply. "I've already spoken with Lord Dilis, and I'm satisfied that he told me the truth. If you insist that he lied, I'll be forced to contact your husband to get his permission to question you under Puredan. This matter is much too important to let slide, as I also have my own instructions to carry out. Now tell me: where is the animal I'm searching for?"
"I don't know," Eltrina whispered in answer, too chilled by the threat to lie any longer. If anyone ever questioned her about anything under Puredan—! "I was all ready to return him to Dilis, but this—this—woman burst in here ... And if men are so marvelous about doing things right, what was she doing running around loose and undrugged? The last I heard Lanir had claimed her, and—"
"Wait," Rimen interrupted again, now showing a cultured frown. "Start from the beginning, and tell me who you're talking about. Are you saying another animal freed mine? That's quite preposterous."
"Only if you're silly enough to call them animals," Eltrina countered, knowing she lost nothing of advantage by speaking the truth. "They may be quite a bit less than we are, but they're still people—and one of them, from the Blending that nearly won the competition, came and took Ro with her. Perhaps you would be foolish enough to argue with a High practitioner in Fire magic, but I'm not quite that suicidal."
"A High in Fire magic," Rimen repeated, clearly controlling the anger Eltrina was able to see in his whole manner. "You're correct in saying that Lord Lanir was supposed to have her in his keeping ... How do you know that she was no longer drugged? Did you simply take her word for it?"
"I don't believe in taking a peasant's word for things," Eltrina returned coldly. "Most of them seem to lie as easily as they breathe. This one, however, didn't hesitate to show me the truth—by burning the clothing off me without raising even a single blister. I had no idea that that sort of thing was possible, and I was terrified. What choice did I have other than to let her take Ro?"
"You could have chosen not to appropriate him in the first place," Rimen countered, his tone flat again. "Lord Dilis will face a stern reprimand for having let you take the animal, but you, as his social superior, will face far more. You abused your authority to the detriment of your peers, caring more for your own desires than for the well-being of you
r equals and superiors. The lapse will neither be overlooked nor forgotten."
And with that he marched to the door and out, without a parting bow and not even waiting for a servant to precede him. Those points somehow upset Eltrina even more than the rest, and she stumbled to a chair and collapsed into it. It was going to be terrible, she knew it was, and it was all the fault of those peasants. If they were ever captured again...
When they were captured again, Eltrina corrected her thoughts with a growl. Her career was almost certainly ruined completely, but when those peasants were recaptured she would find some way to get even... no matter what had to be accomplished to do it....
Lord Rimen Howser was furious, but sudden worry now worked to keep him from showing his temper. He'd expected his visit to the Razas woman to be short and productive, but now the previous single problem had grown into a multiple one. Stupid female, to bungle so badly and then try so lamely to lie about it. But that was to be expected when a man married so far beneath him, as her husband obviously had. Rimen would certainly have to have a word with the man....
But first there were other, more important things to see to. The four animals Rimen used for menial work stirred in their wagon when he reappeared, but his going directly to his carriage quieted them again.
"Take me to the secondary house of Lord Lanir Porvin," Rimen said to his driver as he settled himself in the carriage. "You know where it is, I trust?"
The man nodded rather than answering in words, keeping silent just as he was supposed to. Rimen detested the sound of animal accents in speech, and therefore never let his animals speak unless he felt it to be absolutely necessary. The animals all went to great pains to obey him, of course, as they all knew that failure would result, not in dismissal, but in losing their tongues.
The trip to Lord Lanir's .secondary house—meaning the place where he kept his toys—was tiresomely lengthy, forcing Rimen, as it did, to fret all the way. It was to be hoped that the Razas woman had lied to him about the female animal with Fire magic, but Rimen feared she hadn't. It was necessary to learn the truth before he reported to Lord Em-bisson, and not just part of the truth. After visiting Lord Lanir, Rimen meant to see Lady Hallina Mardimil, who had reclaimed her half-animal son. Surely she, despite her perverted sense of the proper, had managed to keep from having her property stolen.
When his carriage finally pulled up in front of Lord Lanir's house, Rimen overrode the urge to hurry and moved at his usual pace to the front door. A noble was a noble at all times, as his mother was fond of saying, and compromise with that idea wasn't to be considered. Rimen also knocked unhurriedly, but the door opened almost immediately.
"Lord Rimen Howser to see Lord Lanir," Rimen announced as he strolled inside. "Please tell Lord Lanir that I'm here."
"Your pardon, my lord, but Lord Lanir is unavailable," the servant responded in tones that were at least bearable. "He hasn't yet arisen, and the staff is forbidden to disturb him until he does."
"Even at this time of day?" Rimen said with a frown, his worry abruptly strengthening. "That's absolutely absurd, and at this point in time totally unacceptable. Show me to his apartment and I'll wake him."
"My lord, please, Lord Lanir isn't in his apartment," the servant protested, clearly suffering. "He—ah—spent the night elsewhere, and we're absolutely forbidden to disturb him there. But he should be down at any time now. If you would care to wait in the sitting room with refreshments ..."
"Listen to me carefully, animal," Rimen said slowly after taking a firm grip on his temper. "The female Lord Lanir is supposed to be with has been reportedly seen elsewhere, which means something may have happened to Lord Lanir. Take me to the proper apartment at once."
The servant hesitated only a brief moment before nodding, then led the way to the stairs. Rimen followed, wishing for once that he could hasten his pace, but that would certainly lack dignity. He had to be content with allowing his normally long stride to do its best to keep up with the servant, who obviously hadn't any dignity to lose. The animal hurried in a most unseemly way, trying to do his best to lose Rimen.
And yet, when it came to entering the proper apartment, the animal returned to a state of hesitation. He hovered near the door as Rimen reached him, hanging back as his superior simply turned the knob and entered. It was a sitting room, of course, with the door to the bedchamber standing closed. As Rimen approached it he was able to hear a sound of some sort, proving someone was in there. That meant knocking was in order...
After the second unanswered knock, Rimen repeated his earlier intrusion and simply opened the door to walk in. The servant now hovered directly behind him again, and when Rimen stopped short the servant came within a hair of crashing into him. Then the animal saw what Rimen already had, and a gasp was torn from him.
"Oh, no!" the animal moaned as he wrung his hands, staring at the hunched-over form seated in a puddle of its own filth. "My Lord Lanir—What's wrong with him?"
"I'd say his mind was gone," Rimen muttered in answer after putting a handkerchief to his nose and mouth against the terrible stench in the room. The hulk of flesh that had once been a noble now made a humming sound of sorts, a single note moaned out without stop. The sight of it all threatened to make Rimen violently ill, so he simply turned and walked away from it. And there was certainly no sign of the female Lanir had claimed....
Once back in his carriage, Rimen allowed himself to take two deep breaths before ordering his driver on to the Mar-dimil place. This time the ride was more settling than disturbing, so he had completely returned to himself by the time a servant opened Lady Hallina's door to him.
"Your pardon, my lord, but I'm afraid entrance is impossible," the servant said before Rimen could even open his mouth. "Lady Hallina has left for her house in Haven Wraithside, and won't be returning for some time. This house is now in the process of being closed down."
"How curious that Lady Hallina has left so abruptly," Rimen said, staring at the servant to let the animal know that he addressed a superior. "And Lady Hallina's son ... did he accompany her on her precipitous departure?"
"I'm afraid, my lord, that all queries must be addressed to Lady Hallina," the animal had the nerve to respond. "If you like, a letter may be sent along with those members of the staff who will soon leave to rejoin her. Other than that—''
"Be silent and listen to me!" Rimen snapped, completely out of patience with all the disobedient animals he'd been coming across. "If Lady Hallina must be questioned on this matter, it will be done by Advisory agents! If you wish her to know that the ordeal was caused by you, so be it. If not, answer my question."
"Yes, my lord, at once," the animal replied, proper fear showing in his eyes. "The answer you seek is that no, Lord Clarion did not accompany her."
"And where else has he gone?" Rimen pressed, grimly satisfied to have his surmise vindicated. "Or has he remained here, in this house which is about to be closed?"
"Lord Clarion left... in the company of friends," the animal admitted, the words all but forced out of him. "What his destination was, no one on the staff can tell you."
"You've already told me quite enough," Rimen said with a curt nod before turning away. Lord Embisson needed to hear about what was happening, and that at once.
Once again Rimen was forced to endure a tedious ride, and when his carriage turned into Lord Embisson Ruhl's drive he felt a great deal of relief—until he saw the various vehicles which stood directly in front of the house. Visitors' carriages would normally be put around at the side of the house, out of the way and out of sight. And for what reason would an official guard coach be there among the others ... ?
Rimen was given immediate access when he knocked, but it wasn't Lord Embisson who came forward to greet him. Lord Ophin, Embisson's second-eldest son, appeared behind the servant sent to apprise Lord Embisson of Rimen's arrival, and Ophin looked gravely concerned.
"Rimen, I'm glad you're here," Ophin said a
s he offered his hand. "I know how close you are to my father, so you need to know what's happened. Our physician is with him now, but I'm told it will be weeks or months before he's able to function normally again."
"Was there an accident?" Rimen asked with all the agitation he felt as he shook hands automatically. Lord Embisson had been going to sponsor his rise to the position of High Lord, but now ...
"My father was viciously attacked and robbed," Ophin stated, anger in his whole manner. "The miscreants had obviously studied him before striking, as one of them had Water magic ability superior to his own. They beat him physically as well as subjecting him to attack by both Earth and Fire magic, but luckily the assailants were Low talents. He's been very badly hurt, but the physician is confident of his recovery."
"At least there's that," Rimen said with relief. "And now I understand why there's a guard vehicle outside. Will they be able to find the animals who committed this outrage?"
"They swear they'll do their best, but it isn't very likely," Ophin replied with a sigh. "My father was able to tell us that his attackers were masked, so he won't even be able to give the guardsmen descriptions. They're waiting to talk to him anyway, as soon as the physician is through healing him as far as possible. Would you care for a cup of tea? You probably won't be able to visit with my father until tomorrow or the next day, but—"
"Visit!" Rimen interrupted to blurt, suddenly remembering that he wasn't there simply to visit. "No, I've come with extremely urgent news, but obviously your father can't be bothered with it. I think I'd better go directly to Lord Zolind, and let him decide who to put in charge of the problem."
"Surely you've heard," Ophin said, now regarding him strangely. "Lord Zolind's heart gave out, and he's dead. He was in the middle of a reception when it happened, and those who were there say he worked himself up into a rage just before it happened. What urgent news do you have?"