by JANRAE FRANK
"Bryndel?" the Patriarch called, moving a chair beside the bed and sitting down.
Bryndel looked up, he had not heard him come in. Shame and childish embarrassment flushed his face. Bryndel's eyes were dull and dispirited. "Go away."
"Bryndel, Edouina's in trouble." Again the stern, steady voice, assertive yet unaggressive. It was not a voice that Bryndel could run away from.
Bryndel looked at the Patriarch with a small flicker of life and concern, wondering if he had somehow prayed the mon to him. "Why?"
"Because your father is insisting she drove you to this, keeping you away from Talons." Eshraf laid his hand over Bryndel's in a comforting gesture. "Furthermore, he wants her destroyed as an aberration."
There was a quickening of breath before Bryndel spoke. "I love Edouina."
"As much as Talons?"
Bryndel's voice strengthened and a light entered his eyes. "Yes. I love them both."
More life, more concern, the Patriarch observed. Yes, this is better. "Then you must save Edouina."
"How? How can I do this? I can't even deal with–" he almost said Galee's name, but caught himself. "What can I do?"
"You can speak to the council on her behalf. Right now."
"Holy Father, I want to." Bryndel felt a resurgence of his old sense of helplessness, but with it a need to do something.
"I know you're too weak to walk, so I brought Dynarien to carry you. He's very strong." Eshraf patted Bryndel's hands.
Bryndel looked up at Dynarien. They had never been friends, yet now he had to trust him if he was to save Edouina. He searched the mage's face and saw the strength and compassion there. It moved Bryndel. No one had ever shown him compassion before. "Take me."
Although slender, Bryndel was no lightweight; so the ease with which Dynarien lifted him up and wrapped him in a blanket astonished him. He would never have imagined the mage could be so strong. Dynarien's aura enveloped Bryndel, shielding him. The young mon felt a sense of peace steal over him, of being protected like a child in the arms of a parent. But it was like a true and loving parent, not the kind he had known in his life. Not like his helpless, constantly weeping mother, nor like his raging abusive father. Bryndel let his head settle against Dynarien's shoulder and felt at ease.
* * * *
The base of the palace was built like a jutting five spined star, thrust into the mountain. A circular floor supporting the parts that actually showed had been laid atop it in a long flare of seven wings, five small sub-wing additions with dozens of spired towers and multiple staggered stories and onion domes in bright colors, and a whorled maze of other edifices that could only be reached by spans and bridges from the topmost towers and spires or flying creatures, had been endlessly added onto it over the centuries until no one alive – except possibly Queiggy – knew all of its secrets. The Council Chamber lay at the end of the wing that had sprouted between the northeast one and the east and was called simply Judgment Hall. The Guild held three seats, although with Hanadi away, one vote was absent. The other seats were hereditary and held by the old families of the Creeyan aristocracy. It was the place where laws were made, disputes between the aristocracy settled, decrees laid down, and other special circumstances dealt with.
Edouina could see Galee's subtle influences in the fact that the scenes of saints and heroes that once graced the walls had long ago been taken down in favor of depictions of hunting, feasting, and seductions bordering on outright debauchery. She wondered if all the rooms frequented by the Grand Master had been changed like this.
The Grand Master's chair sat on a dais. Mohanja's messengers had forced a delay in the meeting's opening, infuriating Wrathscar and Galee further, who had hoped the mon would not show. Yet the black-skinned giant finally stood beside the Grand Master, leaning on his crutch, halberd in his other hand as always, his broad featured face serene and thoughtful, completely masking his pain. He wore a lionskin wrapped around his waist over his trousers. The heavy muscles of his huge chest and arms, bare and uncovered, looked capable of challenging even an ogre. He dared the room to look upon his wounds and bandages, knowing they drew every eye, so that when he at last spoke – and he intended to hold back for the moment when he could best drive his words like a sword blade into the heart of whatever argument Wrathscar and Galee planned to make – these symbols would lend heaviness to his words.
Two long rows of tables ran to either side of the room with ample space behind them for aides and servants to carry notes and other things without interfering with any speakers who might be addressing the council by standing between the tables.
Edouina stood between the two long rows of tables, close to the Grand Master's chair. The strips of leather binding her hands behind her cut into her wrists, making them throb and ache. She concentrated on her breathing to focus her awareness away from the discomfort, to find that inner calm to deal with her circumstances and stop her body's reactions. She had heard about the attack upon Mohanja, but seeing him made her wonder at the incredible strength of the mon that he could still be standing. Had he come to aid or harm? He had said nothing so far, merely listening closely with that impassive face of his, giving nothing of his thoughts away.
The councilors had been arguing for an hour, with only Lord Derryl taking her part. Lord Wrathscar paced back and forth between Edouina and the Grand Master. "This woman has deliberately driven my son to despair. She has kept him from the woman he loves, because she wants her for herself. She has twisted my son's mind, forcing the suicide attempt upon him with her wiles. She is Sharani. All of you are aware of the unnatural sexual practices of the Sharani. You are aware of the power they call the bi-kyndi, giving them the power and corruption of a succubus."
"I say we should destroy her," a councilor said.
Galee smiled. "They are a dangerous breed. A magically twisted mutation. They say Ishla created them. But I would suggest it was actually Bellocar, the Hellgod, who altered their genes. I have brought an expert to testify concerning their unnatural genes."
She nodded at a servant who brought Solance forward.
Ah, shit, Edouina thought. By the time he gets done, they'll probably decide to burn me. And every Sharani up here. That one is in Galee's pocket and always has been.
"Tell the Grand Master and these good lords," Galee addressed the healer, "what is the most common form in which the Sharani reproduce?"
"They generally suck men's seed out of their bodies through their ears, leaving their victims impotent and sterile. Then the dominant female summons a demonic phallus by way of the bi-kyndi to pass the stolen seed to her submissive mate."
The councilors reacted with a horrified buzz of comments passing between them.
Edouina's stomach twisted. She could easily have doomed thousands of her own people when she fried Bryndel's seed her first night home, possibly all the Sharani in Creeya. She had been angry at his callous treatment of Talons. That one act would be seen as proof that the rumors were true – that the Sharanis were some kind of horrible monsters. Galee was going to turn this into a demon-hunt. Then she would set the Guild on Shaurone itself. Edouina felt sickened. What had she done to her people?
"That is preposterous!" a new voice objected. The Patriarch's assistant strode in, his long black robes swishing. "And asinine as well. Tell me, little mon, just how many Sharani have you Read?"
Edouina was startled to see that the temple had involved itself. Who could possibly have persuaded the Patriarch to intervene in politics? She knew Eshraf was personally concerned about Talons, but to send Mikkal to her aid like this was something entirely outside that.
Solance – normally so sly – confronted by the sheer forceful directness of Mikkal's question and his disdain, looked uncomfortable. He had come against Mikkal before, when Solance had been merely a bio-alchemist of questionable reputation and Mikkal a barrister for the crown. "I've made a great study of the literature on the subject."
"I did not ask that. I asked you how many Shar
ani have you actually Read? Tell the truth, because I'll call every one of them in here if I have to." Mikkal waved a warning finger in the healer's face.
In a very tiny voice, the healer said, "Two."
"Which two?" Mikkal demanded, projecting his voice with sharp confidence and utter contempt.
"Maya and..." Solance squirmed.
"Yes? We're waiting." The implied threat deepened in the priest's voice.
Edouina realized she was no longer seeing Mikkal the kindly old priest, but Mikkal the barrister as he had been in his younger days while his wife had been alive. Mikkal was destroying Solance almost by the sheer power of his presence alone. And Solance was as terrified of Mikkal now as he had been long ago.
"The heir."
"So, you're accusing the heir of unnatural acts?"
"No, of course not." The healer's eyes slid around the room, looking for support that had melted away.
"Maya. Then you're accusing Lord Derryl's mistress of unnatural acts."
Lord Derryl, the only one of the lords who had not condemned Edouina, laughed loud and hard. "I should be so lucky! My wife and she both like it simple. It gets boring sometimes. But not too boring now that we're all sharing the same bed."
One of the other councilors laughed, followed by two more. Some of the soldiers laughed. Solance flushed, and before anyone could stop him, fled the room. Edouina could not believe her ears as Mikkal made a laughingstock of the little healer she disliked so much with such ease.
Mikkal's gaze swept the room, ending the cross talk and came to rest on Lord Derryl. "Lord Derryl, would you care to tell us why the healer Read Maya?"
"Certainly," he responded, grinning broadly. "We're having a baby. In the Sharani fashion. The child safely passed to my wife while I watched. We're holding a formal triading in the fall, a few weeks after the heirs' wedding. We had planned to announce it weeks ago. We held a private party with her family, and afterward retired to a small pub. However, by terrible misfortune that also proved to be the night we found Maya's brother's body on our way home." Derryl allowed that to sink in before continuing. "I guess today will do. We've already held a small private triading through Eshraf's kind offices. I'd like to point out one thing. You all know that my wife, who I dearly love, cannot conceive. We had resigned ourselves to a childless existence. My wife is now pregnant. We plan on having a large family, the three of us. And the Patriarch has assured us that the new child partakes of the genetic inheritance of all three of his parents. And I do mean, he. It's a boy."
Edouina allowed herself a small smile, remembering how she and Bryndel had seen them at the tavern. So they weren't just playing at being Sharani after all.
As congratulations were expressed around the room, Lord Wrathscar realized he was losing control of the situation. "I still claim undue influence!" He shouted.
The room quieted.
"At least, ban her from the palace. Spare my poor son."
"Don't, father," Bryndel protested, entering the room in Dynarien's arms with the Patriarch preceding him. His head lay weakly against the yuwenghau's shoulder, but his eyes were clear.
Galee tried to catch his eyes, but he was shielded by Dynarien's aura as the fragrance of roses filled the chamber. She dropped her head to conceal the snarl of rage she could not entirely suppress.
Then Bryndel said the unthinkable. "If I can't have Edouina, then I don't want Talons either. I'll repudiate the babies."
A roar engulfed the room and Lord Wrathscar stalked out, followed by Galee.
Mohanja Raam struck the floor several times with the steel butt of his halberd for silence. The room quieted.
"Release her," Takhalme ordered.
Edouina rushed to Bryndel as soon as her bonds were cut and they returned her weapons. "Oh, honey," she drawled. "You were magnificent."
"Really?" Bryndel's face brightened.
"Absolutely. And, honey, don't you ever do anything to hurt yourself again. It would break my heart."
* * * *
Alora and a large number of the knights lounged outside the Hall of Justice, waiting to hear the verdict concerning Edouina. Isen stood next to Ceejorn, who sat cross-legged on the floor. She played with his hair and he glanced up at her from time to time with a smitten expression. Jimi leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.
A pair of large guardsmyn watched the crowd of students that had accompanied Alora, Isen, and Jimi, with conspicuous unease, as if expecting a riot should the verdict go against Edouina.
One of the guardsmyn jutted his chin at Osterbridge. "Hey, Guildsmon, you leading this pack of young wolves?"
"What if I am?"
"Be careful who you associate with. That's how people end up dead."
Osterbridge gave the guardsmon an ingratiating smile. "Yup. You too."
Isen laughed.
The door opened and Solance fled past them with a sick expression on his face.
Jimi grinned. "I think Mikkal must have put a hot poker up his ass."
"You're pretty observant, aren't you," Osterbridge drawled.
Mirth rippled through the ranks of the students. A few minutes later, Wrathscar boiled out of the chamber raging, with Galee beside him, and his guards and a coterie of tame lords following closely. The students fell silent, averting their faces until he was well away from them.
Alora sucked in a breath. "I think we won."
Edouina emerged, with Dynarien walking behind her carrying Bryndel
Instantly, Alora embraced Edouina. "Edouina! Oh, Thank Hadjys!"
Edouina grinned broadly, rubbing her sore wrists. "It's Mikkal you ought to thank, you should have seen how he tore Solance apart. Ripped his little ass ten ways to Jarienday. And Bryndel..." Edouina leaned in and kissed Bryndel's forehead. "Bryndel's my hero."
Bryndel flushed as the female knights began to gather and fuss over him. Eshraf parted the young myn, and put his fingers to Bryndel's wrist to Read him. "I think our young hero should be put to bed. He needs to rest. Dynarien, if you will?"
Dynarien nodded and left with Bryndel.
"And we need to get back to the Temple," Eshraf said, bowing out with a smile. Then he and Mikkal walked away from the council chambers.
"I guess it's time we got back to Talons and let her know everything is all right, honey," Edouina said to Alora, starting down the corridor.
Alora fell into step beside her, looking around. "Where's Arruth?"
The knights, who had been awaiting the verdict, fell into step behind her, glancing in all directions as they walked.
"You brought her, honey?" Edouina asked, frowning.
"Yes. I thought it would be good for her. She shouldn't keep herself locked up like she always does. And I made her take a bath." Alora felt suddenly worried.
Edouina lengthened her stride. "Maybe she went back to Talons' apartments. Who's there?"
"Just Jysy and the guards outside."
"That's not enough. Arruth's hiding from someone." Edouina's tone held a note of urgency.
Instantly, Alora had a bad feeling about it and her instincts, since Hadjys marked her, had grown sharp. "Edouina, how can you be certain? I thought it was just what had happened to her behind that tavern."
"Honey, when you've been in the business as long as I have you learn to know."
"Oh, gods!" Alora broke into a run and raced along the corridors, across the second floor balcony and through the West Wing until she reached the doors to Talons' rooms. She pounded on the door and Jysy opened them. "Have you seen Arruth?"
Jysy shook her head. "No. She hasn't come back."
Alora's face twisted up. It was getting late, although the light would hold for another hour or so considering it was still summer. She turned and discovered that Edouina and a handful of the others had overtaken her. "She isn't here. We must find her."
Edouina nodded. "I need to see Talons first. The rest of you get going. One of you fetch Yukiah. He can assemble far more searchers than you can."
/> "I'll fetch him," Tulik volunteered.
Alora frowned because she wanted Edouina to help immediately. Edouina passed her and went inside. Then Alora started the knights heading back out. Alora walked through the palace, out through the Great Central Hall and onto the quad. She remembered something about Arruth saying she always felt safe in the library. Isen followed her closely with Osterbridge at her side.
The bushes along the walkways were thick. Alora really did not like being out late on the quad after the attack on Mohanja, but it was not full dark yet and Mohanja had been assaulted after the midnight hour. Lesser bloods did not like even the smallest sliver of daylight. Near the south walk approaching the library from the north Alora glimpsed something fluttering in the breeze caught on the hedge and went to look. It was a bit of cloth. She pulled it loose and saw hanging on a tree a necklace of ears. Her heart seized up. She walked into the bushes, but did not touch the ears. It was Arruth's. Then she saw the bloody foot showing from beneath another hedgerow and screamed. Arms closed around her. Alora drew her blades, whirled, and broke free, almost slashing Jimi before realizing it was him.