WINDWEEPER

by Charlotte Boyett-Compo

  The callused hand of the Master-of-Arms of Boreas Keep smoothed over Conar's forehead.

  "You need a haircut, brat," he said, his tremulous smile crooked.

  With his heart breaking, the warrior gently kissed the young man's cheek.

  "You be watching for me, now, you hear? It might not be long afore I'm up there tossing your tale about the clouds," he said with a hitching sob. Coming to his feet, he turned to Liza. "He was a good, decent man, Milady. He was my…"

  Whatever Hern was going to say, his sorrow would not allow. With tears streaming down his wrinkled cheeks, he turned, his shoulders shaking, and he strode a distance away from the others.

  From his place on the balcony, King Gerren watched Hern trembling. A part of him wanted to go down to the courtyard and put his arms around his old friend. Though he could not hear the words Arbra had spoken to Conar, the king knew in his heart what the warrior had no doubt said. Looking to the heavens, he could almost feel the sadness and disappointment wafting down to him.

  "I allowed this to happen, Moira," he confessed to his long-gone wife. "I am to blame."

  Sinking to his knees, he wrapped his hands around the wrought-iron railing and pressed his forehead hard against the cold metal.

  "Why did I not put a stop to this? Why did I let them whip our son?"

  Shivering, Gerren gave in to his grief, letting the tears scald his flesh as he sobbed uncontrollably. Without realizing he was doing so, he began beating his head against the railing, not even feeling the flesh of his forehead when it broke and blood trickled from the gash. With his guilt spurring him on and his grief blinding him to all else, the king of Serenia clung to the rail like a lost child. His sobbing turned to low, trilling wails of despair then subsided to whimpers of defeat.

  "What did I let happen, Conar? What did I let happen?"

  Brelan tore his gaze from the balcony. He could feel the older man's guilt and knew he bore as much blame as did his father. He could not look at Liza when she glanced his way. Instead, he stared at the Temple, hating that vile place more than ever.

  When Brelan would not look at her, Liza turned to Teal.

  At first du Mer shook his head. His sorrow was a keen knife twisting in his guilt-ridden soul. He wished he had gone with Chand and Gezelle into the keep.

  "He loved you, Teal," Liza reminded him. "It will be a long time before he gets to tell you that himself."

  A choking sob tore through the gypsy and he buried his face in his hands. "I betrayed him!"

  "Go to him, Teal," Legion told him. "If you don't, you'll regret it."

  It was by far the hardest thing Teal du Mer had ever done. Saying goodbye to his only brother had not been as difficult as kissing Conar's cheek and bidding him farewell. It tore a hole through the man's heart and settled there with a deep pain. When he rose, his face was nearly unrecognizable.

  Brelan met Grice Wynth's gaze for only a fraction of a second before the eldest Oceanian Prince bent over Conar. Although he didn't say anything, Grice squeezed Conar's cold hands and then turned away, knowing Conar would have understood.

  Knowing he could delay his farewell no longer, Brelan bent over the coffin, and both surprising and shocking himself, brushed his lips against Conar's still forehead. He felt something turn in his gut and thought he would be sick at the touch of that still flesh.

  "The gods-be-damned, Conar," he said in a rush and before he knew what he was doing, he dropped to his knees.

  "For the love of the gods, Lord Saur," Tohre snapped. "Not you, too!"

  Brelan ignored the exasperated hiss and rested his forehead against the side of the coffin as others before him had done.

  "Lord Saur, I must insist…"

  "Go to hell, Tohre," Liza said with steely determination in her fragile voice.

  Tohre opened his mouth to speak, but every eye in the courtyard turned to him with murderous intent and he snapped his lips closed.

  "Conar, Conar, Conar," Brelan whispered, feeling moisture gathering in his eyes. "Who will I fight with now, little brother?" He looked at the dead man. With lips trembling and guilt flooding his heart, Saur clenched his teeth and refused to let the moan of anguish escape his closing throat. Inside, he was at war with himself. On one hand, he wanted to lift his brother from the coffin and hold him. On the other hand, he wanted to curse the stubborn man who had dared to stand up to the Tribunal.

  Instead, he stood and found Grice smiling sadly at him.

  "You did what you had to do, Bre," Grice said softly.

  Brelan shook his head. "I should have told Papa long ago."

  "Told him what?"

  Brelan swiped angrily at the tears easing down his cheeks. "I knew, Grice!"

  "I don't understand," Grice said, frowning. He laid a comforting hand on his friend's broad shoulder. "What is it you knew?"

  "What they had done to him when he was a boy. What they were still doing to him as a man," Brelan whispered. "I knew and I did nothing to stop it because I didn't care!"

  "By the gods, Brelan, no!" Grice said, shocked.

  "I wanted her. I wanted her and anything I could do to keep Coni out of her life, I did. Now look what my coveting your sister has wrought!"

  "If you are all through with your good-byes, the ship is ready to sail," Tolkan said, amused at the various displays of grief. He motioned for the lid to be closed.

  Brelan knocked away the hand of the guard who reached out to do the Prelate's bidding. "Get the hell away from my brother you bastard!"

  Grice put a calming hand on his friend's arm and when Brelan turned furious eyes to him, he gently told Saur to shut the lid himself.

  Brelan nodded curtly and began to close the lid. Then he stilled, looking closely at Conar's chest. He would have sworn on his love for Liza that the fabric of Conar's shirt lifted slightly. But there was no movement. He shuddered, believing himself seeing things.

  Tolkan drew in his breath, realizing what Saur must have thought he'd seen. With as calm a voice as he could muster, he spoke to Brelan. "For the love of Alel, Lord Saur, have you no pity? It is time this thing was past!"

  Brelan closed the lid and moved away from the coffin as though its nearness caused him physical pain. He looked at the Prelate. "What the hell would you know about Alel's love?"

  Tolkan drew back from the fury on Saur's enraged face. He glanced at the guards. "Take up the coffin and—"

  "The hell they will!" an angry voice snarled.

  One look from Hern's stony face made the six pallbearer's hesitate. The guards watched uneasily as Thom, Storm, Sentian, Marsh and Hern moved into place around the coffin and then bent to lift the cedar box onto their shoulders. Wyn eased out of Liza's arms, pushed her gently into Legion's and then took his place between Hern and Sentian. He took one of the six wooden handles and braced his father's coffin on his shoulder.

  Legion looked at Liza. "I'll take you back to the keep, dearling."

  "I will see my husband on board," she said firmly and would have turned had Brelan not blocked her path.

  "Not this time, Elizabeth," Saur insisted and took her left hand as Legion took her right. "There is nothing to be done now but live."

  She looked at him for a long moment, searching his face, probing his soul. She saw his pain, felt his guilt and acknowledged his contrition. "He forgave you, Brelan," she said at last, in a voice soft and filled with love.

  "I know."

  * * *

  From the high battlements of Boreas Keep, Galen McGregor watched the Serenian Star's black sheeting fill with wind as the ebony ship moved into the harbor. He raised a goblet of wine to toast the ship and her cargo.

  "May the Wind be at your back," he said with a laugh. "So your journey to hell will be swift!"

  He wasn't even aware that he was crying as the ship slipped beyond the horizon and out of sight.

  * * *

  Many hours later Saur wondered just how he had known his brother had forgiven him and why it made such a differe
nce in his life.

  Chapter 7

  * * *

  Legion held his hand out to his brother. "Have a safe trip."

  Brelan sighed. "Damned if I don't hate ships."

  A'Lex chuckled. "I'm not all that fond of them myself."

  Brelan grasped Legion's wrist. "Take care of yourself, A'Lex." He looked toward the keep. "Things will be tough from now on."

  A frown touched Legion's bearded face. "You may be right." He let go of Brelan's hand and folded his arms. "I'm glad you're taking her home. Serenia will mourn her going, but she'll be safe from Galen in Oceania."

  A hard look passed over Brelan's face. "She'd be safe from that bastard here."

  "I know she would." Legion glanced at the Oceanian vessel on which his heart would soon be sailing home. "What she needs is a lot of love and peace."

  "I'll see she gets it."

  Legion smiled. "It's funny. I never thought any of us boys were even remotely alike, but it seems you and me, Conar and Galen all had one thing in common. We all love Liza beyond measure." There was great sadness in the older man's expression. "Will you ask for her hand once you get back to Seadrift?"

  "Would it upset you if I did?"

  "Not if that's what she wants."

  "But you would take her to wife if you could," Brelan charged gently.

  A'Lex sighed heavily. "On his wedding day, when he thought he was marrying The Toad, Coni asked me to find Liza for him, and if I did, he would give me her hand in marriage. For one brief moment, I had hope."

  Brelan momentarily looked away from the pain he was seeing. "I know how you feel. It hurt me when she married him. And it hurt me when he came to Oceania to get her back." He laid a hand on Legion's shoulder. "Just as it hurts you for me to leave with her."

  "I only want what's best for her. If you are what she wants, I will support you. Maybe you can help her to get on with her life."

  "If she'll let me."

  Legion saw something flit across Brelan's face. "How are you dealing with this, Bre?"

  "There might not have been any love lost between us, Legion, but I certainly didn't want what happened to him. He was my brother. The thought of them taking him out to sea and dumping him like so much refuse puts a black streak of fury clean through my soul." A muscle jumped in his cheek. "No man deserves such treatment. I was watching his face when they read the sentence. I thought I knew what was coming; he did, too. He truly didn't think they'd be so harsh."

  "None of us did."

  "But I think he knew when the sentence was read that he wouldn't survive. That's why he didn't want Elizabeth there to see him die."

  "If we did nothing else for him, at least we kept her away that day." Legion let out a long breath. "I wish to the gods I had kept my ass in the keep."

  "Then you wouldn't have saved him from the rest of the lashes Tohre meant to give him."

  "Lord Saur!" the Oceanian captain called from the bridge of the Seachance. "We're ready to sail, Milord!"

  "Sail close to the Wind, little brother," Legion said, bestowing upon him the ancient Oceanian blessing. "And watch over our lady."

  "With my dying breath."

  * * *

  On the twenty-first day of January, less than a week after his twin was taken out to sea, in the year known as the Year of the Ill Wind, Galen Nicholai McGregor was officially named Prince Regent of the Serenian Empire.

  On the twenty-second day of January, he made a formal request of his father, the King. A request his king denied.

  On the twenty-third day of January, the Serenian Tribunal of Law issued an edict to their king.

  On the twenty-fourth day of January, King Gerren unwillingly granted his son's request.

  On the thirty-first day of January, an envoy was dispatched to Seadrift Keep, the capitol of Oceania.

  * * *

  Brelan walked beside her, his hand clasped tightly around hers. The sweet ocean breeze was crisp, a bit too chill for a stroll along the beach, but the two were dressed warmly, their great capes pulled close. A stiff gust shifted against them and he felt her shiver so he pulled her close.

  Liza turned into the warmth of his strong arms and her head came to rest on his chest.

  "Feeling better now?" he asked, a worried frown easing its way over his handsome face.

  "Uh, huh," she mumbled against the wool of his cape.

  He took a deep breath and gazed out over the rolling gray-blue depths of the Oceanian Sea.

  "Are you too cold?" he inquired as he nestled her head in the palm of his right hand.

  "I'm fine, Bre," she said on a sigh. "Stop worrying about me."

  Brelan chuckled. "Who said I was worried?"

  She looked up at him. One fine black brow lifted.

  He smiled. "Do I sound worried, Milady?"

  The brow went higher.

  His smile turned into a sigh of surrender.

  Ahead of them, they could see Grice waving and, for an instant, Brelan was transported back to a similar day when Grice had come to this very same spot looking for them. He shook his head to clear away the memory, but when he looked at Liza, her eyes told him her thoughts had gone back to that day as well.

  "He's always interrupting us, isn't he?" Saur asked in a voice, too quick and too glib to truly hide his thoughts.

  "Big brothers sometimes take their responsibilities too seriously. Conar used to tell me how Legion…" She stumbled to a halt and felt Brelan's arm tightened. It had been several weeks since she had last spoken of her dead husband.

  Saur felt a stab of pain shoot through him. Both their wounds were still so fresh and raw. He turned his attention to Grice, who joined them. "Couldn't whatever you want have waited?" Brelan snapped, even though there was a grim smile on his lips.

  Grice looked first at Brelan with a hard, tight gaze, then turned to his sister, who continued to stare at the sea. "We have visitors from Serenia, Anya Elizabeth," he said bitterly, watching Brelan flinch. "Mama says they were expected."

  "Messengers from the King," Liza answered, easing out of Brelan's arms. She still kept watch on the sea. "Aye, I've been expecting them."

  Grice could not keep the fury out of his tone. "If you like, I will send them back and you won't have to speak with them."

  She finally looked at her brother. "No."

  "Do you know why they are here?" Grice asked; she nodded. "And?" Her brother's voice was tight and waspish.

  Liza lowered her head. "They have come with a marriage proposal."

  "What?" Grice nearly deafened himself with his shout. "From whom?"

  Brelan's stomach tensed. He was almost sure it would be from Legion and he didn't know if Liza would turn it down or not. He hoped she would.

  He, himself, had been putting off asking her to marry him. Obviously, Legion didn't feel the same way. Brelan could understand the man's urgency. With her marriage to Conar annulled, Liza could legally accept either man since previously married women of royalty were no longer ruled under Tribunal law. But he wasn't prepared for Liza's answer.

  "Galen has asked his father for my hand." She didn't look at the two men. She didn't have to see their faces to know they were white with shock.

  "That isn't funny," Grice snarled.

  "No, Grice, it isn't. It wasn't meant to be."

  "Has the man lost what little reason he had?" Grice shouted. "Does he really think we would allow you to marry him after everything he did? By all that's holy, Anya! He kidnapped you!"

  "I am perfectly aware of that, Grice."

  Grice's face turned beet red. "I'll send those sons-of-bitches packing so fast they'll think—"

  "I am going to accept the proposal."

  "What?" both men shouted.

  Liza held up her hand, taking advantage of their speechlessness. "It is my decision to make. A formal request was sent last week and this week Galen's envoys are here to return me to Serenia. At the end of next week, I shall marry him quietly in the Wind Temple and—"

 
"The hell you will!" Brelan hissed. He grabbed her arm in a steel-like grip. "Conar's been dead all of three weeks and with his body barely cold you plan on marrying that sorry bastard?"

  Liza pried his fingers from her arm. "It is my decision," she repeated. "Don't question it." She turned to her brother. "Mama knows of my decision. She and Papa will abide by it."

  "I won't!" Grice shouted. "There are other eligible men who will rule their own kingdoms one day. Serenia is not our only ally! If you must be tied to a royal house, I can send envoys to Virago or Ionary. There's not a one of those men who would turn down an alliance between our two houses. Any one of them would be a hell of a lot more to your family's liking, and Conar's family's liking, than Galen McGregor! I can't believe you are truly considering such stupidity."

  "Nor can I!" Brelan answered. "You know what Galen is capable of doing! My god, Elizabeth—he may have had something to do with Conar's death! Didn't you think of that?"

  "If he did, Brelan, he will eventually pay dearly for it!" she snapped.

  "Why would you even think of doing such a thing?" Grice argued. "The man is…he's not even a…he's more of a…Hell! He's a pervert!"

  Liza shook her head. "It doesn't matter. He has asked for my hand and I have accepted."

  Grice glared at Brelan. "Damn it! Try to talk some sense into her!"

  "No!" Liza said. "I am doing what I want to do."

  Brelan wanted to hurt her as she was hurting him. "I guess being the Queen of Serenia means more to you than anything else, no matter whose whore you have to be to get it!" His face snapped sideways as her hand connected hard with his lean jaw.

  She shoved him. "How dare you, Brelan Saur!" she shouted, her voice filled with hate. "How could you say such a thing to me?"

  Turning to face her, he saw the set of her mouth, the rage blazing on her face.

  "Leave us, Grice," she demanded, turning her fierce gaze on her brother. When he didn't move, she lashed out. "Now!"

  Grice stumbled away from her shove and looked at her as though he thought she had lost her senses. "Perhaps if you will just think about it…"

  "Tell Mama I will be in shortly!"