“Everyone failed,” Vinni said aloud as they walked down the empty hallway to the side entrance where his glider waited. He reached over and rubbed the cat’s head, then continued. “You have kept Avellana safe all these years. You will not fail her. None of us will.”
“Including me. I will be watchful,” Avellana said.
• • •
Shock rolled through the Hazels as they heard the tale—which Vinni and Avellana had kept until after breakfast.
“We had hoped that you would never be in a HealingHall bed again,” D’Hazel said in a stifled voice as she rose from the table and came around to hug Avellana.
Putting his softleaf down carefully, T’Hazel met Vinni’s gaze, and he felt the anger radiating from the older man.
“Life has been quiet since Avellana returned to us. We didn’t anticipate this,” he stated, each word precise.
“Avellana has kept close to home and to the Cathedral,” Vinni said in smooth tones. “Yesterday we had ice cream in public.”
“I see.”
Her sister rose and stormed around the room. “I don’t like this at all.”
“No one does, dear,” D’Hazel said.
“Today I will be commissioning a protective amulet to teleport Avellana to a HealingHall if injured,” Vinni assured them. He held out a hand to her. “Can I have the pendant you’re wearing to send to T’Ash so he can incorporate it into a new piece?” He refrained from reaching over and pulling the fine gold chain he saw her wearing out from under her tunic.
Blushing slightly, Avellana drew the necklace up from under her clothes, and he saw that the chain held three items: a stacked ring of four thin bands that resonated of the Hazels: her mother, father, and sister individually, and the Hazel Family and Residence as a whole, in different metals featuring various gemstones.
The other two items Vinni had given her. One was a tiny ring, a betrothal ring, that fit her finger as a child, woven of silver and gold strands in eternal Celtic knotwork. Now that he thought about it, she’d worn it on a chain the few times they’d made love. Seeing it had touched him then, as it did now.
Lastly, the current engagement ring he’d given her a couple of years ago—which they’d decided she wouldn’t wear—more fool he.
Snagging the chain from her fingers, he unclasped it and slid the skycrystal set in gold on the ring finger of her left hand. When they wed, they’d wear marriage bands on both wrists. He’d already had one for her and one for him made. She’d requested that she, too, order a pair—one for him and one for her.
“Zow.” Coll breathed the word. “That is a huge ring, Vinni.”
He grinned, took Avellana’s hand in his own, and angled it back and forth so the blue facets caught the light and flashed. “It suits us.” He kissed her fingers, released her hand, but palmed the small ring, feeling the fizz of his Avellana in the energy. “I’ll send the smaller ring to T’Ash.”
Avellana appeared hesitant.
“He’ll do something fabulous with it,” Avellana’s mother said matter-of-factly, but with a twinkle in her eyes.
“Yes.” Avellana sighed the word. “I can trust him with it. And one of the Alders will place the retrieval spell on it. I can trust the Alders, too.”
“Yes,” Vinni agreed. “And I’ll set up an appointment with D’Yew for a personal armor spell for Avellana.” Since he sat next to her, he touched her hand.
Coll gasped and stared. “They say the price on those . . .”
Vinni waved it away. “I can afford it.”
“Yes, of course. But it is our expense,” stated D’Hazel.
“No,” Vinni said. “According to the engagement and marriage contracts that should have been delivered from my Family to yours today, all expenses regarding Avellana’s safety now fall to me.”
Avellana’s mouth fell open. “But why?”
“We are equally wealthy.” D’Hazel’s tones were stiff.
Vinni took Avellana’s hand. “I want everyone to know that Avellana is a member of my Family, including Avellana.” He drew in a breath, aiming his gaze at Coll. “And I have more contacts among my generation than you.”
He heard her grumble from across the table, but she said nothing further, just lifting her cup of caff and sipping.
Carefully, D’Hazel stated, “My Family knows of the contretemps at the, ah, council ally meeting.”
“What contretemps?” Avellana asked.
“Alliances have shifted according to personal beliefs regarding conservative entrenchment or progress,” Vinni said.
She frowned at him, pressed her lips together, then eyed him. “Later you will explain exactly what that means.”
He rolled a shoulder. Then, smiling a nice, sharp-toothed smile, Vinni glanced at his wrist timer and said, “I have a full consultation this morning with FirstFamily GrandMistrys WhitePoplar, the Daughter’sDaughter of FirstFamily GrandLord Eadha WhitePoplar. Charged him the max amount.”
D’Hazel’s mouth hardened. “Good. He’s one of those who broke our alliance.”
“Yes.”
“Did this council contretemps concern me?” Avellana persisted.
“It concerns all of us,” Vinni replied.
“I—” Avellana began, but five calendar spheres appeared, their tones oddly melding into an unusual rhythmic tune. Everyone at the table had upcoming appointments.
In a concerted rush that seemed a habit of long standing, the Hazels hugged and kissed Avellana and left, waving to Vinni on the way out, leaving the more deliberately moving Avellana standing. Then she seemed to gather herself together and angled herself toward where he stood, less than a pace away.
“I saw your calendar sphere for tomorrow. You have a full day of important appointments. Rhyz and I will go to Multiplicity in one of the Hazel gliders.”
“Why are we arguing about this now?” Vinni grumbled.
“Because I will want to meditate on the way to the Cathedral and I think you should, also, both there and back, and then you will be busy all day and avoid me to not speak of this.”
He set his balance. “Tomorrow we can drive to Multiplicity in the Vine glider; I’ll leave you at the site”—and with people, but for sure eyeball the whole situation before his workday began tomorrow so he could be sure that Avellana would be safe—“and come back when my first appointment is finished.”
“I do not—”
He pulled her to him and kissed her. He meant it to be a mere brush of lips, but her partly open mouth tempted him and he had to tangle his tongue with hers and suck for not only the taste of her creamy caff but her own self. When his brain began to fuzz, he stepped away.
“I want to spend more time with you in public. And I know this enterprise is special to you and I want to share the excitement with you.”
“Oh.” Her slow smile kept him rooted to the spot instead of hauling her off with him as soon as she agreed. “Oh, yes, Muin, that would be lovely.”
“Good.” He took both her hands and kissed each back, dropped one, and set the fingers of her other hand formally on his arm. “Let’s go.” He started walking to the front entrance to the castle and the glider.
“But your calendar sphere alarm . . .”
“Was set to include time for a waterfall and dressing appropriately, a formal breakfast with my Family, and some meditation time. As you said, I’ll meditate on the way to and from the Cathedral.” He said good-bye to the Residence as he opened the front door.
“Our meditation will prime our creativity for our work. It will be a short, quiet trip,” Avellana said as he handed her into his glider.
“You can be very restful.” He kissed her hand, then went around to his door and entered the vehicle. After he closed and locked the doors and set the safety webbing, he set the glider to navigate itself. “I have the Cathedral coordinates, b
ut I’ll need those of Multiplicity for tomorrow and most particularly for your house.”
And yes, just saying that irritated him. Acknowledge the annoyance and vanquish any negative feelings, since the situation excited Avellana.
Yes, he’d chosen to keep her safe at the expense of enriching their relationship, and now he reaped the consequences of that decision.
She smiled and took his hand that rested on the steering bar and linked fingers with him, then he felt her easily descend into a meditative trance and he followed.
Sixteen
At the Cathedral, Vinni kissed Avellana more chastely than he wanted, but figured people watched, so all to the good. And though he wished to stay with her—in fact, it became more difficult by the minute to not be with her—he set the glider to return home automatically and teleported to T’Vine Residence.
He prepared quickly but well for his consultation with Tosa WhitePoplar. He’d give her MotherSire, FirstFamily GrandLord Eadha WhitePoplar, no cause to believe that Vinni would shirk his duties because the man had broken their alliance.
Tosa arrived on time, and their appointment went fairly well. A pleasant enough woman of twenty-seven, she remained rigid throughout his reading. Not because of any council politics or the disagreement between himself and her MotherSire, but because she disliked that he could see her future and feared what it might bring.
The usual reason everyone avoided him, even when he walked down a city street. Of course he’d been known to have visions meeting someone as he walked down a city street . . .
Tosa loosened up when he advised that she consult a matchmaker and that Vinni anticipated that she’d be wed and in a good marriage by this time next year. And at the very end of their session, she tentatively asked about prospective children. When he told her that he saw three, she left T’Vine Residence full of glowing confidence.
And he felt quietly satisfied that he’d helped her and done his duty by GrandLord WhitePoplar.
Nor should that man have any problem with the results of the consultation. He would be pleased to hear that his Daughter’sDaughter would meet a good husband and give the WhitePoplars a strong lineage.
Vinni had sensed indirectly through his visions for Tosa that the breaking of GrandLord WhitePoplar’s alliances with several of the FirstFamily Lords and Ladies would wear on him. But Vinni had no obligation to tell either Tosa or Eadha that, since that did not affect Tosa so much as to alter her future.
Vinni’d been as professional, charming, and easy in manner as he could manage. Perhaps he’d even given Tosa a good impression of him. She had weight in her Family, though she would never take the title. He’d told her that, too, and she’d been much relieved.
He’d no sooner finished a waterfall and changed into more comfortable clothes than a Druida City Guard showed up for Vinni’s report on the attack on Avellana. Since several septhours had passed, he could keep his temper when he thought of the assault. He condensed all the information he and Avellana and Antenn and Rhyz had deduced. The guard stated that he’d want to talk to each of them individually and put Vinni through a too-long examination of all the details he could remember.
At the end of that meeting, Vinni scried T’Ash and commissioned a protection and retrieval amulet from the GreatLord—who’d been expecting his call. Vinni translocated the small ring and saw T’Ash rolling it in his fingers, eyes narrowed in thought before Vinni cut the scry.
Then he attended the second-shift lunch at his own Residence, where he announced that he’d be spending the next day watching the construction of Multiplicity.
None of the older people at the table appeared interested, but some of the youngsters under the adult age of seventeen asked if they could accompany him, and Vinni agreed to run a Family bus there and back.
Casually, Vinni observed his Family, large for a FirstFamily. He hoped that he didn’t house any traitors, but his gut had tightened and he simply didn’t know.
The rest of his day progressed in another deep consultation and meeting with various Family members. He realized that some of them still treated him with the respect he’d earned as a child, but not quite the same as if he’d come into his title as a mature adult. With that irritation, he understood how Avellana felt.
And by the end of the day and after the tiresomeness of attending another formal dinner, he ached for his lover.
She was right on so many levels, as he’d learned the past few days. Another reason why he couldn’t wait another six months or year until he finished whoever threatened her before claiming her as his own, HeartBonding with her, even if they didn’t formally wed.
Since she insisted on staying in Druida City—or Multiplicity—and working in the Cathedral, he couldn’t control his urge to be with her.
He picked up Flora, who snuffled in his grip and wiped her damp nose on his hands, then made a little grumbling noise that he took as acceptance of being placed on his lap and petted as he sat in his favorite chair in his sitting room.
And scried Avellana.
“Here, Muin,” Avellana said. She looked fabulous, sweet-faced and sitting on a bench in her favorite garden behind D’Hazel Residence.
He let a sigh sift from his lungs. “Good to see you, Avellana.” And though he’d often kept touch with her through scry and telepathy and sex dreams, just knowing she was in the same city eased him at an innate level.
“Yes, Muin.” She smiled. “I always enjoy seeing you.”
After clearing his throat, he said, “And I’d like to see you in person, and as I said before, spend more time with you. There’s an advanced training general melee at The Green Knight Fencing and Fighting Salon in a septhour and a half. Saille T’Willow might be there and we can speak with him about our matchmaking appointment on Mor. Will you meet me at The Green Knight?”
Her shoulders squared. “I am not ranked high enough as a fighter to be allowed to take part in that melee.”
“Forgot,” Vinni said, petting Flora.
“I am not a good fighter,” Avellana stated. She grimaced. “Even if I had not been surprised this morning, I would probably not have been able to grapple with my assailant and win.” Her lips pursed before she continued. “I spoke with the guard investigating the incident for a full septhour and a half.”
“I spoke to him for a long time, too,” Vinni replied. “And T’Ash is designing a protective-retrieval amulet for you.”
“Thank you.”
“And you might not be a great physical fighter, but you can defend yourself well enough.”
“That is true.”
“But you could observe the bout at The Green Knight,” he offered. “You’re always welcome there.”
Avellana glanced away. “We are limiting our sexual congress because we don’t want to HeartBond.”
Just hearing her prim words stirred him. Physically. He cleared his throat. “Yes.”
Without looking at him, Avellana said, “I think my lust for you would overtake me if I saw you in such circumstances.”
He wanted to know more: What circumstances? Hot and sweaty? Physically active? Competing? “Oh,” he said.
“Tonight there is also a service at the Cathedral. I think I will attend and do a prayer journey.”
“Blessings, then,” he said, managing not to grumble. But maybe they should stick to being with each other during the day and in public.
“Blessings to you, too.” She paused and met his eyes, a small, intimate smile on her face. “And thank you for telling me of this event and situation and your concerns.” Her smile widened. “We can do this.”
“Of course we can.”
“Merry meet.” She began the usual Noble good-bye.
“And merry part,” he replied.
“And merry meet again. I will see you later, Muin.”
“Until later.”
Her
image vanished and now he had nerves to work off. Wouldn’t hurt to practice his moves. He’d head to The Green Knight anyway.
• • •
Avellana contemplated all the discussions she had had with her Family, and, most especially, Muin.
The scent of the herb gardens wafted around her, the true smell of home to her. She had taken a mixture of these very herbs in sachets wherever she had traveled, though the fragrance faded after two weeks. Tonight she had come to study the gardens and decide on the proper proportions for her own flower and herb beds in Multiplicity.
Instead she had turned over each word people had spoken and matched it with the feelings she had sensed attached to the utterances.
She believed she had finally made the points she had wanted to for years. At age twenty-four, her love and her relatives finally considered her an adult.
Perhaps they thought that during the Passages to free her psi power, her brain had mended. And if they believed that, they would project the idea to everyone else around her.
Eventually she might not be considered damaged and fragile by some of the other FirstFamilies.
And her Passages had worked on her brain, rebuilding synapses, carving new pathways, Healing most of the damage she had incurred when she had flung herself out of the castle window at three years old, thinking she could fly.
What she had told no one, not even Muin, and what she did not think he knew, was that she could still feel a bit of damage—a little skip in her thoughts, a little kink at times. Something she did not believe others experienced.
Throughout her life, she and her Family had visited the best mind-counselor of the planet, naturally a FirstFamily GrandLady. Their last session had been when she had come home for a brief visit to celebrate her mother’s Nameday three months ago.
At that time she had asked her Family and their mind Healer counselor about such a sense, they had all stared at her, so she knew the oddity lived in her brain.
But she firmly believed that, too, would eventually Heal. Or that it did not affect her in any way. She was not any of those words that had been whispered through her links with others from unknown persons . . . defective, unnatural, freak.
Heart Sight Page 15