Sometimes the Lords really thought I was stupid. They would learn. “Remember, she’s mine,” I said, as I stumbled over to my bed and threw myself on it. “I’ve sworn an oath, and I’ll not have her taken from me. Perhaps I’ll have a chance for personal vengeance after all.”
Darzid began to laugh. “Of course! Fortune has smiled on you once again, my Prince. You can indeed have everything you desire.”
I slept for a full day. When I woke, the Lords were waiting for me… hovering… anxious. I was anxious, too, and only felt better when I saw the faint smear of gray that was the torch that burned on my balcony at night. If I worked at it hard enough, I could sense the faint outlines of doors and tables and such in the blackness.
And how are you this evening, young Lord? asked Ziddari.
“Hungry,” I said.
They relaxed a bit. Slaves can bring you what you need. Notole was everywhere inside me and around me.
“I’ve already summoned them. But that won’t be enough. I’m hungry for other things than food. Do I come to you again tonight?”
No, young Lord, she said, pleased. In four days you may have all you want. Only if your craving should become unbearable would I consider taking you out again before your anointing. For now you should resume your physical training.
“What have you done with Seri?” I tried to ask it casually.
The lady is quite safe and healthy. We’ve asked her some questions, but she has few answers. A traitor brought her to Zhev’Na, but he is dead now. They planned to destroy you, young Lord, to steal your future… your power… to confine you to Dar’Nethi groveling… to starve you… But their pitiful conspiracy failed long ago.
“Good.”
Rest easy. Determine your future with no worries that any enemy will interfere. Do you wish to question the woman yourself? The last question was from Ziddari.
“No. I’ve no interest in lies. She confuses me.” Yes. That was what they wanted to hear.
Then we’ll leave you to your own occupations.
And so I had to figure out what I wanted. The decision had seemed easy before, and now Seri had muddled everything. My thoughts kept running in circles, and I couldn’t decide what I believed, or why I had done the things I’d done, or what I was going to do about any of it.
I jumped up and fumbled about the room, gathering up Seri’s “gifts.” Out on the balcony, I burned the map of the Leiran stars and threw the stone and the wood and the fruit pit as far away as I could. I fingered the mirror, happy I couldn’t see well enough to know how my eyes looked this time. All black, I guessed. Even reflected light made me wince. I pulled the wood away from the metal and burned it, and then I melted the metal into a lump and threw it away, too. Grabbing my cloak, I felt my way down the stairs.
There were guards everywhere in my house. I told them I was going riding in the desert and threatened to tear out their eyes if they tried to stop me or even let their thoughts dwell on what I did. After a quick stop by the kitchen, I set out for the stables. Summoning up what little power I had, I used it to help me find familiar landmarks. I put out the stable lantern, made it to Firebreather’s stall without breaking my neck, and sat down to wait. Firebreather shied away from me until I’d talked to him a little. But it wasn’t for the horse I’d come.
“Awful dark in here.”
“Leave it that way. I’d just rather tonight.”
“Whatever you say.”
“I brought you some food, there in the pack by the gate. Sorry, no jack.”
“I told you I’m not choosy.” I heard him rummaging in the pack and then settling down in the straw. “You’re in a bother,” he said between bites.
“Have you started reading human thoughts as well as horses‘?”
“Don’t take a genius. You’re sitting here in the dark. You forgot to yell at me for anything. You brought me food without me acting pitiful or nothing. You’re not thinking straight.”
“I needed to talk, and I get tired of talking to myself. I argue one way, and it sounds right and reasonable, and then I turn around and argue exactly the opposite, and it sounds just the same.”
“I’ve seen it. Means you think too much.”
“It’s about those things I told you of. The stone and such that appeared in my house.”
“Did you find another one?”
“Yes. And I found out who did it.”
The silence stretched so long, I began to think he’d gone to sleep. “Blazes,” he said at last. “Who was it?”
“My mother.”
Another long silence, and then a totally unexpected question. “Is she all right?”
“No. Not all right at all-”
From out of the darkness a body pounced on me and pinned me to the floor, leaving me spitting straw and with both my arms twisted behind me. His elbow encircled my neck. “Damnation, you didn’t kill her? If you killed her, you are dead this instant. I don’t care whose friend you are, or how great a sorcerer you are, I’ll break your neck. Don’t think I can’t do it.”
He was wild and furious, and I almost believed he could do it. “She’s not dead. Just a prisoner. How do you-? Let me up. I won’t hurt you. I swear I won’t. Damn, you know her! You came here with her, didn’t you?” I twisted around and shoved him off me. Then I felt my way back to the wall, sat up, and brushed the straw off my face.
“I came just after. She don’t know I’m here. But I’ve promised- Curse every bit of this place. I’ve promised- Oh, shit, shit, shit!” I hoped he hadn’t broken his fist when he slammed it into the wall of the horse box.
“Why did you come here? Why did she come here? Don’t lie to me.”
“We came to get you. To take you back.”
“To destroy me?”
“Destroy you? Why in the name of perdition would the Lady Seri want to hurt you? She grieved herself to death for you and your da for all those years, living in Dunfarrie where there was only such as me for company, and the very day she figures out who you are, you get snatched out from under her nose. She picks up and chases you through the mountains in the winter, and to a new world where she’s like to get herself killed, then follows you into this cursed place, and you think she wants to hurt you?”
“She wanted vengeance on her brother. She didn’t know I was her son.”
“It’s true she didn’t at first. She didn’t want to stay at Comigor, but do you know why she did? Because everyone thought you were loony. She wanted to help you because she loved her brother, but she came to love you, too. She only put all the clues together after you was gone. She about went crazy.”
“That’s not right. She brought Prince D’Natheil to Comigor to kill me, and Lucy, and Mama’s baby… for her revenge.”
“The Prince was getting his head put back together. He’d been half crazy for months. He didn’t even remember she was his wife until that day in the council chamber. He couldn’t look at her without his head trying to bust open. Don’t you know anything? I know… knew… the Prince, and he never ever would kill an old lady or a child, whether it was his own or not. He never would. You don’t know what all he did for me who was an ignorant nobody he’d no reason to look at, much less care for.”