“Z’par servu.”Haldred bowed only as low as custom required, when in the presence of a fellow Comyn of higher rank.
“You requested an audience, and I have granted it. What do you have to say to me?”
“On my own behalf, nothing, vai dom.I carry a message. A private message.”
“From Valdir Ridenow, your master.” Regis did not bother turning the statement into a question.
Haldred inclined his head and raised his bound wrists, as if indicating that, as a mere courier, he merited respectful treatment. Dangerously close to losing his temper, Regis satisfied himself with ignoring the hint.
“By all means, fulfill your commission.” Regis indicated with a jerk of his chin that the Guardsmen were to withdraw. Gabriel provided more than enough protection against one bound man. The door closed behind the Guardsmen with a click.
The Ridenow lordling cleared his throat. “ DomValdir Ridenow, speaking on behalf of the entire Comyn, desires me to say that for the good of Darkover, your high-handed tyranny must cease. He declares that you are no longer the legitimate Lord of Hastur and have no right, either legal or by prestige, to influence the affairs of the other Domains.”
Gabriel remained standing, outwardly imperturbable, but Regis could feel his outrage simmering just beneath the surface. Keeping his voice mild, Regis said, “That is a very improbable viewpoint. Exactly why should DomValdir’s delusions concern me?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Irritation tempered with fear edged Haldred’s voice. “You are to renounce your position in favor of the true and lawful Hastur Lord.”
“And that is . . .” Even as the words escaped his lips, Regis saw the thrust of Valdir’s attack, as surely as if it had been a precisely aimed dagger.
“As the elder and now legitimate son, DomRinaldo Hastur is the rightful Heir to the Hastur Domain.” Haldred made no effort to suppress a smirk. “The Ridenow have vowed to uphold his right by force of arms. However, in the interest of the common welfare, we trust it will not be necessary. The last thing we wish is to plunge Darkover into civil war, one Domain against the other.”
“That sounds like a threat to me,” Gabriel said in the moment of stunned silence.
“Why would I accede to such a preposterous demand?” Regis said, although he already knew the answer. “What does my brother say to this?”
“My lord reminds you that your paxman and your heir are in his custody. If you resist, they will suffer for it. As for the new Lord Hastur, he has given his full consent.”
The matter-of-fact manner in which Haldred spoke chilled Regis worse than any number of boastful threats. These truly were not Haldred’s words but those of his master.
“Valdir Ridenow is a fool.”
Regis knew in his heart that he had been a bigger one. How many times had he longed to set aside his rank and position, to live a simple life, to follow his private dreams? Had he not secretly hoped Rinaldo might be the one to ease his burden? Was that not his subconscious motive in pressing for his brother’s legitimate status? But now . . . he could not allow the lordship of Hastur to be wrested from him and given to Rinaldo. Unpracticed in the ways of the world, Rinaldo would be a puppet in Ridenow hands.
Regis harbored no illusions about the intentions of Valdir Ridenow and his allies. They wanted full Federation membership, with everything that implied.
Angrily Regis said, “There is another way to solve this problem, and that is to have the location of the hostages wrenched from your mind. Unfortunately, the only known possessor of the Alton Gift is off-world at the moment, but I am more than happy to try the powers of the HasturGift.”
Haldred paled. “M-m-my lord— vai dom! I beg you to reconsider. I cannot reveal what I do not know. I will swear by Aldones or St. Christopher or Nebran the toad god of Shainsa that I do not knowwhere they are!”
Valdir Ridenow might be a fool, but he was too wily to entrust such a secret to anyone who might be put to the question. In truth, Regis would slit his own throat before he forced his mind upon another, but Valdir did not know that.
Regis sat very straight, resisting the impulse to cover his face with his hands. In despair, in shame.
This is my fault, my responsibility. I should be the one to suffer for it, not Rinaldo, not Mikhail. Not—oh gods, not Danilo.But he would be seven-times damned to each of Zandru’s frozen Hells before he would give this arrogant pup the satisfaction of seeing him grovel.
Regis allowed the memory of his grandfather’s arrogance and unbending resolve to flow through him. “I will meet with DomValdir to discuss his proposal.”
“But—” Haldred had clearly expected a capitulation. “But I have already told you the terms—”
Regis glared at him. Haldred lowered his eyes and stammered that he would arrange an interview at the earliest convenience of the vai domyn. Only when Haldred had bowed himself out and the room fell silent did Regis allow himself to breathe again.
17
The meeting with Valdir Ridenow took place a few hours later. In the interim, Regis and Linnea tried a number of times to establish larancontact with the prisoners, without success. Linnea was still exhausted from her previous efforts and dared not do too much. In her opinion, their minds were shielded by a telepathic damper.
Regis had more to worry about than two individuals, regardless of how precious they were to him. If Valdir ended up in power through a naive and malleable Rinaldo, the Ridenow lord would surely move for Federation membership. Regis did not know how he might prevent it, once set in motion. He was having difficulty focusing his thoughts on anything beyond the moment. His mind filled with dire imaginings. No matter how often he told himself that Danilo and Mikhail were of no value to Valdir dead, his heart would not believe the hollow reassurances of his head.
Ordinarily, Danilo would have taken care of the details, arranged the meeting place and ensured its security. Regis wondered how he had managed when Danilo had served as Warden of Ardais. In the end, ironically, the Ardais quarters of the Castle proved to be the best, mutually acceptable location. Lady Marilla, acting most likely at the behest of her son, who was in a frenzy of worry about his friend, offered the largest of their chambers. She pointed out, quite rightly, that it lent itself to privacy and was as difficult to infiltrate as any place in the Castle.
Regis found clothing laid out for him by his body- servant: a suit of discreet elegance, pants and jacket and short indoor cloak of suede in muted blue over a shirt of ivory spidersilk. Regis sighed; he could not remember having worn this ensemble, and yet it so perfectly fit the occasion. Danilo would have approved. Yet, Regis admitted as he began dressing, all was not mere decoration. He could move—and fight, if need be—in these clothes. The boots, a subtly darker shade of blue and cut lower than was fashionable, were comfortable, the sword in its bejeweled sheath of good steel and well balanced. He had wielded far worse in his cadet days. The edge, he noticed, was sharp.
Gabriel came with him as advisor and kinsman, plus four Guardsmen, veterans all. The walk took them through a maze of corridors, over Javanne’s leaf-patterned carpets, under arched doorways studded with pale blue stone that made it seem they passed through the heart of an immense starstone before plunging back into torchlight-studded gloom.
Regis bent toward Gabriel to speak privately. “If this meeting goes badly, I will need your help. We may not have another chance to speak.”
Gabriel nodded. The Guardsmen gave no sign they had overheard.
Even if Regis achieved his goal of getting both Danilo and Mikhail released, he could not allow Valdir to continue with his schemes. He did not know how closely he would be watched, whether or not he would be able to come and go as he wished. Valdir was no innocent in the ways of Comyn politics. He would not leave a deposed Hastur Lord free to plot his way back into power. The Word of a Hastur might be as unbreakable as the Wall Around the World, but oaths could be phrased to a legal nicety.