How could I not?
For trust calls out trust, and this powerless child of the Gedri had given me that which could cost her soul.
I moved to the very Boundary itself, stretching my neck so that our faces nearly touched.
"Lanen Kaelar, I am Khordeshkhistriakhor," I whispered, and closed my eyes .
"You honour me," she whispered back, and her heart in truespeech echoed her gratitude, her wonder. I shivered with the feel of her breath warm acrossmy eyelid. "We will meet again, at midnight."
When I opened my eyes she was gone.
I returned to my hiding place, watching, thinking long on my folly and wondering where it would lead me, and was amazed to see the light rise about me hours later. For all my doubts I had never felt more alive.
I had never known the ferrinshadik to bring joy before.
I summoned Berys's Messenger the night we landed on the Dragon Isle, and no sooner had it appeared than it spoke with his voice.
"So. You have survived the Storms, and since you summon me the Dragons have not killed you. How goes the Harvest?"
"Greetings to you as well, Magister," I replied, speaking slowly to annoy him. "I am very well, I thank you. The Dragons remembered some treaty we had forgot, and all is arranged. Already the workers have made back the cost of the journey, and we have been here barely half a day. And you might be interested to hear that the child of Maran Vena is here as well. She knows nothing of the Farseer, but it is still possible that she is my child."
"Indeed?" asked Berys with a sneer. "I am not interested in your conjectures. We cannot be certain until we have made tests. And for that we will need blood from her."
This was news. "Blood, say you. And how should I go about getting blood from her?"
"You have guards, do you not, and men paid to serve you? Take her captive and cut her. What could be simpler?"
I had been thinking the same thing, but since Berys suggested it I thought of an objection. "And if she is my child? Do not your Masters require her whole?"
"You need not remove an arm," he replied, disdain rich in his voice that came from the demon's throat. "It will take enough to fill a cup, no more. Doubtless one so clever, who has arrived whole at the Dragon Isle, will be able to discover some way to acquire that much." I would swear then that the small, distorted demon Messenger smiled with Berys's smile. "May the Harvest prospect, Marik. I look forward to my share of your profits."
The creature disappeared in a cloud of sulphur. I threw wide the shutters and left ward for Caderan to attend me in the morning. There was much I needed to know if my search for dragon gold was to be rewarded with other than death."
IX
LESSONS
I had gathered my thoughts and was preparing to return to my chambers when Hadreshikrar, my dearest friend among the Kindred, came upon me as I lay silent in the early dawn.
"Good morrow, Lord Akhor," he said cheerfully. "I am glad to find you here: I began to wonder if the Gedri had put you under some spell in the night!"
"It is not impossible," I replied. The idea had occurred to me more than once in the long darkness.
"Akhor, I spoke in jest!" said Shikrar.
"That is no surprise, my friend, you jest more than any three other of our Kindred." I did not want to tell him of my thoughts, though, not for a few minutes yet. "Still I live in hope that more of my people will catch this light malady of yours. Tell me, what makes you so winghearted this morning?"
"It is no great mystery. Such a wondrous time for my family! I bespoke my son Kédra this night past, and he tells me Mirazhe has left for the Birthing Cove. Their youngling will be born ere the moon is past the full! Is that not enough to lighten the darkest heart?"
"It is indeed," I replied, smiling at him as I rose. "And of course, any son or daughter of Kédra will be as great a blessing to the Kindred as his father has been."
I teased Shikrar and he knew it, but his pride in his son was too great to be affected by anything I might say. He had invested in Kédra all the love he had felt for Kédra's mother, his lost beloved Yrais. Kédra was, to his credit, a modest soul, and though he loved his father dearly he laughed at Shikrar's excessive praise. They got along well, Kédra was bright and well liked, and Shikrar never stopped talking about his wondrous child.
"And so it will, my friend, mock me though you might," he replied. "My Kédra has given me joy since his birth; I trust his youngling will do so as well. Mirazhe is a wonder, she all but glows with the littling. Idai stands birth sister to her." Shikrar gazed keenly at me, which I as keenly ignored. "And when shall Mirazhe return the favor, Akhor my friend?" he asked pointedly. "It is widely known that Idai leans to you, she has these many years, spurning all others. Can you not find it in you to return her regard?"
I sighed wearily: "Hadreshikrar, must we go through this again? As Eldest you should know better. Should I take Idai as mate out of pit y? She would no more stand for it than I. I cannot count the numbers of those who have urged this joining upon me, nor the number of times you yourself have done so. Of your kindness, my friend, do not speak more of it. Idai is wise and worthy of all praise, but I do not love her."
"Ah, well, I shall keep my peace. But with our numbers so few, it pains me to see you still without a mate and Idai yet yet barren."
"That is her choice and mine!" I replied, stung by his bluntness. "You know I never said word, never asked any such devotion from her. If she chooses not to mate with another what word then should I give her to sway her? I will not bring a youngling forth where there is no love to sustain it, even if Idai were willing. And she would not be. Why should she settle for such a half-life when there are many who hold her in high regard and would take her as mate with honour? And it is no shame to choose a life of solitude."
"Forgive me, my friend," he said, as we walked a little away from the watch post. "I did not mean the words to gall. But the tire rises in me with the coming of a youngling, with my pride in my dear son—surely it is no wonder that I wish the same joy for you."
"Ah, Shikrar, you old meddler," I said. "You would have all of us mated before ever we left our mothers." Truth to tell, his words disturbed me more than I could allow him to know. So few younglings, so few of the Kantri even taking mates. I feared for my people, but I did not know what I could do. It was not a new problem, there have never been many of us; but our numbers were halved by the Demonlord, and despite the long years between we had not even begun to recover. Still, no need to speak of that with Shikrar while his heart was so light. "Not content with instructing the young ones, you would teach us all what we must do to keep old Hadreshikrar happy."
He laughed, as I knew he would. "That's better. You have been overgrim this morning, Akhor." He grinned at me. "Is it that old disease of yours, eh? It does come round this time of year, especially when the Gedri are so close. Still, no one has ever died of the ferrinshadik. "When I did not respond, he stopped and peered at me. "Do you know, I begin to wonder in truth if someone or something has not put a spell on you."
"As for the ferrinshadik, Shikrar, you are not immune yourself. Tell me if you can in the Language of Truth that you have no longing in your soul to speak with them, that deep in your heart of hearts there is no burning desire to learn of them, to have converse with another Kindred and see the world through new eyes."
He said nothing: I sensed no more from him than the amused tolerance of friendship, touched lightly by concern and by a grudging admission of guilt. I went on, "But I do not recall the casting of a spell. Surely I would remember such a thing."