"So am I," Tris admitted. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Carina beg off the next dance also, to drop tiredly into her seat. Berry intervened, grasping Vahanian's hand and tugging the mercenary back to the dance as the musicians struck up another lively tune. "I could use a breath of air," Tris said.
"Agreed," Kiara said, and followed as he slipped out the rear doorway into the long, torch-lit corridor.
They walked side by side in silence for a while, enjoying the relative coolness of the hallway after the packed greatroom. They wandered for more than a candlemark, enjoying an opportunity to live only in the moment. At the end of the west wing, they found a small temple to the Goddess.
"Isn't this beautiful?" Kiara murmured as they looked around. Dawn streamed through two huge panes of stained glass at the front of the small, octagonal room. Four red candles burned on an altar, one for each of the light aspects of the goddess. Above them stood an exquisite marble statue with four faces representing mother, child, lover and warrior. The statue overlooked a reflecting pool, where the four dark aspects returned her gaze.
The colors of the stained glass repeated the theme. Red, the fire of the warrior avenger, together with the amber of the Mother, deep blue of the lover and the rich green of the Childe filtered the light in a shifting spectrum across the small nave. To the right of the altar on a pedestal was a basin for an oracle's scrying pool, and to the left, on a stand of gold, a perfect crystal orb.
"Despite Staden's welcome, I don't know if I'll ever feel safe again," Kiara murmured.
"That would be a shame," Tris said. "I'd like to change that."
"You might be able to."
Tris's heart was thudding so loudly that he imagined Kiara must hear it as he bent to meet her lips. For an instant she hesitated, then leaned into him, slipping her strong arms around his neck as he pulled her closer against him. A moment later, breathless, he drew back and looked at her in wonder. "You aren't afraid I'll turn you into a newt?" he joked gently. "I'm a wizard, you know."
She chuckled. "Jae would enjoy the company. You're not afraid I'll challenge you to a duel? I'm a 'swordlady,' you know."
It was Tris's turn to chuckle. "I rather like that, swordlady," he said affectionately. "Some party, huh?" he asked, tangling his fingers in her hair. She smiled. "It's been so long since I've had a good time, I was beginning to think I'd forgotten how."
"I won't let you forget."
"Is that a promise?" she asked, reaching up to touch his cheek.
"Promise," he said, folding her close. They stood in silence for a while, his cheek against her head, her face against his chest, as the dawn grew brighter through the window. Tris lifted his eyes to the light as it streamed through the faces of the Lady, and froze. Brilliant in the dawn, the face of Chenne began to flush as if alive, and the amber eyes met his with a clarity that seemed to see through his soul.
Do not doubt, he heard a voice say. I ride with you. And abruptly, the apparition disappeared.
"Tris, what's wrong?" Kiara asked, leaning back from him with concern.
Tris attempted to speak and found his throat too dry to yield more than a croak. He swallowed hard, staring at the window which was now once more mere glass, and managed a reply. "I think I need some sleep," he said lamely, embarrassed. "I'm starting to see things."
"What kind of things?" Kiara asked suspiciously. When he said nothing, her frown grew deeper. "You felt Her, didn't you, just now?"
Mutely, Tris nodded, looking still at the lifeless window. "I thought I saw Chenne," he whispered, the words sounding fantastic even to him. "But there's nothing there now."
"You did," Kiara said with conviction, resting against him and giving him a reassuring embrace.
"I didn't hear anything, but I felt... something. I know that feeling," she said self-consciously. "It was the same thing I've felt before, when She was near." She paused. "What did She say?"
"Not to doubt," Tris repeated wonderingly. "That She would ride with me."
"So will I," Kiara said resolutely. "You know that, don't you? I'm coming with you to Margolan."
Tris met her eyes, overwhelmed by conflicting emotions. Elation, that by some miracle she might return his feelings. Joy, that she would share his quest. Fear, at the risk to her that their journey would entail. "I don't want anything to happen to you," he said quietly. "I don't think I could stand that."
She smiled. "I didn't think you were going to try to coddle me," she reproved gently. "Don't disappoint me. I fight as well as you do—or better, you've said it yourself. And I'll never be able to turn my back until Arontala is dead. I'll never be free, and neither will Isencroft," she said firmly. "It's as much my quest as yours, now."
Smiling, she lifted a finger and laid it across his lips. "It doesn't need a vote," she said gently. "It's decided."
He kissed her again, longer and deeper this time, until finally it was she who pulled away. The light of morning filled the sacred space around them, reminding him of just how much time had passed. "I imagine Carina will send a search party after me if I don't go back soon," she said with a smile.
Tris grinned. "Maybe. Then again, Jonmarc looked determined to keep her out late."
Kiara chuckled. "In a wicked sort of way, I kind of enjoy seeing Carina look so unnerved around Jonmarc. She's usually so damnably in control. He's the first one she hasn't scared off."
"I don't think he scares easily," Tris replied, linking his hand with hers as they walked from the temple. He glanced back over his shoulder, but the image of the Lady remained mere glass.
"You're not going to find an answer that makes sense, Tris," Kiara said, guessing his thoughts. "Stop trying."
He smiled and sighed as they headed down the corridor. "I imagine not," he admitted. "Funny how, not too long ago, I didn't think there were any mysteries at all. And now..."
"Now you're one of the 'hounds of the Goddess,'" she finished.
He looked at her quizzically. "What?"
She shrugged. "I read that somewhere, in a book about a sorceress from long ago. She called herself the 'hound of the Goddess' because she came when the Lady called and did as the Lady told."
"Hound of the Goddess, huh?" Tris mused. He thought about the road ahead of him, the odds against them, and his friends' willingness to stake their lives on his magic. A good pack of hounds could bring down a formidable enemy, like a stag or a bear. Tomorrow, they would meet with Staden to talk of war, and the prince who never wanted to be king would recruit an army to avenge his family and take back his kingdom. Tomorrow.
But for tonight, he thought, holding tight to Kiara's hand, he had already won more than he ever dreamed possible. It was all he needed, for now. Tomorrow would come soon enough.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gail Z. Martin discovered her passion for science fiction, fantasy and ghost stories in elementary school. The first story she wrote—at age five—was about a vampire. Her favorite TV show as a preschooler was Dark Shadows. At age 14, she decided to become a writer. She enjoys attending science fiction/fantasy conventions, Renaissance fairs and living history sites. She is married and has three children, a Himalayan cat and a golden retriever.
You can visit Gail at:
www.myspace.com/chronicleofthenecromancer
www.chroniclesofthenecromancer.com
Read her blog: blog.myspace.com/chronicleofthenecromancer