“we also have the remarkable color trees: huge, long-lived goldenwoods and bluewoods”
“I want to die hearing the windharps. Already the Hill Folk mourn me…”
“All my life I have kept the Covenant, and I shall die keeping it.”
“Papa, please. Rest. Be easy—”
“Promise!” He gripped our hands.
“You’re a good boy, Branaric. No, a man now…”
“This time when we each gripped his fingers, there was no response”
“Branaric stood helplessly, staring at the still figure in the bed. Feeling numb—unreal—I took Papa’s thin hands, which were still warm.”
“we stood there for a long time, crying together while the cold wind swirled round us”
“you and me, even if we disagree—which I hope won’t happen. All we have now is this old castle”
Bran raised his hands. “Then we are on our own, sister.”
“A countess wearing a horse blanket and a count who hates fighting, leading a war”
“His dark blue eyes seemed darker with the intensity”
“But it had to be done—and we had to do it together”
“wordlessly, accompanied by their strange music—which was a kind of magic in itself—we would dance to somber cadence, sharing memory, and grief, and promise.”
“The old green velvet, left from Papa’s wardrobe, nicely set off Bran’s tall, rangy build. His face was long and sharp boned”
“if they laughed me out into the snow, you know I’d go right back at them, sword in hand”
“I glanced back in question, but the only thing to see was Bran unlacing his tunic”
the humor gone. “I made him up some good things to eat,” she said. “Let me fetch the pack.”
“Then he mounted, gave us a quick salute, and soon was gone. He didn’t like saying farewells any more than I did.”
“Though I still missed my brother”
“We moved into the cleared space, which was now dappled with blossoms”
“Tension relaxed into surprise as my brother rode up”
his eyes clearing. “The war. It’s here,”
“Good!” Bran said, laughing as he brandished his cider.
“Three times we sat on the cliffs above and cracked jokes while the army milled around”
“when they emerged, the stranger had the white plume of leadership”
“We’ll give him two weeks,” I crowed. “And then we’ll send him scurrying back to his tailor.”
“looking not at the map but at us, his old eyes sad”
“Branaric’s voice was a low rumble”
“no music, or laughter, or family to celebrate. Flower Day was celebrated with fine dresses and satin slippers and expensive gifts. Did he pity us?”
he grabbed me in a sudden, fierce hug. “Next year,” he said in a husky voice.
“overseen by a straight figure in a black cloak riding back and forth along a high ridge”
“Oria stood there grinning, her dark eyes crinkled to slivers. Flowers had been set all around my little tent, early spring blooms of every color.”
“gazed up at the black interlacing of leaves, through which the rainbow-hued stars made a pattern of heedless beauty.”
“Here y’are, m’lord. She’s awake.”
“Large gray eyes surveyed me. Astraight nose, chiseled bones. All this framed by long pale blond hair.”
“your probable future is not the kind to excite general envy”
Diving through the tent flap, I screamed with all my failing strength, “BRAN!”
“It desolates me to disappoint you, but your brother is not here.”
“As a crack it was pretty weak, but the amusement deepened in the light voice”
“the reflected peachy gold glow touched the valleys and fields with warm light”
“reaching toward the distant sea. Such profligate beauty lifted my spirits”
“Unfortunately, this elevated mood disappeared with the sun”
“a steady, drizzling rain began to fall. Faintly, in the distance, I heard bells tolling”
“near the pool where the water fell. One chance of escape gone. I’d never get to the horse before he could stop me.”
“You appear to need it more than I do.” He smiled. “Go ahead.”
“The firelight played over his face. He watched me.”
“for some rock-headed reason?”
“Say what you want.” I sniffed. “It’s not like I can duff off in a huff if you’re impolite.”
“Is that a promise or a threat?”
“Once I was on the animal’s back, it wouldn’t matter if the man woke up—in fact, it might be nice to see that Court-bred composure shattered”
“gold-candles and the beginning of another day”
“I squinted, trying to equate this tall, slim figure with that arrogant plume-helmed commander”
“‘Court decoration’?” he repeated, with a faint smile.
“Marquis of Shevraeth, Galdran’s commander-in-chief, grinned. It was the first real grin I’d seen on his face”
“He tossed a dagger across the fire. It spun through the air and landed hilt-deep in the ground next to my hand.”
“my companion was right next to me. The dagger was back in its sheath at his belt”
“He whistled, and the dapple-gray trotted obediently up, head tossing”
“marquis was right in front of me, and he was a lot taller than he appeared when seated”
“In one hand were the horse’s reins, and he held the other hand out in an offer”
“His gloves were still at his belt, and I noticed again that his palm was crossed with calluses”
“He put his hands on my waist and boosted me up onto the horse—and I couldn’t help but notice it didn’t take all that much effort”
“The less said about that morning’s ride, the better. I would have been uncomfortable even if I’d been riding with Branaric.”
“We only had one conversation, right at the start, when he apologized”
“When the great mage built bridge came into view I felt Shevraeth’s arm tighten”
“horse boy leaped to his feet, and all three bowed low”
“How could I effect an escape when I had as much spunk as a pot of over-boiled noodles?”
“I was impressed. Ordered gardens, flower-banked canals, well-dressed people.”
“whatever I said, might very well get carried to Branaric. I owed it to the people at home not to rug-crawl to this villain.”
“their spears thudded to the floor with a noise that sounded like doom”
“a tall figure with a long black cloak walked past us, plumed and coroneted”
“At his side hung his sword; his hair was braided. He passed by without so much as a glance.”
“piece of gold wood so beautifully veined with golds and reds and umbers it looked like fire”
“People came, in twos and threes and fours, to stare at me”
“Bribery! If things could come in, couldn’t something go out?”
“At night, another blanket, which disappeared the next morning—this time with an apologetic murmur from the guard”
“And of course it had to be while I was like this—about the lowest I’d sunk yet—that the Marquis of Shevraeth chose to reappear in my life”
“The door opened and a tall, glittering figure. I stared blankly at the torch-bearing aristocrat.”
“He was resplendent in black and crimson velvet embroidered over with gold and set with rubies. More rubies glittered on his fingers and in his pale braided hair.”
“It was the first real expression I’d ever seen from him, but by then I was in no mood to appreciate it”
“Renselaeus…” I repeated, then grinned. The princess was the mother of the marquis.
“Down with Merindar,” he murmured. “Farewell, my lady.”
She rolled her eyes. “My brother. He’s ten. Horrid age!”
“I have a garden—it’s my own. All the spring blooms are out.”
“beyond, purple in the distance, the mountains. My mountains.”
“I tried it from several rooms. See, the roses are there, and the climbing vine makes a frame.”
“And that Shevraeth,” I added somewhat bitterly.
“our youths killed. And sometimes not just the youths. We could have a better king, but not at the cost of our towns and farms being laid waste.”
“Who had died while trying to rescue me? Those people would never see the sun set again.”
“Just so could I envision an army trampling Ara’s garden, their minds filled with thoughts of victory.”
“That I do not know,” the man said. “I concern myself with what is mine, and I try to help my neighbors.”
“The next morning Ara seemed resigned about my leaving. She reminded me of my promise three times, then offered to brush out my hair.”
“I haven’t cut it since my mother was killed. Swore I wouldn’t until—well, she was avenged,”
“there was a strong part of me that would have been happy to sit in their garden and listen to music”
Ara sighed with happy sentimentality. “You are so graceful, like a bird. And beautiful!”
“Ara pressed her lips together, winked at me, then fled”
“a white-bearded shepherd approached from the other side, clucking to a flock of sheep”
“walked above the road where days ago I had been taken in the other direction by Shevraeth”
“A single rider on a dapple-gray. Tall in the saddle, long blond hair flying.”
“his head lifted slightly, turned, and he stared straight into my eyes”
“of course I’d been sitting, so there was no limp or bandage to give me away”
“Haven’t any coins. Shall I sweep the prints away?”
“I wish you’d been a handsome boy instead, for then I’d demand a kiss as payment.”
“the flash of embroidered sleeves and the whirl of skirts flickered between me and the king’s commander”
“one that promised such fun I could almost hear Bran’s laughter”
“The reins went flying. I grabbed at them with my free hand and thrust the meat pie into my mouth with the other.”
“somewhere behind me, a horn blared a summons.
with my right foot gave the horse’s flank a good smack. “Run!” I yelled, scrambling up.
“Oh, joy. The marquis was somewhere around.”
Then a familiar drawl, not ten paces from me: “Search the houses.”
“Did one of them have a pale yellow top? I could see him standing there narrow-eyed, looking around.”
“So my only hope was to make him so angry he’d kill me outright and save us both a lot of effort”
“And saw the Marquis of Shevraeth standing framed in the doorway”
“The Marquis strolled forward, indicated the knife with a neatly gloved hand, and gave me a faint smile.”
“I trust the timing was more or less advantageous?”
“More or less,” I managed.
“picturing the elegant marquis”
“the idea of waking up in his arms again”
“a toasted length of bread that turned out to have grilled trout, cheese, and greens”
“a castle, built on either side of a spectacular waterfall. An equally fantastic bridge lined with old trees crossed from one side to the other.”
“the floors were of exceptionally fine mosaic in a complicated pattern. Along one wall were high, arched windows”
“almost hidden by slanting rays of sun, was a tall figure with pale blond hair”
I stood with my back to the door. We were alone.
“Welcome to Renselaeus, Lady Meliara.”
He raised his cup in salute and took a drink. “Would you like to sit down?”
“The light fell on the side of his face. Like that first morning.”
“Giving a wail of sheer rage, I plucked a heavy silver candleholder and flung it straight at his head. He caught it one-handed, and set it gently in its place.”
there was my brother, tall, thinner than I remembered, and clean. “Mel!”
“Bran,” I squawked, and hurled myself into his arms.
“Mmm.” He hugged me again. “Tell me.”
“Vivid images chased through my mind: Shevraeth over the campfire”
“He strolled out like it was a ballroom floor, cool as you please”
“said you were safe in his care—what’s that?”
“reminded me of a stream in a forest. Trees grew alongside a wide running bath, all tiled and blue”
“wrapped in a cape-sized towel that had been kept warm on heatstones”
“Tiny golden birds had been embroidered at the neck and down either side”
“Tiny slits had been made at shoulders and elbows to pull through tufts of the silken underdress of pale gold”
“to me, in the suavest voice, as if I hadn’t flung a candleholder at his head a little while before”
“acutely aware of that bland-faced, elegantly dressed marquis right behind”
his mouth stayed solemn—I knew I’d seen that expression before. “Please. You have only to ask.”
“that ended rather abruptly when a candleholder—ah—changed hands”
“Shevraeth himself was there to bid us farewell”
Bran saw this, and sighed. “Another time, I trust.” I realized then that he actually liked the marquis.
Shevraeth bowed to me. There was no irony visible in face or manner as he wished me a safe journey, but my face still burned as I gritted out a stilted “Thank you.”
“Bend down, bend—ah!” Bran’s body jerked, then he fell forward, an arrow in his back.
“The last glimpse I had of Bran was of his blanched face and his anxious eyes watching me”
“Branaric, my fun-loving, trusting brother”
“We can’t win, not now,” I said, with tears burning my eyes. “But those who want to take a few of them with us when we go down, come with me.”
“My wish was to ride with steel in either hand to death and destruction”
“I saved this for you.” Oria’s pretty face was somber as she held out my short sword.
“we could hear the weird high singing of the Hill Folk’s harps, a different sound than any I’d heard yet. The sound seemed to thrum in my bones.”
“the sound of the rumbling, rushing water below, which drowned the high keening of the Hill Folk”
“My dream was always that, or partly that…”
Once again she stopped, and this time the gleam of the torches in her eyes was liquid.
“I returned to my vigil. The darkness seemed to endure forever.”
“a tall slim man with pale yellow hair”
“I was staking my life against everyone else’s. And of course there was no answer but one to be made to that.
With black murder in my heart, I flung my sword down.”
“two saddled, riderless horses, one a familiar gray”
“It was weird, dreamlike, the only reality the burning rage in my heart”
“I glared through the softly falling rain to the cold gray gaze”
the low brim of his hat now hiding his eyes.
“once a deer crashed through a shrub and bounded with breathtaking grace across the road”
The marquis dismounted and stretched out his hand to grip the bridle of my horse.
“I threw myself down on my knees next to the bed and hugged Branaric fiercely”
“After all, Shevraeth is merely a title, and he doesn’t go about calling either of us Tlanth.”
“Our friend the marquis wasn’t far behind—he’d just found out”
“He said you’d ride down the mountain breathing fire and hunting his blood. He was right.”
“Take a swig.” Shevraeth held out a flagon. “You’re going to need it, I’m afraid.”
“He sat back, his eyes expressive of amusement, just like his father”
“Not that the marquis had a red nose or a thick voice—he even looked aristocratic when sick, I thought with disgust.”
“That I resent,” Shevraeth said with his customary drawl. “Seeing as it is my wardrobe that is gracing your frame.”
“Bran’s husky, slow, with laughter in it, and Shevraeth’s soft, drawn out in a drawl”
“a hot tart made with apples and spices and wine”
“It was well before dawn. The marquis had woken us himself”
“He, too, stood there in only shirt and trousers, and I looked away quickly, embarrassed”
“Equal things out a little,” was the reply, still in the cool drawl. “Ready, Lady Meliara?”
“with tearing eyes returned it. The marquis tipped back his head, took a good slug”
“The marquis bowed low over his horse’s withers, every line of his body indicative of irony”
Shevraeth drawled, “we had a small wager on whether you would have the courage to face us.”
“Instinctively my free hand reached up and I caught the spear by the shaft”
“Keeping the banner whirling, I guided my horse with my knees, risked a glance over my shoulder”
“Dead,” Bran said with a laugh.
“I was looking for my tunic. Or rather, the one I was wearing.”
“Mud,” he said succinctly.
“Vidanric. Sword,” Bran said, waving his index finger.
“Life! I don’t think he’s sat down since we returned.”
“Vidanric went after the king, quick and cool as ice”
“That hilltop will be all forest by winter, or I’m a lapdog.”
“besides how to lose a war, and I don’t think anyone is requiring that particular bit of knowledge.”
“Vidanric saved your life—”
“He saved it twice,” I corrected without thinking.”
“Well, you got in the way of an arrow before I got a chance.”
“searched not to kill me, but in order to save me from certain death”
“all the time planning to change things with the least amount of damage to innocent people”
“Well, it’s your name if it pleases me or not,”
“I think it’s time for you to make your peace with Vidanric.”
“not wanting to consider why I found that last suggestion even more frightening than the first”
“so—I vowed—I was done with royal affairs. No, I told myself, my work now was Tlanth.”
“Oria!” I yelled, running downstairs. “Oria! Julen! Calaub! We’re rich!”
Oria crossed her arms. “Which brings us right back,” she said, “to that marquis.”
“You left your brother and the Marquis of Shevraeth without so much as a by-your-leave, and I think it’s gnawing.”
“Branaric needs three Fire Sticks?” Oria asked.
“Maybe he’s brought lots of servants?”
“If it really was Bran, I wanted to be in the courtyard to see his face when he discovered the improvements”
“with scrollwork and thin lines of gilding”
“new rugs from faraway Colend, where the weavers know how to fashion the shapes of birds”
“feeling a little guilty. I had stolen the idea of the potted trees from the Renselaeus palace.”
“Little Calaub was proud of his new-sewn stablehand livery”
“bounded up, grabbing me in a big hug and swinging me around. “Sister!” He gave me a resounding kiss.”
“Through the midst of them strolled a tall, elegant man in a heel-length black cloak—familiar gray eyes”
“and Danric there, whom you already know.”
“Do you have a welcome for me?” Shevraeth said with a faint smile.
“And the parlor! What was the cost of this mosaic ceiling? Not that it matters, but it’s as fine as anything in Athanarel.”
“I sneaked a look at Shevraeth, dreading an expression of amusement”
I sighed. “Then…I guess I’d better go back.”
“studiously ignored the other guest—as I watched her pick up two wineglasses”
Bran held up his glass and said, “To my sister! Everything you’ve done is better than I thought possible.”
“A letter that is still sitting on your desk?” Shevraeth murmured.
“That’s a drawback of a life at Court. One gets bound up in the endless social rounds and forgets other things.”
“you brought him. He’s yours to entertain.”
“random notes from the harp, a shivery pleasant sound that plucked at old and beloved memories, just as wearing the gown did”
“This is a lovely dress, and if it’s old, what’s the odds? A lady has the right to be comfortable.”
“If you will come to Athanarel and dance at my wedding, I will undertake to teach you everything.”
“What is it, do you mislike him?”
“Suffice it to say I feel better when we’re at opposite ends of the country.”
“do not want to rule. They’re merely there to oversee what their son has accomplished”
“Lord Vidanric has been working very hard ever since the end of the fighting. Too hard, some say. He came to Athanarel sick and has been ill off and on.”
“He and your brother have become fast friends”
“But then I’ve known him all my life.”
To her, it did. He was a good prospect for a king because he was her friend.
“On the evenings we were alone, Nee and I would curl up in her room or mine, eating from silver trays and talking”
“attended by someone tall, strong, naturally gifted with grace, and trained—such as the Marquis of Shevraeth”
“This left me with Shevraeth, tall and imposing in dark blue embroidered with pale gold, which—I realized as I glanced once at him—was the exact same shade as his hair”
“he held out his arm. I grimaced.”
“The Duke of Grumareth was always a fool and will always be a fool,” Shevraeth said, so lightly.
“Shevraeth addressed me in his usual drawl. Aghast, I choked. Then I saw the humor in his eyes.”
“It took everyone by surprise to find out that he was so different from the person we’d grown up with.”
Nee’s turn to shudder. “Life! I’d rather do almost anything than that—”
“silver-lit trails with the wind in my hair and the distant harps of the Hill Folk singing”
“blooming well after I was gone. “My last afternoon of peace,” I muttered.
He raised his hands and said, “I am unarmed.”
I realized I was glaring.
“No.” I couldn’t see his face. Only his back, and the long pale hair, and his lightly clasped hands were in view.
“an obvious constraint…every time we are in one another’s company will not go unnoticed.”
“Can you tell me,” he said slowly, “why you still harbor resentment against me?”
“He gave me a polite bow, a brief smile, and left”
“dark cloak belling and waving, and star-touched pale hair tangling in the wind. In silence I watched the still figure as music filled the valley between us and drifted into eternity.”
“you wouldn’t think them naked any more than a tree is naked”
“if I look one in the face, I always want to have a clean heart.”
“We had a splendid dinner in a private room overlooking the river. From below came the merry sounds of music.”
“Lord Vidanric? Will you come with us?”
“You can go in the coach in my place,” I said to Shevraeth, striving to sound polite.
“Never ride in coaches. If you want to know the truth, they make me sick.”
“He gave me a slow smile, bright with challenge”
He was still smiling, an odd sort of smile, hard to define. “A kiss.”
Shevraeth looked across at me. “Let’s go.”
And he was off, with me right on his heels.
“He glanced over, saw me laughing, and I shifted my gaze”
“At the same pace still, we reached the first staging point. Together we clattered into the innyard and swung down.”
“I waited until Shevraeth turned my way, stuck my tongue out at him, and rode out”
“Then I opened one, and there in the middle of a lovely parlor was Shevraeth. He knelt at a writing table with his back to a fire.”
“Light shafted down from stained-glass windows above, overlaying the mosaic with glowing golds”
Branaric was saying. “Well, Danric”
“After we were served, I stole a few glances at Shevraeth”
“Blue being the primary Renselaeus color, this might be misleading”
“I had to know what the Marquis of Shevraeth made of all this, and I darted a fast glance at him”
“the ones who liked dares and risks. He and Vidanric both. Only, Vidanric was so small and light-boned.”
“there we found Shevraeth waiting for us, looking formidable”
“but I now had Shevraeth standing right beside me, holding out his arm”
“Of course I know,” he returned, still in that soft voice.
“it was his choice for the first dance, and he held out his hand to me”
“I realized that he hadn’t been near me since the beginning of the evening”
“kneeling at the table, dressed in riding clothes, was the Marquis of Shevraeth”
“He did not expect to be defeated. Your brother and I rode back here in haste in order to prevent looting.”
“I apologize. I also realize trying to convince you of my good intentions is a fruitless effort.”
“I found a lovely sapphire ring sitting on a white silk nest”
“She had recently married and her husband was another horse-mad type”
“Shevraeth?” I repeated faintly.
“Sitting in the middle of the table was a fine little vase cut from luminous starstone”
“unlike Certain Others—easy to understand, and also easy to resist”
“very slender, he was dressed in deep blue, almost black, with a rare scattering of diamonds in his hair”
“Deric fell into conversation with Branaric, Shevraeth, and Renna Khialem, the subject (of course) horses”
“If a stake is won,” he said, “it is a race. If the point draws blood, it is a duel.”
“who had helped me that night. Now he was happily retired to his family village”
“lo, the Entire Court was out with us to see the Duel. Instead of Horses, I had brought big, shaggy Dogs”
“Savona swung down from his mount and took the reins in hand, falling in step on my left side. Shevraeth joined me on my right.”
“(I couldn’t bring myself to look at Shevraeth)”
“You looked right at me. Did you know that was me?”
“Will it make you very angry if I admit that I did?”
“the timing seemed inopportune for us to, ah, reacquaint ourselves.”
“second letter was sealed plainly, with no crest. I flung myself onto my pillows.”
You say you would prefer discourse to gifts. I am yours to command”
“was glad to see the plain script of my Unknown”
“the rest would follow him to the next fad, just as if they had ribbons tied round their necks and somebody yanked.”
“I saw the common omission in all of this: my disastrous encounters with Shevraeth”
“Nothing. I don’t need anything! Or what I need no one can give me, which is wisdom.”
“I’d have to trust a man’s words before I could love him.”
“She curtsied. Again it was the deep one, petitioner to sovereign, but this time it was wordlessly sincere.”
“My heart gave a bound of anticipation when I saw a letter waiting”
“the plain paper I had grown used to seeing from my Unknown”
“I turned eagerly to the letter from the Unknown”
“Forgive my maladroitness—For an instant I was back in that corner room in the State Wing, with Shevraeth”
“So I lifted the tapestry—and looked across the room into a pair of familiar gray eyes.”
“Dressed splendidly in black and gold, as if for Court, Shevraeth knelt. For the third time that day, my face went hot.”
“to the lines of his profile. For the very first time I saw him simply as a person”
“The curl of danger, of being caught at my observations”
“Still polite, but very remote. I’d been staring for a protracted time.”
“not long after she became engaged to a Renselaeus prince”
“This time I planned my foray. When I saw Shevraeth dancing.”
“for a time we exchanged letters—sometimes thrice a day. It was such a relief to be able to express myself freely”
“well, I could sympathize. There was a person—soon to be king—whom I couldn’t bring myself to face.”
I grinned. “For someone special.”
“it sent out brilliant shards of color: gold, blue, crimson, emerald”
“I decided to simply send it in a tiny cedar box that my mother had apparently brought from Colend and that I’d had all my life.”
“Is that a challenge?” he replied with a hint of a smile.
“something about the tall figure made me stumble to a halt”
“the scent of chocolate threw me back to my first taste of it—at the Renselaeus palace”
“receiving his letters had come to be the most important part of my day”
“my descending on Shevraeth to inform him of whatever it”
“set aside for inside diversions: readings, music, dancing, parties, chocolate”
“Nee told me over chocolate one morning when Elenet was not there that Tamara never mentioned me but in praise”
“I hugged to myself the knowledge of my Unknown. It was comforting to realize that I would return to my room and find a letter.”
“the person whose opinions and thoughts I had come to value most”
“a practice blade thwacked my shoulder. I spun around—and gaped.
Shevraeth stood there smiling.”
“I turned away—and found Shevraeth beside me”
“He looks like a king, I thought”
“until the sculptors have finished refashioning a goldenwood throne for a queen”
“I accepted gratefully, knowing now that the food and drink would be the very best”
“that no one could reproduce the particular magic that so much skill had wrought”
found myself confronted by the Marquis of Shevraeth.
“My dear countess,” he said with a grand bow.
“He offered his arm. I took it and flushed.”
“Though we had spoken often, of late, this was the first time we had danced together”
“It was flattering to his tall, slender form. His hair was tied with a diamond-and-nightstar clasp, and a bluefire gem glittered in his ear.”
“We turned and touched hands. He had broken his reverie and looked at me quizzically: I had been caught staring.”
“so the evening went. There was an atmosphere of expectation, of pleasure, of relaxed rules”
“Shevraeth did not dance again with Elenet. I know, because I watched.”
“gasp from the watchers greeted the sudden change, as the gossamer fabric rippled and arched and curled”
“crush her in both arms, just for a heartbeat, as around them the others swirled and dipped”
“The bells of first-gold began ringing as my horse dashed past the last houses”
“for a long, amazing moment, there we were, Meliara and Shevraeth, mud-spattered and wet, just like last year, looking at one another”
“With a faint metallic ching of chain mail he appeared, and took hold of my arm. He drew me inside.”
“The marquis gazed back at me, his face tense and tired, the pupils of his eyes wide and dark”
With his old sardonic tone he added, “Because if you were, your retreat just now is somewhat puzzling.”
“He smiled slightly, but the intensity had not left his gaze”
“and too many lives were at stake for him to risk being wrong.”
“And no one else knows of this?” he asked gently.
he smiled a little. “Brace up. We’re not about to embark on a duel to the death over the dishes.”
“you have never lied to me. Eat. We’ll leave.”
“to thank him for believing me would embarrass us both. So I said nothing, but my eyes prickled.”
“I found myself alone. My cloak was gone, and in its place a long, black, waterproof one that I recognized at once.”
“in which case I was about to become a prisoner—or a ghost—or…
Blue and black and white.”
“he saw us, and his face relaxed slightly. Until that moment, I hadn’t realized he was tense.”
“Twenty wagons, Lady Meliara?” he said, one brow lifting.
“or I suspect I soon would have been part of the road.”
I unclasped his cloak and handed it over. “I’m sorry about the hem,” I said, feeling shy. “Got a bit muddy.”
“until at last Shevraeth and I were alone”
“approximately the same time you were conversing with your forty wagoneers.” He smiled.
“the glint resolved into a ring on his littlest finger, a gold ring carved round with laurel”
“You had it made,” he replied. “But now it’s mine.”
“I didn’t have to try. I raised my gaze from the ring to his face. He was smiling.”
“It is time,” he said, “to collect on my wager.”
He moved slowly. First, his hands sliding round me.
“softly, so softly, the brush of lips against my brow, my eyes, and then my lips”
“The sensations—like starfire—that glowed through me chased away all thoughts save one, to close that last distance”
“I locked my fingers round his neck and pulled his face down to mine”
“I didn’t want that kiss to ever stop. He didn’t seem to, either.”
“his breathing was as ragged as mine”
“I was going to have to learn to perform my cerebrations while dashing back and forth cross-country”
“Of course my mind snapped straight to that kiss, and for a short time I thought wistfully about how much I’d been missing”
“Shevraeth flicked me one of those assessing glances. Then he smiled, a real smile of humor and tenderness.”
“clear to me on that visit that you showed one face to all the rest of the world, and another to me”
“He lifted his cup, and there was my ring gleaming on his finger”
“He’d been wearing it, I thought, when we sat in this very inn and he went through that terrible inner debate”
“for the first time comprehended what a relationship with him really meant for the rest of my life”
“with almost disastrous results. It was only his own faith that saved.”
“leave you with the burden? Tell me, if the telling eases it.”
“He kissed my hands, first one, then the other. I felt that thrill run through me.”
“let’s address the business before us. I hope and trust we’ll have the remainder of our lives.”
“Shall we agree to a fresh beginning?”
I squeezed his hands back. “Agreed.”
“let me hear my name from you, just once, before we proceed further.”
“Vidanric,” I said, and he kissed me again.
“Who can ever know what turns the spark into flame? Vidanric’s initial interest in me might well have been kindled”
“for me, I really believe the spark had been there all along”
“The prince and princess. Savona. Tamara. Bran and Nee. Elenet. Good people.”
“Unfortunately,” I said, striving to mimic Vidanric’s most annoying Court drawl, “I find you boring.”
“Vidanric stood silently next to me, his head bowed”
“For time,” I said. “Look outside.”
Flauvic shoved past us and ran.
“By the hundreds, from all directions, the Hill Folk had come”
“his hand moved swiftly, grasping my wrist. I tried to pull free—I heard Vidanric rip his blade out of its sheath”
“arms scooped me up as the ground trembled. I flung my head back against Vidanric’s chest.”
“brought my attention home and heartward. I shut my eyes, smiling, and clung with all my strength to Vidanric as kisses rained.”
“finally—lingeringly—on my lips.
The duel was over, and we had won.”
“Vidanric thinks I am the kind of person who is destined to be in the midst of great events”
“a bright link in the living chain with which Vidanric and I bound ourselves”
“left to tell only that on New Year’s Day was Vidanric’s and my wedding”
“for possible inkstains on the fingers of the fellow you quarrel with the most”
“let me end with the wish that you find the same kind of happiness, and laughter, and love”
“hold me close. His touch still gave me that fizzing shiver inside, as strong as our very first kiss.”
“I’d gotten accustomed to Vidanric and Savona’s particular style of humor”
“But there was no time to catch up, for he kissed me, picked up his riding cloak, and then was gone”
“Nee came in, carrying my new niece. I gave a foolish grin when I glimpsed that tiny head.”
“He will be delighted,” Savona said that night. We were alone in the royal suite’s”
“Savona had become like a brother, but a sort of oblique, hard-to-comprehend”
“As it was, he nearly was late. Savona brought him in, thrusting him down by the shoulder”
“my heart, my whole attention, was reserved for Vidanric”
“Vidanric took my shoulders in both hands and gently turned me”
“glass sparkling as brightly as the diamond in his ear”
“thought your surprise would be of an entirely different nature,” he said tentatively
“He let out an exclamation of joy and grabbed me up”
“He grinned, a boyish grin”
“He carried me into our room and kicked the door shut behind us”
