“Unless, of course, Khesyn poisons his consort, or Casseon needs another one.”
“You don’t mention Cigoerne,” she banters back.
“My mother is most healthy, and as a healer, with my aunt the head healer watching over her, she is unlikely to suffer any strange maladies.” Lerial tilts his head. “There might be a tall barbarian among the Tourlegyn clans of Atla, one who worships the Chaos Demons most assiduously.”
“You’re terrible.”
“Just exploring the possibilities.”
Lerial realizes that the duke and Haesychya are approaching the dais, and that Dafaal is stepping out in front of the musicians. “The last dance is very short.”
“I did tell you Father believed in swift endings.”
When the music ends, Dafaal announces, “The duke bids you all good evening.”
After the last dance, Lerial looks around to see if he can find Rhamuel, but the arms-commander is nowhere to be seen. There’s nothing you can do in the middle of the night.
“Who are you looking for?” asks Kyedra as Lerial escorts her toward her parents.
“Your uncle Rhamuel.”
“He never stays to the end.”
“And your brother?”
Kyedra shrugs. “I cannot speak for him.”
“Then I should escort you back to your quarters.”
“That would be most gracious,” interjects Haesychya, her voice pleasant, but not especially warm.
Given that permission, Lerial begins to walk with Kyedra and her parents back to the family quarters, where he hopes Rhamuel is waiting. He cannot help but notice that Mykel and Oestyn have vanished as well.
“Too bad your brother couldn’t have come,” observes Atroyan, looking back at Lerial. “Is he much like you?”
“I’m not the best one to answer that. Brothers can be very alike, but they’re still very different people.” As you should know.
“We’ll have to see about a visit … or perhaps we could send Kyedra to Cigoerne before too long.”
“All things in their time, dear,” says Haesychya warmly. “That is what you always say. You do need to see this dreadful situation with Khesyn resolved before anyone goes anywhere, don’t you think?”
“Would that I didn’t.” Atroyan shakes his head.
“He is an awful man,” Haesychya adds. “He’s likely worse than Casseon, and you know what I think of him.”
“I do indeed,” says the duke.
When they reach the guards posted at the double doors, Kyedra turns to Lerial. “I’m glad you walked back with us.”
“So am I.”
She smiles again, then turns and enters the quarters under Haesychya’s watchful eyes, for Atroyan has already preceded his consort and daughter.
Lerial nods to Haesychya, then turns and makes his way down to his own rooms, where one lancer remains on duty.
“Keep an ear out for anything strange. Wake me if there’s anything like that.”
“Yes, ser.”
Lerial hopes that there isn’t, but the thought of almost no ships at Swartheld and scores at Estheld still preys on his mind.
XXVI
Lerial awakes abruptly in the darkness before dawn, shuddering. He sits up in the wide bed. What had wakened him? The air in the bedchamber is warm, almost too warm, yet his hands and feet are cold. Could it have been thunder? He walks to the window and pulls back the heavy hangings, but all he can see are a few lamps in the courtyard … and the stars overhead, bright and clear in the dark sky. Definitely not a storm, at least not one close to Swartheld.
While he returns to his bed, he finds he cannot sleep, and he tries to recall the feelings—or the dreams—that awakened him. All he can recall is a vague sense of ice that burned like fire … perhaps fire that froze like ice. But why would you dream about that?
Finally, when the sky begins to gray, he rises, washes up, and dresses. Then he looks at the armoire, wondering whether he should pack, in order to be ready to leave Swartheld. Certainly, Haesychya has made it clear that he should be leaving, and the duke has as much as said that Lephi would have been more welcome.
He shakes his head. To leave without at least meeting with Atroyan and thanking him for his kindness would be unwise and could cause more problems for his father and Lephi. He can’t help thinking that Kyedra is better than Lephi deserves, and, given the way both Khesyn and Casseon feel, Kyedra is most likely to be the only young woman from a ducal lineage in Hamor available to either Lephi or Lerial.