The Shining Ones

Sephrenia had put Flute to bed immediately upon their return to the inn, and she hovered over the little girl protectively. ‘She’s really concerned,’ Vanion reported. ‘I guess there are limits after all. Flute’s trying to make light of it, but I know exhaustion when I see it.’

‘She won’t die, will she?’ Talen asked in a shocked voice.

‘She can’t die, Talen,’ Vanion replied. ‘She can be destroyed, but she can’t die.’

‘What’s the difference?’

‘I’m not sure,’ Vanion admitted. ‘I am sure that she’s very, very tired. We shouldn’t have let her do that.’ He looked around the hallway outside the room where Sephrenia was tending the weary little Goddess. ‘Where’s Kalten?’ he asked.

‘He and Ulath are down in the tap-room, my Lord,’ Bevier replied.

‘I should have known, I guess. One of you might remind them that I won’t go easy on them if they’re unwell when we set out, though.’

They went on downstairs again and periodically checked the weather outside. If anything, the wind actually began to blow harder.

Sparhawk finally went back up and knocked lightly on the door to Sephrenia’s room. ‘Could I have a word with Flute?’ he asked when his tutor came to the door.

‘No. Absolutely not,’ she whispered. ‘I just got her to sleep.’ She came out into the hallway, closed the door, and set her back protectively against it.

‘I’m not going to hurt her, Sephrenia.’

‘You can make safe wagers on that all over Daresia,’ she told him with a steely glint in her eyes. ‘What did you want to ask her?’

‘Could I use Bhelliom to break up this storm?’

‘Probably.’

‘Why don’t I do that, then?’

‘Did you want to destroy Jorsan? – and kill everybody in town?’ He stared at her.

‘You have no real idea of the kind of forces involved in weather, have you, Sparhawk?’

‘Well, sort of,’ he said.

‘No, I don’t think you do, dear one. Whoever raised this hurricane is very powerful, and he knows exactly what he’s doing, but his hurricane is still a natural force. You could use Bhelliom to break it up, certainly, but if you do, you’ll release all that pent-up force at one time and in one place. You wouldn’t even be able to find pieces of Jorsan after the dust settled.’

‘Maybe I’d better drop the idea.’

‘I would. Now run along. I have to keep watch over Aphrael.’

Sparhawk went back down the hallway feeling a little like a small boy who had just been sent to his room.

Ulath was coming up the stairs. ‘Have you got a minute, Sparhawk?’ he asked.

‘Of course.’

‘I think you’d better keep a close eye on Kalten.’

‘Oh?’

‘He’s beginning to have some murderous thoughts about Berit.’

‘Is it getting out of hand?’

‘You knew about it, then? – about the feelings he has for your wife’s maid?’

Sparhawk nodded.

‘The more he drinks, the worse it’s going to get, you know – and there’s nothing else to do during this storm except drink. Is there any real substance to those suspicions of his?’

‘No. He just pulled them out of the air. The girl’s very, very fond of him, actually.’

‘I sort of thought that might be the case. Berit was already having enough trouble with the Emperor’s wife without going in search of more. Does Kalten do this very often? Fall desperately in love, I mean?’

‘So far as I know, it’s the first time. He’s always sort of taken affection where he could find it.’

‘That’s the safest way,’ Ulath agreed. ‘But since he’s waited so long, this is hitting him very hard. We’d better do what we can to keep him and Berit apart until we get back to Matherion and Alean has the chance to straighten it out.’

Khalad came down the hallway to join them. Sparhawk’s squire had a slightly disgusted look on his face. He held up Kalten’s florin. This isn’t going to work, Sparhawk,’ he said. ‘I could cover the stone with it easily enough, but it’d probably take you a half-hour to pry it open again so that you could use the ring. I’m going to have to come up with something else. You’d better give me the ring. I’m going to have to go talk with a goldsmith, and I’ll need precise measurements.’

Sparhawk felt a great reluctance to part with the ring. ‘Can’t you just … ?’

Khalad shook his head. ‘Whatever the goldsmith and I decide on will have to be fitted anyway. I guess it gets down to how much you trust me at this point, Sparhawk.’

Sparhawk sighed. ‘You had to put it on that basis, didn’t you, Khalad?’

‘I thought it would be the quickest way, my Lord.’ Khalad held out his hand, and Sparhawk removed the ring and gave it to him. ‘Thank you,’ Khalad smiled. ‘Your faith in me is very touching.’

‘Well said,’ Ulath murmured.

Later, after Sparhawk and Ulath had carried Kalten upstairs and put him to bed, they all gathered in the common-room for supper. Sparhawk spoke briefly with the innkeeper and had Sephrenia’s meal taken upstairs to her.

‘Where’s Talen?’ Bevier asked, looking around.

‘He said he was going out for a breath of fresh air,’ Berit replied.

‘In a hurricane?’

‘I think he’s just restless.’

‘Or he wants to go steal something,’ Ulath added.

The door to the inn banged open, and the wind blew Talen inside. He was wearing doublet and hose under his cloak, and a rapier at his side. The weapon did not seem to encumber him very much. He set his back against the door and strained to push it shut. He was soaked through, and his face was streaming water. He was grinning broadly, however. ‘I just solved a mystery,’ he laughed, coming across to where they sat.

‘Oh?’ Ulath asked.

‘What would it be worth to you gentlemen to know Rebal’s real identity?’