**********
The sounds of celebration echoed through Ilhelm Castle. Vinet smiled in relief and delight. It was Papsukkal again. A new year, new decisions, a new beginning.
Despite her fears, no civil war had broken out. She’d written to Alexander about Conn’s visit to her, as planned, but she hadn’t found an opportunity to tell Pellalindra yet. Part of her was worried that Pellalindra might tell Lord Auriel. The other half of her hoped that she would. If only I knew more about Lord Auriel! If only I knew if I could trust him.
She felt her child kick inside of her, and she dropped her hand to her round stomach. “Not yet, little one. Not yet.” It was Papsukkal, after all. The day outside of time. Some considered it an ill omen for a child to be born on this day.
Nazir appeared beside her, a smile on his face. “A new year, my love. A year together.”
She smiled at him. He was right. It was exactly one year ago she’d proposed to him.
“Mama!”
She turned to see Niara and all three of Alexander’s grandchildren running towards her. “Mama, can we play by the lake? Evalynna has said all Manyu’s Time that it’s too cold, but it’s Mazda’s Rise now!”
Vinet laughed and looked out the door to the great hall. It was wide open, letting in the chill of early Mazda’s Rise. “Does it feel warm to you, dearest?”
Niara had the grace to look abashed. “No.” She dragged the word out.
Vinet shook her head. “I am not going to contradict Evalynna’s orders, my dear. You ask her.”
Niara smiled. “But she’s not looking after us tonight.”
Vinet sighed and rolled her eyes. No, she wasn’t. Vinet had made sure both Gwyn and Evalynna had the night off. They deserved time together.
Rian, the oldest grandchild, grinned, and Vinet knew with a flash where the idea to play in the lake during Manyu’s Rise had come from. Alexander’s oldest granddaughter enjoyed seeing just how far she could press the rules.
“Not until it’s warm,” she said firmly. “You don’t want to catch a cold and miss the rest of Papsukkal, do you?”
Niara and the twins blinked. Even Rian looked startled.
“There’ll be minstrels and bards from all over,” Nazir put in, picking up her cue. “You wouldn’t want to miss that.”
Niara’s eyes widened. “Bards! I love bards!”
“And Gwyn won’t even be around to complain about them,” Vinet said. “And until the actual celebration, you can play in the garden.”
Niara squealed in delight. “Thank you!” she managed to remember her manners before she dashed off, followed by three giggling children.
Vinet sighed and shook her head. “Where do they get all the energy?”
Nazir just smiled and shook his head. He stepped closer to her and placed a hand on her stomach. “There’ll be another one soon.”
She had to smile at that.
They might have stood there, smiling at each other, except they were interrupted by Gwyn’s voice. “Hello, lovebirds.”
Vinet glanced up. “Gwyn! Aren’t you and Evalynna supposed to be…oh, there you are, Evalynna.” She raised an eyebrow as she saw Evalynna enter the great hall behind Gwyn. “Aren’t you supposed to be keeping her distracted today?”
“I’m trying,” Evalynna said, trying to grumble but failing to keep a smile from her face.
Gwyn rolled her eyes. “We’ll get back to it, but Vinet, there’re elves here.”
Vinet glanced up sharply. “Elves? Faithful or Unfaithful?”
Gwyn shook her head. “They arrived openly, so I doubt the Unfaithful. I’ve arranged a guard for you to meet them nonetheless.”
Vinet exchanged a glance with Nazir. She hadn’t been to the embassy since her father’s death, so why were there elves visiting her?
“This is hardly the best day,” she said. “I can’t make any official arrangements with them until tomorrow.”
Gwyn nodded. “The leader wants to see you anyway. Should I show him in?”
Vinet nodded. She and Nazir moved to the dais at the end of the hall. Nazir offered Vinet his arm to help her up the few steps, and she nodded gratefully at him.
She knew they were Thorns the minute they entered the hall. They moved like the elves who had carried her father. They were a mixed group. About half were women, armed and dressed the same as the men. All were armed with bows, a single long sword, and were clad in leather armor, but there the similarities ended. Some were tall, others not. There was a range of hair colors, from the red-brown, like Vinet’s own, to black and blonde.
The tallest of them stepped forward to address Vinet. “Vinet Sindarilae, we are here to serve you.”
Vinet blinked. This was not what she had been expecting. “Pardon?” she asked.
The elf smiled. “You are to be an Eye. We are your Thorns.”
Vinet shook her head. “How…but…”
Nazir placed a hand on her arm. “Your father’s Keeper.”
She blinked again and looked at the elf. He gave her a small nod.
She sighed. “What does ‘serve me’ mean?” she asked, curious despite her wariness and surprise.
He shrugged. “Your protection. Your messengers. Whatever else is required. You are not an Eye yet, so you have no Keeper, but I am the person the rest answer to in the meantime.”
Vinet glanced at Gwyn, standing as unobtrusively as she could near the wall. “I have a Keeper,” she said steadily. “My Father named her such. You will answer to Gwyn.” And Mazda help him if he thinks he can underestimate her because she’s human, she thought.
Gwyn’s face remained expressionless as the elf turned towards her. His eyes widened, but he merely nodded.
Vinet opened her mouth to ask his name, but a powerful contraction hit her, and she grabbed Nazir’s arm to steady herself.
“Vinet?” his voice was worried.
She gasped against the pain. Her child did not want to wait. “Send for the midwife,” she gasped.
She saw Gwyn set off at a run. With an effort, she raised her head to look at the elf. “Enjoy the festival for today,” she managed. “We’ll talk details tomorrow. I…” she gasped again as another wave of pain came.
The elf nodded, and the Thorns left the hall as silently as they had come. Slowly, Nazir helped her make her way up the stairs to her bedchamber. Every once in a while, she had to stop as another contraction began.
Mazda’s light, she thought, this is going to be a long day.
**********
She was so tired, but also happy. ‘Radiant,’ Nazir had said.
She glanced down at the child in her arms. Her son had waited until mid-afternoon to be born, and then he’d arrived kicking and screaming. It was blatantly obvious that he was Nazir’s son, though his skin wasn’t the pure black of his father, but rather a golden brown. He had inherited his father’s eyes, as well, dark brown instead of bright green. Nonetheless, he bore his elven heritage in his name. Thalion Kinaevan et-Alim.
“He’s so small,” Niara’s voice was filled with wonder.
Vinet smiled at her. “You were that tiny too,” she said.
Gwyn laughed and interjected, “And look at you now! Eight years old! Almost grown!”
Niara giggled. “I like having a brother,” she announced.
Vinet wrinkled her nose at her daughter. “That’s good, because you’re stuck with him now,” she said.
Niara giggled again. “Can I hold him?”
Carefully, Vinet handed her the sleeping Thalion. Niara’s eyes widened in fascination as she stared at the little face.
Vinet exchanged a glance with Nazir, and they both smiled. He was theirs. Together, they had created this gorgeous son.
Thalion opened his eyes, and Niara gasped. Vinet watched carefully, but Thalion showed no signs of crying. Instead, he reached up, grabbing a lock of Niara’s hair.
“Hey!” Niara exclaimed.
Vinet laughed and reached down. “Now, boy, let go,”
she said gently.
Thalion cooed and reached for Vinet’s unbound hair instead. She sighed and took him back from Niara.
“You did the exact same thing,” she informed her daughter.
Niara giggled.
Thalion stirred in her arms and let out a wail. Vinet immediately shifted him, bouncing him up and down.
“I think he’s hungry,” Nazir said wryly. “I know I am.”
Vinet laughed and started unlacing her shift. “Well, you can feed yourself. I’ll take care of our son.”
Our son. She met Nazir’s eyes as she said it and smiled. Our son.
They stayed there for a while longer, until Gwyn ordered Vinet to rest and ushered everyone out of the room. The room seemed unnaturally quiet after they left. Thalion was fast asleep in his cradle. Her son. She felt a bond so powerful, only matched by the one she had with Niara. Conn had children of his own. His children would be threatened in a civil war. How could he even consider putting his children in danger to side with a potentially unstable man?
She sat down in her chair. Absently, she reached for the cane that rested against the wall. Her father’s cane, the one he’d used in his last days. Smooth, polished, oak. She missed him dreadfully.
She needed more information. She needed to see Torainn with her own eyes. If he was anything like Lady Kianna had been, possessed or a danger, she should be able to sense it. Gwyn will kill me if she finds out I’m not resting, she thought, but it was a brief, fleeting thought. Closing her eyes, reaching into herself, she began. The trees in the castle welcomed her. She’d been practicing regularly, as she’d promised her father’s Keeper. Now she went further, bouncing from tree to tree, across the breadth of Saemar, to the Bern forest, a forest of elm and elder. Unfriendly trees.
She searched and found a thorn. Sharp and clear, she settled in, watching.
There was a castle, a fortress. A garden. A young lord stood nearby. He was clad in armor, but he didn’t look comfortable in it. He was conferring with several older men, all grizzled veterans. Lord Artosbern II. There was only one castle in the Bern forest. Why was he in armor? Vinet knew he was a bookish sort.
“Battle… reinforcements… orders…”
The words came sporadically, but Vinet caught enough to get a sense. She frowned. Who was attacking Lord Artosbern II’s castle? What was going on? Where was Ellil? He was supposed to be there.
A harsh horn split the air. Lord Artosbern II looked around uncertainly. One of his officers grabbed him and hauled him up a nearby flight of stairs.
She searched around for another tree. Nothing on the walls. Outside the castle was only elder. Finally, she found an oak, further away than she’d like. But this wasn’t what she’d meant to see, anyway. She wanted to find Torainn.
The oak was too close to an elder tree. It reached for her, sighing its quiet sigh. She struggled to maintain her focus.
The horn split the air again, an uncanny, eerie sound. It was the sound of death. The elder reached for her, its sigh echoing the horn.
A host of men came into view, riding horses like wild raiders. Her attention was caught by the man in front. He was a dark shadow, a dark blur on his horse. She gasped, trying to hold onto the oak. The Cossack. Darkmane.
Her vision flickered as the elder reached for her again. The battle cry of the men sounded like death. She caught another glimpse of the dark figure. As her vision flickered, he changed to Torainn.
She gasped and tore herself out of the vision, flying back to her body, her room. Her hands were clenched around her father’s cane and sweat was dripping down her forehead. A wail split the air, and she lurched to her feet, making her way over to the cradle. She picked up Thalion and held him to her breast as he cried. “It’s alright,” she whispered to her son. “It’s alright.”
But it wasn’t alright. Vinet took another deep, shuddering breath, and tried to analyze what she had seen. Lord Artosbern II was doomed. Darkmane seemed to be attacking his castle. Darkmane, who might also be Lord General Torainn.
Chapter 18: Death
The midwives had advised against it, but when Vinet assured them she intended to ride in the carriage they had assented. She had to get to the capital for the council session. Her vision was too important to ignore.
She still didn’t know who she was going to tell. There was only one person who knew about her visions, and she was not certain whether Dannan would listen to her or dismiss her out of hand. After scolding her for using the Sight again, of course.
The carriage bounced, and she held Thalion closer to her chest to protect him from the jostling. He had been remarkably well behaved the entire trip.
Across from her, Eithne looked up, baby Kishtar bouncing in her own lap. Her eyes were wide with wonder at the sights of the capital, but she looked at Vinet with concern. “Is he alright?”
Vinet managed a smile and nodded. The midwives had insisted that she bring a wet-nurse along on the trip. Little Kishtar was almost weaned, but Eithne still had a ready supply of milk. And since Vinet was not about to leave Thalion behind, Eithne came with them.
She took a steadying breath as they pulled up to her townhouse. I have to get this over with now. The longer I put off talking to Dannan, the more nervous I’ll be. Nazir helped her out of the carriage, and she handed Thalion to him.
“Can you and Evalynna oversee things?” she asked. “I need to go talk to Lord Dannan.”
Nazir gave her a piercing look. “Are you certain?”
She smiled grimly. “I might as well get it over with.”
He nodded. “We will manage. You’re taking Gwyn?”
She nodded, and his face lightened with relief. “I’ll see you later, then, my love,” he said.
She kissed him before setting out on the short walk to Dannan’s townhouse. It felt good to stretch her legs for the short walk. Nazir had been coddling her before and after Thalion’s birth, and Manyu’s Time in Ninaeva left her mostly unwilling to go anywhere outside of Ilhelm Castle. Despite the threat of a renewing war, she could not help but feel glad for Mazda’s Rise.
She hesitated outside the door to Dannan’s townhouse. She had never visited him before. And before this, would never have dreamed of visiting him about matters of magic. The house looked no different from any of the ones surrounding it, made of the same sand-colored stones as the palace. A wrought iron gate set in the sandstone wall out front, however, made an imposing sight.
She squared her shoulders and walked up to the gate. Almost immediately, a servant appeared, bowing low and asking her business.
“Tell Lord Dannan that Lady Vinet et-Alim wishes to speak to him, please,” she asked.
The servant nodded. “If my lady will follow me, I will take her to the reception room.”
The servant gave Gwyn a long look, then dismissed her as irrelevant. Vinet suppressed a smile. Gwyn was never irrelevant.
They were shown into a bright, sunny room, far more cheerful than anything Vinet would have ever associated with Dannan. Several comfortable chairs were strategically placed around a table, and a few others by the fireplace. After a moment’s consideration, Vinet sat in one by the table. Gwyn took her place near the door.
She didn’t have to wait long before Dannan entered the room. A faint frown left furrows in his forehead. “Lady Vinet? What can I do for you?”
She rose as he entered. “Lord Dannan, I…” She hesitated. “I have information that the Council needs to know about.”
He looked at her. “And you cannot tell them yourself?”
She shook her head.
Dannan grasped her meaning immediately. His eyebrows rose. “And you are certain of the accuracy of this information?”
She withheld a curse. Now comes the lecture as to the uncertainty of visions. As if I didn’t already know! “As certain as I can be.”
He looked skeptical, then gestured for her to sit down again. He sat across from her. “Tell me.”
She took a deep breath. “Da
rkmane is active again.”
He nodded. “I had heard.”
It was her turn to raise her eyebrows. He smiled thinly.
“I have been placed in a unique position by the King’s steward,” he said. “I have informants in every corner of the kingdom.”
She blinked. “You’re the spymaster.”
His smile widened. “I would not have put it so bluntly.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. Oddly enough, his admission made her relax. If he had heard about Darkmane being active, then perhaps the rest of her story would not be so outlandish.
She sobered again at the thought. “That is not all,” she said. “He attacked Lord Artosbern II’s castle. I do not know what happened there. But it surely cannot be anything good.”
Dannan nodded slowly. “My informant there has been silent for a time,” he admitted.
Vinet took a deep breath. He took that well enough. But what will he think of Torainn?
Dannan gave her a piercing stare. “What else?”
She hesitated once more. “Do not think I’m mad,” she said.
He simply raised an eyebrow again, his strange citron eye flashing.
She spat the words from her lips, the distaste of the reality on her tongue. “Darkmane is the former Lord General Torainn.”
That caught Dannan by surprise. He stared at her, blinking in shock. “Are you certain?” he demanded.
She nodded.
He looked away, shaking his head. “How is that possible?”
Vinet shrugged. She hadn’t the faintest idea herself. “I don’t know. But he reacted oddly when Darkmane first appeared, and his disappearance into the northeast fits.”
“If it were anyone but you who told me this,” Dannan shook his head again.
She felt oddly flattered that he trusted her judgment that much, despite his adamant belief that she should stop using magic.
He fixed his gaze on her again. “And you want me to tell the Council this in place of yourself?”
She smiled grimly. “Since I would rather my abilities not be published broadly, yes.”
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