“Have you heard something? Do you think he will be summoned soon?”
“No, but it must come eventually, unless Rhius is willing to paint him as an utter idiot to the king. And that will make our task a great deal more difficult when the moment arrives. No, I think we must assume that it will be necessary in the due course of time. He’s just turning ten now. I’d say three years is the best we can hope for—perhaps less, being Royal Kin.” She paused, frowning. “I pray he has time to grow up to his role before he has to step into it. There’s no way of knowing.”
Arkoniel shook his head. “He’s so young, so—” He groped for the word. “Unworldly. It’s difficult to imagine the fate that weighs on those narrow little shoulders.”
“Take what the Lightbearer sends,” Iya replied. “Whatever happens, we must make the best of what we are given to work with. For now, your task is to keep him safe and happy. You’ll be my eyes here from now on. And if anything—untoward should happen with Ki … Perhaps you shouldn’t allow yourself to get too attached.”
“I know. Rhius made that a condition. It makes poor Ki sound like the pet lamb being fattened for the Solstice feast.”
“He is here at your insistence, Arkoniel. Don’t ever let that gentle heart of yours blind you to the reality of our situation.”
“I’ve felt the god’s touch, Iya. I never forget that.”
She patted his arm. “I know. Now tell me more of Tobin.”
“I’m concerned about his fear of magic.”
“He fears you?”
“Not me, exactly, but—Well, he takes the oddest turns! When I first arrived, for instance, I tried to entertain him with a few pretty spells. You know, the sort of illusions that we’d do to amuse the children of any host?”
“And he was not amused?”
“You’d think I’d cut off my head and thrown it at him! The one time I did manage to please him with a vision of Ero, the demon nearly tore the room down. I haven’t dared try anything more with him since.”
Iya raised an eyebrow. “He must be cured of this if we are to realize our goal. Perhaps Ki can be of some help to you there. He liked the little tricks and illusions I showed him as we traveled.” She smiled up at him. “You haven’t yet said what you think of my choice.”
“Judging by what I saw tonight, you chose very well. I was watching him when the demon attacked. He was terrified, but still went to Tobin instead of running away. He already understands his duty, without even knowing his lord.”
“Rather exceptional for one so young. Now, as for the demon, was that unusual, what happened?”
“Not really, though it was more severe than anything I’ve seen since my arrival. I got something of the same kind of reception when I first arrived. It said it remembered me, so it must have known you, as well. That doesn’t explain its attack on Ki, though. Has he any magic in him?”
“No, and it’s a shame, for he might make an interesting wizard. He should do very nicely for Tobin. Now that I’ve seen the child, I must admit you were correct. He desperately needs some semblance of normal society.” Iya turned back toward the keep and a frown creased her brow. “I only hope Ki influences him, rather than the other way around. I expected better of Rhius.”
“I gather it’s been difficult for him, with the demon and Ariani’s madness. None of us foresaw that.”
“Illior brings madness, as well as insight.” In the cold, pale light, Iya suddenly looked like a statue made of iron. The image struck Arkoniel through with sadness. For the first time since he’d known her, he admitted to himself how hard she could be, how removed from the common flow of humanity. He’d seen this in other wizards, a detachment from what seemed to him normal feeling. It came of living so long, she’d once told him, but he’d tried hard to not see it in her.
Then she turned to him with a sad smile and the dark fancy retreated. She was again his patient teacher, the woman he loved as a second mother.
“Did you see anything when the demon was present?” he asked.
“No, but I felt it. It does remember me and it does not forgive. But I gathered from your letter that you saw it?”
“Only once, but as clearly as I see you now. The day I arrived here it was waiting for me down there where the road comes out of the trees. It looked exactly like Tobin, except for the eyes—”
“You’re wrong there.” Iya plucked a stalk of dead grass and twirled it between her fingers. “It doesn’t look like Tobin. Tobin looks like it, or at least as the dead boy would have looked, had he lived. That was the purpose of Lhel’s magic, after all, to give the girl child the semblance of her brother. Illior only knows what Tobin actually looks like.” She paused, tapping the dry stalk against her chin. “I wonder what name he will choose, after the change?”
The thought was somewhat disorienting, but it also jarred him back to what he’d come out here for in the first place.
“I saw Lhel today. From what I could gather, I’d say she’s been here all along.”
“The witch is here? By the Light, why didn’t Nari or Rhius say something?”
“They don’t know. No one does. I don’t know how, Iya, but it seems she followed the child here and lives somewhere nearby.”
“I see.” Iya gazed around at the forest that hemmed in the keep. “Did she say why?”
Arkoniel hesitated, then slowly explained what had happened between the two of them. When he reached the point where Lhel had overpowered him, however, he faltered to a halt. The temptation had been so great; just thinking of it now stirred the dark, thrilling guilt in him. It had been Lhel who had stopped short of coupling, not he.
“She—she wanted me to break celibacy, in return for learning what she had to teach. And as payment for watching over Tobin.”
“I see.” Arkoniel caught another glimpse of iron in her. “Is it your impression that she will abandon the child if you don’t comply with her demand?”
“No, she must make amends to her own gods somehow for creating the demon. I don’t think she could go against that. Short of killing her, I doubt we could force her away.”
“Nor should we.” Iya stared at the river, lost in thought. “I’ve never told anyone this before,” she said softly, “but my own master studied the Old Magic. It’s more powerful than you know.”
“But it’s forbidden!”
Iya snorted. “So is what we are attempting, dear boy. And why do you suppose I sought her out in the first place? Perhaps it’s the fate of the wizards of our line to do what is forbidden when necessary. Perhaps it is what Illior intends for you.”
“You mean I should learn from her?”
“I believe I can undo the magics she wove on Tobin. But what if I’m wrong? What if I die before the time comes, as Agazhar did with me? Yes, it might be best if you learn from her what must be done, and in her way.”
“But her price?” Arkoniel’s chest tightened at the thought. He tried to believe it was purely revulsion.
Iya’s lips pressed into a thin line of disapproval. “Offer her something else.”
“What if she refuses?”
“Arkoniel, I taught you what my master taught me; that celibacy preserves our power. I have practiced it since I undertook the craft. There are those who stray, however, and not all of them have been weakened by the experience. Many, but not all….”
Arkoniel felt as if the earth were opening up under his feet. “Why didn’t you ever tell me this before?”
“Why would I? As a child you didn’t need to know. And as a young man in your prime? It was too dangerous, the temptation too real. I was nearly as old as you are now when I began my training, and no virgin. The tides of the flesh are strong, make no mistake, and we all feel their pull. Once a wizard gets past the first life and feels his power strong in him, it becomes easier to bear. The carnal pleasures pale in comparison, I promise you.”
“I will refuse her, Iya.”
“You will do what you will do, dear boy.” Iya took his
hands between her own and looked into his face; her skin was cold as ivory. “There’s so much more I’d hoped to teach you. Before Afra I imagined that we had the rest of my life together. You are my successor, Arkoniel, and the finest student I’ve ever had. We’ve known that for some time, Illior and I.” She patted the bag hanging over her shoulder. “But Illior has other plans for you just now, as we’ve both seen. For the time being you must take what lessons you can find and make of them what you can. If Lhel can teach you, then learn from her. Barring all else, you must keep watch and learn if she has any ill intent toward the child.”
“Your answer is no answer at all!” Arkoniel groaned, more confused than ever.
Iya shrugged. “You’re not a child anymore, or an apprentice. There comes a time when a wizard must learn to trust his own heart. You’ve been doing just that for some time now, though you don’t seem to have noticed yet.” Smiling, she tapped him on the chest. “Listen to this, my dear. I believe it to be a good, true guide.”
Arkoniel felt a sudden chill of premonition. “That sounds almost like a farewell.”
Iya smiled sadly. “It is, but only to the boy who was my student. The man who’s stolen into his place needn’t fear losing me. I like him too much for that, and we’ve a great deal of work to do together.”
“But—” Arkoniel groped for words. “How will I know the right things to do, to help Tobin and protect him?”
“Do you think Illior would have sent you here unless you were worthy of the task? Now, then. Are you going to keep an old woman outdoors all night or may we go in now?”
“Old woman, eh? When did that happen?” Arkoniel asked, slipping his arm through hers as they walked up the hill.
“I’ve been wondering that myself.”
“How long can you stay?”
“Not long, judging from the demon’s reception. How has it treated you since it broke your arm?”
“Surprisingly well. It knocks the furniture around now and then, but Tobin appears to have some control over it. According to Nari, it has been much quieter since Ariani’s death.”
“Very odd. You’d think it would be just the opposite. In all my years, Arkoniel, I’ve never seen a spirit quite like this one. It makes one wonder …”
“What?”
“Whether it will surprise us again when we try to break its bond with Tobin.”
They returned to the keep, intending for Iya to share Arkoniel’s room for the night. As soon as they set foot inside the hall, however, they could feel the demon’s malevolence closing in around them. The air thickened perceptibly and the hearth fire guttered and burned pale.
Nari and the others of the household gathered around the hearth looked up in alarm.
“Be careful, Iya. There’s no telling what it will do,” Tharin warned.
The ominous weight of silence drew out, and then they heard something clatter loudly to the floor at the far end of the room near the high table. Another clatter followed and Iya cast a light in the air, illuminating the room enough to see the silver plate being knocked from the shelves of the sideboard. One by one, platters and bowls slid off with a thud or clank onto the rushes. Each object moved by itself, but Arkoniel could easily imagine the wild, surly child he’d encountered at the bottom of the meadow, watching them over its shoulder and smiling spitefully as it reached for the next salver or cup.
The strange performance continued, and each successive dish flew a little further from the sideboard, veered a little more in their direction.
“That’s quite enough of that!” Iya muttered. Striding down the hall, she stopped just short of the sideboard and sketched a circle of white light on the air before her with her crystal wand.
“What’s she doing?” asked Nari.
“I’m not certain,” Arkoniel said, trying to read the sigils Iya was inscribing into the circle. It looked something like a banishing spell a drysian had tried to teach them, but the sigils taking shape in the circle were not what he recalled.
Perhaps Iya was mistaken in her weaving, for just then a heavy silver platter flew from its shelf and collided with the circle. Pattern and wand exploded in a sudden burst of blue-white fire. Iya cried out, clutching her hand to her side.
Blinking black spots from his vision, Arkoniel ran to her and pulled Iya away as the demon scattered the remaining silver around the room, then began overturning benches. Arkoniel wrapped his arms around her and pulled her head down, trying to shield her. Then Tharin was there, doing the same for both of them.
“Outside!” Iya gasped, trying to push them off.
They staggered out into the courtyard with the rest of the frightened servants, then looked back in through the open doorway to see tapestries flying through the air. One landed on the open hearth.
“Fetch water!” Mynir shouted. “It means to set the house afire!”
“Go to the barracks. You can sleep there,” Tharin ordered, then dashed back into the house to aid the others.
Arkoniel helped Iya to the dark barracks house. A brazier stood just inside the door and he snapped a finger over it, kindling a small blaze. Narrow pallets lined the walls and Iya sank down on the closest one. Arkoniel gently took her wounded hand and examined it in the flickering light. A long red burn marked where the crystal wand had laid against her palm. Small cuts and fragments of the wand peppered her fingers and knuckles.
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” Iya said, letting him pick out the shards of crystal.
“Yes, it is. Lie down. I’ll go get a few things and come right back.”
He ran back into the hall and found Cook and the others flailing at a smoking tapestry and kicking smoldering rushes onto the hearth.
“Douse!” Arkoniel ordered, clapping his hands sharply and spreading his palms over the floor. The last of the sparks fizzled out, leaving a stinking cloud in their wake. “Iya’s hurt. I need simples for a burn, and clean rags for binding.”
Cook fetched what he needed, and Tharin followed him out to the barracks to oversee the binding of Iya’s hand.
“What happened?” the captain demanded. “What was it you were trying to do?”
Iya winced as Arkoniel bathed her hand in a basin. “Something rather unwise, it would seem.”
Tharin waited, giving her the opportunity to elucidate. When she didn’t, he nodded and said, “You’d best stay out here tonight. I’ll sleep in the hall.”
“Thank you.” She looked up from Arkoniel’s work. “What are you doing here, Tharin? Rhius is at Atyion, isn’t he?”
“I’m Prince Tobin’s swordmaster. I’ve stayed behind to continue his training.” “Indeed, Tharin?”
Something in the way Iya said this made Arkoniel pause and look up.
“I’ve known you since you and Rhius were boys together. Tell me how Rhius fares. I’ve been away too long and feel like a stranger.”
Tharin rubbed a hand over his short beard. “He’s had a rough time of it, as you might imagine. It was hard before, and losing Ariani in such a way—not just her death, but having her mad all those years after the birth, and hating him.” He shook his head. “I can’t for the life of me understand why she blamed him for that child dying, or why she took it so hard. I don’t mean to speak ill of the dead, Iya, but I think there was more of her mother in her than anyone ever guessed. Some say that’s why the dead child haunts the living one, though I don’t put any stock in that.”
“What else do people say?”
“Oh, all sorts of things.”
“For the sake of the child, tell me. You know it will go no further with us.”
Tharin looked down at his scarred hands. “There are those who say that Rhius found out he wasn’t the father and killed one of the babes before anyone could stop him; that that’s why the dead child haunts, and why he keeps Tobin away from court.”
“What nonsense! How is the duke managing at court?”
“The king keeps him close, as always. He calls Rhius ‘brother,’ but—Th
ings have been a bit strained between them since she died, though a good deal of that seems to be on Rhius’ side. He’s cleared out of his rooms at the New Palace and gone back to Atyion. He can’t even bear to be here anymore.”
“That’s not fair to the child.”
Tharin looked up at them and, for the first time, Arkoniel saw a shadow of pain and guilt there. “I know that and I told him so. That’s part of the reason I was sent back, if you must know. I haven’t told anyone here at the keep, for fear it would get back to Tobin. It would break his heart and it’s about broken mine.”
Iya took his hand in her good one. “You’ve always spoken to Rhius like a brother, Tharin. I can’t imagine that you’ve fallen too far out of his graces. I’ll speak to him about it when I meet him.”
Tharin rose to go. “You don’t need to. This will pass. Good night to you.”
Iya watched him go, then shook her head. “I’ve often regretted not telling him.”
Arkoniel nodded. “I feel it more strongly the longer I’m here.”
“Let’s leave things as they are for now.” Iya flexed her bandaged hand and winced. “I can ride with this. I think I’ll be off tomorrow. I want to see Ero again, and have a word with Rhius.”
“Ero? That’s walking into the wolves’ own den. You’re sure to meet with Harriers there.”
“No doubt, but they need looking into. I wish Illior had given us a glimpse of them when this whole thing started. Don’t fret, Arkoniel. I’ll be careful.”
“More careful than you were in the hall just now, I hope. What happened?”
The Bone Doll's Twin Page 24
