Cupping her face in his hands, Zeal whispered, "I would die for you, Tamara. If you ask me, I will kill for you as well. I know why you wanted the Lhal woman dead."
"You do?" she said in a small voice.
He explained his theory, and she did not deny his words, though he was completely incorrect in his assumptions. "It will be difficult, and we will have to wait until the night of the festival, but that will give us time to plan and make our plans a reality." He kissed her hard on the lips. "This is what you want, isn't it?"
"Yes," she said softly, imagining the sheer joy of watching Lord Sixx die, for reasons that even her husband knew nothing about. She threw her arms around him and held him tight. "Yes, my love, this is what I wanted."
Around them, the light grew brighter. Had they been more aware of their surroundings and less lost within each other, they might have noticed a patch of darkness in the shape of a slightly hunched, long-haired figure that suddenly detached from the wall. The creature stole away quickly to the comforting shadows where it allowed itself to become enveloped. It huddled in the forgotten cavern where it had gone to hide and wondered what it should do with the knowledge it had acquired.
The being that had been Alden McGregor pulled up its knees and begah to cry.
Miles away, as the hours quickly stretched toward dawn, Krystin rode beside Myrmeen. She said nothing to the older woman and Myrmeen acknowledged her presence with only a weak smile, but the gesture was enough to keep them together for the entire following day, their conversation picking up where they had left off before Shandower's death.
Evening was approaching, and Myrmeen had found shelter for the party behind a group of towering gray obelisks. Reisz sat atop the tallest of the stones, watching for any signs of the night people. Myrmeen, Krystin, and Ord tended the mounts and prepared the evening meal.
Krystin knew that eventually they would have to talk about what had happened and the revelation that she was not, in fact, Myrmeen's daughter. The girl fully expected Myrmeen to raise the subject, and when she did not, Krystin decided she would mention it. Before she had the chance, Ord surprised her by breaking the silence he had shared with Reisz as he strode before her and stopped. He stared at her with a flat, disinterested expression that suddenly gave way to a mask of rage. He struck her in the face with the back of his hand, knocking her from her feet. She landed with a grunt of surprise, her head striking the ground inches from a sharp stone jutting from the soft earth.
"Whore!" he shouted. "That I ever could have been attracted to such as you…"
Myrmeen was upon him instantly, shoving him back and away from the fallen girl. "That's enough!"
"She betrayed us to the monsters who killed my parents!"
"She did it to save our lives," Myrmeen said. "It's not the same thing, and you know it." Ord looked away. Myrmeen could not tell if her words had gotten through to him or not.
"I don't care about her reasons," Ord said, refusing to look at Krystin, who had picked herself up from the ground. "None of it makes up for what she did."
"It does to me," Myrmeen said. "You're young, Ord. Wait until you've made a few mistakes of your own."
"She's right," Reisz called from his perch. "Hating Krystin isn't going to bring Burke and Varina back. She didn't cause their deaths, and if it wasn't for what she had done, we all would be dead."
"Ord, I'm going back to Calimport with Krystin," Myrmeen announced. "If you don't want to come with us-"
"I'm a Harper, like my parents before me," Ord said. "We are the lord protectors of the Realms." He looked at Krystin. "I'm not going to let my personal feelings get in the way of that."
Myrmeen nodded. "Your parents would be very proud."
Ord left her and scrambled to the perch where Reisz was waiting. The olive-skinned man put his arm around the boy.
Krystin approached Myrmeen and said, "Did you mean what you said just now? Will you give me another chance?"
"No more lies," Myrmeen said firmly.
The girl shook her head, and the two women stared at one another. Forgiveness would be difficult, and it would take time, but from the feelings that passed between them in that single moment, they knew it would not be impossible.
The next day, the group rode into the city. This time, Myrmeen gave her true name and demanded that she be given an audience with the ruler of Calimport, Pasha Rashid Djenis-pool. By late afternoon, her request had been granted, and she stood with Ord and Krystin before Djenispool and several members of his ruling council, many of whom had met with Myrmeen in Arabel. The older man's son, Vizier Punjor Djenispool, stood to the side, an emotionless observer to the proceedings.
Myrmeen spoke for the group. The pasha and his men listened to her impassioned plea, nodded politely, and informed her that they were in the midst of a much needed upsurge in tourism. The panic that would be caused if they tried to act on her warning-words that she could not substantiate with anything more than the integrity for which she was known-would create more damage than even the shadow beings that Myrmeen insisted were real.
"Bring one of them to us," she was told by the aging pasha. "Let us see it meld with the shadows."
"Yes, we have a dinner party scheduled at the manse next week," said one of his men. "Bring it to us by then. The entertainment in this town has been a bore lately."
The veneer of respect for Myrmeen fell away as the half dozen men before her became consumed with creating jokes about her claims, ignoring her as she tried to get their attention once again. It was a tactic she had used many times on troublesome visitors who did not realize that their audience was at an end. Myrmeen removed the sword she had been given by the night people and buried it in the wooden table behind which the council members sat, the blade striking directly between the pasha's hands.
Silence flooded the room as the old man's son started forward and was stopped by Reisz, who drew his knife and assumed a defensive stance before the vizier.
"The great storm of fourteen years ago is about to come again," Myrmeen said. "People will die, and you are doing nothing about it."
The aged pasha cracked the knuckles of his right hand. "Do you need an armed escort from the city, or can you find your own way?"
Pulling the sword back, Myrmeen turned from the assemblage and gestured for Krystin and the Harpers to follow her. The guards at the heavy door parted for them. Vizier Djenispool, a handsome man in his thirties, watched them with flat, unreadable eyes.
Behind her, Myrmeen heard the old man attempting to recover the dignity she had taken from him. "You see, this is what I mean. By allowing our rulers to be deigned by the act of succession, we end up with barbarians on the throne, fools that wouldn't understand civilization, pouting women with more muscles than brains who run around with weapons held high, acting like children before their betters. They come here expecting-"
Myrmeen turned and the old man leaned back in his seat. His eyes widened at the sight of the golden slivers in her eyes, which widened with murderous intent.
"I expect nothing from any of you except that you will bleat like the dying sheep that you are when the Night Parade comes out of hiding with a taste for blood," she said, then left the room with her companions.
"Very adult handling of that situation," Reisz chided as they walked the streets, trying to come up with a plan of action. The afternoon sun waned as storm clouds gathered.
"We have escorts," Myrmeen said, ignoring his comment and indicating the guardsmen who followed in a less than subtle manner.
"That means that if we try to rouse the people's attention, we will be slapped in chains before we have accomplished anything," Reisz added.
They walked a few blocks, and Myrmeen fumed over the old ruler's comparison of her to a child. Krystin stopped suddenly, clutching at the glass window of a nearby shop as realization struck her like a fist.
"The children," Krystin said. "It's the children they're going to want, just like they did last time."
M
yrmeen blanched at the girl's words. "Why?" she whispered softly as she touched Krystin's shoulder.
"I don't know why," Krystin said, shrugging off the soothing touch as she hugged herself.
Myrmeen saw a sidewalk eatery with tables just ahead. She led her companions to a table and sat down hard, gesturing for the guardsmen to join them. The hard-looking men stood at a respectful distance, about a hundred feet away, and did not acknowledge the invitation. Myrmeen ordered a round of the strongest ale on the menu as she thought about the danger to Calimport's children.
"I don't know what to do," Myrmeen said. "If we knock on doors and walk around with signs, we'll be laughed at or thrown out of town. The council doesn't believe us."
"Perhaps this is why Lord Sixx let us live," Reisz said, "to let us face the humiliation of failure, to watch the suffering and not be able to stop it." The swarthy-skinned man shook his head. "We're going to need help. If we can't do anything to stop the festival, then we're going to have to be prepared to fight-"
"Six thousand," Myrmeen reminded him. "How can we fight that many?"
"Shandower did it," Krystin said quietly. Everyone stared at her. "Erin took the apparatus. It's something they need. You saw the way they reacted."
"Are you saying we should steal it back?" Ord asked.
"Or destroy it," the girl replied.
"Shandower must have tried," Myrmeen said. "With his wealth, he would have tried everything, every form of magic available."
"There are mages who aren't for hire," Reisz said. "Elmin-ster, for one."
"I thought you said he was an old nag," Ord remarked.
"That aside," Reisz said with a grin.
"We don't have time to reach the Dales," Myrmeen said. "The festival is long overdue. They're not going to deky any longer. I wouldn't be surprised if preparations were already underway by the ones who were left behind."
"No," Reisz said, "Lord Sixx wouldn't have wanted the humiliation if he returned empty-handed. We have some time."
"What do you suggest?" Myrmeen asked.
"I have a friend who owes me a favor in Teshburl," Reisz said. "It's not far from here."
Ord rolled his eyes. "Vitendi? You would call upon that lout, after the way he treated you, after he threatened you in front of us all?"
"That's just his way," Reisz said, dismissing him.
"Really?" Ord said. "That's like saying that a mass murderer who consumes his victims' flesh is not a bad person- that's just his way!"
"Why are you so against this?" Krystin asked.
Ord ran his hand over his face. "It's going to be a waste of time. Vitendi will never-"
Reisz leaned over and cupped his hand over Ord's ear as he whispered to the nineteen-year-old. Ord's expression changed, and he nearly laughed.
"Admiral Mond Vitendi has his own fleet, a marvelous navy that rarely gets a chance to fight anyone," Ord said in a complete turnabout. "Excellent choice."
Myrmeen wondered what Reisz had on the man, then shook her head. "So how do you intend to get to him?"
With a smile Reisz said, "Do you have any more gold?"
Several hours later, at twilight, Myrmeen, Krystin, and Ord stood beside Reisz near the docks. He had chartered a small vessel and was preparing to depart. Two new guardsmen made their presence known without engaging the group. "They're charging us a fortune," he said. "They tell me there's a storm on the approach, a bad one."
A mass of clouds had gathered over the city. Myrmeen forced away memories of the night she had lost her child.
Reisz shrugged. "Of course, the interesting thing will be the Djenispools' reaction when Vitendi's ships arrive in their port."
"They'll probably welcome them as tourists," Myrmeen said. "Keep the men on the ships, or their discipline will be corrupted by this city within an hour of landfall."
"Provided they'll come," Reisz said with a wink to Ord.
"There are no guarantees."
Ord looked away, grinning.
"I'll see you soon," Reisz said as he turned.
Myrmeen glanced at the child who might have been her daughter. "Reisz, I want you to take Krystin."
"Absolutely not," Krystin said.
A single eyebrow rose on Reisz's worn face. "I'm not going to drag a prisoner behind me. Krystin, do you want to come with me or stay behind to face the night people?"
"I'm not stupid," she said. "I don't want to die, but the couple who adopted me is in the city, looking for me. I have to get them to safety first."
Myrmeen felt a heavy weight rise from her heart, lodging deeply in her throat.
"Then I'm going to tell them I want to return to Arabel with Myrmeen," Krystin said, "if she will have me."
Staring at the girl in total surprise, Myrmeen whispered, "Of course I will. But I still need to know what happened to my daughter."
"I understand," Krystin said, taking the conversation no further. Reisz nodded and walked down the pier.
"Wait," Myrmeen called, running after him. She stopped before Reisz, her chest heaving. "I just-I don't know. You've been so good to me over the years, Reisz."
"I know," he said. "I'm a wonderful man."
Her shoulders sagged.
"Let's not beat it into the ground," he said. "You know how I feel about you. Nothing's changed."
Reisz leaned in, kissed her, then turned and walked away. Myrmeen was speechless as she watched his receding form become swallowed by the shadows. Krystin and Ord came to her side.
"Do you think he'll make it?" Krystin asked.
"I hope so," Myrmeen said, but she knew why the girl was concerned. The storm promised to be terrible.
Night was almost upon them. Watch fires burned along the dock. Myrmeen was about to leave when she sensed a familiar presence. Someone was watching her. As if answering an unspoken summons, a woman eased from the shadows. It was Tamara. Myrmeen spun, blade in hand, as Ord and Krystin readied themselves for battle. The guardsmen who had been watching them had vanished.
"He seems like a good man," Tamara said.
Myrmeen's heart raced, but she could tell from the dark woman's relaxed manner that no attack was pending. Tamara held out her hands to show that she carried no weapons.
"I thought we should talk," Tamara said. "You see, the time you thought was yours is gone. The festival will commence tonight."
"No," Myrmeen said. She was certain she had a span of days ahead of her, time enough to fulfill Krystin's mission and send the girl away to safety; time enough to do something for the children who were in danger.
"W; returned much earlier than you," she said. "Listen. The opening movements of our grand composition have begun."
From above Myrmeen heard the roll of thunder. Tamara spread her arms wide as she spun like a child, her head thrown back with a rapturous smile as the heavy wind blowing from the coast lifted her hair and ran through it with invisible fingers.
"By night we can ride the shadows, we can navigate the winds of darkness. A hundred strong, a thousand strong, we could breeze past you and steal the flesh from your bones with ease. Without a mage you would never sense us."
Myrmeen wondered where the other members of the Night Parade were hidden. She had not forgotten that Tamara had tried to kill her; she also had not forgotten that the woman-spider had stepped back, allowing Myrmeen to live. An odd sensation had passed between them, something that Myrmeen desperately had tried to forget.
If Krystin is not my daughter, who is?
Recognition.
Impossible, Myrmeen thought as she stared at the lithe, dark-haired woman with red specks in her eyes. She looks too old to be my daughter. But, then, these creatures' appearances often are deceiving.
A flash of pure white light shocked Myrmeen from her thoughts and she registered the sizzle of lightning as a bolt reached down from the darkened skies and struck a building a few blocks away. Krystin eased into her arms in a natural embrace. Myrmeen wondered if Tamara had killed the pair of guardsmen assigned
to watch them or if the soldiers had run to get help. The latter was unlikely, as Tamara appeared completely human in this form.
"I know you're thinking about running," Tamara said as she made her final turn and stopped abruptly, her hair whipping around to obscure one side of her face. "If I meant you harm, you would know by now."
Myrmeen tensed as thunder rolled again, louder, closer.
"I want to help," Tamara said. "I was wrong about you. I was wrong about so much I believed about you."
The fighter could not stop the flood of thoughts that filled her mind and might drown her if she were not careful: The Night Parade took my daughter. Krystin is not that child. Tamara could be. She has more of Dak in her, but she could wefl be my child.
"How do you expect us to believe you?" Ord said.
Tamara gazed coldly at the man. "What you do is of little consequence to me. My concern is for Myrmeen."
"Why?" Myrmeen asked, shocked that the words had leapt from her mind to her tongue with so little restraint.
"I have my reasons," Tamara said. "Do you hear it?"
The first drops of rain began to fall, heavy, violent splatters of liquid.
I'm dripping. Honey, I hate that.
Myrmeen shook the image from her nightmare away. Above, a blanket of storm clouds had covered the city. She thought of Reisz and knew that they had acted too late.
"The children," she said, hoping there was time enough to find one orphanage and try to save the infants from the Night Parade.
"Yes," Tamara said darkly, "the children will suffer this night if you do not listen to me."
From somewhere far off Myrmeen heard the dulcet sounds of a harp intertwined with a sweet, joyous voice that was accompanied by a flute and the delicate reverberations of a triangle. The sounds were carried on the wind, and Myrmeen suddenly felt weak. As her knees turned to liquid and she fell, Myrmeen was vaguely aware of Krystin and Ord also succumbing to the lure of the strangely beautiful music, a lullaby more irresistible than any they had ever heard before.
Tamara snatched up the blade that Myrmeen had dropped. The music was not harming her. She slashed Myrmeen's palm, then her own. Pressing her wounded hand against Myrmeen's, Tamara threw her head back and repeated a phrase in an ancient language that humans could never speak. As their blood mixed, Myrmeen's eyes fluttered and suddenly she pulled away from Tamara, scrambling back in fear and distrust.
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