Vigorre glanced at Nathenarre. “I was going to escort my stepmother home.”
Nathenarre nodded to Alitta. “Go ahead, Vigorre. I’ll manage without you. Just come home as soon as you can.”
“I will.” He extended his other arm to Alitta. “I spoke with Lord Revarren; Kevessa asked me to. He’s safe with the others.”
“Thank you.” Alitta smiled, but it didn’t reach her shadowed eyes. She didn’t speak again until they emerged from the main gates and Vigorre had seen Nathenarre into her carriage. Then she directed him to climb into hers, an open one nearly as luxurious as the Rothen vehicles, and they set off toward the square.
Vigorre shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He longed to confide his concern for Kevessa to her aunt, but he didn’t dare reveal his true feelings about the demons, even to someone who probably shared them. Everything depended on him keeping the wizards’ trust just a little longer. “I’ve enjoyed working with Kevessa this past week. She’s so committed to helping people.”
Alitta laughed mirthlessly. “I’d rather she were selfish and shallow, if that would have kept her out of the demon’s clutches.”
He couldn’t show how heartily he agreed. “You believe Nina is a demon?”
Alitta wrung her hands in her lap. “I didn’t want to. I wanted to believe Kevessa had been granted the power of the Mother, just as she always dreamed. But when Revarren told me what he saw, how could I doubt it? And I can see for myself how Kevessa has changed. She used to be so sweet and obedient, agreeable to whatever we asked. Now she pretends she is, but she’s not. The demon has turned her rebellious and defiant. She disobeys us without a qualm. She refuses to leave off her scandalous behavior. Spending days unchaperoned in the heart of the Beggars’ Quarter, associating with all manner of riffraff, laboring like a common worker, exposing herself to who knows what sort of contagion…”
Vigorre didn’t want to shake her conviction, so he didn’t mention that the Kevessa he’d always known had been far less biddable than her parents assumed. “I’m there with her. I’ll protect her from any danger.”
Alitta gave him a grateful smile. “And I thank you for it. I know you’re sincere in your desire to serve the Mother. It’s not your fault the demons are so devious.” She shook her head. “I know. You don’t believe they’re demons.”
Vigorre looked away. “Actually, my father is convinced they are as well. He tried to persuade me. I was so sure he was wrong, but now I can’t help but wonder. He says they’re using my best impulses to tempt me. That they want to trick me into accepting their power so they can control me.”
Alitta’s voice shook. “I’m afraid that’s exactly what they did to Kevessa.”
He shivered. “She swears it’s not true. But she’d say the same thing if it was, wouldn’t she?”
Alitta reached across the carriage and took his hands. “Would you do something for me, please? Help me persuade her to come home with me. Without her creature. Maybe I can talk to her, reach her, once she’s away from its influence. If I’m wrong, and the beast really is from the Mother as she claims, there’s no harm done. And if I’m right…”
Vigorre’s heart leaped. This was his opportunity to get Kevessa away from the other wizards for the night, so when he sprang the trap she wouldn’t be caught in it. “She won’t want to leave Nina, but maybe I can persuade her.”
“Revarren and I will be eternally grateful if you do.” She smiled ruefully. “If your father were to approach us with an offer for her hand, we would look on it very favorably.”
His face warmed, and he pulled his hands away. “I’m honored, but I hope to be betrothed to someone else soon.”
She shrugged. “No matter. Whatever else we can do for you, you need only ask.”
“It’s enough to make sure Kevessa is safe.” He chewed on his lip. “And… to know the truth.”
She nodded grimly. They rode in silence the rest of the way to the square.
When they arrived, both Kevessa and Elkan were busy attending patients. Vigorre helped Alitta down from the carriage and escorted her over to watch Kevessa work. Nirel held a squirming boy on her lap while his mother hovered close, a baby on one hip and a toddler on the other. Kevessa, Nina on her shoulder, hovered a glowing hand over the boy’s leg, but he kept kicking free of the golden light.
Nirel wrapped her arms tighter around the boy as he twisted. “Be still. She’s almost finished.”
“It tickles!” The boy arched his back, nearly freeing himself.
Kevessa pulled her hand away, the light dying. “We need a few more minutes or the place will be too weak and might break again. I don’t think he’d deal well with being stuck in one of Nalini’s casts for weeks.” She leaned close to the boy. “Would you like to hold Nina?”
He froze and stared at the squirrel. “Can I?”
“Be very still so you don’t scare her.” Nina scampered down Kevessa’s arm and into the boy’s lap. She gazed up at him, and he stared back, holding his breath. He stroked her head with one tentative finger. Surreptitiously Kevessa rested a light hand on Nina’s haunches, and the golden light resumed its work.
The boy remained absorbed in Nina for the next several minutes. Every time his attention threatened to wander, she flicked her tail, or sat up and chittered at him, or did something else charming to keep him occupied. Her cleverness made Vigorre smile, until he remembered the truth. Dear Mother, it was easy to forget the familiars weren’t what they seemed to be. Their disguises were just too good. And they never broke character. He’d seen them at work enough to be certain the boy was in no danger from the demon in his lap. No immediate danger, at least. The looming danger to all of Ramunna was another matter.
At length Kevessa sat back with a grin for the boy’s mother. “All done. The leg should stand up to whatever he can throw at it.”
His mother offered a torrent of gratitude. The boy protested as Nina whisked back up to Kevessa’s shoulder, but when Nirel let him go he jumped from her lap and charged across the square, his mother in close pursuit.
Kevessa laughed and caressed Nina. “Good work! I thought we’d never manage to finish.” As she looked toward the waiting line, she caught sight of Vigorre and Alitta, and her eyes widened with happy surprise. “Mama!” she cried, hurrying toward them. “What are you doing here? Vigorre, did you talk to Papa? Is he all right?”
“He’s fine.” Vigorre described his visit to the dungeon. Kevessa listened with a concerned crease in her forehead, but seemed comforted by his news. “So I can’t be sure there aren’t other prisoners kept in worse conditions elsewhere, or that the Matriarch might not starve or torture them at some point, but for now she seems to be treating them decently.”
“Thank the Mother.” Kevessa threw her arms around Alitta. “What about you, Mama? How are you doing?”
Alitta shrank in on herself, losing the fiercely determined focus Vigorre had observed in the dungeon and during the carriage ride. She wiped her eyes with a shaky hand, and her voice trembled. “It’s such a shock. I’m glad to know your papa is unharmed, but I can’t help but worry what might happen to him down there…”
Kevessa squeezed her hand and patted her back. “It’s all right, Mama.”
Alitta shuddered. “Why did he have to put himself at risk? Why couldn’t he have refused to be a part of it and stayed safe at home? He kept talking about how he’d seen you held captive by a demon. He was determined to help you, somehow.” She looked bleakly at Nina.
Swallowing, Kevessa turned the shoulder where the squirrel perched away. “I didn’t know he was watching, Mama. Nina was only pretending, I swear. So Yoran Lirolla would stop hurting Father. I didn’t know he was going to use us to fool so many people.”
Alitta shook her head. “Come home with me, Kevessa, please? I can’t bear to have you so far away any more. I’ll feel much better if you’re safe at home, even if your papa is shut up in the dark and cold.”
Kevessa twisted her hands toge
ther. “Father wants me with him at the palace.”
Alitta waved a dismissive hand. “He’s kept you away from me for months. He can come, too, if he wants. There’s always room for my brother in my house.”
Kevessa brightened. “I’m sure he’ll agree to that. I’ve wanted to come home so much, Mama, but I couldn’t go against Father’s wishes. Or abandon my duties.” She cast an anxious glance at the waiting lines of people.
Vigorre broke in before Alitta could disparage the wizards’ work. “I’m sure Master Elkan will give you the rest of the afternoon off. You did far more than your share this morning.”
She wavered. “But Josiah’s off with Father…”
Vigorre examined the lines with an experienced eye. “Look, there are only a few left in the urgent line. The soldiers have put everyone else in the line for minor complaints. We can give them numbers and tell them to come back on Firstday. After the amount of healing you’ve done this week, all you wizards deserve to start Restday early.”
She gave a short laugh. “To make up for last week, when we didn’t rest at all? Master Elkan might accept that argument.” She stretched and put up a hand to caress Nina. “All right, Mama. If he agrees, I’ll go home with you. We can go to the Temple together in the morning and pray for Papa and the others.”
Alitta flung her arms around Kevessa and buried her face in her shoulder—the opposite shoulder from where Nina perched, Vigorre noted. “Thank you, dear. It means so much to me.” Her voice gave no hint of any tension. “There’s just one thing.”
Kevessa drew back a little. “What, Mama?”
Alitta didn’t quite meet her eyes. “I’d rather you don’t bring your pet along.”
Kevessa stiffened as if she’d been struck. “I can’t leave Nina, Mama. It’s not safe, for me or her. And she’s not a pet—”
Vigorre cut in. “You could let her stay with Master Elkan and Tobi. She’d be perfectly safe with them. I’ll go with you now, and pick you up Firstday morning. We can ask for an escort from the Matriarch’s guards, if you want.” He grinned. “Besides, Yoran Lirolla’s in the dungeon. You’ve got nothing to fear from him until the Matriarch lets him out.”
She snorted. “There are plenty of Purifiers left to follow his orders.” But the thought seemed to reassure her.
Quickly Alitta chimed in. “Your papa’s in the dungeon because he believes your pet is a danger to you, and to all of us. I know you insist he’s wrong, but out of respect for him can’t you abide by what he would wish? I know he’d refuse to let the creature under our roof.”
Kevessa put up her arms. Nina jumped down from her shoulder and snuggled into them. Kevessa buried her face in her fur. “The last time we were separated we were kidnapped!”
“That won’t happen this time,” Vigorre urged. “It won’t hurt to be without the Mother’s power for a little while. Most of us do just fine without it.” He grinned wryly at her.
“I can’t…” Kevessa refused to look at him.
Alitta put a hand on her arm. “I think, if it’s just you and me, like it always was, if I know for sure it’s not a demon speaking through you, but just you speaking for yourself… then I think I would be able to believe what you tell me. I want to accept that it really is the Mother who grants you this power. But I can’t be sure you’re speaking freely when those eyes are looking at us the whole time, those ears listening…”
“Of course I’m speaking freely.” Kevessa said hotly. “Nina’s not—”
“I know, I know. But please, indulge me? I promise to listen with an open mind. And if you convince me, I’m sure I can convince your papa. Then we’ll both be able to support you in this life you’ve chosen. It’s obvious it makes you happy. Happier than I’ve ever seen you. Prove to me it’s real. That’s all I ask.”
Kevessa’s eyes closed. Her fingers tightened around Nina until the squirrel squeaked in protest. She ducked her head. Nina raised her face until their noses almost touched, and the two of them communed for a long moment.
Vigorre saw the moment she decided. She swallowed and eased her grip. “All right. If Master Elkan agrees.”
Elkan eyed her cautiously when she presented her request. “You’re sure? I have no objections to you taking the afternoon off. You’ve worked more than hard enough to justify it. And of course Nina is welcome to stay with Tobi and me. But I’d feel much more comfortable if the two of you were together.”
Kevessa didn’t quite meet his gaze. “Mama would prefer I didn’t bring her, and I can understand why. It’s just for one day. I’ll report back to work Firstday morning.”
“All right.” Elkan held out his hands, and Kevessa passed Nina to him. The squirrel chittered at Kevessa encouragingly. “Vigorre, thank you for offering to escort her. You’ve more than earned the time off as well. In fact, Nirel, why don’t you take the rest of the afternoon off, too? Tobi and I will manage just fine with only Borlen assisting.”
Nirel looked from Vigorre to Kevessa, wariness—suspicion?— in her eyes. “Thank you. The weather is pleasant; I’ll enjoy the walk home.”
Vigorre hurried to her side. “That’s ridiculous. I’ll send a carriage for you. No, I’ll come myself, as soon as I get Kevessa settled with her family.”
Nirel eyed him coldly. She really was jealous. “There’s no need. I’ll be fine.”
Alitta broke in, directing a warm, welcoming smile at Nirel. “Nonsense, dear. Join us for the evening meal. Kevessa’s friends are always welcome. Guests at the table will help take my mind off Revarren’s absence.”
Vigorre caught her eye and reached for her hand. “Please, Nirel?” Kevessa was a good friend, but she’d never take Nirel’s place in his heart. He’d better take care to show Nirel that. He put a penitent expression on his face and a wheedling tone in his voice. “Lady Alitta has the best cook in Ramunna.”
Kevessa chimed in. “Yes, Nirel, please come. We’ve been so busy working we’ve barely had time to talk. You still haven’t told me about Lady Yovella’s ball. I was so disappointed I had to miss it. That’s where you met Vigorre, right?” She looked anxiously back and forth between them.
Nirel allowed Vigorre to take her hand, although she resisted his effort to pull her close. She grinned wryly at Kevessa and gave Alitta a wide, genuine smile. “Thank you so much for the invitation. I’ll be delighted to come.”
Elkan set Nina on his shoulder and clasped the hand of each of them in turn. “Have a pleasant Restday, and we’ll see all of you Firstday morning.” His smile was as open and earnest as ever.
Vigorre mumbled a reply, unable to meet his eyes. Clearly the wizard suspected nothing.
He looked around the square as he accompanied Nirel, Kevessa and Alitta to the waiting carriage. The people who had been helped here, the death averted, the pain relieved—it would end tonight. On Firstday morning this would once again be just another bleak and empty space, its cracked flagstones and weedy earth traversed by desperate people frantically scratching to stay alive one more day. Everyone would forget the brief week when the power of the Mother—feigned though it had been—had filled it with golden light.
Twenty-Two
Nalini turned the glass circle over and over in her hands. It was as big across as her palm, nearly an inch thick in the center, tapering in a smooth curve to a thin rim. She looked through it as Gevan had demonstrated. At first all she could make out was a blur of light and color. She moved the tip of one finger close to the far side and adjusted the distance. At a certain point the blur resolved into a sharp image of her skin, the tiny lines expanded into dramatic ridges and canyons.
She couldn’t help letting out a little “hmmph” of surprise, even though she’d sworn not to let these foreigners have the satisfaction of seeing they’d impressed her. If they managed to. She had to admit this was a pretty good start. Although probably it would prove only a clever curiosity, not truly useful.
Gevan looked up from the cluttered worktable. “Are you done with that? L
et me have it.” He took it from her hands and set it carefully, almost reverently, into a wooden frame shaped to hold it. “The biggest problem we had on the ship was keeping the lens and whatever we were observing steady enough. On such small scales even a tiny movement is enough to carry your subject far out of sight. I spent a good deal of thought on how to deal with the difficulty. Now I can finally test my ideas.” He used a blob of clay to affix a long, slender nail upright behind the lens, fiddling with the height until the head rested at just at its center. “Let’s see how this works.”
Before Nalini could react he pulled a knife from his belt, pricked the tip of his thumb, and applied the welling drop of blood to the head of the nail. It formed a scarlet bead, shimmering in the light of a lantern Gevan had placed on the workbench just beyond his contraption. Gevan sucked absently on his thumb as he seated himself on a stool and peered through the lens. He twitched the nail a bit closer, then a hair farther away, until he made a pleased sound and gazed for several long seconds. Nalini got the feeling he’d forgotten she was there. He reached for a piece of paper and a pen and started sketching.
Nalini waited a few minutes for courtesy’s sake, then went to stand next to him and cleared her throat loudly. Gevan started and looked up. “May I see?” she asked, not bothering to keep the annoyance from her voice.
“I’m sorry. Of course.” He rose and gestured for her to take his place.
She seated herself, looked through the lens, and blinked. Disks she recognized from his sketch hovered before her, glowing pink rings floating in yellowish liquid. Scattered here and there were other shapes, spheres and oblongs and blobby clusters too dense to make out clearly. She pulled back to look at the droplet of blood on its perch, then ducked to gaze through the lens again. She couldn’t yet imagine how this closer view of the body’s structure could lead to more effective ways to cure diseases, but instincts honed over a lifetime of learning, inventing, and refining told her that the world Gevan’s device opened held enormous potential.
Beyond the Boundary Stones (The Chronicles of Tevenar Book 3) Page 28
