Hastur Lord d-23

by Marion Zimmer Bradley

  “ Vai dom,my men have just returned from the Ridenow mansion,” Gabriel said. “They searched the entire house twice, as well as the surrounding garden and outbuildings. Neither Danilo nor my—nor Mikhail, nor your brother were to be found. The only person there, aside from a few servants, was DomHaldred Ridenow. They have brought him. He did not seem in the least reluctant. In fact, he has demandedan audience with you.” Gabriel spat out the word as if it were a serpent.

  Haldred Ridenow was the man in Danilo’s vision. Haldred had sprung the trap that snared him. What did he want, or did he come on behalf of someone else? Did he speak for his kinsman, Valdir?

  What will Valdir demand in exchange for the hostages?

  “I had better see him without delay.” Years of training slipped into place. Regis squared his shoulders, sitting tall in his grandfather’s chair. The muscles of his face hardened; he imagined Danvan whispering in his mind, pouring resolve into his veins.

  At Gabriel’s command, the Guardsmen escorted their prisoner into the presence-chamber. Haldred’s wrists had been bound, but he was unharmed. He seemed to be in no great discomfort as he came to a halt before Regis.

  Regis had met Haldred at the ball held in Rinaldo’s honor, and on a few other social occasions. Haldred was a minor Ridenow cousin from a collateral branch, not likely ever to be in line for rulership but deriving his importance and most likely his wealth from the patronage of Valdir.

  Haldred’s fair hair betrayed his Dry Towns ancestry. Regis sensed only a trace of the Ridenow empathic Gift, enough to make Haldred a good horseman or hawkmaster but not enough to sensitize him to the emotions of other men. Or, Regis thought darkly, perhaps his talent allowed him to glimpse the pain and fear of his fellows, and he enjoyed it.

  “Z’par servu.”Haldred bowed only as low as custom required, when in the presence of a fellow Comyn of higher rank.

  “You requested an audience, and I have granted it. What do you have to say to me?”

  “On my own behalf, nothing, vai dom.I carry a message. A private message.”

  “From Valdir Ridenow, your master.” Regis did not bother turning the statement into a question.

  Haldred inclined his head and raised his bound wrists, as if indicating that, as a mere courier, he merited respectful treatment. Dangerously close to losing his temper, Regis satisfied himself with ignoring the hint.

  “By all means, fulfill your commission.” Regis indicated with a jerk of his chin that the Guardsmen were to withdraw. Gabriel provided more than enough protection against one bound man. The door closed behind the Guardsmen with a click.

  The Ridenow lordling cleared his throat. “ DomValdir Ridenow, speaking on behalf of the entire Comyn, desires me to say that for the good of Darkover, your high-handed tyranny must cease. He declares that you are no longer the legitimate Lord of Hastur and have no right, either legal or by prestige, to influence the affairs of the other Domains.”

  Gabriel remained standing, outwardly imperturbable, but Regis could feel his outrage simmering just beneath the surface. Keeping his voice mild, Regis said, “That is a very improbable viewpoint. Exactly why should DomValdir’s delusions concern me?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Irritation tempered with fear edged Haldred’s voice. “You are to renounce your position in favor of the true and lawful Hastur Lord.”

  “And that is . . .” Even as the words escaped his lips, Regis saw the thrust of Valdir’s attack, as surely as if it had been a precisely aimed dagger.

  “As the elder and now legitimate son, DomRinaldo Hastur is the rightful Heir to the Hastur Domain.” Haldred made no effort to suppress a smirk. “The Ridenow have vowed to uphold his right by force of arms. However, in the interest of the common welfare, we trust it will not be necessary. The last thing we wish is to plunge Darkover into civil war, one Domain against the other.”

  “That sounds like a threat to me,” Gabriel said in the moment of stunned silence.

  “Why would I accede to such a preposterous demand?” Regis said, although he already knew the answer. “What does my brother say to this?”

  “My lord reminds you that your paxman and your heir are in his custody. If you resist, they will suffer for it. As for the new Lord Hastur, he has given his full consent.”

  The matter-of-fact manner in which Haldred spoke chilled Regis worse than any number of boastful threats. These truly were not Haldred’s words but those of his master.

  “Valdir Ridenow is a fool.”

  Regis knew in his heart that he had been a bigger one. How many times had he longed to set aside his rank and position, to live a simple life, to follow his private dreams? Had he not secretly hoped Rinaldo might be the one to ease his burden? Was that not his subconscious motive in pressing for his brother’s legitimate status? But now . . . he could not allow the lordship of Hastur to be wrested from him and given to Rinaldo. Unpracticed in the ways of the world, Rinaldo would be a puppet in Ridenow hands.

  Regis harbored no illusions about the intentions of Valdir Ridenow and his allies. They wanted full Federation membership, with everything that implied.

  Angrily Regis said, “There is another way to solve this problem, and that is to have the location of the hostages wrenched from your mind. Unfortunately, the only known possessor of the Alton Gift is off-world at the moment, but I am more than happy to try the powers of the HasturGift.”

  Haldred paled. “M-m-my lord— vai dom! I beg you to reconsider. I cannot reveal what I do not know. I will swear by Aldones or St. Christopher or Nebran the toad god of Shainsa that I do not knowwhere they are!”

  Valdir Ridenow might be a fool, but he was too wily to entrust such a secret to anyone who might be put to the question. In truth, Regis would slit his own throat before he forced his mind upon another, but Valdir did not know that.

  Regis sat very straight, resisting the impulse to cover his face with his hands. In despair, in shame.

  This is my fault, my responsibility. I should be the one to suffer for it, not Rinaldo, not Mikhail. Not—oh gods, not Danilo.But he would be seven-times damned to each of Zandru’s frozen Hells before he would give this arrogant pup the satisfaction of seeing him grovel.

  Regis allowed the memory of his grandfather’s arrogance and unbending resolve to flow through him. “I will meet with DomValdir to discuss his proposal.”

  “But—” Haldred had clearly expected a capitulation. “But I have already told you the terms—”

  Regis glared at him. Haldred lowered his eyes and stammered that he would arrange an interview at the earliest convenience of the vai domyn. Only when Haldred had bowed himself out and the room fell silent did Regis allow himself to breathe again.

  17

  The meeting with Valdir Ridenow took place a few hours later. In the interim, Regis and Linnea tried a number of times to establish larancontact with the prisoners, without success. Linnea was still exhausted from her previous efforts and dared not do too much. In her opinion, their minds were shielded by a telepathic damper.

  Regis had more to worry about than two individuals, regardless of how precious they were to him. If Valdir ended up in power through a naive and malleable Rinaldo, the Ridenow lord would surely move for Federation membership. Regis did not know how he might prevent it, once set in motion. He was having difficulty focusing his thoughts on anything beyond the moment. His mind filled with dire imaginings. No matter how often he told himself that Danilo and Mikhail were of no value to Valdir dead, his heart would not believe the hollow reassurances of his head.

  Ordinarily, Danilo would have taken care of the details, arranged the meeting place and ensured its security. Regis wondered how he had managed when Danilo had served as Warden of Ardais. In the end, ironically, the Ardais quarters of the Castle proved to be the best, mutually acceptable location. Lady Marilla, acting most likely at the behest of her son, who was in a frenzy of worry about his friend, offered the largest of their chambers. She pointed out, quite rightly, that
it lent itself to privacy and was as difficult to infiltrate as any place in the Castle.

  Regis found clothing laid out for him by his body- servant: a suit of discreet elegance, pants and jacket and short indoor cloak of suede in muted blue over a shirt of ivory spidersilk. Regis sighed; he could not remember having worn this ensemble, and yet it so perfectly fit the occasion. Danilo would have approved. Yet, Regis admitted as he began dressing, all was not mere decoration. He could move—and fight, if need be—in these clothes. The boots, a subtly darker shade of blue and cut lower than was fashionable, were comfortable, the sword in its bejeweled sheath of good steel and well balanced. He had wielded far worse in his cadet days. The edge, he noticed, was sharp.

  Gabriel came with him as advisor and kinsman, plus four Guardsmen, veterans all. The walk took them through a maze of corridors, over Javanne’s leaf-patterned carpets, under arched doorways studded with pale blue stone that made it seem they passed through the heart of an immense starstone before plunging back into torchlight-studded gloom.

  Regis bent toward Gabriel to speak privately. “If this meeting goes badly, I will need your help. We may not have another chance to speak.”

  Gabriel nodded. The Guardsmen gave no sign they had overheard.

  Even if Regis achieved his goal of getting both Danilo and Mikhail released, he could not allow Valdir to continue with his schemes. He did not know how closely he would be watched, whether or not he would be able to come and go as he wished. Valdir was no innocent in the ways of Comyn politics. He would not leave a deposed Hastur Lord free to plot his way back into power. The Word of a Hastur might be as unbreakable as the Wall Around the World, but oaths could be phrased to a legal nicety.

  “I don’t want you tainted by association with me,” Regis cautioned Gabriel, “at least, no more than you already are. It won’t help either of us if Valdir finds another Commander of the Guards.”

  “That may be inevitable, but I know which officers can be trusted and which will think only of their own advantage.”

  Regis understood that Gabriel included his escort among the loyal. “It would be good to establish a meeting place outside the Castle.”

  “It is already done, and passwords put into place. As the Dry-Towners are fond of saying, Trust in Nebran, but tie up youroudrakhi. ”

  “Can you get a message to Dan Lawton? I don’t know how fast Valdir will move on Federation membership, but Lawton must find an excuse to delay action. I need time to straighten things out.”

  Gabriel gave Regis a darkly appraising look, one that said, If anyone can sort out this mess, it’s you.“I’ll do what I can.”

  The party paused at the Ardais entrance. Gabriel and the most senior of the Guardsmen went inside, verifying the safety of the premises. The last time Regis had entered this room, it had belonged to Dyan Ardais. In his time, Dyan had been and done many things, not all of them honorable.

  Gabriel reported that all was as it should be and that DomValdir and Rinaldo were waiting. He stepped back for Regis to enter. At first glance, the two men inside appeared dressed for a funeral. Valdir wore a suit of green velvet so dark it looked black and a gold chain around his neck. Rinaldo was dressed in a simple belted robe reminiscent of his monkish habit.

  The room was comfortably furnished, used more as a living and entertaining space than the more formal presence-chamber in Dyan’s day. Regis recognized a few pieces of furniture from those times. Dyan’s taste had been heavily masculine, leaning to heavy wood glossy with polish. The newer pieces reflected a woman’s more delicate hand.

  Valdir sat on a brocaded divan, Rinaldo on a more modest straight-backed chair. Two men in Ridenow green and orange leathers stood along the far wall.

  Dyan’s favorite chair, which must have dated as far back as old Gabriel-Dyan Ardais, was unoccupied. Gesturing for his escort to assume their positions, Regis strode to the center of the room and paused for Valdir and Rinaldo to rise.

  After a moment of uncertainty, they did so. Tradition and protocol demanded it. Valdir had grown up in a world that respected the Hastur Domain above all others, and as for Rinaldo, he might well become the next Lord Hastur, but he did not possess that prestige yet.

  Regis held the tableau for a moment longer than necessary, enough to see the faint tension in Valdir’s jaw muscles. He lowered himself into Dyan’s chair and gestured for them to sit.

  “Now that we are all here together,” Regis said, “I would hear what you have to say to me from your own mouth.”

  Let’s not play games,Valdir’s expression said. He had more self-control than Regis had given him credit for.

  “ DomRegis, I speak not only for the Domain of Ridenow but for the people of Darkover. If I had my way, the Comyn would be as truly equal as we once were. Unfortunately, the common people require a ruler.”

  Valdir paused, perhaps awaiting a response. Regis did not give him that satisfaction. Valdir gave a little shrug. “Since the people cling to their adulation of the Hasturs, they shall have one—but one who looks to the future.” He leaned forward, his face tightening. “Not one who would have Darkover remain frozen in time, while the rest of the inhabited worlds move forward.”

  Rinaldo had been sitting motionless, hands folded on his knees in the manner of a monk. Regis imagined a flicker of discomfort in his expression. Perhaps his brother did not agree with Valdir’s argument.

  “It was a mistake to reject the benefits of Federation membership,” Valdir declared, “just as it was a mistake to abandon the Comyn Council and give so much power to that flock of squabbling barnfowl you call the Telepath Council.”

  “ DomValdir,” Rinaldo said earnestly, “my brother acted from the best of intentions. He and our grandfather served the Domains through many crises. Once a man has been forced to take extreme measures, one cannot fault him for continuing on as he has before. I will not hear my dear brother censured or his achievements so lightly dismissed.”

  “So you would put Rinaldo in my place,” Regis said to Valdir, “thinking him easier to bend to your will.”

  Rinaldo flushed visibly. Valdir said, “I would elevate him to his rightful place, completing what you yourself began by declaring him your father’s legitimate firstborn son. But there would be no point in supporting his cause if he were not also a man of vision.”

  A moment passed. Regis shifted in his seat. “If you speak for the people of Thendara and you truly represent their interests, then why abduct three—two innocent men? Are these not the acts of a man who has placed himself outside law and custom? Why should I reward these crimes with my cooperation?”

  “No man such as yourself, accustomed to unquestioned authority and power, surrenders his position simply because it is right,” Valdir replied. “Do you expect me to believe you are willing to have Rinaldo become Head of Hastur?”

  “I think you do not know me at all, if you need to ask.”

  “ DomValdir, let me speak privately with my brother.” Rinaldo’s voice betrayed his agitation. “I am sure that once he understands the necessity of such safeguards and that no harm has come to either guest, he will be agreeable.”

  Valdir scowled. “This is not wise, vai dom.Your brother wears a sword and has been trained in its use, whereas you are a man of peace. Should he turn on you—”

  Regis wanted to laugh, except for the bitterness welling up in his mouth. Did Valdir think him such a villain as that? A man who would murder his own kin for gain? A tendril of suspicion brushed his thoughts, and he wondered at how easily Valdir had come into power in his own Domain, how conveniently those in the line of succession had fallen, one by one. What lessons must Francisco, still young and impressionable, be learning?

  Rinaldo was reassuring Valdir in such animated tones that it would have been impossible to resist without restraining the monk. Valdir agreed, although reluctantly. Within a few minutes, Gabriel, Valdir, and both sets of guards had withdrawn.

  Rinaldo picked up his chair and brought it close
r. “I am sorry the situation has come to this—”

  “ What happened? Rinaldo, how in the name of—” he could not invoke Aldonesas he would with any other kinsman, “—the Holy Bearer of Burdens did you come to ally yourself with that man? Have you been deceiving me all along, waiting for your chance? Or has even a brief captivity softened your mind?”

  “You cannot believe I plannedthis!” Rinaldo shot back with the first sign of temper during that meeting. “ Plannedto be seized, bound, hauled away like a piece of meat? Plannedto be used against the brother who has shown me nothing but kindness?”

  Regis let out his breath. Rinaldo had been taken by force, like Danilo and Mikhail. That fact eased his sense of betrayal. Eased it, but did not entirely erase it.

  “Does it matter?” Rinaldo moderated his tone. “However we have been thrust into this situation, we must work together now. Valdir is not an evil man, although somewhat prone to extreme measures. I will teach him better.”

  “You intend to collaborate with him, then?” Regis did not know whether to feel relieved or appalled.

  “I mean to use whatever St. Christopher has placed in my hands to do good. Why else would the blessed saints have brought me from St. Valentine’s and yet preserved the fire of righteousness in my breast? Look at me, brother. I could never be a military commander or a great statesman like Grandfather. I am not fitted to caper about in finery or sing ballads to ladies, although in my new position, I might soon enjoy the blessings of marriage. Valdir has spoken of an eligible young kinswoman . . . Be that as it may, I have been shaped for better things than frivolity—and what more holy purpose than to bring the teachings of St. Christopher to the larger world? Do you not see all around you the evidence of ignorance and sin? Pride, greed, deceit, lust, violence—do they not stalk the streets in human form?”

  “I am glad you see the opportunity to wrest some good from the situation,” Regis said carefully. “But I fear for you and for our world. You know so little of Comyn politics, and Valdir means to influence you, to shape you to his own ends. Those ends do not bode well for Darkover.”