She stood and turned to the messenger. "What could be so important that Calmheart would interrupt my prayers?"
When they arrived at the Mother Prioress's room in the Tower, Calmheart bowed to Whiteshadow.
"I am sorry, Mother, but what I learned on Agebeve is disturbing, and I think we should discuss it privately. It may affect the entire Choosing Ritual."
"Fine," Whiteshadow said. "Let us go into my room."
When the three women went into the room, Whiteshadow lit a candle on her prayer table, and bowed to the symbols of Janico and the Blessed Lorelii. "What is this important news?"
"When I arrived on Agebeve, I took General Poliard's body to the ruler of the territory. I asked him for assistance in finding the General's family."
"As you were instructed."
"Yes, Mother. However, King Fasad of Agebeve looked at the body and told me that it was not General Poliard."
"He must have been mistaken."
"No, Mother. Forgive me for contradicting you, but he and several of his ministers told me they'd had many dealings with General Poliard and had spent time in his… dens."
"Yes, he owned several gaming dens. We must pray for him and his family."
"Yes, Mother, but these men knew the General very well. Several of them said he was their friend. When they saw the body of the man killed by the cats on the glacier, all of them said he wasn't General Poliard."
Whiteshadow scowled. "How is that possible?"
"I wondered the same thing, Mother, so I went to the General's family to see if they had any answers. His mother said the General's body was found a few days before the Rituals began. He'd been poisoned, and was left behind one of his gaming houses."
"Poisoned?" Whiteshadow felt the blood leave her face. "So who was the man claiming to be him, and why would he do that?"
"He was a butcher, Mother, and not a reputable one. The local constable was called, and he recognized the body of our 'general' immediately. He said this man, whose name was Ivan Possumskinner, had been arrested many times for selling spoiled meat or passing off unclean animals as proper food."
"Why would he pretend to be General Poliard?" Greeneye asked.
"He would not want to mate with the Exalted Warrior," Calmheart said. "Possumskinner had a wife and children."
"If he was such an unscrupulous man," Greeneye said, "would a family at home make any difference to him?"
"The constable told me that General Poliard was killed by a very special kind of poison, something this butcher wouldn't have access to. Mother, this was not a sophisticated, intelligent man."
"So," Whiteshadow said, walking to her prayer table and touching the image of the Blessed Lorelii, "the question is, why would someone kill the General, steal his invitation to these Rituals, give it to a simple-minded criminal, and coach him on how to pass himself off as a nobleman?"
"It was a lucky thing that nothing happened to Prince Olivier. He would have passed through Linalden only a week before General Poliard," Sister Greeneye said.
Whiteshadow looked at her questioningly. "And how would you know this?"
"I was born on Andarnnon, Mother, and the merchants in our town did business with the traders of Agebeve. My own father made his fortune in salt dealing, and as a girl I frequently heard discussions of towns, routes, and travel conditions. The route each man would have taken is well known to me."
****
"What is this place?" Varian asked as they walked toward the small hut.
"It's a private spot where you can talk to the Exalted Warrior."
"How do you know about this place?"
The valet smiled. "I am very resourceful."
"That was not the question," the Prince said. "We've talked about your habit of exploring the places we visit. With your skills, you could be accused of spying."
"I wasn't spying, Your Highness. I… made a… friend."
Varian looked at the hut and realized there were curtains on the windows. "A woman?" He turned to his friend. "You know how important this trip is to me, and you can't control your urges?"
"Diamondpike is not like any other woman I've ever known. She has a smile that would warm the coldest corner of a glacier. I've searched her emotions, and I find no hatred or resentment."
Varian tilted his head, considering the other man. "Are you in love, my friend?"
"I don't know, but I think I'm willing to find out."
"I wish you all the happiness in the Known Worlds."
"We should get inside. The Exalted Warrior is waiting for you."
When Varian entered the hut, Moonrazer was standing at the kitchen table, looking at a detailed clay figure of a horse, painted to look like Wind Rider.
She met his eyes. He hadn't remembered her eyes being such a deep brown, like the rich truffles produced by the royal chocolatier of Tellan.
"Prince Varian." Her voice brought his attention back to the matter at hand.
"Warrior." He bowed. "Thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me. I know it is against the rules of the Rituals."
"Your valet said you have something important to tell me."
"I do. Someone put mesmeric herbs into my provisions for the Hunt, and I believe the same thing happened to the other Candidates. Lord Olivier began shooting at me, and I believe he was having hallucinations and mistook me for an enemy or wild animal."
Moonrazer leaned against the wall, tilting her head as if weighing this information. "You think he tried to kill you?"
"I think it likely. The herbs may have been planted to confuse me and make me an easy target."
"Why would he want to kill you?"
"There is a history of animosity between Tellan and Andarnnon. I thought King Rillaur and I had an agreement, but it is possible that I was mistaken."
"Does this animosity extend both ways?" Moonrazer was looking straight at him now, her expression intense. "Do you bear any ill will toward Lord Olivier?"
"No." He shook his head. "Until I came here, I'd never met him." He swallowed. "There is more. As he was attacking me, a tundra bear appeared, and I diverted it away—" His voice faltered.
Moonrazer stepped closer. "Using those mysterious mental powers of yours. They allowed you to charm the Oncilla and my sister. Would you use them on me?" She stared at him, daring him to try.
"Warrior, no. That is not how I work."
"Did you direct the bear to attack Lord Olivier?"
"I did. They were both attacking me, and it was the only way I could defend myself."
She was quiet for a few seconds. "You had no need to come to me with this. The Sword of Justice will reveal if you are innocent, and pleading your case before me will not help you."
"That's not why I'm here," Varian said. "I wanted to tell you that someone may be trying to corrupt this contest. If it isn't Olivier, then whoever it is may be a source of danger."
"I will keep it in mind. I will discover the truth about all these things tomorrow."
"One more thing." He unclipped the bag from his side, opened it, and unrolled Lord Olivier's cloak. "I found this. I don't know where Lord Olivier's body is, but I fear that he is dead."
She took the coat from Varian's hands and carefully rolled it up.
"I wish I had never agreed to this competition," she said. "Love is not a prize to be found in a contest. It is a gift from the Holy One."
"You are the Exalted Warrior. If you don't want to go through with this, you can call it off."
With a sigh, she paced to the window. "That is the one thing I cannot do."
Moonrazer stepped back, they looked briefly into each other's eyes, then she left.
****
When Moonrazer entered the dining room of the Sisters of the Flame, Whiteshadow was talking to Swordwielder, the Sarl cook.
"The bread at last night's meal was dry. I expected better."
Moonrazer listened to Whiteshadow's petulant little tantrum. Her sister couldn't care enough about bread to be so upset
. What was Whiteshadow taking out on a good and loyal woman?
"Does the Mother Prioress believe she is the Exalted Warrior?" Moonrazer walked toward the two women.
Whiteshadow scowled. "Not at all, Warrior." She sounded calmer than her expression. "I was speaking to the cook about last night's meal."
"And complaining about the bread." Moonrazer turned to Swordwielder. "Did you do anything differently with yesterday's bread?"
"No, Warrior, but each bread batch is slightly different. Some things are not under our control."
"As you see, Whiteshadow, unless you can control the conditions in the kitchen, perhaps you should thank my cooks and bakers instead of complaining."
The Mother Prioress glanced at Swordwielder, then turned back to Moonrazer. "Of course, Warrior."
Moonrazer picked up a roll from a basket on the table and took a bite. The roll was rather dry, but Moonrazer was not about to say so. She took another bite and chewed it heartily, as if it were the finest creation in Swordwielder's career.
The Exalted Warrior smiled. "Thank you for your hard work. You may return to the kitchen."
"Thank you, Warrior."
When Swordwielder had left, Moonrazer glared at her sister. "There has been an accusation that someone tampered with the food the Candidates were given before the Hunt."
"Who would make such an accusation?" Whiteshadow moved to the other side of the table and sat in a high backed chair.
"It does not matter who said it."
The Mother Prioress narrowed her eyes. "Have you spoken to one of the Candidates? The rules are very clear—"
Moonrazer interrupted with a wave of her hand. "Poisoning, if true, is more important than the rules. Surely, our ancestors would not have wanted someone injured in these rituals."
Whiteshadow turned her face away. "Perhaps someone is trying to cover up his incompetence in hunting."
"The accusation has been made. We must have a formal inquiry."
"You want to use the Sword of Justice?"
"I have no choice."
"It is a ridiculous accusation." Whiteshadow picked up several napkins and began to fold them into a neat pile.
Moonrazer raised an eyebrow. "And why would you say that? Did you inspect or taste all the food in the Candidates' baskets?"
"What?" The Mother Prioress's head snapped up as she looked at her sister. "Of course not."
"Then how do you know the accusation is ridiculous?"
"Sisters of the Flame made the meals, which were blessed before being given to the Candidates. When would someone else have had an opportunity to tamper with the food?"
Moonrazer met her sister's eyes and thought she saw fear there. She waited to see what Whiteshadow would say next.
"You certainly do not think one of the Sisters could have done something like this?"
"Whiteshadow, I do not want to think that, but the fact remains that the accusation has been made, and at least two Candidates have been injured as a result. We must consult the Sword of Justice. If need be, I will even call you to subject yourself to its power."
"Me? The Sword of Justice?" Whiteshadow's eyes widened, and the color drained from her face.
"If necessary. You say I do not care about our traditions, but I know they are quite clear on this matter. This kind of crime requires the Sword."
"Is it really so serious? All of that will delay the Offering Ritual."
Moonrazer nodded. "Lord Olivier's horse returned without him. I believe him to be dead."
"Dead?" The remaining color drained from the Mother Prioress's face. "Surely not."
"I am afraid that after this much time has elapsed, very few other explanations remain to us."
Whiteshadow cupped her hands to her face and began rocking against the wall. "I cannot believe this could happen."
Moonrazer sighed. "Whiteshadow, it has been reported to me that Lord Olivier tried to kill Prince Varian. The Prince had no choice but to defend himself."
Whiteshadow raised her head. "He killed Lord Olivier?"
The Exalted Warrior rubbed her shoulder. "That is his story."
"And you believe him?"
"I do not know. This is why I need to consult the Sword of Justice."
Whiteshadow opened her mouth as though she wanted to speak, but as her eyes met Moonrazer's, she merely nodded.
****
Olaf had been with Moonrazer's warriors when they'd first tried to find the Temple of Sacred Radiance. When they saw that the whole area had been turned into a giant lake, they realized the Temple had to be at the bottom.
The lake was so large that standing on one shore, it was impossible to see the other side, but Olaf had seen drawings of the Temple of Sacred Radiance, and he did not expect it would be hard to find.
Olaf knew that he could swim under water for nearly a day, and he was confident he could find the Temple in that time.
Nearly a whole day had gone by since he'd entered the water, and he had swum the entire width of the lake in at least six different places. He'd seen fish, seaweed, and evidence of the Lake Serpents, but no sign of any sort of structure.
Just when he was thinking of giving up, in the dark water of the icy lake, he saw a glow that could only mean life.
Was it possible that he'd not only found the Temple, but had also found that somehow people were still alive there?
It seemed impossible, but he had no other explanation.
He reached the light after swimming several candlemarks, but was shocked to discover, not the Temple of Sacred Radiance, but a Portal.
Hovering in the water, he stared at the shimmering threshold. More than an entire Temple intact under the water, he faced an impossibility.
Olaf had no people of his own, so he had adopted the Sarl and Tree Women and had researched the history of these two peoples and Known Worlds.
The Portals that connected the twenty-one worlds had been created by the Dragon Protectors long before anything was written down. They were as fixed as any mountain, valley, or plain on any world Olaf had been to in his travels with Moonrazer and Adazzra.
Entire villages and centers of commerce had grown up around Portals, much the way they did around natural harbors or fertile canyons.
It made no sense that there should be a Portal under the water of this lake that had been artificially created by the dark magic of the Necroma.
Olaf contemplated the thing as he stared at it.
For this Portal to exist, it would mean that it was created since the Navin invasion, but for all his knowledge and wisdom, Olaf could not understand how, why, or where it would lead.
However, the only way he would have any of his questions answered would be to go through it and see where it led. All Portals on the Known Worlds went in both directions, so he had to believe this one worked the same way.
When he dove through it, he saw the light was now above him. He swam upwards toward it, collapsed on soft grass beneath the stars, and slept.
****
Varian paced the antechamber, where he waited with Prince Raphael. Both of these men had injured another Candidate and said they were under the influence of some mesmeric herb.
In Prince Raphael's favor, Everard was injured but still alive. Varian feared what Lord Olivier's death would mean for himself.
Raphael's voice pulled Varian out of his introspection. "Do you think she will believe us?"
"Did you speak the truth?"
Raphael nodded. "I did. However, life doesn't always reward honesty or honor."
"That is an interesting opinion for a prince to voice." Varian sat in a chair near Raphael. "Aren't you the main law keeper in your kingdom?"
The other man looked at him in surprise. "There is no main law keeper in the kingdom now. Not a legitimate one, anyway. The throne has been stolen from the rightful… me by a pretender, and my land is rocked by civil war. Clyde Corvidus, the Usurper, has captured several of our cities and burned others. Many people are now slaves."
Prince Raphael stared at his hands and laughed humorlessly. "That would be an odd thing to admit, wouldn't it? Would Moonrazer want to hear that I came to court her because she is the leader of an army? I doubt she would look favorably on my suit if that were true."
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