Fire of the Soul

by Speer, Flora

  “But the skirt will wrinkle. It’s silk, you know and very expensive. Oh!” Fenella cried out as he brought one of his arms up to catch her across her chest and tumble her onto the bed. She gasped when Mallory lifted her skirts high and pulled her legs apart, and she screeched when he drove his hardness into her. “That hurt. Couldn’t you take a moment to touch me first?”

  “I’ve no time for touching. Be quiet. Do you want the entire castle to know that your lord lusts after you in the middle of the day?”

  “Oh, Mallory, you do care about me.” She wrapped her arms around him, clutching at him in the way he detested. “You wouldn’t be so eager to take me if you were indifferent. Oh, my dear husband.”

  Mallory could sense her body’s initial resistance to his harsh intrusion fading away. He could feel how her feminine parts moistened as she convinced herself yet again that he loved her. When she began to murmur and to wriggle against him, eagerly seeking her own pleasure, he unleashed all the anger he felt against Garit, who no doubt wanted to seize Kinath away from him, and against Lady Elgida, that meddling old witch. Weary and fragile, was she? He’d see to it that she was even more fragile before she left Kinath. Not caring what his wife was feeling Mallory pounded into her, on and on, straining for the final release.

  “Oh, Mallory, how I adore you. How strong you are. Oh! Oh!” Fenella screamed out her climax, apparently indifferent to what anyone who might hear would think of her for taking her pleasure so early in the day. Weeping and gasping, she clawed his back and bucked against his hard thrusts.

  Just before the darkness of his own completion caught him up and whirled him into a region of black clouds and flames, Mallory understood what he would have to do. It was all quite simple, really.

  He came back to himself suddenly, his thoughts clear, his body sated for the moment. Fenella lay sprawled beneath him, looking so much like a satisfied cat that he longed to slap her. That wouldn’t do, though. Not yet. He’d have to be patient for a little while longer.

  Fenella went down to the great hall with her hand on his arm, wearing a smug expression and with her skirts so wrinkled that, seeing her, Lady Elgida’s eyebrows rose almost to the edge of her white linen coif. Calia saw, too, and blushed, thus offering proof to Mallory that her claim of not having slept with Garit was almost certainly true. Only a virgin’s face would turn bright red to see evidence of marital relations.

  Mallory decided that was all to the good. He could use Garit’s frustrated desire for Calia to torment his guest, for he was sure that Garit would do his best to resist bedding Walderon’s daughter. But the road to Kerun City was several days long and Mallory would find an opportunity to leave the two alone and close together, and then he’d let Garit’s manly lust take its natural course.

  After Garit had violated Calia, Mallory would have the perfect excuse to kill him. No man with any sense of honor could gainsay a brother’s right in such a case. Perhaps he’d even force Garit to marry Calia before he died, just in case he’d got her with child. Mallory would promise to raise the babe himself. His lips curled in anticipation of his perfect revenge on the man who had caused his father’s downfall and death.

  He saw Calia watching him in trepidation and he knew she was wondering what he was plotting. She would learn soon enough. When it was all over, when Mallory was lord of Kinath Castle in fact and not just guardian there, then he’d send his irritatingly scrupulous sister back to Talier Beguinage, to live out her life under the supervision of Garit’s aunt, and he’d make certain that Mother Mage Adana learned what her erstwhile student had been doing during her absence from Talier and that Calia was responsible for Garit’s death. He smiled at the prospect.

  Fenella saw her husband’s smile and, imagining it was meant for her, she shuddered in erotic anticipation. Then she sighed and leaned against his arm, whispering that she was ready for him whenever he wanted her again. Mallory gritted his teeth to distract himself from the image of his wife’s eager body and grasping hands. To divert himself for a few moments he thought of the delights he’d enjoy with the slender, elegant ladies of the royal court. He did not look at Fenella again.

  Chapter 16

  “I don’t want Kinath for my own,” Garit said to Mallory in response to his host’s question. It was evening and they were at the high table, with Fenella sitting at Garit’s left hand and Lady Elgida placed on Mallory’s right side. The food was somewhat sparse, consisting mostly of tough, boiled meat left over from the midday meal and a vegetable stew that contained too many turnips for Garit’s taste. The wine was a bit sour, too.

  Gazing into his silver wine cup, Garit subdued the grimace he wanted to make. The meal was almost over and he was still hungry. An unappetizing-looking fruit tart did not tempt him, nor did the moldy wedge of cheese a servant offered. However, he noticed that Lady Elgida appeared to be enjoying the custard that Fenella claimed had been made just for her.

  “You are no longer used to eating our rough Kantian meals,” Fenella told her as the final course was served. “My lord Mallory suggested a sweeter, gentler recipe to ease your digestion.”

  “That’s very thoughtful of you,” Lady Elgida responded with a smile.

  “Oh, come now, Garit,” Mallory said, speaking right over the women’s remarks, with his coolly insinuating words demanding his guest’s complete attention. “Every man yearns to be master of his own castle, with a title and lands to go with it.”

  “If that’s so,” Garit told him, “then I have a castle and lands in southern Sapaudia that I earned with my own sword and my blood. But the truth is, I don’t crave power, whether here in Kantia, or at King Henryk’s court. When the woman I loved was killed I saw how meaningless land and titles and earthly power really are, and how deadly ambition can be.”

  “You refer to my father, of course.” A definite menacing note colored Malloy’s harsh tone.

  “In part.” Garit spoke calmly, having anticipated the remark. Indeed, he had deliberately chosen his words to invite Mallory’s comment. “Lord Walderon was not the only ambitious man I’ve ever known, though I will say he was one of the deadliest.”

  “Now, there’s a recommendation.” Mallory’s smile was cold.

  Garit decided the moment had come to raise the stakes in the game he and Mallory were playing. Pitching his voice so the ladies on either side of them could hear, he asked, “Why haven’t you invited your sister to join us at the high table? You are slighting her by not acknowledging her publicly.”

  “Your sister?” Fenella cried, gaping at Mallory in amazement. “Who is your sister? You have never mentioned her. Where is she?”

  For just an instant, Mallory appeared at a loss to make a coherent reply. He recovered quickly, though the look he cast upon Garit could have slain a weaker man.

  “Calia sits at a lower table,” he said to his wife.

  “Calia? Lady Elgida’s companion? My lady,” Fenella cried, looking now at the older woman, “is what Garit says true? Have you brought my dear lord’s sister into our home and never told us?”

  “I believe Sir Mallory recognized her at once,” Lady Elgida responded with admirable composure. “But, since he did not speak to her, I assumed he did not wish to acknowledge their relationship.”

  “Not acknowledge his own sister? That’s ridiculous,” Fenella exclaimed. When she began to rise, Mallory stopped her with a brusque command.

  “Stay where you are, Fenella. Do not interfere in my family affairs.”

  “I am part of your family,” Fenella cried. “I want to speak with your sister, to welcome her to Kinath.”

  “Sit. Down.”

  For a long moment Fenella’s glance locked with that of her husband. Then she sank back into her chair. At once, as if he wanted to ease the tension between husband and wife, Durand, who was sitting on Fenella’s other side, said something to her that required her attention and she turned away to answer him.

  “Tell me, Garit,” Mallory drawled, “have you bed
ded Calia, not knowing who she is? You must have been devastated when you learned the truth about her.”

  “Calia is not to blame for her parentage,” Garit said through set teeth. He wasn’t sure in his own mind whether he was more angry that he felt obliged to defend Calia, or that Mallory was accusing him of despoiling a virgin. He was perfectly aware that if he was not careful Mallory would challenge him to hand-to-hand combat over Calia. She’d make a perfect excuse for the bloodletting that Garit was sure Mallory wanted in revenge for his father’s execution. The fact that Walderon had richly deserved his terrible end would not matter to Mallory.

  “Calia is an honorable woman,” Garit said, putting a distinct chill into his words. “Your insulting question requires no answer, but since you are her older brother and, presumably, you have some slight interest in her welfare, I will tell you honestly that I have always treated her with the respect she deserves. I wish that you would do the same and invite her to join us here at the high table.”

  “I prefer not to embarrass her. Calia is not used to noble manners.”

  “I have never found her manners lacking,” Lady Elgida spoke up before Garit could offer a fresh defense. “Calia is a lady in every way, except that she is better educated and far more capable than most noblewomen.”

  “Except, of course, that she is not a lady,” Mallory added with a sly glance in Garit’s direction that dared him to challenge such an unbrotherly declaration.

  “Since no one at this particular high table is noted for witty or learned conversation,” Durand intervened with a self-deprecating laugh that removed the sting from his words, “perhaps Calia is content to sit with Garit’s honest and trustworthy men-at-arms.”

  Mallory could have objected to the hint that he was neither honest nor trustwothy, but he did not. When Fenella giggled and exclaimed that she certainly wasn’t witty either, the tense moment passed.

  Garit exercised the patience learned in his diplomatic career to bring his temper under control. Knowing he was responsible for his grandmother’s safety as well as the safety of the two other women in his party, he could not rise to the bait that Mallory offered. Mallory would likely provide future opportunities for a violent quarrel before they left Kinath, but the success of his and Durand’s mission in Kantia and his grandmother’s goal of securing the safety of his young half-brothers required him to think carefully before making an emotional response.

  So he brushed aside the insults Mallory had made against his own sister and played the part of a polite guest until they all rose from the table and he was called upon to escort Lady Elgida to her bedchamber.

  Just as they reached the staircase a murmur from those at the lower tables made him pause and look back. He had already noticed how birds flew in and out of the opening over the old firepit just as they had done when he was a boy. But never before had he seen so large a bird flying about the great hall and neither, apparently, had the rest of the household. A huge white owl glided gracefully among the rafters, swooping low enough for Durand to put out one had as if to touch it.

  Garit saw Calia smiling as she watched the bird. Only Mallory and Fenella seemed not to notice it. Then the owl was gone, flying out of the hole through which it had entered, and the ordinary folk resumed their conversations or their duties as if it had never appeared.

  Later that night Lady Elgida became sick. Calia leapt out of bed to hold the chamberpot for her.

  “All I can taste is the custard,” Lady Elgida said as she sank back onto her pillows. “There was too much honey in it, but I didn’t want to offend Fenella by refusing to eat all of it after she said it was made especially for me.”

  “Did anyone else eat the custard?” Calia asked.

  “No, there was just enough for me,” Lady Elgida replied.

  “Rinse your mouth, but don’t swallow the water,” Calia instructed, holding a brimming cup to the lady’s lips. “Let your stomach rest for a time.”

  “I doubt if I could keep even plain water down,” Lady Elgida said. The fact that she did not remark upon Calia giving her orders told the younger woman that her mistress was feeling miserable. Or else she was harboring the same dreadful suspicion that had occurred to Calia.

  “Mairne,” Calia said softly, “I want you to fetch fresh water. Draw it from the castle well with your own hands. Rinse the pitcher twice, then refill it. Do not allow anyone else to carry the pitcher for you. Do not set the pitcher down and turn your back, not even for an instant. Do you understand what I am saying?”

  “I do.” Mairne’s dark eyes were huge with comprehension of the reasoning behind Calia’s instructions. “I’ll return as soon as I can.” She seized the water pitcher and left.

  “You will frighten the girl,” Lady Elgida murmured. “She will imagine that you fear I’ve been poisoned.”

  “What do you think?” Calia asked.

  “That I am very glad to have you at my side,” came the response. “I suppose we’ll have to tell Garit about this. We both know that his first reaction will be to take me back to Saumar Manor. But I won’t go. I must reach Kerun City before Mallory can inflict any harm on little Belai and Kinen.”

  When Mairne returned with the fresh water Calia washed Lady Elgida’s cup, then made the sick woman rinse her mouth twice more before she allowed her to rest. She was just tucking in the quilt around Lady Elgida when Garit arrived, followed by Durand and Anders.

  “Mairne alerted us,” Garit said, his gaze on Lady Elgida’s sharp profile.

  “She needs to rest.” Calia tried unsuccessfully to block his way to the bed. “Garit, she doesn’t need company.”

  He ignored her. Perching on the side of the bed, he picked up Lady Elgida’s hand and held it to his cheek.

  “Oh, Garit, leave me alone,” Lady Elgida whispered. “I want to sleep.”

  “Perhaps you ought not to sleep,” Garit said. “Perhaps you ought to get up and walk.”

  “She emptied her stomach of everything she ate at the evening meal,” Calia told him. “There’s nothing left in her to make her sick again.”

  “You don’t know what caused this illness,” Garit objected, “or what substance could have seeped into her body in the hours before she became sick.”

  “While you are imagining my death by some unknown poison,” Lady Elgida muttered, “consider also the possibility that Sir Mallory has employed his Power to bring me to this condition.”

  “No!” Calia exclaimed.

  “Why not?” Garit demanded. “Do you think he wouldn’t use the Power if it would serve his purpose?”

  “Employing the Power requires an exhausting effort,” Durand reminded Garit, though his gaze was fixed on Calia’s face. “That’s why we don’t have mages running about using their Power to make their daily tasks easier, or using it to defeat their opponents in minor quarrels.”

  “I know that perfectly well,” Garit said. “I only asked because Mallory is Walderon’s son.”

  “There’s another reason why Mallory won’t use his Power unless he’s driven to it,” Calia said. “Our father taught Mallory how to corrupt his Power in the belief that corruption would make him stronger. But corrupt Power is even more exhausting to use. Used too often, it can seriously weaken or even kill the one who employs it.”

  “What about you?” Garit asked. “Did Walderon train you, too?”

  “No, he ignored me. The only real training I ever received was at Talier, from Mother Mage Adana, and that was mostly in how to control and conceal what little Power I inherited.”

  “So you do possess Power.” Garit spoke slowly, his gaze on her face. “I have wondered about that since I learned who you are.”

  “Mallory doesn’t know. Please don’t tell him,” Calia begged.

  “I don’t think this is about the Power,” Durand said. He nodded toward the bed where Lady Elgida lay wan and pale.

  “No, it’s not,” Calia agreed. “It’s about ownership of Kinath, about preventing Garit from assertin
g his rights here. Mallory covets Kinath and he’ll never believe that Garit doesn’t want it.

  “Durand, I must have more false information to offer to Mallory later this morning,” Calia added. “He won’t accept excuses.”

  “Kindly go away and let me sleep,” Lady Elgida demanded. “All this talking wearies me.”

  “Can you leave her with Mairne and Anders?” Durand asked Calia.

  “Yes,” she answered, “so long as we don’t go too far away, in case she needs me.”

  “I’ll watch over her,” Mairne promised.

  “I’ll defend her with my life,” Anders added.

  “Garit, you come, too,” Durand said. “Our chamber is only a few steps away. I need to speak with both of you.”

  “Ah,” murmured Lady Elgida, “another plot, and more secrets. What an entertaining journey this is.”

  “Obviously, you are feeling better,” Garit told her.

  “Better, but extremely sleepy. Go away, boy. Your chosen guards will keep me safe.”

  Garit bent to kiss her cheek before he followed Durand and Calia out of the room. He paused to give instructions to the man-at-arms outside the door, telling him to allow no one inside except Mairne and Anders, and to raise a loud alarm if anyone attempted to enter.

  “Someone tried to poison her,” Garit said the moment the door to his own chamber was closed and bolted. “We can all guess who that was.”

  “It could have been an accident,” Calia protested. “Bad eggs, spoiled milk, even something in the honey. She said the custard was much too sweet. Such illnesses happen all the time. Not to mention that she is exhausted after the sea voyage. Garit, it could have been something she ate aboard ship.”

  “Is anyone else sick?” Garit demanded. “Someone on The Kantian Queen? Or is someone in the castle kitchen ill from tasting that custard while it was being made? My conclusion is that Mallory wants her dead, probably in hope of making me leave Kantia before I reach Kerun City, so I won’t claim Kinath as my own. Don’t defend your brother.”