“Yes.”
“Lady and Lord, you are wonderful.”
She smiled.
“How many places can you remember?” he asked.
“Those four, for sure, and though I believe that Families and Residences would not often change their teleportation light if they have dedicated rooms, I do not think I would depend on that.”
“Good point. I assure you, I will not have any in T’Vine changed without your input.”
She shrugged. “My holos are nothing but bent and colored light.” She lifted a finger and a small image of a green apple with stem and leaves appeared and rotated. “Ephemeral.” She snapped her fingers. “Here and gone.”
He sucked in a harsh breath. “You mean your murals could be banished with a Word?”
A roll of her shoulder. “It depends on how much Flair I, and others, invest in them. I fully believe my holo paintings in the Hopeful Cathedral will last as long as the building.” Her eyes took on a distant look. “My early work . . . mural attempts . . . is mostly gone.”
“What?” His chest constricted. “Never thought of that. Your creative work vanishes.”
“Sometimes your wind chimes break,” she pointed out.
“Not if I can help it,” he muttered. Not since he’d been a child. He still had the first wind chime he’d made of thin glass strips.
She spread her arms. “Life is like that, Muin. We journey through it. Here, then gone. Ephemeral.” Again she tilted her head. “I would have expected we agreed on this. You see multiple futures all the time, most of which don’t come true. All the other paths you see are transitory.”
He grunted but didn’t want to discuss that without thinking about it, so he returned to the previous topic. “The light’s like D’Hazel Residence, but not the scent.”
She chuckled. “The fragrance of GreatMistrys Avellana Hazel’s home in Multiplicity.”
“Huh.” He took the couple of steps to the balcony and looked down. “Your furniture is in.”
“A minimal amount came a few minutes before I went up to the observation hill.” She inhaled and exhaled deeply, as if taking in the scent of her new home. An aroma that would have only minuscule traces of himself and Flora, for now.
Avellana went on. “I do not think I will furnish this space more, as I will not be spending a plentiful amount of time here. Not as much as I anticipated.”
“I told the Residence I’d be here with you tonight, and then I told my Family I’d be leaving.”
Her eyes widened as she stared at him.
“It’s been a couple of years since I visited the Vine estates outside Druida City. I don’t have any upcoming vital appointments for a full three eightdays.” He’d checked his calendar sphere.
“A vacation, Muin?”
He hadn’t had a vacation in . . . never.
“Absolutely.” He nodded, grabbed her and whirled her around, then set her down within the circle of his arm. “We can leave from here, tomorrow morning.” Glancing around, he saw the open doors to a couple of sitting rooms as part of suites. “Got beds?”
“Of course,” she squeaked, then wet her lips. “Not the primary bed, yet, though. That should be delivered later today by Clover Fine Furniture. I commissioned a piece.”
“Good. Let’s see what you have.”
A faint cheer came from outside and her expression clouded. “We’re missing the building of Vensis’s home. I must be seen taking an interest in my fellow community members. He will notice if I am not there.” She brushed her hands along her opposite sleeves. “Even though I am only in my work clothes.”
Vinni grumbled, then said, “Vensis is a tracker like T’Blackthorn. Those work clothes are grubby.”
She just sniffed, took Vinni’s hand, and began walking fast. They’d circled down the stairs and gotten to the front door when she stopped and turned to him, disappointment drooping her mouth.
“We cannot leave Multiplicity or Druida City. We have the matchmaking meeting with T’Willow tomorrow morning.”
Frowning, Vinni said, “I’d forgotten. Hmmm. Plans.” His frown turned to a scowl. “I’ve heard that having a matchmaking consultation with Saille T’Willow is only slightly less exhausting than an appointment with Vinni T’Vine. We should plan on staying here tomorrow night. Go into Druida City for the consultation, return back here, leave the next morning. There are others living here now, right? And building will continue tomorrow?”
“Yes. The Parises, Arta Daisy, and my former governess have all moved into their homes. Vensis Betony-Blackthorn will begin staying here tonight.”
Vinni whistled. “You all acted quickly.”
“We are all the founding members of Multiplicity, and we all had homes designed that we want to live in. Homes.”
“I understand.” Vinni reached out and opened the door. “Well, we won’t be alone in the town, and that’s good. I can wait two days to leave.” He let out a breath. “That I keep the matchmaking appointment might reassure my Family, but right now, I am heartily sick of them.” As soon as she’d initiated the house shieldspells, he caught her hand and kissed her fingers. “What do you think of our new itinerary?”
“All right,” she agreed, though she sounded cautious.
“Good.” He went down the front steps with her, drew in a breath of air that smelled nothing like Druida City. Nor did the view appear like any he’d find there, not even in one of the huge parks. Countryside with a small town being built.
With every step they walked up the hill to the observation tent, he felt as if part of the burden of responsibilities weighing on him cracked and fell away. His muscles became looser and he enjoyed the warm sunlight on his body, glad he noticed such small pleasures again.
Avellana walked with him, hand in hand, swinging their arms, then said quietly, “I have changed my mind.”
He tensed.
“You, we, should give our Families a little more warning.” Sighing, she glanced up at him. “I had planned on staying tonight with my Family in a private gathering. I believe you should attend dinner with your Family.”
He grimaced. “I suppose you think I should schedule a formal dinner to include all the Family, especially since not all of them came to our ritual last night. Some might want to talk to me before I go.”
“Yes.”
He made a disgusted noise but pulled out his perscry. “T’Vine Residence.”
“Here, T’Vine,” the House replied.
“Please inform the Family that there will be a formal dinner with everyone invited at the time of the usual second serving.”
“Yes, T’Vine.”
He ended the scry and put his pebble in his pocket. They continued up the hill road. A thought occurred that made him smile. “That will have people scrambling to change their plans, including the cooks. I think I’ve been too accommodating to my Family.”
Avellana watched him with narrowed eyes.
“What?”
“I think you have been very courteous to your Family, something that many other FirstFamilies’ Lords and Ladies are not. I like that quality in you.”
He grinned. “Yeah, but that was then, this is now, and we are running away.”
She sniffed. “Taking a break.”
His Fam’s mental voice came to them both. I have just heard that we are going adventuring! Flora sounded enthusiastic.
That’s right, Vinni sent back.
I have always wanted to see other places.
He sure hadn’t known that.
But we will need to take my basket bed and my pillow and my blanket and my toys. So I am comfortable.
Of course, Vinni murmured.
Rhyz’s mental voice snorted. He appeared and trotted ahead of them, tail waving. I am always ready for adventure. His whiskers twitched. I do not need anything special.
“Except catnip from Nuada’s Sword,” Avellana murmured.
Except that, Rhyz confirmed. I have been a very good Fam, a kilo, please.
And Vinni understood that though he’d wanted to go with impulse, when including others, adventuring took planning.
Twenty-eight
As he’d expected, most of the Family showed up at the formal dinner. He pretty much spent the long meal of many courses watching his relatives while appearing not to scrutinize them. He noted that the guards who’d attended the ritual the night before didn’t attend; they’d be patrolling the castle. Vinni had spoken with his Chief of Guards, who’d informed him that he’d already planned a field training exercise with his core team outside the walls and asked leave to miss the dinner. Vinni had agreed and made sure that those guards would have a banquet in their mess hall when they returned.
All of the upper staff, including Bifrona and Arcto, his former tutor, both disapproving, were present.
Boring. No sparkling conversation. Not even much affection.
He felt no hate-filled spears of emotion directed at him, so he didn’t think the person assaulting him and Avellana sat at the tables.
Perhaps the attacker hadn’t dined with him since before the assaults. It took a sly and clever individual to be able to hide such feelings when in Vinni’s presence as Head of the Household, GreatLord T’Vine.
But . . . but . . . he began to think that the person who struck at them might not be the master intelligence behind this whole matter. He didn’t like that idea.
So he acted as charming as he could, blanketed the room with sincere appreciation that kept the rest smiling and relaxed while he studied them. Not hard to keep up the love of Family welling in him. He did love his Family. And during the whole meal, he targeted his relatives and sent them love, each by each.
Maybe if they felt that, they could, and would, stop this insane course before they all reached the point of doom.
Vinni sat until the slowest diner swallowed the last bite of cocoa mousse and Bifrona stood, indicating the end of dinner.
Then he gave a toast, as he had at the beginning of the banquet. This time he drew upon his Flair, and that of the Residence, to infuse the room with sparkling blessing.
On the murmur of approval, he left the room and crossed to his public tower, through that to his private space, and up to the GreatLord suite.
There he spoke with the Residence about those of his Family who could be eliminated as the attacker, about a quarter of his relatives, far too few.
He also read the reports of his allies. As he’d requested and they’d all agreed, they’d scrutinized their Family members. None of them believed they harbored the secret leader of the Traditionalist Stance among their relatives.
Vinni wished he could be as easy in his mind with his own Family.
He paid particular attention to those allies who’d managed to retain some ties with the Families who’d repudiated the Vine contracts.
No person was suspected to be the Traditionalist Stance leader.
By the time he’d finished annotating the reports and consulting with the Residence, a septhour had passed and his spirit had worn weary.
He’d be glad to get away.
He wanted some fresh air, but not the emptiness of his personal garden or rooftop spa. So he strolled through the courtyard toward the Family garden.
A teenaged girl shuffled by a potted tree in a corner, her body in a pale tunic and trous bending and swaying as if to catch his attention.
“Hey, Vinni,” called a couple of the guards as they passed, changing shifts.
He addressed them by name and returned their greeting, even as he noticed from the corner of his eye that the girl had faded more into the twilight-shadowed far corner.
A whisper that felt more like a shout on her part came to his mind. Good dinner. Felt nice. Need to speak privately with you, T’Vine!
He dipped his head in acknowledgment, then waited until the two guards coming off duty from the guardhouse met him in the courtyard as he casually paced its perimeter. He spoke to them for a moment, then slowed his steps until they’d exited the yard to their quarters. Since he still felt eyes on him, as he passed the corner, he murmured, “I will be walking in the outer east garden.” A place often used by all Family members. He cast his gaze briefly toward the girl. “Please meet me there, Lauda. I will be glad to speak with you.”
He thought he saw the dip of a quick curtsey, then he continued to the main door of his public tower and crossed through the slice of entryway, through the sitting room, then his consultation chamber, to the remaining room, a private area with several doors, all only keyed to him.
He may have not demanded another Loyalty Ceremony, but earlier he’d changed all the spells on the doors he wanted to keep personal and private to himself. No one could enter where he didn’t want them to go. And the Residence would obey him in this, too, and would inform him of any attempt at entrance.
Well, of course Avellana could enter any and all of his private spaces, though he didn’t think the other Family members realized that. He smiled.
Then he teleported to the narrow east garden between the towering walls of the castle itself and the outer rampart. Expanding his senses, he sighed with satisfaction that only he and Lauda walked in the darkening shadows as night banished day. He strode to her, noting that she stood near the bench at the portion of the wall a guard would reach last when patrolling.
Bowing, he said, “Greetyou, kinswoman Lauda.”
“You know my name.”
He inclined his head. “And that you live on the garden level of the west side of the main building, and you are a journeywoman cook.”
She pulled a face. “A cook for the secondary Family dining room.”
“Are you not happy with your work? Do you wish a change? What of your quarters, are they acceptable?”
She stared blankly at him. “That’s not what I came here to talk to you about.”
He gestured to the fancy marble bench. “Please sit. We can deal with other issues after you answer my questions.”
After sitting down, and watching him do the same, she shrugged. “I like being a cook. I just don’t like the first dining room cooks and staff acting all special.”
“All right. Would you care to train to be in that kitchen? Is there, ah, some specialty you would prefer?”
“I’m fine.”
“But you did notice when you sat at dinner tonight that the first dining room cooks and staff all worked. Would you like to move to dinner in the first dining room from now on?”
Her smile bloomed. “Yes, thank you, T’Vine.”
“Done.” He sent a telepathic note to the Residence, who approved of it. Then he asked, “And your quarters?”
“They’re fine, too, thank you kindly for your offer, T’Vine.”
He sensed she wouldn’t accept calling him by anything but his title. He wanted to cross his ankles, but his trainers in the fighting arts would seriously disapprove, so he kept his feet flat on the ground and ready to spring. Though now he sat so close to this relative, his small bond with her fed him information. She spoke the truth about herself, but worried about another matter.
“How can I help you?” he asked.
Angling toward him, she considered him, her fingers pleating an apron over her tunic. “You know my brother, Bicknell, married our second cuz Perna, and he and she was banished from the castle for marrying too close, but they are HeartMates!”
Vinni blinked as he recalled the circumstances. “I didn’t banish them.”
“No, that was ’afore you were an adult.”
“But they went to a small holding that the Family owned near Gael City, a summerhouse purchased for my predecessor when she was a young woman. When I became an adult, your brother and sister-in-law came
and swore fealty to me, and asked that they be allowed to purchase the property.”
“And you let ’em!” Lauda replied fiercely.
“Yes. They’d proven they’d prosper without Family funds, and deserved to keep the fruit of their labors themselves.” He winced at his own pompous tones, but that’s just what fell out of his mouth.
“That’s right,” Lauda said with satisfaction. Then she crumpled her apron in her hands as she lifted her gaze to his. “Finally they are having a baby.”
“And you want to go there?”
“No!”
“No,” he repeated.
“It’s all through the castle that you said you was going to leave the castle for a bit.” Her chin came up. “I’d like you to go to my brother’s and be an Oracle for the babe.”
“Perna’s close to delivering?”
Lauda nodded.
“I am bound to act as Oracle at the birth of any Family member who asks.” He paused. “Neither your brother nor your sister-in-law have requested me to determine the type and strength of the baby’s Flair, or for any indications as to the child’s life.”
“I’m asking.” She took a breath. “And it’s a small property, but a pretty one.” She turned her head to face the wall of the castle but watched him from the corners of her eyes. “And there’s a separate cottage on it.”
“Ah. A separate cottage,” he repeated, smiling slowly. “I’d forgotten. An intimate retreat for my HeartMate and me?”
Lauda shrugged. “If you want.”
“Though they own their own property, they remain part of the Family and I have connections with them.” He nodded to her. “As I do to you. I also have their scry images and can request an invitation.”
She hummed, then said, “Or you can, like, be in the neighborhood and drop in.” She sighed. “They are very sensitive about Family judgments.”
“Naturally they would be. But I am of the opinion that if they are HeartMates, the Lady and Lord blessed them that way, and they fulfilled their destiny.”
“Huh,” Lauda said. She stood and smoothed the wrinkles from her apron with her hands and a couplet.
Heart Sight Page 28
