Jayne Castle [Jayne Ann Krentz] (30 page)

Ridge answered the questions about the new Hall of Balance and the increasingly sophisticated economy

of the Northern Continent. Kalena listened to him respond to the women's inquiries, aware of a certain

pride in his intelligent, informed answers. Her trade husband might have had humble beginnings, but over

the years he had clearly taken steps to make up for his early lack of education.

"We have heard that a ship is being constructed in the port of Countervail," one of the women remarked.

"A very special ship that will be used in an attempt to cross the Sea of Clashing Light."

"That's true," Ridge confirmed. "It's being financed by a consortium of wealthy House lords."

"What is the objective? Exploration?"

"Exploration of the lands beyond the sea and the establishment of trade routes," Ridge replied. "Who

knows? Perhaps there will be Healers in those other lands who will want to exchange information with

you."

"A fascinating thought," Arona murmured.

Ridge hesitated, scowling slightly as he discovered his wine goblet was empty. He was accustomed to

having it kept full when he shared a table with Kalena. "There are many who think the ship will never

return," he remarked as he reluctantly reached for the wine decanter and helped himself again. "The

Polarity Advisors theorize that there may be no other inhabited lands beyond the sea. Some think that the

dangers of the voyage will prove so great the ship will be forced to turn back. Whatever happens, it

should be interesting."

"Very," Valica agreed. "But all of that lies in the future. Tonight there are more immediate matters that

must be dealt with. Would you excuse us, Trade Master? We have a pressing need to discuss business

and the future with Kalena."

Ridge took his dismissal with good grace, considering how it must have galled him. He glanced briefly at

Kalena's politely composed face, and then got to his feet, maintaining his grip on the wine decanter. He

continued to stare down at Kalena.

"I'll be waiting for you," he said very deliberately.

"I understand." She did. Kalena met the fierce gold of his gaze and knew exactly what he was saying. He

was the lone male confronting a small world full of women who wanted Kalena in some manner which he

didn't fully comprehend. He realized there was a risk here, but he wasn't certain how to combat it. He

knew only that he had to try to exert what small authority he retained in an effort to make certain Kalena

returned to him. Perhaps he feared that if he lost her, he lost the Sand, Kalena thought, wondering why

the realization hurt. This was merely a trade marriage, after all.

"Don't worry, Ridge," she whispered. "I will do my best to see that you get your Sand."

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"Damn the Sand. See that you return to the cottage at a decent hour." He turned on his heel and stalked

out of the dining chamber. No one asked him to leave the wine decanter behind.

When Ridge had gone, all eyes turned toward Kalena. An odd sense of anticipation suddenly filled the

air. Valica smiled reassuringly. "The Sand is yours, Kalena. As much as you can carry. There is a fresh

supply in the kiln now. It will be ready by tomorrow morning."

"Thank you," Kalena said quietly. No one knew exactly how the precious Sands of Eurythmia were

made. The High Healers' secret has been well guarded for generations. The Sand was not a curative

itself; its value lay in the fact that it was a diagnostic tool. When burned, the smoke it produced enabled a

Healer with the Talent to somehow "see" inside her patient and determine the exact nature of his illness.

Then she prescribed treatment, which usually consisted of concoctions formulated from the plants in her

garden. One of the first things a Healer-in-training did was plant her medicinal garden. It was as much a

symbol of her profession as the little brazier she used to burn the Sand. The smoke could be used

effectively by only a certain number of people, invariably women.

For generations the Healers' Guild had allowed only those women with the Talent to enter training. The

test for aptitude was a simple one. The smoke was inhaled by a prospective Healer and she was then

told to "look" inside a patient. She was either immediately able to see the source of the illness, even

though she might lack the training to identify it, or she was not. Some women had what was generally

referred to as a touch of the Talent, which meant they experienced disorienting effects under the influence

of the smoke but saw no clear vision of the illness they had been set to diagnose.

"I am not certain how to negotiate for the Sand," Kalena said slowly. "I've never done it before. Please

tell me how many grans you want for it and I will see if we have enough to make the purchase."

Valica appeared completely unconcerned. "The usual price of a thousand grans will be sufficient. The

Sand is not the crucial matter tonight. It was merely the lure."

"Lure?" Kalena waited, tense with the intuitive knowledge that something very important was about to be

demanded of her.

The other women remained silent, allowing Valica to explain. She took her time, choosing her words

with obvious care. "You have, perhaps, heard the legend about the Light Key being hidden somewhere in

these mountains."

"I've heard the tales."

"They are true, Kalena."

Kalena took a deep breath. "There really is a Light Key?"

"Oh, yes. There is a Light Key." Valica's mouth curved a little sadly. "Do you understand what that

implies?"

Kalena acknowledged the obvious truth. She shivered slightly as she responded. "If there truly is a Light

Key, thena Dark Key must also exist."

"There is no need to look so horrified, Kalena," Valica said gently. "For all power, there is a focus of

opposition. Surely Olara taught you well."

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Kalena shook her head wonderingly. "You know of my aunt?"

"Olara was on the verge of becoming one of us a long time ago. She has the Talent in great measure and

she chose not to seek an alliance with a male. Her natural inclinations would have led her to this valley

eventually if . . . other factors had not intervened."

"The death of the men of my House. My father was her brother," Kalena explained unhappily. "And after

their deaths came the death of my mother. It was my fault Olara had no choice but to give up her own

desires. She did her duty by me and by the House of the Ice Harvest, instead." Unlike herself, Kalena

added silently.

"There is always a choice, Kalena. Remember that. Olara could have brought you here," Valica said

quietly. "But she chose the path of vengeance. She raised you to be the instrument of that vengeance

instead of the fine Healer you might have become with proper training."

"A Healer? I could have been one? How can you know such a thing? I have never proven myself with

Sand." Kalena grappled with that thought. "My aunt never allowed me to learn her secrets. She refused

to test me with the Sand. She said such things would only distract me from what I must do."

"She was right. It's impossible for a trained Healer to willingly kill, except, perhaps, in a clear cut case of

self-defense or the defense of another. But Olara brought you up with the notion that you must kill coldly

and with calculation. The act would have gone against your deepest instincts. So she took steps to

conceal those instincts from your awareness."

Kalena remembered the feeling of a barrier being breached in her mind the first time Ridge had made

love to her. "How did she hide such knowledge from me for so long?"

"Olara used the techniques Healers learn for dealing with troubled minds. There are ways of making a

patient forget things that are so disturbing or painful that they are a hazard to health. Olara used such

methods on you. She took a great risk when she negotiated your temporary marriage. She must have

known that. Apparently, she could think of no other way to get you close to your quarry."

"She told me that even though I was signing a marriage contract of sorts, she said I must not sleep with

my husband or any other man before I carried out my responsibility to my House," Kalena answered.

She dropped her eyes. "But I disobeyed her."

"If your aunt had allowed you to breathe smoke, the barrier she had established in your mind would have

been shattered. When you chose to form a physical and emotional bond with the man you were to marry,

the act had virtually the same effect. It weakened that barrier in your mind to a great extent."

"To such an extent that I failed in my duty."

"You failed your aunt's directive. You did not fail yourself. You were not born to commit cold-blooded

murder, Kalena, regardless of the motive." Valica leaned across the table to touch her guest's hand.

"Your destiny is far more complex."

Kalena looked at her, aware of the intensity with which the others were watching. "What destiny is this,

Valica? I have no other calling except vengeance, and I have had to abandon that."

Valica shook her head. "Vengeance was never your true calling. You see, you are the one who will take

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the Light Key out of its hiding place."

Kalena went cold. "No," she whispered in a tight voice. "No, that can't be true."

"The Key has not been touched for more generations than any Healer can chart. We believe from all our

studies that it has not been touched since it was put into its hiding place."

"If it really exists, it is not meant to be touched," Kalena protested. "It is beyond our comprehension. It

must be left where it is forever!"

Valica smiled again, a wary, resigned smile that held infinite sadness and certainty. "It can only stay

hidden and untouched as long as the Dark Key is also hidden and untouched."

"What are you saying?"

"We think the Dark Key has been discovered."

Kalena's mouth went dry. "It's said that if the Dark Key and the Light Key are ever brought close

together that the Dark will destroy the Light."

"Men say that." Arona spoke for the first time, a derisive amusement in her voice. "Men are fond of

believing that in a showdown, they are the stronger and therefore their end of the Spectrum must be the

more powerful. But the truth is their beliefs violate the Mathematics of Paradox as well as the Philosophy

of the Spectrum. All things must be balanced by equal opposites."

Kalena glanced at her, and then her gaze swung back to Valica. "Do you know for certain that the Dark

Key has been discovered?"

"Not for certain, no. But we are deeply suspicious. There have been acts of Darkness near the

mountains. Men have died in strange ways. There have been tales told of the hook vipers appearing

outside the mountains for the first time in generations ..."

"Ridge killed one on the trail coming here," Kalena whispered.

"Kalena, the hook vipers are fearsome, but they have always feared humans. If they have begun hunting

outside the mountains then it is because something has driven them forth. There are other tales, too. Ones

we don't understand but which have gravely alarmed us."

Kalena thought about the dark mist that had tried to envelope her in the caverns. "I don't understand

what it is you expect me to do."

"Unfortunately, we cannot completely explain your destiny to you, because we are not sure of it

ourselves," Valica said. "We have had hints over the years. Bits and pieces of information have come to

us through Far Seeing. Other clues we have reasoned out on our own. The only thing of which we are

certain is that you are the one who can take hold of the Light Key. It would kill anyone else."

"You can't know this for a fact! What would I do with it if I did take it with me—assuming it didn't kill

me, too? This makes no sense." Kalena was feeling trapped now, as trapped as she had felt the day

Olara told her she must kill Quintel. But at least after the death of Quintel there had been a vague promise

of freedom. The legends concerning the Light and Dark Keys claimed that death was the price any

human would pay for touching either.

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"Calm yourself, Kalena. No one will force you to take the Key. It is not our place to try. The decision

must be yours, and only you will know how and when you must act. All we can do is tell you what we

have learned over the years through studying the legends and the shreds of ancient manuscripts that have

come into our possession."

"You have many such old manuscripts?"

"A few. What do you think we use Quintel's grans for? It costs money to pursue old legends."

"You speak of the days of the Dawn Lords," Kalena said slowly. "Are you telling me that they really

existed?"

"We believe so. It was they who discovered the Stones of Contrast and buried them in fire and ice. No

one knows where they are hidden. But we believe the Keys to the Stones, both of them, were hidden in

these mountains. The Light Key we know for certain is here. The ancient documents hint that the Dark is