The Consuls of the Vicariate (33 page)

“This is no fairy tale, and you’re no knight in shining armor. You think I would go around kissing any man who fancied me? My father met his end for doing just that!”

“I’m sorry if I offended—”

“I appreciate what you’ve done for me, but assume nothing more.”

“Then I will only say that I’m glad you didn’t turn us over to Forane. Good day, miss.” He turned and opened the door.

“Wait, Brice. I’m sorry. I was too harsh with you.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more.”

She sighed. “I don’t know how to feel. I miss my father, but he caused me insurmountable grief. That’s not your fault, and you don’t deserve my ire.”

He didn’t know exactly what to say in reply. So he waited for her to speak again.

“Here,” she said, slipping an iron ring off her finger. “I bestow upon you this ring, a symbol of my favor.”

He took it and gave her a deep bow. “M’lady.”

“Be careful out in the wide world, Sir Brice. If you should find yourself in Azura again, pay me a visit and tell me of your travels.”

“Of course.” He smiled, then went through the door and closed it behind him.

This knight business is hard work
, he mused, the sting of the slap still fresh on his cheek.
I couldn’t resist seeing her one last time, though. Maybe we will meet again
.

* * *

Laedron and Marac entered the Shimmering Dawn headquarters, and Laedron noticed that the long table had been filled with a feast—a variety of fresh vegetables, meats, and desserts. Brice had returned sometime earlier, and he was busy indulging himself, along with Piers and Caleb.

“Are we invited?” Laedron asked.

Around a mouthful of food, Piers replied, “Dig in.”

Marac sat and grabbed a cut of beef from a serving platter. “We have much to thank you for, Master Piers.”

“No, no. We should be thanking you. If not for you, we would still be lurking in the shadows, biding our time until the army could reach us.”

“That was your plan?”

“We suspected for quite some time that the Heraldans would be unable to summon the assistance of anyone other than the Falacorans.” Piers popped a slice of tomato into his mouth. “It would have been bloody, but the Falacorans would have been forced to retreat.”

Marac shrugged. “You sound rather confident of that.”

“You think it would have gone another way?”

“I saw the battle to the north, and both sides were nearly annihilated. The Sorbian army would have had its hands full for years, and that’s if they could set a siege.”

“Perhaps, but we have no need to worry about such things now.”

“Yes,” Laedron said. “Fenric should be close to Morcaine by now with the terms of peace if he hasn’t arrived already.”

Brice looked up from his plate. “We can only hope.”

“What did you go do, anyway?” Marac asked. “What in the heavens could you have to do here that doesn’t involve the order?”

“I had to say goodbye to someone.”

“Who?”

“A girl named Collette.” Brice took a bite of mutton and chased it with some wine. “What? You think I’m incapable of doing something without your watchful eye?”

Marac glanced at Laedron, then said, “No, of course not.”

“Good,” Brice said, rising. “See you in the morning.”

Having finished his meal, Laedron stood once Brice had left. “I’m going to get some rest, too, if I can.”

“Goodnight, friend,” Piers said.

* * *

An hour or more passed, and Laedron lay awake, staring at the ceiling.
Why can’t I sleep?
After two whole days of being awake, I don’t tire? What sort of cruel joke is this?

A knock on the door broke his train of thought. He sprang out of bed, opened the door, and saw Valyrie standing in the darkened hall outside.

“I was wondering if I could come see you for a while,” Valyrie said.

He opened the door the rest of the way. “Certainly. Come in.”

“I’m anxious about the journey,” she said. “I’ve traveled with Da before, but never outside the country.”

“It’s nothing major,” Laedron said, closing the door behind her. “I can see why you might be nervous. I was nervous when we left Sorbia. But the feeling will pass.”

“I’m glad that you think so. The churning of my stomach says otherwise.”

“It’ll pass. Trust me.”

She smiled. “You’re having trouble sleeping again?”

“You can tell?” he asked, letting out a laugh.

“We could talk for a while if you want. Maybe that will help.”

Laedron was willing to try anything, so he nodded. “Do you think the war—”

“I’d rather speak personally.” She sat beside him. “We’ve all talked at length about the war and the Drakars. I would prefer a change.”

“All right.”

She folded her hands in her lap. “Tell me about Ismerelda.”

“Ismerelda?”

“Surely you know of whom I speak.”

“Yes, yes. Of course. She was an Uxidin and a gifted sorceress. Taught me much of what I know of magic.”

“Could you describe her to me? I’d like to get a mental picture of her.”

“Fair skin and slender, long golden hair, and a remarkable beauty. Centuries old, yet eternally youthful.” He tried to remember her the way he’d seen her in the boarding house in Morcaine. “She always had a close eye to detail, and she spoke, walked, and dressed as a noble would.”

“Did you desire her?” Valyrie asked.

Laedron tried to swallow the massive lump in his throat. “What do you mean?”

“Plainly, did you want her?”

“I… well, I…” He had seen that look in another woman’s eyes. It matched a gaze his mother had given him before, and it always resulted in silence and stuttering until Laedron finally came clean with the truth. “I did have an attraction, but it could not have been. Though she appeared young, she was far older than I was. Though I felt a physical attraction, I would never have pursued anything with her.”

“Had she been younger, would you have considered it?”

Laedron shook his head. “Why speculate on things that do not matter?”

“I only ask to understand you better.”

“Very well,” Laedron said, sighing. “If she’d been younger, I still wouldn’t have tried for her hand.”

“Why?”

“For starters, we were too different, and knowing that she was Uxidin, our life together would have been riddled with confusion and hardships. Uxidin are immortal, Val; I would have grown old and died while she would have remained young and beautiful forever. A long, cruel torture for both of us. Now, will you tell me why you ask?”

“I worry.”

“What about?”

“I’ve grown close to you, but strange things are happening to you. My book tells of strange rituals, and it’s unsettling.”

“What does your question have to do with that though?”

“Jurgen’s spell restored your body—made you perfect, in fact—and you’ve not been able to sleep at all. What if the spell has done more than that?”

“Plainly, Val,” Laedron said. “Tell me what truly concerns you.”

“Just what you said. If his spell has made you immortal, then what concern would you have for me? How could we be together if you had to watch me grow old?”

“Nonsense. Your book never said I would live forever.”

“Not all things are written in books,” she said, a tear dripping from her eye. “I feel like everything and everyone I care about will be snatched away. Just like the story of Azura and Tristan, a forbidden love that was never to be, a love destroyed by immortality and that awful torment of which you spoke.”

“It won’t happen like that.”

“How can you be so sure? You said it yourself. One of us ages; the other does not. A cruel torture?”

Laedron grabbed her by the shoulders. “We need not get ahead of ourselves. No need to worry yourself over questions to which we do not have the answers.” His words apparently having little effect, she continued to sob until he said, “We’ll find a way.”

“What do you mean?” She wiped her face with her sleeve.

He thought about what Marac had said, especially the part about knowing for sure if it would work with a woman before committing to anything permanent. Looking into her face, Laedron saw the woman he loved. The fire behind her eyes gave him a glimpse of the fighting they would do in the years to come, but he didn’t care because when he held her close, he knew that the tears flowing down her cheeks would wash away his mistakes. He knew that, regardless of what happened, he wanted to be near her for the rest of his days, as long or as short as they might be. Laedron resolved that he would always give it his all.

“Whatever may come, we shall find a way to get through it. This is no different.”

She reached for him. He took her in a tight embrace and didn’t let go until morning.

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