Moons' Dreaming (Children of the Rock) (51 page)

“
Aye. We spent a nineday together last winter, near Dundas.
”

“
Do you have a mother in mind for this child?
”

“
We do.
”

“
And you have reason to believe she
’
ll accept this proposition? Her and her family? For the sake of the child, this will need to be more than a passing relationship between Pirse and the girl.
”

“
The family has no great love for Palle.
”
A blush colored Ivey
’
s fair Dherrican skin.
“
As for Kamara, Pirse won
’
t know for certain until he asks her, but he told me the two of them were childhood friends.
”

Sene heard tapping. Distracted, he glanced toward Feather. She had her arms folded and a frown on her face. The toes of one foot beat impatiently against the floor.

“
I see you
’
ve got it all figured out,
”
she said.
“
But what if it
’
s all a waste of effort? What if Palle refuses to acknowledge the child?
”

“
I know the solution to that problem,
”
Sene said. He smiled at Feather.
“
And you, my dear, can help.
”

Her foot stopped its tapping.
“
Me?
”

“
In fact, the task is perfect for you. An opportunity to broaden your base of authority here in Sitrine.
”

“
But
—”

“
You will summon a Council of Judgment,
”
Sene continued over her protest.
“
Aage is the only Dreamer available, but you
’
ve got hundreds of people to chose from for the Shaper and Keeper positions. We
’
ll make a formal presentation of the case and let the Council respond. That should answer your questions, Ivey.
”

“
We?
”
Feather repeated.

Sene pretended not to notice the icy skepticism in her tone.
“
Feather, you will speak for Pirse in his absence. The judgment of the Council will resolve nothing between Pirse and his uncle, of course, because Palle hasn
’
t presented the challenge to us. But we can judge whether or not this child would be fair compensation if Palle ever does claim his blood debt.
”

Ivey nodded.
“
That
’
s all Pirse asks. Thank you, Your Majesty.
”

“
Yes,
”
Feather grumbled.
“
Thanks.
”

Sene knew better than to be out from under a cool roof at
midday
in summer-baked Raisal. Even worse, he walked the main street bare-headed. The bald spot on the top of his head would crisp in the strong sunlight. He
’
d go home burned, and Jeyn would nag at him. He wiped a trickle of sweat from his cheek.

“
Should have brought a hat.
”

The market was over for the day, and the street nearly empty. As he passed a tavern, a few people lounging at the awning-shaded tables called to him, but he declined their offer of a refreshing drink and hurried on. He needed to be alone, to bring his anger and frustration with Jeyn under control. He had shouted at his daughter, she
’
d shouted back, and they
’
d stomped off in opposite directions
—
which didn
’
t solve a thing.

When his grandmother was ruler,
Raisal had been the largest town on the continent, its market and workshops and wharves bustling with activity. Sene barely remembered those days, when he rode his father
’
s shoulders through the noisy, crowded streets and watched ships sail in and out of the harbor. He remembered the plague better
—
mass graves, Redmothers reciting by the hundreds the names of the dead, and whole streets of houses emptied and left to fall to ruin. Ruin that still hadn
’
t been completely cleared away, despite years of effort. Now he walked the streets of a much smaller town, toward wharves where only a few fishing and trading boats waited for the tide.

Both his parents had died from the plague. His grandmother lived until he was fourteen. From her, he inherited a town and countryside ravished by loss and reeling with despair. In the waning years of the plague, representatives of more and more villages came to him with the news that the Shapers who had led and protected them were dead. In the end, only three other Shaper families survived in Sitrine, all close relatives of the ruler of Raisal. The consensus among Keepers, Shapers, and Aage was for Sene to organize and care for the populace of the northeastern lands. Instead of concentrating on his city and its surrounding villages, Sene began the task of rebuilding an entire region. More responsibility than any one person should have to bear, but there hadn
’
t been any choice. The rulers of Rhenlan and Dherrica, whose territories had grown in much the same way, seemed to take pleasure in their expanded kingdoms. He did not.

Sene approached the dock. A breeze tempered the heat and disguised the fierceness of the sun. Perhaps the comparatively cool air would help clear his head. He had to think this situation through before he went home and tried, again, to have a reasonable conversation with Jeyn.

He wouldn
’
t be quite so annoyed if both Aage and Jenil weren
’
t nagging at him. They were impatient to get on with their plans for a new generation of Dreamers. Hion
’
s daughter had been established in her new home, and Feather was settling in to life in Raisal. The only one unwilling to cooperate was Jeyn. Over lunch, Sene had tried to have a fatherly talk with his gods-favored daughter. It wasn
’
t that he wanted to push her into marriage, exactly. He had merely hoped to advise her on her relationship with her betrothed. Jeyn had not been interested in his advice. As the conversation grew more heated, Sene discovered she wasn
’
t interested in Daav, either.

Sene took a seat on the weather-worn planking of the dock and leaned his back against a piling. Through the purposeful bustle of traders, sailors, and hungry gulls, he spotted Chasa
’
s boat at the end of the jetty. His son had been called away on a sea-dragon hunt just after the Spring Festival, and had only returned last night. Sene didn
’
t remember so many monsters slipping through the cracks between worlds when he was young. Maybe because the cracks weren
’
t so numerous then, or because there had been more wizards to defend against the magic.

They needed more Dreamers, and soon. The gods had provided a way, and Sene had vowed to obey the gods
’
will. Jeyn was old enough to be wed. It was time she and Daav made peace with each other and got on with giving him grandchildren. Sene sighed, and knocked the back of his head lightly against the wooden post. It didn
’
t help his frustration any. What was he going to do with that girl? She had too much mind of her own. Always thought she was right. A chuckle rumbled up from his chest.

“
Takes after her father that way,
”
he admitted. With renewed determination, Sene got to his feet. Time to go home and try a little more fatherly persuasion.

* * *

Chasa pulled off his vest as he came into the hall as the head of the household staff entered through another door.
“
Have you seen Feather this morning, Dektrieb?
”

“
Gone into town, I believe. She
’
s been complaining about being cooped up in the house.
”
Dektrieb muttered something else under his breath, about Feather, but Chasa couldn
’
t catch the words.

Chasa hid a smile with his hand.
“
You don
’
t remember when we were children, do you?
”

Dektrieb shook his head.
“
I was with the guard then, Highness.
”

A wound and the permanent limp that resulted had forced Dektrieb to retire from the guard and come to work on the king
’
s estate.

“
Well,
”
Chasa went on.
“
Feather
’
s always been adventurous. And kind of stubborn and touchy. We used to get into a lot of trouble together.
”

He remembered the time they
’
d stolen a basket of freshly caught fish from the kitchen
—
so fresh they were still wriggling. Feather wanted to get them back in the water before they died, and they got to the shore and tossed the basket in before they
’
d been caught. They had gone to bed hungry, and had to listen to a long, dull lecture from Aage on the differences between fresh and salt water fish, but they
’
d still felt they had managed a victorious deed. They used to make plans about all the victorious deeds they
’
d accomplish when they were grown up and no one could stop them from saving the world. Then Feather had gotten sick and been sent away and a great deal of mischief had left Chasa
’
s life. Jeyn liked to tease, but Feather had been a true instigator of rebellion.

Bright sunlight hit Chasa in the face as he left the house.
She could have waited a couple of hours,
he thought, and sighed as he set off toward town.

Raisal slumbered in the
midday
heat. The few people Chasa encountered were happy to report that the new princess and the king had wandered by at different places and times. Chasa followed on Feather
’
s trail. It led down a wide street of small shops interspersed with vegetable and flower gardens. Vine trellises climbed the stucco walls, waxy green leaves and explosions of purple flowers dark in contrast to the sun-catching whitewash beneath them. Chasa lingered in the shade of a building for a few minutes. In the garden behind him, a songbird trilled. He didn
’
t have to wait long before Feather emerged from a doorway. She carried a cloth bag and wore a green dress belted with a red sash. A silver chain glinted around her delicate throat. She plopped a wide-brimmed straw hat over her fine, straying hair as she stepped, barefoot, into the street.

Chasa took a steadying breath and hurried to catch up with her. He touched her lightly on the shoulder.
“
Lost?
”

She turned her head, looking up sourly from beneath the hat brim.
“
Of course not.
”

“
Can I carry your bag?
”
He fell into step beside her.

“
No.
”

“
What have you got?
”
I sound like a five-year-old, he told himself. Next I
’
ll be asking if I can see. Then I
’
ll go on to the banality of commenting on the weather.
He decided to start over.
“
Hello, Feather.
”

“
Hello. Embroidery thread.
”

They continued walking toward the main square.
“
Do you like lemonade?
”
he asked.

“
Yes.
”

“
There
’
s an inn nearby where we could get out of the sun.
”

“
I like the sun.
”

“
So do I. But aren
’
t you thirsty?
”
He couldn
’
t see her face under the hat. He noticed the tension in her and wondered what was wrong.
“
You don
’
t remember me, do you?
”

“
No.
”

“
Then maybe we could sit and talk and get to know each other.
”
They entered the square in silence, and he steered her toward the inn.
“
For example, you could tell me what you like to embroider. Do you still hate to eat fish?
”