The Star Scroll Part 26

"Even so," Sioned reminded her gently, "you want to fly."

Alasen nodded curtly. "I can't help it-but I don't have to give in to it, either." She dusted her hands clean and shrugged. "I'm sorry-I shouldn't be bothering you with my problems, especially after that note."

"What I faced was the opposite, you know. I knew how to be a Sunrunner, but I'd no idea what would be demanded of a princess. Come, we ought to be getting back to the encampment."

Sioned left Alasen at Volog's tents and went to her own pavilion, where Rohan was taking a midday break from his princely pursuits. She kissed him a greeting and told him first about the hawks, which had him chortling.

"You're right, Pandsala will be livid! We'll have to warn her. Alasen sounds a very clever girl."

"It's a pity she's too old for Pol."

"I thought you had your heart set on Sionell-and G.o.ddess knows she has hers set on him."

"Every prince should have a choice," she told him sweetly. "Just as you did."

"Mmm-as long as the choice coincides with what you you want, you mean." He tugged playfully at one of her braids. "My morning wasn't half so entertaining. Everybody bartered back and forth, Lleyn sat there silent and amused, and no one mentioned the real business of the want, you mean." He tugged playfully at one of her braids. "My morning wasn't half so entertaining. Everybody bartered back and forth, Lleyn sat there silent and amused, and no one mentioned the real business of the Rialla Rialla at all." at all."

"Firon and Masul, but mostly Masul," she supplied. "Not even a hint?"

"None. But Lyell has asked to address the princes tomorrow. I can't say I'm looking forward to it."

"Then think about this instead." She produced the ring and the folded parchment, and told him how she had acquired them. "A little oblique toward the end, don't you agree?"

He read the note aloud. " 'This ring belonged to Kleve, who is dead. His other rings are gone, as are the fingers they circled. His body was being readied for the pauper's fire when he was identified and given decent burning. His murderer is unknown. But take warning: Word in the city is that the father of a son is in danger usually meant for the Desert.' " Rohan chewed his lip for a moment, then said, "Kleve was a good man. A good friend to us. Was he here for Andrade's purposes, do you think?"

"Yes. I didn't want to attract attention to the baker, so I didn't go back to his stall. But I could find him again if you like."

"And place him in danger? No. He or this woman evidently consider this note all we need to know." He clenched his fist around the gold circle. "G.o.ddess-poor Kleve. It's barbaric. They cut off his fingers fingers-left him to die and be burned in a common pyre-"

Sioned placed both her hands around his. "Kleve was here in Waes. Kiele's city. The woman who's championing Masul. Whatever he found out cost him his life. There's no other way to read it."

Rohan moved away from her, still grasping the ring. "It's not me they're after-'usually meant for the Desert.' That implies the Merida, of course. But 'the father of a son'?" He swung around suddenly. "Whose son are we concerned with here? Roelstra's! But he's already dead-so the threat-"

"Wait, you've lost me," Sioned protested.

"-must be to Masul's real father! Don't you see it? Who could provide the most damaging evidence? A man who looked and spoke and moved like Masul, and who isn't anywhere near dead!"

Sioned's brows quirked up, then down. "You're reaching," she said flatly. "There are dozens of fathers here who have sons-"

"And only one we're really concerned with," he reminded her. "But how do we go about finding him?"

"Well, who would he he want to find?" want to find?"

"Presumably the people who'll pay him the most money-either to talk or not to talk. He hasn't come to us, so I think we can a.s.sume he's looking for the latter. Who would he go to? Kiele? Miyon? Masul himself?"

"If Kiele ordered someone to murder Kleve-and I think she did-then she wouldn't hesitate to kill this man, too. Permanent silence." Sioned began to pace. "Who would he talk to? How familiar is he with the politics of this?"

"I don't-"

He was interrupted by the entrance of a guard. "Your pardon, Highnesses," the woman said. "The Princesses Pandsala and Naydra request a moment of your time."

"Yes, of course," Rohan said distractedly. Then he stared at Sioned. "Do you think-"

The sisters came in, and Pandsala's first words confirmed their suspicions. "My lord, my lady, I'm sorry to disturb you, but a man came to Naydra this morning-"

"Let me guess," Sioned told her. "He claimed to be the real father of this pretender, and wanted money to keep silent about it."

Naydra's eyes widened. "How did you know?"

Pandsala turned very pale and whispered, "What a fool I am!"

"You couldn't have known," Rohan said. "And you came to me as soon as you learned of it. Princess Naydra, please tell me what happened."

"He said that as my father's daughter, I should want you and yours out of Princemarch, and if I didn't pay him-"

"You sent him away, didn't you?" he interrupted. "I appreciate your loyalty, my lady, but I wish you'd gotten word to me at once."

She wrung her hands together. "My lord, I'm sorry, I didn't think he was-that all he wanted was money-"

"You were right about that part of it," Rohan said more gently. "I don't blame you, my lady. Please tell us everything he said."

"He told me that he'd fathered a child on a woman married to another man, all of them servants at Castle Crag. He was part of the barge crew-I don't remember him, but that doesn't mean anything, really. I listened to him as long as I did only because I was so astounded at his impudence." Naydra pulled herself together with admirable aplomb and told them as much as she knew.

The man had been tall, dark-haired, and green-eyed-as Masul was reported to be. After the barge had burned that night, he had settled for a time in Waes, then worked on various s.h.i.+ps. Rumors this spring had brought him back, where he had been waiting for the Rialla Rialla to see what his information could get him. to see what his information could get him.

"I went to Pandsala soon after he left, my lord-I was so insulted that he would think I would betray you and Princess Sioned, who have been so good to me-"

"Could you find him again?" Rohan asked. "Tell him you've reconsidered?"

Naydra shook her head. "I'm sorry, my lord," she said miserably. "After I recovered from the shock of his impertinence, I sent him on his way with no doubts about my loyalties. Then I went to tell Pandsala about his lies, in case he came to her next."

Sioned sighed quietly. "Well, where would would he go next? Not to you, Pandsala, certainly. Kiele is a possibility I don't want to think about. He wouldn't live past his first few words." he go next? Not to you, Pandsala, certainly. Kiele is a possibility I don't want to think about. He wouldn't live past his first few words."

Naydra turned pale. "My lady-you don't think she would-"

"I'm almost positive of it." She turned to her husband. "If I were he, I'd go to Chiana next. She doesn't have much money, but she's got the most to lose."

What Chiana lost was her temper. She was summoned to the pavilion and told the essence of what had happened, and turned furiously on Naydra. "You stupid fool! Why didn't you keep him with you and send for the rest of us?"

"That's enough," Pandsala snapped.

"Not by half, Princess-Regent!" Chiana spat, fiery-eyed. "You and Ianthe and your stupid schemes-if not for you, none of this would ever have happened!"

"My lady," Rohan said with deceptive mildness, "your opinion is not necessary right now. Your intelligence, however, is. Calm yourself and think."

"Oh, yes, you can order me to be calm and cool-it's not your your ident.i.ty at stake here, is it, High Prince?" ident.i.ty at stake here, is it, High Prince?"

Pandsala took a threatening step toward her half-sister. "Be silent!"

"Don't you dare presume to give me orders, you treacherous b.i.t.c.h!"

Rohan muttered a curse under his breath. "Stop it, both of you. Chiana, return to Kiele's tents-yes, I know it's the last place in the world you want to be, but it's the only place you can be of use to yourself."

She gulped in a deep breath, shooting a poisonous glance at Pandsala, and nodded. "Yes. Please excuse me." She bowed to him and withdrew.

Pandsala said in a wooden voice, "I beg pardon for her manners, my lord."

Sioned smiled faintly. "Pandsala, the girl has has no manners." no manners."

Closing her eyes, the regent murmured, "Yet she's right. If not for Ianthe, and Palila's stupidity in heeding my revision of her plan, none of this would be happening."

"You were young and desperate," Naydra said softly. "Like the rest of us."

Sioned nodded. "I don't condone what you tried to do. But I understand it."

Pandsala met Sioned's gaze, and suddenly it was as if they were alone. "Even though it was all in pursuit of Rohan?"

"He was only a symbol for you both. Freedom, in the form of one man. But I think you've learned what Ianthe never did-that we make our own jails."

Pandsala hesitated, then murmured, "I've never said this before to anyone, but-he chose wisely in choosing you." Her cheeks colored and she glanced nervously at Rohan, abruptly recalling his presence. "Forgive me, my lord. With your permission, Naydra and I will leave you now."

When the pair had gone, Rohan heaved a sigh and flung himself into a chair. "Come here to me, Sioned."

"How can you sit there and-"

"There's not much I can do about any of this right now, is there? Come over here." When he had pulled her down into his lap, he sighed again. "The day becomes more and more interesting. But remind me when I choose a mistress to pick a lap-sized one. Those long legs of yours-"

"I regret my oversufficiencies, my prince. And I still want to know-"

"Sioned, if I order a search of every tent and all of Waes, I'll alert our enemies to the fact that I consider this man to be of vital importance-thereby killing him more effectively than if I'd run him through with my own sword. So I intend to wait and see what happens, which is all I can can do for now-other than reacquaint myself with my wife after a whole summer's absence." do for now-other than reacquaint myself with my wife after a whole summer's absence."

A few moments later the voice of Rohan's squire came from the other side of the part.i.tion. "Your Royal Highnesses?"

"d.a.m.n," Rohan muttered, and Sioned rose from his lap. "Yes Tallain, come in, he called.

Tallain, only surviving son of Lord Eltanin of Tiglath, was wheat-blond and dark-eyed, a well-built young man of nineteen winters only a year or so away from being knighted. Rohan had been fortunate all his life in his choice of squires, and Tallain was no exception. Walvis, younger son of a minor landholder, had become an accomplished battle commander, a trusted athri, athri, and a good friend; Tilal, Sioned 's nephew, was now an important lord in his own right and remained close to them. Tallain would one day rule over the walled city in the north, important bastion against the Merida and the Cunaxans across the border, and he was being trained with this in mind. and a good friend; Tilal, Sioned 's nephew, was now an important lord in his own right and remained close to them. Tallain would one day rule over the walled city in the north, important bastion against the Merida and the Cunaxans across the border, and he was being trained with this in mind.

He bowed, brushed his ever-unruly shock of hair from his eyes, and said, "I'm sorry, my lord, my lady. But someone left this outside the pavilion. All I saw of him was a plain dark tunic-no emblem, no colors I recognized."

Rohan accepted the pouch of rough brown wool and undid the drawstrings. "Ah," he said softly as he extracted a fine gla.s.s knife. "Merida."

Tallain stiffened, but it was Sioned who spoke. "The death usually meant for the Desert?"

"I presume so. Another warning-more and more interesting," he repeated. "Thank you, Tallain. And don't worry. This really isn't meant for any of us."

"I'll double the guard anyway, my lord."

"No, you will not."

Tallain bowed and looked unhappy. "As you wish, my lord." When the young man was gone, Rohan stroked the sharp blade of the knife with one finger. "I've seen too many of these, plenty of them directed at me. me."

"What do you think they mean by it?"

"They want me to know they're here. They want me to worry about Pol-but not about this father of a son our baker friend warned us of." He looked up at her. "Sioned, if I truly were the hero you accused me of being last night, I'd scour the encampments and give no one any peace until I found the man-and he'd be found alive. Heroes are supposed to act on impulse, do things they haven't really thought through. And for heroes, such things always work. That's what makes them heroes." He paused, turning the knife over in his hands. "When I was young, I had all the impulsive power of youth and unimportance behind me. Oh, I had a princedom and that made me someone to reckon with, but I wasn't High Prince. I didn't have to be concerned with everything and everyone. Now, I have to be. The power of being High Prince limits me."

Sioned nodded slowly. "Back then, the only limit was what you could could do. Now it's what you do. Now it's what you shouldn't. shouldn't."

"Exactly. And there's no other person in this world who'd understand what I mean. What would I become if I ran roughshod through everyone's lives simply because I'm the High Prince and have the power to do so? If I were still only Rohan, who ruled the Desert, then I could try pretty much whatever I liked-because there'd be someone more powerful than I to stop me if he could. But there's no one like that now." He finished with a self-mocking shrug. "And it's not in the description of a hero to be shy about using power."

"My description of a hero is very different," she said quietly. "I'm looking at him."

"You, my dearest love, are prejudiced."

"Of course," she agreed readily. "But take a look at those around you sometime, who look to you for guidance. Take a look at your son, who wors.h.i.+ps you. Rohan, if being a hero is having the courage to resist using power arbitrarily, then you are are a hero, beloved." a hero, beloved."

He shrugged again. "What you call courage looks like cowardice from here. And it doesn't get us any closer to locating Masul's father."

"Is that what we're really talking about?" she asked softly.

He gave her a tiny smile that vanished almost before it touched his lips. "I suppose not. What we're talking about is finding and executing Masul before he can say a single word. Before we have to use this father of his to destroy him."

He looked down at the knife-a Merida knife, from which the ancient league of a.s.sa.s.sins had taken their name: "gentle gla.s.s." Suddenly he threw it viciously through the air. An instant later the s.h.i.+ning blade hung quivering from a wooden support on the other side of the tent.

"To all h.e.l.ls with debates about power! Sioned, even if I have to break my own laws, I'm going to root out every one of those murderous vermin and execute them-with my own hands, if necessary. Pol is not not going to spend his life looking over his shoulder for a Merida blade!" going to spend his life looking over his shoulder for a Merida blade!"

Sioned stared at the knife for long moments. It took great effort to pry her gaze from it and look at her husband. "Then make it profitable for Miyon to expel them from his lands."

"What would you suggest?" he asked bitterly.

"Give him something in exchange for the Merida-and, incidentally, for his support against Masul."

"Such as?"

Calmly, she drew the Merida knife from the wood, held it so the light glinted off its gla.s.s blade.

"Set Chiana on him," she said.

Chapter Seventeen.

Like her father, Pandsala did not believe in talking about power. She believed in using it.