“We camped on the hills; nobody wanted to go down into the valley for the night. In the morning, we all went down to the Tower. We had some trouble getting inside. The wizards said there was some sort of sealing spell on the door. Varevice and Evla and the three Varnan wizards all had to work together to get through it, and it took them all morning.”
“Why was that?” Stennis demanded.
“I assume it was because it was difficult,” Kayl replied. “I really can’t say for sure; magic isn’t my specialty.”
“Go on,” Mika said, directing a quelling look at Stennis.
“Beshara insisted on sending her sklathran’sy slave, Odevan, inside first, to make sure it was safe,” Kayl continued. “He looked around, then came out and told us the Tower seemed to be deserted, so the rest of us decided to go in together.
“There was a little room just inside the door of the Tower, with a stone staircase on the other side. Beshara left all of her slaves except Odevan in the room, and we started to climb the stairs. Beshara had Odevan climb first, right in front of her. Varevice and Glyndon came behind Beshara, then Evla and Kevran. Barthelmy and I went last.
“The staircase was a large spiral, so Odevan and Beshara were out of my sight much of the time. We came around a curve and Beshara was opening a door at the top. My memory gets a little confused after that.” Kayl paused and took a deep breath, hoping she could keep her voice steady. “There was… something on the other side of the door.”
“Something?” asked a voice from the crowd of Elder Mothers. “Can you not be more specific.”
“It was a dull, dead black,” Kayl said. “It must have been huge, because it filled the stairwell when it came after us. It didn’t seem to have any particular shape, but it moved as if it were alive.”
“Continue.”
“The black thing came out in a kind of wave that engulfed the top five or six stairs, and then started oozing toward the rest of us. I remember Odevan shoving Beshara out of its way, and then he was buried up to his waist in it and screaming. Beshara tried to pull him out, but it got her, too. I think Varevice shouted for everyone to get back, but—”
Kayl broke off, shuddering. A kaleidoscope of memories whirled through her mind, distorted fragments set in a background of horror. She took another deep breath, and shook her head to clear it. When she looked up, Elder Mother Mika was looking at her with sympathy.
“It is painful to remember, even after so long,” Mika said. “Take what time you need.”
“Thank you.” Kayl waited for what seemed a long time, until she was sure her voice would not shake, before she went on. “I don’t remember the thing getting to Varevice and Evla. Barthelmy and I managed to drag them along with us, but they must have been dead already. We didn’t know that then.
“I’m not really sure how we got down the rest of the stairs. The black thing followed us in short rushes—it would take five or six steps in a single gulp, then inch down the next couple, then take another five or six at once. That’s the only reason any of us got away. Beshara’s slaves saw us coming and ran for the door. There was still some sort of sealing spell on it; all of them died as they went through.
“Kevran and Glyndon were still trying to hold the thing off on the stairs. Kevran saw what happened to the slaves and yelled something to Glyndon. Then he jumped past Barthelmy and me and pointed his rod at the door. He shouted that it was safe to go through now, and the three of us dragged Varevice and Evla outside. Kevran and I went back for Glyndon.
“We got to him just in time, and we barely made it back out before the black thing hit the door. The spell stopped it, thank the Stars. Evla and Varevice were dead; we buried them on a hill outside the valley before we came back to Kith Alunel. Glyndon had his first vision that night.”
Kayl stopped. She had nothing more to say about the ill-fated trip to the Twisted Tower, and she felt too limp to bring the tale to a well-rounded conclusion. Let the Elder Mothers make of it what they would. She saw Stennis frowning at a small scroll, and wondered whether the Elder Mother had even been listening.
The silence in the Court of Stars was brief. “Is this the sum of your tale?” Mika asked.
“The return trip was uneventful, Your Serenity,” Kayl replied.
“Then we shall proceed directly to your former companion, the Elder Sister Barthelmy.” There was a stir among the Elder Mothers, but Mika raised a hand and quieted it. “I have been given charge over this assembly, and I have reasons for what I do. You may argue with me later. Your story, Elder Sister.”
Barthelmy nodded and began. Her story paralleled Kayl’s up until Odevan opened the door at the top of the stairs inside the Tower. Her view of the retreat down the stairs had differed considerably from Kayl’s, and her memory of it was at least as confused. Several times, Kayl saw Stennis glance down at the scroll she held, her frown growing deeper with each glance.
When Barthelmy finished, there was a buzz of conversation among the Elder Mothers. A sandy-haired woman turned and eyed Barthelmy for a moment, then said to Mika, “Their tale makes no mention of the Crystal.”
“The Ri Astar Diary doesn’t say which room it was in,” said the dark-haired woman who had winked at Kayl earlier. Kayl dug briefly at her memory and uncovered the name Mika had called her—Javieri, that was it. Kayl wondered whether the Elder Mother had named the scroll deliberately, and decided she had. She wanted to grin, but she kept her face expressionless, hoping that the rest of the Elder Mothers would become involved enough in arguing to let slip a few more bits of information.
“Nor does it mention this black thing,” another woman pointed out. “I, for one, think we have placed entirely too much emphasis on one obscure phrase in that scroll.”
“Obscure phrase?” Javieri raised an eyebrow. “‘What other magic was used in its presence, the Crystal took unto itself, to bind forever.’ That seems clear enough.”
“As a description of the Crystal, perhaps, but as the key to our difficulties? I am not so certain.”
“I agree,” the sandy-haired woman said. “And I find it odd that both of these women are confused in their minds about certain parts of their tale.”
“Have you a clear memory of any battle of your own?” Dalessi’s voice said gently. Kayl turned her head and finally managed to locate Dalessi in the crowd. She almost smiled, but caught herself in time. It would be better not to call attention to herself just now.
“Dalessi has a point,” Stennis said smoothly. “Few of us could stand such a test.” She paused, and Kayl stiffened slightly. Stennis glanced around to make certain she had everyone’s attention, then held up the scroll she had been looking at and went on, “I find it curious, therefore, that the stories we have just been told match word for word the tale these two told on their return from the Tower some fifteen years ago. A prodigious feat of memory, is it not?” She tapped the scroll against her hand for emphasis.
Kayl’s eyes widened as the implications of Stennis’s statement hit her. If this were true—and she had no reason to think Stennis would lie about something so easy to check—then there was something wrong with her mind or memory. She forced her sudden fear aside and looked at the Elder Mothers, to see how they were reacting.
Heads were turning toward Kayl and Barthelmy, and distrust was clear on many faces. Stennis had timed her revelation well.
Mika looked from Kayl to Barthelmy and back. “Have you any explanation?” she asked.
“No,” Kayl said with more calm than she felt. She wished she had time to think, to understand what had happened.
The ghost of a frown flickered across Stennis’s thin face. “Do you understand what you are saying?”
“Quite well,” Kayl said. “But I can hardly offer an explanation for something I didn’t know was happening. Nor do I see any reason why I should try.”
“Then you forfeit any claim to our trust or belief,” Stennis said grandly. She turned to the other Elder Mothers. “Clearly, we cannot se
nd her—”
“One moment, Stennis,” Javieri interrupted. “Aren’t you presuming a little, to make such a sweeping statement? I, for one, don’t follow your reasoning, such as it is, and I certainly don’t agree with it.”
“Surely you cannot believe her!”
“If you mean Kayl Larrinar, yes, I do believe her. I doubt that I’m the only one.”
“You aren’t,” Dalessi said from the other side of the frozen pool.
Several other Elder Mothers nodded, and a Shee woman said, “Do you seek to imply that they lie, Stennis? I think they would have found a cleverer way of doing so, had they wished.”
“Does it matter?” Stennis countered. “It may be a lie, or it may be enchantment; in either case, we cannot trust their stories.” She glanced triumphantly in Kayl’s direction.
Kayl let the exclamations die down a little. Then, pitching her voice to carry through the continued muttering, she said, “I don’t really care whether you believe me or not.”
“Oh?” Stennis said skeptically.
“No.” Kayl smiled. “You seem to think I have to convince you of something. Actually, it’s the other way around.”
Mika raised a hand to still the muttering and said sharply, “What do you mean?”
“I’m not a member of the Sisterhood anymore,” Kayl said. “You can’t send me back to the Twisted Tower if I don’t wish to go, and you can’t keep me from going if I decide I want to. Unless, of course, you decide to chain me up in one of the waiting rooms.”
“Why are you here, then?” Mika demanded.
“I had to go somewhere, and I thought I’d listen to what you had to say.”
“And that is all?” Stennis’s voice dripped skepticism.
Kayl reined in on her temper. “And that’s all. You sent Corrana looking for me; I didn’t come to you. Your interference in my life has cost me my home and my livelihood. I still haven’t heard your reasons, and I’m not sure I want to anymore. I’ve told you what I know about the Tower; it’s no concern of mine if you don’t believe me.”
The buzz of conversation rose around the court as soon as Kayl stopped. Kayl looked around the courtyard, noting reactions. Barthelmy looked surprised, shocked, and pleased, all at once. The corners of Corrana’s mouth were quirked upward in satisfaction or amusement; Kayl was not certain which. Stennis looked as if she were barely in control of her fury, while Javieri was nodding thoughtfully. Only the Elder Mother Mika showed no change of expression; she simply stood and looked at Kayl out of bright, unfathomable eyes.
Suddenly Kayl was desperately tired of the games. “I have no need to stay here and listen to veiled insults,” she said, bowing. “If you want me again, send a message to the inn where your messenger found me this morning. But if I’m not satisfied as to exactly what you want and why, I won’t come back. Good day, Your Serenities.” She turned and brushed past Barthelmy and Corrana as she left the Court of Stars.
CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
KAYL COLLECTED MARK AND Dara and left the Star Hall. No one objected. The children were subdued at first, but the excitement of seeing Kith Alunel took over all too quickly. Soon they were arguing and running about as much as ever, despite the cold. Remembering her promise, Kayl took a route that led toward the center of the city, where the nobility lived.
She let Mark and Dara chatter at each other while she considered what had happened at the Star Hall. She should have asked for a look at the records Stennis had been waving, she thought. No, that wouldn’t have solved anything; she didn’t believe Stennis had been lying anyway. Something must have affected her memory, hers and Barthelmy’s. And Glyndon’s?
Oddly, the thought was comforting. Kayl resolved to discuss it with him as soon as she got back to the inn, and forcibly turned her attention to the other things she had learned. She understood, now, the odd attitude of the Shee drillmaster toward the magicians of the Sisterhood; without magic, what good was a sorceress or demon-friend? Poor Barthelmy…
Kayl wrenched her thoughts away from that fruitless and depressing line of thought, and went on. The Ri Astar Diary and the crystal it spoke of sounded fascinating. Kayl wished she had more than the few scraps of information the Elder Mothers had let fall. Still, it was not quite fascinating enough to persuade Kayl to return to the Twisted Tower, even if the Elder Mothers decided to ask her. She understood their desperation—the Sisterhood must be falling apart, if magic was so curtailed! But it was their problem, not Kayl’s. She squashed a tendril of guilt at the thought and repeated it firmly. She did not owe the Sisterhood anything. They would have to solve their problems themselves; Kayl had enough of her own.
Two of Kayl’s most importunate problems distracted her at that moment by throwing balls of snow at her. Kayl’s dodge was too slow, and the snow spattered against her shoulder. She laughed and called Mark and Dara to order. Mark objected, but Kayl was firm; she did not want them catching innocent passers-by with their missiles.
“I have better aim than that!” Mark said indignantly.
“Possibly,” Kayl said. “But I still say no. There’ll be other times.”
“Huh.” Mark kicked, sending a fat lump of snow skittering into the street. “You said that last year, and all the snow melted.”
“You forget that Kith Alunel is considerably farther north than Copeham,” Kayl said. “And winter is just beginning. In another month the Frost Fair will start.”
“Frost Fair? What’s that?”
“It’s a little like the Fall Festivals, only much larger. There are flame-jugglers, ice sculptors, knife-throwers, and all kinds of entertainers. People come from all over; even the King and his court spend a day or two at the Frost Fair. You’ll see it, if we’re still here in a month.”
“Really? Will you take us?”
“I suppose,” Kayl said with a mock show of reluctance. “If you and Dara are interested.” She glanced back and stopped. “Where’s Dara?”
“She was here a minute ago.”
Kayl frowned, feeling annoyed and mildly worried. “We’d better go back a little. If she gets lost in Kith Alunel…”
“Oh, Mother,” Mark said in an even-a-mother-should-know-better tone. “Dara won’t get lost. There’s hardly any people, and she knows which way we’re going.”
“Come on, Mark,” Kayl said firmly. “And look carefully; I don’t want to miss her.”
They headed back toward the scene of the aborted snow-fight. Kayl was beginning to feel the first stirrings of real anxiety when she saw Dara on the opposite side of the street, talking to a tall man in a voluminous dark green cloak.
“Dara!” Kayl called. The girl turned and her face lit. Kayl started across the street, pausing to let a litter pass by. When she reached the other side, Dara was alone.
“Oh, Mother, I’m glad you came back!” Dara said before Kayl could say anything. “I was getting worried about finding you again.”
“What happened?” Kayl asked.
“That man stopped me. He said he’d seen us come out of the Star Hall, and he kept asking me questions and wouldn’t let me leave.”
“I see.” Kayl looked quickly up and down the street, but there was no sign of the green-cloaked man. “I think we had better head back to the inn now,” she said briskly. “It’s getting colder, and Glyndon will be wondering where we are.”
“I’m not cold, and I want to see the Palace!” Mark objected.
“Tomorrow,” Kayl said, and started for the inn. She kept a sharp eye on both children during the remainder of the walk, and tried with what was left of her attention to determine whether anyone was following them. She did not see anyone, but it was a relief when they reached the inn at last.
Kayl shook out her cloak with a sigh of pleasure; it felt good to be somewhere warm. She looked around and saw Glyndon talking to the innkeeper on the other side of the room. He was wearing his cloak, and his staff was leaning up against the counter. He was squinting in the light from the windows
, and every time someone slammed the door of the inn he flinched. Kayl grinned knowingly to herself. She sent Mark and Dara to sit at one of the tables, then went over to join the conversation.
“Good day, slug-a-bed,” she said as she came up behind Glyndon.
Glyndon jumped, then winced and half raised a hand to his head. He turned, looking sheepish and rather guilty. “Um, good day yourself, Kayl.”
Kayl smiled and glanced at the innkeeper. “Could I trouble you for something to eat for those two?” she asked, nodding toward Mark and Dara. “They’ve been running around like Thar raiders all morning, and they’re liable to starve to death if they don’t get something soon.”
The innkeeper chuckled. “I know what you mean; I’ve three of my own that are much the same. I’ll take care of it as soon as I’ve finished adding up his score for this gentleman.”
“Adding up… You’re leaving?” she said to Glyndon in surprise.
Glyndon shifted uncomfortably. “I’d planned to, yes.”
“Why?”
“I just thought it would be better if I went somewhere else.”
“Better how?”
“Last night…”
“So you got drunk. I’ve seen you drunk before, and last night wasn’t one of your worst. You didn’t even say anything offensive, that I remember.”
Glyndon gave her a long, searching look, then took a deep breath and blew it out. “Never mind. I’ve decided to stay.” He grinned at her suddenly. “Join me for breakfast?”
Kayl sighed in exaggerated exasperation. “For us, it’s lunch. Oh, come on; I suppose the sooner you get some food, the sooner you’ll get rid of that hangover.”
“How do you know I—”