Deverry - A Time Of War Part 41

'Your name, brother.'

'No!'

Another cliff slid down and crumbled to disappear. The remnant of the Dark Court's army howled and wept, rushing to the centre of their island, pushing and jostling each other in their greed to escape the edge.

'Brother, your name. You tricked me out of mine, and now I shall have yours in amends.'

The fox warrior sneered and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at Evandar in silent defiance. The creatures behind him began to beg and weep. Evandar hesitated, then with a flick of his fingers sent a chasm tearing through the prison, separating the warriors from their leader.

'You have one last chance.' Evandar said. 'Tell me or I'll hurl you back in to the chaos you were born from.'

His brother spun round, staring at the fissure, staring at his army, as if he'd been counting on Evandar's pity for his men to protect him as well. His own court began to jeer and mock him, taunting him for his weakness, calling out their allegiance to Evandar instead, until the fox warrior howled at them.

'Some dweomer do I have yet, and I'll kill you all myself!'

They fell silent at that and crouched, watching Evandar across the gulf.

'Brother - the name!'

The fox warrior spun back, throwing his head from side to side as slowly, one crumble, one split at a time, the tiny pinnacle of land round him began to fall away, first from behind his feet, then to his left, to his right, then the last little sliver in front of him, till he stood paralysed with horror on barely enough ground to support both feet.

'Shaetano,' he screamed. 'And curse you and your elven wh.o.r.e both!'

Evandar laughed aloud and snapped his fingers. With a roar like flooding water the island of land rushed out, spreading to meet the solid ground round it as the fissure healed. Screaming and cursing the Dark Court fled, leaping over the last little crack and racing away in the billowing dust. Only Shaetano remained, sinking to his knees, cringing, weeping and snarling all at once as he tossed his head this way and that.

'Tell me somewhat,' Evandar said. 'Who's the elder, you or I?'

He looked up, black eyes glittering, seemed to be about to speak, drew out his silence as long as he dared.

'You,' he snarled at last.

'Good. Remember that from now on. Without me, little brother, you'd cease to exist. Defy me again, and I'll ensure that you cease to exist. Now go! I have your name. You'll have to come when I call you now, just as I had to come when you called me, and we shall see, my fine Shaetano, how you like the feel of it.'

He snarled, rose to his feet, the red roach of hair bristling, his clawed russet paws swiping out in a futile gesture. For a moment he tensed on the edge of a spring, then turned and strode off, walking fast, head held high, after his routed court.

'Shaetano?' Dallandra said. 'What sort of name is that?'

'I've no idea. A thing he picked up during his wanderings in some other world, I suppose, like the rags and tatters creature he is, rooting through some other world's dung heap for a sc.r.a.p to eat. What matters is that I know it, you know it, we all know it now.' Evandar paused for a laugh. 'And we shall continue our hunt beyond his power to stop us.'

The Bright Court cheered, but Dallandra caught his shoulder. 'My love, wait! I've got to get to Jill.'

He twisted round in the saddle and scowled at her.

'I can't stay,' Dallandra snapped. 'I absolutely must go to Jill's country. How much time has pa.s.sed for her?'

'How would I know?'

'Then I'd best find out, hadn't I?'

'I suppose so.'

'You suppose so? You do know, don't you, that Alshandra's led an army down the mother of all roads?'

'I do. That's why I summoned the Court and rode to the border, to look for her, and there I found my wretched brother instead, all puffed up and gloating.'

'Well, then! Alshandra must be trying to harm Elessario's mother, back in Cengarn.'

'Oh, I'd never argue with you. Why do you think I want to go a-hunting, to flush Alshandra out of my brother's lands? Think about this, my love. She's led one stinking pack through my country to work harm elsewhere, but no one's seen her since. What if she's gone off to gather another?'

'Oh ye G.o.ds! I never thought of that.'

'I did,' he said with a smug little smile. 'I want to keep you with me and safe while I hunt for her.'

'Danger or no, I've got to reach Jill. She can't keep a city safe all on her own. She has to sleep, some time or other, if naught else.'

'Well, true, but-'

'Evandar, she needs me.'

'Indeed? So do I.'

'What is wrong with you? Elessario's in danger. Your daughter! You do remember her, don't you?'

'Indeed I do, and my heart aches from the missing of her, but she's gone from rne. No matter whether she lives this life long or dies soon to be reborn again, she rides the wheel now.'

'True, but -'

'Hush. Of course I still love her and fear for her, and I'll do all I can for her, too, but I don't want you gone!'

'And I don't want to leave you, but I must.'

She twisted round, swung a leg free, and slid inelegantly down over the rump of the horse, who stamped and shied She nearly fell headlong, in fact, but she caught a stirrup just in time and steadied herself. He leaned over to stare, utterly bewildered. The stallion tossed its head and snorted in a scatter of foam.

'Evandar, please, try to understand I can't simply do what I'd rather do. If I could, I'd stay with you. I love you.'

'If I were in danger, would you put your joy aside and come after me?'

For a moment she thought him jealous; then bhe realized that he was, indeed, honestly trying to understand.

'I would,' she said. 'I'd leave the best feast in the world, the happiest day, to come after you.'

'Because you love me?'

'Because I love you.'

Evandar considered for a long moment. Finally he dismounted, calling to one of his warriors to come tend his horse. A blue-eyed fellow, more human than otherwise, took the reins and led the stallion some paces way. Evandar watched them go, and he seemed to be studying his Court, too, as they sat slouched and waiting on their own mounts.

'Answer me one thing,' he said without turning round. 'When I gave my brother the whistle, he used my mercy against me by capturing you. Now I've spared him again. Will I regret that mercy as well?'

'I have no idea. It was still the right thing to do. What made you forgive him?'

'Forgive him? I've not forgiven him one wretched thing, my love, not one shred of his black deeds, not one jot of the harm he worked you. Someday I'll take my payment for all of it, and he'll not find joy in my doing so, I promise you.'

The quiet way he spoke made her shudder.

'Well, then, why didn't you just destroy him when he was grovelling in front of you?'

Evandar started to speak, then hesitated, thinking.

'I'll tell you the truth.' He turned to face her. 'Instead of a riddle, the truth, and then you shall know I love you, because I don't speak cold truth as easily as all that. I need him.'

Dallandra goggled, speechless.

'Without me he'd cease to live, just as I told him. But I suspect, my love, deep in my heart I even believe, that without him I'd die myself. Light and shadow, my love, shadow and light. Can there be one without the other? Or hot without the cold, and moist without the dry, fire without water, air without earth? And so I call him brother, because it's true, because we were born a pair, though I'm the elder, because light leaps from the candle-flame before the shadow hits the wall.'

'I see. And who then lit the candle?'

'That, my love, is a riddle I can't answer, I wouldn't even presume to try. Perhaps those beings your people call G.o.ds? Ah, I see from your face that you can't answer it, either. Well, mayhap one day I'll know, but until then it matters little to me.' All at once he smiled and turned away, calling to his Court.

'Wait for me! I'll return in but a little s.p.a.ce of time, before you truly know I've gone.'

To Dallandra he held out his hand.

'Let us go to Jill, then, since you want to and for no reason more.'

She took his hand and allowed him to lead as they walked slowly, deliberately, across the dusty ground.

Round them the mist gathered, an opalescent, shimmering mist all light-shot and silvery.

'Mind your step.' Evandar said, and rather slyly.

When she glanced down she found a flight of broad stairs, a flow of white marble between walls of grey mist. She looked up and found him grinning like a pleased child.

'I thought I'd make the way easier than usual.'

'My thanks, my lord.' She made a little curtsy. 'There's something about these stairs that makes me feel like a great lady.'

'I modelled them upon those in the king's summer palace in Rinbal-adelan.'

She laughed, glad of a moment's wit and grace before they braved the next battle in their peculiar war.

As hand in hand they walked down the staircase, she thought for a moment that she heard music and laughter, the lilt of many harps in some vast room and many voices raised in song, a reminder of better times and peaceful days. The mist whirled, lightened, blew away. Dallandra took one last step down into Jill's tiny chamber, where the dweomermaster sat at her table, fallen asleep over one of her books, her head pillowed on her arms.

'There she is.' Evandar's voice was already fading. 'When I have news of Alshandra, I'll return.'

And then he was gone, relinquishing her to the world of men and elves, caught in the grip of Time and Time's daughter, Death.

PART SIX.

Caput Draconis

Some lorcmasters say that this figure signifies great blessings no matter into which house it falls - save the House of Salt. I myself have grave doubts, for all know that he who would ride a dragon must risk a great burning.

The Omenbook of Gwarn, Loremaster

'I was wondering about somewhat,' Rhodry said. 'What makes you so eager to see this dragon? Just the glamour of the beast?'

'A fair question,' Enj said. 'But it be more than that.'

In striped shadow they were perched side by side on an outcrop of black basalt like an overturned boat.

Behind them rose forest; before, nothing, just a long fall of eliffdown down down to a tiny riband of water among minuscule trees in a valley below. Far across that rift and to the west another cliff climbed, levelling off to forest. Mountain flanks rose, green-grey waves of a sea, fogged with resinous mist.

'It be due to my father.' Enj said abruptly. 'He taught me all I know, you sec, about the great wyrms, and truly, he did know a great deal, because he found them beautiful. Once when he were very young, he saw a blaek one flying over Haen Mam, or so he told me, and never could he forget the sight. So down in Lin Serr he studied lore, finding much in books as well as in various tales from bards and priests.'

'I didn't realize that the dwarves had lore books. Well, I couldn't have read them anyway, I suppose, when I was there.'

'Oh, there's a book hold in Lin Serr, Rori, that's as big as the manse back home in Hacn Marn. From what my father did tell me, he spent a long time there, studying dragon lore. But then he came to regret it, not that he should have. You see, when my sister was born, and it came clear that she were, well, so strange, he felt it was his fault.'

'What?'

'Oh, it's a daft idea, his blaming of himself, and it did distress my mother sorely, as well you can imagine.

Because he'd spent all that time brooding about dragons and talking about dragons and suchlike, he was convinced that he'd somehow summoned a dragon soul to be born into his daughter's body.'

Rhodry could only gape at him. Fnj looked away, his voice turning unsteady.

'He drowned soon after, of course, i was about a score of summers old, so I remember him well. I loved him well, too. Often we'd take a boat over to sh.o.r.e and go off for days together, hunting. We'd take dogs and bows, you see, and hunt the deer and wild sheep to feed the island. And while we made our nights' camps, he'd tell me tales about dragons, and how his heart ached, just from longing to see another one fly.'

'And so you want to fulfil his quest?'

'Just that.'

'Well, you know, if you could pa.s.s that lore on to me, I'd be truly grateful. It would be a shame to have him gone, and only one person knowing his lore.'

'True.' Enj's voice choked. 'And I will.'

They sat together in silence for a few minutes more, until Enj wiped his eyes on his sleeve and stood, stepping back cautiously from the edge.

'And now it be best we get on our way. If we follow the rim of this valley, it should lead us to the waterfall that Avain saw in her basin, and then we'll know we're heading the right way.'