StarCrossed. Part 31

"Unclean!" I spat back. "You said those words to a child! A child, Werne!"

An arm gripped me tight. "Do not speak so familiarly to the Lord High Inquisitor," said a voice of iron in my ear. "Do you wish me to remove her, Your Worship?"

The Inquisitor - my brother - was looking at me, and through me, his fingers pressed together again. I could not tell what might be going on behind those intense, brooding eyes.

"You are somewhat like her," he said finally. "But it's impossible. Yes, Jost, return this . . . person to her people. I - I must have solitude to pray for guidance in how to deal with these outlandish claims." He lifted the hood of his robe and turned toward the door.

"Your Grace?" One of the Confessors, a tall woman with steel gray hair, spoke up. "What shall we do with the prisoner?"

Werne turned to her like the wall had spoken, and it baffled him. "What do we always do with them?" he said, and stepped out of the room.

By the time the Greenman dumped me in the hallway and I'd scram bled to my feet again, out of reach of the guards at the door, Werne had disappeared. What would he do now, my strange confession nagging at him? I was sure he was telling himself he didn't believe me, that I was just another lying heretic who'd say anything to save herself or a loved one, albeit one with a bizarre claim. There was no chance of a loving reconciliation here, even if either of us wanted it. Most likely, I'd be arrested before I could spread my lies any farther afield. Before anyone might suspect I was telling the truth. Before anyone realized that Werne Nebraut's sister might be magical.

Would that ruin him? Magic in the family had ruined plenty of others, highborn and low; by rights it should do no less damage to the High Inquisitor himself. But I hadn't known the G.o.ds to play fair yet. It would probably only manage to increase his esteem.

I pulled myself together a little, beating the wrinkles from my skirts and tucking loose strands of my hair back in place, and went to tell Meri's parents.

Marlytt had gathered everyone together in the Lesser Court - Antoch and Lyll, Cwalo, Lords Sposa and Wellyth, and the Cardom. Evidently she had not been successful in locating Daul. I had thought I was calm, but then I saw Phandre.

"You cow! How could you!" I got one good blow in, a beautiful jab to her beautiful jaw, and she dropped, shocked, a hand pressed to her cheek. Somebody little caught me from behind - Cwalo, probably - and Lyll and Antoch rose, looking horrified. Phandre saw them, and something shifted across her face, from fear to fury.

"Did you see that?" she cried. "That gutter rat struck me! I'll see you flogged for that!"

"Hard to see anything with your traitorous eyes cut out!" I yelled back. Cwalo pulled me back against him.

"Easy, girl," he said in his low smooth voice.

"She -"

"Girls!" That thunderclap could only have come from Antoch, and it shocked the entire room to silence. Lyll swept over and stood between me and Phandre, who had started to whimper just a little. She was lucky I didn't kick her.

"Celyn, Phandre! What on earth is the meaning of this?"

Before the lying snake could say a word, I pulled away from Cwalo. "Milady, your lordship - Meri's been arrested."

All the iron seemed to go out of Lyll just then, and I was suddenly sorry I hadn't thought of a gentler way to say it. She wavered and sank against Antoch, who caught her.

"But this is outrageous!" Lord Wellyth cried. "In your own home, your own daughter?"

I went to put my arms around Lady Lyll, and she gathered me to her. "What happened?"

I was so angry I could hardly speak, but I restrained myself for Lyll's sake alone. "She was betrayed by Lady Phandre," I said. "She stole her books and lured Meri to their room by pretending they had arrested someone else."

"You're lying," Phandre said simply, but there was no real effort to convince anyone. "Prove that it was me."

"I don't have to prove it!" I said. "Meri told me."

Lyll turned slowly to Phandre, who wilted a little.

"She's making it up," she said, but couldn't quite meet Lyll's eyes.

"They have her bound with silver, milady," I said.

Lyll's smooth face went white, and she squeezed my arms tight. "How -"

Everyone else pressed close, trying to hear. I hesitated, but nothing could be served by sparing the rest. "She has a Sarist tattoo. They're bound to find it. Phandre must have known about it." That was a guess, but it seemed logical. And Phandre, for her part, just stared back boldly, hatred in her green eyes.

"Lady Phandre?" Lady Lyll's voice was hard and cool.

Phandre dragged herself to her feet. "I just did what everyone else was too afraid to do. She was a risk, to all of us."

"What did they promise you?" That was me.

She tilted her chin up. "They didn't have to promise me anything. Anyone can see where the real power is."

Slowly, Antoch turned his back on her. "You saw my daughter?" he said softly to me.

"She isn't hurt. Please, your lordships - I have information, but I can't report it here." I glanced toward Phandre.

Swiftly, Lady Lyll pulled herself upright and issued a series of crisp, quick orders. Cwalo and Lord Sposa dragged Phandre off to her room, with orders to post a guard on her door, and Lord Wellyth was dispatched with Lord Antoch to verify my report.

"I think I may have made every thing worse," I added, before they left. Everyone looked at me expectantly. "I may have - said something to the Inquisitor about being his sister."

I winced, but was met with absolute empty silence. It really didn't get easier to say. I pushed a loose bit of hair back behind my ear. Lyll took me gently by the shoulders.

"Celyn?" Her eyes searched my face. "It's true, isn't it?"

I think I nodded. Vaguely I was aware of voices in the background, but I didn't really hear what they said. Lyll touched the silver bracelet on my arm. "And this is why you ran from the Celystra."

Uncertainly, I glanced around the room, but everyone there - Sarists all - was somber. They could guess that Werne the Bloodletter's sister wouldn't wear a silver bracelet just because it was pretty. I nodded - more firmly this time.

"All right," Lyll said with another little squeeze. "Thank you, Celyn. Petr, my lord husband, go now. We shall hear the rest of Celyn's tale another time."

They weren't gone long - just long enough for Lord Sposa and the Cardom to press against me, full of questions I couldn't answer. Marlytt finally broke them up by handing warmed wine around to everyone. I gripped my hot cup hard until my hands stopped shaking. When Lord Antoch and Lord Wellyth returned, their faces were grim. Lyll rose half out of her seat.

"We couldn't see her," Antoch began, but seemed unable to go on.

Wellyth stepped forward, unfurling a doc.u.ment and slipping on a pair of spectacles. "We spoke to one of the Confessors, but we did not see the Inquisitor himself. Lady Merista has indeed been arrested. The charge is heresy."

Lady Lyll's hands on her wine were white. "Go on."

Wellyth continued. "They are gathering evidence in advance of pressing formal charges against your lordships, for harboring a heretic -"

"Harboring? She's our daughter!"

"And fomenting rebellion," Wellyth finished heavily. "Apparently they are in possession of some evidence regarding illicit Sarist communications, and they're looking for proof that Bryn Shaer has been building a standing army." Lord Wellyth looked everyone over, his gaze falling a little too long on me. "Still, we are authorized to report that they are willing to forestall charges against anyone in the house, provided -" He hesitated.

"Provided what?" Lord Sposa demanded. "Out with it, man!"

Suddenly I knew exactly was Lord Wellyth was going to say. I looked up at him calmly as he read the rest of the order.

"Provided you deliver Lady Merista's maid, one Celyn Contrare, by sunset today."

I jumped up. "Fine. I'll go now." If I got back in there, maybe I could - Lady Lyll grabbed my hand. "Celyn, sit down." She turned to Wellyth. "No, of course not. It's out of the question."

"Why not?" I stared at her desperately, though part of me was crumbling with grat.i.tude.

"Because we wouldn't turn anyone over to them, least of all a friend who has served our family with honor and devotion."

I made a strangled sound at that and looked at Wellyth. "Go back and ask if they would take me in Meri's place."

"You don't give orders here," he said, but added gently, "It wouldn't do Lady Merista any good."

"The Inquisitor wants me," I insisted.

"But he'll take you both." Lyll leaned over and took my arm. "Celyn. We'll find another way. Petr, please convey our regrets to His Grace's men concerning their generous offer. Find out what their demands are regarding Lady Merista's ransom, and when we can have her returned to us pending trial."

Wellyth looked even grimmer. "I'm sorry, Your Ladyship. There's to be no ransom."

Lyll finally sighed and pressed her eyes closed, a hand covering her face. "Then there's nothing we can do," she said.

"No!" I cried. "How can you say that? Milady - they only have twelve Greenmen. I know the Confessors are armed, but I'm sure the Bryn Shaer guard is strong enough, and -"

They were staring at me, brows drawn, faces hard. I blinked back. "What?"

Lady Cardom spoke up. "Are you suggesting we mount some kind of - rescue mission, girl?"

"Why not?"

"With the king's army camped outside?" Sposa said. "Impossible."

"But it's Meri -"

"Enough!" Lord Antoch's voice boomed out. "Have done. Everyone - just go back to your rooms and wait for word. I'm sure we'll learn their next move soon enough."

I was about to make another protest when Lyll shook her head. "It's over, Celyn. They've won. It's time to cut our losses and retreat."

"What does that mean?"

She glanced briefly at her husband. "We'll begin negotiations to turn ourselves in for conspiracy. Maybe then they'll be persuaded to spare Meri."

"No, you can't," I said, my voice desperate. I felt dazed; how had it come to this?

Lady Lyll gave my fingers a faint, fluttering squeeze, but didn't meet my eyes as she rose to leave, Lord Antoch close behind her. The others drifted away as well, until I was alone with the Cardom, Marlytt, and Eptin Cwalo.

Cwalo sat beside me. "I said you were fearless," he said softly. "Good girl."

"And I told you I hate to lose."

Lady Cardom regarded me evenly across the court. "I always did find Lyllace Nemair and Petr Wellyth a little overcautious for my tastes," she said.

I looked up sharply. "You don't agree with them?"

"No," she replied. "Any pretense of negotiation is delaying the inevitable, and the longer Lady Merista is in their custody, the worse it will go for her."

A chill went through me. She was very direct - but it gave me some hope. "Will you help me do something?"

Lady Cardom almost smiled. "Antoch saved my husband's life at Kalorjn," she said. "What do you propose?"

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR.

An hour later, bent over the desk in Lady Cardom's chambers, we had the framework of a plan. Eptin Cwalo and the Cardom were eminently practical, devising the all-important leg of the journey that came after the comparatively minor matter of freeing Meri from the immediate clutches of the Inquisition. We recruited Berdal, who was more than happy to sign on for any adventure on behalf of the Nemair, though he sobered when Cwalo explained his role in the mission.

"Your job will be to get Lady Merista as far from Bryn Shaer as quickly as possible. Pick up horses where you can, and use the network of informants and sympathizers to send word to the Nemair when you reach safety."

I'd nicked a map of the castle and its grounds from the white tower workroom, and Berdal studied it now. "But where should I take her?"

"Don't tell us!" I put in. "Just pick a direction and go. Deep into the mountains, if you have to. And trust Meri; she knows the land around Bryn Shaer." But I quietly added, "If you're looking for allies, a party of Sarists known to Lady Nemair left via the Breijardarl tunnels two nights ago. They may still be reachable."

He pointed to the map. "I've been watching the soldiers' movements since they arrived; there's a period of about ten minutes when the patrols don't overlap - here, near the mews - during every shift. We should be able to get out unseen then."

The only hitch in this plan was that there was no time to consult Meri regarding her feelings about any of this. "She didn't want to run," I said, recalling her adamancy when I'd pressed her to go with Wierolf and Reynart. "She wanted to stay and defend Bryn Shaer."

"I'm sure she'll find it preferable to the Bloodletter's gallows," Lady Cardom said drily.

I took Marlytt to find Lyll and Antoch. Her role was to attach herself publicly to the Nemair, making sure they remained visibly blameless in their daughter's escape.

Moving around Bryn Shaer was not as easy as it had once been. The dozen Greenmen seemed to be every where, and they were not particularly inclined to let a couple of waiting women pa.s.s freely. We had to stop and account for our movements more than once - as well as fend off the wandering hands of one lecherous guard on duty near the Armory, who thought I looked like easy prey. Marlytt talked him down before I broke his fingers.

The Nemair were in Lady Lyll's quarters, a Greenman stationed at the open door. Lord Wellyth sat with them, shuffling through a sheaf of papers. Lord Antoch rose to meet us, and I saw with some shock that he'd been crying. Impulsively I opened my arms to him, and let him squeeze me until I felt a rib crack.

"Milord," I whispered, holding tight to his arms. "Where is the opening to the pa.s.sage behind your bed?"

His ma.s.sive, blocky body stiffened, but he murmured into my hair. "The roof. It - it's for stargazing."

I let out all my breath and squeezed him back. "Thank you."

"Celyn -" He caught me as I pulled away, and looked hard into my eyes. "Don't do anything foolish."

What was one more lie? "Of course not."