‘Stand there and approve.’
‘Do what?’
“Just approve of me, Tynian. You can cheer if you like, but
it’s not really necessary. All I really need is approval – and love,
of course – but there’s nothing unusual about that. I always
need love.’ She smiled at them mysteriously.
Then she stepped off the edge of the cliff.
Talen gave a startled cry and plunged after her.
The Child Goddess, as unconcerned as if she were only taking
a morning stroll, walked out across the empty air. Talen, however,
fell like a stone.
‘Oh, bother.”‘ Aphrael exclaimed peevishly. She made a curious
gesture with one hand, and Talen stopped falling. He sprawled
in mid-air, his limbs straddled, his face pasty-white, and his
eyes bulging with horror. ‘Would you take care of that,
Sephrenia?’ the little girl said. ‘i’m busy right now.’ Then she
glared down at Talen. ‘You and I are going to have a talk about
this, young man,’ she said ominously. Then she turned and
continued to walk out toward the open sea.
Sephrenia murmured in Styric, her fingers weaving the spell,
and Talen rose with a curious fluttering movement, flaring from
side to side like a kite on a taut string as Sephrenia pulled against
the force of the gravity that was trying to dash him to the rocks
below. When he had reached the edge of the cliff again, he
scrambled across the wind-tossed grass on his hands and knees
for several yards and then collapsed, shuddering violently.
Aphrael, all unconcerned, continued her stroll across the emptiness.
‘You’re getting fat, Sparhawk,’ Kurik said critically. ‘You need
more exercise.’
Sparhawk swallowed very hard. ‘Do you want to talk about
this?’ he asked his old friend in a choked voice.
‘No, not really. You’re supposed to be paying attention to
Aphrael right now.’ He looked out at the Child Goddess with
a faint smile. “She’s showing off, but she’s only a little girl, after
all, so I guess it’s sort of natural.’ He paused, and a note of
yearning came into his voice. ‘How’s Aslade been lately?’
“She was fine the last time I saw her. She and Elys are both
living on your farm, you know.’
Kurik gave him a startled look.
‘Aslade thought it would be best. Your sons are all in training
now, and she didn’t think it made much sense for her and Elys
both to be alone. They adore each other.’
‘That’s fine, Sparhawk,’ Kurik said, almost in wonder. ‘That’s
really fine. I always sort of worried about what was going to
happen to them after I left.’ He looked out at the Child Goddess.
‘Pay close attention to her now, my Lord. She’s coming to the
hard part.’
Aphrael was far out over the surging waves, and she had
begun to glow with a brilliant incandescence. She stopped,
hardly more than a glowing spark in the distance.
‘Help her, gentlemen,’ Sephrenia commanded. ‘Send all of
your love to her. She needs you now.’
The fiery spark rose in a graceful little arc and then shot
smoothly down through the murky air toward the long, leadgrey
waves rolling ponderously toward the rocky shore. Down
and down she plunged, and then she cut into the sea with no
hint of a splash.
Sparhawk held his breath. It seemed that the Child Goddess
stayed down for an eternity. Black spots began to appear before
the big Pandion’s eyes.
‘Breathe, Sparhawk!’ Kurik barked, bashing his lord’s shoulder
with his fist. ‘You won’t do her much good if you faint.’
Sparhawk blew out his breath explosively and stood gasping
on the brink of the precipice.
‘idiot,’ Kurik muttered.
‘Sorry,’ Sparhawk apologized. He concentrated on the little
girl, and his thoughts became strongly jumbled. Aphrael was
out there beneath those endlessly rolling waves certainly, but
Flute was there as well – and Danae. That thought caught at his
heart, and he felt suddenly icy-cold.
Then that glowing spark burst up out of the sullen water. The
Child Goddess had been an incandescent white when she had
made her plunge, but when she emerged from the sea she
glowed a brilliant blue. She was not alone as she rose once more
into the air. Bhelliom rose with her, and the very earth seemed
to shudder with its re-emergence.
All glowing blue, Aphrael returned to them, bearing that same
golden box Sparhawk had cast into the sea a half-dozen years
ago. The little girl continued her stroll and reached solid ground
once more. She went directly to Sparhawk and held up the
gleaming golden box. ‘into thy hands, for good or for ill, I deliver
up the Bhelliom once more, Anakha,’ she intoned quite formally,
placing the box in his hands. Then she smiled an impish little
smile. ‘Try not to lose it again this time,’ she added.
CHAPTER 6
‘He looked well,’ Khalad said in a tight, controlled voice.
‘Aren’t you being just a little blase about all this?’ Talen asked
his brother.
‘Did you want me to go into hysterics?
‘You saw him, then?’
‘Obviously. ‘
‘Where were you? I couldn’t see you around any place.’
‘Lord Vanion and I were right over there,’ Khalad replied,
pointing toward the far side of the trail. ‘We were told to just
keep quiet and watch. We saw you all come riding up the hill.
Why did you jump off the cliff like that?’
‘I don’t want to talk about it.’
Sparhawk was not really paying very much attention to the
others. He stood holding the golden box in his hands. He could
feel the Bhelliom inside and, as always, it was neither friendly
nor hostile.
Flute was watching him closely. ‘Aren’t you going to open
the box, Anakha?’
‘Why? I don’t need Bhelliom just now, do I?
‘Don’t you want to see it again?
“I know what it looks like.’
‘isn’t it calling to you?’
‘Yes, but I’m not listening. It always seems to complicate
things when I let it out, so let’s not do that until I really need
it.’ He turned the box over in his hands, closely examining it.
Kurik’s work had been meticulous, though the box was
unadorned. It was just that – a box. The fact that it was made
of gold was largely irrelevant. ‘How do I open this? – when I
need to, I mean? There isn’t any keyhole.’
“just touch the lid with one of the rings.’ She was watching
him very closely.
‘Which one?’
‘Use your own. It knows you better than Ehlana’s does. Are
you sure you don’t feel some sort of… ?’
“Some sort of what?’
‘Aren’t your hands aching to touch it?’
“It’s not unbearable.’
‘Now I see why all the others in my family are so afraid of
you. You aren’t anything at all like other humans.’
‘Everybody’s different in some ways, I suppose. What do we
do now?’
‘We can go back to the ship.’
‘Can you get in touch with the sailors?’
‘Yes.’
‘Why don’t you ask them to sail across the gulf and pick us
up somewhere on this side? That way we won’t have to ride all
the way back to Jorsan again, and we’ll be able to avoid any
chance meetings with Rebal’s enthusiasts. Some of them might
be sober enough by now to recognize the fact that we’re not
Edomishmen. ‘
‘You’re in a strange humor, Sparhawk.’
‘i’m a little discontented with you at the moment, to be honest
about it.’
‘What did I do?’
‘Why don’t we just drop it?’
‘Don’t you love me any more?’ Her lower lip began to tremble.
‘Of course I do, but that doesn’t alter the fact that I’m put out
with you just now. People we love do irritate us from time to
time, you know.’
‘i’m sorry,’ she said in a contrite little voice.
‘i’ll get over it. Are we finished here? Can we mount up and
start back?’
‘in just a moment,’ she said, seeming suddenly to remember
something. Her eyes narrowed and began to glint dangerously.
‘You!’ she said, leveling a finger at Talen. ‘Come here!’
Talen sighed and did as he was told.
‘What did you think you were doing?’ she demanded.
‘Well – I was afraid you’d fall.’
“I wasn’t the one who was going to fall, you clot! Don’t you
ever do anything like that again!’
Talen could have agreed with her. That would have been the
simplest way, and it would have avoided an extended scolding.
he did not, however. ‘No, Flute. I’m afraid it’s not going to be
that way. i’ll jump in every time I think you’re in danger.’ He
grimaced. “It’s not really my idea. I want to be sure you understand
that I haven’t completely lost my mind. It’s just that I can’t
help myself. When I see you do something like that, I’m moving
before I even think. If you’re really serious about trying to keep
me alive, don’t do things like that when I’m around, because