Hawkmistress! A DARKOVER NOVEL by Marion Zimmer Bradley

“No, no, I have eaten almost nothing, I would be drunk if I drank half a cup now – I would rather have some food,” she said. The remnants of a meal were laid around the rough table inside, and Carolin said, “Help yourself.” Jandria cut her a slice of meat and bread, but Romilly laid the meat aside – she knew she would never taste it again – and ate the bread, slowly. Jandria took the rejected wine and washed the deep claw-marks on her face.

“Why, how came you to have these? The healer must tend them, a cat’s claw-wounds always fester; you could lose the sight of an eye if they spread,” she said, but Romilly only shook her head.

“I hardly know. Some day I will tell you all I can remember,” she promised, “But Orain-”

“They have him somewhere in the city,” Carolin said. He had been pacing the tent but now he dropped wearily into one of the folding camp-chairs. “I dare not even enter to search for him, for they have warned me . . . yet it might give him an easier death than what Lyondri plans for him. Rakhal’s army is cut to pieces; most of them have made submission to me, but Rakhal himself, with a few of his men, and Lyondri, took refuge here . .. and they have Orain captive; he has been in their hands since the battle. Now they are using him to parley-” she could see his jaw move as he swallowed and said, “I offered them safe-conduct across the Kadarin, or wherever they wished to go, and both their lives, and to leave Lyondri’s son safe in Nevarsin, and have him reared as kinsman at my court, with my own sons. But they – they -” He broke off, and Romilly saw that his hands were trembling.

“Let me tell her, Uncle,” Alderic said gently. “I sent word I would surrender myself in exchange for my father, and go with them where they wished across the Kadarin to safety, to whatever place they should appoint for refuge; I also made offer of copper and silver-”

“The long and short of it is,” Jandria said, “that precious pair have demanded that Carolin surrender himself to them for Orain’s life. I, too, offered to exchange myself – I thought Lyondri might agree to that. And Maura said she would give herself up to Rakhal, even go with him into exile if that was what he wished, so that Carolin might have his paxman. But-” her face was grim, “Let her see what answer they sent us.”

Ruyven fumbled with a little package wrapped in yellow silk. His hands shook dreadfully. Carolin took the silk from him and tried to unwrap it. Maura laid her hands over his, stroked them for a moment, then opened the bloodstained cloth.

Inside – Romilly thought that she would retch-was a calloused finger. Clotted blood caked the end where it had been cut from the hand; and the horror was, that one finger bore a copper ring, set with a blue stone, which she had seen on Orain’s hand.

Carolin said, “They sent word – they would return Orain to me – a little piece at a time – unless I surrendered myself to them, and made complete submission of my armies.” His hands were shaking, too, as he carefully wrapped up the finger again. “They sent this two days ago. Yesterday it was – it was an ear. Today -” he could not go on; he shut his eyes, and she saw the tears squeezing from his eyes.

“For Orain I would give my life and more, and he has always know it,” Carolin said, “but I – I have seen what Rakhal has done to my people – how can I give all of them over to him and his butcher Lyondri?”

“Orain would let himself be cut into little pieces for you, and you know that-” Maura said, and Carolin lowered his head and sobbed. “Lyondri knows that, too. Damn him! Damn him waking and sleeping-” His voice rose, almost in hysteria.

“Enough.” Maura laid a gentle hand on his, took the horrid silk package from him and set it aside.