“You did this?”
“I don’t know,” said Illyra in a dead voice. “We wanted revenge for our children
…”
“Blessed Goddess!” breathed Lalo in disbelief.
“No-there are no gods, only Power-” Illyra’s laugh scraped the edge of hysteria.
“And you let her-you helped her?” His shocked gaze turned to Gilla. “You still have other children! Didn’t you think-“
“Did you think when you gave life to the Black Unicorn?” she spat back, but her voice broke. She gestured toward Latilla. “Oh, Lalo-Lalo-here is my punishment!”
“No!” he said furiously. “Wasn’t losing one child enough for you? She hasn’t sinned! Why should she suffer for our sake?”
“Strike me then!” Gilla said with a half-sob. Perhaps if he did it would take some of this dreadful pain away.
Lalo stared, and something in his face seemed to crumple. “Woman, if I could hit you I would have done it years ago.” As Gilla buried her face in her hands he turned back to Illyra.
“You did this-you make it right again. I have the paints here, and the blanks for the rest of the cards. None of us will sleep tonight in any case. You will describe for me the missing cards, S’danzo, and I will paint them, and then you will read them anew!”
Illyra pushed back her heavy hair with a thin hand. “Limner, I know what I have done,” she said dully. “Take up your paints and I will give you the designs, for all the help that will be. I think the gift I abused has gone from me now.”
Lalo shuddered, but his face remained implacable as he went to his worktable and began to unstopper the little jars of pigment. Gilla stared at him, for it was a face she had never seen her husband wear before.