and I both perish than that.’
“don’t be noble, Xanetia,’ Aphrael told her tartly. ‘it makes
my hair hurt. Talk to Bhelliom, Sparhawk. Find out how we’re
supposed to do this.’
“blue Rose,’ Sparhawk said, touching his fingers to the bulge
under his smock.
I hear thee, Anakha.’ The voice in Sparhawk’s mind was a
whisper.
“We have come unto the place where Sephrenia lies stricken.’
“yes.’
“What must we now do? I implore thee, Blue Rose, do not
Increase the peril of my mate.’
“Thine admonition is unseemly, Anakha. It doth bespeak a
lack of trust. Let us proceed. Surrender thy will to me. It is
through thy lips that I must speak with Anarae Xanetia.’
A strange, detached lassitude came over Sparhawk, and he
felt himselff somehow separating, his awareness sliding away
from his body.
‘Attend to me, Xanetia.’ It was Sparhawk’s altered voice, but
he had no consciousness of having spoken.
“Most closely, World-Maker,’ the Anarae replied in her
exhausted voice.
Let the Child Goddess assume the burden of supporting her
sister. I have need of thy hands.’
Aphrael slipped onto the bed and took Sephrenia from
Xanetia’s arms and held her in a tender embrace.
‘Take forth the box, Anakha,’ Bhelliom instructed, ‘and surnrender
it up unto Xanetia.’
Sparhawk’s movements were jerky as he Pulled the golden
box out from under his tunic and lifted the thong upon which
it hung suspended up over his head.
-“gather about thee that serenity which the curse of Edaemus
bestowed upon thee, Xanetia,’ Bhelliom instructed, ‘and
enfold the box – and mine essence – in thy hands, letting thy
peace infuse that which thou dost hold.’
Xanetia nodded and extended her glowing hands to take the
box from Sparhawk’s grasp.
‘Very good. Now, take the Child Goddess in thine arms.
Embrace her and deliver me up unto her.’
Xanetia clasped both Aphrael and Sephrenia in her arms.
‘Excellent. Thy mind is quick, Xanetia. This is even better.
Aphrael, open thou the box and draw me forth.’ Bhelliom
paused. ‘No tricks, it admonished her with uncharacteristic colloquialism. ‘S
eek not to ensnare me withh thy wiles and thy soft
touch.’
‘Don’t be absurd, World-Maker.’
‘I know thee, Aphrael, and I know that thou art more dangerous
than ever Azash was or Cyrgon could be. Let us both concentrate
all our attention upon the cure of thy sister.’
The Child Goddess opened the lid of the box and lifted out
the glowing Sapphire Rose. Sparhawk, all bemused, saw the
steady white glow which emanated from Xanetia take on a faint
bluish flush as Bhelliom’s radiance joined her own.
‘Apply me, poulticelike, to her wound that I may heal that
injury which Zalasta hath inflicted.”
Sparhawk was a soldier and he knew a great deal about
wounds. His stomach knotted when he saw the deep, seeping
gash in the upper swell of Sephrenia’s left breast.
Aphrael reached out with Bhelliom and gently touched it to
the bleeding wound.
Sephrenia started to glow with an azure radiance. She halfraised
her head. ‘No,’ she said weakly, trying to push Aphrael’s
hand away. Sparhawk took both her hands in his and held them. ‘it’s all
right, little mother,’ he lied softly. ‘Everything’s been taken care
of.’ The wound in Sephrenia’s breast had closed, leaving an ugly
purple scar. Then, even as they watched, the Sapphire Rose
continued its work. The scar shrank down to a thin white line
that became fainter and fainter and finally disappeared entirely.
Sephrenia began to cough. It was a gurgling, liquid kind of
cough such as a nearly drowned man might make.
‘Hand me that basin, Sparhawk,’ Aphrael instructed. ‘She has
to clear the blood out of her lungs.’
Sparhawk reached out and took the large, shallow basin from
the nightstand and handed it to her.
“thank you,’ she said. ‘You can have this back now.’ She gave him
back the gold box, took the basin, and held it under Sephrenia’s
mouth. That’s right,’ she said encouragingly to her sister as the
woman began coughing up chunks of clotted blood. ‘Get
it all out.’
Sparhawk looked away. The procedure was not very pretty.
“put thy mind at rest, Anakha,’ Bhelliom’s voice told him
softly. ‘Thine enemies are unaware of what hath come to pass.’
The jewel paused. ‘I have not given Edaemus his due, for he is
very shrewd. Methinks none other could have perceived the
true import of what he hath done. To curse his children as he
hath was the only true way to conceal them. I shudder to
Imagine the pain it must have caused him.’
‘I do not understand,’ Sparhawk confessed.
‘A blessing rings and shimmers in the lucid air like bell-sound,
Anakha, but a curse is dark and silent. Were the light which
doth emanate from Anarae Xanetia a blessing, all the world
would hear and feel its o’erwhelming love, but Edaemus hath
made it a currse instead. Therein lay his wisdom. The accurse
are cast out and hidden, and no one – man or God – can hear
or feel their comings and goings up and down the land. When
she did take the box in her hands, Anarae Xanetia did smother
all sound and sense of my presence, and when she did embrace
Aphrael and Sephrenia and enfold them in her luminous darkness,
none living could detect me. Thy mate is safe – for now.
Thine enemies have no knowledge of what hath come to pass.’
Sparhawk’s heart soared. ‘I do sorely repent my lack of trust,
blue Rose,’ he apologized.
Thou wert distraught, Anakha. I do freely forgive thee.’
sparhawk.’ Sephrenia’s voice was little more than a whisper.
“yes, little mother?’ He went quickly to the side of the bed.
“you shouldn’t have agreed to this. You’ve put Ehlana in terrible
danger. I thought you were stronger.’
‘everything’s all right, Sephrenia,’ he assured her. ‘Bhelliom
just explained it to me. Nobody heard or felt a thing while you
were being healed.’
“How is that possible?’
“it was Xanetia’s presence – and her touch. Bhelliom says she
easily muffled what was going on. It has to do with the
difference between a blessing and a curse, as I understand it.
However it works, what just happened didn’t put Ehlana in any
danger. How are you feeling?’
‘Like a half-drowned kitten, if you really want to know,’ she
smiled weaklly. Then she sighed. ‘I would never have believed
that Zalasta could be capable of what he did.’
‘i’ll make him wish he’d never thought of it,’ Sparhawk said
grimly. ‘i’m going to tear out his heart, roast it on a spit, and
then serve it up to Aphrael on a silver plate.’
‘isn’t he a nice boy?’ Aphrael said fondly.
‘No.’ Sephrenia’s voice was surprisingly firm. ‘I appreciate the
thought, dear ones, but I don’t want either of you to do anything
to Zalasta. I’m the one he stabbed, so I want to be the one who
decides who gets him.’
‘I suppose that’s fair,’ Sparhawk conceded.
‘What have you got in mind, Sephrenia?’ Aphrael asked.
‘Vanion’s going to be dreadfully upset when he hears about
this. I don’t want him raging and breaking up the furniture, so
i’m going to give Zalasta to him – all tied up in a bright red
ribbon.’
‘I still get his heart, though,’ Aphrael insisted.
CHAPTER 13
The Sky was overcast with sullen cloud, and a chill, arid wind
%eooiaiLd the empty floor of the Desert of Cynesga as Vanion
and the retreat eastward. Fully half of his armored knights had
perished in the encounter with klael’s soldiers, and very few of
the survivors had escaped serious injury. Vanion had ridden
out from Sama with an army. He was returning at the head
of a column of groaning invalids, battered and dented, after
what had really been no more than a skirmish.
four Atans carried Engessa on a litter, and Queen Betuana
walked along at his side, her face ravaged with grief. Vanion
%bed. Engessa was still breathing, but only barely.
The Preceptor straightened in his saddle, trying to shake off
k dioi and dismay and to think rationally. The fight with
~a warriors had decimated his force of Church Knights, and
IWJf had been central to the strategY of containment. Without
tfooae armored horsemen, the eastern frontier of Tamul Proper
sse no longer secure.
Vanion muttered a sour oath. The only thing he could really
do was to warn the others about the change in the situation.
“Sir Eadrik,’ he called to the old veteran riding some distance
%~).knthrd”‘)’Srdrik came forward.
‘take over here. I’ve got something to take care of.’
“Keep them going east,’ Vanion instructed. ‘i’ll be back in a
moment. He spurred his tired horse into a loping canter and
on ahead.
h was about a mile in front of the column, he reined
the spell of summoning.
Nothing happened.
He cast it again, more urgently this time.
‘What?’ Aphrael’s voice in his ear was irritably impatient.