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.Kadar nodded in reply to my question, and finished his own toilette by buckling on his sword belt, although at the moment he wore only a long dagger at his side.“There were several warehouses along the shore that burned down last year.They were made of wood, of course, but their foundations and cellars were of stone.They are the sort of abandoned place where Maldis might very well have gone to ground.”I could have kissed him.In fact, I did, rising to my feet and crossing to him so I could reward this notion with a healthy smack on the lips.He kissed me back, with increasing ardor, until I had to pull away.“My lord, are you going to have me undo all this hard work I just put into my hair?”A grin, and he replied, “I like it best spread out on the pillow beside me, but I will desist if I must.” That warm golden gaze lingered on my mouth as he added, “I will simply have to wait and dream of better things.”I answered his smile, but I felt my expression grow sober almost at once.“So you will send someone out to inspect the warehouses?”“As soon as I leave this chamber, my impatient dear.” His own grin faded.“I know the stakes are very high here, Lark, but somehow I sense that you have a somewhat personal interest in Ulias’ safety.Is there something you are not telling me?”For a second or two I stared at him blankly, not quite sure what he meant by that, and then I shook my head.“Oh, no, my love.Nothing like that.He is my mentor, and a great and noble soul.I cannot bear to think of him in the clutches of one such as Maldis.And there is — there is something else.”Kadar did not reply, but watched me carefully, one eyebrow cocked slightly.No time to stop for a carefully considered explanation.I said, the words coming in a rush, “He is — well, he is my great-great-great…oh, I cannot even count the greats, as he said to me once.Many, many years ago, he and others of his kind came here, and loved, and had children.This is where the magic comes from, Kadar.From him, and from others like him.”A bit of silence, as he apparently digested that information.Then a look of wonder passed over his features, and he said, “I had guessed he was long-lived, but I had not thought he was that old.So it his blood that flows in your veins?”“His blood, and his magic.”“Well, then, all the more reason that we must find him.And when we do, I will make sure he has far better accommodation than he did previously.That was Maldis’ idea, to keep him in the cellars.He said there was too much danger of discovery if he was housed anywhere else in the castle.” Kadar’s expression darkened.“I am sorry to have caused him any discomfort.”“To be honest, I do not think he was that uncomfortable.I saw the furniture and the furs and the books, and besides, I offered to help him escape, and he declined.”“He what?”“Yes.He said he wanted to take your measure, and that he was quite comfortable for the time being.I can tell you were trying to make sure he did not suffer in his captivity.” I hesitated, still not entirely certain of this new intimacy Kadar and I shared.But I also had to know.“What was your motivation, Kadar? What on earth did you think Ulias could do for you — or Maldis of Purth, for that matter?”Kadar ran a hand through his hair, even as he frowned and shook his head.“I was a fool, Lark.I dreamed of greater things for North Eredor, for myself.Always this land has been in the shadow of those far greater than it could ever hope to be.You yourself are here because of one of those foolish schemes — although that mistake turned out to be the greatest gift I could have ever received.Then Maldis came to me, whispering of ways in which the North might be strengthened, saying he had powers that could be brought to bear.And I thought only of my ambition, and put aside my prejudices, and allowed him to sway me.When he discovered Ulias, and made him captive, I still thought only of what he could do for me, for this land.It was wrong, Lark, and I can only hope that no one else suffers because of my misguided plans.”It must have cost him much to make such bald admissions to me, and so I tempered my tone somewhat as I replied, “I cannot excuse your capture of Ulias, of course, but you also had no idea what manner of man Maldis was.” Because I wanted to ease his burden somewhat, I stood on my tiptoes and kissed Kadar’s cheek, adding, “And I do forgive your kidnapping of me, for it brought me to you.Indeed, if I had only known what manner of man awaited me, I would have gone much more willingly!”He laughed then and kissed me again before saying, “You are balm for my heart, dearest.But now I will see about getting several men out to those warehouses, to see if anything is amiss.”“Yes, of course.” The glow from the kiss faded somewhat as I thought of what might be waiting for them at the end of their search.“Do tell them to be careful.I still have no clear idea of exactly what powers Maldis commands — it seems as if they ebb and flow, depending on the strength of his latest victim, and since he now holds Ulias…”“I understand.I will tell them to keep a safe distance, and only to look for signs that someone has passed that way recently.”I still did not like it, but I also knew that Kadar would never allow me to accompany the search party.All I could do was wait to see what they discovered and hope for the best.Earlier that morning, as I had risen from bed and put on my dressing gown, I had sent my thoughts forth to see if I could reach Ulias, but I felt nothing.If he were dead, I believed I would have sensed it, but somehow he was blocked.And still there were all those other little flickers in the darkness, the firefly sparks of other mage-born minds, although I did not think any of them were strong enough to reach out and help me, even if I had been able to communicate with them.My expression must have still been worried, for he bent down and kissed me again, not passionately this time, but a soft brush of mouth against mouth, clearly meant for reassurance.“All will be well.We must trust that we are meant to find him.”To that I could only nod, and watch him go, and hope that he was right.* * *Beranne arrived some time after that, full of excuses about her sick sister but with a gleam in her eyes that told me she knew all about the alteration in my relationship with the Mark.Luckily, though, she was well-trained enough not to indulge her inclination for gossip, and instead suggested that we go for a turn outdoors, since the sun had reappeared after several days of snow.Fresh air sounded appealing enough, and so I allowed her to lead me downstairs and out the smaller rear east doors to the castle, the ones that opened on the castle’s gardens.To be sure, these were somewhat meager affairs, nothing like the grand formal gardens I had heard were the fashion in Sirlende, or even the great botanical constructs back home in South Eredor, where specimens from all over the continent were nurtured.No, this patch consisted mainly of a bare vegetable plot, now of course all plowed under during the winter, and several narrow walks that at least had been shoveled but which otherwise had little to recommend them [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]