Fey 02 - Changeling (75 page)

"She's a baby.
 
He can make her what he wants.
 
That's the power of adulthood.
 
If he has that powerful little soul to mold, her brother who is already his toy, and the Islander Enchanter, he will have more power than I do, more power than anyone else on this Isle, and probably more power than his father.
 
Even now, he may have too much power.
 
But that baby would make matters worse."

"So let me steal Gift from Shadowlands," Solanda said.
 
"Nicholas will care for him."

The Shaman shook her head.
 
"Jewel should have stolen the child back, but she never Saw what happened.
 
I Saw it, but I did nothing.
 
Another of my mistakes.
 
Gift has lived three years among the Fey.
 
He is Fey now.
 
All my Visions of him show that he cannot leave Shadowlands."

Solanda was silent.
 
It always felt wrong to be near the lump.
 
It would have been nice to tell Nicholas, to bring the real child here.
 
But if the Shaman said Gift belonged in Shadowlands, then in Shadowlands he would stay.

The Shaman apparently took Solanda's silence for disapproval.
 
"The boy has already given his Visions to his grandfather," the Shaman said softly.
 
"We have no idea what Rugar has learned.
 
All we can hope for is that he never holds Arianna, that she never speaks to him, that she never even sees him."

The baby stirred, as if the words had disturbed her.
 
They certainly disturbed Solanda.
 
"Shamans are supposed to support the Black Throne," Solanda said.
 
"You should be helping Rugar."

"Rugar's father cast him from the Black Throne.
 
Rugar lost all of my support when he allowed Jewel to die.
 
My support now goes to the heirs to the Throne."

"Jewel's brothers are in line," Solanda said.

"Jewel's brothers don't stand a chance if the Black King learns of Arianna's powers," the Shaman said.
 
"Jewel had more potential than anyone born into Rugad's family.
 
Jewel had no powers at all when compared with her own children."

"She made the right choice then when she married Nicholas."

The Shaman nodded.
 
"Who knew how her Vision led her, but it led her to the best place possible.
 
If Rugar had let King Alexander live, we would already be in a better world."

"Jewel could never have tended this child," Solanda said.

"You never got along with Jewel," The Shaman said.

Enough.
 
Solanda had heard enough.
 
She had been giving everything to Arianna.
 
"I have had to Shift twice in order to save this child.
 
Jewel could never have done that.
 
Without you, without the Domestics, and with only Island healers, Arianna would have died in the middle of her birth and you know that."

"Are you saying Jewel's death was the wish of the Powers?"

Solanda paused.
 
She wasn't certain if she was saying that.
 
She thought for a moment, rubbing her thumb against the soft skin of Arianna's wrist.

"No," Solanda finally said.
 
"I'm saying that the Powers decreed that we could have Jewel or Arianna.
 
We were not allowed to make that choice.
 
But Rugar made it for us."

"Do you think he made the right choice?"
 
The Shaman sounded subdued, as if she were testing Solanda.

Solanda bent over and kissed Arianna's head.
 
If Rugar hadn't made that choice, Arianna would not exist.
 
But if Rugar hadn't made that choice, Solanda would still have her freedom.

"How do you value one life over another?" Solanda asked.
 
"Jewel is dead.
 
We cannot change that.
 
Arianna is alive.
 
We must make sure she remains that way."

"Exactly," the Shaman said.
 
"We must forever keep Rugar from this child."

Arianna's grip had tightened on Solanda's finger.
 
She wished it weren't so dark.
 
She couldn't tell if the baby was awake or not.
 
But the Shaman had closed down the room so that no one would hear them talk, and to make conversation easier.
 
Confidences were always easy in the dark.

Solanda bowed her head.
 
"You know that I swore my life to Rugar," she said.

"I've always thought that a hasty and ill-conceived idea," the Shaman said.

"But you knew?" Solanda asked.

"I suspected.
 
A woman of your talent does not spy easily.
 
Nor does she come on foolish missions without just cause."

"If he comes for Arianna —"

"I trust you will tell him to leave," the Shaman said.

Solanda's thumb kept moving on Arianna's soft skin.
 
The one worry she had, the one she had never spoken of, had to come out now.
 
The Shaman would tell her what to do.
 
"He owns me," Solanda said.

"Does he?"
 
The Shaman turned in her chair, leaning toward Solanda.
 
Now her entire body was in shadow.
 
"It seems to me to be a feline concept, this concept of owning.
 
Fey do not own each other."

"They do when they vow.
 
The Black King owns you."

"The Black King protects me, along with the other Shamans.
 
It is a different arrangement."

Solanda nodded.
 
She had been very young when she pledged herself to Rugar.
 
In the beginning it hadn't seemed like much.
 
But now, it was everything.
 
It affected her entire life.

"You can't have loyalties to two people," the Shaman said.
 
"Either you are loyal to Arianna or you are loyal to Rugar."

"Rugar saved my life," Solanda said.
 

"And you saved Arianna's.
 
I think the debt is repaid."

"But I pledged him my loyalty after that," Solanda said.

"Have you given it to him?" the Shaman asked.

"For decades."

"Then declare the debt paid.
 
Move on."

"But will the Powers allow that?"

"The Powers allow nothing and everything," the Shaman said.
 
"You tell me you've saved Arianna's life a dozen times since her birth.
 
Rugar saved you once.
 
Does Arianna owe you her life?"

"Arianna is too young to make that decision.
 
I owe her my powers."
 
Solanda held the baby fist tightly.

"Based on what?
 
She is too young to hold anything over you."

"We are sisters under the skin," Solanda said.
 

"You and Rugar are not."

"But I wouldn't be here without him," Solanda said.

"Really?"
 
the Shaman asked.
 
"Or did he make it seem that way?"

Solanda frowned.
 
She remembered that afternoon --the dogs, the soldiers, the blood everywhere.
 
And Rugar swooping down like a god to save her.

Someone had ordered the soldiers into place.

Someone had brought the dogs.

Rugar?

He would have known how to gain a Shape-shifter's loyalty.
 
In those days his Vision was strong.
 
He might have even known the plan would work.

"He wasn't that devious then," Solanda said.

"Rugar was devious from the beginning," the Shaman said.
 
"He is part of the Black King's family.
 
None of them work in a straight-forward fashion."

"Such accusations," Solanda said.
 
"This babe is too young to be devious."

"Is she?" the Shaman asked.
 
"She has tied you to her more effectively than any other being has ever been able to."

"Her mind isn't formed yet.
 
How can she manipulate me?"

"Coulter's mind wasn't formed yet either, but he left a trail for his parents to follow that was so clear you were able to pick it up a year later."

"Are you saying I shouldn't trust Arianna?"
 
Solanda couldn't believe that.
 
How could a person not trust a newborn?

"I'm saying love her.
 
Trust her.
 
And keep her away from her grandfather.
 
From both of her grandfathers --Rugar and Rugad."

"And if I can't?"

The Shaman stood.
 
She seemed taller than she had when she came into the room.
 
"Then the destruction that follows will be on your shoulders."

FORTY

Lord Stowe flanked him on one side, Monte on the other.
 
They wouldn't let him into the Tabernacle alone.
 
Nicholas thought it odd; he was King, yet he was taking orders from his own men.
 
They threatened to keep him prisoner in the palace if he didn't listen to them, and by the looks on their faces, he realized they were completely serious.

Rather than risk another schism within his community, he allowed them to come with him.

He was actually glad for the protection.

The gates to the Tabernacle were open.
 
The place looked harmless in the daytime.
 
Hard to believe the substance that killed his wife was made within.
 

The courtyard was covered with painted tile depicting scenes for the Roca's life, and from Rocaanism's history.
 
Nicholas had never bothered to study them.
 
He had never bothered to spend much time on Rocaanism at all.
 
Matthias always saw Nicholas's disinterest as something aimed against the church, but in his boyhood, Nicholas had seen no point in understanding the church.
 
He had figured it was constant, believed it would never changed.
 
He had not thought that something like this would happen.

Nicholas's cape fluttered behind him as he walked.
 
They had left their horses outside the gate — Stowe believed the more surprise they had the better — and they walked the rest of the way.
 
Nicholas's boots clicked on the tile.
 
His sword slapped against his leg, and his favorite dirk was tucked in his right boot.
 
He wore his finest linen shirt and the best breeches he owned.

This was an outfit that Jewel had loved.