Heart Dance (41 page)

“Impressive,” T’Hawthorn said. He looked at the Healer, T’Heather.

Heather grunted. Stared at Dufleur, then with a wave of hands, produced a small housefluff, a pet that was a combinationof Earth rabbit and Celtan mochyn. “My youngest Daughter’sSon’s pet. It has a cold.” His large hands stroked the animal delicately.

Adrenaline shot through Dufleur. “I can Heal it.”

“Her,” said T’Heather.

“I can Heal her.” She lifted the housefluff gently. The creaturewas soft and boneless. She went to an empty corner and sat. “As you all know, this chair has been vacant since the beginningof our meeting. The housefluff and I will be traveling slightly through time, both past and present.” She hadn’t explainedany further or in exact detail how her process worked, and they hadn’t asked.

She drew the Time Wind to eddy around them—this Residencewould always attract more than usual of the Time Wind, since she’d lived and worked in it.

Preparing herself, she mentally reviewed the steps, gauged her own energy and Flair, the housefluff ’s—who was not a Fam—and the virulence of the cold—minor. She moved into the Time Wind, snagged the virus, jumped forward in time, then back thirty seconds. And relived those thirty seconds.

The housefluff perked up from its previous limpness, wrinkledits nose, hopped from her lap and over to T’Heather. He scooped it up.

Everyone stared at Dufleur, wide-eyed.

Saille left without a word, emotions churning through their bond.

“You hurt him,” SupremeJudge Ailim Elder murmured.

“We’ve hurt each other.”

“What do you want?” T’Heather asked abruptly.

“As you know, the former D’Willow lies in a cryonics tube in
Nuada’s Sword
and set a prize for whoever Heals her.” Dufleur waved a hand. “I’m not interested in that. I would take nothing from the Willows.” Except Saille’s heart. “The point is that the former D’Willow has already agreed to be experimented on.”

Ruis Elder spoke from the screen. “Ship has been observing this meeting, too, and states that Dufleur Thyme has met the conditions the former D’Willow set for reviving her.”

Healer T’Heather grunted again. “Ship’s right.”

Vinni T’Vine, the young seer, nodded seriously. “I advise we allow this.”

They all stared at him. Dufleur could only pray that he wouldn’t let her ruin her own or Saille’s life.

“What do you want?” This time the question came from the Captain of the Councils, T’Hawthorn.

“I want the ban against the Thymes working with time lifted.”

“Just against the Thymes?” T’Hawthorn followed up drily. He knew all about business competition.

“The Agaves are no more.” She set her teeth, sent each a hard look. “It is my belief that the law forbidding the use of a natural Flair talent contributed to GraceLord Agave’s desperate actions and the destruction of his House.”

She waited tensely, her gaze drawn again and again to the housefluff T’Heather petted, until Fairyfoot jumped in her lap and purred. Her FamCat had promised to be quiet the whole of the meeting—for her own large room in the new house. Where Dufleur didn’t want to live.

“There’s more than just results that need to be considered,” Passiflora said. “D’Willow was the head of the Willow householdfor decades. Saille T’Willow has taken on the responsibilityfor less than six months. Many might consider him an upstart and give the power back to D’Willow.” Passiflora gave a little cough. “If the Family can’t settle it themselves and it came to a vote in the FirstFamilies Council . . .”

“Even if the Family chose young T’Willow, the FirstFamiliesCouncil might—”

“No,” said SupremeJudge Ailim Elder. “Many of our laws have been bent and broken recently. We will not interfere in a Family unless illegality or abuse is shown.”

“The Family prefers T’Willow,” Dufleur said. Studied them each again. “And if the matter somehow came to the attention of the FirstFamilies Council, I believe that Saille would still win. I could ask those of you here who would support him. That would be a consideration for me in attempting to revive her.”

“I wouldn’t support her,” Ruis Elder said cheerfully from the screen that showed him lounging in the Captain’s Quarters of
Nuada’s Sword
. “I am formally allied with you, GrandMistrysThyme. Besides, she voted to execute me.”

Others of the gathering winced. It was the blackest moment of the FirstFamilies Council in a century.

“I’m glad to say that no one else here wanted me dead,” Ruis said.

“Our vote would go to T’Willow,” Ailim Elder said.

And the discussion deteriorated into politics. Dufleur watched, tense, as they debated who in the FirstFamilies would vote for or against Saille as T’Willow—if it came to that. And she reached out to him through their bond. He did not answer.

After each FirstFamilies prospective vote was discussed, and a straw poll taken that showed Saille being backed by a solid majority, Passiflora said, “If it is D’Willow’s time to die, if Dufleur finds a way to extend that life, would more people be greedy for more years? Would it undermine one of the key spiritualbases of our culture?”

And ethics was debated for two septhours.

Finally, finally such talk was done—easier for them, she thought, than this other decision.

They asked her to leave the room, and that Winterberry Residencekeep their discussion completely confidential. Both Dufleur and the Residence agreed.

So she paced outside in the corridor, passing the teleportationarea, thinking she’d made a mistake, thinking she was doingthe right thing, thinking she wanted Saille.

After thirty-five minutes, she was called back into the room.

“We agree to your experiment,” T’Hawthorn announced. “We have informed the rest of the FirstFamilies.” Which meant Saille, too. She’d felt nothing from him in her bond.

Dufleur and the committee hammered out the details of the experiment, with input from the Ship. The date and time— tomorrow after MiddayBell—and the procedure. When the Ship would take D’Willow off life support, the quarter sept-hour Dufleur would have to attempt to eradicate the disease, when FirstLevel Healers T’Heather and Lark Holly would arrive to examineD’Willow, what they would do if the experiment was a success. Or if it failed.

They left, and the Residence was silent, even though their voices and arguments seemed to buzz in her head long after they were gone.

She tried all evening to reach Saille, first through their narrowedlink, then by scry. Arbusca gently told Dufleur that Saille was spending the night in the Willow HouseHeart.

So she had to stop calling. That was a sacred commitment she couldn’t violate.

Fairyfoot offered to teleport to T’Willow’s and check on Saille, but Dufleur resisted temptation. She knew with a heavy heart that he wouldn’t come to her tonight. Wouldn’t ask her to love in the mossy conservatory.

Midevening she took a mild-sleeping tisane and went to bed.

By tomorrow night it will be all over
, Fairyfoot said, smug in her conviction that everything would turn out all right.

By tomorrow night Dufleur’s life would be changed entirely by success or failure.

To distract herself, Dufleur helped her mother supervise the Winterberrys and the Clovers refurbish the new house in the morning.

Then she prepared herself as if for a great ritual.

Nuada’s Sword
in Landing Park wasn’t far from D’WinterberryResidence. Just a couple of blocks. Since the Residence didn’t border the park itself, it wasn’t in quite such a desirable location, and the neighborhood had declined since the Residencewas built. Even her new property a few blocks away on a different side of Landing Park was considered more upscale.

All these thoughts crowded her head and kept her outwardly calm as she walked to the Ship. It was a cold day, but her new coat, hat, and gloves were bespelled for warmth, and she’d put a little weathershield around her face. Fairyfoot had been hunting and had decided to go to the ship just before the experiment began.Dufleur wanted to look around once more so she appeared completely in control. She
was
in control.

Saille caught up with her in the anteroom to the cryonics chamber.

Thirty-one

Saille’s hands curved over her shoulders. His face was
sterner than she’d ever seen it, lips compressed, a cold chill in his eyes. “Don’t do this.”

“Is that an order?”

He gave her a tiny shake. “I don’t give my HeartMate orders.Don’t do this. You will ruin a Family.”

“Mine has already been ruined—”

“Yes, by that woman in there. Would you return life and Flair and power to her?”

“I would vindicate my name—and my father’s. I would prove our work is valuable and should be
legal
.” She spat out, her voice rising. This was not the place to argue so, but she couldn’t control her anger anymore. She poked a finger in his chest. “You, a GreatLord, can practice your Flair openly, are valued for it—”

“That wasn’t always so. I told you I understand how you feel.”

“How can you? Look at you, noble and admired and with a home of your own and a loving Family.” She pulled away, rubbed her hands over her face. “And how low I am to resent you so, becauseyour circumstances have changed.”

“Your circumstances have changed, too. You have gilt from your work, are garnering fame from your art. You can have my Residence and my Family, the warmth and comfort of them, too.”

“It is not the same!”
She whirled at him, knowing her face was in ugly lines. Her whole being felt ugly. “Not being able to use my natural talents and Flair openly is eating me alive.” She flung out a hand. “Sooner or later my unfriends or enemies or even well-meaning but frightened people will discover what I am doing. The Ship could report my violations to SupremeJudge Elder, and I could be banished from Druida for the rest of my life.” She shook her head. “Maybe that would be for the best. If I was on a country estate. I should simply go away. Find a place and go away.”

“You would leave me?”

“Saille, I never had you. Or you never had me—saw the real me—always ignored what I was doing.”

“Untrue. I know you. I value you.”

She laughed, and it sounded as bitter as any of her mother’s. “Look at us, fighting. Feel the tension between us.” She waved a hand between them. “I knew this connection was foolish. Wouldn’t work.” That she’d be too selfish and demand more than he could give. That she’d ruin any sort of relationship. Now it had happened, and at least the end had come and she didn’t have to anticipate failure every minute.

Her anger was gone, shot out like fireworks in the previous moments. Hurting her. Hurting her. “I’m not good for you.”

“I will go away with you,” he said. “We have several country estates. Choose one.”

She stared. Managed to keep another ugly laugh short insteadof a long peal. “You would do that for your Family. Your Family first. Then me.”

He strode to her and cupped her face in his palms. His eyes were blue and steady. “I would do it for you. For us. You had only to ask.”

“I don’t believe you.”

He swallowed. His face went impassive. “I know. You don’t believe me. More, you don’t believe in yourself. Which is why you never accepted the HeartBond.” One side of his mouth twisted. “Which is one of the reasons you have to prove yourselfwith this action that will have bad consequences for us all.”

“It will restore our Family reputation. It will get the laws against experimenting with time repealed.”

“Will it?”

Perspiration cooled on her skin. Did that mean he would speak against her? She had just enough sense not to voice that thought. And realized that he’d narrowed the link between them enough that he didn’t hear/feel that doubt. She’d already hurt him too much.

He strode to the door leading to the cryogenics room, pressed a hand to plate. The door opened. “Go. Do what you feel you must do.”

All the anticipation and excitement of the moment, the triumphat proving an enemy wrong had vanished. She hesitated. Perhaps she should abort this experiment. Take Saille up on his offer to leave Druida. Believe in him.

The Ship chronometer pinged. “The artificial life support on GreatLady D’Willow has been removed.”

Dufleur met Saille’s cool gaze. “I want it all,” she said. “I want the Thyme Residence to live in Druida again. I want a good name. I want to experiment with time here.” She licked her lips. “I want you.”

He said nothing. So she walked through the door with a sinkingsensation in her stomach that she had just lost the most importantthing in her life.

The door slid shut behind her. Closing him out. Closing her
in with machines and tubes that once held and cherished life but now only housed one spiteful old woman. An enemy once of great power. She told herself that Saille was wrong. Reviving his MotherDam would not harm his Family. He was too much the GreatLord for that. He was too well loved by them all.

“Ship, you assure me that I can use Flair in this chamber.”

“I have monitored the cryonics room, and Captain Elder and I have modified the fields surrounding the chamber so that native Celtan psi power is accessible and that his innate Null powers that suppress your Flair do not encroach upon the room.”

“Thank you.” Keeping her step brisk, she went to one of the largest cylinders. To accommodate the bulk of old D’Willow. The transparent top had cleared of all mist, showing a heavy, old woman with self-indulgent lines carved in her face.

No, this woman had already lost her Family. Her overreachinghubris in believing she would never be denied anything had already cost her everything.

And all these thoughts and rationalizations and justifications were mind games for Dufleur, staving off the deep hurt imbuing her down to blood and bone. With an underlying panic and despair.If she let it, a fine trembling would overtake her body.