Jayne Castle [Jayne Ann Krentz] (47 page)

She feels her contract demands that she stay with you until the end of the journey."

Ridge answered her coldly. "I am aware of Kalena's sense of duty and honor. But she stays with me for

reasons that go beyond our contract."

"And you? Why will you stay with her?"

He did not like this woman, Ridge thought. "I, too, have learned that there are forces that are stronger

than even those of honor and duty. Hadn't you better join the others? They're already some distance

ahead."

Arona shrugged and turned away without another word. Ridge watched her go, his eyes following the

loose cluster of women as they made their way up a mountain path. He kept his eyes on Kalena until she

and the others disappeared around a bend in the trail.

His creet stamped one clawed foot with mild impatience and Ridge dropped easily from the saddle. "All

right," he murmured soothingly. "I get the point. Let's go find something to eat. Not much else a man can

do in this valley"

On the long ride out of the mountains, Ridge allowed himself to examine his memories of the last chaotic

scenes in the chamber of black glass.

With deliberate intent he made himself go through the last few minutes in careful detail. He was bothered

especially by his clear memory of glancing back just before they fled the chamber and seeing that one of

the firegel lamps on the opposite side of the chamber seemed to be carried not in panic and fear, but with

calm determination. Ridge was certain a figure in a swirling black cape had retrieved the light and

disappeared through an exit with it.

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Someone else had escaped the black glass chamber.

Ridge considered that possibility. Even Griss, the master's captain, had been too overcome with the

shock of failure and a sick rage to make any effort to save himself. His last goal had been Kalena's

throat, not escape. The others had been totally overcome with the consequences of their failed attempt to

seize a power they did not understand. But one other man had kept his head.

That man had to be the unknown master of the cult, Ridge realized. The mysterious leader had to be a

man wealthy enough to finance the cost of operating the cult as well as the expense of going after the

Dark Key. He had to be a man powerful enough to keep the cult a secret, as well as a man brilliant

enough to learn its location from the ancient manuscripts. Such a man had to understand the qualities

required to handle the Keys and have the patience to search until he had located a man and a woman

who had those unique qualities. He had to be a man clever enough to find a way of putting Ridge and

Kalena together so that they could both be used for his ultimate, secret purpose. He had to have access

to the kind of inside information required to know Ridge's journey plans. Such a man would have kept his

head during the last traumatic moments in the cavern, even though he was seeing his life's work collapse

before his eyes.

Without being aware of it, Ridge's hand moved to rest on the handle of his sintar.

"Ridge?" Riding next to him as they left the foothills, Kalena saw the telltale movement of her husband's

hand and a small shock of anxiety went through her. "What are you thinking about?"

He glanced at her and then back at the trail in front of them. "I was remembering all that has happened,"

he told her quietly.

"Ah." Kalena nodded in sudden understanding. "So that you can make a full report to Quintel, hmm?"

"I always make a full report to Quintel."

She didn't understand the distant quality in his voice. It was new, a tone she had never before heard from

him. Kalena found it strangely disturbing. She was seeking ways to bring him out of the strange mood

when Ridge spoke again.

"Will you miss the Healers' valley, Kalena?"

She thought about it. "No, not really. It is an interesting choice for a woman, but it's not my choice. In

any event, it's not lost to me. Surely I can return to visit occasionally."

Ridge's mouth kicked up at one corner. "Only with me along for company."

She smiled. "Afraid I would be lured into staying if I were to return there without you?"

"Let's just say I would prefer to be with you to remind you of the one thing you could never find in the

valley"

"And what would that be?" she challenged laughingly. "You're a woman of strong passions, Kalena. You

need a man to satisfy them," he stated bluntly.

"You?"

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"Me." He nodded once, unequivocally, then shot her a speculative look. "Going to deny it?"

She shook her head, her eyes glowing. "Not for a moment," she murmured. "You have taught me too

well about passion. You are a magnificent lover, Fire Whip. You must know that."

To her astonishment, he hesitated. Instead of gloating, he said with pained honesty, "The truth is, I didn't

know it. Not until I had taken you to bed and felt your response to me."

"What are you trying to say?" Kalena asked gently.

She could have sworn she saw a dull red flush of embarrassment on the high bones of his cheeks. Ridge

cleared his throat, not looking at her.

"Kalena, I spend a lot of my time on the trade trail. When I get where I'm going, I usually have my hands

full doing whatever it is I've been paid to do. Afterward, I spend a lot of time cleaning up whatever mess

is left. Then I head back to Crosspurposes. I usually stay there only a short time before heading out on

the next assignment. I'm not around long enough to establish any kind of, well, long-term arrangements, if

you know what I mean. I'm not saying there haven't been women, but there haven't been that many of

them, and the, uh, associations are short-lived." There was a distinct pause before he concluded, "I think

I've been a matter of curiosity to some ..."

His voice trailed off and Kalena stared at him, remembering the jokes Arrisa and some of the other

women had made about the steel of Countervail. For an instant she was torn between sympathy for her

husband and a wave of glorious feminine amusement. The amusement won out. Kalena started laughing.

Ridge muttered something under his breath and then added, "I'm glad you find it funny"

"I do," Kalena gasped between giggles. The creets cocked their heads inquiringly. "I think it's one of the

funniest things I've ever heard in my life. Arrisa and some of the others back in Crosspurposes tried to

make me promise to tell them whether the steel of Countervail really glowed when you ... when you—"

She broke off, unable to speak the words. Her laughter bubbled forth again. "You see, Ridge, they have

a joke about the real steel of Countervail being that which hangs between ... uh, never mind. I couldn't

possibly explain!"

Ridge drew his creet to a halt and reached out abruptly to stop Kalena's bird. She wiped the tears of

laughter from her eyes and tried to assume a more sober expression. It didn't work. Ridge sat scowling at

her while Kalena dissolved into another fit of giggles. At last he spoke, his tone weighted with male

authority.

"Say one word to Arrisa or anyone else about whether or not the steel glows when I take you to my

pallet and I give you my solemn oath I'll make your sweet backside glow hotter than the steel.

Understood, wife?"

Kalena tried to nod without giving way to more laughter, but failed. "Yes, my lord husband," she gasped

meekly. "I understand. I wouldn't dare discuss such matters outside the privacy of our sleeping chamber.

You can rely on my absolute discretion."

"Oh, I do, Kalena." A slow grin revealed his teeth, and Ridge's eyes gleamed. "I have complete faith in

your sense of wifely discretion. Just as I assume you have complete faith in my willingness to follow

through on my promises."

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"You mean threats."

"I mean promises," he reiterated.

"I don't doubt you for a moment, husband."

"Excellent. Now that we've arrived at an understanding on that topic, we will drop it. We have a lot of

ground to cover before nightfall." Ridge urged his creet into a brisk pace, leaving Kalena to catch up with

him.

"Ridge?"

"What is it, Kalena?"

"Will you still be doing Quintel's trail work after we return to Crosspurposes?" Kalena asked anxiously.

"Will you be going away for long periods of time?"

He shook his head with grave certainty. "No, I'm a married man now. I have a family to care for. I'll also

be busy enough managing my slice of the Sand trade. There will be no more of Quintel's kind of trail

work for me. Ever."

Kalena wondered at the emphasis on that last word.

Much later that evening, when Kalena was seated beside Ridge in front of the trail shelter hearth, he

brought up an entirely new subject.

"What happened when you took the Light Key back to its hiding place?" He stared into the flames.

Kalena remembered her trip back into the ice cave. "Not much. I did what you had done with the Dark

Key. I put the Key, case and all, back where I had found it. In a pool of ice."

"Ice? How did you get it into hard ice?"

She smiled briefly. "It was liquid until I put the case back into it and then ..."

"Then what?"

"Then suddenly it wasn't liquid anymore. It's hard to explain. As soon as I withdrew my hand, the pool

froze solid again, just as it had been when I first found it."

Ridge studied the flames. "Do you think anyone else could get it out?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know what it takes to melt the ice at a touch the way I did. I don't think it's

ordinary frozen water."

"The fire that holds the Dark Key isn't made of ordinary flames, either."

Kalena nodded. "There is something in us that can unlock the Keys. It's possible there are others with

the same ability, but I think it's rare. The Healers implied as much."

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"It's possible we're the only two people in this generation who could do it," Ridge concluded. He

stretched, his muscles moving smoothly beneath his shirt. "But even if someone could handle the Keys

themselves, I doubt that it will be easy to locate either of them a second time. Griss told me it took years

and a lot of lives to locate the hiding place of the Key and haul the pit of fire out of the bottom of the

crevasse in the mountains. Even when the cult got hold of it, no one in the group could even take the case

from the flames, let alone handle the Key. The Healers seem to have done a good job of protecting the

Light Key for generations."

"They can't touch it, either," Kalena said. "But they guard it well. They said that even the Dawn Lords

feared the Keys. They couldn't handle them; they could only try to hide them. There's no knowing what

disaster would be caused if the Stones of Contrast were ever unlocked with the Keys."

"If and when that time comes, perhaps there will be others who will know how to control both the

Stones and the Keys. In any event, I don't think we'll have to worry about it in our lifetime. Or the lifetime

of our child." Ridge cast a meaningful glance at Kalena's slim waist, his eyes glowing with new fire.

Kalena met his gaze. "What are you thinking now, Ridge?"

"That I burn for you, my lady. That I am destined to burn for you all the days of my life." He reached for

her and Kalena went joyously into his arms.

Two eightdays after their return to Crosspurposes, Kalena stood beneath the glitter of a magnificent

crystal firegel chandelier and watched her husband slip quietly out of the ball full of elegantly dressed

people. He had said nothing to her about where he was going, but she knew his destination with a

certainty that sent a chill down her spine.

Kalena's second wedding celebration was being provided by the same man who had provided the first:

Quintel. This time, however, the crowd was not composed entirely of members of the Traders' Guild. It

was true that Arrisa, Virtina and several of Ridge's acquaintances had been invited, but a great many of

the guests came from the most powerful Houses of Crosspurposes. When Quintel had issued the

invitation to his peers, none had refused.

It was partly curiosity, of course. The fact that the Fire Whip had reopened the vital Sand trade route

was no secret. That route supported a good portion of the region's economy, and none present tonight

was unaware of that fact. Many had come to meet the man who now owned a slice of the Sand trade.

They were also interested in meeting the trade wife with whom Ridge had signed a permanent marriage

contract.

The second wedding ceremony was most unusual. Trade marriages occasionally became permanent, but

such events were rare. The Polarity Advisor called in this time was the same one who had performed the

first ceremony. He was secretly pleased that his assessment of the bride and groom had proven accurate.

They were, indeed, excellent counterpoints to each other. He formalized the marriage into a permanent

arrangement without a qualm.

This wedding celebration was far more elaborate than the first. The hall was filled with a glittering crowd.