The Shadow Matrix (27 page)

Just me? Shouldn't I bring . . . no, I see now. I understand, I believe.

Liri, bring a goodly carriage, and . . . damn, I am fading again.

I will come,
bredillu! I
will set out as soon as I can!

The contact vanished, and Mikhail sat there, savoring the term
"bredillu,"
"little

brother." He was older than his sister by more than a year, but he really did feel like a

younger man at that moment. The affection in the word touched him, warmed him, and

reassured him. It would 'be good to have-her there, to be able to speak to her, and get

her wisdom. Odd. He had never thought of his sister as wise, but she was. And it was

time he began to respect it!

10

Liriel arrived at Halyn House six days later, at the tag end of a small snowstorm. Even

before she entered the house, Mikhail knew she was in a foul temper. This was

unusual, because Liriel was remarkably steady in her moods, calm and cheerful, for the

most part. He had almost forgotten how much she loathed journeys.

Mikhail could not really blame her, for traveling, even from Arilinn, across the

relatively flat plain of Arilinn and down the River Valeron, was not pleasant at this

time of year. Ever since he had sent for her, he had been plagued with second thoughts,

rocked with doubts, and wished he had not done it. He had just gritted his teeth and

hoped he had not brought her on a fool's errand.

"I have traveled more this year than I have in my entire life," the large woman

informed him, as she descended from the covered carriage she had come in, "and I like

it less with each journey. I swear that if there was a rock to be found, my driver

managed to find it."

She was muffled in a cloak of heavy green wool, and she had a shawl draped over it,

so she appeared almost shapeless in the dim light of late afternoon. Her usually pale

cheeks were quite rosy from the cold. Mikhail found he was very glad to see her. He

had not realized until this moment how much he missed his family, even his mother

and father.

The driver overheard her, and flashed Mikhail a broad grin. The carriage she had

traveled in was large and well-sprung, the windows glazed and curtained to keep out

the cold. Behind it rode four men, two in Guardsmen's uniforms and the others in

ordinary clothing. Where was he going to put everyone? Halyn House was not large,

and the servants' quarters remained in a sorry state of disrepair.

Still, he was sure that Daryll and Mathias would help him sort things out, and it was

not important. What was important was that his sister had arrived, and he now had

someone to confide in.

"I am glad to see you, too, Liri! Come in and have a hot bath. That will take the ache

from your bones and restore your usual good humor." He offered her an arm to get up

the slippery stairs into the house, and she took it, clamping a strong hand around his

forearm in a grip which surprised him.

She leaned against him a little, then sniffed the air. "I had not quite realized how close

to the Sea of Dalereuth this place stood. Funny sort of smell. Cousin Marguerida says

that travel is broadening, but the last thing I need is broadening," Liriel continued as

they entered the foyer of Halyn House. She gestured at her body with a wry smile.

"The smell of the sea disturbs me, Mik, and I don't know why. I am sure Marguerida

would like it, though. She often longs for her Thetis, and sighs for warm winds and

soft seas, you know."

"Yes, I have heard her muse on it a few times. And she sings those songs. ... Some of

those she recorded for Diotima's stasis are really wonderful. Do you think Dio can hear

her voice?" He ignored the tightness in his chest that the mere mention of Marguerida's

name brought on, and tried to appear uninterested. More, he tried to put from his mind

how difficult it had become to communicate with his beloved the past few weeks. It

was maddening and frustrating for him to be too tired to reach her most nights, and

when he did, he found her remote and preoccupied with some matter that she would

not discuss. She spoke of Istvana Ridenow's rather unorthodox methods of training,

and about her new friend, Caitlin Leynier and the others at Neskaya, but underneath he

knew that something was worrying her. He had begun to ask her a few times, but his

attention had wandered, or one of the children had awakened. It was as if some force

were determined not to let him have any peace and quiet.

"Hear the songs? What an interesting idea." Liriel gave her brother a warm look. "But I

am sure you and Marguerida have much to discuss, other than her singing." There

was no innuendo in her words, just a sisterly affection that made his heart swell.

Mikhail let his shoulders drop a little. There was no fooling his sister. She knew how

he felt about Marguerida, and how Marguerida felt about him, better than anyone

except Lew Alton. But she was discreet, and he knew she would not tease him more

than a bit. "There is always the weather."

Liriel chuckled as she unwound the shawl and draped it from a hook, then removed her

cloak as well. "If the two of you spend a moment discussing the weather, then I am a

cristoforo."
She glanced up at the darkened rafters, then at the walls, hung with

motheaten tapestries, and shook her head. "This is not a comfortable house, is it?"

Behind her, one of the men was bringing in the luggage.

Mikhail shook his head. "You should have seen it before I got the workers in to mend

the window frames and clear the chimneys. Priscilla and her children seem accustomed

to the climate, but they were camping out in five rooms when I arrived."

"But why?"

"Damned if I know. Priscilla will not tell me why she insists on living in this

moldering barrack. Maybe you can make more sense of her pronouncements than I

have been able to." He hesitated. If he told Liriel about the séance, he would break his

oath, even if it had been given to a ghost. With all the doubts he had, he could not quite

bring himself to do it. But he had not promised not to speak of what little he had

learned from the "villagers.

Mikhail cleared his throat. "I believe it has something to do with a local superstition,

Liriel. There is a hot spring about a mile up the road, which the village folk claim has

healing powers, and a guardian spirit. Priscilla seems to have some obsession about

this Guardian—don't ask me what it is, though. I haven't been able to find out more

than I just told you. I wanted to go and take a look at it, but, frankly, just keeping up

with the children has left me little time for anything else. I don't know how women

manage so well. My respect for our parents and their skills at householding have

increased enormously."

"Yes, I know. Mother showed me your letter when she came from Armida last month.

It was kindly written, but I

do not think she appreciated it much. She wants your loyalty, not your admiration, I'm

afraid—but you know Mother!"

Mikhail shook his head. "I cannot serve two masters, and having to choose between

Regis and Mother was very difficult. But I am sworn to Regis, to Hastur, and that takes

precedence over any other consideration."

"I know, brother, but she cannot see that. It is one of the differences, I believe, between

males and females, that an oath can be more important even than blood." She sighed

deeply, then smiled slightly. "Fortunately, she is deep into brooding over Ariel's

pregnancy just now, and has let everything else go for the present. Once the child is

born, you can expect her to start her intrigues once again. She is determined to put

forth Rafael as Elhalyn Regent when she goes to Thendara. She is in residence at

Arilinn now, since the weather will make travel more difficult as the season progresses.

She was quite curious about my departure, since I can control Ariel better than anyone,

and when I said I was only going to Thendara, I do not think she believed me. It is a

terrible thing to lie to one's own mother." She did not sound as if she thought it was

really a terrible thing, and Mikhail grinned. Liriel had always been subtly mischievous,

and he had forgotten what a delightful quality it was.

"Thank you! Though Rafael would be welcome to the Regency, and never thank me

for it, if he got it. I don't think Mother realizes how determined Uncle Regis is to do

things his own way. No matter. How is Ariel?" Mikhail found he was not surprised that

Javanne was intent on getting him out of the Elhalyn Regency, and while it saddened

him a little, he realized that she would not see what she was doing as an act of

disloyalty or betrayal. Javanne expected her children to be loyal to her, but did not

seem to know that it went both ways.

"She seems quieter than she was right after Domenic died. But she is still very fragile

and delicate. I tried to persuade Mother not to bring her to Thendara for Midwinter, but

she is convinced that she must be in the city, and that Ariel needs her clucking and

attention. Still, the coming of a daughter, so longed for for all these years, has done a

great deal to help her cope with the loss, and she

keeps herself busy sewing gowns and blankets. You would be astonished at her

industry. Not to mention the amount of embroidery she plans to burden the child with."

"Ariel always did like to decorate any plain surface. Do you remember when she

painted the walls of your room with vines and flowers?"

Liriel chuckled. "I remember that Father had a fit over it, though it was quite pretty."

Priscilla Elhalyn came down the corridor toward them. In the shadows beside the

staircase, her eyes appeared larger than they really were, and the faded red hair and

prominent Elhalyn nose made a somewhat grotesque appearance. Her mouth was tight

and withholding, as if it had forgotten how to smile. She wore a shapeless brown wool

robe whose hem was worn, and her head was covered with a rectangular veil secured

at the brows with several hairpins. Beneath the veil, the butterfly clasp in her hair had

caught the threads in several places, so it was pulled and even torn.

Priscilla paused and looked at Liriel. She did not appear very pleased with the new

arrival, but she sniffed and extended one thin hand stiffly. "Welcome to Halyn House. I

trust your journey was not too wearisome." Then she. noticed the man with the

baggage and frowned. At that moment, one of the two Guardsmen who had

accompanied Liriel came in, stamping his feet. Priscilla looked at Mikhail, a small

frown on her brow.

"Thank you,
Domna
Elhalyn. Other than the wind finding its way through every crack

and crevice in the carriage, and howling a great deal, it was not unpleasant."

"I have not traveled farther than ten miles from Halyn House in many years, and I do

not intend to. I think one should stay nearby one's home. All this gallivanting around

from place to place seems a foolish occupation for a sensible woman."

"Of course it is, but sometimes it is necessary. Mikhail cannot properly test your

daughters for
laran,
you know, so he asked me to come and do it."

The front door opened before. Priscilla could reply, and old Duncan entered, followed

by the rest of Liriel's entourage. There was more baggage, and suddenly the entryway

seemed quite crowded. The smell of wet wool and snow

wafted up as an icy blast from outside chilled the already cold chamber even further.

Duncan sniffed, rubbed his rosy nose, and said, "I dunno know where we're to put all

these folk,
domna.
And there ain't fodder for all these horses. Though the stables is

ready." He gave Mikhail a grin, as if he were proud that the barn was now clean and in

as good repair as could be managed with a shortage of workmen and not a great deal of

materials. The roof no longer leaked, the grain room was dry, and the horses lived in

rather more comfort than the people in the house.

The Guardsman who had come in first, whom Mikhail now recognized as Tomas

MacErald, the youngest son of the current armsmaster in Thendara, nodded at him,

then spoke. "We can bed down in the stables, if we must."

"No," Mikhail answered. "I think we can get the back rooms in the servants' quarters

into shape—though they will not be a great deal warmer than the stables, truthfully.

And do not be surprised if Daryll and Mathias fall upon your neck with glad cries,

Tomas. They have been standing watch, and will be delighted to share the task. And if

you have some good gossip from Thendara, as well, their cup will be overflowing."

Domna
Elhalyn glared at everyone, then turned to Liriel, as if they were quite alone. "I

don't know why you should test my daughters," Priscilla said. "It is not as if I will

permit them to go off to a Tower and learn things they do not need to know. I never

should have allowed Regis Hastur ..." She stopped speaking abruptly.

Liriel gave her brother a sharp look.
My goodness
—
she is even more eccentric than