aWe were wondering if youad seen the Guardian? We know he was here, but none of us can locate him.a aMost all of what Iave seen is a bunch of people from the knees down,a quipped Tier. Then he added, aActually I saw hima"or at least something that was probably him, whispering to Phoran. I suppose he was telling Phoran that Avar was waiting as planned because it was just after that that Phoran signaled the Ravens to bring down the wall.a aI didnat see it,a said Seraph sourly. aI was trying to get down to you and I got caught in the crowd. Hennea brought down the wall by herselfa"I didnat even get to singe that bloody wizard to ash. By the time I got in the clear, all of the Masters were down and deada"or at least not moving.a aWell,a said Kors, clearing his throat a little, athatas kind of why Benroln sent me over to see if you could find your son. A lot of us saw something kill the Masters, one after the other, but we couldnat quite see it. Wead all appreciate it if you could find Jes and make certain he doesnat mistake anyone else for the enemy.a aJes isnat that stupid,a said Tier. But he worried about what all the violence had done to the Guardian, too. aHeas probably gone off to find someplace quiet.a aWait until Iave gotten the ribs stabilized, young man,a chided the Healer, moving creakily from his knee to his sidea"pushing Kors out of the way. aAnd then you can go looking for your boy.a It took more than a few minutes, but finally with Lehr under one shoulder and Toarsen under the other, Tier gained his feet, Seraphas robe stopping a few inches below his knees. The joints in question still felt like theyad been hit with a cluba"which they hada"but at least he was able to shuffle over to take a look at the victims.
His first clue was the rather sick look Phoran sent him before he turned back to talking with Avar.
Theyad piled all the Mastersa bodies together. When Tier arrived, Kors and Kissel hauled one of the bodies out and pulled back the cowl. The dark veil that lined it, making the robes a more effective disguise, had been ripped so that the face could be revealed.
Tier had the boys help lower him until he was sitting on the ground. The sight he had out of his good eye was getting worse, and he supposed it would be swollen all the way shut by tomorrow, but he wanted to see them, to know that they were dead.
Tieras first reaction was a dull sort of surprise. Head never actually seen any of the Masteras faces except for Telleridgeas, but somehow he felt as if he ought to recognize them anyway. He didnat even know which one it was. His second was a realization that the dried, sunken look was due to more than age. Almost hidden on the manas neck were two fading puncture wounds.
aThe Travelers tell us that your son is capable of this,a said Avar as he and Phoran approached. aAnd that he has magic that can make him hard to seea"much like what they saw kill these men.a Tier opened his mouth, then saw Phoranas pale face behind Avar and realized what had killed the wizards. aMust have been him, then,a he said, trying to hide the rush of relief. Jes hadnat been running amoka"the Memory had.
Lehr stiffened, and Seraph put a hand on Tieras shoulder. He patted her hand, then Lehras leg. aDo the rest of them look the same?a aYes,a said Phoran. aJust the same. As if theyad been drained.a aWork of the Guardian,a said the Healer briskly. Tier hadnat realized shead followed them. aWork of the Guardian to protect his own. Get that man up off the floor and donat put him down until heas somewhere he can rest comfortably. Do you have a chamber where we can store him overnight?a She asked the last question of Phoran.
He bowed. aI suspect that the one that heas been occupying will be the easiest for him. Heas welcome to take as long as necessarya"and as soon as heas up to it, Iad be happy to find him better accommodations.a Brewydd looked at Seraph. aYou wanted to burn him to ash, girl, do it now. Itas not a good thing to leave wizardas bodies intact,a she said.
Lehr and Toarsen managed to lever Tier up once more. Seraph waved a hand and the bodies of the Masters burst into a dark blue-white flame that consumed them utterly in a moment. She gave Tier a look that told him that head better have a good reason to put Jes in a position that would make it even more difficult for others to accept him.
aLetas get him back to his cell,a she said. aThen Lehr can hunt Jes down and bring him to us there.a The trip down that short hallway was miserable. Halfway there, Lehr exchanged a look with Toarsen, and with his help, shifted Tier until Lehr could pick him up and carry him the rest of the way.
Seraph sent Toarsen off to help Avar with a kiss on his cheek, ignoring Tieras indignant aHey.a When Toarsen was gone, she said to Lehr, aDoubtless your father will explain why he blamed Jes for that nasty business. So just find your brother and bring him back here so Tier can explain it to Jes, too, before he gets hurt by the reception he gets.a The Healer had accompanied them, and she checked Tier over thoroughly to make sure the mending shead done on him would hold. When she was through she patted him on the shoulder.
aHardest thing that a Healer learns is when to stop healing,a she said. aThereas always a price to pay. Youare going to be very tired in a short period of time, and youall spend the next few days more asleep than awake. So youad better tell me quickly why youare blaming that poor lad for the work of a Memory.a Seraph drew in her breath. aA Memory?a aCanat,a said Tier. aPromised.a aPromised what?a asked Phoran, slipping into the room and shutting the door behind him.
aNot to explain why head want his son to bear the blame for deaths caused by a Ravenas Memory,a said the old Healer sourly. She took another look at Phoran. aYou have the signs of being afflicted by a Memory, boy.a Seraph raised an eyebrow, but cleared her throat. aEmperor,a she reminded Brewydd.
aWhen youare as old as I am,a said Brewydd. aYou can call anyone anything.a Phoran smiled. aItas my Memory,a he said. aItas all right, Tier. Go to sleep, Iall tell them.a The Emperor patted the end of the bed and found a safe place to sit. He spoke quietly and told them how the Memory came to be bound to him. At some point in the story, Tier drifted off.
aThey were guarded,a said Brewydd, after Phoran finished his story. aIt couldnat take them. In the normal course of things, unable to feed, it would have just drifted away. But you were there.a She nodded her head. aIave heard of something like that happening. The Memory attaching itself to the wrong person. As long as it gave something back, its victim will continue to live. What did it give you?a aAnswers to my questions,a said Phoran. aThatas how I found Tier.a aWhy was it able to kill the Masters now?a asked Seraph. She was touched by the way that Phoran kept patting Tieras feet.
aThey were draining themselves trying to control the Passerines and fight our wizards,a explained Brewydd. aI expect that weakened the protections that kept the Memory from killing them before.a aIt will leave Phoran in peace, then?a asked Seraph.
aIf it has accomplished its task it should,a said the old woman. aI suppose your son will understand that the life of an emperor who just might be what this Empire needs is worth a little discomfort. Tell your man to try not to make anyone mad enough to hit him in those knees again and heall be right as rain in a month or so. Iad better go back and see if my services are needed elsewhere.a Phoran got up reluctantly. aI suppose Iad better go as wella"before some idiot thinks Iam lost.a aIall be fine,a Tier said faintly. aGo reassure the idiots.a Phoran was laughing as he left. Seraph shut the door and took Phoranas place on the end of the bed.
aIs there anyway I can lay down beside you that wonat make it worse?a she asked.
aNo,a he sighed without opening his eyes. aCome here anyway.a When she was tucked against him, he buried his face in her hair.
aTelleridge killed Myrceria in front of me,a he said. aHead had her tortured, but she didnat tell him anything. Telleridge didnat know about you.a aThere was nothing you could have done,a Seraph said, hurting for him and for the woman shead met only briefly.
aHow do you know that?a he whispered, because he needed to believe she was right.
aBecause if you could have done anything, you would have. Itas all right, Tier.a aHe was her father, and he tortured her and killed her,a said Tier. aAnd he enjoyed doing it. Was he shadowed?a aCanat people be evil on their own?a she asked with a sigh. aYouall have to ask your sons; Ravens canat see shadowinga"but I think so. Shh,a she said. aI love you. She did, too.a She let him hold her while he cried quietly into her hair until the tiredness of being healed overwhelmed him. Then, between one breath and the next he slept.
Seraph awoke from a doze to a light knock on the door. Carefully, she extracted herself so Tier slept on undisturbed.
Lehr and Jes waited out in the hall. Seraph motioned them out, went out herself, and shut the door so they wouldnat disturb Tier.
aI told him what Papa said,a said Lehr. aJes said he didnat kill anyone.a Seraph looked up and down the hall and quietly explained.
aItas fine, Mother,a said the Guardian. aNo one will be much more afraid of me than they already are.a aMother,a said Lehr, aYou need to hear why Jes left the Eyrie.a aI was following a black-robed wizard,a said the Guardian. aFather was right, all the wizards were tainted. But there was one . . . did you see him, Lehr?a aNo,a Lehr said. aI only saw the five wizards the Memory killed.a aThere was one who left when the wall disintegrated. He wasnat just tainted, Mother, he was the taint itself.a aLike the Unnamed King?a The Guardian nodded. aI didnat see the taint at first, Mother. I followed the wizard out of the room and into the halls on the other side of the wall. Before I could get close, the Memory was there. It touched the wizard.a The Guardian flinched. aI donat know what the Memory did, but it felt as if a veil had been pulled away and revealed the wizard for what he really was.a He took a shaky breath. aJes is very brave, Mother, even I donat scare hima"but what hid beneath the wizardas illusionary veil was evil. The wizard hit the Memory with some kind of magic, and the Memory was just gone. The wizard didnat see us. When it left, we didnat follow.a aGood,a said Seraph, reassuringly. aYou did the right thing.a aWhen I caught up with him,a said Lehr, ahe showed me where the man had gonea"and I couldnat find his trail. Mother, I could see where rats had been running down the hall, but I couldnat pick up his tracks.a Seraph touched Lehras shoulder. aItas all right,a she said and hoped it was true.
CHAPTER 17.
If it hadnat been for Skew, Tier would have had to wait another week before setting out for Redern, but the old horseas soft gaits were easy on Tieras ribs. He seemed to understand that Tier was hurt: not even Guraas anxious weaving in and out around his legs caused Skew to alter his smooth stride.
If he remembered to breathe shallowly, it didnat even hurt too mucha"but he didnat like to do that, because it only increased the number of Seraphas anxious glances. She had wanted to wait, but he needed to get home to Rederna"needed to have all of his children together where he could protect them.
There was another Shadowed who walked the land.
There were other explanations for all that had passed. He wasnat certain if even Seraph really believed it in the light of daya"but the Healer knew. She hadnat said anything, but he could see in her eyes that she believed.
Tier glanced over at the brightly colored cart that Brewydd rode in. It was her voice, he thought, that had made Benroln insist on accompanying them back. Benroln had said that Phoran would do better without Traveler aid now that the Sept of Gerant was there.
Doubtless Benroln was right about that. The Sept of Gerant had said as much when head come to see Tier off in lieu of the Emperor. The political situation was unstable and Phoran clung to the throne primarily because there were so few of imperial blood around to fight him for the Empire. Phoran had wished him good travels in secret the night before theyad left.
aI like your Gerant,a said Seraph. aHe reminds me of Ciro, a little. Quiet and unassuming until his skill is called upon.a Tier smiled down at his wife who walked at his stirrup as if she were afraid head fall out of the saddle. aHe liked you as well. Told me that Iad made a good exchange when I chose to follow you instead of the sword.a aHe laughed when you told him you were a farmer,a she said.
Tier glanced at her sharply, but her face was tilted down, watching the ground.
aNot this year,a he said. aBut with the money Phoran sent us back with weall be able to survive this year and buy another horse to replace Frost for next planting season.a aYou donat think weall be planting next season either,a she said softly, her hand coming up to grip his calf.
He shook his head, then realized that she wasnat watching him. aNo,a he said.
She took a step closer to Skew, until her shoulder pressed against his leg. aI donat know what awaits us, but I donat think the Stalker is through with us yet.a Jes laughed, and Tier glanced up to see the Traveler Raven Hennea stalk away from his son. Head thought at first that she was younger than Seraph until head gotten a good look at her eyes. When head asked Seraph, shead told him she didnat know how old Hennea was either. Ravens seldom lived as long as Larks, but it could be very difficult to tell how old they were.
Head worried until head seen how she watched Jes when she thought no one was watching. He knew what love looked like.
aToday,a Tier told Seraph, athe sun is warm on my face. Letas save tomorrowas troubles for tomorrow.a
end.