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aren’t you? A
member of my household, under my rule?”
    “Yes, of course I am, but Mallory will
recognize me.”
    “What if he does? You have nothing to hide
from him. My daughter Adana sent you to me, to act as companion,
and you will be at my side in Kantia, surprised and delighted to
see your dear brother again. That’s all Mallory needs to know.”
    “Garit is certain to learn who Mallory is. He
will be angry to discover that his old home is now in Mallory’s
care. Any man with a crumb of pride would be. What’s more, I know
my brother; even if no one else in all of Kantia is aware of the
name of Walderon of Catherstone, Mallory will take great pleasure
in telling Garit just who our father was. You said you wanted Garit
kept in ignorance of that dreadful truth. I thought you wanted him
kept safe. How can he possibly be safe in a situation that’s
fraught with such peril? And what will his reaction be when he
learns that you and I have been lying to him?”
    “I thought you trusted me, Calia.”
    “I do trust you. I just wish I could make you
understand how vicious Mallory can be when he’s crossed.”
    “If he’s that dangerous, then we ought to
remove Belai and Kinen from his care as soon as possible and our
voyage to Kantia becomes even more urgent. Now, you told me just a
few nights ago that Mallory is a patient man. I assume from what
else you said about him that he won’t openly risk his own
position.”
    “Probably not,” Calia agreed with some
reluctance at having to think about her brother at all.
    “Well, then, I dare to hope that Mallory’s
patience with regard to those boys will last until we reach
Kantia.”
    “My lady,” Calia said, making one final
effort to coax Lady Elgida into seeing reason, though she knew it
was almost certainly a useless attempt, “we have an obligation to
warn Garit to be on his guard. Mallory is sure to assume he’s in
Kantia to take Kinath for himself, so he will be looking for an
excuse to draw his sword against Garit.” Or to attempt some less
obvious violence, for Mallory could be devious. He rarely employed
his corrupt Power, preferring to use less exhausting means of
getting what he wanted, but if his position was threatened, he’d
not hesitate. However, Calia’s plea to tell Garit what she thought
he ought to know made no impression on Lady Elgida.
    “You will honor your promise of silence until
I release you from it. After I have met both Fenella and Mallory,
I’ll be able to judge the current situation at Kinath more
intelligently,” Lady Elgida said. “We will arrive with no previous
notice, which will off er the opportunity for us to see their
reactions to our unexpected presence there.”
    “Surely, you cannot think that Lady Fenella
is involved in any scheme to harm her own children!” Calia
exclaimed.
    “Ah, Mairne, there you are,” Lady Elgida
said, still not responding to Calia’s urgent concerns. “Yes, those
are the wicker hampers I meant. I’m glad you found them so quickly.
Let me see if they are as deep as I remembered. We will need to
take warmer clothing than we’d require here at Saumar in
summertime. Kantia is a colder place by far.”
     
    Calia was not at all surprised to find Garit
waiting for her by the fireplace in the hall. A few words with him
during the quiet half hour before retiring had quickly become
precious to her. She knew she shouldn’t allow even so brief an
intimacy and yet she could not stay away. She reminded herself that
it had long been her habit to make certain the doors were latched
and the fires were banked. If Garit chose to wait for her each
evening, then she could not stop him. He held a greater right to
move freely about Saumar Manor than she did. Even as she made her
flimsy excuse to herself, she knew it was just that – an excuse
aimed at assuaging her guilt over the pleasure she experienced
whenever they spoke in private.
    She came up to the fire and reached for the
heavy poker. Garit put