royal hostess, but she used the rapier to point. “Me here. Gath, there. Nia … Kev … Brak …”
“Brak won’t be coming.” Gath was staring off to the other end of the hall, suddenly tense. His face had lost its merriment and gone very wooden. Inos felt a twinge of alarm.
“Why not?”
“He just won’t.”
“Why not?..”
“Concussion. ” Gath dropped his book on the table. “Thanks, Kadie. No, I can’t!” Then he spun around and ran.
“Gath, wait! ” Inos cried, but she had already been answered. Her son vanished out the side door.
Mother and daughter exchanged worried looks.
“Go and find him,” Inos said quickly. “Tell him to come straight back here at once! No, leave the sword. “
She bit her lip as Kadie went scurrying off, holding up the hem of her gown. When she left the hall she took four or five young pages along. The palace cubs would have a much better chance of finding Gath than Inos would.
Ylinyli was still there, a look of concern on his chubby impish face.
“Concussion?” Inos said. “He did say `concussion’?”
“I fear so, ma’am.”
Rap, Rap! I need you!
She pulled out a chair and sat down.
It made no sense. If Gath had foreseen an accident, then he could have warned Brak, surely? Gath’s strange prescience didn’t work for other people, or so Rap had thought. Gath could only know ahead of time what he was going to know anyway. That was Rap’s theory. But if Brak was about to have an accident, Gath would learn of an accident eventually.
She smiled uneasily at Ylinyli. “I expect it’s some sort of prank. “
He bit his mustache. “I shouldn’t say this, ma’am …”
“Sit down and say it.”
Frowning, he leaned on a chair back and dropped his servant voice. “Inos, they’ve been picking on him. Didn’t you know?” She shook her head. But Gath had been rather morose lately. Shed blamed Rap’s absence. Concussion? Brak was the son of Kratharkran the smith, older than Gath and about twice the size. A red-haired jotunn lout! Oh, my baby!
“Why?” she whispered, horrified.
The major-domo squirmed. “Because … I don’t know, ma’am.”
“Sit down! “
Inos spoke quietly, but she still wore the occult royal glamour Rap had laid on her years ago. Moving like a flash of lightning, Ylinyli sat.
“Now tell me,” she said. “Because of his Majesty.”
“That is ridiculous!”
Still she did not raise her voice, but Ylinyli quailed.
“Of course it is, ma’am! But you know children!”
Inos forced calm on herself and reassured the major-domo with the best smile she could muster. “Oh, Lin! I don’t need secret police to be a queen, but I do need friends to be a mother! ‘ Now, please, tell me?”
Typical imp, Lin brightened and said hopefully, “First dance at the Winterfest Ball?”
“Granted! Now, what do they say?”
“That he’s run away, Inos.”
Rap had been gone for six weeks, in the dead of winter. As far as his loyal subjects knew, there was no way he could return before summer. Inos had never announced why he had gone, or where. How could she? What could she say? That he was a sorcerer and had had a premonition? That he’d gone rushing off to save the world? Rap would never forgive her.
She tried to see the situation as they must see it, the humble folk of Krasnegar. The stableboy king had run away-deserted his wife, the true queen. Another woman, perhaps?
The adults would just gossip, but children were sadistic monsters.
“They bait him?”
The imp’s fat jowls wobbled as he nodded.
Of course they would. She could imagine what the boys would say, and Gath would have to defend his father’s name. This was Krasnegar. Even the peaceable Gath would have to fight. Oh,
my poor baby!
Lin was the nosiest, most gossipy man she had ever known. He was quivering now with the urge to ask impertinent questions.
“Do you know the ringleaders?” she asked. “I could call in their fathers and talk to them.”
Lin
“Brak won’t be coming.” Gath was staring off to the other end of the hall, suddenly tense. His face had lost its merriment and gone very wooden. Inos felt a twinge of alarm.
“Why not?”
“He just won’t.”
“Why not?..”
“Concussion. ” Gath dropped his book on the table. “Thanks, Kadie. No, I can’t!” Then he spun around and ran.
“Gath, wait! ” Inos cried, but she had already been answered. Her son vanished out the side door.
Mother and daughter exchanged worried looks.
“Go and find him,” Inos said quickly. “Tell him to come straight back here at once! No, leave the sword. “
She bit her lip as Kadie went scurrying off, holding up the hem of her gown. When she left the hall she took four or five young pages along. The palace cubs would have a much better chance of finding Gath than Inos would.
Ylinyli was still there, a look of concern on his chubby impish face.
“Concussion?” Inos said. “He did say `concussion’?”
“I fear so, ma’am.”
Rap, Rap! I need you!
She pulled out a chair and sat down.
It made no sense. If Gath had foreseen an accident, then he could have warned Brak, surely? Gath’s strange prescience didn’t work for other people, or so Rap had thought. Gath could only know ahead of time what he was going to know anyway. That was Rap’s theory. But if Brak was about to have an accident, Gath would learn of an accident eventually.
She smiled uneasily at Ylinyli. “I expect it’s some sort of prank. “
He bit his mustache. “I shouldn’t say this, ma’am …”
“Sit down and say it.”
Frowning, he leaned on a chair back and dropped his servant voice. “Inos, they’ve been picking on him. Didn’t you know?” She shook her head. But Gath had been rather morose lately. Shed blamed Rap’s absence. Concussion? Brak was the son of Kratharkran the smith, older than Gath and about twice the size. A red-haired jotunn lout! Oh, my baby!
“Why?” she whispered, horrified.
The major-domo squirmed. “Because … I don’t know, ma’am.”
“Sit down! “
Inos spoke quietly, but she still wore the occult royal glamour Rap had laid on her years ago. Moving like a flash of lightning, Ylinyli sat.
“Now tell me,” she said. “Because of his Majesty.”
“That is ridiculous!”
Still she did not raise her voice, but Ylinyli quailed.
“Of course it is, ma’am! But you know children!”
Inos forced calm on herself and reassured the major-domo with the best smile she could muster. “Oh, Lin! I don’t need secret police to be a queen, but I do need friends to be a mother! ‘ Now, please, tell me?”
Typical imp, Lin brightened and said hopefully, “First dance at the Winterfest Ball?”
“Granted! Now, what do they say?”
“That he’s run away, Inos.”
Rap had been gone for six weeks, in the dead of winter. As far as his loyal subjects knew, there was no way he could return before summer. Inos had never announced why he had gone, or where. How could she? What could she say? That he was a sorcerer and had had a premonition? That he’d gone rushing off to save the world? Rap would never forgive her.
She tried to see the situation as they must see it, the humble folk of Krasnegar. The stableboy king had run away-deserted his wife, the true queen. Another woman, perhaps?
The adults would just gossip, but children were sadistic monsters.
“They bait him?”
The imp’s fat jowls wobbled as he nodded.
Of course they would. She could imagine what the boys would say, and Gath would have to defend his father’s name. This was Krasnegar. Even the peaceable Gath would have to fight. Oh,
my poor baby!
Lin was the nosiest, most gossipy man she had ever known. He was quivering now with the urge to ask impertinent questions.
“Do you know the ringleaders?” she asked. “I could call in their fathers and talk to them.”
Lin
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