FORBIDDEN TALENTS (10 page)

*

Dahleven walked down the corridor in step with Ragni as they headed for his rooms in the family’s wing. Their father had listened to both his and Ragni’s counsel, but Neven would make his own decision. Dahleven shook his head. He respected Loloma as a leader, but the idea of setting out on a quest in winter with no clear goal or destination and with little hope of glory attached seemed ridiculous. Especially when the stones counseled against it.
Not to mention the risk of becoming Fey-marked
. His gut twisted at the irony.

He turned his mind to another unpleasant matter. He had to tell Ragni the whole truth. He’d botched it with his brother this morning. This time he’d be clear about Saeun. Dahleven gritted his teeth. He’d rather be facing an Outcast with a sword in his hand than this conversation. If he’d told Ragni from the first of her involvement with forbidden magic, this wouldn’t be happening. But the girl had helped him when no one else could. She posed no threat to Quartzholm, and Ragni hadn’t been involved then. It seemed right to keep their secret. And his brother was a priest of Baldur, after all, sworn to uphold the Laws of Sanction. He may have forgiven Thora’s possession of an unsanctioned amulet, but he’d have been duty bound to prosecute Saeun—to prosecute them both. Dahleven hadn’t wanted to put Ragni in the position of choosing between his loyalties. Now there was no choice. Ragni had to know.

They turned the corner and nearly ran into one of Wirmund’s acolytes. The startled boy rocked back on his heels.
“
Oh! I beg your pardon! I mean, Lord Dahleven
”
—he bowed twice—
”
Father Ragnar. I was sent to find you, Father. Father Wirmund requires you attend him.
”

It was Loki’s timing.

Ragni turned to Dahleven.
“
Later.
”
From another man it would have been almost a threat.

His explanation would have to wait.

*

Ragni followed the acolyte while curiosity warred with irritation. What could Wirmund want? It was unusual for the Overprest to command Ragni’s presence. He must have a good reason.
He’d better
. Ragni would much rather be hearing Dahl’s excuse for being an ass about Saeun.

Saeun
. Ragni smiled. Even more than Dahl’s explanation, he wanted Saeun. Where was she now? Probably distracting little Bjorn so Kaidlin could find some peace. Or maybe she and his sister were out shopping. He wished he could join them. Ragni shook his head in wry acknowledgment of his fall. He was truly besotted if he wanted to go shopping with her, and he hoped never to recover. He’d teased more than a few of his friends when they’d succumbed to love. Now it would be his turn. He’d take their mockery with good will. Saeun was worth a few jibes.

Their arrival at the Overprest’s rooms pulled Ragni from his reverie. The acolyte bowed him into Wirmund’s presence and withdrew. At least one curiosity would soon be satisfied.

“
Father Wirmund.
”
Ragni placed a hand over the crystal shard that was his badge of office and inclined his head and shoulders. As Wirmund’s second and Neven’s son it was more obeisance than he needed to give, but he was annoyed.
“
You
required
my presence?
”

Wirmund gestured for Ragni to be seated. The Overprest of Baldur was thin, but no one seeing his sharp eyes would mistake that for weakness.
“
I won’t waste your time, Father Ragnar. Indeed, I recommend you act swiftly. You must tell your sister Lady Kaidlin to dismiss Lady Saeun immediately.
”

Ragni’s pulse quickened. Only his years dealing with political necessities as the Jarl’s son and later as a priest kept Ragni from showing more than normal surprise. He let the silence pool around Wirmund’s words for a moment while he collected himself.
“
Indeed. What urgency demands this, Father?
”

Wirmund patted his chair’s armrests, carved like the great paws of a mountain cat, with his large-knuckled hands.
“
The Laws of Sanction have protected us for over five hundred years, since we left behind the apostasy of Nuheimjord. Jorund reminded us that there are those among us who have no respect for those laws, though they protect us all. My search to root them out has borne fruit. Lady Saeun will soon be arrested and tried for using unsanctioned magic. I would not have your Lady sister embarrassed by the association. Let her dismiss the girl at once.
”

Ragni felt the blood drain from his face. His hands went cold.

Saeun!
Was it possible? Could gentle Saeun have hidden such a thing from him? How long had she trafficked in magic? Why? Had she hoped somehow to bring him down with it? But even as the thought surfaced, he dismissed it. He remembered the warmth of her love, and her dark fear of loss.
A reasonable fear
, he thought grimly. Now she would lose even more than his love.

Ragni’s mind raced. Wirmund made no mention of his own association with Saeun, but he knew the Overprest must be aware of it. He and Saeun had been discreet, but not secretive, and Wirmund had his informants. There was very little that escaped his notice. This was Wirmund’s way of warning his second to separate himself from the possibility of scandal. He might even be expecting Ragni to denounce Saeun himself.

Ragni shook his head.
“
It’s hard to believe. You have proof of her perfidy?
”

Wirmund nodded.
“
Objects of forbidden ritual, hidden among her possessions.
”

What objects
? Ragni almost asked, but it wouldn’t matter to Wirmund. It
shouldn’t
matter to him either. Apostasy was absolute, whatever its degree, when it came to the Laws of Sanction.

Oh gods
!
What has she done
? He wanted to wail, but he kept his expression carefully neutral. Ragni nodded and heard himself say,
“
Thank you for the warning, Father. Kaidlin will be grateful for your vigilance.
”

Wirmund smiled.
“
You must act swiftly to separate the apostate from your family. She will be Outcast and Exiled.
”

SAEUN TRIED TO pull her cloak tighter against the chill wind with one hand while she steadied the carry sack that hung from her shoulder with the other. The canvas bag thumped against her thigh with every step, making the steep path even more difficult. Ahead of her, Gert set a steady pace.
And I thought she was too old for such a journey
.

They’d walked out the main gates of Quartzholm along with the day merchants and villagers, seemingly without a second look from anyone. All the way through the village that sat on the skirts of the castle, Saeun had fought the urge to turn and see if anyone watched or followed. She and Gert had left the main road as soon as they were out of sight. When pursuit did come, they’d have a better chance of evading it in the mountainous forests.

The tall fir trees on either side of their path whispered in the wind. Saeun almost felt that if she stopped and listened just a little harder she’d be able to make out the words. It wasn’t the first time she’d imagined such a thing. When she’d been young she’d spent many a happy day in the forest surrounding her father’s, holding imagining conversations with the trees. Saeun shook her head. She didn’t have time for now for childhood memories. She hitched her carry sack higher and trudged on as the last sliver of sunlight dropped below the ridge.

How long would it take them to get to Forsvaremur, traveling this roundabout way? And would the Daughters of Freya even welcome them when they got there? Rumored to be witches and whores, the Daughters had to be circumspect in their actions to avoid turning mere censure into active oppression. It was one thing to take in a beaten, runaway wife, quite another to give succor to a practitioner of unsanctioned magic. Lady Solveig had given the Daughters land for their enclave in her Jarldom. They might not want to test their patron’s tolerance, even if the Daughters of Quartzholm had vouched for her.

Gert paused at a flat space. She took a moment to catch her breath before speaking.
“
We’d best stop here for the night, my dear. There’s a nice drift of needles to make our bed soft, and this rock will block the wind.
”

Gert was right. As Saeun climbed to stand beside her maid, she stepped into a pocket of still air. She felt instantly warmer and she smiled at the small comfort.
“
How do you know so much? I can’t imagine you learned to get along in the mountains while tending my mother all those years.
”

A gleam sparkled in Gert’s eye.
“
I haven’t always been an old woman, dear. I listened when my lovers bragged about their adventures.
”

For a moment Saeun didn’t know what to say.
Gert had lovers
? She’d always been there, dear old Gert, first serving her mother and then herself. She’d never given much thought to the woman’s life beyond that. Saeun had had the ordering of the house after her mother passed on, and had supervised the servants and thralls until her father died and her elder brother married. Gert had guided her until she knew what she was about. Gert had always just been there, dutiful and loving. Why had she never considered that her maid had a life beyond her service?

“
Don’t look so shocked.
”

“
I’m not. I’m
…
I just never
…
never thought about
…
”
Saeun glanced away, embarrassed. She looked up again when Gert spoke.

“
Most never do, dear. And you’re young yet. But remember this: if you ever have a staff again and wish to have their loyalty as well as their obedience, it helps to
see
them, and to listen.
”

Saeun nodded, tucking the older woman’s words away for further thought. She shivered as the wind whistled in the branches overhead.
“
Let’s gather wood for a fire.
”
The sharp resinous smell of the forest grew even stronger as she ventured a short way under the trees, stooping to retrieve fallen twigs and small branches. A fire would make little difference to their chances of being discovered. If those who’d found her tools of divining discovered their escape too soon and sent a Tracker after them, their flight would be useless. Someone with a Tracker Talent could find them, fire or no. She and Gert had known the truth of it from the first. Their only hope lay in the chance that no one would look for them for a day or, if their luck was very good, two. Only a very strong Tracker could follow a cold trail. After a few days they’d have to rely on physical signs, and that would slow the pursuit. But that chance was hardly likely. They would be missed, and soon. Lady Kaidlin would inquire after her health or, if the Tewakwe delegation didn’t keep him occupied, Ragni would be after her again to explain the fear he’d felt in her.

She stared off into the deepening twilight. This was what her vision had foretold, but she’d been too blind to understand. Now she would be Outcast, and Ragni would hate her for betraying his love.

Ragni. The thought of him twisted like a sharp stone in her chest. Was he even now wondering where she was? Or did he already know about her? Had Lord Dahleven revealed their secret? Had her discoverer denounced her to him? Did he rage at her deceit?

*

Dahleven knocked at Celia’s door a second time. Not surprisingly, there was still no answer.
Where is she
? He blew out a long breath between pursed lips and turned to go to his own rooms.
No sense in loitering in the hall
. Then he turned back. He could go in and wait for her. He had the right; she was his betrothed.
But Celia likes her privacy
. He stood for a moment in front of her door, debating. The image of a crazed stag snorting and stamping in season rose in his mind, making him wince.

Enough
. He put his hand to the door.

“
I’m not there,
”
Celia called from the end of the hall.
“
Not yet, anyway.
”

Dahleven turned, his hand still on the latch. She wore a finely embroidered white chemise under a dark red overdress that was particularly becoming to her fair coloring. His body responded instantly.
Gods, I’ve been gone too long
. Old-style shoulder brooches fastened her dress, and he thought he recognized Sevond’s handiwork in the jewelry. She hardly needed the beauty-enhancing effect of Sevond’s Talent.
“
Where were you?
”

Her chin lifted; eyebrows rose over her twilight eyes.
“
Excuse me?
”