Orlind (4 page)

‘
It
isn’t a waste of time to attempt self-improvement,’ she
replied.

‘
It is
if you’re putting all of your time into a skill you are no good
at,’ he said placidly. ‘If you wish to improve yourself, I’d
suggest working on those skills for which you do have an aptitude.
You will need your PsiTravel soon, and better camouflage would not
hurt either.’

Eva frowned,
annoyed. She despised being lectured, and Limbane did a lot of
that. It was even worse when he was right.

‘
I
just don’t understand why I cannot master it,’ she admitted. ‘I’ve
never been so completely stymied by anything before.’

Limbane sat
beside her and set about bandaging her finger. He was gentle about
it, even though she sensed he was irritated with her.

‘
It is
to do with the way the mind works,’ he explained. ‘Different minds
work in different ways. Yours is a particularly unique specimen,
for you have strong Lokant heritage
and
strong draykon
heritage, as well as being of human extraction. The results of that
cannot be all advantageous, however nice that would be.’

‘
Wouldn’t it though,’ she sighed.

He smiled
briefly. ‘You are remarkably good at domination of the will, as we
have seen. You are also adept at PsiTravel and your camouflaging is
good. You can be still better at all of these, with suitable
practice and study. In addition, you are a powerful summoner, as
you call it, and you possess a high degree of human intelligence.
Against all this, is your lack of ability to heal so grave a
torment?’

‘
It
seemed that way, when I couldn’t help Tren.’

He patted her
hand. ‘But I could, and you had the means to bring him swiftly to
me. The purpose was accomplished after all, even if you couldn’t do
all of it yourself. Stop torturing yourself over it, my lady,
please. More important matters are at stake than your
self-image.’

She was about to
make a waspish retort to that sally, but he interrupted her with:
‘On which topic, how is that young man of yours? I haven’t had a
moment to look in on him in a little while.’

‘
Mending well, it appears,’ Eva replied. ‘He insists that he
will be getting up soon, and defies me to prevent him.’ She
chuckled at that thought, remembering the stubborn expression Tren
adopted when she tried to persuade him to rest a little more. She
knew she wouldn’t win this particular battle for much
longer.

‘
Good!
As soon as he is fully restored to himself, we must be off. And the
sooner the better, I think.’

Eva nodded. Time
passed very slowly in Limbane’s Library, compared to Eva’s world,
but it did pass, and matters were now urgent. What might Krays be
doing while Limbane’s forces recuperated and regrouped beyond the
confines of Eva’s world?

‘
What
is the plan?’ she asked.

‘
I
want you to take me to that warehouse you discovered. I must
examine it for myself. Further, we will visit the warehouse in
Draetre that Mr Kant explored. Then we must consider the problem of
locating Krays’s other endeavours.’

Eva frowned at
this unusually vague plan. ‘What are you hoping to learn,
Limbane?’

He waved a hand
evasively. ‘Many things.’

Her eyebrows went
up at that. ‘Things,’ she repeated. ‘That’s...
unspecific.’

‘
Technologies,’ he said impatiently. ‘I need to know what Krays
is building.’

‘
So
that you can guess at what he is using them for?’ she
suggested.

‘
Of
course.’

‘
Do
you think you will be able to guess, just by looking at
them?’

His brows snapped
together. She’d learned that Limbane was a mild man, until you
either failed to act quickly enough for his purposes, or questioned
his methods in some way. Then he swiftly became
intractable.

Eva didn’t care.
She had spent years immersed in the complex politics of the realm
of Glour: she was used to dealing with difficult people.

‘
Probably,’ he said in a hard voice.

‘
Wonderful,’ she said. That was enough for now. She’d given
Limbane the hint that a little more thought might be in order. She
would press him about it again later. In the meantime, Tren would
be getting bored, which meant that he, too, would be growing
irritable.

‘
I
must go and keep Tren in line,’ she said with a smile. ‘If he gets
bored enough, he’ll be practicing fencing in the corridors and who
knows what will become of the wallpaper. Until later.’ She inclined
her head to Limbane, ignoring his scowl, and left the
lab.

To her surprise,
Tren was not alone in his room after all, nor was he bored. Nor, in
fact, was he in bed. He was fully dressed and sitting in an
armchair. Pensould sat in the adjacent chair, and the two of them
were deep in conversation.

Tren appeared to
be doing most of the talking. His accompanying gestures looked
oddly questionable, and he was so absorbed in whatever he was
saying that he didn’t notice her entrance immediately. It was
Pensould who looked up first.

‘
Ah!
Lady Eva,’ he smiled. She liked the way he said her name; though
his language skills improved at abnormal speed, he hadn’t yet
grasped the concept of titles. He pronounced “Lady Eva” as if it
was all one word.

‘
Pensould,’ she greeted. ‘What a pleasure.’ It occurred to her
that he was looking much, much better than the last time she had
seen him, and his manner was jovial. Not only that, but he was here
instead of at Llandry’s bedside. ‘Dare I hope that this visit means
Llandry is improving?’

‘
Yes,
yes,’ he beamed. ‘She is awake. She will be coming to see both of
you soon.’

‘
Oh,
but we will go to her. I’m delighted that she is awake, but she
must still be rather weak, yes?’

‘
Quite,’ Pensould said gravely. ‘I have left her only because I
wished to speak with Tren, on a private matter.’

Tren coughed.
Glancing at him, Eva noticed that he was looking acutely
uncomfortable.

‘
Oh?’
The news of Llandry’s recovery lifted her spirits enormously,
banishing any lingering dejection over her latest failure at
healing. She’d truly begun to fear that Llandry would never wake
again. But Tren’s manner suggested that more was afoot here than
mere celebration over Llan’s state of health.

Pensould
hesitated, but then the doubt cleared from his face. ‘But of
course! I must consult you also, for you may give me the female’s
perspective. Yes, that is a good plan.’

‘
Pensould...’ Tren said faintly. ‘I’m not sure that this is
entirely, er, proper.’

‘
Proper?’ The draykon-man’s face registered confusion. ‘But how
can it be improper? It is a natural process, in which all engage
from time to time, no? Lady Eva will have much to tell
me.’

Tren lifted his
eyes to the ceiling with an expression of despair. He slouched a
little in his seat as though trying to hide himself, as Pensould
rushed gamely on.

‘
You
see, Lady Eva, Llandry will soon be restored to her usual self and
therefore I wish to... what was it that you said, Tren? Press my
suit?’

Tren merely
groaned.

‘
Yes,
that was it,’ continued Pensould unfazed. ‘And she cannot doubt me
any longer, I am sure, after all that has happened. But she is not
yet entirely comfortable in her draykon shape; she is much more
used to her human form, yes? And so I think it best if we begin the
mating process in our current bodies, and perhaps the rest some
later time. She will like that better, I am sure.’

Eva blinked.
‘You... what?’

‘
Mating,’ Pensould repeated with a big smile. ‘Such beautiful
young we will have. But I am unsure how the procedure works among
humans, and it is on this point that I thought to consult my good
friend Tren.’

Eva’s lips began
to twitch. Controlling herself with an effort, she replied, ‘And
has Tren been informative?’

‘
Oh,
very,’ Pensould assured her with lethal sincerity. ‘He has
described the process in gratifying detail, and given some
excellent advice besides. I find that the procedure is much more
complicated among humans than among draykons.’

Tren made a faint
choking sound.

‘
And
therefore I am doubly glad that I asked, for I wouldn’t wish to
disappoint her,’ Pensould added.

Eva regarded him
in silence for a moment, unable to speak around the laugh that
threatened to overwhelm her. It was a pleasure to see Pensould in
such good spirits; he had been so pale and drawn and silent while
Llandry lay ill that Eva had been concerned for his health, too.
Now relief had propelled him to the opposite extreme.

‘
How
kind of Tren,’ she managed.

‘
Yes,
thoroughly. And now perhaps you will be so good as to give me your
advice as well. Then I shall be ready.’

‘
Ready
for...?’

‘
Oh,
to
press my suit,
of course!’

‘
Of
course,’ Eva murmured. ‘Just one question, Pensould. Is Llandry
aware of your plan?’

‘
Certainly not! I wish for it to be a wonderful
surprise.’

‘
Mmhmm. If it is a surprise, I fear it may not be at all
wonderful,’ Eva suggested. Pensould instantly looked so deflated
that she almost regretted her words.

‘
You
think that she will refuse?’

‘
Possibly. Among humans, it is considered advisable to do a
little more courting before the suit-pressing. And certainly before
the mating.’

‘
Courting,’ Pensould sighed. ‘Tren has mentioned that as well.
Flowers and things, and edible goods, yes? Will it be all right if
I deliver them all at once? What would be considered a suitable
quantity?’

Eva’s
self-control vanished and she began to laugh. Tren was grinning,
too. ‘Not all at once, no. A bit at a time. The point is to
approach her gently, take time to get to know each other. The
flowers and edible goods are merely gestures.’

‘
I
see,’ said Pensould doubtfully. ‘But we already know each
other.’

‘
I
think you understand her better than you did, but not
well,
yet. Llandry is shy, and even more unsure of herself than she is of
you. It would be a mistake to rush her.’

Pensould sighed.
‘That is your considered advice, Lady Eva? More edible
goods?’

‘
And
no propositions just yet.’

‘
Fine,’ Pensould said. Then he brightened. ‘Perhaps I could get
some practice, while we are doing the edible-goods thing. Then I
shall be better able to please her later. I shall find another
female.’ He stood up, his energy restored.

‘
No!’
Tren said, standing up to bar Pensould’s way. ‘Bad idea,
Pense.’

Pensould began to
look irritated. ‘What, this too is not advised?’

‘
Definitely not,’ Tren said. ‘If you, er, mate with one female
while you’re courting another, they will both be angry with
you.’

‘
Tiresome,’ Pensould sighed. ‘What then am I to do?’

‘
Be
patient,’ Tren said with a smile. ‘Focus on Llandry. If you
persevere, you will win her over in the end.’

‘
You
are sure, friend Tren?’

‘
Positive,’ he said firmly. Then he cast Eva a brief, sideways
glance. ‘At least, mostly positive.’

Pensould looked
at her. ‘I suppose Lady Eva agrees?’

‘
Completely,’ she assured him.

‘
Then
you will not help me practice?’

She was laughing
again. ‘No, I’m afraid not.’

He nodded,
resigned. ‘I will go in search of some of these edible goods. Bune
will be able to help me.’ He turned to go, but then another thought
occurred to him and he turned back. ‘If you are by chance looking
for a mate, Lady Eva, let me recommend my friend Tren. He is very
knowledgeable! I am sure he would please you.’

Tren stared at
the ceiling for a long moment, then slowly covered his face with
his hands.

‘
Thank
you for the suggestion, Pensould,’ Eva managed to say, her teeth
gritted against rising hysteria. ‘I’ll consider it.’

He beamed. ‘I
shall bring Llandry to you soon,’ he promised, and left.

As soon as he was
fairly gone, Eva abandoned all attempts at solemnity and began to
laugh heartily. Tren’s extremely red face only amused her further,
and it was some time before she could compose herself.

‘
Excuse me,’ Tren muttered when she had finally stopped
laughing. ‘I shall just collect a rope and find some nice, quiet
place to hang myself.’

She grinned at
him. ‘Don’t do that, please, not when you have only just been put
back together. Did you really advise Pensould?’

‘
You
mean did I really tell him how to mate? Of course I did. He can’t
be turned loose on poor Llandry without
some
instruction.’