The Nemisin Star (39 page)

Brother and
sister looked at her. She shrugged. “You give him allegiance, Matt,
and you give him your heart, Cat. It is much the same.”

“It’s not,”
Cat whispered.

Matt pulled a
face. “Lowen is right. Aaru Cat, you gave him your heart?”

She licked dry
lips. “He doesn’t know how I feel.”

“He does. He
just won’t admit it,” Lowen whispered.

Again they
looked at her.

She gazed up
at them. “You have to swear formally now, don’t you?” Matt nodded,
his throat dry. “And you don’t have a lot of time, so don’t worry
about us.”

Matt bent
closer to the girl. “Lowen, you are my niece and I love you. I’m
worried about you and it concerns me that you and Cat will be alone
after I go. Torrullin has promised to take care of you, but …”

Lowen smiled.
“We’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

“How long will
you be gone?” Cat whispered, and Matt straightened.

“Ten
years.”

She stared at him. “What?
What
?”

“That is how
long it takes to train as a sorcerer.”

“You want to
be
a sorcerer?”

“I want to be
a loyal subject first and foremost, and to prove it I must undergo
the training, and, yes, I find I do want to be a sorcerer. I really
do. I can transport magically …”

“You
what?”

“Jeez, Cat,
please, I don’t have the time for every detail. During world
hopping I saw how I slowed the others, so I started to teach myself
how to travel with my mind. A couple of days ago I succeeded.” He
made a face. “Too late to ease their burden, but apparently the
fact that I have achieved it now means the training will be quite
easy.” That was not exactly true, but it would set their minds at
ease.

She glared at
him. “I shouldn’t have let you go with them.”

He laughed. “I
thought you’d say that!”

“It’s not
funny.”

“No. And now
let me finish, will you? This is what I’m going to do and I’ll be
away for ten years. In a while I’ll swear formally and I must leave
immediately after. Can we talk about something else? I don’t want
to leave here without knowing you two will be fine, and I don’t
want to leave knowing you are angry with me.”

Cat sighed.
“I’m not angry; I’m going to miss you! I’ll be old when you get
back.”

Matt laughed
again. “Considering I’m older than you …” He drew his sister into
his arms and held her. “I’ll miss you as well.”

She burst into
noisy tears and embraced him. “Matt, it was always you and me
against the universe. How do I cope without you?”

“You add up
the things that happen to you and you tell me every detail when we
meet again, and while you do that, you help Lowen here grow up into
a fine young lady. You agitate for her father to get off Xen and
then you form a new family with our cousin, and one day before you
know it I’m back and we take that future head-on, as we have
everything until now. You can do this, sis; you are the strongest
person I know.”

Her voice was
muffled against his shoulder. “You better make notes, you hear? I
want every detail as well.”

He laughed and
they moved apart, both wiping wet faces. Matt looked at Lowen, and
she stared at him strangely. “Lowen?”

“You will
found a school of magic on Xen, Matt. With my father. And the
Dalrish name will become known throughout the universe.”

He shivered,
and so did Cat.

Lowen smiled.
“Don’t worry about the future. It will be fine.”

Matt drew her
into his arms. He did not want to ask how she knew, if it was
absolutely true, and he did not want to question how that would
come to pass if they were to make Valaris their home. He could not
afford to worry about it, although he would in that other place,
and he somehow sensed Lowen would cope with whatever was thrown at
her, and she would help Cat get through most things.

She laughingly
disengaged. “Stop worrying. Concentrate on your training.”

He smiled at
her. “You are going to do so well.”

Lowen nodded
her head impishly, and all three laughed.

Matt recalled
something. “Lowen, you said we have all in our ways given oath to
Torrullin …”

She was the
Dalrish who pulled a face then. “I like him, that is all.”

Matt swirled
his tongue in his mouth. That was a blatant untruth. “Spit it
out.”

“I do like
him!”

“Okay, but
what about the rest?”

She eyed him.
“You will be a very good Valleur.”

That pleased
him immensely, but he was not about to be diverted. “Lowen?”

She shrugged
her thin shoulders. “I see things - maybe you don’t believe that,
but I do. Sometime in the future I’m going to help Torrullin and
he’ll need my help. I can’t explain more than that.”

Cat shivered,
but did not otherwise react.

Matt sighed.
“I believe you.”

Lowen nodded.
“You can travel magically, you have affinity to the magical realms
whether you know it or not. You believe me because you can sense
truth. As the Valleur do.”

Cat said,
“Let’s talk about something else. Who’s going to bring the evacuees
back from Blentar if you are gone?”

Matt stared a
moment longer at his niece and then moved to look at Cat.

“Not my
problem. I guess Valleur will transport them back, or another pilot
could be asked to do so. Listen, you two stay out of the fray if it
comes to real battles. Luvanor was enough war for us … our odds are
less now …”

An hour later
Matt stood before the Throne.

Torrullin
said, “Le Matt Dalrish is before us to formally speak the Oath of
Loyalty to the House of Valla and the Valleur Nation. Is there any
among you who would deny him?”

There was
silence.

“Matt, you may
speak now.”

The Xenian
sank to his knees. Holding his head up, his gaze affixed to
Torrullin, he said clearly, “I am Le Matt Dalrish, once a member of
the First Family of Xen III. I have no preceding oath binding me to
either the Dalrish First Family or to my homeworld. Valaris is my
world, my home, and I would die to protect her, and choose freely
to align myself with the House of Valla. I hereby swear fealty to
you, my Lord Vallorin.”

His voice was
calm, steady, and there were traces of pride in his tone. This
Dalrish belonged.

Torrullin
smiled, looking into the Xenian’s soul. “I welcome you, Le Matt
Dalrish.”

He nodded at
Kismet, who stepped onto the dais. Kismet said, “Repeat after me,
Le Matt Dalrish, the formal words.”

Matt
nodded.

“I, Le Matt
Dalrish, citizen of Valaris, do hereby vow to feel the four winds,
to gaze upon the silver moon, to know the vigour of stars and to
travel the spaces of worlds. I pledge to do this as a recognised
Valleur sorcerer, and will not surrender until this is the marrow
of my soul eternal. I promise further to immerse myself in Valleur
history and lore, as well as reading, writing and speaking the
words of my chosen nation. I offer my heart, soul and body to the
Valleur Throne, as well as my life. I swear by all that I hold dear
to uphold the tenets of Valleur society and to situate the Lord
Vallorin first and foremost in my heart. I swear to always tell the
truth. With these words I, Le Matt Dalrish, do freely consent to
the training involved in attaining this state of bliss.”

Matt repeated
the words faultlessly. Kismet raised his gaze to the chamber at
large and acknowledgement came immediately. “We welcome you, Le
Matt Dalrish!”

Matt was then
formally informed of the conditions of fealty. The requirements of
sorcery, the length of training, and the removal from society until
it was complete. Cat paled, but Lowen took her hand and shook her
head significantly.

“Do you accept
this task freely, Matt?” Torrullin asked.

“I do.”

Torrullin
withdrew his sword, lightly touched Matt’s bent head and said, “You
may no longer speak, my friend. Your voice will return to us once
you have completed your training. Rise.” Matt rose, now pale, and
Torrullin clasped his arm in ritual greeting.

Four adepts
came forward and were instructed to take him away forthwith.

Matt smiled
encouragingly at Cat and Lowen as he was led from the Throne-room.
All three Vallas watched him go in subdued silence and prayed he
would do well.

Cat found her
voice. She lost her temper in her shock at the sudden parting and
berated Torrullin before the sombre gathering of a nation.

He turned from
her and looked at Saska.

She rose
quickly and gripped the distraught woman, leading her firmly out, a
direction opposite the one Matt was taken in. Lowen winked at
Torrullin and retreated to sit in her self-possessed manner next to
Skye.

Silence
reigned in the Throne-room.

The night was
filled with emotion.

It was not yet
done.

Saska was
furious that Torrullin singled her out for this task.

She wanted to
avoid Cat like the plague - and berated herself soundly for
thinking that terrible thought after many died of exactly that -
and yet she also wanted to take the woman and shake her until her
teeth fell out.

Cat was
unmoving in her clasp. “Matt and I are close; I don’t know if I can
go on without him nearby.” She sounded close to tears, although she
was dry-eyed.

Saska’s heart
filled with sympathy and she released her hold. “Matt will be fine,
and so will you be. He is doing a great thing.”

“Maybe I
should swear also.”

Gods, no.

“You think I
can’t do the training, don’t you?” Cat muttered.

“Truthfully? I
don’t think you would survive it. Matt wants this, you don’t.”

“You are
probably right.”

“Cat, you
cannot have words with Torrullin at a gathering before the Throne.
The Valleur won’t stand for it. They see it as an insult to the
Throne itself.”

“I don’t give
a crap.”

“Well, you
should. This is your home now and there are … rules.”

“Maybe I
shouldn’t live near this valley.”

Yes, maybe you shouldn’t, or I will kill
you
. “The choice is yours, and I cannot
tell you how to behave, not really; that choice is yours also.
Still, this is a friendly warning. Guard your tongue in front of
that golden seat.”

Cat stared at
her. “You hate the thing.”

Saska swore.
“I hate the influence it has over my husband.”

Cat laughed.
“Your husband. Another warning?”

“We are beyond
warnings. What Torrullin does is what Torrullin does.”

Cat stepped
closer to study Saska’s face. “You love him. Why are you not
fighting?”

Goddess. She is right. Why am I not fighting?
“He is too strong.”

Cat stepped
away. “You will lose him if you don’t.”

“Maybe. It’s
none of your business.”

Cat nodded,
“I’ll lose him if I don’t fight.”

“You don’t
have him,” Saska responded. “No one has him.” And then she admitted
something she wished she could take back afterwards. “I think there
is someone else for him, someone in his future, and that is where
his heart will reside.”

Cat stared at
her. “Aaru. And you are happy with that?”

Saska snorted.
“Not in the least. I think I am holding back the fight for that
particular war. That will be make or break.”

“Why are you
telling me this?”

“Because there
are only losers in this courtyard, and it explains why I don’t take
your head from your body.”

“Well. Major
honesty. At least I’m not thinking about Matt right now.”

Saska managed
to laugh. Gods, she actually liked the Xenian woman. “Matt will be
fine.”

“Yes. So, who
is this mystery woman in the future?”

Saska pursed
her lips. “It isn’t a woman.”

Cat goggled.
“What? You mean, Torrullin and … surely not?”

Saska
shrugged. “I don’t think it will be a sexual relationship, if that
is what you ask. But I do think this man will take his heart
completely, leaving little room for a wife.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know.” The man my husband dreams about, the man he
has yet to meet.
Elianas
. “Do not, on pain of death,
repeat this.”

“Not likely,”
Cat muttered.

Saska yawned.
“Gods, I am exhausted. Come, that meeting waits on us.”

Chapter
37

Life and
death, parting and union, the two faces of daily life.

~ Truth

Throne-room

T
hey had dealt with death this
night.

They heard the
words of formal allegiance, an event that had not happened for
millennia. And now they needed to deal with the future.

As Saska led
Cat in, both women silent and calm, Torrullin stood before the
gathered.

“There is one
final matter I wish to address this night, Valleur. I wish to
present to you formally the heir to the Valleur Throne.”

For the first
time during that long night smiles erupted and there was some
applause.

“Kismet and
Caballa, will you please join me?”

Kismet, the
Elder chosen to acknowledge Tristamil, thus a link to continuity,
and Caballa, the new elder, and thus a link to a different future.
They would say the words of formality required for the Valla
heir.

Stepping onto
the dais, Kismet snapped his fingers and the two formal oath staffs
slapped into his hands. He held onto one and passed the other to
Caballa when she arrived. She accepted it without fumbling and
moved to the left of the Throne, while he took up position to the
right.