The Pillars Of The World (31 page)

“Hold the saddlebag,” Lyrra muttered at Aiden. “This one’s stuck.” When she finally tugged the covered dish out of the saddlebag, everyone stared at the bright-colored ribbons that were tied around it.

“Were you expecting it to fly away?” Aiden asked blandly.

“I didn’t want the cover to fall off,” Lyrra grumbled. A minute later, as the knots refused to yield, the grumbling turned to growls. “Do you have a knife?”

The Mother only knew what Ari was thinking while she sliced through the ribbons. Dianna wasn’t sure what to think either. At least Aiden was deft enough about opening and pouring the wine, and Falco managed to put a sufficient number of plates and pieces of cutlery on the table for them, even if it looked like they’d been tossed on the table rather than deliberately set.

When everything was on the table, Falco carved the chicken while Aiden carved the beef roast. Ari put a small bowl with pieces of beef and chicken in front of the rocking chair for Merle. She looked sad when even that wasn’t sufficient to entice the frightened pup.

They had just taken their seats when someone knocked on the kitchen door.

“Excuse me,” Ari said, hurrying to answer.

Dianna watched her go. No one pretended to fill their plates. They were all too busy trying to catch the conversation, especially since the voice responding to Ari was pitched low enough to belong to a man.

That Neall. Who else would be showing up this evening? And
he
certainly hadn’t been in
her
plans.

Except it wasn’t Neall.

A few moments later, Ari returned, looking nervous.

Lucian didn’t look nervous, and what burned in the back of his eyes wasn’t surprise. But there was nothing he could do without distressing Ari—at least, Dianna hoped he would take that into consideration.

“What a pleasant surprise,” Lucian said mildly.

“Blessings of the day to you,” Lyrra said, smiling. Her smile faded when Dianna and Lucian just stared at her. “I’m sorry. Isn’t that the proper greeting?”

“It is in this house,” Ari replied. She made the introductions, then said, “I’ll fetch a chair for you, Lucian.”

“I’ll get the chair,” Aiden said. “Ari, you sit next to your guest. Falco, move over and sit beside Dianna.”

While Ari hurried to get another place setting, Falco moved his chair and Aiden found another.

At first, Dianna wished she’d been the first to offer to move since sitting beside Lucian throughout the meal wasn’t going to be comfortable. When Aiden set his chair at the other end of the table and sat down, she was glad she hadn’t been the first to offer. At least she wouldn’t be the one who would have to keep meeting the anger in Lucian’s eyes—and if anyone could stand equal to the Lightbringer in a battle of wills, it was the Bard.

“We are well met,” Dianna said, raising her glass.

“We are well met,” Lucian echoed, following her example.

“May friendship warm us all the days of our lives,” Ari added, smiling.

There was nothing to add to that, and, somehow, for Dianna, those words made her deception over the past few weeks a difficult meal to swallow.

Deception might be a hard meal to swallow, but, Dianna reasoned, honesty would have been harder, and a little more deception wouldn’t hurt at this point. She pulled Ari aside as soon as she could after the meal ended, and whispered, “Is he the one?”

“Yes,” Ari whispered back.

“He’s certainly handsome.”

“Yes, he is.” Then Ari added with a touch of annoyance, “But he’s usually more polite.”

Dianna gave Ari a woman-to-woman smile. “I expect he was hoping to spend time with you alone.”

Ari grabbed Dianna’s hand, squeezed lightly, then let go. “I’m glad you came tonight,” she said abruptly.

Pushing up her sleeves, she pumped water into the basin to wash the dishes.

Not sure what to make of that statement, but certain that it didn’t bode well, Dianna hurried back into the main room to help Lyrra finish clearing the table.

“We scraped through dinner all right,” Lyrra said quietly. “Aiden can hold his own with Lucian, but Falco looks like he’s going to try to change shape and fly away at any moment.”

“Why don’t you go outside with the men and try to keep things calm?”

“I’d rather stay inside and help Ari with these chores. Why don’t you go out there?”

“I met her first. I get to stay inside. Besides, Lucian isn’t angry with
you
.”

“Oh, I think Lucian is angry enough right now for it to spill over on all of us. But nothing will happen until we get back to Tir Alainn.” Lyrra picked up the wineglasses. “I must admit, tonight I don’t look forward to going home.”

Neither do I
, Dianna thought,
unless Lucian stays here tonight. And I don’t think he will
.

“How about a little music?” Aiden asked, taking his harp out of its case.

“Dance music,” Dianna said brightly. “We have two fine gentlemen here who will sacrifice their toes in the spirit of a pleasant entertainment.” To avoid seeing what Lucian might think of this, she turned to Ari. “

Come on, Ari.”

“Oh, I— I don’t know how to dance,” Ari said quickly.

“You don’t dance?” Lyrra sounded scandalized.

“Not that kind of dance.”

Dianna could feel curiosity swell the air around them, but none of them felt quite brazen enough to ask what kind of dances witches
did
know. “Well then, it’s time you learned. Just a simple country dance.

The steps aren’t difficult. I’ll show you.” She grabbed Ari’s arm and pulled until the girl was standing beside her. Then she looked expectantly at Lucian and Falco.

Falco gave Ari one hopeful look before wisely taking his place facing Dianna. Lucian took his place more slowly, his eyes watchful.

“It truly isn’t difficult,” Lucian said softly.

Lyrra set the beat with her drum.

Good, Dianna thought as Aiden and Lyrra began to sing. The dance had simple, repetitive steps. Even so, Ari was too self-conscious to relax into the music and follow its rhythm. Or maybe too conscious of Lucian. He did look wonderful when he danced. If only that was the reason Ari kept missing the cues in the music of what to do next.

The next dance was a little better, even if it wasn’t a dance any of them knew.

Deciding to give Falco a warning that he was coming too close to acting like a fool, Dianna trod on his foot. Falco, exaggerating shamelessly, began hopping in a circle on one foot. Ari, thinking this was the next step, imitated him. There really wasn’t anything for Lucian and Dianna to do but go along with it.

Lyrra abandoned the words of the song and began singing silly dance steps.

By the time the tune was done, Ari was laughing, and Lucian almost looked as if he would forgive them for coming to Brightwood that evening.

“No more,” Ari gasped, collapsing in one of the chairs that they had brought outside. She fanned her face with her hand.

Sinking into the chair beside Ari’s, Dianna exchanged a look with Lyrra, who grinned. Yes, the evening was going well, despite its surprises.

“Why don’t you play us a song, Aiden?” Lucian said.

“The Lover’s Lament,” Dianna said. A moment later, seeing the way Lyrra’s eyes widened, she realized it might not have been the best song to request. Then again, maybe it would help Ari understand a man’s feelings where the custom of gifting was concerned.

After a slight hesitation, Aiden began to play the introduction. He glanced at Lyrra, who nodded. She would sing the woman’s responses to her lover.

I gave my love a string of pearls

As fine as they could be.

She gave me back the string of pearls.

“These aren’t the jewels for me.”

I gave my love a sapphire fair,

‘Twas bluer than the sea.

She gave me back the sapphire fair.

“ ‘Tis not the jewel for me.”

I gave my love a diamond rare,

‘Twas beautiful to see.

She gave me back the diamond rare.

“ Tis not the jewel for me.

‘Tis not the jewel for me.“

Dianna looked out of the corner of her eye at Ari. The girl didn’t seem caught up in the feelings of a lover

’s sadness that his gifts were never sufficient; she seemed puzzled.

“Didn’t you like it?” Aiden asked.

“It’s lovely,” Ari said, “and you both sing it very well. But—” She struggled for a moment, then added, “I wondered why you didn’t sing the last two verses. The song is very sad this way.”

Dianna stiffened. She looked anxiously at Aiden, whose eyes had changed to a piercing blue.

“You know other verses?” Aiden demanded.

Aiden, she’s not an apprentice bard. Don’t take that tone with her.

“Umm . . . well . . . yes,” Ari stammered, then added hurriedly, “But it might be that it’s not usually sung with the other verses. It’s just the way I learned it.”

“Then you can sing them?”

Lucian straightened up in his chair in response to the sharpness in Aiden’s voice.

“Aiden,” Lyrra said, giving him a gentle nudge, “sometimes you let your quest for songs ride roughshod over your manners.” She gave Ari her best smile. “Don’t pay attention to him.
I
would like to hear the other verses.”

“Oh ... I don’t sing very well.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Aiden said. He huffed when the next nudge Lyrra gave him wasn’t so gentle. “

Please sing them. Start with the last verse we sang and go on.”

He started playing the verse. Ari didn’t sing. She just chewed on her lower lip and hunched in her chair.

Aiden took a deep breath—and let it out slowly. “What?”

“Well, it’s not really two more verses. There’s a ... a ... transition verse—”

“A bridge.”

Ari nodded. “A bridge, and then the last verse.”

“I think I can follow along,” Aiden said dryly. When he started to play again and she still didn’t sing, he stopped. “Something else?”

“The version I know isn’t played quite so mournful.”

Aiden played a verse through at a slightly increased tempo, then glanced at Ari. When she nodded, Dianna sighed in relief.

I gave my love a diamond rare,

‘Twas beautiful to see.

She gave me back the diamond rare.

“ ‘Tis not the jewel for me.”

I wandered through the days and nights

And finally I did see

What jewels it was my lady fair

Was looking for from me.

I gave her kindness, courtesy.

Respect, and loyalty.

I strung them on the strands of love.

“These are the jewels for me.

These are the jewels for me.“

Aiden finished the song with a repeat of the introduction. When he finished, there was silence.

An uncomfortable, almost painful, silence.

None of them dared look at Lucian.

Oh, Lucian
, Dianna thought.
If that’s what she’s expecting from a lover, she’s more of a
starry-eyed romantic than any human I've met. No wonder your gifts meant so little
.

“That was lovely, Ari,” Lyrra said.

Ari mumbled a “thank you” and looked out at the meadow.

A drum beat. Stopped.

They all turned toward the sound.

Six of the Small Folk were standing nearby. Three men and three women. They all wore surly, suspicious expressions. Two of the men carried drums.

“Blessings of the day to you,” Ari said, smiling. “Come and be welcome.”

One man came forward. “We came for the dance,” he said gruffly, looking at Dianna. “We always come for the dance. ‘Tis a custom.”

“The dance?” Dianna asked quietly, leaning toward Ari.

“Yes, the dance,” Ari said. She looked out at the meadow and the softening daylight. “It’s time.”

Dianna tensed when Ari stood up and walked to a spot in the meadow that was parallel to a brazier filled with kindling. When they’d come outside after dinner, she’d noticed the small circle of stones that formed the fire pit that held the brazier, but thought nothing of it.

For a full minute, Ari just stood there. When she took the first step, the small man began to beat the drum. The other drummer joined him. When she’d taken half a dozen steps, Ari made a quarter turn so that she faced the brazier. She raised her arms, her hands curling as if she were clasping two other dancers’ hands on either side of her. Crossover step, crossover step, turn to face forward, step one, two, three, then turn back to face the center of the circle. Crossover step, crossover step, turn to face forward, step one, two, three, then turn back to face the center of the circle.

Not a circle
, Dianna decided when Ari reached the point where she had started.
A spiral dance that
will end right at that brazier. And then what will happen
?