Thendara House (61 page)

“I should be honored,” said Janetta with quiet formality. She laid a hand for a moment on her knife. “Nothing will happen while she is in my care, Mother.”

“But this is ridiculous,” Cholayna said, laughing, “Do you really think I need an armed escort?” No, Magda realized, she had not said it, once again she had heard Cholayna
thinking
those words, then realizing that they would have been offensive, a rebuff of something that was very serious to Janetta; aloud Cholayna said only, “Thank you, Janetta; it is very kind of you, and kind of you, Lauria, to arrange it.” The two women stood looking at one another for a moment, then Lauria suddenly laughed and hugged her.

“All Amazons are sisters, and the Goddess grant, one day I may truly welcome you as one of us; till then, you are welcome among us as a kinswoman, Cholayna,” she said, and Cholayna, hugging her in return, said seriously, “May it be so, indeed.”

Magda, watching, knew she had witnessed something very important, more important than anything Montray had babbled about diplomatic relationships, in its own way just as important as that invitation from Comyn Castle to bring a Terran delegation to Festival ball.
Now indeed I have done the work which I came here to do
, she caught herself thinking, but she shook Cholayna’s hand and heard the woman saying that she would see her in a few days from now.

“I like her,” Camilla said, as they stood in the hallway watching Janetta escort her down the walk, “as I never thought I would like any woman from another world. Kindra - who was my Oath-mother as well as Jaelle’s - used to say that a day would come when we would find we had much to learn from the Terrans, and every year I grow more convinced of how wise she was. You knew the Terrans when you were in Caer Donn as a child, did you not, Margali? I could see that you knew one another well.” She yawned. “Well, we have spent the whole day at this, but I do not think it was wasted. I had meant to go out for a ride today, I am weary of being housebound, and I thought I might get leave to take you out with me. But it is too late now to ride, I think - look, the night’s rain is beginning; Janni will be soaked before she returns!”

“Oh, she won’t melt,” Mother Lauria laughed. “She is used to being out in all weathers… Margali, how tired you look, my dear! Take her upstairs and put her back to bed, Camilla, and we will send you both up some supper. You won’t mind that, will you, my girls?” She winked at them kindly, and Magda thought, abashed,
She knows we are lovers; well, of course, she probably takes it for granted that any woman coming to the house will experiment before the Housebound time is past. Even Keitha, who was so scornful
… and she remembered how she had sensed, this morning, that Marisela was not alone… well, their work had thrown them together, as with Magda and Camilla, only perhaps she was more open to it than the
cristoforo
Keitha -

“And where is Marisela?” Mother Lauria asked, so appropriately that for a moment Magda wondered if the Guild-Mother, too, was reading her mind. “I knew she went out on a case this morning; it must have been unusually difficult, poor girl, she will be half dead when she comes home; I think I will make her go up and have supper in bed too! These things always happen, for some reason, the day after Festival - is Keitha still here to look after her when she comes in?”

“No indeed,” said Irmelin, who was on hall-duty. “I saw her go out with her midwife’s bag; a man came for her, and since Marisela was not yet back, she went out with him - “

“She should not go about the city alone,” said Mother Lauria, troubled, “Legally she is housebound still; but worse than that, her husband might still try to revenge himself on her, or to catch her outside alone, so that he could get her home and imprison her…”

“She knew that,” said Irmelin, “but I think this man had spoken in her presence to Marisela; Keitha knew him and said she could not let a woman suffer when there was need of her skill. I think she believes her work as midwife may even be more important than her Renunciate’s Oath - “

“There is nothing in either to negate the other,” said Camilla, “yet I am her Oath-mother and I worry about her; I should go to the man’s house and make certain she is all right, perhaps escort her home to be sure she is safe. Marisela would never forgive me if I let anything happen to her…”

“That would be a good idea,” said Mother Lauria, relieved, “Irmelin, did she leave word where she was going?”

“To the Street of the Nine Horseshoes,” said Irmelin, and Camilla pulled down a cloak from the ones hanging in the hallway.

“Shall I take Margali with me. Mother?”

“Indeed not,” said Mother Lauria severely. “It is bad enough for one novice to go out into the streets on the night after Festival, which Keitha should not have done without asking leave; though I can see how it would seem natural to her to rush off to deliver a child. But not both of them. If you don’t wish to go alone, take Rafaella or someone, but not Margali.”

Camilla bowed somewhat ironically to the Guild Mother and went out, saying, “I will be back as soon as I know she is safe - “

“No, no, wait and escort her home,” said Mother Lauria, “though I am sorry to send you out when you are so tired. But Margali is a big girl and can put herself to bed for once!” She chuckled, and Magda felt herself blushing. She said, “Don’t be silly, I am not as tired as all that; I will go and see if they can use any help in the dining room putting supper on the table, since Keitha is not here.”

“You mustn’t mind,” said Irmelin while they were putting on their aprons and taking down crockery bowls. “It is always so, they like to tease the women who have become lovers - after a few days they will take you for granted, as they do Cloris and Janetta, but if you and Camilla quarrel and stop sharing a bed they will tease you again for a few days, that is all; you heard how they teased Rafi when she went home for the night with a man - and speaking of Rafaella, did I not hear her on the stairs just now?”

“No, she went out hours ago, when you were all in Mother’s office,” said Rezi, “She said she had a caravan to take out, Shaya had sent for her from the Terran Zone. I had all kinds of questions to ask her, but she had no time for any of them, and Margali - “

“Never mind,” said Mother Lauria hastily. “Go after Camilla; take your knife and go swiftly. If it is truly a trap that Keitha has walked into - “

Rezi’s face changed. She said, “By the Goddess, I never thought of that! And Keitha is out alone - the Street of the Nine Horseshoes, you said?” She was drawing on her cloak as she spoke. “I’ll catch up to Camilla before the end of the street.”

The door banged behind her, and Mother Lauria said, “We need not wait dinner. I am sure there is nothing worth waiting for anyhow; the night after Festival there will be nothing on the table but leftovers.”

“Well, there is half a roast rabbithorn,” Irmelin said, “and plenty of the gravy and stuffing. And if anyone does not want leftovers there is plenty of good bread and cheese, and after Festival it would do anyone good to fast for a day or two anyhow.” The women moved around, finding seats.

Magda was glad Camilla had not gone alone; the woman was not young and they had had a couple of sleepless nights. Yet she wished she could be the one to fight at Camilla’s back, if fighting was needed; she envied Rezi, who was sent matter-of-factly to defend her sister. She took up a piece of cheese and nibbled it absentmindedly.

She should have gone with Camilla. Mother Lauria was wrong. Camilla was her oath-sister and her lover; it was her personal responsibility to fight beside her; and Keitha was her oath-sister as well, so that it was her personal responsibility to protect Keitha too. She should have argued Mother Lauria into realizing that it was an obligation of honor.

I have been Terran all this day and now I am thinking like a Darkovan again
…

There was a stir in the hallway and loud shouts, and three women came into the dining hall, their outdoor cloaks soaked.

“Ah, how it rains! As if it were trying to make up for good weather on Festival night, like always,” they cried. “Well, we are back, everybody - “

“Sherna! Gwennis! Devra!” exclaimed Mother Lauria, coming forward to embrace them, and then everyone was up from the table to hug the newcomers, to help them off with their coats, to ask a thousand questions. It was the tall quiet one, Devra, who recognized Magda first and hugged her.

“Margali! I had heard you were going to Neskaya, but of course Jaelle would have wished to bring you to her own House - where is Jaelle n’ha Melora?”

“Oh, she has taken a freemate, and is living in the Terran zone - “

“Jaelle? A freemate? Now will I truly believe that Durraman’s donkey can fly,” said Gwennis, laughing boisterously. “She would be the last woman in the world, I had thought, ever to give herself over to a man - she has been with Rafaella too much, that is all, Rafi has corrupted her - “

They all crowded to the table, teasing and joking. Sherna demanded, “Where is Camilla?”

“She and Rezi went off - there was some worry about one of our novices,” Mother Lauria said, “A fear her husband might try to find her again outside the house; so they went to escort her home.” And then the three of them had to be told all about the fight with Keitha’s husband and his hired mercenaries, about how Keitha had apprenticed to Marisela and later become her lover, rapid-fire gossip and shared memories and allusions which Magda could hardly follow. They told, too, how Magda had fought for the House and been wounded - by now, Magda realized in surprise, they were not angry with her over the indemnity, but proud of her for defending them so well.

“Cloris, fetch a couple of bottles of the good wine from the cellar,” Mother Lauria said. “We will drink to the return of our sisters.”

“We have more to drink to than that,” said Rezi, coming in, with Keitha and Camilla, all very pale. “As you thought, Mother, it was a trap. Oh, yes, there was a woman in childbirth, but while Keitha was there in the house someone had sent word to Shann MacShann. We found him in the street outside, ready to waylay Keitha when the child was born and she was done with her work.”

Keitha looked pale but peaceful, though Magda could see that she had been crying. “I should have been terrified, if my sisters had not been there. As it was, I told him that I should die before I ever came back to him, and laid my hand on my knife, saying that I would turn it either on myself or him, as he chose. So he took himself off, swearing and cursing me and vowing I should wait forever for the return of my dowry; and I told him to keep it for the boys when they were grown. I do not think he will trouble me again. He said at the last, as if it would make me wish to come back, that now he had found a decent woman who would not run away, so if I ever changed my mind - ” she smiled faintly, “it was too late. I think he was shocked when I wished him happiness with her. I did not tell him how sorry I was for her, whoever she is.”

Camilla hugged Keitha and said “We are all proud of you,
breda
. So now we can drink to his downfall as well. And you will really have something to tell Marisela when she comes back,” she added with a sly grin, and Keitha blushed crimson.

The wine was brought and poured, and they all drank, laughing and toasting each other.

“So now we are all here from that night in the travel-shelter except Jaelle,” said Sherna, coming over and hugging Camilla and Magda together, “Where is Shaya? Is she out with Rafaella on her travel-business? Did not one of you say she had taken a freemate, of all things?”

“Ah, Goddess! How stupid I am,” exclaimed Rezi. “Jaelle was here, and asking for you, Margali - it was hours ago! But you were closeted with Mother in her office and I could not interrupt, and then there was all the hullabaloo about Keitha, and it went right out of my head!”

Magda swung toward her, and suddenly the awareness she had been keeping at bay, all this long day, crashed over her again.

Something is very wrong. Something terrible has happened to Jaelle
… there was nothing specific about it, she simply knew, with a knowledge that went deeper than words, that Jaelle needed her, that Jaelle was in deep trouble; and yet when she should have kept herself open to Jaelle, she had barricaded herself and refused to accept the knowledge because she was afraid of it. She looked at Camilla in dismay, knowing that the older woman’s superb barriers had kept her locked tight against Jaelle’s need.

Danger. Danger, closing in on Jaelle from every direction. Red blood spilled on the sand. The dream and the bond they had shared. She had wakened in Jaelle’s arms, her friend needed her. but she had fled from it, and now Jaelle was gone, running away… Peter was dead, and now Jaelle was gone…