THREE DROPS OF BLOOD (15 page)

"Captain--" Meghianna began.

"Who is at the center of this?" The guard captain's voice softened, but not the cold fury
and disappointment on her face.

"I'm afraid we are. And Pirkin. I believe this needs to be brought before my father."

Speculation flared bright in Gynefra's eyes. She nodded and gestured for Pirkin to step
out from the others. "Go. I will join you when I have the rest of these miscreants settled."

Pirkin said nothing, but Meghianna thought if she tweaked on the Threads that buzzed
from his passage through them, she could hear his thoughts. That was rude, even if it would have
been helpful. She sighed and thought she understood why rebel enchanters through the ages had
violated the basic rules of polite behavior and ethics. Spying on others' thoughts would have
made things ever so much easier.

She knew how to wipe recent memories from minds. The emotional upset still roiling
through the air kept everyone's minds open, easier to manipulate. Something like the difference
between warm wax and baked clay. It would be so easy to reach out through the Threads and
take away the memories of the words and anger and the scuffle of the last hour. But it would not
be right. And knowing Mrillis as she did, she suspected he would be relieved that the truth had
finally come out in the open. How many times could her mentor encounter his grandson and
endure the pain of knowing the young man had no idea of their relationship? Meghianna had
seen images of Emrillian and Ceera, both in Mrillis' memories and the memories of her teachers
in the Stronghold, and images created in splintered light. She could see the features Pirkin had
inherited from them--surely others who knew his mother and grandmother could see them, too,
and would remark on them without thinking, eventually.

Yes, despite the circumstances, it was most likely best that this revelation happened
now.

The Valor on duty outside Efrin's workroom must have sensed something before they
even turned the corner in the hallway. He took one look at Megassa's scowl, Meghianna's
worried expression, and Pirkin with blood and bruises on his face, his clothes mussed and bloody
from fighting, and said nothing. He gestured for the trio to wait, and stepped through the door.
Meghianna made a private wager with herself on how long it would take for them to be called in
before her father, and whether he would come to the door himself. She counted to eleven before
the Valor opened the door--she had estimated fifteen seconds.

Efrin stood up from his worktable and gestured for them to come inside, but said
nothing. She lost all the parts of her wager. Meghianna felt something writhe inside, unsure if
she felt guilty or simply ashamed at having to come before her father like this. As Efrin simply
looked back and forth among the three of them standing before him, his frown deepening, it
occurred to her that this wasn't good for her dignity as Queen of Snows.

"Prince Pirkin..." Efrin sighed and sat down. "If either of my daughters attacks you
physically, you do have my permission to defend yourself."

Pirkin gaped. Meghianna shook her head, not quite sure what her father was thinking.
Megassa let out a gasp, eyes wide, momentarily speechless. Then she burst out laughing and
sank down into the nearest chair.

"No, I doubt either of you would be so childish," Efrin said, his stern features relaxing,
"but you have to admit, that is the first thought that comes to mind, with the two of you dressed
that way. It was amusing when you were younger, this trick of trying to be twins. But now, at
your... advanced ages?"

"We were at the practice field, and Megassa was showing off her newest riding trick for
me," Meghianna explained. "Papa, I'm afraid most of this is my fault."

"Equally divided," Megassa said, shaking her head, somber again. "It takes two to talk,
and we were foolish to talk about things Lord Mrillis asked us not to discuss, out in the open,
without checking to see if we could be overheard."

"Ah." Efrin nodded. He rubbed his chin, his gaze raking Pirkin from head to toe. The
young Valor stood still, staring straight ahead, the clenching of his fists the only sign of his inner
turmoil. "Please, sit. I'm afraid this is a conversation long overdue, and likely to be highly
uncomfortable for you. Kaylon!" He raised a hand to keep the three silent until the Valor at the
door opened it and looked inside. "Please have someone send for Lord Mrillis."

"I can send for him, Papa," Meghianna offered.

"Ah, yes. I forget sometimes... Thank you, Kaylon. No need." He waited until the Valor
shut the door. "Kindly give him a general idea of what happened, so he doesn't walk in on us
unprepared. As I am afraid you were, Prince Pirkin. My apologies."

Meghianna sent her memories of the conversation and the ending of the battle to Mrillis.
The ringing silence at his end of the Thread of communication told her far more than any words
on his part. She ached for him.

"Majesty." Pirkin slowly sank into the chair Efrin pointed out to him. "Please... My
friends accused your daughters of lying. That is only part of why we fought. I know better, but...
I don't want to believe it."

"What exactly did you hear?"

"We discussed how unfair it was that Lord Pirkin didn't know Lady Emrillian was his
mother, and Lady Ceera and Lord Mrillis were his grandparents. And..." Megassa glanced
sideways at Meghianna for a moment. "We talked about the stupidity of the Noveni in Moerta,
who hate Rey'kil so much, and how King Pyris was... well, I was
thinking
how weak
and stupid he was, to let their stupidity affect him, so he lied to his son about his mother." She
shrugged. "I'm sorry, Pirkin. You needed to know, but not to find out that way."

"What else has my father kept secret from me?" Pirkin whispered. He studied his fists,
clenched on his knees, and hunched his shoulders a little more.

Meghianna wondered if Pirkin even realized the import of what he had said. Just by
questioning his father's truthfulness and openness, he indicated that he believed what the young
Valors had overheard. He believed, even unwillingly, that his real mother's identity had been
hidden from him. He believed Mrillis was his grandfather. Meghianna felt a tight knot in her
chest loosen, and something warm blossomed. It was joy for Mrillis, she decided. Though he
never spoke of it, she knew how much he had longed to be part of his grandson's life, to see more
than respect in Pirkin's eyes when he looked at him during lessons or the council sessions.

Three taps sounded on the door, then it opened and Mrillis stepped inside. His gaze
immediately went to Pirkin, who didn't look up.

"We're very sorry, Lord Mrillis," Megassa hurried to say. "We know you wanted it kept
quiet, and we just didn't think about anyone hearing us. Although, it's not entirely our fault. They
were very rude for eavesdropping on us."

"That is often the way of it," Mrillis said. "No one is entirely innocent. Many of us have
wronged you, lad." His mouth twisted into a flat smile when Pirkin's head jerked up and he
stared at the man standing in front of him. "I should have fought your father's request. I should
have defied him and insisted on the truth. But how happy would you have been, torn between us?
You love your stepmother, don't you?"

"Yes." Pirkin nodded jerkily, as if he had forgotten how for a moment. "She's the only
mother I've ever known."

"Exactly." Mrillis sat on the edge of Efrin's worktable, so all of them were seated now,
but he was still a level above them. Meghianna thought that very clever staging. "I hope you will
be interested in learning about your mother and your grandmother. They adored you. Their
dearest wish was for you to be happy and healthy and loved, and to be at peace with your
life."

"How many people know the truth?"

"Most of the older generation who were active in the Court at the time of the attacks,"
Efrin said. "Some have questioned why your father never comes to Lygroes, why Lord Mrillis
never goes to visit, but they have accepted it." He shrugged. "We kept your grandfather
exceedingly busy, the first five or ten years of my reign, so he rarely had a chance to come see
you, even if he had been permitted."

"Permitted." Pirkin nearly spat the word, as his mouth twisted in a grin Meghianna could
only describe as nauseated. "When has Mrillis the Enchanter ever needed permission from
anyone?"

"Those with the greatest power have the greatest responsibility from the Estall to act
with restraint and to limit ourselves, lest we destroy ourselves with pride. You have studied the
histories of the Nameless One?" Mrillis waited for Pirkin to nod. "Take lessons from his arrogant
choices that led to evil choices, so that he was willing to sacrifice his own flesh and blood for the
sake of power."

"He means our grandmothers," Megassa offered. She snorted when Pirkin sat up a little
straighter and actually looked at her and Meghianna for the first time since entering the
room.

"If so many people know... How long did my father expect me to be able to go on in
ignorance?" he finally asked. "And what do we tell people? After what happened, there will be
questions."

"I have considered that. We will...soften the lie." Mrillis rubbed at his temples for a
moment, as if he had a headache. "Since no one is innocent, everyone will be somewhat
spattered by the tale we will tell to smooth the path, so to speak. We will say that yes, your father
requested that I stay away, and that your mother's name be forgotten. To protect you. And for the
sake of his marriage, considering the growing sentiment against the Rey'kil among your
stepmother's relatives."

Meghianna's cheeks warmed as she recalled her words against Pyris' by-law relatives,
especially calling his wife 'that Noveni twit.' She supposed it was a good thing she had been
honest enough to relate the entire conversation to Mrillis, but she regretted the words even more,
though they had been spoken in passion and conviction at the time.

"We will say that when you discovered your
imbrose
, your father revealed your
true parentage, and contacted me, requesting that our relationship be kept in the shadows for as
long as possible, so no one could make accusations of favoritism against you or us. We had
hoped, you and I, to establish a relationship without the entire Court watching every move we
made." Mrillis took a deep breath. He struck Meghianna as seeming very old and tired, just for
those few seconds. "I hope we can become friends, lad. If for no other reason than your mother
and grandmother will live in your heart."

Pirkin nodded, a jerky motion, unable to meet Mrillis' eyes. A shiver of warning ran up
Meghianna's spine. So, he might not blame Lord Mrillis for the current trouble, but he wasn't
happy about his new-found grandfather's identity, either.

"What about us?" Megassa asked. "The things we said--"

"You spoke in ignorance. The arrangement was kept secret from you." Mrillis
shrugged.

"Then why did Pirkin fight them?" Meghianna asked. "If this story is true, he could have
just said so, and avoided a bloody nose and split lip, and angering Captain Gynefra."

"What exactly did your friends say, lad?" Mrillis asked.

"Mostly they implied--and a few even said outright--that the princesses were liars or
very stupid girls." Pirkin shrugged and glanced sideways at Meghianna. "By the time they said
anything about my father keeping secrets, I was already fighting."

"Then you were defending their honor, and put no lie to the tale," Efrin said, nodding. "I
will ask your forgiveness, Prince."

"Me, Majesty?" He nearly got to his feet in shock.

"I had the power and the duty to countermand your father's desires. I owe Lord Mrillis--I
owe your grandfather, and your mother and grandmother as well, such an enormous debt of
honor, it was an injustice to let their names be forgotten and hidden from you. You carry a proud
heritage. I should have commanded your father, in my power as High King, to let your
grandfather be known to you. See what convoluted tales we must tell now, to mend the wrong
done so long ago."

"I don't suppose there is some magic you can do, to undo the last hour, or keep the
others from remembering what they heard?"

"Or turn time back on itself, so you get us to shut our mouths before all this happened?"
Megassa offered. She brightened when Pirkin nodded and gave her a crooked grin. Resting her
hand on his fist for a moment, she said, "Truly, we're both very sorry. We wouldn't hurt you for
the world, because Lord Mrillis loves you so much."

"A baby who doesn't even remember you," he said, finally meeting Mrillis' gaze again.
"That's what you love. You don't know me."

"No," Mrillis agreed. "But I would like to get to know you." He stood and gestured at
the door. "Will you walk with me, lad?"

Pirkin nodded and stood slowly, stiffly, like all his joints had frozen. Meghianna ached
in sympathy as he waited, shoulders hunched, for Mrillis to lead the way to the door before he
took even one step.

* * * *

"I suppose I should thank you for...fixing things," Pirkin said, after he and Mrillis had
walked in the inner courtyard for a few minutes, letting the quiet of the afternoon soak through
them.

"But you don't feel particularly grateful?" Mrillis said. He wanted to put an arm around
those hunched shoulders and hold the boy, to ease away some of his misery with touch and silent
sympathy and love.

No, his grandson was a young man. Mrillis had to remind himself to think of Pirkin as a
man, nearly grown, a Valor in training, strong in
imbrose
he hadn't even realized he
possessed until a few moons ago, How many shocks did it take for a young, healthy mind to lose
its grip on sanity?

"Your father thought he was protecting you, and ensuring you a safe, peaceful
childhood," he offered, when the young man just grunted and shrugged.