Untitled (44 page)

"Yes you do—quite remarkable."

"When you look at me, Dav, is it me you see … or her?"

"You certainly look like her—but you are you, Syg. You and she— nothing alike in spirit. 'Tis you I love."

She kissed him. "Are you certain?"

"I am. Hath was my dear friend, but I never loved her. I love you, Syg."

She looked at the castle again. "Is it possible? Could I somehow be a Durst?"

Dav thought a moment. "Hmmm … You look the part—look like Hath, I mean, though there's no definitive Durst look, per se. You have the Durst spunk—you have that in earnest. Are you thinking that you might have been abducted from the Dursts?"

"That's what I am thinking."

"Well, I've not heard of anything like that from their past. They had seven daughters—Hath was the youngest. With no males, their line is broken. It happens. They've all married into other houses."

"Are there any gaps in the coming of their daughters? Are there any unexplained absences?"

"No … none that I can recall. Hath used to tell me everything. She never mentioned anything of the sort."

"But remember, Dav—the Invernians. If a Shadow tech male seeded the Lady of Durst—"

"Evaline … her name was Evaline. All the Durst women have 'line' in their name, it's a holdover from the Old Vith tradition that they loved. Even the ones who marry into the House get it. She's passed away. Hath's eldest sister, Medaline, is Lady of the house now. She married into House Grimm and became a countess but outlived her husband and came back. Once she's gone, I suppose Durst Castle will simply fall into ruin. Most a shame. If that does happen, I am going to take Hath from their family plot and move her to Fleet Park—where she belongs. I once figured the same thing was going to happen to House Blanchefort … no heirs … fallen into ruin."

"I'll give you as many heirs as you want, Dav—as many as we want. I want this House, our House, to last forever. Just tell me when. I'll allow you to seed me tonight if you wish. I'm ready."

"We should wait. Pardock will raise quite a fuss, and that's not a pleasant thing."

She looked at the distant castle again. "Evaline. If Evaline was seeded, then, that is something that is often covered up … not mentioned out of shame and confusion. Could Lady Evaline have had twins? Could that be the case?"

"I don't know. It's possible."

Syg snuggled into Dav, her long hair blowing in the wind.

"If you like, Syg, we can go there before the week is out. We can visit Castle Durst and see Countess Medaline. Would you like that? Perhaps she'll have something further to tell us."

"Yes, darling, very much so."

"I also have a lock of Hath's hair that she gave to me long ago. We could have Ennez test a small portion, see if there's a genetic match."

Syg turned to Dav and seized him hard. "That's so unromantic," she said, and they began again.

4

When Syg met Dav's sister, Countess Pardock, she almost roped her in Silver tech and blasted her. They had come down from the balcony dressed and refreshed and awaited Pardock in one of the many great halls of the castle. She admired all of the old tapestries and decorations as they waited.

Syg was excited; she couldn't wait to meet his sister.

The door to the south wing of the castle opened, and a tall, beautiful blue-haired woman came through, gliding almost in her stiff royal blue House Vincent gown—Pardock being the current countess of House Vincent after marrying Ferddie, Lord of Vincent, who fell at the Battle of Embeth.

Countess Vincent, returned to her ancestral castle to care for her infirm sister.

She had married young Ferddie, Lord of Vincent, over a hundred years prior. The marriage caused a stir, the proud, highly placed Blancheforts wedding with House Vincent, a old, honorable house of Hala stock, yet one with the singular reputation for being … stupid. Always a Vincent, playing the Vincent—that's what they said in League society. A play on words, a slight on their intelligence.

It was said that Lady Pardock, proud and rebellious, had married into House Vincent because she wished to humble her father Sadric, for he certainly did not wish her to marry Ferddie, whom he considered inferior on a number of levels. Sadric had hoped Pardock would marry Lord Horner of Champion, but Pardock detested him, detested House Champion and the whole Remnath tribe that they hailed from in general.

Ferddie of Vincent; surely she was out of her mind. But such was not the case. Pardock loved Ferddie, simple or not, and so she became his countess. The marriage reinvigorated House Vincent, as Pardock's seven children were certainly not simple-minded. Her son Gath even re-designed the GRAMPA, turning the dangerous, badly conceived LosCapricos axe into a fairly solid weapon.

Pardock approached Dav with a regal manner, her blue hair rustic and jangling in the Hala style, and then, without warning, hauled off and popped him right in the jaw with a sickening smack—one of the best right-crosses Syg had ever seen—knocking Dav's hat off.

Dav doubled over, holding his face.

Pardock, grinning, stared at him expectantly.

Syg pumped her fist, ready to loose a blast. Had Pardock gone mad?

Slowly, Dav straightened up, smiling. "You can still pop, sis," he said.

Pardock beamed as if Dav had just given her a huge compliment, and she embraced him roughly.

After a moment, Dav, bleeding from his mouth, introduced Syg.

"Umm," Syg said, "do you always greet each other so?"

"We do," Pardock said, still holding Dav. "Nothing says `I love you' like a good punch to the face."

Pardock surveyed Syg from top to bottom. Syg could tell that Pardock had just Stared her. She must be good; her Stare was silent, quick, and painless.

"So," she said. "You are Sygillis of Metatron, the Black Hat who was going to kill my brother."

"I still can, if you'd like me to."

"Nah," Pardock said, "let's let him live a bit longer, shall we."

Pardock took Syg by the arm, and they began walking. Syg guessed, given the friendly tone in Pardock's conversation, that she had passed her Stare test. She obviously loved her brother very much, and that was fine with Syg. She just wanted to see what made Syg tick—and that was also fine; she had nothing to hide … as far as her love for Dav went.

"Your nephew, Enoch, is very excited that you're here, Dav. He'll be coming of age soon and has expressed interest in joining the Fleet."

"Really? If that's the case then I'd love to have him. I can always find a place for a good junior crewman."

Pardock smiled, and they continued through the lofty Vith halls.

"So, how's Poe?" Dav asked.

Pardock darkened a bit. "Not good, not good at all. I really don't know what to do with her anymore. She seems … pained. Father would know. He'd know what to do, Dav."

"Countess?" Syg said. "Perhaps I can help."

Pardock looked down and stared at Syg. "Oh?" she said.

"It is Lieutenant Kilos' opinion that Poe is someone like me, and if that's the case, then I can help her."

"Lieutenant Kilos believes that Lady Poe is a Black Hat?"

Syg laughed. "No, no … that she is a Shadow tech female."

"Do you think that's possible, Syg?" Dav asked.

"From what Ki told me, yes I think it's very possible. It all fits together."

"She doesn't have a mark like you do," Dav said.

"Lt. Kilos says she wears a cover on her face—says she saw it at a party once. Haven't you ever Sighted her?"

Pardock looked shocked. "One does not Sight one's own sister."

Syg blushed a little. "In any event, may I see her?"

Pardock thought for a moment. "Tomorrow. You may see her tomorrow. She is finally asleep."

* * * * *

Syg's heart nearly broke—Dav announced he had to leave her for a day or two. There were some Fleet meetings in Atalea that required his presence. As soon as he returned, he promised he would take her to Castle Durst.

She didn't want him to go. They had never been apart, but if she was to be his countess some day, she will have to get used to occasional departures.

She'd live, though she missed him terribly.

* * * * *

So, Davage dressed, called down to the
Seeker,
and awaited Lt. Kilos in a ripcar. As it neared, Syg handed him his CARG. He saddled it, kissed her good-bye, jumped out of the window, and landed on the ripcar's hood, Kilos thankfully giving over the controls to him. Rolling the car, Davage sent it into a near-vertical plunge down the sheer side of the Castle and hit the thrusters, Kilos hanging on for dear life.

"Showing … off … are … you?" Kilos cried.

"Absolutely!"

"I'm … going to … get you … for … this … some day!" she managed to shout, hanging onto her cap as he laughed.

Approaching the crags and Harken forest, which Davage knew by heart, he trimmed the ripcar to manage the updrafts and pulled up, blasting the throttle, zero G'ing the crew cab and sending Ki's stomach into her throat.

That's when he saw something.

Far below, he saw a hooded figure standing under an overhang at the edge of the forest.

Davage didn't like the look of it.

Whipping the ripcar around, he kicked the thrusters and screamed into the overhang, where he popped the struts and landed in a cloud of dirt and fallen leaves.

He hopped out. Kilos followed, drawing her SK.

"What is it? What did you see?"

"I saw a figure, a hooded figure."

"Could it be just a passing traveler?"

Davage Sighted. He could see the faint heat trail of footprints fading down the path. Davage followed them, Kilos at his side.

"Possibly. But I'm not taking any chances. I had a message yesterday, from Marilith."

"Marilith … again? For someone who's made a name for herself by hating your guts, she sure loves to talk to you, doesn't she?"

"She said she was coming to kill Syg."

"How's she going to do that, Dav? She's a Black Hat."

"How does Marilith do any of the things she does? I'm not taking any chances."

The trail led to a small stand of trees, where it ended. The figure had Wafted away. Dav whipped his head around, Sighting for it.

It was nowhere to be seen. He hit his CARG in frustration.

Kilos holstered her pistol. "Syg can take care of herself, Dav."

He caught a residual image of the figure as it retreated. He could do that too. Some called it the seventh aspect of the Sight—to see things that once were there. Dav didn't count it as a separate aspect, though. It was simply seeing something that was invisible.

"It was here," he said. "It was wearing a gray robe with a hood."

Ki shook her head as she watched Dav Sight the path, his eyes glowing in the muted olive light. She'd gotten used to seeing his glowing eyes. She still thought it was a wondrous thing but didn't get mesmerized by it like everyone else did. She figured being a Brown sometimes had its advantages. Browns were too skeptical a people to be overly impressed with anything.

"Can you see its face?"

Dav got in front of the image. He saw a man's face, blonde hair, blue eyes, deep within the hood.

"I see a man."

"A man? So, we just probably scared some poor traveler or pilgrim half to death," Ki said, kicking at the carpet of leaves on the path floor. "So much for northern hospitality."

"Wait," Dav said. Sighting harder, he saw the man's face shimmer. "It's a Cloak. A good one too."

The Cloaked face faded away, leaving a dark, cloudy void under the hood. He caught a hint of long blue hair, but that was all.

"We must back to the castle!" Dav said

"Dav, Marilith is crazy, but she's not stupid. Syg is too powerful to take on in a straight-up fight. If she is gunning for Syg, then she's going to take her time, size her up, and devise a plan that favors her. She's not going to go storming into your castle and face a Black Hat Hammer. And she's going to want you there to watch. If anything, you not being around will ensure nothing happens."

Dav thought a moment. Ki was probably right. He looked at the fading image, the hooded figure, the wisps of blue hair. Either Marilith was going to have to be stopped cold, or for her own safety, Syg would have to go.

Maybe he was the last Blanchefort after all.

5

Syg waved and watched the ripcar fall into a suicidal dive down the side of the castle. She could feel a slight hint of warm air rush up as he hit the thrusters several hundred feet down. She wanted to go with him. She envied Ki for being able to go with him.

She was now alone in Castle Blanchefort with Countess Pardock, her children, and the stricken Lady Poe.

She put on a light dress that Dav had bought for her, and carrying her sandals, she went down to the main hall, her Black Hat sense of direction allowing her to navigate the huge, confusing castle with ease. The place was gigantic. She came across a dark, interesting hall full of portraits as she walked.

Portraits! The Hall of the Ancestors.

She took a few steps and waded into the dim hall. There were hundreds of portraits starting at the floor level going all the way up to the lofty heights of the ceiling.

She made a mental note of its location and would have to come back later. She had seen this place in her visions and was keen to explore it.

Downstairs, she met up with Pardock and a tall, handsome youth, her son—Enoch, Lord of Vincent, Dav's nephew. Her youngest son, Grenwald, was still asleep in his room.

"Good morning, Lady Sygillis," Pardock said. "I trust you slept well."

"I did. I love this castle. It already feels like home."

"Glad to hear it. Well, you wanted to see Lady Poe. She's this way, in the Telmus Grove getting a bit of air. I put her there this earlier this morning." She motioned with her arm, and they went out into the morning sunshine.

Strolling casually, young Enoch a few steps back, they entered a massive grove full of exotic plants, stone Vith vistas, and huge trees. The sky was a deep northern blue, with white clouds rising in the distance. Syg swiveled her head about, trying to take it all in. She wished Dav was here. She wanted to experience this for the first time with him.