Brightly Burning Read online

  “Is it really all right?” she asked the Companion, much to Lan’s amusement.

  Kalira snorted and bobbed her head, and Macy carefully approached her. With great delicacy and care, Macy separated out individual hairs to pull, gathering them carefully into a thin, silvery hank. Long before Lan had thought she would be satisfied, she patted Kalira’s neck and said, “Thank you! Thank you so much!” and stepped back.

  “I’ll save the hair from her currycomb for you,” Lan promised, tucking the embroidered patch into a pocket, and mounting.

  :And I’ll remind you.:

  “Will you? Thank you, Lan! Can I come visit you?” She was the only person who had shown any real interest in visiting him, and even if it was more to see Kalira than to see him, Lan was touched.

  “Surely. Give me some warning, so I can make time in my classes, but absolutely.” He found himself warming unexpectedly to her, and looking forward to her visit.

  “I will! Thank you again! I’ve got to go in, I’m about to freeze—” She flashed him another smile, and darted back inside the door. A trifle bemused by this unanticipated epilogue to the Feast, he and Kalira turned away from the door and started up the street toward the park.

  :I hope your Midwinter Feast was more fun than mine,: he said to her, breathing in air that wasn’t overheated and too-heavily scented for the first time that evening.

  :I wish yours had been as enjoyable as mine,: she replied with sympathy. :Never mind; we’ll be back with Tuck tomorrow, and you’ll have—:

  Her head came up, startled, as people suddenly emerged from both sides of the street to block their way. Deliberately.

  Kalira paused, but Lan felt her gathering herself for a leap or a run—or both.

  A woman with an angry, tear-streaked face stepped forward. Her clothing was mourning of the deepest, most complete black to the least button and bit of embroidery, and very rich. She looked up at him as if at a monster. “Are you Lavan Chitward?” she asked, in a harsh voice.

  He nodded. “Yes, Lady. I am.”

  She stepped forward again and seized Kalira’s reins. “You murdered my son!” she snarled, as Kalira shied and tried to dance away from her. She held on with the strength of the demented. “Murderer!” she continued savagely. “I know not how, but you killed my boy, my Tyron! And I will have justice, no matter what the Guard may say!”

  Lan sat frozen with shock; Kalira’s wide eyes and twitching muscles seemed to indicate that she was, too. Torn between fear and guilt, his heart pounded—and his head began to ache—

  Apparently the people with her had not anticipated this sort of confrontation—or perhaps, they had not anticipated that Lan would turn out to be a Heraldic Trainee. A tall man with Tyron’s square jaw and blond hair, wearing clothing that was a match with the woman’s, stepped out of the crowd and took her elbow. “Leave it, Jisette,” he hissed at her. “You’re overwrought. Can’t you see that this is a Companion?”

  “A Companion with a murderer?” she sneered.

  “This is just a trick! His family thinks they can fool everyone by tricking him out with a uniform and a white horse, but they can’t fool me!” Her eyes showed the whites all around, and she shook Kalira’s reins furiously. “I know better! Liar! Slanderer! Murderer! Murderer!”

  The man looked both at her and at Lan doubtfully, not sure whether to believe her. Lan felt as if he was going to have to double over from the pain behind his eyes, and that terrible red mist began to creep over his vision. He knew, he knew what was coming, and he wouldn’t be able to stop it!

  But that seemed to shake Kalira out of her shocked trance. :I think not!: she said crisply, and with a toss of her head, somehow slipped out of the bridle entirely. She ducked her head and whirled, leaving the woman with the empty bridle in her hands, and before Lan had any idea of what she was doing, she was pounding back down the way they had come, leaving the Jelnack entourage uselessly blocking the street.

  The surprise of her action jolted Lan out of his paralysis, and as he lurched forward, he seized her mane to steady himself. As soon as he had gotten a double handful, she changed direction, quick as a cat, dashing down an unfamiliar street.

  His stomach spasmed, and his head pounded, but the mist faded as she changed direction again. This time she raced straight down a broad street meant for huge cargo wagons, which was as empty now as an avenue through a cemetery. Her hooves rang on the cobblestones, but there were no noises of anyone following, and when she came to a dead end, she slowed and finally stopped.

  :Hush, and hold still,: she ordered. There was an odd sort of snap in his head, a single stab of pain from one temple to the other. Then his headache was gone completely, and with it the cramps and heaving of his gut.

  :There.: She sighed gustily. :And don’t you even dare think that crazed woman might be right! You are not a murderer, and if you ask me, it’s pretty easy to tell where Tyron learned how to be a sadistic manipulator.:

  Lan, who’d had his mouth open to say something of the sort, shut it.

  :And no “buts” out of you either!: Kalira continued, shaking her head angrily. :Miserable woman! I wish I’d had something to leave on her shoes!:

  The unsubtle image that accompanied that was enough to get a feeble chuckle out of him. She snickered.

  :Never mind. We’ll see what that family has to say when the Guard comes tomorrow to charge her with stealing my bridle. She’ll have a hard time convincing anyone that I’m not a Companion then!: She turned and proceeded at a walk back to a cross-street. :I hope they lock her up as a madwoman. It would serve her right. Now—let’s go home.:

  She picked up her pace to a trot and took a long and complicated route back to the Palace. It was after midnight when they entered the Palace gate, and although Lan wanted to take off her tack and groom her himself, she ordered him to bed.

  :We’re leaving in the morning so that you don’t have to have anything to do with those wretched people,: she told him. :You’ll need all your sleep.:

  He wrapped his cloak tightly around him, and trudged up the pathways to the Collegium. He was quite, quite certain he wasn’t going to get that sleep. By now the fire in his room would have burned out even though he had banked it, and the room would be icy—and he couldn’t rid himself of the certainty that Tyron’s mother was right. . . .

  But when he opened his door, warmth met him, and there was a mug with a note on it from Elenor, ordering him to drink what was in the mug or suffer unspecified consequences.

  Evidently Kalira had been having some choice words with . . . someone.

  He was too tired, mentally, emotionally, and physically, to argue with anyone. He hung up the Formal Grays, drank the mug, and crawled into his bed. And the next thing he knew, it was morning.

  FIFTEEN

  ACCOMPANIED by two Guardsmen on horseback, Pol rode Satiran down into the quarter where the Jelnack household had their imposing home. Lan was well on his way to the Chester farm by now, but before he had left, Pol had gotten an earful from Kalira via her sire. He had a clear and precise picture of what had really happened. As Kalira had said so venomously, Companions did not have the luxury of forgetfulness.

  As a consequence of last night’s debacle, Pol had called an emergency meeting among interested parties that included himself, the Seneschal, Captain Telamaine, and King’s Own Jedin, thus covering all authorities. To his great relief, even the Captain was full of righteous indignation at the Jelnacks’ high-handed assumption of authority after the Guard had already made it clear that the case was closed. As a consequence, Telamaine had been only too ready to assign him a pair of escorts to reinforce his authority. Herald Jedin had been ready to go himself along with Pol, and would have, had his presence not been required by the King. As for the Seneschal, even Greeley agreed that the Jelnacks had to be dealt with, and swiftly. If one powerful family flaunted the law and the authorities and got away with it, others might well decide to make their own laws as well. When that started, i
t could end with feuds and blood in the street.

  The one good thing that had come out of this disgraceful episode was that Kalira had amply demonstrated her ability to control Lan’s Firestarting Gift. In fact, she had more than controlled it, but explaining that, as well as the “how” of it, would have only confused the non-Heralds.

  Pol had promised Jedin that he would give him an explanation later, but hadn’t specified a time. Knowing Jedin, though, he could expect to be interrupted at almost any time with a demand for information—

  :Pol? Are you there yet? Are you busy?: As he had expected, it was Jedin, right on cue.

  Pol suppressed a smile in spite of how angry he was with the Jelnacks. :Not even halfway; everyone and his horse seems to be out on the street this morning. I suppose we can blame all the Midwinter Fairs outside the walls for that; it’s not enough anymore to go to the one nearest you, evidently the current fashion is to see all of them, and clog the streets in doing so. I take it you have a moment for that explanation?:

  :Please.:

  Jedin had one powerful advantage as a Mindspeaker; he had Rolan for a Companion, who could boost his powers to an unmeasured extent. He could, if he chose, probably reach any Herald within the borders of the entire country of Valdemar at need.

  :According to Kalira, Lavan’s Gift has only two modes; completely inactive and full force. Whether that was because of the way his Gift was forced, or for some other reason, she doesn’t know. And at the moment, he can’t consciously call it up; it only manifests when he’s threatened and it’s linked to his emotions. The angrier or more frightened he is, the quicker it rouses, and the stronger it is.:

  Pol waited courteously for a donkey-cart to cross in front of him as Jedin digested this.

  :So his Gift obviously manifested last night—:

  :And Kalira knew that if she let anything leak, the Jelnacks would know that Lavan had started the fires that killed those wretched boys. So she had to help him keep it clamped down, and that was why she ended the confrontation by slipping her bridle and running.:

  :Ah! Very wise of her!: Jedin had evidently been puzzled about that. It was unlike even a Trainee to abandon a confrontation when calling for help would have brought reinforcements within a reasonable time and running could confirm doubts or accelerate a dubious situation.

  :But—: Jedin now thought of the obvious ramification of Kalira’s actions. :If Kalira was helping him keep his power dammed, he must have been in agony.:

  :He was. And when she got him safe, she took care of that, too. She bridged all that pent-up force into herself, all at once, like a bolt of lightning. It was the only way to clear it quickly.:

  He felt Jedin’s involuntary wince of pain. :She did what? I don’t want to think about that too hard.:

  Neither did he. :She only told me that Companions are just made to deal with things like that. She didn’t seem to have taken any harm from it.:

  :Thank the gods they are. Well, I’m satisfied to learn the whys and wherefores of his Gift, and what Kalira can do with it; if she can handle what happened last night, she can handle him whatever happens. Thank you for the explanation.:

  With the King’s Own satisfied, the King would shortly be informed of what had transpired. And that would lend Pol the full authority to say and do whatever was required in the next candlemark or so. He wasn’t going to do anything to bend or even stretch the law, but he was going to assume a great deal of authority.

  All things considered, he hoped he would be able to dump the really unpleasant duties on Jisette Jelnack’s own family members. He was certainly going to try, at any rate.

  The Midwinter Fairs started the day after the Midwinter Feast and ran for the next seven days. Most folk who could afford to took the day after Midwinter Feast as an additional holiday from work, which was probably wise, given the amount of food and drink that was consumed the day before. It was supposed to be the children’s day—this was when they got their presents, usually waiting on a table for them in the morning. Perhaps the entire custom of giving the children their gifts now instead of at the end of the fortnight when the adults exchanged presents was to keep them quiet while their elders recovered from their overindulgence. . . .

  At any rate, Pol could count on the entire Jelnack clan being home, which was why he had not wanted to delay his confrontation.

  The house in question was hard to miss; instead of being decked in green garlands, it was swathed, windows and doors, and the gate in front, in sad swags of black mourning. Pol’s mouth twisted, and he felt as if he had bitten something sour. Given what they (and everyone else involved) surely now knew that Tyron had been like, such over-ostentatious mourning was in questionable taste.

  He rode to the gate, waited for one of his escort to open it, and rode into the minuscule front court. The Guard who had dismounted led his horse to the front door, and while Pol waited, still mounted on Satiran, the Guard pounded three times on the door with the pommel of his sword.

  It was shockingly loud; it was meant to be.

  The door flew open, and an angry manservant stood there. Clearly he had been about to deliver a scathing dismissal to whoever it was that had pounded so rudely on the door, but when he saw not one, but two Guards and a Herald, he was so overcome with shock that he just stood there, hand half raised, mouth hanging open.

  “Is this the house of the Master Silversmith Jelnack?” the Guard asked, sternly.

  The manservant nodded, dumbly.

  “And is he the husband of the lady Jisette Jelnack?” the Guard continued, frowning.

  “Y-yes, sir,” said the manservant at last. “W-w-would you care to come in?”

  “I would not,” the Guard snapped. “There is a serious charge of theft and endangerment to be laid, and you will summon them here, this instant. If they will not appear of their own accord, instantly, the charges of evading the King’s justice and resisting the King’s officer will be added to those already accumulated. And leave the door open.”

  By now, there were eyes at every window in the neighborhood, and likely ears pressed to cracks in the fence.

  :There are,: Satiran confirmed. :I do believe we are more entertaining at this moment than the prospect of going to the Fair.:

  Good. Pol was counting on public humiliation to force the rest of the family to deal sharply and decisively with Jisette, who, according to Kalira, was the ringleader last night.

  The manservant fled, and in a surprisingly short time, returned with a man and a woman clothed head-to-toe in black. The man pushed to the front, and Pol could tell from his expression that he was going to try bluster and bluff first.

  “There must be some mistake,” he began.

  “There is no mistake,” Pol said, using the authoritative Voice, a skill all Bards and most Heralds mastered. “Last night, in the presence of many of your household, you and your wife unlawfully detained and accused a Heraldic Trainee, one Lavan Chitward. You endangered his safety, threatened him, and stole the formal bridle of his Companion, said object made of blue leather and adorned with silver fittings and silver bridle bells, engraved with his Companion’s name, said object being worth twenty crowns. I should think that as a Master Silversmith you would recognize this article I have just described. Do you deny this? I should warn you that if you do deny this, I have the authority to have the truth from you by means of the Truth Spell.”

  The blood drained from Master Jelnack’s face; he knew now he wasn’t going to be able to bully or bluff his way out of the situation. He also knew that now every neighbor knew what his household had been up to last night.

  “Cast your spell, Herald!” Jisette said shrilly, pushing past her husband despite his efforts to keep her out of the way and quiet. “That creature you claim is a Trainee murdered my son and slandered him after his death! Nothing you can say will make me believe otherwise! I demand justice! The blood of my son demands justice!”

  “You, lady, have already gotten justice for your son,”
Pol told her angrily. “Whether you believe it or not, it’s no odds. Your son tortured and abused dozens of smaller, younger children for his own pleasure, forced them to act as his servants and even steal for him. The only person to be blamed for his death is Tyron Jelnack. Had he not been the kind of sadistic bully he was, he would be alive now. And you—” he concluded, again in the Voice, seeing that Jisette was about to launch into a tirade, “You will be silent!”

  The use of the Voice, directed at her and only at her, and with all of the force of Pol’s minor Gift of Empathic Projection behind it, struck her dumb.

  Now he turned to Master Jelnack. “I am sorry that your son’s death has so clearly deranged your wife’s mind,” he continued crisply. “And given that it is obvious that she is not thinking clearly or able to act rationally, the Crown may be willing to drop the charges, provided the bridle is returned and that you are able to demonstrate your ability to keep your wife under control until her clarity of thought returns. I must say that I am very much surprised and disappointed that she was able to sway all of you to believe in her delusions, but now that you know the truth, I trust you will treat her fantasy as it deserves to be treated, and ignore it.”

  Master Jelnack had seemingly also lost his power of speech, but he did nod. He swallowed once or twice, then half-turned and whispered something to the manservant, who vanished.

  Satiran stamped decisively. “I must warn you that if you fail to keep this afflicted lady from acting on her delusions, she will have to be confined by the Crown,” he continued. “And, of course, the charges will be reinstated. I believe you know better than I what such a reinstatment would mean to your reputation and career.”

  If it had been possible for Master Jelnack to grow any paler, he would have. Pol knew very well what would happen. With even a charge of theft laid against him, Jelnack would lose his position as Guildmaster.

  Jelnack clamped his hand on his wife’s wrist, and pulled her behind him. “We’ll see to it that she is watched over and gets proper treatment,” he said fervently. “I’ll talk to the Healers myself.”