better luck with the Castellan. But that was finished. She had done everything she could think of. Now she was at the mercy of events and attitudes she couldn't control, men who were losing their minds, men who hated, men who—
"Deep in thought, I see, my lady," said Master Eremis. "It makes you especially lovely."
She turned, her heart thudding in her throat, and saw him at the door of her cell. With one hand, he twirled the ends of his chasuble negligently. His relaxed stance suggested that he had been watching her for several minutes.
"You are quite remarkable," he continued. "Ordinarily, cogitation in a woman produces only ugliness. Were you thinking of me?"
She opened her mouth to say his name, but she couldn't swallow her heart; it was beating too hard. Staring at him as if she had been stricken dumb, she took an involuntary step backward.
"That would explain this increased beauty—if you were thinking of me. My lady"—he smiled as if she were naked in front of him—"I have certainly been thinking of you."
"How—?" She fought to regain her voice. "How did you get in here?"
At that, he laughed. "On my legs, my lady. I walked."
"No." She shook her head. Slowly, her immediate panic receded. "You're supposed to be up at the reservoir. Saving Orison. Castellan Lebbick wouldn't let you just walk in here."
"Unfortunately, no," the Master agreed. His tone became marginally more sober. "I was forced to resort to a little chicanery. Some cayenne in my wine to produce a sweat, so that he would be impressed by the strain of my exertions. A gentle potion in the brandy I offered to the men he set to guard me, so that they would sleep. A passage which has been secretly built from my workrooms in the laborium into an unused part of the dungeons—tremendous forethought on my part, do you not agree? considering that it was never possible for me to be certain Lebbick would arrest you."
Terisa ignored the cayenne and the potion; they meant nothing to her. But a secret passage out of the dungeon— A way of escape— She had to take hold of herself with both hands to keep her sudden, irrational hope under command.
Struggling to muffle the tremor in her voice, she said, "You went to a lot of trouble. What do you want? Do you expect me to tell you where Geraden is?"
Again, Master Eremis laughed. "Oh, no, my lady." She was beginning to loathe his laugh. "You told me that a long time ago."
When he said that, a sting of panic went through her—a fear different than all her other frights and alarms. She forgot about the secret passage; it was secondary. She wanted to shout, No, I didn't, I never did that! But as soon as he said it she knew it was true.
She had refused the Tor and Artagel and Castellan Lebbick— but Eremis already knew.
"Then why?" she demanded as though she were genuinely capable of belligerence. "Have you come to kill me? Do you want to keep me from talking to the Castellan? You're too late. I've already told him everything."
" 'Everything'?" The Imager's dark gaze glinted as if he were no longer as amused as he sounded. "Which 'everything' is that, my lady? Did you tell him that I have held your sweet breasts in my hands? Did you tell him that I have tasted your nipples with my tongue?"
The recollection twisted her stomach. More angrily, she retorted, "I told him you faked Nyle's death. You and Nyle set it up as an attack on Geraden. So no one would believe the things he said about you.
"I told him Nyle is still alive. You ambushed Underwell and those guards so everyone would think Geraden came back and killed him, but he's still alive. You've got him hidden somewhere. You talked him into being on your side somehow—maybe he hates Geraden for stopping him when he tried to help Elega and Prince Kragen—and now you've got him safe somewhere.
"That's what I told the Castellan."
In the uncertain lamplight, Master Eremis'
"Deep in thought, I see, my lady," said Master Eremis. "It makes you especially lovely."
She turned, her heart thudding in her throat, and saw him at the door of her cell. With one hand, he twirled the ends of his chasuble negligently. His relaxed stance suggested that he had been watching her for several minutes.
"You are quite remarkable," he continued. "Ordinarily, cogitation in a woman produces only ugliness. Were you thinking of me?"
She opened her mouth to say his name, but she couldn't swallow her heart; it was beating too hard. Staring at him as if she had been stricken dumb, she took an involuntary step backward.
"That would explain this increased beauty—if you were thinking of me. My lady"—he smiled as if she were naked in front of him—"I have certainly been thinking of you."
"How—?" She fought to regain her voice. "How did you get in here?"
At that, he laughed. "On my legs, my lady. I walked."
"No." She shook her head. Slowly, her immediate panic receded. "You're supposed to be up at the reservoir. Saving Orison. Castellan Lebbick wouldn't let you just walk in here."
"Unfortunately, no," the Master agreed. His tone became marginally more sober. "I was forced to resort to a little chicanery. Some cayenne in my wine to produce a sweat, so that he would be impressed by the strain of my exertions. A gentle potion in the brandy I offered to the men he set to guard me, so that they would sleep. A passage which has been secretly built from my workrooms in the laborium into an unused part of the dungeons—tremendous forethought on my part, do you not agree? considering that it was never possible for me to be certain Lebbick would arrest you."
Terisa ignored the cayenne and the potion; they meant nothing to her. But a secret passage out of the dungeon— A way of escape— She had to take hold of herself with both hands to keep her sudden, irrational hope under command.
Struggling to muffle the tremor in her voice, she said, "You went to a lot of trouble. What do you want? Do you expect me to tell you where Geraden is?"
Again, Master Eremis laughed. "Oh, no, my lady." She was beginning to loathe his laugh. "You told me that a long time ago."
When he said that, a sting of panic went through her—a fear different than all her other frights and alarms. She forgot about the secret passage; it was secondary. She wanted to shout, No, I didn't, I never did that! But as soon as he said it she knew it was true.
She had refused the Tor and Artagel and Castellan Lebbick— but Eremis already knew.
"Then why?" she demanded as though she were genuinely capable of belligerence. "Have you come to kill me? Do you want to keep me from talking to the Castellan? You're too late. I've already told him everything."
" 'Everything'?" The Imager's dark gaze glinted as if he were no longer as amused as he sounded. "Which 'everything' is that, my lady? Did you tell him that I have held your sweet breasts in my hands? Did you tell him that I have tasted your nipples with my tongue?"
The recollection twisted her stomach. More angrily, she retorted, "I told him you faked Nyle's death. You and Nyle set it up as an attack on Geraden. So no one would believe the things he said about you.
"I told him Nyle is still alive. You ambushed Underwell and those guards so everyone would think Geraden came back and killed him, but he's still alive. You've got him hidden somewhere. You talked him into being on your side somehow—maybe he hates Geraden for stopping him when he tried to help Elega and Prince Kragen—and now you've got him safe somewhere.
"That's what I told the Castellan."
In the uncertain lamplight, Master Eremis'
Similar Books
