where all good dogs must go, Mother will not be left alone―especially now I shall have to be out of the city a great deal."
"What a good idea!" Floria exclaimed, involuntarily warmed by his care for his mother's happiness. "Yes; I know where my brother Nicolo buys his hunting dogs; tell him I sent you and he will find you a good house pet for your mother." And she thought, See how kind and good he is, to be so thoughtful of his mother. He will surely be good to his wife as well.
He asked, hesitating, "Will you ride with me tomorrow?"
She smiled at him and said, "I should like it very
much; but I cannot. I have been in the city for five tendays awaiting a place in the Tower; and I have finally been asked to be monitor in Renata Aillard's circle, and I must go tomorrow to be tested.
Through his disappointment Alastair felt curiosity; although his mother had been a Tower worker since his childhood, he knew really very little about it.
"I did not know women were allowed to be Keepers," he said.
"They are not," Floria said. "Renata is an emmasca; born so. Her mother is of Hastur blood, and many of that line are born emmasca, man or woman as they may choose. It is sad; but it opens to her the work of a Keeper and perhaps some day real women "may be allowed such work. It is very dangerous for women; I think I would rather not attempt it myself."
"I would not have you run into danger," Alastair said fervently.
And she said, "I shall be finished, and know if I am accepted for the circle by noon; then, if you wish, we shall go and choose a puppy for your mother."
"Accepted? But I thought you already had a place in the circle―"
"Yes; but it is very important for all the workers in a circle to be acceptable to one another; if there is anyone in the circle who feels he or she cannot work with me, then I shall have to wait again for a place. I have met Renata and I like her very much; and I think I am acceptable to her. But tomorrow I shall be tested to see if the others can work with me."
"If there is anyone who dares to refuse you, I will declare war on him!" said Alastair, only half in jest,
and beneath the joking tone she sensed his seriousness and took his hands in hers.
"No," she said. "You do not understand these things, since you are not a trained telepath.
Please promise me that you will not do anything rash or foolish."
The music had ended, and they moved to the edge of the dancing floor. She said, "Now I must dance with my other guests―though I would rather stay with you."
"Oh, why must we do what others desire just because it is the custom? I am sick to death of the 'proper way to do this' and the 'proper way to do that'!"
"Oh, Alastair, don't talk like that! I have been taught that we were not sent here to do our own will, but to do our duty to our people and our family. You are Duke of Hammerfell; a day may well come when―as is right―your duty to Hammerfell may have to come
before our pledges to one another."
"Never!" he vowed.
"Don't say that! A private man may make such pledges, but a prince or a duke, a lord with responsibilities, may not." Inwardly she felt troubled, but thought: He is young, he has had too little training for his post; he was educated in exile, not schooled to the responsibility of his birth.
"It is only that I cannot bear to leave you," he said. "Please stay with me."
"My dear, I cannot. Please understand."
"Whatever you say," he said morosely and gave her his arm, conducting her silently to her kinswomen―among whom, he noticed with an instant of awe, was Queen
Antonella, smiling a bland and vacant smile.
The queen said, in the curiously strident voice of the hard-of-hearing, "At last; we have been waiting for you, my dear. But I think I do not know your young escort."
"He is the son of the Duchess of Hammerfell; Erminie, Second Technician in Edric of Elhalyn's circle," said Floria in her gentle voice, so softly that Alastair wondered how the deaf old lady could
"What a good idea!" Floria exclaimed, involuntarily warmed by his care for his mother's happiness. "Yes; I know where my brother Nicolo buys his hunting dogs; tell him I sent you and he will find you a good house pet for your mother." And she thought, See how kind and good he is, to be so thoughtful of his mother. He will surely be good to his wife as well.
He asked, hesitating, "Will you ride with me tomorrow?"
She smiled at him and said, "I should like it very
much; but I cannot. I have been in the city for five tendays awaiting a place in the Tower; and I have finally been asked to be monitor in Renata Aillard's circle, and I must go tomorrow to be tested.
Through his disappointment Alastair felt curiosity; although his mother had been a Tower worker since his childhood, he knew really very little about it.
"I did not know women were allowed to be Keepers," he said.
"They are not," Floria said. "Renata is an emmasca; born so. Her mother is of Hastur blood, and many of that line are born emmasca, man or woman as they may choose. It is sad; but it opens to her the work of a Keeper and perhaps some day real women "may be allowed such work. It is very dangerous for women; I think I would rather not attempt it myself."
"I would not have you run into danger," Alastair said fervently.
And she said, "I shall be finished, and know if I am accepted for the circle by noon; then, if you wish, we shall go and choose a puppy for your mother."
"Accepted? But I thought you already had a place in the circle―"
"Yes; but it is very important for all the workers in a circle to be acceptable to one another; if there is anyone in the circle who feels he or she cannot work with me, then I shall have to wait again for a place. I have met Renata and I like her very much; and I think I am acceptable to her. But tomorrow I shall be tested to see if the others can work with me."
"If there is anyone who dares to refuse you, I will declare war on him!" said Alastair, only half in jest,
and beneath the joking tone she sensed his seriousness and took his hands in hers.
"No," she said. "You do not understand these things, since you are not a trained telepath.
Please promise me that you will not do anything rash or foolish."
The music had ended, and they moved to the edge of the dancing floor. She said, "Now I must dance with my other guests―though I would rather stay with you."
"Oh, why must we do what others desire just because it is the custom? I am sick to death of the 'proper way to do this' and the 'proper way to do that'!"
"Oh, Alastair, don't talk like that! I have been taught that we were not sent here to do our own will, but to do our duty to our people and our family. You are Duke of Hammerfell; a day may well come when―as is right―your duty to Hammerfell may have to come
before our pledges to one another."
"Never!" he vowed.
"Don't say that! A private man may make such pledges, but a prince or a duke, a lord with responsibilities, may not." Inwardly she felt troubled, but thought: He is young, he has had too little training for his post; he was educated in exile, not schooled to the responsibility of his birth.
"It is only that I cannot bear to leave you," he said. "Please stay with me."
"My dear, I cannot. Please understand."
"Whatever you say," he said morosely and gave her his arm, conducting her silently to her kinswomen―among whom, he noticed with an instant of awe, was Queen
Antonella, smiling a bland and vacant smile.
The queen said, in the curiously strident voice of the hard-of-hearing, "At last; we have been waiting for you, my dear. But I think I do not know your young escort."
"He is the son of the Duchess of Hammerfell; Erminie, Second Technician in Edric of Elhalyn's circle," said Floria in her gentle voice, so softly that Alastair wondered how the deaf old lady could
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