deposition, to put these
leeches away for good. Stop in at police headquarters tomorrow; you owe me that
much at least.”
The boy
nodded sullenly, and stepped out into the alley. She didn’t expect to see him
again.
6
“What do
you mean, you don’t know what happened to the boy?” Arienrhod leaned out of her
seat, glaring at the bald dome of the trader’s bent head. Her fingers sank into
the soft arms of the lounging chair like talons.
“Forgive
me, Your Majesty!” The trader glanced up at her with the eyes of a terrified
rodent. “I didn’t think you were interested in him, only in the girl. I told
him to go to Gadderfy’s in the Periwinkle Alley, but he didn’t go there. If you
want me to search the city” His voice wavered.
“No, that
won’t be necessary.” She managed to produce a placating tone of voice, not
wanting the old man to keel over dead at the thought of it. “My methods are
much more efficient than yours. I’ll find him myself if I decide that I need
him.” And I think that perhaps I was
meant to find him. “You said that he decided to come here because ... Moon
... has become a sibyl, while he was rejected?” How hard it is to call yourself by another name. “What does he
expect to find in Carbuncle?”
“I don’t
know, Your Majesty.” The trader wrung his tooled leather belt-end between his
hands. “But like I told you, they were pledged to each other; they were always
together. I guess it hurt his pride, that he couldn’t join her in the
hocus-pocus. And his father’s an off worlder he always wears that medal ... I
guess he’s curious.”
She nodded,
not looking at him. Over the years he had brought her stories of the two
children growing up together, childhood sweethearts bound by some invisible
cord of loyalty ... which perhaps could be used to draw the girl here to
Carbuncle, and get her away from her superstitious sibyl-fixation. She couldn’t
blame the girl for aspiring to the highest honor in her limited world; that
only proved how surely they were the same woman. But Moon’s obsession had kept
her unreceptive when the trader had tried to interest her in Winter technology,
though it had caught the boy’s interest, perhaps because of his off worlder
father. At least Moon had never rejected her cousin for being a tech lover, as
any true Summer would have. That had prompted Arienrhod to tolerate their
relationship, in the hope that even such diluted contact with technology would
help make Moon ready for her destiny. At least she hadn’t gotten pregnant by
him—even the Summers grew child bane and knew how to use it. If he were here in
the palace, waiting for her ...
“You’re
sure that Moon is ‘studying’ with these sibyls on their island now? Will she be
safe there?”
“As safe as
anywhere in Summer, Your Majesty. Probably safer. She may even be back on Neith
by the time I put in there again.”
“And you
say the sibyls you’ve seen aren’t actually deranged—?” Her voice tightened. She
had hoped to bring the girl here before she had the chance to contract the
sibyl disease; but now it was too late.
“No, Your
Majesty.” He shook his head. “They control their fits completely; I’ve never
seen one who couldn’t.” His own lack of fear reassured her.
Arienrhod
studied the mural on the wall behind his head. As long as the girl was sane,
that was all that really mattered; the disease could even be an asset, a
protection, if it made the Summers trust her. She looked back at the trader.
“Then you’ll bring her a message from her cousin, which I will supply. I want
her to come to Carbuncle.” Moon would have to come of her own free will; the
Summers would never stand by and let someone kidnap a sibyl.
The trader
kept his head bowed; she could not tell what his expression was, although he
twitched slightly. “But, Your Majesty—if she’s become a sibyl, she may be
afraid to come to the city.”
“She’ll
come.” Arienrhod smiled.
leeches away for good. Stop in at police headquarters tomorrow; you owe me that
much at least.”
The boy
nodded sullenly, and stepped out into the alley. She didn’t expect to see him
again.
6
“What do
you mean, you don’t know what happened to the boy?” Arienrhod leaned out of her
seat, glaring at the bald dome of the trader’s bent head. Her fingers sank into
the soft arms of the lounging chair like talons.
“Forgive
me, Your Majesty!” The trader glanced up at her with the eyes of a terrified
rodent. “I didn’t think you were interested in him, only in the girl. I told
him to go to Gadderfy’s in the Periwinkle Alley, but he didn’t go there. If you
want me to search the city” His voice wavered.
“No, that
won’t be necessary.” She managed to produce a placating tone of voice, not
wanting the old man to keel over dead at the thought of it. “My methods are
much more efficient than yours. I’ll find him myself if I decide that I need
him.” And I think that perhaps I was
meant to find him. “You said that he decided to come here because ... Moon
... has become a sibyl, while he was rejected?” How hard it is to call yourself by another name. “What does he
expect to find in Carbuncle?”
“I don’t
know, Your Majesty.” The trader wrung his tooled leather belt-end between his
hands. “But like I told you, they were pledged to each other; they were always
together. I guess it hurt his pride, that he couldn’t join her in the
hocus-pocus. And his father’s an off worlder he always wears that medal ... I
guess he’s curious.”
She nodded,
not looking at him. Over the years he had brought her stories of the two
children growing up together, childhood sweethearts bound by some invisible
cord of loyalty ... which perhaps could be used to draw the girl here to
Carbuncle, and get her away from her superstitious sibyl-fixation. She couldn’t
blame the girl for aspiring to the highest honor in her limited world; that
only proved how surely they were the same woman. But Moon’s obsession had kept
her unreceptive when the trader had tried to interest her in Winter technology,
though it had caught the boy’s interest, perhaps because of his off worlder
father. At least Moon had never rejected her cousin for being a tech lover, as
any true Summer would have. That had prompted Arienrhod to tolerate their
relationship, in the hope that even such diluted contact with technology would
help make Moon ready for her destiny. At least she hadn’t gotten pregnant by
him—even the Summers grew child bane and knew how to use it. If he were here in
the palace, waiting for her ...
“You’re
sure that Moon is ‘studying’ with these sibyls on their island now? Will she be
safe there?”
“As safe as
anywhere in Summer, Your Majesty. Probably safer. She may even be back on Neith
by the time I put in there again.”
“And you
say the sibyls you’ve seen aren’t actually deranged—?” Her voice tightened. She
had hoped to bring the girl here before she had the chance to contract the
sibyl disease; but now it was too late.
“No, Your
Majesty.” He shook his head. “They control their fits completely; I’ve never
seen one who couldn’t.” His own lack of fear reassured her.
Arienrhod
studied the mural on the wall behind his head. As long as the girl was sane,
that was all that really mattered; the disease could even be an asset, a
protection, if it made the Summers trust her. She looked back at the trader.
“Then you’ll bring her a message from her cousin, which I will supply. I want
her to come to Carbuncle.” Moon would have to come of her own free will; the
Summers would never stand by and let someone kidnap a sibyl.
The trader
kept his head bowed; she could not tell what his expression was, although he
twitched slightly. “But, Your Majesty—if she’s become a sibyl, she may be
afraid to come to the city.”
“She’ll
come.” Arienrhod smiled.
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