mouse's questions, not the deep ones that 'Veshka's rebuffs have created. I can say it—but the hurt's still there. Which may mean it's all on you. You're the one point—the one person in this world who can possibly hold all our hearts. ’
He shuddered, so badly his hand overset the cup and banged into the plate. He got a breath, rescued the cup before it reached the edge. ‘ I'm sorry. I'm not doing so well this morning. ’
‘ You're doing very well. Steady. In one sense you already hold them. There's not one of us would see you come to harm. In that sense you're the most protected man in all the Russias. In another you know very well that you're another vulnerable point. ’
‘ A fool with a sword— ’
‘ At close range, before any of us could protect you, yes — some fool with a sword could put it in our hearts. Literally.''
‘ He'd truly be a fool. I don't think I'd want to see what would happen to him.''
Sasha moved back from the table, sudden scrape of wood on wood. He said: ‘ Abandon that thought. Please. ’
Sasha was not one to panic. Equally frightening, the rise of panic he felt inside.
‘ Nice weather, ’ he said, with a break in his voice. It was often good to discuss the weather, when wizards were upset. ‘ Looks like the sun's shining.''
‘ The sun's in danger, ’ Sasha said.
God, craziness. It was enough to make his skin crawl.
Sasha said, ‘ That's better. ’ A deep breath. ‘ I think we'd better wake Ilyana.''
‘ I'm not so sure. I'm not so sure you're doing that well, friend. And what in hell's going on with my wife? ’
‘ She's wished— ’ Sasha stopped for another breath, and there was such fear in Sasha's expression his heart went cold. ‘ She's left me to make the decision with Ilyana. She says I'm the only one—and she's the unstable point—I don't know how she knows that. —Eveshka, dammit— ’
She was gone. She wanted him to know in parting—he heard her speaking clear as clear—
I love you, Pyetr. I can't come home till things are changed.
Come to me if there's no other hope. But Sasha will be gone then, and your life and your soul will be in danger.
Most of all, don't rely on Ilyana. Don't. You don't imagine what she can do to you.
Warn Sasha—
What? he wanted to ask her. Warn Sasha of what? ''
But her heart had left him by then.
***
Waking up was like any morning at first, with the birds under the eaves, and all, but that was only for a breath or two.
Grizli777
Then Ilyana realized that something was weighing down her bed on one side and she remembered—
Her father was sitting on the edge of her bed. Her father looked tired and sad, and he brushed her hair away from her face and asked:
‘ How are you, Ilyana? ’
He almost never called her name unless she was in trouble; no one did, except her mother; but she was in trouble with her mother so often she could never tell what her mother meant.
She was certainly in trouble with her mother now. Mother and father had had a terrible fight, so bad uncle had had to hold her—
She did not even remember going to sleep. But her father was all right this morning. That was the important thing. She was glad he was all right.
She could not tell about her mother. Her mother was being very quiet this morning. That probably meant she was mad.
And her friend was gone. Her mother had banished him. Maybe forever.
A tear rolled down her face, just spilt, without her even thinking about it.
Damn.
She wanted not to cry. That stopped the tears, but it did not cure the feeling that lay cold as a stone in the middle of her chest.
‘ Ilyana? ’
‘ Mother's mad, isn't she? I'm sorry. ’
‘ I'm glad you're sorry, mouse. ’ He touched her under her chin. ’ Fact is—I want you to be very ca lm now and don't wish anything— ’
That always meant something terrible. She wanted him to say it—fast and plain.
‘ Your mother's left, mouse. She's gone out on the river. ’
‘
He shuddered, so badly his hand overset the cup and banged into the plate. He got a breath, rescued the cup before it reached the edge. ‘ I'm sorry. I'm not doing so well this morning. ’
‘ You're doing very well. Steady. In one sense you already hold them. There's not one of us would see you come to harm. In that sense you're the most protected man in all the Russias. In another you know very well that you're another vulnerable point. ’
‘ A fool with a sword— ’
‘ At close range, before any of us could protect you, yes — some fool with a sword could put it in our hearts. Literally.''
‘ He'd truly be a fool. I don't think I'd want to see what would happen to him.''
Sasha moved back from the table, sudden scrape of wood on wood. He said: ‘ Abandon that thought. Please. ’
Sasha was not one to panic. Equally frightening, the rise of panic he felt inside.
‘ Nice weather, ’ he said, with a break in his voice. It was often good to discuss the weather, when wizards were upset. ‘ Looks like the sun's shining.''
‘ The sun's in danger, ’ Sasha said.
God, craziness. It was enough to make his skin crawl.
Sasha said, ‘ That's better. ’ A deep breath. ‘ I think we'd better wake Ilyana.''
‘ I'm not so sure. I'm not so sure you're doing that well, friend. And what in hell's going on with my wife? ’
‘ She's wished— ’ Sasha stopped for another breath, and there was such fear in Sasha's expression his heart went cold. ‘ She's left me to make the decision with Ilyana. She says I'm the only one—and she's the unstable point—I don't know how she knows that. —Eveshka, dammit— ’
She was gone. She wanted him to know in parting—he heard her speaking clear as clear—
I love you, Pyetr. I can't come home till things are changed.
Come to me if there's no other hope. But Sasha will be gone then, and your life and your soul will be in danger.
Most of all, don't rely on Ilyana. Don't. You don't imagine what she can do to you.
Warn Sasha—
What? he wanted to ask her. Warn Sasha of what? ''
But her heart had left him by then.
***
Waking up was like any morning at first, with the birds under the eaves, and all, but that was only for a breath or two.
Grizli777
Then Ilyana realized that something was weighing down her bed on one side and she remembered—
Her father was sitting on the edge of her bed. Her father looked tired and sad, and he brushed her hair away from her face and asked:
‘ How are you, Ilyana? ’
He almost never called her name unless she was in trouble; no one did, except her mother; but she was in trouble with her mother so often she could never tell what her mother meant.
She was certainly in trouble with her mother now. Mother and father had had a terrible fight, so bad uncle had had to hold her—
She did not even remember going to sleep. But her father was all right this morning. That was the important thing. She was glad he was all right.
She could not tell about her mother. Her mother was being very quiet this morning. That probably meant she was mad.
And her friend was gone. Her mother had banished him. Maybe forever.
A tear rolled down her face, just spilt, without her even thinking about it.
Damn.
She wanted not to cry. That stopped the tears, but it did not cure the feeling that lay cold as a stone in the middle of her chest.
‘ Ilyana? ’
‘ Mother's mad, isn't she? I'm sorry. ’
‘ I'm glad you're sorry, mouse. ’ He touched her under her chin. ’ Fact is—I want you to be very ca lm now and don't wish anything— ’
That always meant something terrible. She wanted him to say it—fast and plain.
‘ Your mother's left, mouse. She's gone out on the river. ’
‘
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