Fifth Quarter (52 page)

"… and although by now His Imperial Majesty will have heard the prince's story," she finished, "His Highness will have been able to tell him nothing about Gyhard."

Eyes wide, Gabris waved both arms in the air. "Well, then he has to be told!"

"Why?"

"What do you mean,
why
?" His face flushed, he was almost shouting. "This man has removed himself from the Circle by the taking of innocent lives! Have you forgotten your vows?"

"This man doesn't even exist anymore except as a part of Vree."

"Then we Sing him out of her!"

"How? The little I know about Singing the fifth kigh does not include forcing apart two kigh that don't want to be separated. How do I get him out of Vree's body without destroying her?"

At that, Gabris turned and pointed a shaking finger at Vree. "You push him out!"

"No."

There was such a complete and utter finality in that quiet syllable that it formed an impenetrable barricade. Under other circumstances, Karlene would've been amused to see Gabris stopped cold by it. "Wouldn't it make more sense to have Gyhard make amends for what he did in the past?"

Having heard the story of his son's ordeal as Otavas sat cradled in the safety of his mother's arms, forgetting age and dignity in the need for comfort; having seen the shadows that lurked behind each word and would forever scar the prince's heart; having been told by the captain how the bard had placed herself between the boy and the darkness during the return to the Capital, the Emperor chose to believe the tale she told.

"For your part in the rescue of my son, I grant you both Imperial pardon. As you remained in my service, we will consider that your desertion never occurred."

And Commander Neegan never died? No. There were limits to Imperial power after all. Heart pounding, Vree shot a look at the elderly bard out of the corner of one eye. If he was going to say anything, inform the Emperor that Gyhard did not die during that heavily edited final confrontation, this would be the time.

Gabris looked uncomfortable, but Karlene's arguments held.

"Take these also." The Emperor continued, indicating the two fat purses resting on the edge of the dais. There were no servants, no officers of the court at this very private audience—only the two kneeling assassins, the bards, and Marshal Usef—so he waited until Vree and Bannon had each taken up a purse before he continued. "It is little enough for the safe return of my son." His gaze moved to Bannon alone. "His Highness has requested that you remain in his service as a bodyguard-companion." For a heartbeat, his expression softened, the pain of the father replacing the authority of the Emperor. "I have agreed."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

As Bannon spoke, Vree suddenly found it difficult to breathe. It was happening. It was really happening.

From this point on, her brother would officially no longer be a part of her life. She felt Gyhard stir and fiercely willed him to be quiet.

"And you, Vireyda?"

Startled by his tone, she looked up and found him studying her with a mix of sympathy and curiosity. The sympathy was almost more than she could bear. She swallowed hard and tried to keep her lower lip from trembling. Then she remembered how Gyhard jumped his kigh and hastily dropped her gaze.

"You've been through a great deal these last few weeks with this man who lived so long by leaping his spirit from body to body. Are you certain you don't want to return to the security of what you've always known?"

From the moment she'd left Ghoti carrying her brother's kigh with hers, she'd wanted nothing more. From the moment she'd left Ghoti until the moment she discovered she couldn't allow Gyhard to die. "No, Majesty. The bards, they say they can learn about the fifth kigh by studying me and I'd like to help them."

His Imperial Majesty shifted so that he could include the two bards in his gaze. "You are certain, Lady Bard, that you can stop this ancient Cemandian who brings the dead to life should he return again?"

Karlene bowed. "It is unlikely, Majesty, that he will return again. According to the kigh, he was heading toward the mountains where he feels safe." According to Gyhard's kigh—which made it not exactly an untruth. Someday, it would be necessary to go into the mountains after him, to not only lay a tormented fifth kigh to rest but to protect the other four from his insanity. That, however, was bardic business and none of His Imperial Majesty's.

"I did not ask you if you believed he
would
return, merely if you could stop him
should
he return."

Her second bow was considerably deeper than the first. "Yes, Majesty, I am certain we can stop him."

"Good." There was a certain amount of threat lurking behind the word. Turning Imperial attention back to the assassins, his voice took on formal cadences and drew the full attention of everyone in the small audience chamber. "While we are loath to lose your skills in the service of the Empire, we grant all that you have asked in appreciation of the return of our son. Vireyda Magaly, Albannon Magaly, from this moment on, you are released from your duty to the Imperial Army and released from all oaths pertaining to that duty." He leaned forward, away from the brilliantly enameled sunburst carved into the back of the small throne. "We welcome you as private citizens of the Havakeen Empire."

In his place behind the Emperor's left shoulder, safely out of sight, Marshal Usef turned purple.

"
I
don't approve of this," Gabris muttered as they left the audience chamber and passed through the first in a series of reception rooms. "Bards should not lie."

"Who better than a bard to judge the damage the truth can do?"

"I think you're on dangerous ground," he growled, "but I reluctantly agree that there's no point in ruining the young woman's life further."

"And you have no real urge to study the fifth kigh?" Karlene grinned at him, feeling almost giddy with relief. Considering what could have happened, she thought the whole thing had gone rather well. Then she sobered as she caught sight of Vree. "What is it?"

Vree gestured at Bannon, vanishing around a corner with a senior member of Prince Otavas' household. "What," she asked, trying to keep her voice from quavering, "do I do now?"

"Begging Your Most Imperial Majesty's pardon, but I
must
protest."

The Emperor paused half out of the throne, and settled down again. "You do not believe their story, Marshal?"

Shoving his short sword back out of the way, Usef dropped to one knee before the dais. "If Your Majesty believes then I believe. But, Majesty, assassins do not
ever
leave the army. It is far, far too dangerous."

An Imperial brow lifted. "For whom?"

"Majesty, the citizens…"

"Will never know. You will not tell them, the bards will not tell them, and I'm quite certain our two young assassins will not tell them. Assassins, Marshal, are like well-trained hawks who, even when released from hood and jesses, fly only as they have been taught." Smiling, the Emperor raised his left forearm parallel to his body, fist clenched, and studied the scars of talons made in spite of heavy gloves. "I have flown all types of hawks, Marshal. It will be interesting to see how these two fly."

"Majesty, these are people, and people are much more complicated than hawks."

"Not in this case. I've studied the training assassins go through, how they're conditioned from childhood to respond. The boy will protect my son. What has just happened will
never
happen again. Perhaps we shall see about adding assassins to the rest of the Imperial households. For now, the girl will remain in the palace…" All at once, he jerked his left arm up into the air, as though releasing a bird of prey. "We'll find something for her to do in time."

"Vree!" Karlene rushed into the bardic suite and all but pounced on the woman standing by the window. "I think I have a solution to your problem!"

Vree turned, brows drawn into a tight vee over the bridge of her nose, holding her elbows through the billowing fabric of a pale yellow shirt. "I have a problem?"

"He's making you sarcastic, you know. I don't like it." Looking pleased with herself, Karlene dropped into a chair. "The first five of the Empire's bards have arrived from Shkoder. You knew that, of course…"

Over the last week, neither Karlene nor Gabris had had more than a moment to call their own and Vree had found herself wandering the half dozen bardic rooms like a lost spirit, trading trivialities with Gyhard as though he were a stranger, afraid to move off the dagger's edge they balanced on.

"… but you don't know about the news they brought. There's a new, young healer training in Shkoder who Sings the fifth kigh."

Karlene leaned forward and took the other woman's face in her hands. "No," she said soberly. "But, dearling, you can't spend the rest of your life hiding out in here." She traced the curve of Vree's lips with her thumb then reluctantly sat back. "Nor can you share the rest of your life with another person's kigh. Gabris and I still have no idea of how to get Gyhard into a body of his own…"

"As we can neither remove you nor bring you to justice for the lives you've so callously ended, as long as you remain in Vree's body, you have, for the moment, found sanctuary. And you'd best not forget what you owe her for that. But this is where we draw the line; if anyone else dies because of you, anyone, the bards will see to it that your kigh goes back into the Circle so fast you won't know what hit you."

"
Allow me to set your mind at rest," Gyhard said through Vree, the weariness in his mental voice evident in her translation. "Unless Vree is willing to push me, I can't jump into anyone while she remains whole and healthy. In order for me to leave without her help, her body must be dying. Before you bother to point out the obvious, I agree that in the past this has not been difficult to arrange. For now, you may be certain of one thing at least
—
I
will
never
harm her
."

Karlene's lips drew back off her teeth as she asked, "You mean more than you already have?"

"He isn't going anywhere," Vree said sharply, unwilling to be caught in the middle of that particular argument. "Not unless there's a way to do it so that no one dies. You have our word on it."

"Vree
…"

"
I mean it, Gyhard. No one else dies because of this. "

"Then we're going to be together for a very long time
. "

She hugged herself tightly and repeated, "No one else dies."

As the heavy door to the small audience chamber swung shut, the Emperor looked down at the scars on his wrist. "You see, Marshal, I told you we'd find something for her to do."

Dropping to one knee, Usef was momentarily at a loss for words.
I
should've done what I said I was going to do and retired when the prince was returned
. "Majesty," he finally managed to choke out, "to send an assassin into Shkoder… Begging Your Majesty's pardon, but that could be considered an act of war."

"War, Marshal? Not at all. Remember, I'm not sending an assassin. The young woman is a private citizen who has privately chosen to travel."

"But…"

An Imperial hand lifted to cut off the protest. "A private citizen, who could, if properly commanded, be very… useful."

"If I may be permitted to remind Your Majesty, you have released her from her oaths. Who is to command her? She is no longer in the army."

"Very true," the Emperor agreed. "But I think you'll find that it is not so easy to remove the army from her." When Usef frowned, he added, "Rest assured, Marshal, I have no immediate intention of expanding the Empire to the north; however, it would be foolish to ignore the possibilities inherent in having a blade on the other side of the border."