The Apogian War

Chapter 62

"We looked over the ground where he was taken. The ground was trampled and he had laid about him with his dagger." "Hawking, he had no other weapon." "They cut off sheath and all. Gabtiel handed Dom Felix the weapon. He drew it forth a little way, saw the Hastur crest on it. He said, "Dom Regis " "We swore an oath," said Regis, drawing Danilo's dagger from his own sheath where he wore it, "and exchanged blades, in token of it." He took the dagger with the Hastur crest, saying, "I will bear this to re store to him. Did you see anything else, Gabriel?" One of the Guardsmen said, "I found this on the ground, torn off in the fight. He must have fought valiantly for a young lad outnumbered." He held out a long, heavy cloak of thick colorless wool, bound with leather buckles and straps. It was much cut and slashed. Dom Felix sat up a little and said, "That fashion of cloak has not been worn in the Domains in my lifetime; I believe they wear them still in the Hellers. And it is lined with marl-fur; it came from somewhere beyond the river. Mountain bandits wore such cloaks. But why Dani? We are not rich enough to ransom him, nor important enough to make him valuable as a hostage." Regis thought grimly that Dyan's men came from the Hellers. Aloud he said only, "Mountain men act for whoever pays them well. Have you enemies, Dom Felix?" "No. I have dwelt in peace, farming my acres, for fifteen years." The old man sounded stunned. He looked at Regis and said, "My lord, if you are sick-" "No matter," Regis said. "Dom Felix, I pledge you by the oath no Hastur may break that I shall find out who has done this to you, and re store Dani to you, or my own life stand for it." He laid his hand over the old man's for a moment. Then he straightened and said, "One of the Guardsmen shall remain here, to look after your lands in your son's absence. Cabriel, you ride back with the escort to Thendara and carry this news to Kennard Alton. And show him this cloak; he may know where in the Hellers it was woven." "Regis, I have orders to take you to Neskaya." "In good time. This must come first," Regis said. "You are a Hastur, Gabriel, if only by marriage-right, and your sons are Hastur heirs. The honor of Hastur is your honor, too, and Danilo is my sworn man." His brother-in-law looked at him, visibly wavering. There were goyou ders obeyed without question. He said impatiently, "I shall remain here to bear my friend's father company, or wait at Edelweiss. "You cannot stay here unguarded," Gabriel said at last. "Unlike Dani, you are rich enough for ransom, and important enough for a hos tage." He stood near enough to Comyn to be undecided. "I should send a Guardsman with you to Edelweiss," he said. Regis protested angrily. "I am not a child! Must I have a nanny trotting at my heels to ride three miles?" Gabriel's own older sons were beginning to chafe at the necessity of being guarded night and day. Finally Gabriel said, "Regis, look at me. You were placed in my care. Pledge me your word of honor to ride directly to Edelweiss, without turning aside from your road unless you meet armed men, and you may ride alone." Regis promised and, taking his leave of Dom Felix, rode away. As he rode toward Edelweiss, he thought, a little triumphantly, that he had actually outwitted Gabriel. A more experienced officer would have al lowed him, perhaps, to ride to Edelweiss on his promise to go directly .. but he would also have made Regis give his pledge not to depart from there without leave! His triumph was short-lived. The knowledge of what he must do was tormenting him. He had to find out where-and how-Danilo was taken. And there was only one way to do that: his matrix. He had never touched the jewel since the ill-fated experiment with kirian. It was still in the insulated bag around his neck. The memory of that twisting sickness when he looked into Lew's matrix was still alive in him, and he was horribly afraid. Surprisingly for these peaceful times, the gates of Edelweiss were shut and barred, and he wondered what alarm had sealed them. Fortunately most of Javanne's servants knew his voice, and after a moment Javanne came running down from the house, a servant-woman puffing at her heels. "Regis! We had word that armed men had been seen in the hills! Where is Gabriel?" He took her hands. "Gabriel is well, and on his way to Thendara. Yes, armed men were seen at Syrtis, but I think it was a private feud, not war, little sister." She said shakily, "I remember so well the day Father rode to warl I was a child then, and you not born. And then word came that he was dead, with so many men, and the shock killed Mother. . . ." Javanne's two older sons came racing toward them, Rafael and Ga briel, nine years old and seven, dark-haired, well-grown boys. They stopped short at the sight of Regis and Rafael said, "I thought you were sick and going to Neskays. What are you doing Gabriel said, "Mother said there would be a lethem ng to be war, Regis?" "No, as far as I know, there is no war he or she and you thankful for it Regs said. "Go away w. I alway mother." "May I ride Melisande down to the stable Cabreid begged, and Regis lifted the child into the saddle and went up to the house with Javanne. "You have been ill; you are thinner," Javanie said I had wond from Grandfather you were on your way to Neskaya. Why are you here in stead?" He glanced at the darkening sky. "Later, sister, when the boys are abed and we can talk privately. I've been riding all the day, let me ta little and think. I'll tell you everything then." Left alone, he paced his room for a long time, trying to steel himself to what he knew he must do. He touched the small bag around his neck, started to draw it out. then thrust it back, unopened. Not yet. He found Javanne before the fire in her small sitting room; she had just finished nursing the smaller of the twins and was ready for dinner. "Take the baby to the nursery, Shani," she told the nurse, and tell the women I'm not to be disturbed for any reason. My brother and I will dine privately." "Su serva, domna," the woman said, took the baby and went away Javanne came and served Regis herself. "Now tell me, brother. What happened?" "Armed men have taken Danilo Syrtis from his home." She looked puzzled. "Why? And why should you disturb yourself about it?" "He is my paxman; we have swom the oath of bredin, Regis said "and it may well be private revenge. This is what I must find out." He gave her such an edited version of the affair in the cadet corps as he thought fit for a woman's ears. She looked sick and shocked. "I have heard of Dyan's... preferences, who has not? At one time there was talk he should marry me. I was glad when he refused, although I, of course, was offered no choice in the matter. He seems to me a sinister man, even cruel, but I had not thought him criminal as well. He is Comyn, and oath-bound never to meddle with the integrity of a mind. You think he took Dani, to silence him?"

"I cannot accuse him without proof," Regis said. "Javanne, you spent time in a tower. How much training have you?" "I spent one season there," she said. "I can use a matrix, but they said I had no great talent for it, and Grandfather said I must marry young," He drew out his own matrix and said, "Can you show me how to use it? "Yes, no great skill is needed for that. But not as safely as they can at Neskaya, and you are not yet wholly well. I would rather not." "I must know now, at once, what has come to Danilo. The honor of our house is engaged, sister." He explained why. She sat with her plate pushed aside, twirling a fork. At last she said "Wait" and turned away from him, fumbling at the throat of her gown. When she turned back. there was something silk-wrapped in her hands. She spoke slowly, the troubled frown still on her features. "I have never seen Danilo. But when I was a little maiden, and old Dom Felix was the hawk-master, I knew Dom Rafael well; he was Father's bodyguard and they went ev erywhere together. He used to call me pet names and take me up on his saddle and give me rides... . I was in love with him, as a little girl can be with any handsome man who is kind and gentle to her. Oh, I was not yet ten years old, but when word came that he had been killed, I think I wept more for him than I did for Father. I remember once I asked him why he had no wife and he kissed my cheek and said he was waiting for me to grow up to be a woman." Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes far away. At last she sighed and said, "Have you any token of Danilo, Regis?" Regis took the dagger with the Hastur crest. He said, "We both swore on this, and it was cut from his belt when he was taken." "Then it should resonate to him," she said, taking it in her hands and laying it lightly against her cheekbone. Then, the dagger resting in her palm, she uncovered the matrix. Regis averted his eyes, but not be fore he got a glimpse of a blinding blue flash that wrenched at his gut. Javanne was silent for a moment, then said in a faraway voice, "Yes, on the hillside path, four men-strange cloaks-an emblem, two cagles cut away his dagger, sheath and all-Regis! He was taken away in a Ter ran helicopter!" She raised her eyes from the matrix and looked at him in amazement. Regis' heart felt as if a fist were squeezing it. He said, "Not to Then dara; the Terrans there would have no use for him. Aldaran?" Her voice was shaking. "Yes. The ensign of Aldaran is an eagle, doubled...and they would find it easy to beg or borrow Terran aircraft Grandfather has done it here in urgency. But why?" The answer was clear enough. Danilo was a catalyst telepath. There had been a time when Kermiae of Aldaran trained Keepers in his mountains, and no doubt there were ways he could still use a catalyst. Regis said in a low voice, "He has already borne more than any un trained telepath was meant to bear. If further strain or coercion is put on him his mind may snap. I should have brought him back with me to Thendara instead of leaving him there unguarded. This is my fault." Bleakly, struggling against a horrible fear, he raised his head. "I must rescue him. I am sworn. Javanne, you must help me key into the ma trix. I have no time to go to Neskaya." "Regis, is there no other way?" "None. Grandfather, Kennard, the Council-Dani is nothing to them. If it had been Dyan they might have exerted themselves. If Al daran's men had kidn*pped me, they'd have an army on the road! But Danilo? What do you think?" Javanne said, "That nedestro heir of Kennard's. He was sent to Al daran and he's kin to them. I wonder if he had a hand in this." "Lew? He wouldn't." Javanne looked skeptical. "In your eyes he can do no wrong. As a lit tle boy you were in love with him as I with Dom Rafael; I have no child's passion for him, to blind me to what he is. Kennard forced him on Council with ugly tricks." "You have no right to say so, Javanne. He is sealed to Comyn and tower-trained!" She refused to argue. "In any case, I can see why you feel you must go, but you have no training, and it is dangerous. Is there such need for haste?" She looked into his eyes and said after a moment, "As you will. Show me your matrix." His teeth clenched, Regis unwrapped the stone. He drew breath, as tonished: faint light glimmered in the depths of the matrix. She nod ded. "I can help you key it, then. Without that light, you would not be ready. I'll stay in touch with you. It won't do much good, but if you ... go out and can't get back to your body, it could help me reach you." She drew a deep breath. For an instant then he felt her touch. She had not moved, her head was lowered over the blue jewel so that he saw only the parting in her smooth dark hair, but it seemed to Regis that she bent over him, a slim childish girl still much taller than he. She swung him up, as if he were a tiny child, astride her hip, holding him loosely on her arm. He had not thought of this in years, how she had