For answer, she wrapped her arms around his neck and drew his mouth down to hers again, this time sending her mind into his with the information he desired. Next morning, neither of them would be able to recall precisely how they had gotten from there to the room and the bed made ready for them.

Chapter 11

«And some there be, which shall have no memorial; who are perished, as though they had never been; and are become as though they had never been born; and their children after them».[12]

The family guests who had come from afar to see Zoë wed lingered at Cynfyn for another fortnight, for they had arranged to travel back as far as Rhemuth with Kenneth and his household and guard escort, since it was very nearly time to return to court for the winter season. Though Earl Jared had remained in Culdi to attend to business, he had sent his own Kierney escort of a dozen knights with his wife and son and his aunt Nesta McLain, who was also Kenneth’s sister-in-law. Included in that party were Kenneth’s daughter Geill and her young husband, who was one of Jared’s knights. Kenneth’s two sisters, a single maid, and the two knights of their far more modest household had joined the party when it passed near Morganhall, and were traveling back in the same manner.

His daughter Alazais was to have returned to court with her father and stepmother to stay through Twelfth Night, but in the days since the wedding she had spent a great deal of time with the two sisters from Arc-en-Ciel, who also were to travel as far as Rhemuth with the Earl of Lendour’s party. Two days before they were to leave for the capital, she announced that she would prefer to spend the next year studying at the convent school.

«Zoë and Alyce studied there, Papa», she said reasonably. «The finishing would do me good. I did enjoy being at court last season, but it was also…a bit intimidating. And I am not at all certain that I am yet ready to wed».

They were seated before the fireplace in the castle’s best apartment, reclaimed from Zoë and Jovett after the wedding night. The weather had turned in the past week, and Alyce had mulled wine, anticipating a welcome evening of domestic bliss with her husband, but those plans had been suspended when Kenneth’s youngest daughter came knocking at their door. Alaric was long abed in the room he now shared with Sir Llion.

Kenneth passed a cup of mulled wine to Alazais and took a sip of his own.

«You aren’t thinking to take the veil, are you?»

«Good heavens, no, Papa! I do intend to marry. At least, I think I do. Just not yet».

«A year at Arc-en-Ciel would teach her some useful skills», Alyce pointed out, settling on a stool beside her husband. «It did me no harm, nor Zoë — and ’tis less than a day’s ride from Rhemuth, or from Morganhall».

Smiling faintly, Kenneth motioned for Alazais to come and sit on his knee, setting aside his wine to slip an arm around her waist and hug her close.

«’Tis well that I am no longer obliged to subsist on the income of a simple knight», he murmured, kissing the point of her shoulder. «Thank God that both your sisters are now safely married — and if you go to Arc-en-Ciel for a year, that delays having to provide another dowry right away».

«Papa!»

«But you shall go with my blessing, if that is what you want», he went on, smiling. «I am certain you will enjoy your time spent ‘under the rainbow,’ and only wish I could accompany you to see you enrolled». He kissed her again, then set her back on her feet. «But the king summons me, so I cannot. Perhaps Alyce would consent to go with you». He looked at Alyce in question with a raised eyebrow, and she nodded.

«I should be delighted and honored», she said with a smile. «And I should like to take Alaric with me, if I may. I would love for Mother Judiana to meet him; and the sisters and the students will adore him. All of them dote on small children».

«That is easily enough arranged», Kenneth agreed. «Trevor and Llion will accompany you — and Melissa, of course, and a small escort to see all of you safely home. I’ll take Xander with me». He picked up his wine again and took a deep draught. «Happily, this visit will be under far less stressful circumstances than applied during your last stay at Arc-en-Ciel — though I certainly cannot fault the arrangements made for our wedding night». His grin had an element of mischief. «It cannot have been the usual done thing for a convent».

«Indeed, not!» Alyce replied, suppressing her own smile. «But I’m certain we shall have a lovely visit — all of us», she added, laying a hand across one of Alazais’s. «Your aunts will wish to attend, I expect. And perhaps we can prevail upon Geill and her husband to stop there as well — and Vera and young Duncan, of course, though it remains to be seen whether Arc-en-Ciel can withstand an invasion by two small boys».

«I seem to recall that they managed well enough with several young princes, when I came with the king to witness Sister Iris Jessilde’s final profession», Kenneth said. «And they were similarly invaded for our wedding».

Alyce rolled her eyes and rose, ready to retire. «They have not reckoned with Alaric Morgan and Duncan McLain», she said archly, «but I’m certain we shall manage». She gave Alazais a fond smile. «You’d best go and tell the sisters that you have your father’s permission to go with them, my dear — and inform Geill and Vera of the slight adjustment to our travel plans. If they’re to join us, Vera will probably wish to send ahead to Culdi, alerting Jared that they’ll be a few days later in arriving home».

Their leave-taking from Zoë and her new husband was tearful on the part of the women, and stoic on Kenneth’s part, but the journey itself at least began according to plan. They numbered about thirty in all. Traveling directly westward along the Molling River valley, and taking accommodation along the way, they made excellent progress until they approached the village of Hallowdale, not far from the larger market town of Mollingford. There they stumbled upon the final moments of an incident often rumored to occur, but never witnessed firsthand by any in the company.

Sir Trevor was in the lead, riding beside a squire carrying Kenneth’s banner of Lendour. Kenneth himself was farther back along the cavalcade, chatting with Sir Thomas, the senior of the Kierney knights. Xander and another of his own knights rode directly behind Trevor and the banner, with another knight and four men-at-arms interspersed among Jared’s knights and the women. Alaric was perched in front of Llion, his preferred place of travel, and Geill’s young husband, Sir Walter, had taken up little Duncan in front of him, leaving Alyce to ride with her stepdaughter and Vera, just ahead of Kenneth’s aunt, his two sisters, and the two from Arc-en-Ciel, all of whom rode astride. The rest of the knights brought up the rear, with Kenneth among them.

They had seen the first smudges of smoke nearly an hour before they finally came upon its source. Those who bothered to speculate simply assumed that it was someone’s house alight, or perhaps stubble being burned off in a distant field. They had seen the latter the afternoon before, all across the fields of a prosperous farm by which they passed.

But this was no burning of fields or a house fire. By the time they rode into the outskirts of Hallowdale, some of the knights shifting forward toward the head of the cavalcade, smoke was billowing upward in a dense black plume, oddly sluggish in the still air. As they approached the town square, a breeze from off the river suddenly gusted back a sickly-sweet whiff of burnt flesh.

In a stomach-churning flash of prescience, Alyce knew what lay in the square ahead, and what had caused her son suddenly to turn his face into Llion’s chest with a whimper. It was an impression confirmed all too graphically by her own glimpse of a small crowd ahead, surrounding a blackened stake upthrust in their midst, which still gave off greasy tendrils of smoke. Her horrified glance back at Sister Iris Jessilde made it clear that the Deryni sister had also sensed the horror, and was drawing rein in shock. Simultaneously, Sir Trevor stood in his stirrups and raised a gloved fist in emphatic order to halt.