Kerr, Katharine - Deverry 06 - A Time of Omens by Kerr Katharine

Author:Kerr, Katharine [Kerr, Katharine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-09-21T02:36:54+00:00

At about the time that Rhodry and Yraen were riding away from the lake, Dallandra woke, after what seemed an ordinary night’s sleep to her. The cloth-of-gold pavilion was empty except for the sunlight, streaming through the fabric so brightly that it seemed she lay in the middle of a candle flame. Yawning, rubbing her eyes, she got up and stumbled outside, where she stood for a long moment, getting her bearings in the warm day. The dancing was over; the meadow, empty, except for Evandar, sitting under the oak tree. When he saw her coming, he rose and hailed her.

“There you are, my love. Refreshed?”

“Oh, yes, but how long have I slept?”

“Just the night.” He was grinning in his sly way. “And you needed a bit of a rest.”

“Just the night here, yes. How long?”

“Oh, some years, I suppose, as Time runs back in your country. It was winter there, when I left Rhodry on the road.”

“When you what? Ye gods! Will you tell me what you’ve been doing?”

“I will, but there’s not much to tell. I just wanted to see if he was safe and well.”

“Let me think. He’s the one with the ring, isn’t he? You know, I do wish you’d tell me about that ring.”

“There’s naught to tell. The ring is just a perfectly ordinary bit of jewelry.”

“Aha! Then Jill’s right. It is the word inside that’s so important!”

“You’re too clever for me, my love. So it is, and I wonder if Jill’s found the secret yet. No doubt she will, because she’s as clever as you are, in her way. And so, why should I waste my breath, telling secrets that you’ll only unravel between you?”

When Dallandra made a mock swing his way, he laughed, ducking back.

“Are you hungry, my love? Should I call a servant to bring you food?”

“No, thank you. There’s naught I need but answers.”

Grinning, he ignored her hint.

“Help me look for something, will you?” he said. “That wretched whistle. I had it this morning, and now I’ve lost the thing.”

“It’s just as well. It was ill-omened, I swear it. Why don’t you let it go?”

“Because its owner might come looking for it, and if I had it, I could make a bargain.” He paused, frowning at the water reeds. “I was walking over there when I came back. Maybe I dropped it in the river. By those hells men swear by, I hope not.”

“Why not scry for it?”

“Of course!” He grinned in a sly sort of way. “Here’s a trick you might not have seen before. Watch.”

When he knelt beside the river, she joined him and did just that while he described a circle in the air with a flick of one hand. The motion-trace glowed, became solid, then settled upon the flowing water like a circle of rope, but unlike the rope, it remained in the same spot instead of floating downstream. Within the circle pictures appeared, all hazy and strange at first, then forming into clear images: a muddy road, a rainy sky, a vast lake, rippled and dark.

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