Страница 70 из 72
THE AMUSEMENT AT di
"The kingdom still stands, at least," Gregory observed.
"Yes, thanks to your valiant efforts in fighting off the monsters." Alain raised a glass. 'To my friends and guards!"
"To the Prince who had the good sense to talk before he fought." Geoffrey raised his glass in return.
"Aye, and the brave knight who spoke on his peasants' behalf." Cordelia raised her cup, too. "To your cousin Geordie!"
"Yes, well met at last!" Alain said with relief. "Now the family can heal—I hope."
Magnus watched with a half-smile, but Alea sizzled beside him. Didn't any of them realize how much Magnus had done to fight off all their enemies? Deliberately, she raised her own cup and said loudly, "To kin and friendship!"
'To friendship!" the others chorused. All their cups rose, then all drank.
Alea blinked in surprise, amazed that her toast had been accepted.
"To enemies!" said a voice.
The Gallowglasses looked up in polite surprise as men and women in peasant garb stepped out of doorways, moved from behind tapestries, appeared in the minstrels' gallery—all levelling crossbows that bore ominous gems beneath the bolts.
A man who appeared aged and emaciated stepped forward before all the rest with a mocking smile. "Your servants salute you."
"You, then, are the one called Durer?" Gregory asked.
"He is—and I am the Mocker." Another lean and wrinkled man stepped forward with a bow. "Your parents' ancient enemies—and your own."
"Do not think to attack us with your psi powers," Durer said, "for both our organizations have enlisted locals who are very powerful espers."
"And you think they are stronger than all our powers joined together?" Gregory asked, amused.
The Mocker frowned. "I assure you, you have very little to smile about."
"Surely seeing our enemies face-to-face at last is cause for delight," Cordelia said.
"Then at least you will die happy." Durer raised his weapon and pulled the trigger—then pulled it again and again, his look of triumph transforming to horror.
"Fire!" the Mocker yelled, and all the agents squeezed triggers and pushed firing buttons. Only two of the crossbows loosed bolts—but those nosedived into the flagstones. A few of the jewels glowed brightly with rays that gathered, but never burst out.
"We have telepaths of our own, you see," Cordelia said, her face taut with strain, "to aid us in restraining your weapons."
"And soldiers to disarm you," Alain said.
Loops of rope dropped down and around each of the agents; the soldiers who held them pulled tight. The agents shouted in alarm and anger, struggling to twist free, to turn their weapons on their captors, but the soldiers kicked their feet out from under them and forced them to their knees.
Durer glared at Allouette and hissed, 'Traitor!"
"Traitor!" Allouette was on her feet, face burning with anger as she advanced on him. "You dare call me traitor, you whose agents stole me from my cradle? You who sent me to false foster parents who twisted my sexuality and smashed my self-esteem deliberately and methodically? Whose successors debased me and abused me and shaped me into a weapon to strike at their enemies? You dare call me traitor?"
"They housed you and fed you!" Raven cried. "They changed your diapers and bandaged your cuts!"
"And called me whore and told me I had been born corrupt!" Allouette raged. "Nay, you have fashioned your weapon—now feel its sting!" She glared at Raven, eyes narrowing.
Raven screamed, clutching her head, then fell to the floor writhing in agony. "Cut it off! Cut if off to stop the pain!"
Allouette's mouth opened in a rictus of anger and effort, and Raven went limp. Then Allouette turned that awful glare on Durer.
"She betrayed you!" Durer shouted to Gregory. "She is our agent! She won your heart only so that she could be here within your midst to destroy you—as she maimed your eldest brother!"
"Fool, do you truly believe we do not know that?" Gregory stepped up beside his wife. "By titanic effort, my mother managed to undo the worst of the damage your agents had done to Allouette. Then my love told us all she had done, all the malice she had borne toward us."
Durer stared at Allouette, then bared his teeth in a snarl. "Betrayed from the moment I talked to you!"
"Oh, be reassured sir," she said bitterly, "for you have destroyed my life for the second time and disintegrated any chance I might ever have held for happiness!" Her eyes narrowed, and everyone in the hall could feel the power building in her, the mental power with the rage of years behind it.
Gregory touched her shoulder. "Leave him to the Crown, my sweet. Do not soil your hands with his corrupted blood."
Allouette's gaze snapped to him, staring in incredulity. "Do not mock me, sir! Well do I know that you ca
"Remain married!" Gregory stared back, stricken.
"Aye! Miracle enough it is that you took a serpent to your bosom once, who knew so many of your enemies that she was the obvious choice when they sought one to betray you! How could you ever trust me again!" She turned to march to the doorway, sheer leashed rage radiating from her so intensely that soldiers and prisoners alike flinched away.
Alea stepped between Alouette and the doorway, looking down at her in exasperation. "You fool! You absolute total fool! You have the richest love a woman could hope for, you have a man who loves you to distraction, who couldn't even dream of blaming you for the slightest flaw, can't even recognize that there IS a flaw, and you're ready to leave him because you don't think you're worthy of him?"
"Step away, virago!" Allouette's rage cut loose. "Frozen spinster who is eaten up by envy of the love you ca
Alea didn't budge an inch. Tense and white-lipped, she said in a low and venomous tone, "And this is the woman who claims she has abandoned the ways of cruelty!"
Allouette froze, turning pale—and in that moment, Alea stepped back as Gregory stepped between them, staring into his wife's eyes, then dropping to one knee. Gazing up, he caught her hands between his own and said, "You are everything that is good and right, you are all that is completely loveable, not only for your beauty but also for your warm and generous nature—and above all, for your loyalty. How could you ever have thought that I could believe you a traitor?"
The blood drained from Allouette's face; she stared down, still frozen, aching to believe but unable to.
"Trust him, lady."
Turning, Allouette found Magnus gazing down at her— but the grave look he gave her was full of sympathy, not enmity. "Those of us who think ourselves unfit for love must look now and then at truth."
Alea stared at him, thunderstruck.
"You proved your loyalty by telling Gregory at once of the ambush Durer pla
"How could you doubt me so?" Gregory rose, staring deeply into her eyes. "How could you doubt me when you have only given me cause to love you more?"
Still Allouette stood frozen, eyes darting from one to the other. Then belief and relief broke through her anger, and she fell sobbing into Gregory's arms.