Hastur Lord

Since Regis could remember, the Storns had been peaceful country lords without any pretense of great power, living amicably with their neighbors and content to trade their fine hawks as well as precious metals from the mountain forges.

They were spotted long before they reached the gates, and a welcoming party emerged. The gates stood open, but they looked in excellent repair. The men who came out to greet them wore swords and looked competent in their use. Regis recognized one of them as having served in the City Guards. A murmur spread through the welcome party.

Regis clamped down his laranbarriers, but not before he caught the edge of the guards’ thoughts. Hastur . . . The Heir himself . . .

Would he never be free of it, free to be simply Regis?

After making sure their guide and animals would be properly cared for, fed and given warm shelter, Regis allowed himself to be conducted inside. Danilo followed him like a shadow.

The ancient custom of hospitality still ran strong in the mountains, where life itself depended on the goodwill of strangers against the common enemies of cold and avalanche, wolf and banshee and worse.

The coridomwelcomed them in true mountain style, refraining from inquiring about their business until their physical needs had been attended to. He escorted them through the vaulted hall, very old by its design, and into a suite of rooms in a more modern section. Panels of wood as golden as sunlight on honey covered the stone walls. Newly lit fires warmed the sitting room and also the two adjacent bedrooms. A servant brought a basin of water scented with herbs, soap, and towels. A moment later, while Regis was still exchanging courtesies with the steward, a second servant arrived with jacoand hot spiced wine. After they had warmed themselves and washed, the coridomhimself returned to conduct them to the solarium, where Lady Li

The coridomled them through a series of back hallways, avoiding the major halls where Regis would be easily recognized and a subject of great curiosity, not to mention extravagant hospitality. Li

The solarium, like those common in mountain castles, was a pleasantly intimate room. Carpets cushioned the center of the worn stone floor, and comfortable chairs and divans had been placed for conversation or family activities. Although it was almost dark outside the thick, mullioned windows, the air inside the room still held the sun’s warmth. A fire, newly lit, danced in the hearth. Li

Li

For a long moment, Regis could not speak, could not move. The domesticity of the scene, the love evident between mother and daughter, woke a hunger in him. He had never known his parents, for his father had been killed before he was born, ambushed by outlaws wielding Compact-illegal weapons. His mother had died soon afterward, of a broken heart, it was said. In their place, his grandfather had been a stern and undemonstrative guardian only too glad to send his young grandson to be educated at Nevarsin. The only warmth Regis had known as a child had come from his older sister, Java

Regis had thought that the love he shared with Danilo and the satisfaction of knowing he had done his duty were the best he could expect in life. He had not known, until this moment, that he could want more.

While Regis stood, transfixed by the unfamiliar emotions boiling up within him, Li

“Lord Regis.” Li

She did not ask why he had come.

Before Regis could say anything, the child approached him. She had Li

Kierestelli.This must be the daughter conceived during the brief, intense time when the World Wreckers almost destroyed their world. That a creature of such grace and beauty could have come from such a black and desperate time amazed Regis.

“Papa, is it really you?” Flute in hand, she ran to him.

For an instant, Regis had no idea how to respond. Surely, she could not remember him, for he and Li

“I am sorry if I have offended you, Father,” she said. The formal words sounded odd, coming from the mouth of a child. “Mother says I forget myself in gladness.”

“And so you do,” Li

Kierestelli flashed Regis another brilliant smile and skipped cheerfully from the room, accompanied by the middle-aged woman. The room fell silent except for the crackling of the fire.

Li

Her homely reference helped to break the tension. Regis and Danilo settled themselves, and she took a seat opposite them.

“Had you a pleasant journey?” she asked, when they declined refreshment.

“It was well enough, thank you,” Regis said. “We came by aircar as far as Black Rock village.”

Li

“You look well, and so does Kierestelli,” he said.

She gave a little laugh. “As you see, we are both very well. Regis, I ca

“No, there is nothing wrong with him beyond his years,” Regis hastened to assure her. “I came to ask a favor and also to see you. It has been too long.”

“It hasbeen a long time.” Li

He’d forgotten how straightforward she was, how plain and unaffected in her speech. She’d never been rude, having been brought up with all the social niceties of their class, but years as a Keeper, coupled with a natural frankness, had stripped away conventional insincerities.