Elfsong - Elaine Cunningham [35]
Garnet noted that the southern nobleman was far from displeased to learn of Lady Thione's omission. Since she had little interest in the internal politics of the Knights of the Shield, she merely shrugged and turned away. She hurried down the hall to an arched doorway and stepped out onto a balcony.
Hhune watched her, his black brows knit together in puzzlement. What did the half-elf expect to do: fly? Curiosity got the better of him, and he crept down the hall with as much stealth as his bulk could manage. He peered around the edge of the drapery, and recoiled in surprise.
A milk-white horse stood on the balcony, two stories above the quiet street. As Hhune watched, Garnet hoisted herself onto the animal's back and gathered up the reins, slapping them sharply against her steed's neck. The horse hesitated, and Garnet's face hardened into a mask of concentration and anger. As if in response, the horse dipped its head in a gesture that spoke eloquently of both sadness and resignation. It lifted straight into the air, as lightly as a hummingbird. Then, as quickly as that delicate bird, the horse darted away into the clouds.
"Asperii," breathed Hhune in an awed tone. He had heard of the rare and magical wind steeds, but never before had he seen one. Like pegasi, these horses could fly, but they had no wings. Their flight came from their natural powers of levitation, and they were uncommonly fast. An asperii formed a telepathic bond with a mage or priest of great power, and would remain with its master for life.
This discovery intrigued Hhune. He had arrived in Waterdeep the day before with a shipment of goods for the Midsummer Faire. Once his duties as a merchant had been discharged, he'd called on Lady Thione expecting a routine report. Instead, he'd discovered that she had made an alliance with a formidable sorceress, and that she had put a plan in action that would come to fruition in a matter of days. She would not tell him the details of this plan. In itself, this did not surprise Hhune, for he was not Lady Thione's superior, and the Knights of the Shield kept secrets even from their own. He got the impression, however, that Lady Thione herself did not know all that would happen.
To Hhune's eye. Garnet was firmly in control. The sorceress was using the Knights of the Shield as a personal tool, of that Hhune was fairly certain. He also suspected that she knew something that gave her power over Lady Thione. Hhune would dearly love to know what that was. Perhaps, he mused, a longer stay in Waterdeep would be most rewarding.
*****
Morning light streamed in through the tall, slender windows that encircled the round bedchamber. Lucia Thione stretched, languid as a contented cat and reached for her young lover. But the bed was empty, and only rumpled silk sheetsand a broad depression in the down-filled mattress indicated that the evening before had been more than a pleasantdream.
"Ah, you're awake. Now it can truly be said that morning has come." Dressed in leathers and riding boots, Caladorn strode into the room, his auburn hair still damp from the baths. Lucia sat up and raised her face for a kiss. The young man bent over and greeted her tenderly.
"You are off so soon?" she asked, pouting a little. "But you have been working so hard of late. We've had so little time together."
"I have business," Caladorn said with a fond smile, tracing the delicate arch of her nose with a gloved finger. "Surely a merchant of your acumen knows the importance of that."
"What sort of business?"
"The city has engaged me to train those who wish to compete in the Midsummer Games. I shall be at the Field of Triumph all day."
After promising to meet her back at his townhouse that evening, Caladorn took leave of his lady. Left alone, Lucia smiled and flung herself back among the pillows. She waited until she heard the muffled thud of the front door. Although she would have enjoyed Caladorn's company this morning, she needed the time alone to find a path out of her dilemma.
By pretending