Kushiel's Justice - Jacqueline Carey [103]
The cloud passed.
Nothing was there.
I swore, long and hard. And then I made my way back to the hall. When a dim figure stepped out of the shadow of the doorway, I grabbed unthinking for the hilt of my absent sword, then set myself to fight unarmed, every muscle tensed and ready.
"Prince Imriel!" A low boy's voice. "It's only me.”
"Conor." I lowered my clenched fists. "Ah, yes. The lad who'd never heard the tune I played.”
He shivered, although it wasn't cold. "You saw her, didn't you?”
"I did." I eyed him wryly. "Is the lady a friend of yours?”
"No!" Conor wrapped his arms around himself. His voice dropped to a whisper. "One of them was, once. He taught me…he taught me a song or two. Charms." His voice grew almost inaudible. "He said he was my father.”
"Your father!”
"Shhh!" He sounded miserable. "Please!”
"Name of Elua!" I raked a hand through my hair. "Is that a bad thing? To have one of the …Old Ones…for a father?”
"No. Yes." His voice cracked. "I don't know. It's scary.”
"Now that, I can believe." I glanced involuntarily over my shoulder. "Conor, listen. I've just had a very …strange …and unpleasant encounter. Right now, I think we should both go back inside, bar the door, and set one of those sleeping guards on it; and mayhap on me, for that matter. In the morning, I would like to have a long talk with your lady mother. And if you haven't, mayhap you should. Does that sound wise?”
He nodded. "Yes.”
"Good." Putting a hand on his shoulder, I steered him toward the door. "Let's go.”
Chapter Twenty-One
I awoke with the strong sense of being watched and opened my eyes to find Conor perched on the foot of my narrow bed. I grabbed my sword at my bedside and had it half drawn before I recognized him. The action sent him scrambling away from me in alarm.
"Elua!" I said in disgust. "You shouldn't startle a man like that.”
"I'm sorry." In the doorway, Conor hunched his narrow shoulders. "I didn't think you'd sleep so late.”
"Neither did I." After my encounter with Morwen, I hadn't thought I'd sleep at all. I had, though. I'd laid down beside Dorelei and fallen into a black pit of exhaustion. I glanced around and saw my wife was nowhere in sight. I didn't hear much noise from the hall, either. "Where is everyone?”
"Gone to look at a site to start a library. They're inspecting a lot of the books and moving them. Lady Phèdre was not happy when Brennan said he put some of them in an empty dovecote." He looked warily at me from beneath the thick fringe of his coarse black hair. "Can we talk to my mother now? You promised.”
I didn't think I'd made any promises, and I certainly hadn't intended to involve myself in his discussion with Grainne. What was between them was a private matter. I opened my mouth to say so, and saw the hunger beneath the wariness in his dark eyes. Betimes, 'tis easier to share a burden with a stranger than a loved one. And if there was anyone who knew about unwelcome parentage, it was me. I sighed and began dragging my clothes on. "Yes, all right.”
The hall of Innisclan was quiet and mostly empty. In the kitchen, a cheerful cook's assistant gave me bread and honey soaked in cow's milk to break my fast. Bear-witches or no, I'd spent too much time on short rations during the siege of Lucca to go hungry willingly. I ate it standing, my fingers dripping, mindful of Conor's impatient gaze.
"All right, all right!" I licked my fingers clean. "Let's go.”
The Lady Grainne granted our joint request for a private audience with bemusement. She led us into her private quarters, which included a small salon. At her invitation, I took a seat on a wooden chair covered with sheepskin dyed scarlet. Conor, standing, fidgeted.
"Do you want me to start?" I asked him.
"Yes, please," he mumbled.
Taking a deep breath, I told her the whole of the story. The pipes, the laughter,