Kushiel's Justice - Jacqueline Carey [315]
Or, mayhap, that there was nowhere on earth to flee Kushiel's justice.
I rode beside Sidonie as befit my status as a Prince of the Blood. She was mounted on a white palfrey with a pretty gait. The Bastard kept pace with Sidonie's mare, matching her step for step. It made me smile inside. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the merest hint of a dimple crease Sidonie's cheek, and I knew she was thinking the same thing.
Once we were in the fortress proper, the somber tension eased somewhat. In the great hall, Talorcan approached me after speaking to Urist.
"I understand you were the one to kill the bear-witch." He extended Berlik's skull. "We ride for Clunderry on the morrow. As her husband and avenger, the honor of burying his head at Dorelei's feet belongs to you.”
I accepted the skull, the smooth bone cool against my hands. "Thank you, my lord.”
Talorcan nodded stiffly. "And you. I am grateful.”
I watched him turn away. The last time I'd seen him, I'd been bound by Alban charms. I hadn't been able to read him well. Now I could. He was a steady and thoughtful young man, but he was proud, too, and his failure was eating at him. Until now, nothing in his life had tested his mettle so profoundly. I hoped he would learn to accept it with grace.
Alais came over and hugged me without speaking, wrapping her arms around my waist. I held her hard with one arm, Berlik's skull awkward in my other hand. After a long moment, she sighed and let me go.
"That's him?" She eyed the skull.
"It is," I said.
Alais lifted one hand and touched it. There was a shadow behind her eyes, too; a shadow of a different kind, filled with blood and screaming. She had been there in the hall of Clunderry when Berlik burst into it in bear form, killing Dorelei with one swipe of a massive paw. I hadn't witnessed it. Alais had. Her beloved dog was buried at Dorelei's side. I could only imagine her nightmares. "I'm glad he's dead," she said. "I knew it. When I had the dream, I knew. We all did. Still, 'tis different, seeing it.”
I touched her black curls. "I know, love.”
Sidonie.
Sidonie surprised me. When was that not true? I watched her approach. She looked different, here; a D'Angeline among Cruithne, only her dark eyes giving any hint of sharing their heritage. She did, though. She took Berlik's skull from my hand and gazed at it for a long moment without comment. I watched her face. Her lashes swept upward. "Was it hard?" she asked softly.
My throat tightened. "Yes.”
Sidonie nodded. "I thought it would be in the end.”
I swallowed and cleared my throat. "You're…here. Alais' dream?”
"And my aunts', too." She gave Berlik's skull back to me. "Father sent a messenger dove from the temple, he was that certain of it. Mother and I agreed that one of us should be here to represent the throne of Terre d'Ange.”
"Are matters between you …?" I hesitated.
She shook her head. "'Tis a temporary truce in the Battle of Imriel.”
It was so good to hear my name on her tongue, I almost didn't care what words preceded it; but eventually, they penetrated my wits. I tucked Berlik's skull under one arm and took her hand in mine. We both bowed our heads, gazing at our entwined fingers. I was near enough to feel the heat rising from her skin. There was a fine gold chain around her neck, and I could see a brighter glint in the depths of her décolletage, nestled between the swell of her breasts. A gold knot; a ring. Her gift, my pledge.
"Clunderry," I murmured.
Sidonie's fingers tightened briefly on mine. "After Clunderry." I turned away from her to meet Phèdre's gaze, filled with a complicated mix of affection, rue, and an unexpected thoughtfulness that looked a great deal like respect. I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders, and went forth