The Red Wyvern - Katharine Kerr [75]
“People like them? They’re different, somehow?”
“Somehow. I don’t pretend to understand all of these things.” Nevyn suddenly smiled. “Yet.”
Lilli laughed and looked into the heart of the fountain. As it rose up, the water seemed to form a crystal sphere that never changed form even as the individual drops passed through it. The crystal sphere glittered, then swelled, trapping her gaze. All at once she felt herself swooping through air and diving down toward the water.
“Stop it!” Nevyn grabbed her arm. “Come back, Lilli! Stay here.”
Lilli staggered in sudden weakness. Nevyn hooked her arm through his and let her lean against him.
“So that’s how you slip into trance, is it?” he said. “That easily?”
“Is it easily? I wouldn’t know.”
“You have an alarming ease when it comes to falling into a trance. I’ll give you my solemn word on that.”
“Very well. I do have much to learn, truly.”
“Just so, but I’ll wager you’re very tired now.”
“I am. Looking into the black ink used to wear me out.”
“No doubt. Let’s go back to the broch. You need to rest. But do you understand now why we absolutely have to discuss these things?”
“I begin to.”
“Good. We’ll talk more on the morrow.”
High up in the broch, Lilli had been given a tiny sliver of a chamber, but the narrow bed was comfortable enough, and the view from her little window opened out wide. By standing on the wooden chest at the foot of the bed, she could see over the walls of the dun down to the town, which sloped gently away to a vast stretch of water, silver under the stars at the edge of the view. For a moment she wondered what river it might be; then she realized that she was seeing the ocean that stretched all the way to the edge of the world. She stood for a long time and gawked, imagining the distances, until exhaustion reminded her to sleep.
Once she woke in the morning, she returned to her perch. In the sunlight the ocean looked even larger and as wrinkled as a crone’s neck. Those must be waves, she thought. I’ve heard about those. She was still staring at the ocean when a servant came to fetch her to the women’s hall.
“There’s ever so much work to do, my lady,” the girl said. “The prince has chosen a new device, and he wants new banners made, to take with the army, like, and they’re leaving ever so soon.”
“It’s a pity he didn’t choose it months ago, then.”
“The princess told him that, she did, right in front of everybody, too. He just laughed.”
In the women’s hall a big table stood in the sunlight from the windows, and all the little ones had been shoved back against the wall. On the big table lay fine red cloth, stretched out tight with weights to hold it down. Lilli had never seen such a beautiful red on cloth, a fine scarlet like roses. While the princess supervised, a stout woman with pale grey hair was marking out some kind of pattern with a chunk of chalk.
“Make the mouth bigger, Tidda,” Bellyra was saying. “It should look fierce.”
“Just so, Your Highness.”
“And the tail should be lashing about, too.”
“Just so, Your Highness.”
Elyssa came up beside Lilli and greeted her with a smile.
“There’s bread and fruit over there,” Elyssa murmured. “If you want porridge, by all means go to the great hall.”
“My thanks, but bread will be fine for me. These are the devices for the prince’s new banners, I take it?”
“They are. He’s chosen a red wyvern.”
Lilli felt a dagger of cold run down her spine and back up it again.
“What’s so wrong?” Elyssa said, still quietly.
“Naught. I think it’s a splendid omen for him, that’s all. He’ll conquer in this sign.”
Elyssa was staring at her in concern, and one of the servant girls turned to look as well.
“I’d best get somewhat to eat,” Lilli said brightly. “If you’ll excuse me?”
Elyssa let the matter drop, much to Lilli’s relief. Yet all morning, as the women sewed the cut-out wyvern to a heavy linen backing, Lilli could