The Seeker - Isobelle Carmody [94]
“Are ye sure ye canna see?” Matthew asked the empath.
Dameon smiled sweetly. “I possess neither sight nor the wondrous magic of your precious Oldtimers,” he teased. “I knew Elspeth was there because of your reaction to her.”
“You empaths!” Matthew exploded. “I thought I had th’ shield in place then. Ye’d think emotions at least ought to be private.”
“You need to perfect that shield,” Dameon admonished. “Do you think I want to be privy to your emotional turmoils, entertaining though they are?”
Matthew blushed to the roots of his hair. “One canna always be screenin’ every thought,” he muttered.
I bit my lip to conceal my amusement, but Dameon laughed aloud. He smiled in my direction. There was a touch of sadness in his face that had not always been there. Even as I wondered what had caused it, I caught Matthew’s knowing look, as if he knew something I did not. I was tempted to deep-probe him when Dameon said pointedly that we ought to go into the kitchen before midmeal became nightmeal. He could not read my mind, yet I felt a flush rise to my cheeks.
Rushton always called the empath his conscience, and suddenly I understood why.
Dameon took my arm and said, with a smile in Matthew’s direction, “I hear young Lina has been up to her tricks again.”
Matthew scowled blackly. “That girl an’ her pranks. She had me so flustered at nightmeal that I accidentally sat next to Miryum, who has as much grace an’ wit as a lump of stone.”
“Yet she is guilden,” Dameon said with faint reproach.
Matthew looked put out. “She has Talent, I grant ye. But all she ever thinks about is the latest way to make people do things they dinna want to do.”
The sound of cutlery clinking and laughter flowed down the hall from the kitchen to meet us. There had long been vague plans to open up another room as a separate dining area, but somehow the alcoves adjoining the kitchen remained the main eating area.
Guilds had gotten into the habit of sitting together for meals, but most of the guildleaders and some others sat at the table by the door with Rushton, who treated meals as another kind of strategy meeting. But Dameon went to join his guild members.
Though empath guildmaster, Dameon spent most of his time working with Rushton, and he had offered to forgo his place as master of the Empath guild to make way for Miky and Angina. The twins had refused emphatically, and their refusal had been echoed by the rest of the guild. No other guild had quite the same love for their master as the empaths. They made little official demand on Dameon’s time, but at social occasions they were possessive.
Rushton and Domick were both absorbed in something Gevan was saying, and I noticed that Rushton’s soup was untouched. I sighed and wondered if he ever noticed anything he ate or enjoyed a conversation just because it was fun.
I saw Louis Larkin hovering just inside the kitchen courtyard door, peering about nearsightedly. He hated coming up to the house, and I wondered what had been important enough to bring him up through the maze.
I sent a probe to Matthew, telling him to find out what Louis wanted. “He says he must talk with you,” Matthew sent after a moment. “Ye’ll have to come. I can’t crack grouchy bugger’s shield.”
I sighed. Louis was just as hard to get along with as he had always been. His white hair stuck out like coils of wire on each side of his head but was sparse on top. His cheeks and nose were red with cold, but he insisted I come out into the maze courtyard before he would talk. Matthew came with us, closing the door behind him. It was growing colder, and my breath came out in little puffs of cloud.
“What is it, Louis?” I asked tersely.
“Hmph,” Louis grumped. “I’m surprised ye’ve any time to spare for a beastspeaker.” Though himself an unTalent, Louis had a natural affinity for animals and held an honorary place in the guild. He regarded my decision to lead the farseekers rather than the beastspeakers