When Lewan woke the next morning, he lay in bed with his eyes closed, enjoying the feel of Ulaan nestled in his arms. She was very warm, and he could smell a flowery scent in her hair. He enjoyed a moment of sheer contentment, of wonder almost, and then the realization of what he had done hit him. All his life with Berun, learning from his master, he had prepared for last night, for the Jalesh Rudra, when he would become a man and fully enter into communion with the Oak Father. But last night…
No, not just last night. Four days ago, his master had died, consumed by the very earth that he had held so sacred. Lewan had been unable to celebrate the Jalesh Rudra through no fault of his own. That choice had been taken from him. But did that excuse what he had done? He had sworn his life to the Oak Father-his spirit, his mind, and his body. Those who walked this sacred path swore an oath of chastity, of complete faithfulness to the divine, pledging themselves for the servants of the Oak Father alone. Last night was to have been the final consummation of that oath. Instead, he had chosen a different consummation.
Ulaan moaned softly in her sleep. She snuggled closer, and he felt the soft smoothness of her skin rubbing against his own, touching him in places that no other person had ever touched.
He opened his eyes, and Talieth was standing at the foot of the bed between the oak and holly. Lewan gasped. Talieth stood with her back straight, arms crossed under her breasts, looking down on Lewan and Ulaan. The green of her dress was just a shade darker than the leaves of the miniature oak.
'Dress yourself,' she said. When Lewan showed no sign of obeying, her eyebrows rose slightly and her chin jutted out. 'Now.'
Lewan scrambled out of bed, too frightened to even care about his nakedness. Ulaan moaned softly in her sleep, turned over, and lay still.
'I-' Lewan began, but Talieth cut him off.
'I said dress yourself.' She kept her voice low, though Lewan could not believe it was out of concern for the girl's slumber. 'We will speak on the way.'
Someone had brought fresh clothes for both him and Ulaan. Who could have-?
Talieth walked across the room, sparing him a sidelong glance, and placed one hand on the doorknob. Quick as he could, Lewan pulled on the fresh clothes-loose-fitting linen trousers, a shirt of black silk, soft fur-lined boots, and a robe with a deep hood. The robe was well crafted, but of plain soft wool and unadorned. It seemed entirely out of place over such finery. When he was finished, Talieth looked him over, gave a curt nod, then led him out of the room.
It was the first time he'd seen the hallway. The walls and ceiling were crafted of the same stone as his room, but black tiles so smooth that they reflected the lamplight covered the floor. The hall wound round the inside of the tower. Doors lined either side at regular intervals.
'Follow me,' said Talieth, and she started walking.
Lewan scrambled to keep up. 'Lady, I, uh… that is-'
'Is this about the girl?'
'Y-yes.'
'Put it out of your mind,' said Talieth. 'Ulaan was sent to serve your needs. Judging from what I saw, she is doing so. But if she displeased you, we'll find you another.'
Lewan opened his mouth to reply, but then realized he had no idea what to say-and that Talieth was leaving him. So he simply followed her down the hallway.
Talieth led him down a long series of stairs winding around the inside of the tower. In a large hall at the base of the tower, she stopped before two massive doors and pulled a heavy cloak and hood of dark green velvet off a rack beside the door. She turned and faced Lewan as she put them on. 'Pull up your hood,' she said.
Lewan obeyed her, but managed a hesitant, 'Why, lady?'
'Remember our words yesterday, Lewan,' Talieth said, her voice low. 'You walk in the midst of conspiracy. In this tower, you are safe enough. There are not many here, and those who are belong to me. But outside these doors, you speak to no one. I speak for you. You keep your hood up and your eyes down. Do you understand?'
'Yes, lady.' Lewan hunched inside the robe and pulled the hood down as far as it would go. He kept his eyes fixed firmly on the hem of Talieth's skirt as she opened the doors and proceeded outside.
The fury of last night's storm had passed, but the air outside was still thick. Something heavier than a mist but lighter than a drizzle drifted in the air and made a faint sizzling sound as it hit the stone. Talieth led Lewan down wide stone steps and onto a gravel pathway. She turned left and proceeded down the path at a brisk walk.
Lewan risked a glance up. The storm had wreaked havoc on the fortress. Leaves, blossoms, and branches lay everywhere.
Talieth and Lewan had to leave the path twice and walk through the grass in order to make their way around fallen trees. Servants were busy everywhere, cleaning up the mess and hauling it away. With the sun hidden behind the sodden sky, Lewan had no idea what time of day it was, but his stomach told him that he had probably slept through the morning. The platter of food Ulaan had brought with her last night still sat on his bedside table, untouched.
They passed a set of elegantly crafted buildings with brass pillars set before huge double doors, then walked through another garden, and Lewan saw that they were passing beneath one of the tall columns on which stood a statue. The statue was bigger than a cave bear. It had been carved in the form of a rearing stallion, its mane flowing back over the spread wings of an eagle. Holding his hood so it would not fall back, Lewan made sure no one was around, then looked up. Smaller statues-all of winged horses-lined the path or sat upon pedestals throughout the garden.
They passed a fountain whose outlet was choked with detritus from the storm. A massive oak grew beside the pool, its boughs spread over the fountain so that the lowest leaves were tickled by water spouting from the mouth of another winged horse. A half-dozen men were standing under the boughs of the oak near the water. Lewan saw that Sauk was among them.
Talieth led Lewan down a narrow side path toward the group of men. Coming under the eaves of the oak, they passed out of the drizzle. Still, remembering Talieth's warning, Lewan kept his hood up and his head down. Sauk knew of his presence in the Fortress, but Lewan wasn't sure about the others. He didn't recognize any of them from the Shalhoond.
As they drew near, Lewan risked a glance up and was sorry he did. Sauk and the other men were standing around what Lewan first thought was a pile of muddy, torn rags. But then he saw that it was not mud at all. It was blood, and the rags were what remained of clothes upon bodies. How many, Lewan could not be sure, for the pieces were jumbled together. His gorge rose. He'd seen slaughter before, but animals-deer, bison, elk, cattle, sheep. Only twice before had he seen people slaughtered with such savagery.
'What happened here?' said Talieth. Lewan heard the rage and shock in her voice.
Sauk spared Lewan a glance, then fixed his gaze on Talieth. 'We think it is Vasilik, Draalim, and perhaps Peluris. The others… well, we're still looking for the rest. There aren't enough pieces for whole bodies. We think some might be in the water.'
'Why were they outdoors last night? I gave orders!' The men around Sauk looked away, blanching under the lady's fury.
'They were keeping a vigil,' said Sauk. 'A vigil?'
'The Old Man told them that the faithful must be ready, ordered them to prepare and contemplate.' Sauk shrugged. 'Looks like they weren't prepared after all.'
Talieth stood a moment, looking at the carnage. 'Get this cleaned up,' she said, 'and have men search the pool. I don't want pieces floating up once the weather warms.' She turned to Lewan. 'Come.'
Raising her skirts over the blood-soaked leaves, she went round the men and led Lewan back along the path. As Lewan walked, he kept his head low, and thus could not help but look right upon a bloody torso with everything but half an arm and the remains of a neck torn away. But through the blood and shredded clothing, Lewan saw one wound clearly. He might have thought nothing of the claw marks and their size-except that he and Berun had spent several days tracking those very prints. A steppe tiger.
Lewan's eyes widened and he glanced toward Sauk. The half-orc caught his gaze and smiled.
Talieth and Lewan left the garden, passing under a stone arch covered in mistletoe. She said nothing, but her
