places, passing for humans to those new peoples who happened to pass their home.
It was a sort of clan existence that developed defensively, and in scattered locales.
But inevitably these Taltos would reveal their nature to humans, or humans would war on them, or someone would learn of the magical Taltos birth, and again talk of us, talk of the glen, would circulate among hostile men.
I myself, having ever been inventive and forward-looking and refusing to give up, ever-even when the whole lost land was exploding, I did not give up-more or less thought ours was a lost cause. We could, for the present, defend the glen, that was true, when outsiders did occasionally break in on us, but we were essentially trapped!
But the question of those who passed for human, those who lived among human beings, pretending to be an old tribe or clan-that fascinated me. That got me to thinking…. What if we were to do this? What if, instead of shutting human beings out, we slowly let them in, leading them to believe that we were a human tribe too, and we lived in their midst, keeping our birth rituals secret from them?
Meantime great changes in the outside world held a great fascination for us. We wanted to speak to travelers, to learn. And so, finally, we devised a dangerous subterfuge….
Twenty-six
“YURI STEFANO HERE. Can I help you?”
“Can you help me! God, it’s good to hear your voice,” said Michael. “We’ve been separated less than forty- eight hours, but the Atlantic Ocean is between us!”
“Michael. Thank God you called me. I didn’t know where to reach you. You’re still with Ash, aren’t you?”
“Yes, and we will be for another two days, I think. I’ll tell you all about it, but how are things with you?”
“It’s over, Michael. It’s over. All the evil is gone, and the Talamasca is itself again. This morning I received my first communication from the Elders. We’re taking serious measures to see that this sort of interception can never happen again. I have my work cut out for me, writing my reports. The new Superior General has recommended that I rest, but that’s impossible.”
“But you have to rest some of the time, Yuri. You know you do. We all do.”
“I sleep for four hours. Then I get up. I think about what happened. I write. I write for maybe four, five hours. Then I sleep again. At mealtimes they come and get me. They make me go downstairs. It’s nice. It’s nice to be back with them. But what about you, Michael?”
“Yuri, I love this man. I love Ash the way I loved Aaron. I’ve been listening to him talk for hours. It’s no secret, what he’s telling us, of course, but he won’t let us record any of it. He says that we should take away only what we naturally remember. Yuri, I don’t think this man will ever hurt us or anyone connected with us. I’m sure of it. You know, it’s one of those situations. I’ve put my trust in him. And if he does come to hurt us, for any reason, well, that’s going to be what happens.”
“I understand. And Rowan? How is she?”
“I think she loves him too. I know she does. But how much and in what way, well, that’s her story. I never could speak for Rowan. We’re going to stay here, as I said, for another two days, maybe more, then we have to go back down south. We’re a little worried about Mona.”
“Why?”
“It’s nothing terrible. She’s run off with her cousin Mary Jane Mayfair-this is a young woman you’ve not had the pleasure of meeting-and they’re a bit too young to be running around without any parental supervision.”
“Michael, I’ve written a letter to Mona. I had to write it. You know, before I left New Orleans, I pledged my heart to Mona. But Mona is too young for such a pledge, and now that I am home, back with the Order, I realize more than ever how unsuited I am to court Mona. I’ve sent my letter to the Amelia Street address, but I fear that Mona will, for a little while at least, be angry with me.”
“Yuri, Mona has other things on her mind right now. This is probably the best decision you could have made. We forget that Mona is thirteen. Everybody forgets it. And certainly Mona forgets it. But you’ve done the right thing. Besides, she can contact you if she wants to, can’t she?”
“Yes, I am here. I am safe. I am home.”
“And Tessa?”
“Well, they took her away, Michael. That’s the Talamasca for you. I’m sure that’s what happened to her. She was surrounded by a very courtly group of companions and invited to go with them, probably to Amsterdam. I kissed her goodbye before she left. There was some talk of a nice place for her where she could rest, and where all her memories and stories would be recorded. No one seems to know how to calculate her age. No one knows if what Ash has said is true, that she will die soon.”
“But she’s happy, and the Talamasca has taken care of her.”
“Yes, absolutely. Of course, if she ever wants to leave, she can leave. That’s our way. But I don’t think Tessa thinks in those terms. I think she drifted for years-how many years, no one knows-from one protector to another. She didn’t grieve too long for Gordon, by the way. She says that she doesn’t care to dwell on unpleasant things.”
Michael laughed. “I understand. Believe me. Look, I’ve got to go back now. We’re having some supper together, and then Ash is going to go on with his story. It’s beautiful here where we are. Snowing and cold, but beautiful. Everything that surrounds Ash reflects his personality. It’s always that way. The buildings we choose for ourselves, they’re always reflections of us. This place is filled with colored marble and with paintings, and with … with things that interest him. I don’t suppose I should talk about it much. He does want his privacy, to be left in peace after we leave him.”
“I know. I understand. Listen, Michael, when you see Mona, you must tell her something for me … that … you must tell her that I …”
“She’ll understand, Yuri. Mona has other things on her mind right now. It’s an exciting time for her. The family wants her to leave Sacred Heart, to start studying with private tutors. Her IQ is off the charts, just as she always said it was. And she is the heir to the Mayfair legacy. I think for the next few years Mona will be spending a lot of time with Rowan and with me, studying, traveling, getting sort of the ideal education for a lady of what … how shall I say, great expectations. I’m going to go now. I’ll call you again from New Orleans.”
“Please do this, please. I love both of you. I love … the three of you. Will you tell the others for me, Ash and Rowan?”
“Yes. By the way, those cohorts, those helpers of Gordon?”
“It’s all finished. They’re gone, and they can never hurt the Order again. I’ll talk to you soon, Michael.”
“Goodbye, Yuri.”
Twenty-seven
EVERYBODY ALWAYS TOLD him the Fontevrault Mayfairs were crazy. “That’s why they come to you, Dr. Jack.” Every single one of them was mad, said the town, even the rich kin in New Orleans.
But did he have to find it out for himself on an afternoon like this, when it was as dark as night, and half the streets in town were flooded out?
And bringing out a little newborn baby in such a storm, wrapped up in smelly little blankets and lying in a plastic ice chest, no less! And Mary Jane Mayfair expecting him just to make out the birth certificate right there in his office.
He’d demanded to see the mother!
Of course, if he’d known she was going to drive this limousine like this over these shell roads, right through this storm, and that he’d end up holding this baby in his arms, he would have insisted on following her in his pickup.
When she’d pointed to the limousine, he’d thought the woman had a driver. And this was a brand-new car,
