This Fierce Splendor

“They laughed at her.” Elspeth could almost see them, their expressions scornful, their shaved heads adding to the ascetic sternness of their appearance. “They thought she was just trying to regain her status in the city. They called her a whore and sent her away.”

“Yes.” Rising Star’s voice held a note of surprise. “Yes, they did. She decided to stay and accept the same fate as her people, but she sent her servant, Cadra, away to the north.”

“And she died when Kantalan died, when Dalkar died.”

“Dalkar?” Rising Star’s voice was puzzled.

“Her lover.” Elspeth’s lids lifted heavily, dreamily. It was a moment before she could bring herself back from the ancient world that had seemed so real. “You told me his name was Dalkar.”

“Did I?” Rising Star was staring at her uneasily. “I suppose I had to have told you. It must have slipped my mind.” She rose to her feet and, for a fraction of a moment, she seemed flustered. Then, quite suddenly her serenity returned. “I believe I’ve given you enough to think about for the present. We’ll talk again later.” She crossed the room swiftly. “It’s only an hour until dinner. I’ll send Silver to help you dress.”

“Wait,” Elspeth called desperately. “You didn’t tell me about the prophecy.”

Rising Star paused, her hand on the doorknob. The muscles of her back were taut and at first Elspeth thought she wasn’t going to answer. Then she slowly turned to face Elspeth and smiled with an effort. “I was running away. You’ll find I’m not a very courageous person. After all these years you’d think I’d be accustomed to the idea of-” She moistened her lips. “Sayan saw something else in the flames. She told Cadra that for centuries Kantalan would remain deserted, as if frozen in time. Then four people would once again walk its streets. When that day came, the Sun Child would tremble once more, fire would rain down, and Kantalan would be destroyed, disappearing from the face of the earth as if it had never existed.” She paused. “Four would come to Kantalan and four would return from whence they came. Yet two would die when Kantalan died.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Is it some kind of riddle?”

Rising Star shrugged. “If it is, I don’t have the answer.”

“Do you believe it?”

Rising Star hesitated and then smiled sadly. “Sometimes I believe it. I’ve been taught there is a destiny for each one of us. What else can you expect from a superstitious savage?”

Elspeth could hear the echo of Silver’s bitterness in Rising Star’s words and experienced a pang of sympathy, “You think there is danger in Kantalan?”

Rising Star rubbed her temple wearily. “Oh, I don’t know. There is danger everywhere. You must make the decision for yourself. If you still wish to go, I will draw you a map from the one White Buffalo gave me.”

“Thank you, I would appreciate that very much,” Elspeth said haltingly. She should be wildly happy, but it was difficult to throw off the chill that had struck her when Rising Star had told her of the prophecy. “Was Dominic given a map also?”

Rising Star’s brows rose in surprise. “Of course. White Buffalo was a spirit man. He knew Dominic was one of the four who would walk the streets of Kantalan.”

Elspeth’s eyes widened. “Does that mean you-?”

Rising Star’s lips twisted. “Oh, yes, from the moment of my birth White Buffalo knew that my destiny was to be fulfilled in Kantalan.” She turned and opened the door. “And now there are three of us and only one more to come. The pattern is beginning to form.” She glanced back over her shoulder. “Dominic has never known whether to believe the prophecy or not, but he has enough of his mother’s Celtic mysticism to make him wary and enough of his father’s cynicism to make it easy to ignore Kantalan’s existence. Until now. You’re forcing him to think of it again. Are you sure you want to do that?”

Elspeth shook her head. “I told him I didn’t want him to go. It would be terrible to be responsible for-” She ran shaking fingers through her hair. “It’s too wild and terrible to be true, legends become distorted and twisted through time. The prophecy could be nothing more than superstitious nonsense. I have to think.”

Rising Star nodded. “Yes, we all need to think. White men believe we do have choices. Perhaps White Buffalo was only a foolish old man. None of us have to go to Kantalan.” She smiled. “Do we?”

“No,” Elspeth whispered. But if she didn’t go, she would never see streets of matchless beauty, temples and pyramids of faultless symmetry, the Sun Child ribboned with glistening snow. “None of us have to go.”

Rising Star’s eyes were both sad and understanding as she gazed at Elspeth’s wistful expression. “I won’t see you at dinner. I prefer to have my meals in my room when Joshua isn’t here. If you decide you want the map, let me know. But it would be no sin to wait a few days and consider the possiblities, would it?”

She didn’t wait for an answer. The door closed softly behind her.

“You are very silent.” Silver ran the silver-backed brush through Elspeth’s hair with long, slow strokes. “Did my aunt’s words disturb you?”

“Yes.” Disturb seemed too mild a word to describe the turmoil she was experiencing. “Rising Star certainly gave me a few things to consider.”

“I did not know she knew of Kantalan or I would have told you.” Silver’s gaze met Elspeth’s in the mirror of the black lacquered vanity. “I will go with you if you like. There is nothing for me here.” She smiled bitterly. “There is nothing for me anywhere that I do not take for myself. Who knows? Perhaps I will find something different in your lost city.”

Elspeth felt a surge of warm affection. “Oh, Silver, I would like that very-” She stopped. Even if Sayan’s prophecy were mere legend as she was trying to believe, the journey itself might be very dangerous. She had already taken too much from Silver without giving anything in return. Friendship was new to her, but surely this was not as it should be. Even now Silver was treating her as if she were her handmaiden. She had bathed her and was now brushing her hair. And Elspeth was sitting here in her petticoats, almost purring with contentment and behaving as if this cosseting were her due. She reached out and took the brush from Silver’s hand. “We will see. In the meantime, there is no need for you to treat me as an invalid. I’m almost well.”

Silver’s eyes widened. “It is no bother.” She stood watching uncertainly as Elspeth began to run the brush vigorously through her hair, her expression reflecting a flicker of disappointment. “You are still weak. I am not sure you should go down to dinner.”

“You’ve spoiled me far too long.” Elspeth wrinkled her nose at her image in the mirror. “And I’ve allowed it far too long. It’s time I took charge of myself.”

Silver frowned and started for the armoire across the room. “I’ll get your gown. I had Rosa press it while you slept.” She took out the black silk gown with the grosgrain trim and carried it back to Elspeth. “Though there was little that could be done with it. It is ugly. Everything I found in your trunk was ugly, except for that fine red blanket.”

“That’s not a blanket. That’s a MacGregor plaid, my family’s tartan.”

Silver shrugged. “Well, it is finer than anything else you own. Why is everything you wear black? You always look like a baby vulture.”

“It’s the custom. I’m in mourning for my father.” Elspeth turned to look at the gown over Silver’s arm. “It’s only proper that I wear black.”

Silver shook her head in wonder. “I have heard you scream and weep dreaming of this man. You do not mourn him. Why do you lie?”

“Of course I mourn him. He was my father.” Elspeth stopped. Lies. Silver was right. When her father had died she had felt only relief and a poignant regret for the love that might have existed between them. Dear God, surely such an attitude must make her a wicked and ungrateful daughter. One must love and honor one’s father. Her hand holding the brush dropped to her side as she stared blindly into the mirror. But she had not honored him. She had respected him for his truly superior intelligence, but there had been no honor and no love. Had the guilt of that realization made her cling to the trappings of tradition since she could not mourn him in her heart? Had she been deceiving herself about her honesty as she had about her strength? “You’re very wise, Silver. I do not mourn him.”

Silver grinned and tossed the gown carelessly on the bed. “Then you do not need this ugly dress any longer. We will find you something bright to wear that will make you want to sing like a lark.”

Elspeth chuckled. “I certainly would prefer to be a lark instead of a vulture, but I’m afraid I’ll have to wait until I return to Edinburgh. I have nothing but black clothing with me.”