Then she said, “What has happened, my lord, that you cannot wait to tell me?”
“Kolgrim rules undisputed in the Dark Lands,” Kaliq began, and he went on to tell Lara all that had happened.
She listened, and when he had concluded his report, Lara said, “Kolgrim is clever, and I am astounded that Kol still harbors any thought of me. Yet of the two Kolgrim was the better choice if a choice had to be made.”
“You like him,” Kaliq observed.
Lara thought a long moment. “In an odd way I suppose I do,” she agreed. “There is a fascination to such evil, and while I prefer the light, there are those among my race who prefer the dark, as you well know, Kaliq.”
“He wants you to love him,” Kaliq said. “It may one day be his undoing.”
“I know,” Lara replied. “But to love him I must accept him, admit to his existence, and how would that affect the other children I have borne? And what of Marzina? If Kol came to know her he would eventually realize the truth. He would use it against me, Kaliq. You know that he would. He would attempt to bring Marzina to the darkness. And how could I ever tell my daughter that Magnus Hauk was not her father? That her father was darkness personified, and her conception was the result of rape?” Lara shook her head. “Nay, I will never acknowledge that Kolgrim is my son. He is Kol’s son, but not mine. And I will protect my children from him.”
“When we chose you to fulfill our plans for chaos in the Dark Lands we never anticipated what would happen afterward,” Kaliq said.
“How could you?” Lara asked him. “It is my destiny that is being played out, Kaliq, not yours. For years I have wondered just what this destiny I have is. I have waited for some momentous happening to occur, but I have become convinced that there will be no great incident. It is the life I live, the decisions I make that affect not only me but those around me that contributes to my destiny. I am living my destiny, Kaliq.” She leaned over and kissed his mouth. “And you, my lord, are a part of my destiny that I very much like. Now, what else is there for us to consider?”
“The Hierarch,” he responded. “What are we to do about him?”
“I suppose we could leave him to an unpleasant fate, especially if the Hetarians discover he is an Outlander,” Lara said. “But a fragile Hetar is not good for any of us. Hetar needs to recover from its excesses. It will take years, but to expose Cam for the fraud he is would make it far worse. We must help the Hierarch, and then he must disappear. So it is said of the Hierarch’s legend, in any case,” she said with a smile.
“You will return him to the New Outlands afterward?”
She nodded. “And we shall have the Munin remove his memories of this particular time in his life. As for the clan families, they will believe that Cam’s cattle and bit of land have come from his own efforts.”
“But you will still prevent Anoush from marrying him,” Kaliq said.
“I believe it best, aye. The darkness is in him, Kaliq. You know it. And if it rose to overwhelm him again, if Anoush could not help him, Cam would break her heart. I will not allow that to happen.”
He nodded.
“Let me go and rest now, Kaliq,” Lara said.
“Remain here,” he replied.
“I do not want Taj distressed to find me just gone on the morrow,” she told him. “Remember my responsibilities to Terah. I will deal with Cam tomorrow,” Lara said. And then she was gone from his side.
Kaliq sighed. She was right, of course, but he would have enjoyed a few hours in her company, in her arms.
WHEN LARA AWOKE THE NEXT day she felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She might be faerie, but she wasn’t entirely invincible. The knowledge that she would not have to compete with Ciarda for Cam’s attention was a great relief. Now her foolish nephew would be forced to do her bidding without question. He could no longer betray her by attempting to make an arrangement with the Darkling more suited to his own nefarious and greedy purposes. She chuckled at the thought of his surprise when he learned that.
She bathed, and then considered what she would wear. A gown would make her seem vulnerable and feminine. She chose instead her leather trousers, a shirt, doeskin jerkin and boots. She sat quietly as Mila brushed out her long golden hair and then braided it neatly into a single, long, thick plait. Then, standing, she called to Andraste, who came to fasten herself onto Lara’s back.
“Shall I have Dasras saddled?” Mila asked.
“Nay, I will use magic to travel today. And I would first have breakfast with the young Dominus,” Lara answered her serving woman. With a smile at Mila, she hurried off to see her youngest son. She found him with his two companions preparing to break their fast. “I’ve come to join you,” she said, waving them back into their seats, for they had arisen politely at her entrance.
“I have hardly seen you of late, Mother,” Taj said, a hint of complaint in his voice.
“There has been so much to do, my darling,” Lara replied. “We have now restored the balance to the worlds, and the darkness has retreated. There remains but one thing to do, and I will go off today to see to it. Then I thought you would be pleased to learn that Marzina is coming home briefly.”
“What did she do?” Taj asked.
Lara laughed. “Does a visit home necessarily mean your twin has committed some fault, Taj? Perhaps she just grew homesick and wanted to see us.”
“Nay, I know my sister. She has done something to outrage our grandmother Ilona. I knew she would eventually. Marzina is always in a great hurry,” Taj said. “And besides, Mother, she was here for my coronation, so she couldn’t be homesick.”
“I have underestimated you, my lord son,” Lara told him with a smile. “Aye, she has indeed proven to even my doting mother that she is not quite ready for the responsibility of her magic. She will visit with us briefly, and then will go into the care of the Daughters of the Great Creator for a year or more to hopefully learn self-discipline and restraint. When the High Priestess Kemina says Marzina has learned these virtues Prince Kaliq will take her as a student, and train her in the magic arts himself. Her talents are far beyond my mother’s tutoring.”
“What did Marzina do that grandmother Ilona banned her from her kingdom?” Taj asked, curious, and both Gare and Sinon leaned eagerly forward to learn the answer, too, having heard all the previous discussion.
“The nature of Marzina’s crime is of no account to Terah or its welfare, my lord Dominus. I think we shall leave it at that,” Lara told him. “Oh, I see the cook has baked us fresh raisin bread this morning.” Reaching for the loaf, Lara cut a slice for herself and buttered it lavishly. “And baked
“We are learning the history of Terah,” Taj said. “Just before the time of Usi the sorcerer. Do you think he was as terrible as he is portrayed, Mother?”
“You should know as my son that there is both light and dark magic. Usi’s magic was evil,” Lara told her son. “His descendants rule the Dark Lands. And there is even a female line of his descendants in Hetar, Taj. Aye, Usi was the darkest of sorcerers.”
Taj turned to his two companions, who did not know of that dark time in Terah’s history. “When my mother came to Terah and the men heard her voice, they were astounded, for they believed their own females dumb and speechless. It turned out this sorcerer had cursed the men of Terah with his dying breath. While they thought their women had become speechless, it was actually the men whose ears had been stopped up to their voices. It was my mother’s magic that changed all that, and my father fell in love with her then,” Taj explained proudly.
Lara smiled, remembering her earlier days in Terah. Remembering its proud Dominus, Magnus Hauk. Now Terah was ruled by his son. For a moment she recalled. Taj’s coronation just a few weeks back. The family and the few representatives from the various cultures of Terah had come. The Lord High Ruler of Hetar, however, had not come, for he greatly feared to leave his kingdom for even a day. The first day of the celebration had honored Magnus Hauk, his life and his accomplishments. On the second day of the festivities, at the exact hour of Magnus Hauk’s death, the crown had been set upon Taj’s head by both Arik, High Priest in the Temple of the Great Creator, and his female counterpart, Kemina, the High Priestess. The third and final day was given over in celebration of the new Dominus. All of Terah had feasted and rejoiced at the peaceful transition between reigns. Then their lives had again picked up the daily rhythm of their world once more.
Summer was coming. Gare and Sinon begged the Domina to be allowed to remain with Taj. And Taj wanted his friends with him. They would all go to visit in the New Outlands in late summer and early autumn, remaining for The Gathering. Reluctantly, the parents of the two young Fiacre clansmen gave their consent. They could see the
