upright and Hollin stared,
fascinated, as the shifting facets began to pulse faintly as they moved.
"How do you know
that it is truly the prince that the crystal is responding to?" Hollin
whispered.
"Percamber, who
has the most knowledge of his grandson, has touched it with his mind and
verified it," Colin explained. "Have you ever worked with a crystal
before, Lady Hollin?"
"No, this is
entirely new to me. I have heard of these devices, and I was able to detect
that the ring was more than an ordinary ring, but arcane items are not in my
training. What shall we do now?"
"Percamber will be
the guide while we probe the ring to make certain that it is attuned to the
prince. That being so, Dinea and I will attempt to transfer the energies of our
crystal to the ring," Colin explained, nodding to his companions.
"Is there anything
you wish me to do during all this?" Hollin inquired.
"No, you may sit
down if you wish." Percamber smiled gratefully as Hollin handed him the
ring and stepped back.
Taking her seat, she
watched as Percamber stood with the ring cupped in his hand, gazing into the
red stone. After a moment, he raised his head in confusion. In answer to
Colin's obvious question he said, "I think that he is in here, but I want
you to look and tell me what you find." He extended the ring and Colin put
his hands around the old man's and joined him in scrutinizing the ring.
"Well, this
changes things more than a little," Colin commented as he broke his hold
with the ring.
"What's
wrong?" Dinea's face registered immediate concern.
Both men turned to face
Hollin. "How long have you worn this ring, Lady Hollin?" Percamber
asked.
"Not long. I put
it on before I began my journey to Pentarin. Why?"
"Have you worn it
much in the past?"
"No, it has been
in my personal jewel box since I was given it as a child. What's wrong? Can't
you feel the prince's imprint on it?"
"Oh yes, the prince's
energies can be discerned, though faintly. The difficulty is that the ring is
fully attuned to you, my lady," Colin replied.
"Oh dear!"
Dinea burst out. "How could that have happened? She admits to not having
much contact with the ring in the past."
Percamber sighed and
said, "I suppose that it is possible that my son-in-law adjusted the ring
before the ceremony in order to key his son’s future bride into attunement with
House Sandovar. But I don't see the point in doing so." He shook his head,
clearly puzzled.
"I think it
more likely," Colin ventured after a few minutes of silent cognition,
"that it was Lady Hollin's House Gift that affected the attunement. The
ritual that keys a specific individual into that House's power can be affected by
the inherited talents of the person receiving the power. It is not something
that has been studied greatly in the Scholastium at Dacara, or anywhere else,
since each House tends to guard its own secrets. I would guess that trying to
break the attunement between the ring and Lady Hollin would be a tedious
process at best, and I personally think that it would prove to be impossible.
It seems that we are at an impasse." Colin sat down on the couch and
rested his chin on his hand.
His wife and Percamber
drifted back across the room to sit with gloomy faces. Hollin watched the three
of them with detached amusement as they sat in silence. At last she spoke in
her cool authoritative voice. "You cannot break or alter my link with the
ring, that is clear. Can you still transfer the energies of your crystal into
the ring?'
Colin looked up at her
in surprise, and then with eagerness as he divined what she meant. "Yes,
that should be possible. We'd need your assistance though."
She nodded
thoughtfully. "Well then, the obvious solution is to combine the energies
of the ring and the crystal. Once the actions of the Pentacle Council are
suspended, I will go as a member of the embassy to find the prince."
"Your grace has
much courage, but I doubt the members of the Council would agree to your
leaving the
fascinated, as the shifting facets began to pulse faintly as they moved.
"How do you know
that it is truly the prince that the crystal is responding to?" Hollin
whispered.
"Percamber, who
has the most knowledge of his grandson, has touched it with his mind and
verified it," Colin explained. "Have you ever worked with a crystal
before, Lady Hollin?"
"No, this is
entirely new to me. I have heard of these devices, and I was able to detect
that the ring was more than an ordinary ring, but arcane items are not in my
training. What shall we do now?"
"Percamber will be
the guide while we probe the ring to make certain that it is attuned to the
prince. That being so, Dinea and I will attempt to transfer the energies of our
crystal to the ring," Colin explained, nodding to his companions.
"Is there anything
you wish me to do during all this?" Hollin inquired.
"No, you may sit
down if you wish." Percamber smiled gratefully as Hollin handed him the
ring and stepped back.
Taking her seat, she
watched as Percamber stood with the ring cupped in his hand, gazing into the
red stone. After a moment, he raised his head in confusion. In answer to
Colin's obvious question he said, "I think that he is in here, but I want
you to look and tell me what you find." He extended the ring and Colin put
his hands around the old man's and joined him in scrutinizing the ring.
"Well, this
changes things more than a little," Colin commented as he broke his hold
with the ring.
"What's
wrong?" Dinea's face registered immediate concern.
Both men turned to face
Hollin. "How long have you worn this ring, Lady Hollin?" Percamber
asked.
"Not long. I put
it on before I began my journey to Pentarin. Why?"
"Have you worn it
much in the past?"
"No, it has been
in my personal jewel box since I was given it as a child. What's wrong? Can't
you feel the prince's imprint on it?"
"Oh yes, the prince's
energies can be discerned, though faintly. The difficulty is that the ring is
fully attuned to you, my lady," Colin replied.
"Oh dear!"
Dinea burst out. "How could that have happened? She admits to not having
much contact with the ring in the past."
Percamber sighed and
said, "I suppose that it is possible that my son-in-law adjusted the ring
before the ceremony in order to key his son’s future bride into attunement with
House Sandovar. But I don't see the point in doing so." He shook his head,
clearly puzzled.
"I think it
more likely," Colin ventured after a few minutes of silent cognition,
"that it was Lady Hollin's House Gift that affected the attunement. The
ritual that keys a specific individual into that House's power can be affected by
the inherited talents of the person receiving the power. It is not something
that has been studied greatly in the Scholastium at Dacara, or anywhere else,
since each House tends to guard its own secrets. I would guess that trying to
break the attunement between the ring and Lady Hollin would be a tedious
process at best, and I personally think that it would prove to be impossible.
It seems that we are at an impasse." Colin sat down on the couch and
rested his chin on his hand.
His wife and Percamber
drifted back across the room to sit with gloomy faces. Hollin watched the three
of them with detached amusement as they sat in silence. At last she spoke in
her cool authoritative voice. "You cannot break or alter my link with the
ring, that is clear. Can you still transfer the energies of your crystal into
the ring?'
Colin looked up at her
in surprise, and then with eagerness as he divined what she meant. "Yes,
that should be possible. We'd need your assistance though."
She nodded
thoughtfully. "Well then, the obvious solution is to combine the energies
of the ring and the crystal. Once the actions of the Pentacle Council are
suspended, I will go as a member of the embassy to find the prince."
"Your grace has
much courage, but I doubt the members of the Council would agree to your
leaving the
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