which
blocked their waking minds from remembering their dream visits with their son. Glyssani herself
had asked that the spell be woven, to prevent some small mistake on their part, discussing Athrar
where spying ears might hear, and spying eyes might discern that they weren't broken-hearted
over being deprived of their son. It would be a happy reunion.
Meghianna lifted the lid on her small leather trunk of clothes and dug through it, pulling
out a wax-sealed pot of dye. "This seems rather ... foolish, doesn't it? Thinking of this when
there is so much else to consider."
"Using magic just to re-dye your clothes and hair seems rather wasteful when we'll be
running for our lives soon," Megassa said.
"Better to dye it than to waste energy maintaining an illusion." She settled at the table
with them. "How much time do we have, until the enemy tries again?"
"We drained him--or them. And dealt a stunning blow. Whoever it is thought they were
coming after a handful of untried boys, making a lot of racket with untrained imbrose .
We couldn't have set a better trap if we had planned it."
"But we didn't intend to set a trap at all," Megassa said. A tiny snort of laughter escaped
her. "Oh, it feels so strange to say 'we' again, discussing magic and magical attacks. Strange, but
nice." She patted Meghianna's hand, and her strained smile faded. "Lorkin doesn't really like
magic. He understands that our boys have it, through me, and he's rather proud of the idea that
they all could be Valors, but... We knew this day would come, when we dedicated ourselves to
protecting Athrar. Exposure to magic and enchanters rather does lead to danger and working
spells and awakening talents that some in the Court would rather leave sleeping."
"Too right." Mrillis thought of Trevissa, for the first time in years, and wondered if her
growing periods of lucidity would let her appreciate the fine, mature, intelligent woman her
daughter had grown into.
"If you attacked your enemy, expecting him to be unprepared, and found him with more
allies than you thought... What would you expect him to do next?" Meghianna said slowly.
"If I thought that my target was still an untrained boy, defended by others, I would
expect them all to run to shelter, to the strongest allies," he said.
Megassa nodded agreement.
"Then we need to do the exact opposite," Meghianna said.
"Common sense would say to run to the Warhawk and surround Athrar with trained
Valors. The exact opposite is--" Megassa nodded. "We're only half a day's ride from the Tower
of Bo'Lantier and the tunnel under the sea."
"Half a night's ride." Mrillis stood. "You prepare the boys to leave before moonrise.
Leave me to lie to the innkeeper and the boat captain." He planned the spell of illusion he would
weave, as he left the room and headed out on his errand.
* * * *
The hardest task, Meghianna realized, was still to be faced. She and Megassa opened the
door to her sister's suite. To her relief, she found Lycen right next to Athrar, in the middle of the
boys. A flicker of pride battled with her concern as she sensed the strength and steadiness of his imbrose , only a few hours after he had touched his first piece of star-metal.
Over the years of peace and hiding, she had gnawed on the problems she would face
when Athrar's true identity was revealed. Meghianna could only imagine the questions and
uncertainties Lycen faced right this moment, not only learning he was someone else's son, but
that his brother, whom he looked out for and sometimes led into mischief, was born to be his lord
and master. Every boy in Lygroes dreamed of becoming a Valor, serving the Warhawk and
seeing Braenlicach blazing in glory in battle. Meghianna could only try to imagine how Lycen
would feel, seeing that sword in his brother's hands.
Megassa's boys leaped up from their lessons as the two women came into the room.
Lycen and Athrar stayed sitting on the floor as the four brothers gathered around their mother
and blurted
blocked their waking minds from remembering their dream visits with their son. Glyssani herself
had asked that the spell be woven, to prevent some small mistake on their part, discussing Athrar
where spying ears might hear, and spying eyes might discern that they weren't broken-hearted
over being deprived of their son. It would be a happy reunion.
Meghianna lifted the lid on her small leather trunk of clothes and dug through it, pulling
out a wax-sealed pot of dye. "This seems rather ... foolish, doesn't it? Thinking of this when
there is so much else to consider."
"Using magic just to re-dye your clothes and hair seems rather wasteful when we'll be
running for our lives soon," Megassa said.
"Better to dye it than to waste energy maintaining an illusion." She settled at the table
with them. "How much time do we have, until the enemy tries again?"
"We drained him--or them. And dealt a stunning blow. Whoever it is thought they were
coming after a handful of untried boys, making a lot of racket with untrained imbrose .
We couldn't have set a better trap if we had planned it."
"But we didn't intend to set a trap at all," Megassa said. A tiny snort of laughter escaped
her. "Oh, it feels so strange to say 'we' again, discussing magic and magical attacks. Strange, but
nice." She patted Meghianna's hand, and her strained smile faded. "Lorkin doesn't really like
magic. He understands that our boys have it, through me, and he's rather proud of the idea that
they all could be Valors, but... We knew this day would come, when we dedicated ourselves to
protecting Athrar. Exposure to magic and enchanters rather does lead to danger and working
spells and awakening talents that some in the Court would rather leave sleeping."
"Too right." Mrillis thought of Trevissa, for the first time in years, and wondered if her
growing periods of lucidity would let her appreciate the fine, mature, intelligent woman her
daughter had grown into.
"If you attacked your enemy, expecting him to be unprepared, and found him with more
allies than you thought... What would you expect him to do next?" Meghianna said slowly.
"If I thought that my target was still an untrained boy, defended by others, I would
expect them all to run to shelter, to the strongest allies," he said.
Megassa nodded agreement.
"Then we need to do the exact opposite," Meghianna said.
"Common sense would say to run to the Warhawk and surround Athrar with trained
Valors. The exact opposite is--" Megassa nodded. "We're only half a day's ride from the Tower
of Bo'Lantier and the tunnel under the sea."
"Half a night's ride." Mrillis stood. "You prepare the boys to leave before moonrise.
Leave me to lie to the innkeeper and the boat captain." He planned the spell of illusion he would
weave, as he left the room and headed out on his errand.
* * * *
The hardest task, Meghianna realized, was still to be faced. She and Megassa opened the
door to her sister's suite. To her relief, she found Lycen right next to Athrar, in the middle of the
boys. A flicker of pride battled with her concern as she sensed the strength and steadiness of his imbrose , only a few hours after he had touched his first piece of star-metal.
Over the years of peace and hiding, she had gnawed on the problems she would face
when Athrar's true identity was revealed. Meghianna could only imagine the questions and
uncertainties Lycen faced right this moment, not only learning he was someone else's son, but
that his brother, whom he looked out for and sometimes led into mischief, was born to be his lord
and master. Every boy in Lygroes dreamed of becoming a Valor, serving the Warhawk and
seeing Braenlicach blazing in glory in battle. Meghianna could only try to imagine how Lycen
would feel, seeing that sword in his brother's hands.
Megassa's boys leaped up from their lessons as the two women came into the room.
Lycen and Athrar stayed sitting on the floor as the four brothers gathered around their mother
and blurted
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