me.”
“I doubt I shall ever marry,” Selendra said. “I thought I wanted to, but this was so unpleasant as to change my mind about it entirely. I shall remain a maiden, old and gray, and you shall be a ruby-red dowager, and we shall live together always.” Selendra yawned in a way any mother, governess, or nanny would have said was unfitting for a dragon maid, showing the full expanse of her fangs and the great red cavern of the inside of her mouth.
“The first of us to find a dragon to love shall accept him only if the other knows and esteems him, and then we shall all live together,” Haner said.
“I so swear,” Selendra said, embracing her sister.
“I so swear,” Haner repeated, embracing Selendra back.
Selendra settled back on her gold, yawned again, more befittingly with her wing before her mouth, and fell asleep. Haner watched her for a moment, feeling the first pang of what separation would really mean. For Haner, separation from Selendra seemed asgreat a sorrow as their father’s death. She sat down across the mouth of the cave and prepared to guard her sister against any dangers that might come.
11. SURPRISES FOR PENN
Penn spent the whole day from breakfast onwards up on the heights, praying to all three gods. He prayed for mercy for Selendra, for wisdom for himself to do the right thing for her, and for the soul of his father, flying even now towards rebirth. He would have gone to the old church where he had first learned to know the gods, but for the possibility of meeting Frelt there. The more he thought of Frelt the more angry he became. He tried to forgive him, as a parson should, he tried to think better of him than he did, and he tried to find peace through meditation. He found no forgiveness, and could not but think worse of Frelt the more he considered matters, but at last he did find a kind of peace in sitting on the highest point of the crag, the winds and clouds around him, repeating the prayers for his father’s soul over and over.
When he came down, he first encountered his brother. Avan had also spent the day fretting about Selendra. Frelt’s proposal had eclipsed even the Illustrious Daverak’s rudeness for both brothers. Penn’s silver eyes were distant when he came in, whirling only once or twice in a minute, for he had kept them fixed on the depths. He almost stumbled over Avan where he lay couchant across the ledge blocking his brother’s entrance.
“I have had a thought about Selendra,” Avan said. Penn blinked, stepped back carefully, and tried to bring his mind up to the moment, losing all his hard-acquired calm in the process.
“What?” Penn asked. “I can’t see that there’s any choice but that she will have to marry him.”
“I knew you would think so, but there may be another answer.” Avan smiled and drew himself up sejant, legs under him, tail curled around his legs and his arms folded across his breast. “I have a good friend, the Exalt Rimalin. She has an establishment in Irieth, and one in the country, somewhere in the north. Her husband is a minister in government.”
“I believe I have heard of him,” Penn said, though his friends were not political. He was utterly puzzled as to where this could be leading.
“They have some gold, but are not rich, not as those of Exalted rank are considered to be rich. However, they own their establishments outright and owe nothing to anyone and are looked at on all sides as a respectable family. I believe the Exalted Rimalin might be induced to look favorably upon Selendra, with her dowry and being my sister, and yours of course.”
“Look favorably on her?” Penn was even more confused. He even wondered for a moment if Avan could be suggesting some such position as governess to Rimalin’s children. “Look favorably how?”
“As a consort, of course.”
“But you said he had a wife, that his wife was your friend.”
“Yes, that’s just why this will work, don’t you see?” Avan had been
“I doubt I shall ever marry,” Selendra said. “I thought I wanted to, but this was so unpleasant as to change my mind about it entirely. I shall remain a maiden, old and gray, and you shall be a ruby-red dowager, and we shall live together always.” Selendra yawned in a way any mother, governess, or nanny would have said was unfitting for a dragon maid, showing the full expanse of her fangs and the great red cavern of the inside of her mouth.
“The first of us to find a dragon to love shall accept him only if the other knows and esteems him, and then we shall all live together,” Haner said.
“I so swear,” Selendra said, embracing her sister.
“I so swear,” Haner repeated, embracing Selendra back.
Selendra settled back on her gold, yawned again, more befittingly with her wing before her mouth, and fell asleep. Haner watched her for a moment, feeling the first pang of what separation would really mean. For Haner, separation from Selendra seemed asgreat a sorrow as their father’s death. She sat down across the mouth of the cave and prepared to guard her sister against any dangers that might come.
11. SURPRISES FOR PENN
Penn spent the whole day from breakfast onwards up on the heights, praying to all three gods. He prayed for mercy for Selendra, for wisdom for himself to do the right thing for her, and for the soul of his father, flying even now towards rebirth. He would have gone to the old church where he had first learned to know the gods, but for the possibility of meeting Frelt there. The more he thought of Frelt the more angry he became. He tried to forgive him, as a parson should, he tried to think better of him than he did, and he tried to find peace through meditation. He found no forgiveness, and could not but think worse of Frelt the more he considered matters, but at last he did find a kind of peace in sitting on the highest point of the crag, the winds and clouds around him, repeating the prayers for his father’s soul over and over.
When he came down, he first encountered his brother. Avan had also spent the day fretting about Selendra. Frelt’s proposal had eclipsed even the Illustrious Daverak’s rudeness for both brothers. Penn’s silver eyes were distant when he came in, whirling only once or twice in a minute, for he had kept them fixed on the depths. He almost stumbled over Avan where he lay couchant across the ledge blocking his brother’s entrance.
“I have had a thought about Selendra,” Avan said. Penn blinked, stepped back carefully, and tried to bring his mind up to the moment, losing all his hard-acquired calm in the process.
“What?” Penn asked. “I can’t see that there’s any choice but that she will have to marry him.”
“I knew you would think so, but there may be another answer.” Avan smiled and drew himself up sejant, legs under him, tail curled around his legs and his arms folded across his breast. “I have a good friend, the Exalt Rimalin. She has an establishment in Irieth, and one in the country, somewhere in the north. Her husband is a minister in government.”
“I believe I have heard of him,” Penn said, though his friends were not political. He was utterly puzzled as to where this could be leading.
“They have some gold, but are not rich, not as those of Exalted rank are considered to be rich. However, they own their establishments outright and owe nothing to anyone and are looked at on all sides as a respectable family. I believe the Exalted Rimalin might be induced to look favorably upon Selendra, with her dowry and being my sister, and yours of course.”
“Look favorably on her?” Penn was even more confused. He even wondered for a moment if Avan could be suggesting some such position as governess to Rimalin’s children. “Look favorably how?”
“As a consort, of course.”
“But you said he had a wife, that his wife was your friend.”
“Yes, that’s just why this will work, don’t you see?” Avan had been
Similar Books
