Part 46 (2/2)
”Not yet. There is one more thing I need to accomplish here.”
Suddenly uneasy, Ruadh asked, ”Surely, you don't intend to try to take Hrofceaster?”
”Not Hrofceaster, itself. Only what it holds-Taminy-Osmaer.”
”Are you mad? The longer you stay here, the more time you give her to retaliate. I know you think you and your Wickish consorts are very clever and powerful, but-”
”We are both clever and powerful. Taminy imagines that she is dealing with one power, but she is dealing with two-three if you count that traitorous Hillwild woman. And she is afraid of me.”
”This awesome woman is afraid of you?”
”So Lilias tells me.”
The uneasiness of Ruadh's soul increased. ”Cousin, you have the Cyneric. You can return to Creiddylad and set yourself up as his Regent and Durweard. You can marry your Deasach Cwen, if you would. You can pacify the Houses and harness the a.s.sembly. With Airleas in hand, you will have power in Caraid-land. If Taminy-Osmaer is, as you say, afraid of you, you can keep her at bay, as well. Why must we continue to put ourselves through this hards.h.i.+p? So you can avenge yourself on this woman for some former humiliation?”
Daimhin shook his head. ”I don't want revenge, Ruadh. You scoff at my 'Wickish consorts,' as you call them. You may be right in thinking them an inferior sort. Coinich Mor is certainly rough-cut and Lilias is a foreigner. But what of a Divine consort? Would you scoff at that?”
”A Divine consort? What do you mean?” Ruadh knew what he meant, but somehow hoped the words that came from Daimhin's mouth would prove his suspicions false. They did not.
”Taminy-Osmaer, cousin. That's who I would wed. Imagine it-Light and Darkness, the Divine and the Profane, the Blameless and the Wicked. The power, you see, is in the contrast.”
Insanity. It wore his cousin's face. If he could, he would gather his men and leave this moment. Only honor prevented him.
”How can you hope to harness that power? She is a minion of the Meri. Ultimately, the Meri will prevail.”
”The beauty of her strength, is that it is constrained, even confined, by a peculiar weakness. She could destroy me-I believe she would have destroyed me, once-but, you see, her nature prevents her. She is incapable of deviousness; I am deviousness itself. She abhors violence; I find it exhilarating. She is above l.u.s.t; I am l.u.s.t incarnate. She serves a Mistress of Light; I serve a Master of Darkness.”
Ruadh could only sit and s.h.i.+ver with the cold that sat in the pit of his stomach. ”You've spoken like this before-about your Dark Master. What Master do you mean? Surely, you don't believe in Cadder's Grand Demon?”
”What do you know of that?”
”Only what he's sniveled in his frequent moments of whining. Every evil thing in the world is the fault of this mighty Demon. Most especially, is Taminy-Osmaer the fault of this Demon. It would not occur to Minister Cadder that evil is a product of the human mind, born out of human weaknesses.”
Daimhin smiled indulgently. ”Would such a thing occur to you?”
”Yes.”
”Then you don't believe the universe holds both the Spirit and Its Opposite, Its balance, Its undoing?”
”No.”
”Well, I do believe that. Moreover, I believe I am called to serve that Opposite. Coinich Mor tried to convince me that the power of my aidan arose within me. She spoke in ignorance. Oh yes, of course, she instructed me in how to Weave by tapping my own energies and those of others. But I can feel something outside me, beyond me, feeding those energies. It is this that Caime Cadder fears and I exult in. A Being of Darkness. The Spirit's opposition.”
”So, in wedding Taminy, you expect to bring Light under the control of Darkness?”
Daimhin chuckled. ”You misunderstand my intention. Let me share with you what I have come to understand. You see, the universe exists in a balance. If the balance is upset, chaos erupts. I now know that the Meri regenerates every hundred years or so. When this occurs, Light floods the world; the balance is upset. There is what the Osraed call a Cusp; there is a battle, if you will, between what the Osraed perceive as Good and what they perceive as Evil. There is chaos; blood is shed; the balance of power is upset in Creiddylad as elsewhere. But in this Cusp, the chaos will be short-lived because I have come to understand the need for balance. I will wed Taminy-Osmaer and there will be balance between Darkness and Light.”
”You expect to be in control of Light?”
Daimhin smiled. ”I told you, Ruadh, Taminy lacks the strong qualities necessary for control. Therefore, I shall harness her powers as well as mine for the best interests of Caraid-land.” His eyes brightened. ”I shall bring about a confluence of good and evil. Think of it, Ruadh. For the first time in history, a balance shall be struck between the two.”
”Ah, and there shall be peace and prosperity for all,” said Ruadh facetiously.
”Exactly.”
There was no talking to him, he was so full of himself-so full of his grandiose ideas. Ruadh had no recourse but to go to his cousin's allies, such as they were. They gathered in Lilias Saba's tent-the Banarigh, Coinich Mor, The Dearg, Caime Cadder and himself-and he told them of his cousin's intention to drag Taminy-a-Cuinn from Hrofceaster and wed her. He didn't mention Daimhin's prattle about Darkness and Light. He spoke in terms of a balance of power-of the logic of control.
”If he kills her, she becomes a martyr-someone for whom people will be willing to fight. Likewise, if he leaves her here and free, she continues to be a rallying point for every dissident and malcontent in Caraid-land. So, Daimhin has . . . come to believe that the only way he can control Taminy's allies is to control her. And to enlist her tacit support.”
Caime Cadder's face was as white as the snow covering the ground outside. ”He can't control her. Doesn't he see that?”
”He thinks he's done a mighty good job of it so far. He believes his talent for subterfuge makes him inherently stronger. And, of course, his aidan and his fey allies.” Ruadh bowed toward the Dearg and Deasach women, who glanced at each other in a way that made his skin crawl.
”He was to marry me,” Lilias said. ”He spoke to me of power and love.” She smiled wryly. ”Also, our common love of power. I will not share him with Taminy the Pure.”
Eadrig Dearg made a rude noise. ”I care little for that, mistress. But I do care that the man behind our Cyneric's throne not take this Wicke into his confidence. She'll taint him as surely as she draws air.”
Ruadh declined to comment upon who would taint whom, but merely said, ”Then are we agreed that he must be discouraged from this course? That he must be made to return to Creiddylad with Airleas, now?”
”At all costs,” said Cadder. ”He can have no idea how dangerous that woman is. He is swept up in a heady sense of his own power. He is naive. He cannot hope to control her. She Weaves to make him believe that he can.” He glanced around at the others. ”You see how insidious she is?”
”What do you put forth as a plan?” asked The Dearg.
”Withdraw your men. Threaten to leave him here with only the Deasach as allies.”
Lilias Saba laughed. ”He has no Deasach allies. He will not let me avenge my brother's death on this Osmaer woman and now he insults me by proposing to marry her. I've had enough of this gaming.”
”Now, Raven,” murmured Coinich Mor, ”will you let your jealousy blind you? What better way to avenge your brother than to allow our Daimhin to get his hands on the Wicke so you can get your hands on her?”
Lilias pursed her generous lips. ”You make a winning point.”
Cadder scowled and glanced at Ruadh. ”Where is he?”
”Visiting the Cyneric.”
”I must speak to him.”
”Speak to him,” said the Raven, ”of my decision to leave him alone on this mountain. Then perhaps your threats of Divine retribution may mean something to him.”
She left the tent, swaggering, and Ruadh could not help but think how well-suited she and Daimhin were, albeit, she was not as mad.
”Your cousin says you would marry the Caraidin Wicke.”
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