Part 36 (1/2)
”Why?” Enguerrand was saying to Aude. ”Why is his soul not at rest? Why has he come back to haunt me?”
”Who did you think you saw?” Andrei sat down beside them.
”Ruaud de Lanvaux.” Enguerrand turned to stare at him with sleep-starved eyes. ”He tried to exorcise the daemon and I-no, Nilaihah-murdered him. His blood is on my conscience.”
”A vengeful ghost?” Andrei was still skeptical.
”Why don't we have Pere Laorans say prayers for his soul?” Aude suggested and Andrei saw Enguerrand's anguished expression relax a little.
”Oh yes, Aude, thank you...” The king lay back, evidently exhausted by his outburst. Aude met Andrei's eyes in the pale dawn-light.
”He wasn't imagining it,” she said softly. ”I saw the ghost too; and if it wasn't Maistre de Lanvaux, then it was a very clever spirit to copy his likeness so exactly.”
Andrei said nothing, but he knew that for the practical Aude to have admitted that she had recognized the ghost, it could not have been a hallucination. As to what the ghost's appearance meant, however, he could not begin to imagine. It had left him with a chill, unsettled feeling, as if there were unforeseen consequences to the destruction of the Serpent Gate that were only now beginning to make themselves apparent.
It was exhausting working in the late afternoon, even after the fiercest heat of the day had dissipated. But to build new huts, the islanders needed timber, so even the princes of Rossiya joined in with the tree-felling.
Andrei stopped to wipe the dripping sweat from his eyes.
”Slacking again, Orlov?” Oskar jeered. He had stripped to the waist and was swinging his axe with skill, expertly splitting the wood.
”Mon pere, look!” One of the little boys came hurtling past, screaming out at the top of his voice. ”Look up. There's a man in a flying boat!”
Andrei dropped his axe. Oskar shaded his eyes to gaze at the sky. Aude came running out of the hospital hut. There was nothing to be seen above the tops of the trees but a line of little white clouds, fine as thistledown.
”Those children have vivid imaginations.” Andrei bent to pick up his axe, wis.h.i.+ng that he had not been foolish enough to dare to hope. Oskar began to swing his axe again with renewed fury, chips of bark flying out at all angles.
It must have been a half hour or so later when the village dogs started to yap excitedly.
”Someone's coming,” said Oskar warningly to Andrei. Both men picked up their axes and went to the edge of the clearing. There had been rumors of pirates and Andrei was only too aware how vulnerable to attack the little community was.
Walking slowly toward them came a white-haired man, his long wispy beard stirred by the first evening breeze off the sea.
Andrei stared, then rubbed his eyes. Was it a mirage... or another revenant? The old man looked frail and walked with a halting gait, as if his bones ached, but he was no illusion.
”Magus!” Andrei hailed him. He had never thought he would be so glad to see Kaspar Linnaius in his life.
Linnaius stopped. He peered at Andrei. ”Your highness is alive!” He nodded, approvingly. ”This is good news indeed. Your sister has been sick with worry.”
”So she sent you to look for me?” Andrei was greatly touched at the thought that Astasia still cared for him, in spite of the ordeal that he and his Drakhaoul had subjected her to.
”The Emperor charged me to search for you all.”
”And what provoked this sudden change of heart?” Oskar, his s.h.i.+rt slung over his bare shoulders, came over to Andrei's side.
”You must be tired, Magus. Please come and rest in the shade.” Andrei led the way up the dirt track as the village children followed, curious to see the old man who had arrived in a flying boat, whispering and giggling, their dark eyes round with wonder.
”They think we're dead?” dead?” Enguerrand raised his head from the pillow; Aude went to help him. Enguerrand raised his head from the pillow; Aude went to help him.
”The first s.h.i.+ps bringing aid from the west are still far off. And I've been searching for you for many days, going from island to island.”
”So it was a.s.sumed that we all drowned?”
”Ty Nagar is gone.” Linnaius took a sip of his cinnamon tea. ”From what I could see, a ma.s.sive volcanic eruption split the island in two and sank it beneath the waves.”
”How has my mother taken the news?” Enguerrand asked.
”Your mother has invited your brother-in-law, Ilsevir, to succeed to the throne in your place. The coronation is probably taking place as we speak.”
”What!” Enguerrand sat bolt upright. ”How dare she!” Enguerrand sat bolt upright. ”How dare she!”
”No one is more keen to see you restored to the throne of Francia than the Emperor,” Linnaius said diplomatically. ”He is reluctant to recognize Ilsevir as joint ruler of Francia and Allegonde. He has a proposition to put to you-”
”I will not get involved in the Emperor's political machinations! Does Eugene think I'm incapable of setting my own house in order?” Enguerrand, exhausted by his outburst, dropped back. ”I insist that you take me straight back to Lutece.”
Linnaius sighed; he was weary of indulging these young princes and their petulant outbursts. He was tempted to remind Enguerrand that if it were not for the Emperor's intervention, there would be no hope of rescue for many weeks. ”Would you prefer to wait for the Rossiyan fleet to arrive, majesty? They're still some way off and the journey back to Francia will take them at least five months.”
CHAPTER 15.
It was past midnight by the time Celestine reached her lodgings. She was greeted by her landlady's three black-and-white cats, who frisked about her skirts, purring and rubbing their heads against her hand when she bent to stroke them. The performance had gone well enough that evening, but Gauzia was becoming increasingly difficult, resorting to little scene-stealing tricks, conducting elaborate business behind her back as she was singing, provoking sn.i.g.g.e.rs from some of the audience. She had even stooped so low as to encourage her clique of followers to chatter noisily during Celestine's first aria, leading to loud shus.h.i.+ng, then shouts of disapproval from Celestine's staunchest admirers. Afterward, Grebin had summoned both women to his office and given them a stern lecture.
”I don't want a riot on my hands, ladies, no matter how strongly your admirers feel about your relative charms. Riots are expensive!” Grebin glared at them both. ”And of course I would have to withhold your fees to cover the cost of repairs to the theater.”
There were only eight more performances to be endured before Gauzia and her entourage were due to travel on to Tielborg. Celestine couldn't wait to be rid of her. Although once Gauzia was gone, there was no guarantee Grebin would give her a part in the next opera. It was rumored that Anna Krylova was making a good recovery, so Celestine fully expected that she would be demoted to the chorus once more.
She unlocked the door to her little room then stopped on the threshold. The figure of a man was silhouetted against a skim of pale moonlight. A burglar? A burglar? She felt the Faie tense, ready to defend her. She felt the Faie tense, ready to defend her.
The intruder turned toward her and she took a step back as the uncertain moonlight brightened, revealing the soft grey eyes and honey-fair hair of her dead lover. The cats turned tail and fled down the stairs.
”Henri?” she said, retreating. ”What are you doing here?” It couldn't be Henri; Henri was dead. Unless this was...
” Who are you?” Who are you?” He stared at her. He stared at her. ”You sound like my Celestine... but I don't recognize you. ”You sound like my Celestine... but I don't recognize you.”
”Faie!” Celestine cried. ”Change me back.”
”Be careful, Celestine; this is nothing but a revenant, a mere shadow of your lost love-”
”I don't care. Change me back now.” And as the Faie's glamour fell away from her, she saw his bewildered expression fade and alter, smiling as he recognized her. He held out his hands. She started forward, only to feel the Faie check her.
”Don't go to him. Don't go any closer.”
”Henri? What are you doing here?” Celestine ached to run into his arms.
”I had to see you. I had to know that you were all right. There's so much I need to tell you.”