Part 40 (1/2)
”When am I going to wake from this nightmare?” murmured the revenant distractedly. murmured the revenant distractedly.
Her hand crept out from beneath the sheet, not stopping until her fingers pinched Jagu's arm, feeling the rea.s.suring warmth of living flesh and blood.
”M-Maistre de Joyeuse?” Jagu sounded as dazed as she, reverting to using Henri's full t.i.tle as he had done in his student days.
” Why can no one hear me?” Why can no one hear me?” There was such a burden of desolation in his words that Celestine could not bear to listen. There was such a burden of desolation in his words that Celestine could not bear to listen.
”I can hear you.” The voice of the Faie issued from the book that lay on the bedside table. The voice of the Faie issued from the book that lay on the bedside table.
”Faie?” Celestine said softly.
”Go back,” said the Faie in a tone both compa.s.sionate and commanding. said the Faie in a tone both compa.s.sionate and commanding.
”Don't send me back. Not there.” The revenant's pale features twisted, warping into a look of such terror that Celestine could not bear to look and buried her face in her hands. And then she heard a voice, so pure and unearthly that it could have been the sound of a star singing. Daring to peer out between her fingers, she saw that the Faie had transformed into a creature of dazzling brightness. Her face was transfigured, her eyes closed, her arms extended as the song poured from her open mouth. A sliver of light appeared beyond the tips of her fingers, growing brighter until it opened like a doorway and radiance spilled out. The revenant's pale features twisted, warping into a look of such terror that Celestine could not bear to look and buried her face in her hands. And then she heard a voice, so pure and unearthly that it could have been the sound of a star singing. Daring to peer out between her fingers, she saw that the Faie had transformed into a creature of dazzling brightness. Her face was transfigured, her eyes closed, her arms extended as the song poured from her open mouth. A sliver of light appeared beyond the tips of her fingers, growing brighter until it opened like a doorway and radiance spilled out.
The revenant's tortured features slowly relaxed, to be replaced by a look of calm detachment. It turned and its shadowy form seemed to melt into the brightness.
The Faie's voice faded away and with it, the light that had filled the attic room.
”Is he gone?” Celestine whispered. The Faie let out the faintest of sighs. Her form was fading too as she melted back into the book. ”Faie! What's wrong?”
” I just... need to rest a little... I just... need to rest a little...”
Jagu was rubbing his eyes. ”Tell me that was a dream,” he said shakily.
”It wasn't a dream.”
”But that singing... and that dazzling light...”
How to begin to explain it all to Jagu?
”The dead don't return,” he said as he lay back, almost as if he were trying to rea.s.sure himself. ”Not unless their souls have been stolen...”
But long after his breathing had lapsed back into the steady, regular rhythm of sleep, Celestine lay awake, trying to make sense of what she had seen.
Gauzia closed her dressing-room door. The room was filled with fresh flowers and their sultry scent was overpowering. A bouquet of rose-pink camellias lay on the dressing table; curious, she picked up the attached card to read who had sent it. Behind her, she heard the sound of someone slowly applauding.
She spun around to see a man sitting behind the door. He was smiling at her. ”What a superb performance you gave tonight, Diva!”
”What the h.e.l.l are you doing in my dressing room? Get out, before I call the manager!”
”There's no need for alarm, my dear demoiselle, I mean you no harm.” The lazy smile only infuriated her more.
”Get out!” She seized the nearest object to hand-a hairbrush- and began to advance on him, brandis.h.i.+ng it.
”I'm here on official business,” he said, not making the slightest move to leave. ”From Maistre Donatien of the Commanderie. I'm looking for two old friends of yours. I wondered if you might have seen them.”
She lowered the hairbrush. ”Old friends?” she said suspiciously. Her admirers sometimes invented extraordinary excuses to try to get close to her.
”Celestine de Joyeuse-and her accompanist, Jagu de Rustephan.”
”Celestine-a friend?” friend?” she echoed. Even the sound of her onetime fellow student's name rankled. ”What's your name, Guerrier?” she echoed. Even the sound of her onetime fellow student's name rankled. ”What's your name, Guerrier?”
”Guyomard's the name. Lieutenant Kilian Guyomard.” Again that lazy, knowing smile.
”Can I trust you, I wonder, Lieutenant? The very fact that you've traveled all this way to Mirom must mean that you have a strong suspicion she's to be found here.” Maela Ca.s.sard. Maela Ca.s.sard. ”Of course I can't be entirely sure,” she said, sniffing at a fragrant bouquet of hothouse lilies left on her dressing table, ”but I've had my suspicions about her since the start. It's a very clever disguise. Her hair, her complexion, even the color of her eyes. But the voice. It's impossible to disguise that unique timbre. What would make her go to such lengths to reinvent herself, Lieutenant? Is she in any kind of... trouble?” ”Of course I can't be entirely sure,” she said, sniffing at a fragrant bouquet of hothouse lilies left on her dressing table, ”but I've had my suspicions about her since the start. It's a very clever disguise. Her hair, her complexion, even the color of her eyes. But the voice. It's impossible to disguise that unique timbre. What would make her go to such lengths to reinvent herself, Lieutenant? Is she in any kind of... trouble?”
”So she's here in disguise?”
He had only answered her question with another question.
”I never said I was sure.” If he could be evasive, so could she.
”Maistre Donatien is very close to Prince Ilsevir. I'm sure he could put in a good word about you if you were to a.s.sist me-and the Commanderie-with our inquiries.”
”Oh, really?” So he was trying to bribe her with promises of royal patronage. ”That sounds rather attractive to me.” She broke off one of the lilies and went up to him, tucking it into his top b.u.t.tonhole. As she did so, she whispered a name in his ear.
”Maela Ca.s.sard.”
CHAPTER 20.
Celestine had been drowsing, her head pillowed against Jagu's bare chest, feeling so warm and comfortable that she had no desire to move. And then she heard the sound of brisk footsteps hurrying up the stairs toward her room.
”Someone's coming!”
”Your landlady?”
Celestine shook her head. ”Not at that speed!”
A fist rapped loudly on the door.
”Demoiselle! Open up!” called out a man's voice in Francian.
They both spilled out of bed, fumbling for their clothes. Jagu was fastening his breeches; grabbing his s.h.i.+rt, he signed to her to keep quiet. The door handle rattled; the man outside was evidently determined to get in and it was only a matter of seconds before he would break the lock. Celestine tugged her s.h.i.+ft over her head and cast around in a panic for the saffron dress she had been wearing the day before. Please don't let it be the Inquisition. Please don't let it be the Inquisition.
”I'll protect you,” whispered the Faie. whispered the Faie.
”I know you're in there, Demoiselle. Haven't you got a few words of welcome for your old friend, Kilian?”
Celestine, trying to pull on her stockings, stared at Jagu. ”Kilian? ”Kilian? Did you tell him, Jagu?” Did you tell him, Jagu?”
Jagu looked at her blankly. ”I didn't even know he was in Mirom.”
”Well, well...” Kilian stood in the doorway. ”Celestine and Jagu, here in Mirom together. How long has this cozy little arrangement been going on?”
”It's not what you think, Kilian!” said Jagu defensively.