Firekeeper Saga - Wolf's Head, Wolf's Heart Part 4

"Don't be afraid," Elise rea.s.sured the wolf-woman, keeping her voice soft.

"I try," Firekeeper said, her tones gruff, "but I can't help it. I am afraid and more afraid because I don't know why I am afraid."

Elise gave her a quick hug. "It's natural. Relax into it and remember, we're just decorations. Everyone will be watching Sapphire and Shad."

"Thanks, cousin," said the crown princess dryly, but whatever else she might have said was interrupted by the double doors opening and the swelling of the music into the bride's processional.

Minnow and Anemone stepped forward, perfectly in step, perfectly in cadence. They moved out through the doors.

There may be some advantage to being twins, Elise thought, when it comes to coordination.Then it was her turn. She walked slowly through the doorway, keeping her gait even and easy. To her relief Firekeeper matched her movements. The wolf-woman had a natural grace that compensated for her fear.

They pa.s.sed through the double doors and into the Sphere Chamber. The room gave the illusion of being perfectly round though, of course, the floor was flat. The white marble walls curved upward, interrupted on two levels by half-round openings that led into viewing galleries. At the back of one of these, Elise knew, Ninette would be hurrying to her reserved place.

Long, narrow windows pierced the rounded walls at several levels. Today they had been left open to relieve the stuffiness of so many people in an enclosed s.p.a.ce.

Peeking up at the galleries through her lashes, Elise thought she glimpsed Derian Carter's red head at the front of one of the first-tier balconies. Was that Sir Jared next to him? It was quite likely. Though neither possessed the rank to be seated lower down, both had won the favor of the bride and groom, as well as that of their auspicious parents. With this came invitations to the ceremony.

The more important wedding guests were seated at floor level in a great circle, their seats placed on shallow risers surrounding the low, raised dais at the center of the room. When the Sphere Chamber was being employed as a throne room, only half of its s.p.a.ce was used. Sections of the seating area facing this theoretical "front" had been reserved since the time of King Gustin I for each of the Great Houses. Lesser personages were seated at the back and edges.

Today, since the entire room needed to be used, the carved wooden screen that backed the royal dais had been removed, permitting those seated behind a clear view-although more often then not they would be looking at the backs of the partic.i.p.ants. Here were seated the foreign diplomats, the members of the monied-if not t.i.tled-houses, and anyone else who could not be refused an invitation to the ceremony without fear of giving offense.

King Allister needed to be even more careful than would be usual for such an event, since he had yet to ascertain who were his staunch allies and who gave support but grudgingly.

The royal dais was plushly carpeted in an ivory white only slightly darker than the marble walls. An honor guard jointly captained by Sir Dirkin Eastbranch of Hawk Haven and Sir Whyte Steel of Bright Bay surrounded the dais.

The armed and armored soldiers faced the a.s.sembly. They alternated guard to guard, one in the silver and scarlet of Hawk Haven, the next in the gold and green of Bright Bay. Ironically, though they stood the closest to the partic.i.p.ants, they alone would see nothing of the ceremony, for their gazes would remain fixed outward.

Firekeeper beside her, Elise paced down the aisle. Aware-despite her a.s.surance to Firekeeper-that all eyes were upon them, Elise glanced neither right nor left, but kept her gaze level and centered on her destination.

The royal dais was well worth looking at. At the center of the circle the two kings stood shoulder to shoulder, old Tedric at the left, leaning a bit on an ornate staff, Allister standing straight and looking more like a worried father than a king. Their queens stood beside them, Elexa frail but lovely in an ethereal, cobwebby manner, Pearl round and rosy, her head held high to balance the unaccustomed burden of a crown, her eyes bright with what might have been tears.

At Pearl's shoulder stood her son Tavis. The youth seemed to have grown taller and thinner in the few moonspans since Elise had seen him last-but then boys sprouted like that at fifteen. With his shock ofdark golden hair, skinny torso, and slightly stooped posture, Tavis rather recalled a spring dandelion.

Elise suspected that when the prince grew more comfortable with his new height and learned to stand straight, he would instead bring to mind a young puma. Certainly those stormy blue eyes seemed destined to haunt girls' dreams.

A few steps in front of Elise, the twins reached the dais, curtsied to the monarchs, and then turned aside to stand alongside their brother.

Sadly, no children remained to stand at Queen Elexa's side, though she had borne two sons and a daughter and lost her health in doing so. However, when Elise and Firekeeper rose from paying their respects they took their places beside the queen.

Knowing that all eyes were turned to Sapphire, now halfway down the aisle, Elise sneaked out a hand and squeezed the queen's fingers-Elexa was her great-aunt and had always been kind to her. The queen gave Elise's hand a quick, bird-like squeeze in return.

At the center of the arc made by the two families, Crown Prince Shad waited for his bride. At twenty, he was three years younger than Sapphire. A fair-haired, serious young man, he had been a commissioned officer in Bright Bay's navy before his father won the throne. Although Shad was now crown prince, he had chosen to be wed in an elaborate dress version of his naval uniform-declaring himself for what he had won by his own merits rather than for the high position he would inherit.

The knee-breeches, waistcoat, and frock coat in dark green were not too different from what Shad would have worn in any case, but the s.h.i.+rt and hose were fine natural linen rather than the s.h.i.+mmering golden silk he would have worn as heir apparent to the throne.

The one alteration to Shad's uniform was in his headgear. Instead of the tricorn worn by lesser officers, Crown Prince Shad wore a crown upon his fair head. It was less elaborate than the Hawk Haven heirloom worn by Sapphire, but no less a declaration of his royalty.

When Sapphire reached the royal dais, Shad took her left hand and together they made homage to the monarchs. Then, gracefully trading clasped hands, they presented themselves to the a.s.sembled n.o.bles, progressing round the circle so that they would be visible to all.

The applause that greeted this gesture was loudest, Elise thought, from the theoretical rear where the foreign diplomats and their parties were seated. It would have been unthinkable to move the rulers of Bright Bay's Great Houses from their traditional places at the front, no matter how important foreign alliances would be to the new king.

Now, in a move ch.o.r.eographed to present less back to the a.s.sembly, the two families broke their arc.

The bride's party moved to the left of the dais and faced inward, while the groom's party moved to the right and did the same. The maneuver went well, and as the lowest ranked of the "floor" guests had been seated at this point, they would not be likely to complain about backs turned to them. It was enough honor that they were on the ground level at all.

Bride and groom remained at the center, facing each other.

It's going well, Elise thought as King Allister of the Pledge stepped forward to join the bride and groom.

"It is my great honor and privilege as both head of my house and head of my family to officiate at this wedding," he announced. His voice carried easily through the now-hushed room, so well that the heralds posted at the back to repeat what was said held their silence."We are here," King Allister continued, "to begin a new family, a family of two that will, with blessing and fortune, someday be a much larger family."

The traditional words took on a new meaning in the context of this particular wedding.

True enough, Elise thought, for if King Allister's wish comes true, Sapphire and Shad will be heads of a very large family indeed-that of the new kingdom of Bright Haven.

Looking out over the crowded room, she could tell that she was not the only one to have this thought, nor was every thinker pleased by the revelation.

"From the time of those ancestors who are but names in our personal litanies," King Allister went on, "we have celebrated the union of two individuals into one family by the filling of a pouch with small items symbolizing our hopes and dreams for the newly married couple. This pouch is then the first thing placed in their family shrine. Someday, when they, too, join the march of ancestors, their pouch will be moved into their heir's family shrine, thus granting continuity."

As King Allister finished speaking, Prince Shad cleared his throat. Like his father, he spoke loudly and clearly, his words heard throughout the hall.

"My dear Sapphire," Shad said, "I ask you to accept the pouch I have had prepared for this day."

He presented to her a small bag about the size of the palm of his broad hand, holding it high so that all of the a.s.sembly could at least glimpse it.

The wedding pouch was woven of gold thread, fringed with long strands of tiny, faceted emerald and ruby beads. Silver was never used in the making of these pouches, because of its tendency to tarnish; if family heraldry necessitated it, something white took its place. For this pouch the silver of Hawk Haven's coat of arms was represented in the strand of priceless matched pearls from which the pouch depended.

There were gasps of astonishment and awe as Shad held up the costly thing. Most wedding pouches were made of glove-soft leather and embroidered with costly treasures. This pouch was a treasure in itself.

Sapphire glowed with delight as she extended her hand as ritual demanded to join Shad's on the strap.

"I accept your gift," she said, her tones ringing and clear. Then in a softer voice she said, "Shad, it's just lovely."

Murmurs of delighted approval eddied through the Sphere Chamber as those in front repeated Sapphire's words to their neighbors.

This part of the ritual completed, Elise felt her heart beating faster. As the senior attendant, she would be one of the first to offer her gift. The parents, however, came first.

"My son and daughter," King Allister said, with those words accepting Sapphire into his family, "Queen Pearl and I offer you the hope of children, even as we have been blessed with children of our own."

Queen Pearl stepped forward when her husband spoke and dropped a small ivory carving of an infant into the open pouch.

She quickly kissed both her son and his new wife before stepping back to her place.

King Tedric spoke next and despite his best efforts, his words did need to be repeated by the heralds.King Tedric was clearly accustomed to this and paused between each phrase so that the heralds' voices seemed a natural echo.

"Daughter and son," he said, "you are entering into a great adventure. Elexa and I knew each other hardly at all when we were married. Over time, we have come to understand each other and to know that the greatest strength a marriage can have is the power to listen-not merely with the ears but with the heart as well. Learn to put yourself where the other stands, to not think of your own reply and advantage, but of what the other one is saying. Listening with ear and heart will bear you through all trials, through all manner of sorrows, and enhance all of your joys."

He concluded his speech by helping Queen Elexa walk forward, he leaning on his staff, she leaning on his arm.

Elexa placed in the pouch a tiny carved image of an ear and a heart bound together by a slim cord of twisted silk threads. Again the bride and groom accepted the parental kiss-though in this case the age difference made it seem grandparental.

My turn, Elise thought, and stepped lightly forward.

"Cousins," she said, "my gift is the wish for health for both of you and for all of your offspring."

Elise wanted to say more, but her mouth was drying with the sudden awareness of all those gazes-not all of them friendly-centered upon her. Panic made her heartbeat rush in her ears and she thought she heard a distant howling. Then she recaptured her confidence.

"Although you will have many treasures," she continued, realizing that the pause had been long only for herself, "health is the greatest of them. Without health, the s.h.i.+ne of gold dims, the sparkle of gems turns dull. With health, every sunrise, every fresh breeze, every glow of firelight becomes a treasure beyond counting."

She stopped then, having done her best to paraphrase similar speeches she had heard given. From the little wooden box she had carried up the aisle she removed a piece of amethyst carved in the likeness of an androgynous figure breathing in deeply-the traditional image of health.

After bestowing, the ritual kiss, Elise stepped back into her place. She discovered that she was biting the inside of her lip, for now the time had come for Firekeeper to do her part.

The wolf-woman hesitated for the barest moment. Then she stepped forward, her head held high.

Watching Firekeeper move, Elise thought she seemed haughty; then she realized that what she had taken for arrogance was a listening alertness. Firekeeper was following the routine as rehea.r.s.ed, but clearly her whole mind was not on the task at hand.

Firekeeper halted in front of the bride and groom. Her voice when she spoke was loud enough to carry, but strangely rusty-sounding. Elise realized that she had rarely-if ever-heard Firekeeper raise her voice, unless she was calling to Blind Seer-and then she was more likely to howl.

"Sapphire and Shad," Firekeeper said, omitting t.i.tles but speaking with an affectionate warmth that removed any trace of disrespect from the address, "I am to offer you the wish for wealth and I do that because I am supposed to, not because I think you will need it."

There was a soft chuckle at this, doubtless because of the abundance of gems and precious metals in evidence among the royal party.

Oh, soft-pawed Lynx, Elise thought in despair, she's forgotten her part."I offer you," Firekeeper continued seriously, "another wealth-one you have shown already, so I don't give it to you, I wish you to keep it. This wealth is the wealth of courage. Be strong and brave and faithful as you were in war, even now when there is peace. That is what I wish for you."

She placed a s.h.i.+ning gold coin in the bag-the traditional fallback money with which every family gifted the newlyweds. After this she added something that only the bride and groom saw.

The wolf-woman smiled and solemnly kissed the astonished twosome, then padded back to her place.

Through all of this, even her carefully worded speech, she never lost that bow-strung alertness.

Elise wondered if anyone else recognized Firekeeper's att.i.tude for what it was. Glancing about, she saw Sir Dirkin Eastbranch looking from side to side, frowning.

After this, the ceremony proceeded without any interruptions to the ritual course. Prince Tavis stepped forward next and offered the couple the gift of wisdom. Giggles vanished into wide-eyed solemnity, the twins offered their eldest brother and his new wife the gift of happiness. Then it was time for the bride and groom to offer each other their secret wishes-each for the other.

Sapphire began, her strong fingers curled around the token in her hand so that none might glimpse it and so denature the power of the wish.

"Shad, I offer you my secret wish for our union." Sapphire's words were ritual, but the ringing note in her voice made them unique to this marriage. "I give it to you because from this day forth whatever I do, I do as part of something new-a new creation called 'us.' "

She slipped her trinket into the bag. Clearing his throat, Shad spoke in turn. Although the words were the same and his delivery less polished, he too spoke with sincerity.

Stealing a glance about the hall as Shad slipped his secret into the marriage pouch, Elise noted that many of the watchers were wiping away tears. The hostile looks had softened, too, blunted perhaps by the intensity of the two young people in front of them.

Incongruously, Elise thought she heard a distant, mournful wolf's howl. Again, she was in a position to note the expressions on other faces and realized that the sound wasn't merely her imagination. Surprise, annoyance, curiosity danced across face after face. The one face Elise couldn't see was Firekeeper's, for the wolf-woman still stood at her shoulder but through that slight contact she felt the other tense.

The ceremony was moving into its final phase and no one was about to interrupt it to deal with a disconsolate wolf. Indeed, many of the guests probably thought the cry was that of some hunting dog out in one of the courtyards and had already dismissed the noise as a minor annoyance.

Sapphire certainly recognized that lupine voice, but she did not permit anything to distract her from this important moment. As Shad had produced the pouch at the beginning of the ceremony, she drew something from her little basket.

"Now," she said, the single word a triumphant clarion, "dear Shad, we have received the good wishes of family and friends. With this needle and thread let me close the pouch so that' these good wishes may sustain us through a long and fruitful marriage."

Shad drew the two edges close together, holding them for Sapphire's ease. As he did so he recited, "What we here have drawn together let no person, no force, no cause in all the world pull apart.

Together we are sewn. Together we shall remain."On the final words, Sapphire ended her st.i.tching and tied off the thread. As it snapped, the a.s.sembled guests broke their long silence by chanting as with one voice slightly furred about the edges: "As these two so wish it, let it be so."

Bride and groom embraced and Elise felt tears blur her eyes.

Caught in the joyful moment, she thought the shouting that filled the hall was that of spontaneous applause. Only when she heard someone scream, heard the crash of metal upon wood, and saw Firekeeper leaping toward the bride and groom did she realize that something had gone terribly wrong.

Chapter IV.

From his seat in the front row of a first-tier balcony, Derian Carter saw the a.s.sa.s.sins attack.

Unfortunately, he was unable to do anything to prevent them. All he could do was lean forward and add his voice to the hundreds raised in spontaneous cries of warning.

"Look out!" he heard himself yell, and even as the words were ripping their way from his throat he thought how foolish they were.

Jared Surcliffe was on his feet trying to leave the balcony, his efforts slowed by those guests who were crowding forward for a better view.

"Let me through!" he commanded, pus.h.i.+ng his way through. "I'm a doctor."

Such was Sir Jared's authority that the panicked mob did part-at least sufficiently to let him squeeze by.

Derian kept to his seat, knowing that by the time he reached the floor whatever was transpiring would be over. Instead, he set himself to witness every motion, for perhaps that testimony would prove of some later use.

Even as Sapphire had broken the thread with which she had st.i.tched closed the wedding pouch and the a.s.sembled guests had spoken their joint blessing, four pairs of men had suddenly risen from their places among the rows of foreign guests.

No one commented or made move to stop them as they crossed the few steps that took them to the front. They were foreigners and couldn't be expected to know the details of the ritual. Indeed, the fact that they were garbed and equipped in a similar fas.h.i.+on suggested that they were special attendants, moving to escort their honored masters to congratulate the bride and groom.

One man in each pair bore a stout, heavily ornamented walking stick. Upon reaching the front row, he swung this at the guard closest to him, a fast, hard, practiced move that was hardly signaled by his body language until the action was already under way.

Although not expecting any such attack-indeed, distracted by the need to p.r.o.nounce the ritual blessing-each guard automatically moved to block the walking stick with the elegantly beribboned spear he held in one hand. As the guard did so, the true nature of this seemingly insane attack came clear, when the second man of each pair dove for the s.p.a.ce now opened in the ring of guards.

Sir Dirkin and Sir Whyte had positioned the guards so that each had the s.p.a.ce of a broad-shouldered man between him and the next. This was partially so that the guards would not block the view of thosevery important guests seated in the lowest, closest bank of seats, partially so if action was called for they would have room to move. Shoulder-to-shoulder looked very impressive on parade, but it made bringing sword or spear into play rather difficult.

Three of the a.s.sa.s.sins who moved for the openings their partners had created leapt onto the dais with ease. The fourth was tripped by the b.u.t.t end of the spear held by the guard at the other end of the gap, a quick-moving fellow whose reward was a knife thrown to bury itself to the hilt in his throat, fountaining blood over his white scarf.

The guards wore breastplates painted with their personal arms over dress uniforms that included highly polished helms, but no one had thought full armor-including highly uncomfortable neck protection-necessary, since the guards' role was to be ceremonial and preventative, not combative.

Having lost one knife, the a.s.sa.s.sin rolled clear of the spear point another guard thrust at him. Derian saw a look of studied panic on the a.s.sa.s.sin's face and realized that the man knew he was doomed, that his only wish was to cause sufficient distraction that those who had broken onto the royal dais would have time to perform their task.

Fascinating as that struggle was, Derian's gaze was drawn irresistibly to where the a.s.sa.s.sins raced toward the bride and groom. Long knives shone bare-bladed in the torchlight. Shad had grasped Sapphire and thrust her behind him-a gallant impulse but one doomed to failure, for the warrior princess was determined to remain at her new husband's side.