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No time to waste
I spun back. In two strides I braced Teirnan, lift-
ing my knee to thrust it home where it would do the most damage. But Vaii knew
my intentions nearly as quickly as I did, charging to rake tusk through boot
leather into the ankle beneath.
Teirnan caught both wrists and held them firmly, unperturbed by my struggles,
by the curses I heaped on him. My ankle bled and burned.
"Let me see her," Rhiannon said.
Teirnan turned me forcibly, twisting my arms be-
hind me. I was weak from the fasting and my ankle was afire. I could not
believe Vaii had attacked me.
A
lir attacking a Cheysuli?
But Vaii was Teirnan's lir, equally committed to treachery.
I had not seen Rhiannon for more than two years.
Then, she had been Brennan's meijha, masquerading as a sweet-mouthed Homanan
girl madly in love with the Prince of Homana. I knew better, now; she had
given herself away on the day she stole Brennan for
Strahan. lan's Ihlini daughter, born of Strahan's sis-
ter, Lillith.
Black-haired, black-eyed, as so many Ihlini are, but with skin fair as Ilsa s.
A lovely, striking woman, now more so than ever, who had borne my brother a
child to be matched with Strahan's own, bred on his meijha, Sidra. Such a
twisted, tangled birthline, now firmly entwined with mine.
She wore leathers, which shocked me. And gold at her throat, dangling from her
ears, hooking her belt in place. Slim, deadly Rhiannon, half Cheysuli, half
Ihlini, with no lir but all the power.
She held up a silver chain, displaying it. From it depended a ring: sapphire
set in silver. It was, I
knew, a trinket Brennan had once given her; she had kept it well since then,
using it to augment her spells. Because it had been Brennan's, she could use
it as a shield. It was why I had not known of her presence. It was why my
magic was useless.
She tucked the ring and chain away. "Call me a'saii,"
she said, "it will do as well as another."
"Strahan is dead," I told her, hoping it would hurt.
Rhiannon merely nodded. "Some of us die youn-
ger than others. He is a great loss, aye, and we grieve for his absence, but
there are things to do. Life must continue, and so must the duty, until our
task is finished."
She had known. That much was clear. And since she was here, aiding Teirnan, I
knew very well Corin's hopes for waning Ihlini influence would not come true.
"You and Lillith," I said.
"Lillith, me, the children." Rhiannon smiled slowly.
"And yours as well, Keely. Did you think we did not know?"
Teirnan's hands tightened. I felt his breath against my hair. "Are you saying
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he got her with child?"
"A potent man, my uncle ... in his children, his name lives on." Behind her
the shelter burned low;
little was left but smoke and ash. "Have her kneel, Teirnan ... ah, better,
aye. Hold her.
Hold her. She is weak from fasting, and angry, and the child affects her
power. Hold her so, Teirnan aye, better ... it will not be so awkward after
all."
Shoulders burned from the tension of their en-
trapment. Teirnan stood behind me, knees pressed into my back. My own were on
the ground, much as
I longed to stand.
"Teir .. . she is
Ihlini."
"I know what she is," he said, "and I know also that we want the same thing:
destruction of the prophecy."
"She will destroy more than that " I broke off as he twisted my arms.
"No more noise," he said. "For once in your life, listen."
Rhiannon stood before me. "Listen," she echoed softly, "and I will tell you a
tale. Of a proud Cheysuli woman with of d Blood in her veins, and the thing
she had to do."
I hissed as Teirnan twisted my arms, denying me escape.
" the thing she had to do "
Oh, gods, stop her . . . she is coming inside my head.
"
the thing she had to do
"
Deep inside, something broke. Gave way before her power.
First Strahan, now Rhiannon. First body invaded, now mind.
Gods. Which is worse?
"A little thing," she said, "and well within your means."
Deep inside, the child moved. As if it knew who she was.
Rhiannon's hands were in my hair, holding my head still. Her face was close to
mine. "First you will do this thing, and then you will bear the baby. A
strong, healthy baby, worthy of Strahan's name. Of the blessings of the
Seker."
No, I will not
But the world I knew winked out. In its place was
Rhiannon.
And the thing I had to do.
Ten
They were back, all of them. I could hear the low rumble of male voices,
lighter-pitched female ones, laughter, the dry tones of jests once played on
one another, now repeated for the entertainment of oth-
ers. And such a sense of well-being and joy flooded through me that I ran up
the last few steps, grateful for leggings instead of cumbersome skirts. The
door to Deirdre's solar was ajar; I pushed it two-handed and grinned as it
slammed against the wall, serving to silence them all.
I set one shoulder against the door and leaned, folding my arms. "Aye," I
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