From Across the Clouded Range (3 page)

“
Ah, but you know that my
lovers are jealous and my time with them may be short.” Dasen
attempted to imitate Rynn’s mocking tone. “I need to get into each
of them and unlock their secrets before I am called away. The
ladies upstairs will wait, but these damsels can be plucked away at
any time.” With that, Dasen scanned down the list of numbers he had
written in his notes to see where he had left off. A glance at his
friend’s expression showed the briefest glimpse of dread hidden
quickly behind a mock frown.

“
Dasen,” Rynn cajoled,
“these old hags have waited centuries for you. Surely they can
spare you a few minutes for Lily Detrasse lal Harbisher. . .
.”

The slow creep of Dasen’s eyes from
his books masked the sudden hammering of his heart. “She’s here?
Right now?” Rynn slow smile told Dasen that he had failed in his
attempt to be casual. He felt the moisture drain from his mouth and
somehow appear on his hands.

“
She is,” Rynn cooed. “I
recognized her cascade of dark hair immediately. It is pinned with
butterfly clips, and she is wearing the blue dress that is cut just
a bit too low to hide her stunning . . . .” Dasen slapped him on
the arm. “Intellect. I was going to say intellect.”

“
She is really smart, you
know.”

“
Yes, you’ve told me. It
is her tremendous
intellect
that you like.” Rynn made gestures before his
chest to indicate something very different from her
intellect.

“
She even takes some
classes at the men’s college,” Dasen explained to his nodding
friend. “And . . . and she gave an excellent defense of the Xi
Valati Cornissina’s rulings on the natural dichotomy of the sexes.
I never thought much of Cornissina until I heard her. It really
made me rethink. . . .”

“
That dress she was
wearing at the time. It was magnificent. I was at that lecture, and
I’d be amazed if you could remember one word she said.”

“
I didn’t. I mean, of
course I remember what she said. Besides, that’s not the important
thing right now.” Dasen could feel the blood rising to his
face.

“
What, dear friend,
is
more
important? Is there anything in the world more important than
the right woman? To quote the holy text, ‘The Order has ordained
for each of us a partner, and only when combined with that missing
piece will we find completeness.’ It’s right there in
The Book of Valatarian
.
By denying the companionship of those lovely creatures upstairs,
you are in opposition to the Holy Order. It is blasphemy, and I, as
a future counselor, will not stand for it.” Rynn brought his fist
to the table hard enough to make Dasen’s ink jar jump.

Dasen chose to ignore the irony in his
friend’s words – counselors were required to be celibate. “Well
said,” Dasen conceded. “And I agree. But not right now, not until
my studies are complete. You know my father.”

“
Dasen,” Rynn made his
voice tight and stern to imitate Dasen’s father, “I think it is
time that you put these frivolous studies aside. I support study as
much as any man, but there is only so much that you can learn from
books. It is time that you found your place in the real
world.”

“
Sounds like you’ve heard
that a time or two.”

“
Or two,” Rynn confirmed.
“I don’t know what you’re complaining about. Your father just wants
you to get joined to some beautiful noble’s daughter so he can pour
money over your head until you drown in it.” He paused for the
briefest moment. “Now I see your plight, a fear of drowning.
Perhaps we could buy you a very tall stool, though it is an awful
lot of money. Maybe a ladder would be better?”

“
Very funny,” Dasen sighed
and ran his fingers back through his hair. “But you still don’t
understand. Drowning is right. Do you realize how much he works?
You think I study a lot? It is nothing in comparison to the hours
he keeps. He has no other interests, no hobbies, no friends other
than the ones he pays. Ever since my. . .,” Dasen stopped himself
as a rush of emotions threatened to overtake him. It amazed him
that, over twelve years later, the memory of his mother’s death
could still illicit such a response. But he had really lost both of
his parents on that fall day twelve years ago, an orphan in all but
name. His mother had died in the fire, and his father had drowned
himself in work, snuffed out anything that might resemble a
life.

“
The truth is, I am at
home here,” he continued when he was sure his voice would not
quaver. “There are so many things to know. So much of the Order is
still not understood. We are in a time of great discovery, and I
want to be a part of that. It is my calling more than any girl or .
. . .”

Dasen cut off as he saw a shimmer of
blue reflected in his mirror from the staircase. A second later, a
young lady stepped onto the landing and peered down the
bookshelf-defined corridors that radiated like spokes from the
stairs. The sound of Rynn clearing his throat brought her attention
to her quarry and ended Dasen’s silent hope that he become
invisible.

Lily Detrasse lal Harbisher’s mouth
quirked into a tight smile, and the lace fan in her hand popped
open. Even from fifty paces, Dasen could smell her perfume over the
must of the library. His heart hammered. His legs felt like they
could barely support him as he rose to meet the young noblewoman.
As Rynn had suggested, curls of thick raven hair hung down her back
to her waist restrained by a myriad of life-sized butterfly clips.
Her face was a perfect heart with soft cheeks, full lips, and the
merest pinch of a nose. Her eyes were huge and deep brown. The
pale-blue dress she wore was cut in the most provocative possible
style, showing a long expanse of white neck and the top of her
generous breasts before flaring to the ground. She was a full head
shorter than Dasen but somehow did not look up to meet his eyes.
Several paces behind her, a much older woman trailed in a plain
brown dress with a white apron that marked her as the lady’s
maid.

“
My dear Lady Harbisher.”
Rynn bowed as if greeting the queen rather than a noble of only
slightly higher rank than himself.

Stunned, Dasen managed to force just
enough movement from his body to create an acceptable bow. By the
time he returned to his full height, Lily Harbisher was standing
uncomfortably close. Her scent washed over him – lavender and
vanilla – his heartbeat rang in his ears, and he fought to keep his
eyes from the outline framed by the top of her dress.

“
. . . brings you down
here?” Dasen heard Rynn speaking somewhere; his words seemed far
away. “I believe it is forbidden for women to venture into the
depths of the Library, too many possibilities for unsavory
encounters . . . . Surely you have lost your way. Could Lord
Ronigan and I escort you to a more appropriate section of our grand
institution?”

“
That is a very kind
offer, Rynn Hurchstal, but I am sure that I am in no danger here.
Besides, this seems the only place that one can find the fine Lord
Ronigan these days.” Lily’s full attention turned to Dasen. “I have
looked everywhere for you. You do not come to lectures anymore, are
never seen around the commons, and never respond to my notes. It is
quite rude, you know.”

“
Yes, my lady,” Dasen
stammered, “but I do not recall receiving any notes from you. If I
had I would have responded immediately.” Dasen kicked himself for
sounding over eager and felt the blood rise in his face.

“
I will keep that in mind
from now on.” Lily smiled and placed a hand on Dasen’s arm. The
warmth of her touch felt like it would burn though his thin
shirtsleeve. “When I saw Rynn slinking down the stairs, I knew he
must be looking for you, and I just had to follow.” Her hands moved
down and clasped Dasen’s so that she held them both before her. “My
father is holding his summer hunt in a few weeks. Our estate is
only a day’s travel outside the city. It is truly beautiful there,
the hunting is bountiful, and my father has confided that he will
be releasing several Kizarian rainbow birds as trophies for the
luckiest hunters. Don’t you think a bouquet of their feathers would
be lovely in my hair?” She flipped her dark hair over her shoulder
to illustrate her point.

“
Surely, my lady, they
would only be lost in comparison to your own beauty,” Rynn spoke to
spare Dasen’s impossibly tied tongue.

Lily shot Rynn a look that clearly
conveyed her preference that he drop dead. “After the hunting,
there will be a grand ball. My father has hired the finest
musicians from the city. I’m sure all the most eligible ladies will
be there, but it would be my hope that you grace me with the first
dance. After, we could find a quiet corner, and you could tell me
what it is that has you locked up in this library day and night. I
still can’t get your dissertation on the order of labor out of my
mind, you know.” She squeezed Dasen’s hand and rubbed her delicate
thumbs along his. “So can I tell my father to prepare a room for
you at the estate?”

Dasen spared a glance at Rynn with a
clear plea for help, but Rynn only smiled. Lily’s soft hand on his
cheek brought his eyes back to hers. “I wasn’t inviting Rynn. It is
you that I want.”

Dasen’s legs nearly gave away, but he
somehow managed to stammer, “I . . . I . . . ah, I do not really
hunt. Or rather I have never. I mean, I do not think I can . . .
.”

“
Oh sweet boy,” Lily’s
hand rose to rub his arm, “my father and brothers will surely take
you under their wings. I am my father’s favorite. If I have invited
you, he will treat you as an honored guest.”

“
That is . . . that is
very kind, I’m sure. But I . . . .”

“
There you are,” a new
voice boomed through the stacks. “I’ve been looking everywhere, and
that lying rascal next to you was no help at all.”

Dasen’s eyes shifted to the massive
shape striding down the stacks toward him. He thought they must be
tricking him. What was Elton, his father’s man-servant and
bodyguard, doing here? A Morg, the middle-aged man stood nearly as
tall as the bookshelves surrounding him. His shoulders filled the
entire space. His shaggy brown beard hung down over the ridiculous
black suit that Ipid insisted he wear. The fine fabric looked like
it would burst off of him if his taught muscles so much as
twitched.

“
What’s this about then?”
Elton crossed his arms before him and glowered at Lily.

Taken back, she retreated to put Dasen
between her and the Morg. “And who might you be sir to speak so to
Lord Ronigan? Do you realize his father’s standing?”

“
Yeah, usually he’s
standin’ somewhere right in front of me.”

“
I am sorry,” Dasen
managed, “Lily Detrasse lal Harbisher, this is Elton gar Stermspek.
He is my father’s manservant.”

“
In that case, I am
pleased to meet you,” Lily popped her fan and used it to wave a
greeting. “I was just inviting Dasen to my father, Lord
Harbisher’s, summer hunt. It will be . . . .”

“
He can’t make it,” Elton
interrupted. “Your father’s expecting you. Why weren’t you waiting
for me in your rooms as he requested in his letter?”

“
Letter?” Dasen
asked.

“
Yes, he sent it via
courier over a week ago. You should have received it days
ago.”

Dasen glanced at Rynn, who looked away
and pretended to study the books next to him on the shelves. “It
would appear that not all of my mail has been reaching me. What
does my father want? It is the middle of a term, you know, I can’t
just pick-up and leave for Wildern.”

“
You’re not goin’ to
Wildern. He’s here, and I’m sure he’ll tell you what he wants when
you see him. Now let’s go. We’re already late. He’s gonna be as mad
as a wolf in a cage.” With that, Elton’s massive hand snapped out
and flicked Rynn just hard enough to elicit a yowl.

Lily gasped. Rynn wasn’t well regarded
by anyone but Dasen, but he was still Liandrian nobility. Not even
Ipid Ronigan’s manservant could assault him without consequences.
For a moment, all the air seemed to leave the room. Only Elton
seemed not to notice.

“
I believe I deserved
that,” Rynn finally acknowledged. He rubbed both sides of his head,
the first where Elton had hit him and the other where it had hit
the shelf next to him.

“
Your father would thank
me,” Elton confirmed.

“
He would thank you even
if I didn’t deserve it,” Rynn laughed even as his smile
faded.

Dasen felt his stomach tie
into knots. His father here, in Liandrin, to see him?
So this is the end. He has come to take me away,
to deliver me into his world of workshops, trade negotiations, and
contracts.
He turned numbly to the books
piled before him, to his notes and the new theory of commercial
order he had been preparing. He did not know what to think, what to
do.

Then he caught a glimpse of Lily
forgotten behind him. Her porcelain skin was, if possible, even
whiter. Well, if he couldn’t have his first love, perhaps Rynn was
right. He took a deep breath. “Lady Harbisher, it would appear that
I have missed an appointment with my father. I will consider your
invitation. In the meantime, may I escort you back to your friends
before I depart?” It was possibly the most words he had ever spoken
to a girl without stammering, and he felt himself gain composure as
he went.