Hearts in Cups (28 page)

"We have come in
search of Prince Brian ap Gryffyd, whom we believe to be residing here."
Hollin spoke clearly and courteously.

"And who might you
be?" The head was cocked to the side inquisitively.

"I am the Duchess
of Langstraad, and this is my paxman," Hollin replied, reluctant to give
her rightful name to this stranger, however harmless it appeared.

The ancient's eyes
bored into Hollin's, assessing her as well as her words. They sat thus for many
long minutes until the old one smiled and nodded. "He whom you seek is
among us. You were not expected and yet, you must be expected since you are
here. Not all may walk through the mountain's spine. I am called Oisan, Custos
of the Citadel. You need not give me your names," the old one said,
reading Hollin's thought, "though no harm would come of it. The hour is
late and I perceive that you are both worn and hungry. We shall provide you
with rooms to rest in and food to eat. In the morning when you are refreshed, I
shall arrange a meeting between you and your prince. Is that agreeable?"

Inclining her head,
Hollin expressed her thanks. They rose with their host, who summoned a robed
figure with a single clap of the hands. Brief instructions were given
ostensibly for the well-being of the guests and Hollin and Daffyd followed yet
another robed figure through the stillness of the mountain city's streets.

They were given
separate but adjacent quarters in a long, multi-storied building that proved to
be a dormitory. Each small room was furnished with quilts and mats on the floor
for sleeping and a tiny brazier filled with coals for warmth. On the deep
window embrasures were basins and jugs of water to wash with and a small lamp
of oil for illumination. Trays of wood were brought to them filled with food in
clay containers. There were no wooden doors but weavings of muted colours hung
at the entrance to each room. As throughout the city, silence reigned in these
halls.

Concerned for the
duchess' safety, Daffyd offered to sleep across the doorway to her room. With a
smile of gratitude Hollin declined, urging him to take advantage of the warm
food and a bed within doors. Not entirely placated, he returned to his own
room. Hollin washed herself as well as she could and ate the cooked grains and vegetables
provided. She was almost numb with fatigue when she stripped off her outer
garments and climbed beneath the soft quilts, hugging them to her. For a brief
moment exhaustion and excitement warred within her, but exhaustion proved by
far the stronger.

In the next room Daffyd
also lay down. He found the close darkness of the room, after many nights spent
outdoors, to be slightly claustrophobic. Not entirely convinced that all was as
peaceful as it appeared, he unsheathed his sword, laying it within reach. For a
long time he lay in the intense quiet waiting for a suspicious sound. None was
made and, in the end, sleep claimed him as inexorably as it had his leige-lady.

Hollin awoke in a room
she at first only vaguely remembered. The light that entered the room was cool
and diffused. Reluctant to leave the warmth and comfort of her pile of quilts,
she gazed at the ceiling and considered that the end of her quest was at hand.
Like a slow current, she allowed her memory of the last few months to wash through
her. Deep down, she was unsure as to the reception the prince would afford her.
Knowing that such speculation was futile, she firmly pushed her insecurity from
her mind. Against the odds, she had made it this far and she was determined to
confront the next few hours with the same resolve with which she had tackled
the mountains.

Tossing the quilts
aside she stood up, shivering slightly, and slung her cloak over her shoulders.
Going to the window, she looked out. Down and down, the mountain seemed to drop
beneath her until it faded into the mists that lay at its feet. The effect was
dizzying and she found herself sitting on the windowsill to steady herself.
"A window into forever," she intoned to herself and remembered the
old one's reference to this place as the Citadel of Dreams. There was something
more than a little dreamlike about this place, and she deemed it both a charm
and a danger.

The tinkling sound of a
bell rung on the other side of the curtain broke into her thoughts. Murmured
voices could be heard and then Daffyd's called softly to her. "Lady
Hollin, food and hot water are here, do you wish for them to be brought into
your room now?"

Covering herself
completely within the folds of her cloak, she bade them to enter. The curtain
was drawn aside and two robed figures entered carrying trays. Vigilantly,
Daffyd stood in the doorway watching them. Everything was set down for her and
they gathered up the remains from the previous night. Saying nothing, they
retreated from the room leaving Hollin to look inquiringly at Daffyd.

He grinned. "One
of them actually said a few words this morning," he announced cheerfully.
"Someone will come and fetch us for an audience with the prince later
today. Oh yes, and if you're interested in a bath, there is a room at the end
of this hall used for washing."

"Hot water? A real
bath? You are wonderful, Daffyd!" He sketched a jaunty bow and left her to
her breakfast.

After eating, Hollin
opened her pack and pulled out the bundle containing the riding garments that
she had been wearing at the start of her journey. They were deeply creased and
wrinkled but reasonably clean, having been scrubbed so at one of the rivers
they had forded on their journey here. Shaking them out, she set off down the
hall in quest of a bath. A small room with a floor that sloped to a drain hole
in its center and a row of jugs filled with hot water turned out to be what was
offered for bathing. With weeks of nothing but occasional immersions in icy
rivers behind her, she was more than happy to pour the hot water over herself.
A jar of soap had also been thoughtfully provided along with a clean, albeit
thin, towel. She scrubbed herself down twice, taking extra time to make sure
that her long hair was thoroughly rinsed out.  Deliciously clean, dry and
dressed again in clothes more befitting her rank, Hollin braided and coiled her
hair while waiting to receive an invitation to meet with the prince.

The sound of distant
bells was herald to another of the robed figures appearing to escort them to
their audience. Daffyd had also taken the opportunity to avail himself of the
hot water and joined her with hair still damp and curling from his ablutions.
He had brushed and cleaned his clothing as well as he could, and achieved a
presentable appearance. With his sword girt at his side he strode a half pace
behind Hollin as they again were led through this strange place.

The city, washed in
sunshine, was as beautiful as in the evening shadows. Glazed roof-tiles danced
in the light, reflecting back the intense blue of the sky. The architecture of
the buildings, while simple, was pleasing to the eye. An airy quality was
evident everywhere, even in the narrow streets that would suddenly emerge from
behind a building and grant a view of the mountains or the glorious sweep down
into the vales at the mountain's feet. The uncanny quiet was as yet unbroken,
though those people they did pass looked at them with unconcealed curiosity.

They were shown through
the same gate into the garden with its pavilion that they had visited the night
before. However, they saw immediately that the person sitting on the floor of
the pavilion with the hood of the robe pulled well forward, leaving the face in
shadow, was not their odd host of last night. As they entered the pavilion, the
seated person indicated with a movement of the hand that they were to sit
facing him. Hollin sank gracefully onto the rugs, spreading her skirts around
her, and Daffyd sat behind and to her left, cross-legged with his sheathed
sword across his knees. Daffyd, who had spent weeks in close company with the
duchess, detected a slight nervousness in the set of her regally erect back.

The figure before her
raised his hands and drew the hood back off his head, letting it settle on his
shoulders. Candidly she studied him, though her own face remained serenely
composed and her hands continued to lie quietly in her lap.

It was not a handsome
face but it was a strong face, with a resolute jaw and chin that bespoke stubbornness.
Dark hair, a shade between black and the deepest of browns, showing strands of
silver, was brushed back from a high forehead. Seated, it was hard to guess his
height, but she thought that he would be tall. His skin was pitted and sallow
and there were fine lines around his eyes and mouth. His demeanor was quiet and
grave, the lack of animation making his features the more unattractive.
However, the eyes that met and measured her under their black brows, were a
light clear blue and in their depths she thought that she detected the glint of
a spirit at odds with his unlovely appearance. Abruptly he lowered his eyes and
when she glanced at them again, Hollin had the distinct impression of a fire
quickly and efficiently banked.

"I was told that
you have come asking to speak with me but gave no names. I would ask you to
name yourselves now and state what it is you wish of me." His voice was
firm, pitched low, expressing aloofness.

"You are Brian
Gwydian ap Gryffyd of House Sandovar?" He acknowledged the title with a
slight nod. "I am Hollin Morwen Medicat Lir, Duchess of Langstraad. This
is my paxman, Daffyd ap Blewyns. We have come at the behest of the Pentacle
Council to find you." The prince said nothing but she noticed that the
guarded expression in his eyes had intensified.

"Are you aware of
the fact that your father has been dead for the past five years and your
grandfather, Lord Percamber, has been acting as regent for you?" He
responded with a curt, affirmative nod. "Lord Percamber is beginning to
feel the weight of his years and wishes to step down from his office. He has
been waiting many years for your return." She paused and waited for a
reply. He remained impassive and veiled his eyes by studying the floor.

Setting impatience
aside, she continued speaking. "There is a need to resolve and reestablish
the kingship of the Pentarchy. There is the strongest threat of civil war;
indeed, such an event may already be in progress." After outlining the
political situation in the Pentarchy as it stood three months ago when she left
Pentarin, and relating the details of the last session of the Pentacle Council,
she went on to describe the ambush of the royal embassy originally sent to find
him and her conviction that it was carried out by the Earl of the Inner Ward,
most probably at the behest of the Duke of Mirvanovir. He listened in polite
silence while revealing nothing of his own thoughts or feelings. Indeed, after
she had completed her narrative of the recent events in the Pentarchy, he sat
immobile and impassive for many minutes.

Finally, in a voice
filled with reluctance, he asked, "What is it that you wish of me?"

She was momentarily
bewildered by his evident obtuseness. "To return to the Pentarchy and
assume your duty as High King."

He let his breath out
through his nostrils in a long, controlled exhalation. That which he did not
wish to hear had been said. He regarded the woman sitting opposite him in her
crumpled skirts, with her mass of copper hair crowning her head and her
fearless grey eyes fixed on him. She was not what he had expected and he
recognized a resolve in her that quite possibly matched his own. "I have
my doubts about that course of action," he admitted at last.

She shook her head, her
lips pressed together in a firm line. "I am sorry that you are doubtful,
but you must return."

"I need time to
consider the situation." The eyes that were raised to meet hers were
stern. "I will deliberate on all that you have told me and give you my
reply in three days."

Dismayed at the
prince's obvious unwillingness, Hollin held her own frustration in check and
inclined her head graciously in acceptance and prepared to rise.

He lifted his hand.
"Before you go, I have one last question. How did you find this
place?" The question was asked with genuine puzzlement.

Hollin felt the blood
in her cheeks grow warm. "With this," she replied simply, holding out
her hand with the great ruby ring on it. He raised his eyebrows in recognition
and lowered them as quickly into a slight frown. "It is the Heartstone of
Sandovar and it is attuned to you." She explained about the crystal being
resonated by his grandfather and the Viscount of Treves, and how the two
objects had been arcanely joined in order to create a type of compass to find
him. He nodded at her explanation, though neither of them alluded as to how the
ring originally came to be in Hollin's possession.

"But it only
brought us as far as the valley beneath the wall of stones. It was the snowcat
that showed us the way out of the valley," she concluded.

His voice sharpened.
"Snowcat?"

"Yes, while we
were camped in the valley and looking for the trail to continue, it appeared on
the cliff above us and showed us the path."

"How far did you
follow it?"

"We lost track of
it when we entered the tunnel that brought us to the ice caves. By then, of
course, there was no mistaking the way." She cocked her head to one side.
"You seem very interested in the animal."