Shadow of the Swan (Book Two of the Phoenix Legacy) (35 page)

“When did you discover Lady Adrien’s absence?”

“At least half an hour after liftoff.
I
discovered it. Karlis was . . . resting. She left her wedding and betrothal rings and the tape I told you about. It’s fortunate, of course, that I found it before anyone else.”

“From what you told me of its contents, it
is
fortunate. May I hear it in its entirety?”

Selasis reached into one of the pockets of his robe and handed him a tape spool. Hawkwood took a tiny audio speaker from his tunic and inserted the spool after examining it closely, then for the space of two minutes sat motionless, listening. He showed no hint of emotion; nothing but cold, intent concentration. Karlis wouldn’t have been surprised if, having heard the message once, he recited it verbatim.

Karlis couldn’t recite it, but he knew the general purport all too well. First, an assertion that Adrien was aware of Karlis’s “physical incapacity,” as she put it, and with her cousin Janeel’s fate in mind, had planned this escape to avoid a similar fate for herself. Then a declaration that she was acting entirely independently of her father, that he knew nothing of her intentions before or after the fact. And last, a warning. She had proof of what she referred to with caustic nicety as Karlis’s “condition” in the form of a taped death testament made by Dr. Levit Monig in Lima on 5 May ’57. If Selasis harmed her, her father, her family, or her House in any way, she would see that the testament was brought to the attention of the Board of Succession, as well as the Chairman of the Directorate. She would leave it to them to judge whether it was more reprehensible for her to escape this marriage, or for Selasis to enter into the contracts knowing Karlis was both impotent and sterile. No euphemisms then.

Karlis stirred restlessly, his frustration mounting again, and finally Hawkwood removed the speaker from his ear and returned the tape to Selasis.

“A remarkable young woman, my lord.”

“Granted, Bruno. What do you think of her message? Could she conceivably make good her threats?”

Hawkwood’s shoulders came up in a scant shrug.

“Her use of Dr. Monig’s name, the location, and the date suggest she can. I know Monig died two days after his escape from the Lima retreat, and that was the exact date. I find that information particularly puzzling because it could only come from the Outside, but I know of no Outside source available to her. To my knowledge, she doesn’t frequent Outside entertainments, nor does anyone close to her.”

“But she didn’t pull all that out of nothing, Bruno, and I doubt it came to her in a vision. To
my
knowledge, she’s not prone to religious ecstasies.”

Another barb; Selasis had little patience with Hawkwood’s religious orthodoxy, and Karlis relished the flicker of disapproval in those pale, unblinking eyes.

“No, my lord,” Hawkwood replied levelly, “she pulled it out of the Outside, obviously, and her source will have to be identified. However, there’s one thing that makes me think it may be a bluff. If she does have this proof, why didn’t she make it available to her father so he could initiate a Board of Succession investigation before the wedding?”

Selasis’s eyes flashed. “That occurred to me, Bruno. Damn it, it
must
be a bluff.”

“It
may
be. However, it’s possible that she’s not actually in possession of the death testament at this time, but could gain access to it in the future—
if
it exists, and we can’t assume it doesn’t. I’ll put my agents in the Outside to work on that immediately.”

“Monetary incentives are unlimited in this matter, Bruno. I’d empty my coffers to—” He frowned at the sound of the door chime, checked the vis-screen, then said into the intercom, “Dr. Lazet, I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

Karlis frowned at the closed doors. Lazet’s chief claim to fame, and his exorbitant salary, was his skill as a plastic surgeon.

Selasis made no reference to the interruption as he went on. “Another thing, Bruno, I want to know if Loren Eliseer is involved in this scheme of Adrien’s. And if he
is
—” His hands curled into powerful fists, but after a moment relaxed. “One mustn’t anticipate. That stretches the Writ of Destiny, doesn’t it, Bruno?”

Another barb, but Hawkwood only said calmly, “No, my lord, it leads one off a True Path into the thorns of Chaos.”

Selasis laughed softly. “No doubt. At any rate, Eliseer isn’t my primary concern.
Adrien
is. Find her. Bruno. I’m helpless, entirely at her mercy, until she’s found, and if she expected me to tolerate this sort of blackmail, she made an error. I won’t have this knife at my back, and the only way to be rid of it, is to be rid of her.
Find
her, Bruno!”

“If it can be done, my lord, I will do it. And I’ll pursue the investigation personally. I plan to leave for Helen by midday.”

“That’s gratifying. But until you
do
find her, I have something of a problem. I’m not ready to announce to the worlds that Karlis’s bride slipped away from him on their wedding night. Under other circumstances, I’d simply announce her death, but I can’t do that when she might suddenly come back to life—with Monig’s death testament in her hand. So the Lady Adrien must be kept alive in the bosom of her new husband’s family until you find her, and I can
safely
announce her death.”

Hawkwood even smiled by a millimeter. “I see. Dr. Lazet has been entrusted with this life-preserving mission, then?”

Karlis didn’t see, and it annoyed him, that air of conspiracy between them. But he didn’t ask any questions.

“So he has, Bruno,” Selasis replied. Then, after a thoughtful pause, “What about Lazet? I’ve never found it necessary to trust him with anything so critical before.”

“He can be trusted. He’s presently taking ten milligrams of eladane a day simply to avoid withdrawal symptoms, which are. I understand, quite painful.” Then, perhaps anticipating Selasis, he added, “But with Dr. Monig’s escape in mind, I’ll watch Lazet closely. His addiction, of course, gives me an advantage I didn’t have with Monig.”

Selasis smiled. “I’ve never known you to make the same error twice, Bruno. I hope you continue to maintain that record.” Then he pressed a button on the console. “Dr. Lazet, you may come in, and bring the girl.”

Karlis frowned toward the doors as they opened. He only glanced at Lazet, whose round, flaccid face displayed a little less euphoria than usual. It was the young woman following him who occupied Karlis’s full attention.

A Bond, dressed in shapeless pants and tabard so dirty the House colors were nearly unidentifiable, she shuffled behind Lazet, head down, sending darting glances from under a mat of unkempt dark hair. Karlis’s lip curled. Lazet might at least have bathed her before bringing her here.

Both Hawkwood and Selasis studied the girl with an intentness that made no sense to Karlis. Finally, when the doctor was two meters from Selasis’s chair, he stopped and bowed deeply, then with a quarter turn, bowed again to Karlis. The girl emulated him nervously, adding a bow for Hawkwood. Her dark eyes shifted constantly from him to her Lords, then to Lazet, but under the evident fear was a peculiarly avid glint, and Karlis thought disgustedly that Lazet had best watch any loose valuables on his person.

Selasis said pleasantly, “Well, Dr. Lazet, I see you’ve found a candidate.”

“An
excellent
candidate, my lord. I was amazed to find such a good one so quickly.” He turned and prodded the girl a few steps closer. “You see, my lord, height and weight are nearly perfect. She’s only six centimeters taller, and a kilo heavier. And the facial structure—” He pushed the girl’s matted hair back from her face with one hand, the other grasping her chin, turning her head from side to side. “It’s
beautiful
, my lord. No epicanthic fold, of course, but that’s a simple matter. The zygomatic arch is a bit wide, but the worst problems—the nose and upper lip—are easily remedied surgically. Hair and eye color are even a close match.” He took her hands and turned them over with a fastidious frown. “As for her hands . . . well, perhaps that can be remedied cosmetically. Try to picture—stand up straight, Elda—picture her with her hair properly coiffed, brows trimmed, hands manicured, and suitable clothing, of course.”

Selasis tilted his head, still examining the girl.

“So, Doctor, you’re satisfied that the metamorphosis is feasible.”

“Oh. my lord, indeed I am.”

“Yes. Have you talked to her?”

Lazet’s mouth sagged open. “About—about the—uh, metamorphosis, my lord? No, of course not. I thought—”

“Rightly so. I simply wondered if you’d formed some opinion of her
mental
suitability. She seems alert enough.”

The girl’s eyes narrowed as she looked from one to the other, and since Lazet’s admonition, she kept her back almost
proudly
straight.

The question of her mental suitability, however, seemed to be more than Lazet could handle.

“Well, yes, my lord, she’s . . . alert, I suppose. . . .”

Before Selasis could clarify the question or express his obvious annoyance, Bruno Hawkwood rose and walked silently toward the girl. She drew back, her eyes inky pools of apprehension, but he stopped a pace away, his slight smile conveying a cordiality Karlis found incredible.

“What’s your name, girl?” Hawkwood asked, almost gently.

“Elda,” she replied, still uncertain, but assured enough to try to meet Hawkwood’s eye, if only briefly. “Elda Ternin, sirra.”

“Ah. A pretty name. Tell me, Elda, have you ever dreamed of being a Lady?” Then, noting her shocked glance at Selasis, “It’s all right. Dreams aren’t deeds, you know.”

Finding only expectant approval on her Lord’s face, she laughed nervously, casting a sidelong glance at Hawkwood.

“Oh . . . there was times I dreamed things like—like that when I was little. When I first went to the big Plaza on a Corcord Day and saw all the fine Lords and Ladies. But children—well, they say even kittens and puppies dreams.”

Hawkwood smiled understandingly. “So they say. and children always like to make games of their dreams. You have a nice voice, Elda; a soft voice. When you were a little girl, did you and other children ever play at being Lords and Ladies? Ah—of course, you did. What Lady did you like best to play?”

Hawkwood had her thoroughly charmed now. That avid glint Karlis had recognized earlier was even more obvious, and there was a hint of coquetry in her shy smile.

“You’ll laugh, sirra, and . . . and my lords.” Then, seeing Hawkwood’s and Selasis’s encouraging smiles, she admitted, “I—I always liked to pretend I was the most beautiful Lady I ever saw on a Concord Day. She was . . . I mean, the Lady Elise.”

Selasis’s mouth twitched, and Karlis almost laughed, too. Phillip Woolf should be here. But Hawkwood didn’t share their amusement. He nodded to the girl agreeably.

“She was indeed lovely, Elda, and I’m sure you played the Lady better than any of the other children. Do you remember how the Lady Elise walked? I always thought her so graceful in the way she walked. Remember how she crossed to the first tier of steps on her lord husband’s arm, then she’d turn and smile and wave to the crowd, with the lights flashing in her hair and on all her shining jewels.”

The girl was entranced, eyes moist and unfocused.

“Oh, yes, sirra, and the pretty gowns she wore, silk and satinet and fur. I never even touched fur. . .”

Nor silk and satinet, Karlis thought irritably, then he stared at Hawkwood. After a quick look around the room, Hawkwood went to a table by one of the windowalls and pulled the cloth off, and now he returned to the girl, still smiling. And that cloth—brocaded Sanseret silk, the rare peacock pattern, fringed with pure gold thread—the man had gone mad! He was actually draping that cloth around the Bond’s shoulders, laughing lightly when she tried to put him off.

Karlis looked at his father and got another shock. Not only was Selasis offering no protest himself, he shook his head at Karlis in a clear warning not to interfere. At least Lazet hadn’t slipped over the edge into this incredible insanity; his gaping mouth served as a reminder to Karlis to close his own.

“Look, Elda—silk as fine as any Lady ever wore. No, don’t be afraid.” For the first time there was a hint of threat in Hawkwood’s voice, and it stopped the girl’s frantic protests; but he was still smiling, and the hint was so subtle, it only calmed her, rather than making her afraid. “Now, Elda. show us how you used to play the Lady Elise. Remember how she looked on Concord Day? Remember how she walked? Show me how she walked in all her silks and furs.”

“You—you’re making mock of me, sirra.” Still, that misty enchantment was back in her eyes, and Karlis winced as her grimy fingers stroked the silk.

Hawkwood said. “You’re afraid we’ll laugh? Well, Elda, if you should provide your Lord a little amusement, is that so bad?”

Karlis saw his father actually smile encouragingly at that cue, and the girl laughed and tossed her head back.

“Well, when I saw the Lady Elise in the big Plaza, she held her head up so high . . . like this, and she’d lift up her silk skirt just a little in front, and she’d smile . . . oh, she seemed to shine all by herself!”

And as Karlis watched in stunned disbelief, Elda lifted her chin and began walking toward the door, every step a ludicrous swoop, the cloth dragging behind her, one hand raised, no doubt on her “lord husband’s” arm, while she grinned at imaginary crowds. When she reached the door, she turned, swept her “train” around behind her, and retraced her steps with the same swooping gait, and finally climaxed this grotesque parody with a
formal
curtsy to Selasis.

Hawkwood seemed delighted, and Selasis smiled beatifically as the Bond straightened.

“Very good, my girl.” he said, giving Hawkwood an almost imperceptible nod.

“Elda, I think you’re possessed of untapped talents. I’ll talk with you soon about them. But for now—Lazet. take her to the minimum security section and tell Master Ranes to make her comfortable.”

“Uh . . . yes, Master Hawkwood.” He was still bewildered, but the direct order seemed to reestablish his equilibrium. In reverse ratio, it shook the girl’s, and she was suddenly embarrassed and afraid. She pulled the silk cloth off and tried to fold it, and Karlis groaned inwardly at the mauling of the delicate brocade.