Masques (Sianim #1)(2)

"'Struth, so am I," Aralorn allowed, giving him no more information. Having satisfied his curiosity as far as she was ever going to, she asked him a question of her own. "How did you see past the illusion of the snowfalcon that the ae'Magi placed on the cage?"

"Is that what you're disguised as?" His smile made him look even younger than he really was. "I wondered why no one said anything about the woman he had in the cage. Slavery might be legal here, but most people don't condone it."

He might have said more, but something in Aralorn's expression stopped him. He immediately straightened and stared at her as if she fascinated him.

"Ah, I see you admire my falcon. Lord." The resonant voice could only belong to the ae'Magi. "She is beautiful, isn't she? I purchased her several months ago from a traveling merchant - somewhere in the Northlands, I believe ... I thought she would go well with this room." He waved a casual hand that managed to indicate the rest of the hall.

Aralorn had grown adept at reading the ae'Magi's voice and it was just a little too casual. He was baiting Myr, and she didn't known why - unless he too had heard rumors about the unusual talent that sometimes cropped up in Reth's royal family.

* * *

RETH WAS A SMALL COUNTRY IN SIZE, BUT RICH IN MINERALS and agriculture. It also had a well-trained army, left as legacy by Myr's grandfather. Myr was a very new king and certain conservative political factions would have been happier had he been the same kind of puppet as his father. Myr seemed to have the politicians pacified, but it wouldn't be hard for the ae'Magi to change that. Aralorn's growing apprehension was more than professional; Reth was her homeland.

Myr turned to the magician with a smile and more confidence than a boy his age should have. "Yes, the ivory tinge is the same as the color in the marble here. It's unusual to see a snowfalcon this far south; you must have paid a great deal for her."

Aralorn hoped desperately that the amusement she felt didn't show on her face, as the ae'Magi had little trouble seeing past his own illusion. Myr was quick.

They talked at length about falconry, something that Aralorn happened to know interested neither one of them. When they had exhausted the subject, the ae'Magi abruptly changed topics.

"Myr," said the ae'Magi, "I wish to express my sorrow at the death of your parents. I feel some responsibility for their deaths, since they were returning from one of my parties when their coach overturned. I wish that they had decided to stay overnight - as I asked. The tragedy might have been averted." The sympathy in the magician's blue eyes offered solace. With professional interest, Aralorn heard the edge of guilt in his voice, he'd have made a wonderful spy with his acting ability.

He laid a fine-boned hand on Myr's shoulder, effectively forestalling what the younger man might have said. "Please, hear me out. If you have need of anything, feel free to turn to me. I have connections and substantial power as the ae'Magi, and you may need what aid I can offer. It has never been easy to ascend a throne, especially now with the Uriah restless in the eastern forests. Not to mention that there are always opposing factions or ..." - he hesitated, waving his hand expressively - "other enemies."

Myr bowed his head quickly in gratitude; Aralorn hoped she was the only one who recognized his insincerity. "I shall do as you request, my Lord Magician. I know my parents counted you their friend." He paused and then said, "I apologize, Lord, I have enjoyed our conversation, but I must excuse myself early. You see" - he leaned in closer with the air of a young boy confessing a secret™"! just bought a new stallion and I'm not sure I trust him on the trails after dark." His face lost its eagerness for a moment. "After what happened to my parents, sir, I feel the need to be overly cautious."

The magician smiled understandingly. "I'll summon your servants for you."

Myr shook his head. "I left them outside with orders to meet me an hour before dark."

"The gods follow you, then. With your courage and strength, you will do credit to your lineage. I wish that my own son were more like you." To Aralorn's sensitive ears, the magician's voice held just the right amount of pain. She wondered why she hadn't noticed before she'd been assigned here that his emotions were always exactly right. She shouldn't have needed the opportunity, if that were the correct term, to observe his less savory endeavors to notice that there was something beneath the surface.

"Lord Cain could not be termed a coward, sir." Myr's voice held a matching amount of sympathy, as false as the ae'Magi's.

"No," said the ae'Magi, "I think that it would have been better for all of us if he were a coward. He would have done less harm. I have him under control now, but I don't know how long I can keep him quiet."

* * *

ARALORN HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE AE'MAGI'S SON. THE ae'Magi kept his dark magics secret, but his son had performed in the broad light of day. For a while he'd been an embarrassment to the ae'Magi, stories of the atrocities that he committed flying rampant. She'd never met Cain; he'd faded out of the light before she'd become involved in her present occupation. She'd heard the rumors, though - they got worse with each telling. The stories put the ae'Magi in the role of the grieving father who was forced to exile his son. Aralorn suspected that Cain's absence might be due to death rather than exile. It would have been inconvenient if someone had questioned where the ae'Magi's son learned so much about forbidden magic.