Dragon Rose(67)

Foolish as it was, I experienced a pang of jealousy at the thought of this unknown woman, even though I knew she must have passed away many years earlier.

Luckily, Theran appeared to notice no alteration in my expression, for he continued without pausing, “Like me, she was new to the capital, and somewhat swept away by the social whirl, one might say. One might also say that her father was rather lax in letting her roam the city so freely, attended by a maidservant only a few years older than she. At any rate, this young woman and I formed an attachment—one, it turns out, she took far more seriously than I. She spoke of her father being a scholar of some sort, but even I, fresh from the country, knew that meant he was a mage. Such a match would not have been suitable, of course, but she did not want to believe that. When it was time for me to return home to Black’s Keep, she thought I would take her with me.”

“But you did not,” I said softly.

His expression darkened, and the heavy lashes swept over his eyes for a moment as he appeared to contemplate some long-ago, bitter memory. “No, I did not. Our parting was not pleasant, but I thought that would be the end of it. We had only known each other for a few months, a summer of idleness and diversions. I liked her, enjoyed her company, but I knew I could not marry her. And I, in my blindness, thought she understood how things were between us.”

This time I said nothing, but only watched the fleeting emotions cross his features, and thought how different, and how unexpected, the reality of his face was, even though an hour earlier I could have sworn I knew it by heart.

His fingers clenched on his knees where they rested, the skin so shockingly pale against his dark garments. “I came to Black’s Keep…and she followed, begging me to let her stay, to let her be my wife, that her reputation was now ruined because of me, that she feared her father, his reaction when he found out how she had behaved over the summer. I tried to be kind, but I would not allow myself to be cajoled in such a way. I bade her to return to her father in Lystare, beg his forgiveness, and think no more of me. She went away, cursing my name. And then…”

I hardly dared to breathe. I thought I might know what was coming next…or at least I guessed.

“She did not go to her father. Instead, she went forth from this place and into the woods, where she ate some of the toadstools growing there, and died in great agony. It was intentional; have no doubt of that. Her father had schooled her in herb lore, so she knew exactly what she was doing.”

My heart ached for her, this unknown young woman who had thrown her life away in such a precipitous fashion. I could not even judge her, for I knew what the depths of despair could drive a person to. I was suddenly ashamed of my earlier jealousy.

Theran hesitated for a few seconds, as if halfway expecting me to say something. When I did not speak, he sighed and went on, “There was little we could do except bury her in the forest, and raise a stone to mark her name. And I sent word to her father in Lystare, so that he might know where his daughter lay, even if he could do nothing to save her.”

“Would he not have known anyway?” I inquired. “After all, one would think that a mage of such powers would have some way of discovering his daughter’s whereabouts.”

Theran lifted his shoulders. “One would think…but he showed no evidence of knowing where she was or what she was doing that entire summer we spent together. He was a man buried in his studies, not seeming much connected with the world. And living now, you know only of legend and rumor, but back when the mages still wielded their powers, those powers were not always consistent. True, the small magics, the harmless ones, all of the mages could perform. But when it came to the greater powers, one man might be able to call down the lightning and storms, and also create terrible curses, while another could find anything that a person had lost, or strengthen a castle’s walls so they were well-nigh impregnable. This was partly why at the time there was competition amongst the nobles, to secure a mage whose powers were most useful.

“At any rate, my reaching out to him was a mistake, but it was done out of kindness. I did not wish for the man to forever wonder what had happened to his daughter, even if he did not seem to keep a very good watch on her while she was alive. And then one day he came to Black’s Keep.”

I thought then of the mage who had cursed Alende, all those years ago, and whether the two men shared the same choleric temperament.

“He blamed me, of course, this Udell of Lystare. Said I had seduced his daughter, given her false promises, lured her away from his protection. None of that was true, but I could not protest too much, for I could see how much pain he was in. Perhaps it was the hurt of someone not knowing what he had until he lost it, but I could not blame him overmuch for that. And then…”

Theran went very still, his gaze looking somehow past me, as if into a dark day now centuries gone. “He laid upon me the curse, saying I should no longer have a form that would tempt young women, but which would instead earn their revulsion. And this form would be mine forever, until I somehow found a wife who could see past my hideous being and recognize my true self.” Surprisingly, he smiled then, his expression warming as he looked on me. “He did not think that was something which would ever come to pass.”

“But that was not all.”

The smile faded at once. “No, it was not. He said also that I, who had avoided marriage, must take a Bride from among the townsfolk of Lirinsholme—”