The Shadow Roads

Forty-seven

Dease entered the ballroom. He had not been there since thecostume ball that ended the Westbrook Fair-and began so much else. There wasfurniture in there, now, as there was much of the year. Tapers cast their warmglow over the gathered masses: a crowd of his cousins and aunts and uncles.They were a subdued lot, even somber. Escaping destruction by the Wills andtheir allies would do that, Dease thought. Almost none of them knew the truestory. That would have sobered them for some years.

“Dease! Returned and looking hale,” an uncle said, clappinghim on the back. And then in a more intimate tone. “Do you have any idea whatthis is in aid of?”

“I haven’t, Uncle. I was sent a message that Toren wanted tosee me most urgently.”

“Ah. Well, here’s Toren. Perhaps he will have the goodnessto explain why we are here on this night of all nights.”

A hush of expectation fell as Toren entered. He was followedby a scribe and several servants bearing boxes of what appeared to be paper,documents of some sort. Behind them all came Lady Beatrice. The boxes were seton a long trestle table.

“Well, Cousin,” someone said, “it is comforting to know thatyou love us all so well that you have asked us here while leaving so manyothers uninvited. Yet I can’t help but notice that we are the Renne mostclosely related to you. A coincidence, I’m sure.”

“As you suspect, Cousin,” Toren said. “It is no coincidence.We all lie in the succession from my father to … well, I will get to that.”Toren took a few paces across the end of the large room, gathering histhoughts. He was dressed in somber clothes and wore a black velvet ribbonaround his arm. He had lost no immediate family member in the battle, thoughnumerous men and women present were not so lucky, and they wore the elaborateblack clothing of mourning.

“Let me begin by saying that if anyone realized how closethe Renne have just come to utter defeat there would be no celebration going onthis night. The feud between Wills and Renne almost brought to ruin more thanour own fortunes.”

“So why is there a Wills still living in this castle?”someone called out.

“A good question,” Toren said. “And the answer is that he isthe future of a continuing peace with the Wills.”

There was some murmuring among the thirty or so Renne present,but no one would say more. Carral Wills was respected even there, and he wasthe guest of Lady Beatrice, whose presence prevented any more criticism.

Dease closed his eyes, and felt something inside grow stilland cold. Toren was talking about Llyn. Llyn.

“You tried to make peace with the Wills before this warbroke out, Cousin,” a woman said. “We know that it isn’t possible.”

“I think it is possible,” Toren said. “In truth, it isessential.”

There was the briefest silence while people absorbed this.

“Carral Wills might be a man of honor,” Dease’s uncleoffered, “and he might uphold a peace between us, but what of his grandchildren?Will they?”

“They will if they’re Renne.”

This caused a little whispering, some quizzical looks. Morethan one person glanced at Dease as though he might have an explanation.

“Most of us have heard the rumor that Lord Carral has fallenunder the spell of one of the ladies of the castle. No need to name which one.Even if they were to have children, his daughter lies in the succession claimedby her family. And subsequent children would be pushed aside.”

“Lady Elise has renounced her family’s claims. She isleaving the old kingdom this night, and I don’t expect we will see her againfor many years.”

The Renne were looking one to another, uncomfortable withwhere this discussion appeared to lead.

“Let us stop being coy,” one woman said caustically. “IfLord Carral and Lady Llyn have children, they will be raised among the Wills.Their children will be of that family and forget any allegiance to the Renne.And what has all this to do with us?”

Toren looked up at the crowd then, determination burning inhis eyes. Dease had seen this look before many a tournament.

“I am proposing this. No. That is not strong enough. We haveonly one path to continued survival: the Renne and the Wills must be joinedinto one family. Lady Llyn must be made the legal heir to Renne aspirations.”

The room fell utterly silent. Dease looked around at thestunned faces, his precious relatives staring, slack-jawed, at the madman beforethem.

Dease took a deep breath. If he had learned one thing inthese past weeks it was that he was unworthy of Llyn’s favor. He took a stepforward. “If that is what the documents are for,” Dease said loudly, “I willsign away my claims in the succession.” He walked up to the table. “Where is aquill and ink?”

“I won’t sign such a document,” a lady said firmly, “norwill I stay here and listen to this”-the woman glanced over at Lady Beatriceand decided to choose her words more carefully-“proposal.”

“Why?” Dease said, turning on the woman, unable to hide hisanger. “Do you think you will one day come to the throne? There is no throne,and you are so far down the list of succession that neither you nor yourchildren will ever sit at the head of the Renne table. Toren is offering aresolution to our dilemma. The child of Llyn and Lord Carral would be the headof both houses. There would be no hatred to fuel our feud.”

“Such a child would be a Wills,” someone called out angrily.

“No. The child would be a Renne-Wills,” Toren said. “Thechild of both houses.”

“But it is said that Lady Llyn loves another,” a womanargued. Which caused Lady Beatrice to shift uncomfortably in her chair.

This stopped Toren for a moment, and Dease wondered if hehad an answer. “Her heart has changed,” he said softly.

“But why not a union between you and Elise Wills?” a womanwondered. “That would make giving up our claims unnecessary.”

“Llyn and Lord Carral will bring peace, I believe,” Torensaid almost sadly. “Lady Elise and I are only suited for war.”

Fondor had said nothing until this point, but now he steppedforward. “Only Toren is making a sacrifice, for he is the heir of Renneaspirations. The rest of us are only giving up a dream. I will give up a dreamfor peace.”

“As will I,” said Kel. “And if more of you had fought in therecent battles, you would not be hesitating as you are now. In truth you aresigning away nothing. Signing away nothing for a chance at lasting peace. Iwould take that chance in hopes that my sons would not give their lives to afeud they did not make.”

“I will sign your papers,” one of Toren’s cousins said. Shewas dressed in black, her face a mask of anguish. “I have lost one son thisday. I would give up anything to save others this sorrow.”

Toren’s secretary found the appropriate document. Shesigned, and Dease acted as first witness, Lady Beatrice as second witness. Thewoman’s hand trembled a little as she wrote her name, but her resolve was firm.Her husband signed after her, though he said nothing and met no one’s eye.

Fondor and Kel both signed their documents without hesitation,showing solidarity among the men who had fought. Two others who had fought inthe battle came forward, embracing Toren first, then signing away their claims.

Dease felt the whole enterprise balanced on a sword’s edge.If one person refused, all would be lost. Toren had shown great insight togather everyone together in one room. They could see the others committingthemselves to this course. Anyone who refused would be remembered as the onewho had thwarted a chance for peace, and all subsequent deaths in battle withthe Wills would be laid at that person’s doorstep.

As each person signed, the pressure on those remaining increased.Dease thought all would be for naught, as in the end a particularly stupidaunt and uncle refused to sign. But the rest of those present surrounded themand bullied them into signing. It wasn’t quite the way Dease had hoped it wouldgo, but everyone signed.

Toren signed last-the only one who really signed away anyrights-and, though he didn’t hesitate, Dease thought his face went a littlepale.

“It is done,” Toren said as he blotted his signature. “LadyLlyn is now the heir to all Renne claims and effectively head of the family-Llynand her children after her.”

Lady Beatrice came forward and kissed him on both cheeks,her pride unspoken but hidden from no one. Dease found he had to sit down. Hebeckoned a servant and asked for wine, and when it came he drained his glass inone draught. It didn’t help. He had lost everything he once valued, and thisnight he had lost twice, though neither had been his to possess.

I have given up my hopes, he thought. Letsome good come of it.