Traitor's Moon

discovered Alec sitting on a nearby pallet. A mask still covered hisface, and he seemed to be staring off across the room, lost in thought.
    Seregil rose to go to him. As he did so, something slipped from the folds of his coat and rolled away toward the stairwell—a small orb of black glass. Before he could react, it rolled over the edge and was lost without a sound. Seregil stared after it for a moment, then went to rouse Alec.
    Alec started when Seregil touched his shoulder. “Can we leave now?” he whispered, getting unsteadily to his feet.
    â€œYes, I think we’ve been dismissed.”
    Removing their masks, they left them on the floor beside the dozing doorkeeper and let themselves out.
    Alec looked dazed, overwhelmed by whatever had happened to him in the tower. Leading his horse by the reins, he set out on foot. He said nothing, but Seregil sensed a weight of sadness pressing down on him. Reaching out, he pulled Alec to a stop and saw that he was crying.
    â€œWhat is it, talí? What happened to you in there?”
    â€œIt wasn’t—it wasn’t what I expected. You were right about my mother. She was killed by her own people right after I was born. The rhui’auros showed me. Her name was Ireya ä Shaar.”
    â€œWell, that’s a start.” Seregil moved to put an arm around him, but Alec pulled away.
    â€œIs there a clan called the Akavi’shel?”
    â€œNot that I know of. The word means ‘many bloods.’ ”
    Alec bowed his head as more tears came. “Just another word for mongrel. Always and never—”
    â€œWhat else did he tell you?” Seregil asked softly.
    â€œThat I’d never have any children.”
    Alec’s evident distress took Seregil by surprise. “The rhui’auros are seldom that clear about anything,” he offered. “What exactly did he say?”
    â€œThat I would father a child of no mother,” Alec replied. “Seems clear enough to me.”
    It did, and Seregil kept quiet for a moment, working it around in his mind. At last he said, “I didn’t know you wanted children.”
    Alec let out a harsh sound, half-laugh, half-sob. “Neither did I! I mean, I’d never given it a lot of thought before. It was just something I assumed would happen sooner or later. Any man wants children, doesn’t he? To carry his name?”
    The words went through Seregil like a blade. “Not me,” he replied quickly, trying to make light of the matter. “But then, I wasn’t raiseda Dalnan. You didn’t think I was going to bear you any babes, did you?”
    The bond between them was too strong for him to mask his sudden flash of fear and anger. One look at Alec’s stricken face told him he’d gone too far.
    â€œNothing will ever separate us,” Alec whispered.
    This time he didn’t resist as Seregil embraced him, but instead clutched him closer.
    Seregil held him, stroking his back and marveling at this fierce blend of love and pain.
    â€œThe rhui’auros—” Alec’s voice was muffled against Seregil’s neck. “I can’t even explain what I saw, or how it felt. Bilairy’s Balls, I see now why you hate that place!”
    â€œNo matter what you think they showed you up there, talí, you won’t lose me. Not as long as I have breath in my body.”
    Alec clung to him a moment longer, then stepped back and wiped his eyes on his sleeve.
    â€œI watched my mother die. I felt it.” There was still a deep sorrow in him, but also awe. “She died to save me, but my father never spoke of her. Not once.”
    Seregil stroked a stray strand of hair back from Alec’s cheek. “Some things are too hurtful to speak of. He must have loved her very much.”
    Alec’s face took on a faraway look for a moment, as if he were seeing something Seregil couldn’t. “Yes, he did.” He wiped at his eyes again. “What did they want with you?”
    Seregil thought again of the maddening glass balls, the snow and filth and the butterfly. Somewhere among those jumbled hints lay a pattern, a link of familiarity.
    They are yours
.
    â€œI’m not sure.”
    â€œDid he say anything about the ban of exile being lifted?”
    â€œIt never occured to me to ask.”
    Or perhaps I didn’t want to hear the answer
,
he thought
.
    A great lethargy settled over Seregil as they rode for home.