The Heirs Of Hammerfe Read online

  "Valentine, you know I care for you," the woman said, "and it is true, I mourn no longer for Rascard; though he was a good husband and a kind father to my children. But at the moment, I do not quite feel free to marry because of my son."

  "In Avarra's name, kinswoman," Valentine Hastur demanded, "how could it affect your son's fortunes other than well, should his mother marry into the Hastur kindred? Suppose he became Hastur rather than Hammerfell, or I swore to devote myself to restoring him to his proper rank and inheritance; what then?"

  "When first I came to Thendara, I owed my very life to you; and that of my child." Valentine waved that aside.

  "It would be a poor reward for your kindness to

 

  end by entangling you in this old unsettled blood feud," Erminie answered.

  "It was no more than owing to kin," he said. "And it is I who am everlastingly in your debt, my dear. But how can you still speak of this old feud as unsettled, Erminie, when there are no living men of the line of Hammerfell save for your son, who was but a year old when his father and all his household died ~ in the burning of the keep?"

  "Nevertheless, until my son is restored to his inheritance, I cannot enter into any other alliance," Erminie said. "I swore when I married his father that I would devote myself to "the well-being of the line of Hammerfell. And I will not forswear that pledge, nor will I draw others into it with me."

  "A promise to the dead holds no force," protested Valentine, quite beside himself. "I am living, and I think you owe more to me than to the dead."

  Erminie smiled affectionately at Valentine.

  "My dear kinsman, I owe you much indeed," she said. For when she had first come to Thendara-half starved, penniless, in rags-he had taken her into his home, and managed to do it without compromising her reputation. At that time he had been married to a noble lady of the MacAran kindred. Valentine and his lady had fed and clothed her and her child, found her this very house where she still lived, and chosen her for the Tower, from which she had achieved her present high place in the society of Thendara. All this was between them as he stood looking into her sad eyes. It was the Hastur whose eyes dropped first.

  "Forgive me, my dear Erminie, you owe me nothing; I said so before, and I meant it. If anything, the

 

  debt is mine, that for all these years I have been privileged with your friendship and your good will. I remember, too, that my wife loved you well; I think it would not profane her memory if I claimed you in marriage."

  "I loved her, too," said Erminie, "and if I thought of marriage I could ask no better than you, my dear friend. It is not easy to forget all you have been to me, and to my son as well. But I have pledged that till he is restored-"

  Valentine Hastur frowned and looked up through the boughs of the tree beneath which they sat, trying to sort his feelings. Alastair of Hammerfell was, he felt, a spoiled and worthless youngster, worthy neither of his high position nor of his mother's solicitude; but it would be no use whatever to say this to the boy's mother. Since he was all she had, she could see not the slightest fault in him, and clung to him with a passionate partisanship which nothing could tarnish. And Valentine knew he had done wrong to remind her of her son; for Erminie knew that Valentine, kindly as he always was, did not love the boy.

  The year before, Alastair had incurred a heavy fine for a third offense of driving his carriage recklessly inside the city walls. This was an offense all too common for young men his age, and, unfortunately, young men tended to think it a point of honor to defy the laws pertaining to safety in riding or driving. These young fops who thought of themselves as ornaments to society were, Valentine thought, a disgrace to their kinsfolk; but he knew that was a belief common to men of his own age. He wondered if he was simply getting old.

  At her feet the dog stirred and raised her head,

 

  and Erminie said with relief, "That can hardly be Alastair so early; I did not hear his horse in the street. Who can it be? Someone Jewel knows, surely-"

  "It is your kinsman Edric," said Valentine Hastur, looking toward the garden gate. "I should go-"

  "No, cousin; if it is Edric, it will be nothing but business, you may be sure, and if he doesn't wish to speak before you, he will not hesitate to send you away," Erminie said, laughing. Edric was the Keeper of the first circle of matrix workers in Thendara Tower and close kin to both Erminie and Valentine.

  Edric strode into the garden, and made a chilly but civil bow to Valentine Hastur.

  "Cousin," he said formally.

  Erminie gave him a formal curtsy. "Welcome, cousin; this is a strange hour for a family visit."

  "I have a favor to ask of you," Edric said wasting no time in his characteristic, brusque manner, "A family affair, really. You know, I am sure, that my daughter Floria has been in training as a monitor at Neskaya Tower, away from the city?"

  "Yes, I remember; how does she?"

  "Very well, cousin, but it seems there is no permanent place for her at Neskaya," Edric said. "However, Kendra Leynier is pregnant, and she is returning to her husband till the child is born, which would make a place for Floria in the third circle at Thendara. But until we are certain, Floria must live here in Thendara, and as my most suitable female kin, I wanted to ask you to chaperone her in society." Floria's mother had died when she was very young; she, too, had been a close kinswoman of Erminie's.

  Erminie asked, "How old is Floria now?"

 

  "Seventeen; marriageable, but she wishes to work first for a few years in the Tower," Edric said.

  Grown so quickly, thought Erminie. It seemed like yesterday that Floria and Alastair were children playing in this very garden.

  "I would be delighted," Erminie said.

  "Are you attending Dom Gavin Delleray's concert tonight?" asked Edric.

  "Yes," said Erminie. "Dom Gavin is a close friend of my son's. They studied music together when Alastair was younger. I think Gavin was always a good influence on him."

  "Then perhaps you will join me-and Floria-in our box at the theater?"

  "I wish we could," Erminie said, "but I have subscribed to a box myself for this season; partly because of Gavin's concert tonight." Her tone became nostalgic. "Oh, Edric, I find it so hard to think of Floria as seventeen; when last I saw her she was but eleven, in short frocks with curls in her hair. I remember Alastair used to tease her dreadfully-chase her around the garden with spiders and snakes, until I'd try to stop it by calling them both in for supper; but even then he'd keep on teasing her by stealing all her cakes and sweets; he had many a spanking from his nurse for such behavior."

  "Well, Floria has grown a great deal; I doubt her cousin will recognize her," Edric said. "It's hard to remember what a little hoyden she used to be, but I think your ladylike example will still do her a great deal of good."

  "I hope so," said Erminie. "I was very young when Alastair o was born; not much older than Floria is now. That is the way in the mountains, but I wonder

 

  if it is not a mistake-how can one so young be a wise mother, and don't children suffer the lack of a mature parent?"

  "I would not necessarily say that," Edric said. "I think you have been a fine mother, and I do not think ill of Alastair. In fact, when Floria is older-" he broke off, then continued. "I was only sorry to see you burdened with children when you were but a child yourself. I would rather see a young girl carefree-"

  "Yes, I know," said Erminie. "My kinsmen did not want me to marry Rascard; yet I have never been sorry I did. I have nothing but good to say of him, and I am glad I had my son while I was young enough to enjoy having a baby around the house." She thought with the usual pain of her other son who had died in the burning of Hammerfell. But it was so long ago. Maybe she should marry Valentine after all while she was still young enough to have other children. Valentine picked up the thought- which she had not thought to shield-and smiled warmly at her. She lowered her eyes.

  "Be that as
it may," Edric said, and Erminie wondered if he, too, had picked up the thought-it was not to be imagined that he would disapprove of a marriage into the powerful and prominent Hastur clan, "I shall welcome you to our box at the theater at intermission tonight. Floria will be happy to see you again-you were always her favorite kinswoman, because you were still so young and playful."

  "I hope I am still young enough to be more of an elder sister and friend to her than a chaperone," Erminie said. "I envied her mother-I have always wanted a daughter."

 

  Once again she knew that Valentine picked up the thought which this time she had quite deliberately failed to shield. As Edric turned to leave, she touched his arm, "Edric, there is another matter-a dream I had again, last night. I have had it so often-"

  "The same dream, about Alastair?"

  "I am not sure it was Alastair," Erminie with confusion said. "I was in the Tower, in the circle, and Alastair came in-I think it was Alastair," she repeated uncertainly. "Only he-you know how meticulously he always dresses-in my dream he was poorly dressed in the mountain style-such clothing as his father might have worn. And he spoke to me through the starstone-" her voice faltered; she touched the matrix jewel that hung at her breast.

  Edric said, "You have had this dream before-"

  "All this year," Erminie said. "It seems like some vision of the future, and yet-it was you who tested Alastair-"

  "True; and I told you then, as I tell you again now; Alastair has but little laran, not enough to be worth the trouble of training," Edric said. "Certainly not enough for a Tower worker; but your dream tells me that you have not yet accepted my decision. Does it mean as much as that to you, Erminie?"

  "I am not sure this dream is as simple as that,' she said, "for when I woke, my starstone was glowing as if it had been touched-"

  "I cannot see what else it could mean," said Edric thoughtfully.

  Before any more could be said, the dog stirred again and bounded toward the gate. Erminie rose, "It is my son returning; I should go and greet him."

 

  Valentine looked up at her. "You are too protective of him, my dear."

  "No doubt you are right," Erminie said, "but I cannot forget that night when I lost my other son because I let them out of my sight for only a few minutes. I know it has been a long time, but I am still fearful whenever he is beyond my eyes' reach."

  "I cannot fault you for being a careful mother," Valentine said, "but I beg you to remember that he is no longer a child; he must in the very course of nature cease to need his mother's constant concern. And if he is to recover his heritage, he must begin to strive for himself. But you know, Erminie, that I think it might be far better to let this feud burn itself out for lack of fuel-to wait for another generation."

  "You will have no luck with that line of reasoning, cousin," interrupted Edric, "I have said all this to her before. She will not hear sense."

  "And let my son live always in exile, a landless man?" she countered indignantly. To Valentine she seemed very beautiful, with her eyes glowing with determination; he only wished the subject were more worthy. "Should I let my husband lie restless in his grave with his ghost unavenged haunting the ruins of Hammerfell?"

  Shocked, Valentine asked, "Do you truly believe that, kinswoman-that the dead keep their grudges and old grievances against the living?"

  But he could see in her eyes that she did believe this, and could not imagine how to change her mind. . The dog sprang up and bounded across the garden, coming back with prancing leaps and frisking around the feet of the tall young man.

  "Mother," he said, "I knew not that you were en-

 

  tertaining guests." He bowed gracefully to her, and inclined his head respectfully to the Hastur-lord, and then to Lord Edric. "Good evening, sir. Good evening, cousin."

  "Not guests, but our kinsmen," said Erminie. "Will you remain and dine with us? Both of you?"

  "It would be a pleasure; unfortunately, I am expected elsewhere," Valentine said in civil excuse, and took his leave, bowing over Erminie's hand.

  Edric hesitated, then said, "I think not tonight; but I will see you at the concert later this evening."

  Erminie watched him go, standing with her arm round her tall son's waist.

  "What did he want with you, Mother? Is that man sniffing round to get you to marry him?"

  "Would that displease you so much, my son-if I were to marry again?"

  "You cannot expect me to be pleased," said Alastair, "if my mother marries some lowlander to whom Hammerfell is less than nothing. When we are restored, and you are again in our rightful place at Hammerfell-then if he would like to come wooing, I will consider what answer I will give him."

  Erminie smiled gently, "I am a Tower technician, my son; I do not need the permission of any guardian to marry. You cannot even make the excuse that I have not yet arrived at years of discretion.

  "Oh, come, Mother, you're still young and pretty-"

  "I am truly glad you think so, my son; but even so, if I wish to marry, I may consult with you, but I shall not ask your leave." Her voice was very gentle and held no trace of reproach, but the young man lowered his eyes and blushed anyway.

  "Among our people in the mountains, men show

 

  more courtesy; they come properly to a woman's male kinsmen and ask leave to pay court to her."

  Well, she could not blame him; she had brought him up to the habits and customs of their mountain kinsmen, and bade him never forget that he was Duke of Hammerfell. If this was what he now thought himself, it was the product of her own teaching.

  "Night is falling; we should go in," she said.

  "The dew is falling; shall I fetch your shawl, Mother?"

  "I am not yet so old as that!" she said, exasperated, as he took her arm. "Whatever you think of him, my son, Valentine said one thing which made sense."

  "And what was that, Mother?"

  "He said that you were a man, and that if you wished to recover Hammerfell, you would somehow have to recover it for yourself."

  Alastair nodded. He said, "This has been much on my mind, Mother, these last three years. Yet I hardly know where to start. I cannot, after all, ride to Storn Heights and ask old Lord Storn, or whoever sits in his place these days, to give me the keys. Yet if these Hastur-lords truly value justice as they say, it occurs to me that they might be willing to lend me armed men to recapture it; or at least they might be willing to make public acknowledgment that Hammerfell is mine and Storn holds it unlawfully. Do you think our kinsman Valentine could get me an audience with the king?"

  "I am quite sure of it," Erminie said; she was glad to know that her son had been thinking on the matter. So far there was not much of a plan; but if he was willing to seek counsel of older and wiser heads, at least that was a good beginning.

 

  "Surely you remember we have a concert to attend this evening, Mother?"

  "Of course," she replied. But for some reason, she did not wish to mention why this evening's plans had particular significance for her.

  As Erminie went to her rooms to summon her lady-companion to dress her for the concert, she felt a curious foreboding, as if this evening would be fateful, and she could not imagine why.

  When she was dressed in a gown of rust-colored satin that set off her shining hair to perfection, a garland of green jewels at her slender throat, she went down to join her son.

  "How fine you look tonight, Mother," he said. "I was afraid you would insist on wearing your Tower robes; but you have dressed as is fitting to our station and I am proud of you."

  "Are you, indeed? Then I am glad of the trouble I have taken to dress tonight." Alastair himself was wearing a laced tunic and knee breeches of gold satin, set off with dark yellow sleeves and black lacings; around his neck he wore a pendant of gleaming carved amber. His red hair was curled elaborately just above his shoulders; he looked so much like her childhood playmate Alaric that even after so many ye
ars, Erminie felt a lump rise in her throat. Well, he was, after all, Alaric's half-brother; this tie to her long-dead kinsman was among the reasons, though not the primary one, which had impelled her to marry Rascard of Hammerfell.

  "You, too, are handsome tonight, my dear son," she said, and thought, It will not be long that he is content to escort his mother to such events; I should enjoy his companionship while I still have it. Alastair went to

 

  summon his mother a sedan chair, the commonest public conveyance in the streets of Thendara, and rode beside her chair toward the palatial building which had been constructed last year for concerts and such performances in the great public market of Thendara.

  The great square was crowded with sedan chairs, mostly the drab black public conveyances, but a few richly hung and decorated brilliantly with embroidered or jeweled coats of arms.

  Alastair, giving his horse to one of the grooms of the public stable, assisted his mother to alight, and said, "We should have our own chair, Mother; you should not have to summon a common chair whenever you wish to go abroad; we should have one made with the arms of Hammerfell. It would be much more fitting to the dignity of your position- folk would look at it and know that you were Duchess of Hammerfell."

  "What, If" Erminie could not help laughing at the thought, but then she saw her son's face and realized that she had hurt his feelings.

  "I need no such dignities, my boy. It is quite enough for me to be a Tower worker, a technician; do you even know what that means?" she asked with a touch of aggravation.

  And again she remembered her dream; why, if he was all but devoid of laran, should she see him again and again in dreams that way? Was Valentine right? Was she keeping him too close to her skirts-unhealthily close? But no, she had encouraged him to live his own life, and saw little of him from one week's beginning to the next. She recalled the time a year ago, when he had told her he had been refused for Tower

 

  training; it was only then that Erminie had told him he had been born with a twin brother who had perished in the flames that burned Hammerfell, and that he was evidently the twin with lesser ability. He had said then with anger that he could not regret having lost a brother "who robbed me of my share of an ability which means so much to you, Mother."