Tokanio c.o.c.ked an eyebrow, thinking that a marriage was more than just a ceremony, but he held his tongue.

"And speaking of all the details," Jarrod continued, "you do have the ring, don't you?"

Tokamo's face froze. "Of course I do," he said, fish- ing in his left sleeve pocket. The eyebrows came down

234 into a solid line and he switched to the right sleeve. The mouth puckered and the eyes widened as he went back to the left and then frantically to the right sleeve again.

When he raised his head, his face was a mask of bewil- dered contrition.

"Oh Tok.'' Jarrod said in exasperation. "You couldn't . . ." He was stopped by Tomako's grin. "Not funny, Tokamo/' he said angrily. "Not funny!"

"Easy, easy," Tokamo said, unabashed. "Drink your wine and relax. This is the happiest day of your life, remember?"

Jarrod managed a tight smile. "Have I ever told you that you have a perverse sense of humor?"

"Frequently," Tokamo said happily as the Chamber- lain swept back into the room.

The chapel was of modest proportions as public s.p.a.ces in the palace went, but it was the size of a ser- vant's hall in a prosperous manor. The walls seemed to be made of stained gla.s.s, not unlike the Cathedral of the Mother in Belengar. The morning sun streamed in through the east windows and added a layer of extra color to the bright costumes of the guests. It dappled Nastrus' hide as he stood to the left of the marble table that had served as an altar. It made the runest.i.tching on Greylock's gown glimmer.

Jarrod and Tokamo paced up the central aisle toward the Mage, and Jarrod's spirits were lifted anew by the intense enjoyment emanating from the unicorn. All was right with the world once more. They paused at the front row of seats and bowed to Naxania, and then Tokamo moved to the right and Jarrod advanced to stand before the Mage. They smiled rather awkwardly at one another while a hum of conversation rose in the chapel as the guests waited for the next development.

The time seemed to stretch interminably and Jarrod was itching to see who had put in an appearance. Darius, 235.

as the only parent, had done most of the inviting and that meant that the Queen had had a considerable say in the selection.

'Oh. go on,' Nastrus prompted. 'None of these humans will think the worse of you. Besides, most of them are too busy watching me to notice.'

'Only because there's nothing more interesting going on.' Jarrod retorted, but he took the advice and turned slowly to look down the chapel.

To his left. Queen Naxania sat in a high-backed chair on the aisle. Beyond her were two empty seats, one for Darius and one for Tokamo. Joscelyn sat at the far end wearing the brown gown of an Apprentice. Jarrod smiled at him, but the boy's attention was elsewhere. I wonder what he thinks about his mother getting mar- ried again? Jarrod thought belatedly. Has Marianna talked to him about it? Probably not. He would have to make an effort to make the boy feel that his place in his mother's affections wasn't being usurped. If Josce- lyn were older or younger, it would be easier, but he was at the awkward cusp of youth where emotions were in turmoil. Still, Joscelyn was an obligation that he would a.s.sume with the marriage. His eyes slid away.

To Jarrod's right, the aisle seat was occupied by Agar Thorden, and next to him sat Lord Otorin of Lissen.

The rest of the row was occupied by members of the Royal Council. Behind them ranged the Court. Con- spicuous in their colorful clothes were the Marquis of Bethel and Soldan of Erdamin. There were some men in black with white ruffs, but the majority seemed to have abandoned the fashion, though none with the flair of the two young n.o.blemen. Compared to most of them, his own clothes seemed restrained. The thought pleased him, bolstered, of course, by the knowledge that his right trouser cuff contained more wealth than most of them could muster, the Marquis included. The women,

236 he noticed, seemed to be favoring small hats on high- piled hair this year.

The rising buzz of talk and Jarrod's observations were terminated abruptly by a fanfare of trumpets. The empty doorway was suddenly filled. Darius of Gwyndryth stood there, tall, lean and imposing with his white hair and trim white beard. He was dressed in the full uni- form of a General of the Paladinian Royal Forces, gold braid at his shoulders, a scarlet sash across his chest and an Umbrian order on a broad ribbon around his neck. All the guests had turned in their seats, even Nax- ania, and, impressive as Darius was, all eyes were on Marianna.

She was worth the study. The dark red hair was swept back past her ears and curved down to touch her bare shoulders. Pearls crossed her brow and circled to keep her hair in place. Sapphire and emerald earrings dan- gled and were repeated in the necklace that ended in a square-cut sapphire. The same combination of gems, two rows deep, curled around her forearms. The dress had tiny sleeves and swooped low over the bosonh The waist was nipped in and girdled by a rope of pearls.

The skirt belled out to the floor. The material was dark and though the windows patched it with colors, it con- tained rippling hues of its own.

They paused on the threshold as if giving the crowd time to ogle them and then moved forward as the play- ers in the gallery struck up a stately march.

They paced up the aisle to the altar, where Darius handed his daughter on to Jarrod. Both men bowed and Darius retired to his seat beside Naxania. The couple exchanged a smile before turning and facing forward.

Jarrod and Marianna stood side by side before Grey- lock as the Mage's deep voice rolled out over the a.s.sem- bly in the simple words of the marriage rite. They promised to love and support each other all the days of 237.

their lives. Tokamo advanced and the rings of troth were exchanged. Then the compact was sealed with the nup- tial kiss. In no time at all, or so it seemed to Jarrod, they were walking back down the aisle, hand in hand, with the musicians playing a lilting air.

The wedding feast, held in the Great Hall, pa.s.sed in a welter of noise, heat and extravagant dishes. Then the tables were cleared and pushed to the sides and the dancing began. The wine continued to now and the noise increased still more. The bridal couple danced twice, once with each other and once when Jarrod led out the Queen and Darius partnered his daughter.

Thereafter they endured the good wishes of the guests.

After about an hour, Marianna looked at her husband and said through the fixed smile that she had acquired, "If we don't get out of here, I'm going to scream."

"I doubt if anyone would hear you, but I agree."

He took her hand and led the way through the Jos- tling throng. No one seemed to notice, much less try to stop them. The noise of the revelry pursued them down the corridor, but once they had turned the second cor- ner, it died mercifully away.

"They're going to be angry when they look around to escort us to the bridal bed and find us gone," Jarrod said.

"They'll b.l.o.o.d.y well have to lump it," she replied.

"It's a barbaric custom. I've been through it once and I've no intention of doing so again."

"They'll come banging on my, er, our door and cre- ate a rumpus. They'll all be drunk and they may well break it down."

Marianna groaned. "You're right, of course." She stopped and tugged him to a halt. "Tell you what," she said decisively, "I'm going to my room to change. You do the same and meet me at the stables. Father keeps a

238 mare for me to ride and if Nastrus isn't there, you can borrow one of Daddy's hunters."

"We're going to the Outpost?" Jarrod asked.

"Well, we've agreed that we can't stay in your room here." A hint of her old grin appeared. "We couldn't get married there the way we wanted to, but I don't see why we shouldn't spend our wedding night there, do you?"

"I married a very intelligent woman," Jarrod said.

He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll see you at the stables in half an hour."

So Jarrod spent his wedding night in his own bed, a bed that had never had a woman between its sheets before. Marianna had gone to sleep almost immedi- ately, but the headache he had acquired at the feast kept Jarrod awake awhile, curled protectively and content- edly around his wife. He smiled at the word- He was aware that he did not love her as he had loved her when he was a boy, but, he decided, he did love her. He knew, too, that she had never been in love with him. She was fond of him, of that he was certain, and they had been good together in bed. She would come to love him. He hugged her gently and drifted off to sleep.

ChAptCR 21

u

e are informed that you demanded an au- dience, Revered Mother." The Emperor's voice, manip- ulating the cadences of the Formal Mode into sarcasm, emphasized the "demanded."

The Mother Supreme compressed her lips. She had taken a risk in forcing this meeting, but Varodias had given her no other option. She had been pet.i.tioning for an audience for a fortnight and his refusal to see her was both a personal slight and an insult to the Church.

That could not be tolerated. She felt the anger rise in her again and pushed it away. She could not afford to be emotional with this man.

"Access to Your Majesty's presence is one of the tra- ditional privileges of my office," she said quietly. "I do no more than claim what tradition has sanctified."

Varodias turned to stroke the feathers of the gyrfal- con that sat on the perch to his right. Let her stand and wait, he thought. She may have coerced my Chamber- lain but she will not coerce me.

"We have been much preoccupied of late," he said lazily, his attention still on the raptor. "The times are unsettled. There are a great many things that demand our attention."

"Oh, I am aware of that," Amulpha replied. "I did not return to Angorn in search of frivolity." She kept her voice pleasant. "It is precisely the troubled times that I wish to discuss."

240 Varodias turned his head back slowly. "Indeed?"

She put on her professional smile. "It was my im- pression that the last time we spoke we had reached an agreement." Her knees and her ankles hurt. The Em- peror had yet to descend from the throne as custom required and did not appear to be ready to offer her a chair. Blast the conceited little man, she thought, but she was not about to give him satisfaction.

"An agreement?" Varodias was enjoying himself and he let it show.

"As I recall, I agreed to dismiss the Church's retain- ers and you agreed that Imperial troops would be de- ployed to protect Church property. I was to encourage our priestesses to preach support for the Imperium and you were going to open the Alien Plain to settlement, with a provision for the establishment of new churches in the conquered lands. I have kept my part of the bar- gain, but you have not kept yours."