Finally he said, “You were at the Council. You know what’s going on.”

“You mean Aldaran.” I was glad he had actually changed the subject

“The worst of it is, I cannot be spared from Thendara, and what’s more, I don’t think I can make the journey, Lew.” His barriers were down, and I could feel his weariness. “I’ve never admitted, before, that there was anything I could not do. But now,” and he gave me his quick, rare smile, “I have a son I can trust to take my place. And since we’ve both defied Hastur, Thendara might not be too comfortable for you in the next weeks. I’m going to send you to Aldaran as my deputy, Lew.”

“Me, Father?”

“Who else? There is no one else I can trust so well. You did as well as I could have done on the fire-beacon business. And you can claim blood-kinship there; old Kenniac of Aldaran is your great-uncle.” I had known I was of the Aldaran kin, but I had not known it was so high in the clan, nor so close. “Also, you have Terran blood. You can go and find out beyond all rumors, what is really happening back there in the mountains.”

I felt both elated and uncertain about being sent on this highly sensitive mission, knowing that Father trusted me with it. Hastur had spoken of our duty to serve the Comyn, our world. Now I was ready to take my place among those of our Domain who had done so for more generations than any of us could count. “When do I start?”

“As soon as I can arrange escort and safe-conduct for you. There’s no time to be lost,” he said. “They know you are heir to Comyn. But you are also kinsman to Aldaran; they will welcome you as they would never welcome me.” I was grateful to my father for giving me this mission, then, a new feeling and a good one, I realized that the gratitude need not be all mine. He genuinely needed me. I had a chance to serve him, too, to do something for him better than he could do it himself. I was eager to begin.

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Chapter NINE

At this season the sun was already up when the rising-bell rang in the barracks. Little runnels of snow were melting in the court as they crossed the cobblestones toward the mess hall. Regis was still sleepy in spite of the icy water he had splashed on his face. He felt that he’d almost rather miss breakfast than get up for it at this hour. But he was proud of his good record; he was the only cadet who had never incurred a punishment detail for sleeping through the bell and stumbling in late and half asleep. Nevarsin had done him some good, after all.

He slid into his assigned seat between Danilo and Gareth Lindir. An orderly slapped battered trays in front of them: thick crockery bowls of porridge mixed with nuts, heavy mugs of the sour country beer Regis hated and never touched. He put a spoon distastefully into the porridge.

“Does the food really get worse every morning, or am I imagining it?” Damon MacAnndra asked.

“It gets worse,” said Danilo. “Who’s capable of imagining anything at this God-forgotten hour? What’s that?”

There was a small commotion at the door. Regis jerked up his head and stared. After a brief scuffle a cadet was flung off his feet and went reeling across the room, crashed headfirst into a table and lay still, Dyan Ardais was standing in the doorway waiting for the unfortunate cadet to rise. When he did not stir, Dyan motioned to an orderly to go and pick him up.

Damon said, “Zandru’s hells, it’s Julian!” He got up from his seat and hurried to his friend’s side. Dyan was standing over him, looking grim.

“Back to your seat, cadet. Finish your meal.”

“He’s my friend. I want to see if he’s hurt.” Ignoring Dyan’s angry glare, Damon knelt beside the fallen cadet; the other cadets, craning their necks, could see the bright smear of blood where Julian’s head had struck the table. “He’s bleeding! You’ve killed him!” Damon said in a shrill, shaking voice.

“Nonsense!” Dyan rapped out. “Dead men don’t bleed like that.” He knelt, quickly ran his fingertips over the boy’s head and motioned to two third-year cadets. “Take him back to the staff offices and ask Master Raimon to have a look at him.”

As Julian was carried out, Gabriel Vyandal muttered across the table, “It’s not fair to pick on us at this hour of the morning when we’re all half asleep.” It was so quiet in the mess room that his voice carried; Dyan strode across the room and said, looking down at him with a curl of his lip, “Times like this are when you should be most on guard, cadet. Do you think that footpads in the city, or catmen or bandits on the border, will pick an hour of your convenience to attack? This part of your training is to teach you to be on your guard literally every moment, cadets.” He turned his back on them and walked out of the room.

Gareth muttered, “He’s going to kill one of us some day. I wonder what he’ll say then?”

Damon came back to his seat, looking very white. “He wouldn’t even let me go with them and hold his head.”

Gabriel laid a comforting hand on his arm. He said, “Don’t worry, Master Raimon will take good care of him.”

Regis had been shocked at the sight of blood, but a sense of scrupulous fairness made him say, “Lord Dyan is right, you know. When we’re really in the field, a moment of being off guard can get us killed, not just hurt.”

Damon glared at Regis. “It’s all right for you to talk, Hastur. I notice he never picks on you.”

Regis, whose ribs were chronically black and blue from Dyan’s battering at sword practice, said, “I suppose he thinks I get enough lumps working out with him in armed-combat training.” It occurred to him that there was an element of cruelty in this too. Kennard Alton had taught him to handle a sword when he was believed to be the best swordsman in the Domains. Yet in daily practice with either Kennard or Lew for two years, he had collected fewer bruises than he had had from Dyan in a few weeks.

A second-year man said audibly, “What do you expect of the Comyn? They all hang together.”

Regis bent his head to the cold porridge. What’s the use?he thought. He couldn’t show everybody his bruises—he shouldn’t have opened his mouth. Danilo was trying to eat with trembling hands. The sight filled Regis with distress but he did not know what he could say that would not be an intrusion.

In the barracks room, Regis quickly made up his bed, helped Damon fix up Julian’s cot and arrange his possessions; when Julian returned, at least he would not have to face demerits for leaving his bed and shelf in disorder. After the other cadets had gone off for arms-drill, he and Danilo remained. It was their turn to sweep the room and clean the fireplace. Regis went meticulously about the work of scraping ashes from the fireplace and cleaning the hearth. You never knew which officer would make inspection and some were stricter than others. He did the work with all the more thoroughness because he detested it, but his thoughts were busy. Had Julian really been hurt? Dyan had been too rough.

He was aware that Danilo, shoving the heavy push-broom with scowling determination at the far end of the room, was filled with a kind of sullen misery that overlaid everything else. Regis wondered if there was any way to block out other people’s emotions, for he was far too sensitive to Danilo’s moods. If he knew what Dani was thinking, or why he was so angry and miserable all the time, it might not be so bad, but all Regis got were the raw emotions.

He sensed Lew Alton’s presence and looked up to see him coming along the room. “Not finished? Take your time, cadet, I’m a little early.”

Regis relaxed. Lew could be strict enough, but he did not go out of his way to look for hidden fragments of dust. He continued his work with the hearth-broom, but after a minute felt Lew bend and touch his arm. “I want a word with you.”