Page 44 of Tashama
The whites of Carissian’s knuckles showed as he gripped the edge of the desk with his fingers. “Dallas is a fanciful place. Your thoughts betray visions of the buildings scraping the sky as they loom toward the sun. One in particular fascinates you as its blue mirror-like sides shine in the sunlight. And again, I see the shiny, bright-colored, horseless wagons darting about their business on black stone roads, cris-crossing in such a maze it’s similar to our palace corridors—in one respect.”
She pushed the wayward wisps of hair back off her cheek. “What are you going to do with me?”
“The prince hasn’t said.”
“But you advise him. What will you tell him to do?”
“I can suggest.”
“And?”
“Keep you here, close at hand for the time being.” She shook her head slightly. Carissian laughed. “You envision stepping into your village amidst cheers from your people. Why does a woman think she would have such an effect on the Karthlanders? You’re quite attractive, to be sure. But a woman—any woman—would never have much of a say in a man’s world.”
She rolled onto her back and glared at Carissian. Hearing the mattress creak in the room adjoining hers, she twisted her head in that direction. “He’s already awake,” Carissian said as he stood tall. “He’s been listening to all that has been said.”
“Balthazar is cleverer than you!” She knew as soon as she said it, she’d made a grave mistake. It was the early morning hour that tripped her up.
“Balthazar,” Carissian said as his eyes narrowed. “Balthazar,” he repeated as he took a step toward her. “What would you know of the Karthlander’s sorcerer? He vanished with the rest of the royal family many years ago. Only now a cousin rules in their place. Valmor is the sorcerer who has taken Balthazar’s position.”
Tashama sat up on the pillows and stared at the floor. “A cousin?” she said to herself. Had he murdered her family for the power?
13
“You search for the missing pieces. You’re trying to recollect who the Karthlander king’s nephews were—but the names and even the faces elude you.Who areyou?” Carissian asked Tashama.
“An insignificant Karthlander woman—so you have already said yourself.”
Carissian bowed as the prince entered the room. “She has ties to Balthazar, the cagey old fox, sire.”
The prince stared at her. “She must have been part of the royal staff then.” He turned to Carissian. “Are yousureshe’s not a sorceress? Perhaps he was training her?—”
“No.” Carissian shook his head. “Balthazar was a royal sorcerer. He only saw to the…” Carissian paused. He glanced down at Tashama’s cotton-wrapped feet, then took the prince’s arm and led him from the room.
“What?” Aleron said, his voice raised.
The sorcerer’s muffled voice mouthed a few sentiments she could not decipher, then he spoke out loud, “Yes, sire, I’m almost certain.”
“Very well, have the healer check at once.”
Tashama sighed deeply as she pulled her hair back, then began to wind it into a braid. The prince paced back and forth while Carissian said to a servant, “Have the healer brought here at once.”
“At once,” the servant repeated and hurried out of the chamber.
“When do I get to return to my chambers?” she called out to Carissian and the prince.
The two men walked back into the room, and both looked at her differently this time. She frowned at them, then continued to twist her hair into a rope as she turned her gaze to the floor. “Has your sorcerer told you I want to kiss you again? He lies, you know. He’s only feeding your big ego, you do realize.”
“How old are you?” the prince asked.
“I’ve been asked that an awful lot of late. Do you not know that asking such a thing of a woman is truly impolite?”
“She’s twenty-three,” Carissian said. “She’s rattled and is having a difficult time blocking my exploration into her thoughts.”
“Then she would be the right age.” The prince took a deep breath.
“Balthazar would have stayed with her when the king and queen passed on.”
“If she’s the one.”
