Alesander, Part 29
At dusk, Lovinia and Miriam appeared from wherever they had spent the day. Lovinia, at least, managed to bully Jeril into showing her his wounds; she left, then, soon afterwards and returned with fresh clothes.
"I'm going to owe you an entire wardrobe if you keep that up," Jeril said, and she snorted and helped him up and he managed to take two steps before he sank back down again.
Nicodemus had finally moved; he'd wrapped the blanket around him and now sat against the wall, his eyes closed, but Katriena didn't think he was asleep.
Her father was in and out, here and there. He'd sit with Jeril for an hour, then have to leave again; at midnight, Jeril all but ordered him to get some sleep.
And Katriena slept, curled on a cot that someone had placed against one wall. There were two cots when she awoke, and Alesander lay in the other one, but he was awake by the time she rose.
There were fresh clothes for her as well--finally. No bath, but she did her best with a bowl of water and a sponge, and braided her hair to keep it out of her way. When she'd made herself presentable again, she emerged to find Jeril up and walking, and her father watching, still concerned.
"I'll be fine," Jeril said, for what seemed to be the hundredth time. "Inside a carriage. Away from the sun." He smiled, but even his smile seemed pained. "Hand-to-hand combat might be a bit difficult, but I hope it won't come to that."
"What are you planning to do?" Katriena asked, because she'd missed a lot of their discussion, before. And they had not shared their plan with anyone else.
"My mother would call it treason," Nicodemus whispered with his eyes still closed. "To deliberately call out a vampire--in daylight--"
"She is guilty of murder," Jeril said. "And attempted murder."
"You have no proof but the word of other vampires," Nicodemus said.
"That is proof enough for me," Katriena's father said. "And I would defend my decision to anyone who would question it."
Nicodemus opened his eyes. "How is this going to work? How are you going to separate the vampires who follow the treaty from the ones who don't? How are you going to ferret out the vampires who wish to hide what they are? Are you intending to force everyone out in the sunlight to see who stays or who burns?"
"Can you tell who is a vampire and who is not?" Katriena's father asked.
"Of course," Nicodemus said.
"Do you know all the vampires who belong to your mother?"
"Not all of them, no," Nicodemus said.
"I know what she feels like, in someone's mind," Alesander said, clad in clean clothes now, his hair damp and curling around the nape of his neck.
"Can you sense that in someone else?" Jeril asked.
"I don't know," Alesander said. "But I'm willing to try."
"But what if they've freed themselves from her influence," Nicodemus said, ever the voice of doubt. "Would you still feel her presence? Do you feel it in my mind?"
"No," Alesander said. "I don't feel anything in your mind but you." And Nicodemus shivered and closed his eyes, suddenly speechless, as if he'd never once been without his mother in his mind, which was probably true.
"Is she still alive after that?" Katriena asked, and Alesander turned to face her, wide-eyed, and she realized that he didn't know.
"I think we'll have to operate on the assumption that she is alive, but perhaps gravely wounded," her father said. "Jeril, sit down before you fall."
And Jeril sat, gracelessly, and Lovinia clucked over him like a disapproving mother hen.
"You do not need us, then," Miriam said.
"No," Lyenel said. "But I thank you for your help."
"We will return to Refuge then, and try to collect the survivors," Miriam said. "And the remaining human wizards."
"And we will contact you," Lyenel said. "If we succeed here, I would like to move on Carolyn within the month."
"That long?" Jeril asked.
"You are wounded," Lyenel said. "Alesander will have a kingdom to consider, and I need time to prepare, if there will be war."
At least he hadn't said anything about leaving her behind, Katriena thought. Yet.
"I go where Alesander goes," Nicodemus said. "Since we are bound."
"I did not want to bind you," Alesander said. "There has to be a way--"
Nicodemus glanced at him. "Would it bother you too much if I asked you not to try? If you are more powerful than my mother, then I don't have anything to worry about as long as you're alive."
"And if I am not?" Alesander asked. "Because I don't know. She was so far away--"
"Then I know you can fight her," Nicodemus whispered. "Where I cannot."
"And what would it mean for you that I have you bound?" Alesander asked. "And what would it mean for me?"
Katriena risked a glance at Jeril and her father, who were pretending not to listen.
"You could order me--" Nicodemus began.
"No." Alesander said. "I will not order you. Can I put constraints on a binding?"
"No," Jeril said. "At least--not that I've ever known. A binding is for one purpose alone; to control someone else. It is not meant for kindness."
Alesander stared at him unhappily. "I don't want that."
"If the alternative is that he gets bound by his mother again," Katriena said, "doesn't the good outweigh the bad?"
"I don't want that kind of power over someone," Alesander whispered. "What if I got mad at him? What if I did something terrible?"
"You saved my life," Nicodemus said. "That in itself leaves me in your debt. The binding will allow me to know where you are--always. And you will always know where I am as well. Unless we are too far apart. I trust that you would not do something 'terrible', because you are not my mother."
"You are putting a lot in your trust," Alesander said softly.
"Yes, I know," Nicodemus replied. "I am putting my life in your trust." He hesitated. "My mother would see me suffer for what I have done. If I am bound to you, then perhaps I have a chance to survive this. Or at the very least, redeem myself. Please don't--" He broke off, then, and closed his eyes. Took a deep breath. Choked on what he wanted to say.
"I won't," Alesander said. "If you promise me one thing."
"Anything," Nicodemus said, and Katriena thought that he meant it, despite the binding.
Alesander hesitated. "Jeril protects Katriena's family. Would you do the same for me?" And then, before Nicodemus could reply, he said, "I am giving you a choice. I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to do."
Nicodemus shrugged, and Katriena thought she saw tears in his eyes. "That is second nature, now," he said. "But yes. Of my own free will, I would say yes."
But did he have free will? Katriena started to ask, then decided to leave well enough alone. It was none of her business, after all, what they decided. None of her concern, except for the fact that she was concerned; she still didn't quite trust Nicodemus.
"Are you telling the truth?" she asked, and Nicodemus stared at her, puzzled.
"About what?"
"Your 'free will'," Katriena said. "If you are bound as you say, can you refuse his request? Even if he offers you a choice?"
Clearly, Alesander had not thought of this. He waited, mute, for Nicodemus' reply, as if fearful he would inadvertently order him to do something else.
"I could choose to say no," Nicodemus whispered. "If he offers me a choice. But my mother would have punished me if I had refused."
"I will not punish you," Alesander said softly.
Nicodemus nodded. "I know." And for the first time since Alesander had saved him, he smiled--a true smile that held nothing mocking; nothing untoward.
And Katriena found, to her surprise, that she believed him.
Author's note: The vagaries of the binding will be important in Book 2, I think. At least, I'm getting that impression.
Last post tomorrow!
Writers love comments, please leave one!
As always, copyright belongs to me.
"I'm going to owe you an entire wardrobe if you keep that up," Jeril said, and she snorted and helped him up and he managed to take two steps before he sank back down again.
Nicodemus had finally moved; he'd wrapped the blanket around him and now sat against the wall, his eyes closed, but Katriena didn't think he was asleep.
Her father was in and out, here and there. He'd sit with Jeril for an hour, then have to leave again; at midnight, Jeril all but ordered him to get some sleep.
And Katriena slept, curled on a cot that someone had placed against one wall. There were two cots when she awoke, and Alesander lay in the other one, but he was awake by the time she rose.
There were fresh clothes for her as well--finally. No bath, but she did her best with a bowl of water and a sponge, and braided her hair to keep it out of her way. When she'd made herself presentable again, she emerged to find Jeril up and walking, and her father watching, still concerned.
"I'll be fine," Jeril said, for what seemed to be the hundredth time. "Inside a carriage. Away from the sun." He smiled, but even his smile seemed pained. "Hand-to-hand combat might be a bit difficult, but I hope it won't come to that."
"What are you planning to do?" Katriena asked, because she'd missed a lot of their discussion, before. And they had not shared their plan with anyone else.
"My mother would call it treason," Nicodemus whispered with his eyes still closed. "To deliberately call out a vampire--in daylight--"
"She is guilty of murder," Jeril said. "And attempted murder."
"You have no proof but the word of other vampires," Nicodemus said.
"That is proof enough for me," Katriena's father said. "And I would defend my decision to anyone who would question it."
Nicodemus opened his eyes. "How is this going to work? How are you going to separate the vampires who follow the treaty from the ones who don't? How are you going to ferret out the vampires who wish to hide what they are? Are you intending to force everyone out in the sunlight to see who stays or who burns?"
"Can you tell who is a vampire and who is not?" Katriena's father asked.
"Of course," Nicodemus said.
"Do you know all the vampires who belong to your mother?"
"Not all of them, no," Nicodemus said.
"I know what she feels like, in someone's mind," Alesander said, clad in clean clothes now, his hair damp and curling around the nape of his neck.
"Can you sense that in someone else?" Jeril asked.
"I don't know," Alesander said. "But I'm willing to try."
"But what if they've freed themselves from her influence," Nicodemus said, ever the voice of doubt. "Would you still feel her presence? Do you feel it in my mind?"
"No," Alesander said. "I don't feel anything in your mind but you." And Nicodemus shivered and closed his eyes, suddenly speechless, as if he'd never once been without his mother in his mind, which was probably true.
"Is she still alive after that?" Katriena asked, and Alesander turned to face her, wide-eyed, and she realized that he didn't know.
"I think we'll have to operate on the assumption that she is alive, but perhaps gravely wounded," her father said. "Jeril, sit down before you fall."
And Jeril sat, gracelessly, and Lovinia clucked over him like a disapproving mother hen.
"You do not need us, then," Miriam said.
"No," Lyenel said. "But I thank you for your help."
"We will return to Refuge then, and try to collect the survivors," Miriam said. "And the remaining human wizards."
"And we will contact you," Lyenel said. "If we succeed here, I would like to move on Carolyn within the month."
"That long?" Jeril asked.
"You are wounded," Lyenel said. "Alesander will have a kingdom to consider, and I need time to prepare, if there will be war."
At least he hadn't said anything about leaving her behind, Katriena thought. Yet.
"I go where Alesander goes," Nicodemus said. "Since we are bound."
"I did not want to bind you," Alesander said. "There has to be a way--"
Nicodemus glanced at him. "Would it bother you too much if I asked you not to try? If you are more powerful than my mother, then I don't have anything to worry about as long as you're alive."
"And if I am not?" Alesander asked. "Because I don't know. She was so far away--"
"Then I know you can fight her," Nicodemus whispered. "Where I cannot."
"And what would it mean for you that I have you bound?" Alesander asked. "And what would it mean for me?"
Katriena risked a glance at Jeril and her father, who were pretending not to listen.
"You could order me--" Nicodemus began.
"No." Alesander said. "I will not order you. Can I put constraints on a binding?"
"No," Jeril said. "At least--not that I've ever known. A binding is for one purpose alone; to control someone else. It is not meant for kindness."
Alesander stared at him unhappily. "I don't want that."
"If the alternative is that he gets bound by his mother again," Katriena said, "doesn't the good outweigh the bad?"
"I don't want that kind of power over someone," Alesander whispered. "What if I got mad at him? What if I did something terrible?"
"You saved my life," Nicodemus said. "That in itself leaves me in your debt. The binding will allow me to know where you are--always. And you will always know where I am as well. Unless we are too far apart. I trust that you would not do something 'terrible', because you are not my mother."
"You are putting a lot in your trust," Alesander said softly.
"Yes, I know," Nicodemus replied. "I am putting my life in your trust." He hesitated. "My mother would see me suffer for what I have done. If I am bound to you, then perhaps I have a chance to survive this. Or at the very least, redeem myself. Please don't--" He broke off, then, and closed his eyes. Took a deep breath. Choked on what he wanted to say.
"I won't," Alesander said. "If you promise me one thing."
"Anything," Nicodemus said, and Katriena thought that he meant it, despite the binding.
Alesander hesitated. "Jeril protects Katriena's family. Would you do the same for me?" And then, before Nicodemus could reply, he said, "I am giving you a choice. I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to do."
Nicodemus shrugged, and Katriena thought she saw tears in his eyes. "That is second nature, now," he said. "But yes. Of my own free will, I would say yes."
But did he have free will? Katriena started to ask, then decided to leave well enough alone. It was none of her business, after all, what they decided. None of her concern, except for the fact that she was concerned; she still didn't quite trust Nicodemus.
"Are you telling the truth?" she asked, and Nicodemus stared at her, puzzled.
"About what?"
"Your 'free will'," Katriena said. "If you are bound as you say, can you refuse his request? Even if he offers you a choice?"
Clearly, Alesander had not thought of this. He waited, mute, for Nicodemus' reply, as if fearful he would inadvertently order him to do something else.
"I could choose to say no," Nicodemus whispered. "If he offers me a choice. But my mother would have punished me if I had refused."
"I will not punish you," Alesander said softly.
Nicodemus nodded. "I know." And for the first time since Alesander had saved him, he smiled--a true smile that held nothing mocking; nothing untoward.
And Katriena found, to her surprise, that she believed him.
Author's note: The vagaries of the binding will be important in Book 2, I think. At least, I'm getting that impression.
Last post tomorrow!
Writers love comments, please leave one!
As always, copyright belongs to me.