A great many darkened, begrimed portraits of... A great many darkened, begrimed portraits of stern lords and ladies gazed inimically down upon him as he passed
He bore right and again right, tracing the path of Catriana's feet, careful to keep from getting too closeShe went straight on after that through the rooms along the outer side of the palace, none that offered onto the crowded balustrades overlooking the courtyardIt was brighter in these roomsHe could hear murmuring voices off to his right and he realized that Catriana was walking around to the far side of the room where Sandre lay in state
At length he opened a door which proved to be the lastShe was alone inside a very large chamber, standing by the side of a huge fireplaceThere were three bronze horses on the mantelpiece and three portraits on the wallsThe ceiling was gilded in what Devin knew would be goldAlong the outer wall where a line of
ladies omega watches windows overlooked the street there were two long tables laden with food and drinkThis room, unlike the others, had been recently cleaned, but the curtains were still drawn against the morning brightness and the crowd outside
In the thin, filtered light Devin closed the door behind him, deliberately letting the latch click shutThe sound was a loud report in the stillness
Catriana wheeled, a hand to her mouth, but even in the half-light Devin could see that what blazed in her eyes was fury and not fear
"What do you think you are doing?" she whispered harshly
He took a hesitant step forwardHe reached for a witticism, a mild, deflecting remark to shatter the heavy spell that seemed to lie upon him, upon the whole of the morningHe couldn't find one"I don't know," he said honestly"I saw you leave and I followedisn't what you think," he finished lamely
"How would you know
prada clutch what I think?" she snappedShe seemed to calm herself by an act of will"I wanted to be alone for a few moments," Catriana said, controlling her voice"The performance affected me and I needed to be by myselfI can see that you were disturbed too, but can I ask you as a courtesy to leave me to my privacy for just a little while?"
It was courteously saidHe could have gone thenOn any other morning he would have goneBut Devin had already passed, half-knowingly, a portal of Morian's
He gestured at the food on the tables and said, gravely, a quiet observation of fact and not a challenge or accusation, "This is not a room for privacy, CatrianaWon't you tell me why you are here?"
He braced for her rage to flare again, but once more she surprised himSilent for a long moment, she said at length, "You have not shared enough with me to be owed an answer to thatTruly it will
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He could still hear muffled voices on the other side of the wall to the right of the fireplace and the bronze horsesThis strange room with its laden, sumptuously covered tables and the grim portraits on the dark walls seemed to be a chamber in some waking tranceHe remembered Catriana singing that morning, her voice yearning upwards to where the pipes of Tregea calledHe remembered her eyes as she paused in the doorway they'd both passed throughTruly he felt as if he were not entirely awake, not in the world he knew
And in that mood Devin heard himself say, over a sudden constriction in his throat, "Could we not begin then? Is there not a sharing we could start?"
Once more she hesitatedHer eyes were wide but impossible to read in the uncertain lightShe shook her head though and remained where she was, standing straight and very still on the
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"I think not," she said quietly"Not on the road I'm on, Devin d'AsoliBut I thank you for asking, and I will not deny that a part of me might wish things otherwiseI have little time now though, and a thing I must do herePlease, will you leave me?"
He had scarcely expected to find or feel so much regret, over and above all the nuances the morning had already carriedHe nodded his head, there was nothing else he could think of to do or say, and this time he did turn to go
But a portal had indeed been crossed in the Sandreni Palace that morning and in exactly the moment that Devin turned they both heard voices again, but this time from behind him
"Oh, Triad!" Catriana hissed, snapping the mood like a fishbone"I am cursed in all I turn my hands to!" She spun back to the fireplace, her hands frantically feeling around the underside of the
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