tIME BEFORE DAN—S SURE     o t slept all nig o ting in top he Darkness.

        S niged by gs and memories. No tle in it of springtime or to e. te stars still s. A    make out ts of the Ring Dive pier.

        One of t     carry her back.

        "K; Scelto said quietly from behind her.

        S turning. "Please. And t o talk about.”

        If s, if s it all in motion    giving ime for ation or fear, s possibly do t.

        So bustling effitly in tc    of e of rooms.

        t going all nig not observe tumn rituals as t Brandin erfered oms ion, and Dianora never lit a ne of t came to t. tern er su for ts.

        S about stepping out on t it looked mucoo cold. t do a di rise t, o die on a urned    image too.

        "; Scelto said. "I made it very strong," he added awkwardly.

        Surn at t, and    actle to see t nig look ted t o ing, even before she drank.

        S in one of tioned o tated a moment and t do so do tly. So muc or of t.

        taking a deep breat;Scelto, I o be out on tain ties, but I ant. ?”

        an anso ion, n to judge or uand it. S sort of rea, but realized, belatedly, t s h him.

        ;It oday.”

        s even asked ; run it?”

        supidly, and realized the answer even as he replied.

        "a," ;I dont knoion. If ted to e che meadow as you always are.”

        "I o be alone," sed. "And up tain.”

        "Alone ;     a plea.

        S part. "Some of to," s;t do to leave you part.”

        Scle . Before ;I    say t    necessary. ther have by my side.”

        S say    o ion.    back t it would    him.

        ;Ill o find out    o be outside. If t, his.”

        Sefully and d trim, infinitely reassuring in ence.

        S t ill dark outside. So to er today. Sed it at t. t a time for splendor of apparel.

        to    too migter.

        By time so urned. he had a queer expression on his face.

        "t; ;And a is not going to be executed on the wheel.”

        " o ; sinctive dread.

        Scelto ated. "t about t ed a merciful death already.

        Because tual spiracy im, a tool.”

        S;And w has really happened.”

        Sceltos face roubled. "tter not to know, my lady.”

        It probably    soo far in t, and oo far yet to go. tering,    to seek ser. "Per;    I o tell me, Scelto.”

        er a moment: "I old t o be . . . altered. R    is necessary to     take a long time, depending on tances.”

        tances, Dianora t, sied. Sug ed, normal young man h a love of his home.

        Even uanding o t a ed    erday, sill could not stop omaing at tions of Sceltos erday. S. S afford to t Brandin t, ster off not t anyt all.

        "?" sersely.

        "Not yet. You ; Sension in    a ly disturbed him as well.

        "I kno; s;I dont t t    o slip aried to ogether now?”

        one eady and calm; Sceltos face greful. "e    try," er a moment.

        "then e.”

        ed too long, or sidered too muove, and to keep on moving, until sain place.

        riads grace.

        beating rapidly, so out of o the main saishan corridor.

        t treaks of lig tern end. t trates raig t time—to see fear spark in today fear ool, and sools she could find.

        Scelto led    airo led to tside o    as side opened sepped t ing for os annou. S by, and sa t    yesterday. today s smile.

        Beo speak one quick, cryptitence, and to a question. tsteps ing do later t beo caugo her.

        "I t ake a brave man to stop you today," ly. "t erday. It is a good m to be trying this.”

        It rying t.

        " did you tell t; sinuing to walk.

        "to a meeting    w erday.”

        Stle, sidering t, and as so    faint illumination of t above tains.

        "Good," s;Very good, Scelto. t is exactly ; t taking no notice at all. "Scelto," s;I need you to find dEymon. Say I    to speak    ternoon for tell ing in two hours from now.”

        t somee t led out to the slopes of Sangarios beyond.

        Scelto stopped, f o do the same.

        "Yoing to go    me, arent you?" he said.

        S lie to ;I am," s;I expect to be ba time for t meeting. After you give o t kno already, so o send for me. Make sure tly to you, I dont care how.”

        "t; ly, clearly unhappy.

        "I kno. . two here.”

        "And if you arent?”

        S;Stall. o do to, I told you.”

        longer, and t on. Just before reacaircase on t Scelto turned rig doairo t broug into anot- corridor. there.

        t beginning to stir.

        S Scelto. t. For a fleeting momeed to fide in o make an ally of a friend.

        could s and train of years t had led her here?

        S a ;Go no; s;Ill be all right.”

        it looking back stle o t out into the grey, cold beginning of dawn.

        It    al al ions, and it astes and styles in t had ged.

        arrived it tering exercise in topiary: fully trimmed in trees precisely spaced and arra ted benc easy intervals, eaced frand sidy box- at ter, and roary colors.

        tame and b, t t time hrough.

        it deal time. ted seemingly at random ted groves of trees—brougain slopes and ts on ted benc flo t to go, and t, symmetrically pruned so gro, rees. the garden was a maze now.

        An underground stream apped and diverted and noer umble upon, rees for s. trange plao ro certainly not ed, but deliberately so give a sense of stillness and isolation and even, at times, of danger.

        times sucill cold and t beginning to    buds rees, and only t floo ter trees stood tall and dark against the grey sky.

        Dianora sook a deep breat tain, o t to break up; it er. Not yet tood at ter garden and tried to guide oeadiness and calm.

        Se in t s sure s to    years ago er splasorc pat o a gate umbled upon one day,    to orchem and blue Ilarion overhead.

        nigalked to    ies of flo princess born in some far distant oted bed of sno bloomed only in the dark.

        Dianora s off briskly do trees. After ty strides so sing. It ill cold. S up ess of some unknown sylvan god.

        And to to Morian and Eanna, t triad mig s to find. Sensely ahis was.

        At almost exactly t, Alessan, Prince of tigana    from Castle Borso in tandan oing in t    mighe world.

        Dianora    a bed of anemones, muall and delicate yet to pick. te, regea ained by tain. Sopped and looked do tals s s ale of tars, cradled on such flowers.

        S t do.

        And sloely, searc pain as a spur, a goad, s up a mental image of o go on tales in .

        ted    to tain and s t in front of    s rao be    lost among trees, and Dianora realized, art, t it    many years since s been so alone.

        Sle later t and t time s of t t blue. S tone of trees.

        Vines and clumps of laren moss    t and . Sood a moment, irresolute, trying to orient orig , because    al.

        ten minutes later,    a pool and a ruffled refle of , Dianora came to te.

        Sopped, suddenly cold again, t ted iron e o    once, but irely e    on t day of spring, but t, as rusted as t sain . S goo t about climbing, and looked up. te    s t be oe to move forward when she heard a sound behind her.

        t it aftero uand    t aiing point. to expect t s find t rock, or find w shere.

        Surned in trees and t flohe riselka bing her long green hair beside a pool.

        t to be, s and so see if anyone else here.

        te alone in t of t    almost served ranslut as Brandin     frige face.

        S    . She year

        tigana fell, too t as he hollows of her face.

        Brandin hen.

        s. Dianora didnt kno really knoo find. Selling verse, and it seemed t if so find it, it ely he Kings Garden.

        tiful, breakingly so, in a fas tle to do al beauty.

        Dianoras mout even try to speak. Sood very still in b doone ben to her.

        Sloremble, Dianora rees to stand before t pale, elusive creature of legend. S m ligo ted one s fingers longer and more sleals could be, and s it up to Dianoras fad touched her.

        touot so cold as s ly, troked . And tic, alien smile deepening again, ston of Dianoras robe, and reaco toucs. One, and t    entirely secret smile all the while.

        Dianora rembling; s make op. Incredulous and afraid, s arily to tion of t toucs ain of e teet inside    even begin to uand. Sely, uo speak. S o weep.

        t apologetically it seemed, did up tly as before, and toucears on Dianoras c o asted it.

        S suddenly, a t cast up on tide.

        And even as it came to    true, ure mig under moonlig    away.

        toucasted anotear.    so t again. It ive imagining, a pato oblivion. S and t, shook her head again.

        "Please?" s, needing, and afraid of    hing—could drive a riselka away.

        ture turned, and Dianoras     tood t so follow.

        to to ter and so Dianora did tion of blue sky ull slig across tinels and trees not yet in leaf. And even as ser e back too soon,    among trees and feel it on    ter of tely calm, unruffled by so mudril of t in its ohs.

        Dianora dreuro ture    ed by te face. the eyes were darker now, cloudy,

        and sural al man or    Dianora, fig s e er, but for a signing of    te stone in    stoo the pool.

        No ripples. No movement at all. tone sank    a trace of its passage. But ter cer, and darkened, and tions    of gulls. ter oo dark, it cast not Dianora felt take ly but inexorably back to t from to find truthis signing.

        And in ters sion.

        Not    all of t of the Ember Days.

        Instead, an image of anote spring or summer, anot    many people gat sound, stantly, he surge and sigh of waves.

        And in teps were leading her.

        Fear touent    beat slo. A deep calm came over    later, not    its burden of sorroance. For years s had known dreams of su ending.

        t of tainty. And noo    last and Dianora sa it led to the sea.

        t sun of summer. t all.

        Some time later, it migs or ill beside o ter ted ers but seemingly as deep, and s not so many, a blink of an eye or t it took an autumo fall, as ture ime.

        "t; s;I uand.”

        And sood very still, not flinc all, as tiptoe and kissed    as tterfly, upon t of desire time, iion asted of salt. t, Dianora kne all; only a quiet sadness like a smootone in t.

        Surned back to ted again, t of ter in the wind.

        she was alone.

        to ting for    ting on one of tone bencaff resting beside o     from among trees.

        Sopped and looked at t smile to s ifice of course, but an act sable expression s erday. , s , amazingly difficult, to sco tate. It    o be done.

        "You e," soesy, as s;I    here are anemones beginning already.”

        "I ime," dEymon said.

        S once imidated, but not    to reinforce y, but serday led ain o kill    nigraditions mattered. In any case, s his m.

        "t ; s;Five me. It is good to see you looking so er yesterdays . . . fusions. ing long?”

        "Long eo talk about yesterday, I gat is it?" Dianora didnt tial remark from dEymo alone a pleasantry.

        Refusing to be rus do vacated and brusting her expression grow suddenly as cold as his own.

        " died yesterday," sly, deg only in t moment w ack would be.

        "; S    for ;t died because your people oo plat or too slovenly to boty of Ygrathens.

        did you t danger could only e from t yesterdays guards to be dealt h, dEymon. And soon.”

        t itle e. , visibly biting back a s retort. Sriad kneo be a co do so, t. DEymons face ook a deep breato trol himself.

        "t ; ;they are dead.”

        S expected t. S, to keep ure out of her eyes.

        "t; s on pressing age. "I    to knoc to Ygrat year.”

        "c tack.

        You heard.”

        "e all    kno Isolla and t; time te s into t merely tactical.

        For t time sation in o bee a o here was a brief silence.

        "I did kno;    ion in them like an angry challenge.

        "I see," said Dianora a moment later, and looked aing aost of ttle along ts ion in dEymons eyes old t his Queen?

        Dianora , trag implications to t already been so after erday and he King.

        S, in fairly immediate danger as a seque a man to be treated lig of to en years ago, and why.

        S y from s;onderful," she said acidly.

        "Suc security. And noo do your pet courtier Neso simply o receive ting in Asoli, doesnt he

        King. how marvelously clever of you, dEymon!”

        Sed. For t time ;Is t ?" ly.

        S back a s denial. It    inve for o think so, she realized.

        "Among ot; sted, as if grudgingly. "I    to knoalk to you about this.”

        "I t as muc; urning. "I rack of some—not all, I —of ts Scelto     erday, by t? In an attempt to o his side?”

        o uimate the cellor.

        "It ," s;You    ansion. hy do you favor him?

        You must kno of man he is.”

        "Of course I kno; dEymon replied impatiently. "    of    ed to Asoli because I dont trust    court. I     undue invenience. I trust t ansion?”

        Simate old ;It does," s;Killed by whom?”

        "t s    about t t t it    take Neso long to give them cause.”

        "Of course. And then?”

        "And tigate and find t Neso y of gross corruption,    e some man or ot tion of Nesos mets a neaxing Master and promises fairer measures in ture. I t s affairs in nortime.”

        "Good," said Dianora, trying to ig some man or ot;Aidy. I o add: t; Saking anot came doo bedrock, sive and a e, and ern Palm. On to measure t to focus on those.

        DEymon looked coolly do    her gaze on his, her eyes wide and disingenuous.

        "It ;    lengt;t you so favored tured you. One    mi you ed to e.”

        Perilously, unily o t sing    serious in .

        So relax, and smiled. " pleasaings suc; s one c;I do favor    t    many sus, Im afraid.”

        a moment. t;t; But before so interpret eit;I seriously t of    nig, gesting you be freed and made a citizen of Ygrath.”

        " extremes, my dear!" S;Didnt you teac balance is everything?”

        "I did,"    rising to . ; youve doo

        t t?”

        "," sy, "erday?”

        "t is not at all t. Obviously." t of color in    ;I    s. In time, I very nearly fot to mention t t for you. I intercepted t reag in the library.”

        S to , as agitated as    ;; she asked quickly.

        "Not very.    seem to mind being late. tell .”

        "I could tell ; Anger almost c for trol.

        "And so could I. And so, I suppose, could Solores. e seldom do, do    pointed out, is everyt is e    fet it.”

        Sried to t    failed. ened es! And all ting for her, and dEymon had known.

        Surned, abruptly and dismally scious of    robe and t t sime to go back up to ty.

        Scelto ly over remarks. ic, tercepting thing he could have done.

        Sopped by tood alone in tick, a tall, gray, t trees. turned overcast again.

        Of course it    spitefully.

        t did t maneuvers matter, in t o do, and so noting t inner quiet desd upon one of sorro its ter still. Ssey. DEymon, taken aback, sketched an awkward bow.

        Dianora turned and    t Scelto airs, along a nort t of t of reflex and    more tion in t ed hrough her hopelessly wind-blown hair.

        tered, o one of kno s in    and keep it from flying away.

        Brandin anding o t a very old map of t    turn. S t, tains running all to ts Empire to t and by Ygrato t overseas.

        t ains of t t and a fire    to deal s. s

        were muddy;     riding very early.

        S ter    not ter of ever else    , but t    night.

        S;Five me, my lord. I o only just noell me you ing ; "ing ; terested. he map.

        S lie to t;taxing Master question in Asoli. I ed to know why he favored Neso.”

        t    of amusement in ;Im sure dEymon told you something plausible.”

        urned finally, and gazed at    time. ly t al.

        But so    leave    stayed ant, but more to ao crut t s extremely careful now.

        Brandin sank into a cired, as muc s sime. "I    to Neso no; ;I t. Im sorry.”

        Some t seemed,    c grave, ued courtesy o iers over anoto to ion, and at ure sook te ed on    a detay. S he would see.

        Sting by ture-book.    her anger suddenly e back.

        "Of course you o offer it to Neso," s;Asoli is ry in t; ill seemed preoccupied ttending to w she said.

        "Gallantry, ce. t somet sort," ly. "Not getting out of time, it really    nigo    it was Neso who saved my life.”

        S rise to t. S even uand wo her.

        Sead, looking across t R at t;t makes sense, and you must surely kno I dont care.    I do not uand is    lies about as fate." Sook a breat;I knorut is suco do.

        If you must prepare a Fool to foll?”

        ansime and so look at oo far ao opped leafing t them.

        "As it s,"    lengtoill mild. But t later, ;I sakeo aime ago. You botoo mucoo quickly.”

        S no .    could sly this.

        But t of t Brandin range about    ;As it also o    idings are wrong by now.”

        " do you mean?" S tirrings of a genuine uneasiness. trao    s lay a finger on. It ired much.

        "I resded yesterdays orders after my ride," Brandin said quietly. "a is probably dead by noly as .”

        S cuously,    t;Is true?”

        s ;I o deceive you, Dianora. I told te for nesses among t.     for you: s to your rooms?”

        Sing like a smas. S ure of    tely s    ride?    was happening here?

        tly, s else o erday. On tai a place raan sees a riselka: here.

        Brandin turned back to of tone, leaning it against his chair.

        "You    asked me ws unlike you, Dianora.”

        "Im afraid to," sruthfully.

        t, imidating elligence.

        "ts unlike you as well.”

        "You arent very . . . like yourself eithis m.”

        "Fair enoug; ly.     in sileo sider somet;tell me, did dEymon make t for you just now? Did en?”

        It    sorcery, sold    mind-reading. It ed ts around him.

        "Not directly," s unity, but trange. " about yesterday. Afraid, I ting    t. O it    be a difficult story for o spread; t. I doubt anyone sa clearly.”

        time, Brandins smile as ened rack of a plex t. But when she finished, his expression ged.

        "I did," ;I sa clearly.”

        S old ernly as s. S    nigo.

        Brandin said, "It o tell tory, I agree. But I did a great deal of t nigalking to dEymon later today, after cale t goes around rue one, Dianora.”

        S sure sly, and to reactle, like an overflowing wineglass inside her.

        "You sen," sly but s look up.

        Srong se s afford to look up.

        "; sent on erlocked fingers. "o bote, and nohis?”

        so long t eventually siously. urned back to t anding beside able looking over at tly like the King.

        "Did I ever tell you," said Brandin of Ygratly, "to tell me as a avir?”

        oing, tinuity of his reply.

        "No," sried to tty to add, but failed.

        "Finavir, or Finvair,"    on, not really ing for    looking over at ;ales it teimes. t often ories t e from before te things down.”

        t back, still gazing into ttle o tory.    one of t in both hands.

        Brandin said, "In Ygratale is sometimes told and sometimes believed t ts and ts— one of many    into time. to be far off, scattered among tars, invisible to us.”

        "t; Dianora said quietly ando. In teac riad burned people for saying as muc; It rue; the plague years, long ago.

        Brandin said, "e never burned or . t sometimes, but t is anothing.

        my nurse used to tell me    some of us are born over and again into various of til, at t, if ime into Finavir or Finvair ods dwell.”

        "And after t?" s o    of this day.

        "After, no one kneell me. Nor did any of ts and books I read ;I never liked my nurses legend of Finavir. tories, some of te different and many of t for some reason t oayed    bot seemed to make our lives ial in tanly for    ters, here and now.”

        "I t; sle in    mood. "But ory?”

        t of questions.

        And Brandin said, "Because during ts t year and more I have had recurring dreams of

        being reborn far a; raig    time since beginning tale, and eady as ;And in all of t my side and not, and no one ween.”

        S all, too blind to see. And suddenly sears of se, urgent    so be .

        Brandin said, "Dianora, I needed you so muigened myself. I did not send for you only because I o somery to e to terms    o me ion, no more t: so t not t t pag or at my desk, trying to riddle out where my life has now e.

        it means t my o kill me, and fail only because of you. And t t, ed by it, I only realized near da I    you alone all nig?”

        I    time to stop, s ears, trying to see    o leave t to il I die.

        "I made a decision on my ride," ;I     t s. Since I , since I ot possibly c I am itted to doing    be prepared to pay all of t th.”

        Se uo stop ears.    toucowards her.

        Beed mask of pain and need, and sometimes sa face. She closed her eyes.

        " ; s was o speak.

        And told . Named for ened, ears falling more slo lengto uand t the wheel was ing full circle.

        Listening to Brandins grave voice over ter in ers of t of foreknoaking tood the pool.

        S and k o er all. Yet even so, and most terribly of all, s    to e, w so do.

        S on ots alo , listening to ao t at    and laid oucroking it, do t o    t love.

        S quietly, s stop o flo for love of    to t , and s most bitterly of all for trayals yet to e. All trayals t lay ing outside time, op, o carry them.
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