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.Her eyes bored into his.“I only Read him, remember?” she hissed.“Don’t ever even think of anything but what you report, got it?” She was suddenly aware that she could feel the bone in his arm, and relaxed her grip.However, her stare didn’t lessen its intensity.“The Conclave didn’t ask, and you have no right to question their orders.And your father knows what he’s doing—did you see how he helped us out in there?” She just stared at him for a moment, saw herself reflected in his eyes.She forced her mouth into a smile, and patted his shoulder.“Its better if you don’t think about it, just do what you are told,” she said.“By the time you are ready to deal with it, all of this will be in the past.”They walked for a few steps before Tommy dared to ask another question.He was not brave, but skilled, Gheneve considered, as the question was something she always liked talking about.“Mother, what is going to happen, I mean, after?” he said quietly.“Everything will work out, it’ll be better than ever, you’ll see.Your father has it all planned out.” She tried her best to sound convincing, and he seemed to buy it.At the moment, she could almost believe it herself.Chapter 19Feeling PinkHaylwen had finished packing quickly.She and Cadarn were used to it and hadn't really unpacked from the last move.They huddled behind the couch, facing each other on either side of the heating vent.This new apartment set up made it much easier to eavesdrop on their parents.Cadarn was reclining on his side, and Haylwen sat with her arms around her legs.She could hear their parents arguing as they packed up the office.The office was the first to be unpacked, and the last to be packed.Those stupid statues, so precious that only their parents could handle them, took the most time.Especially when there was more arguing than packing going on.Abrennin was usually calm, but his voice was louder and had more emotion in it than usual.Crystyn was usually louder, but she was especially emotional today.Haylwen had no trouble hearing them.The argument had started with boring things, like how expensive professional movers were, if they were going to need rent storage, things like that.Both kids perked up their ears as they started in on schooling.“They can't go to school.” Their father had repeated that one twice, and Haylwen looked at her brother, who scowled.“Having their lives in danger is not acceptable.”“So what, we bring in tutors?” Their mother dropped something heavy on the floor.“We can't afford them, and we can't trust adults anyway, right?”“We can afford them if we really want,” their father said, “and we can trust some.But that is irrelevant.The things they need to learn are better taught by us.”“We can't! We Swore.And it is too dangerous!” Their mother's voice was shrill, her going-to-lose-it-soon voice.They had been arguing for a while.“We did, but it is too dangerous not to.I think I understand how we can, bound by our Oaths as we are.” Their father was trying to calm her down, and the rest of the words were too soft to really make out.Despite herself, Haylwen leaned in to hear better.“But we can't! I tried, and couldn't.Watch!” Their mother's voice was loud.There was a pause, and a low humming.It abruptly stopped, followed by their mother barking, “See! Nothing.”There was some more murmuring, so Haylwen leaned in again, straining to hear, but could only make out that their father said something, and then their mother.The next thing they heard came through clearly.“I want you two in this office by the count of five.” It sounded like their father was talking directly into the vent.“If you are not both here, you will be grounded.No sense pretending.One.Two.” Haylwen looked at Cadarn and they scrambled up, hurrying and slinking at the same time.When they got to the door, they could hear “Five.” They knocked.“Come.”Cadarn opened the door slowly, and stepped in, Haylwen close behind.Their mother was sitting on the chair behind the desk, looking surprised to see them.Their father was leaning against the wall near the heating vent.He wasn't frowning, but wasn't smiling either.They both stopped just inside the door, looking from one parent to the other, then at their bare feet.“That proves nothing,” their mother said.She had exchanged her surprise for determination, and had her arms crossed.Their father nodded.“You are right, of course.Cadarn, would you please take your mother and show her that you have finished packing?”He nodded, and walked out the door ahead of their mother.Haylwen watched her mother leave, throwing a look at her father before shutting the door.Haylwen's eyes snapped back to her father as the door closed, and then over his head, to the bookshelf to the left of the desk.The top shelf had always had nothing but a few stupid statues of people in robes, “fragile fine art,” supposedly.Now, it was full of old books.Thick, with gold printing, leather-bound with several in matching sets, and other thin ones that were scattered amongst the matching ones.Had she not been in here since they moved? When did he get new books? She looked around for the statues but didn't see them.Her father was watching her, and nodded.“I see you are wearing your necklace.We'll talk about that later.First, do you have the Wish Wand?”Haylwen looked at him blankly.“The stick, the ceramic tool,” he said [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]