Seisyll Arilan, included among their company, drank the toast dutifully enough, but his thoughts drifted, as they so often did, to another child of the royal household, and now he might gain proper access to that child. The Camberian Council's inquiries about young Krispin MacAthan cropped up with annoying regularity, and regularly he explained how it was not possible to make close examination of any child of the royal nursery without arousing suspicion.
Besides, he reminded them, even if their worst fears came to be realized and young Krispin proved to be the king's son, the child surely could constitute no threat to their designs for many years, and not without much training that certainly would come to light before it could constitute a real danger. Would they have Seisyll risk his own position of vantage within the royal household on only the possibility that the child was more than met the eye?
«An audacious possibility has occurred to me», Oisín Adair said thoughtfully, after yet another such discussion, some months after the birth of the new prince. As all eyes turned toward him in query, he shrugged.
«I travel a great deal, as you know. Last week, my business took me to Ratharkin, to deliver a pair of broodmares to the governor. R'Kassan creams they were — very fine specimens.
«While there», he went on, lifting a restraining hand at Vivienne's scowl of impatience, «I found myself dining at the governor's table. And who should I find seated across from me but Sir Morian du Joux, who once was known as Morian ap Lewys».
«No!» Vivienne said sharply, before Oisín could continue. «If you're thinking to send him to assess the boy, no».
«Well, he is the boy's uncle», Khoren said reasonably.
«I don't know», Seisyll said doubtfully. «Vivienne, I know that you've never trusted him, because of his bloodline, but he's been under our direction since the age of nine. It was Sief who kept him from court all these years, and who got Donal to go along with it, by suggesting that a Deryni placed at the Mearan court would be an extremely valuable asset».
«He is still Lewys ap Norfal's son», Vivienne said stubbornly.
«Yes, and he has acted competently as our agent for more than twenty years, and has never put a foot wrong», Michon pointed out. «I had part of his training, Vivienne. Oisín is right; I don't know why it hasn't occurred to us before».
«I regret that it has occurred to us now», Vivienne muttered.
«Would Jessamy allow access?» Dominy asked, ignoring the remark. «I know he's her brother, and Krispin is his nephew, but has he even been back to Rhemuth since the boy's birth?»
Seisyll shook his head. «He didn't come to Sief’s funeral — not that there was any love lost there, or that he could have heard the news and arrived in time. Besides, he and Jessamy probably haven't seen one another more than half a dozen times since before their father's death; he'd been fostered to court several years before that. After Sief married Jessamy, he did his best to poison the relationship between brother and sister, in hopes that this would keep her from corrupting him».
«Was there actually a danger of that?» Khoren asked.
Oisín gave a snort. «Who knows? If we were talking about horses, I'd say that blood will tell. But Michon is right. So far as Morian is concerned, he has never, ever put a foot wrong».
Barrett de Laney, who had remained largely silent, jutted his chin in the direction of Oisín.
«What would it take, to get Morian back to Rhemuth to meet his nephew?» he asked.
«The king would have to summon him», Seisyll said promptly. «Or Morian would have to present a convincing reason for a personal visit to Rhemuth, something requiring that he report to the king in person. Or», he added, at Barrett's gesture encouraging further development of this line of thinking, «the governor could be induced to send him to the king on some convincing pretext — and Morian does have the governor's ear… and the situation in Meara is sufficiently volatile that Iolo Melandry does send regular reports to Rhemuth, and might want an occasional report to carry the weight of Morian's verification that the information he's been gathering is true».
«My thinking, precisely», Barrett said with a faint, tight smile. «Oisín, could you work with that?»
«You mean, could I approach Morian and ask him to manipulate the governor, to get himself sent to Rhemuth?» Oisín replied.
«Exactly that».
Oisín considered briefly, then nodded, grinning. «I can be in Ratharkin within the next week. We shall see what can be arranged».
There was no working Portal in the palace at Ratharkin, but one had been established decades earlier at a manor half a day's ride north of the city, formerly held by a Deryni lord but now occupied by a minor baron of the Old Mearan aristocracy. Oisín Adair sold horses regularly to Sir Evan Sullivan, whose daughter had married a Connaiti princeling, and Oisín also had set certain controls in Sir Evan so that he could show up unannounced and obtain use of a horse without anyone remarking on his sudden presence. Accordingly, not a fortnight after his meeting with the Council, Oisín made his way to the Portal at Sir Evan's manor of Arkella, borrowed a horse, and set out for Ratharkin, arriving at midmorning.
The R'Kassan cream that he was riding turned heads as he drew rein in the stable yard, and seemed to conjure most of the stableboys and squires within minutes — and also the attention of the animals Oisín had delivered to Governor Melandry a few weeks before, who whickered and called to the new arrival; R'Kassan creams seemed to prefer the company of other cream horses, and had eyes for no steed of any other color.
The commotion also produced Iolo Melandry himself, who cast an appraising eye over Oisín's mount.
«That almost looks like one of the beasts from Arkella», he said.
«It is one of the beasts from Arkella», Oisín replied, to forestall too much speculation. «My own threw a shoe not far from there, and I had to walk there and beg the use of this one. I mayn't stay long, for I've business in Kindaloo on the morrow, but I hoped I might impose briefly for some refreshment. It's a ferocious hot day».
«Then, you must come in and take some wine with me», Iolo said, blissfully unaware that Oisín was encouraging his impulse for hospitality. «And I shall ask Sir Morian to join us. He shares our love of fine horseflesh, as you know».
Oisín did know, and had planted that observation as well. Within minutes, the two of them were sitting beneath a breezy, shaded porch atop the palace walls, sipping chilled wine while Iolo reported on the progress of the horses he had bought from Oisín, and the difficulty of finding good trainers.
Very shortly, Morian ap Lewys du Joux made his appearance, booted and spurred from an earlier ride, and buckling a silver-mounted Kheldouri dirk over a loose-fitting tunic of cool Cassani linen that fell to mid-thigh. In contrast to this relaxed attire, he wore his auburn hair sleeked back severely in a soldier's knot, braided and clouted at the nape of the neck. Though he and Oisín affected only casual pleasure to meet again, a quick communication passed silently between them, such that, as Morian came to take the cup of wine Iolo offered, the merest contact of their hands was sufficient for Morian to trigger the controls long ago set, taking the governor instantly from full awareness into drowsing trance.
When Morian had deepened that trance, instructing his subject to relax and enjoy his wine, he pulled a stool closer to sit beside Oisín as the two of them gazed out over the city.
«I am somewhat surprised to see you here», Morian said to him aside, sipping at his wine.
«No more surprised than I, to be sent», Oisín replied. «I have a somewhat delicate mission for you».
«Indeed».
«You have never met your nephew, I think», Oisín said.
Morian turned to gaze directly at Oisín. His eyes were a startling deep blue, almost violet.
«My sister's child», he said. «And why would I want to do that?»
Offering his open hand, Oisín invited a direct link, smiling faintly as the other instead touched fingertips lightly to his wrist. But the contact was sufficient for the necessary rapport, by which Oisín quickly imparted the Council's speculations regarding the child — and their suspicions regarding the death of Morian's brother-in-law, and the king's probable part in it, and possibly Jessamy's as well.
Morian said nothing as he drew his hand away, also ending the rapport, only taking up his cup again to sip at his wine as he gazed out over the city.
«I haven't seen my sister above a dozen times in the past thirty years», he finally said, not looking at Oisín. «Sief discouraged it — and I understand why. But what you've suggested is — quite astonishing». He glanced into his cup, speculating aloud.
«Poor Sief. We never really got on, but he didn't deserve that. I was got away from my father before I could be 'tainted' — I know what he's said to have done — but Sief never trusted my sister. An odd basis for a marriage, don't you think?»
«Better to marry than to burn, to quote Holy Writ out of context», Oisín said. «In the case of your sister, better to marry her off than to kill her off. At least you didn't face that».
«No». Morian sighed. «Very well, I'll do it. It will take some time to set up an excuse to go to Rhemuth — or to have Iolo send me».
«Understood», Oisín agreed. «I think there is no great urgency, since the boy is not yet two — and it's understood that you'll need to make careful preparations. But we do need to know what we're dealing with».
Morian shook his head, still trying to take in the concept of a nephew who might also be the son of the King of Gwynedd.
«Morian», Oisín said softly, guessing the line of the other's thinking, «it isn't as if we're simply talking about another royal bastard».
«I know that», Morian replied. «And if it was done, it appears to have been done deliberately — and if deliberately, then for a reason. The question is, what reason?»
«We'll worry about that once we discover whether he is Donal Haldane's son», Oisín said, tipping back the rest of his wine. «I'd best be off — or shall I stick around, so that you don't have to explain my sudden departure to the governor?»
«No, go ahead. I might as well begin setting up the idea of sending me to Rhemuth, while I already have him in control. And if I'm going to do that, it's easy enough to cover your departure».