Ollo Alferiaho Zaini
Alferia paced back and forth in her room, Eyes flaming like a restless hunting hound's. Sometimes she thought of love and doom, And sometimes her thoughts moved in bounds To the look in Derlian's eyes when he had spoken Of the places far away, and the laws broken If he were to leave what cast him in such gloom. Her mother could have ruled the grounds
Without opposition from Derlian, had she been Able to come to the city in Alferia's place. Derlian would a competent ruler have seen, And yielded, Alferia thought, with some grace, So as not the reputation of his line to destroy, Waiting until he was gone to utter wild whoops of joy. Her mother would be at peace again, And Alferia would see peace, too, on Derlian's face.
But- and that what stalked through her like fire- Mariera was the most perceptive woman she knew. Surely, she could have learned of Derlian's desire, Could have learned that he did not want to rule for true. Why had she told Alferia Summerfire had a lord Who would put all his people to the fire and sword Before allowing a woman to rise any higher? How could she not have seen what was true?
Of course, Mariera had left the north long years ago. Perhaps she was speaking of Derlian's sire? But then Alferia's hope collapsed under the flow And cascade of facts that quelled her desire To believe her mother and Derlian both innocent. Her mother had said, with fury magnificent, "Mine enemy is the Lord of Summerfire, you know. It was Derlian who drove me from Summerfire."
How to explain both things, and reconcile The doubts that stirred and pierced in her heart? Mariera would never have gone into exile Could she have seen the truth by her judgment's art. Perhaps, Alferia thought, Derlian had changed, And his mind and heart into new desires had ranged, And the man who had tormented Mariera with a smile No longer in Derlian's soul had such a part.
Or Derlian knew who I really am, and lied, Alferia thought, sinking to the low wooden bed. Almost with loathing the gambling carving she eyed Of butterflies and Faerie upon the base and head Of the place where she was meant to sleep Such symbols of innocence were a fair leap From someone as a warrior-dancer tried, Someone who could hear death in a word said.
What about his people? They did not approve Of the way that he would look even a little bit sad. Alferia flopped back on her bed, the only move That her body made; her mind was racing like mad. Could his people have compelled their reluctant lord To exile someone else, to lift up his sword Against she who his only tortures could soothe? Would Derlian have yielded to her, and been glad,
But his people forbade him? But that didn't explain Mariera's words. Alferia's coming smile faded. She swore softly, her heart aching with the pain, And slid off the bed, kneeling with sorrow laded To pray to the one power she had always trusted. "My Lord Dermand, who for battle has lusted, But who has turned away, what is the truth of Derlian? Lord of Battle and the Clear Mind, who has faded
"Away from battle to strike a later blow, Is there a secret hidden here? Whom should I believe? What path should I follow? What truth should I know? Should I remain to claim my vengeance, or leave?" She opened her eyes, feeling better for the prayer, And then froze. Before her, violet glowed in the air, And she feared a magewind had come, and would go To Derlian with word of her plans. But on her sleeve
She felt a restraining hand when she would strike. The violet glow grew brighter, and she felt a presence Fill the room like water overflowing a dike, Flooding the walls with its own luminescence, Filling her mind with a sweet battle-paean. In wait for such a sign, she thought, she had lain, And this was even more than she would like. She held still as the god came to her in magnificence,
Taking the form of a viaquia with dark purple skin, A sunset Elwen with blue-striped purple hair, His eyes dark pools that held flames within, His face proud and calm, arrogant and fair. His eyes pierced her, and she sank to her knees Again, while around her like a magewind's breeze His will howled. He said, "This battle you will win In the only way that you can. It is not so rare,
"O child who has called upon me, to realize That neither enemy has quite the right on her side, To know that no matter who wails and cries, Both will deserve, in the end, to have cried. My lady, in this battle must your heart guide you. Even I might have trouble figuring out what to do. But I will say this: your mother has told you lies. Back to her, if you wish truth, you must ride,
"And demand to know why she hid that truth." "But she was exiled and cursed, wasn't she?" "Yes, my daughter, she was, in Derlian's youth, When his father still ruled, and she could not see That his preference for his son was not only A desire to hold the Summerfire line high and lonely, But also an attempt to keep the wild magic's tooth From striking at all his people most mortally."
"But why can no woman here rise to power?" Alferia demanded in a passionate voice. "What evil in Summerfire has come to dark flower, That women must make a terrible choice: To rise, knowing that they must be defeated, Or to lose the battle without even having retreated?" Dermand shook his head, and said, "In the hour, My daughter, when the wild magic stole the turquoise
"From the sky with its horrendous white flame, I cursed he who had loosed it, hated his soul, And many others have heaped curses upon his name. But he is gone forever now, beyond even my control, And in the world that his destruction left behind, It is sometimes hard to blame Elwens for being inclined To pursue simple solutions, even those that maim The choices of some, and make them less than whole."
"But my mother could have ruled, is that true, my lord?" "Not with magic, my daughter, as Summerfire does, But by the force of her will and the heft of her sword, Then yes, she could have held them to what was Just one path among many that the city could take If Summerfire's power no longer made the magic shake." Alferia stared at him, blinking, and said, "In accord They would have been, and seen the rightness of her cause."
Dermand shrugged. "I do not think so, my daughter. These people have come to love both safety and peace, And forsaken the beauty to be found in slaughter." For a moment, his bared fangs in smile found release, And Alferia smiled back. Beyond being Lord of Fires And Battle, Dermand was also Lord of Vampires. "They do not value the blood flowing like water, The wars that rage elsewhere without pause or cease,
"Or all the pastimes of true and glorious war. The magic would torment them with Summerfire gone, And unless your mother could have found some lore That would protect them, the blood on the lawn Would horrify them out of loving her as they could." "But they should have accepted her! They should!" Dermand's eyebrows rose, and he said, "The core Of your love for her, daughter, had its natural dawn
"In the affection of a daughter for her blood atel. But why do you think that she must always be right? Mothers are not always right, and daughters can tell That as easily as anyone else. Are you blinded by the light Of her spirit gleaming like Faerie battle-armor? That in itself does not make her right, or your ardor Explain. Why do you think that in starhell She could be, and the starlords suffer conscience's blight?"
Alferia opened her mouth, then shut it again, And knelt there shivering. The god's hand her shoulder Grazed with a touch, and then was gone again, And Alferia lifted her head; the room felt colder, And the violet light had ceased making the air gleam, So that her meeting with the God might have been a dream. But she saw a droop of blood in the corner then, And heard his words still making her brain smolder.
She fell into bed, her hands clenched on her breast, And stared at the ceiling with unseeing eyes, Knowing that this night she would find no rest. How could she have lived this long with the lies That she had told herself clouding her true sight? She did always think that her mother was right, And believed that Mariera must know best. But never until this moment did Alferia realize
That conviction's and that belief's common source. She lay shivering in bed, and cried a little, And felt as if she had been visited by a greater force Than even Dermand. Growing in her middle Was agony like a stillborn child, Something that could kill her, poisonous and wild. But calm was her mind; she had decided her course, And worked out the tangle of her doubts' riddle.
Or, if you like, on to the ninth canto.
Or, if you want, back to the seventh canto.
