The Alton Gift by Marion Z. Bradley Read Free Book Online Page A

Over the usual shirt and trousers, he wore a long, sleeveless robe, edged with white fur and bands of embroidery, vines weaving around a stylized representation of the Hastur fir tree. He looked up, his mouth curving into a smile. Yllana embraced her father with a child's unaffected warmth. Marguerida's edge of tension softened.
    " Dom Lewis, you are very welcome," Mikhail said. "Perhaps Marja will be more easy about the upcoming session, with your keen eyes to spot any trouble. You are our elder statesman, and we value the perspective of your experience."
    Lew made no effort to deflect the compliment, because it was true. His own father had schooled him in the intricacies of court politics, and his years as a Senator in the Terran Federation had given him ample opportunity to practice those skills. Absently, he rubbed the stump of his arm, where it had been cut away after the Sharra disaster in order to save his life.
    Yllana excused herself and, with a parting kiss for both her parents, left the parlor. Donal bowed and followed her, closing the door behind him. Domenic remained, quietly watchful.
    As Mikhail sank into one of the cushioned seats, Marguerida shot her husband a worried glance.
    Mikhail leaned forward. "You may think I flatter you, Lew, but I cannot tell you how glad I am to have you here, especially at this time."
    "Why now?" Lew asked.
    "What has happened?" Marguerida said, almost at the same time.
    Mikhail reached into an inner pocket of his robe and drew out a letter. "This came two days ago. I did not mention it before, because I have been considering how to answer it."
    Mikhail handed the letter to his wife. The paper crackled as she spread it open. She read, her lips moving as she formed the words in Darkovan script. The blood drained from her face.
    Is this the danger warned of by my Gift ? ran through her mind, easily sensed by Lew.
    "You cannot seriously—" Marguerida stammered aloud. "Mik, you must not agree to this!"
    "Let Lew read the letter," Mikhail said. "Domenic already knows what it contains."
    Lew took the paper and read slowly, trying to block out the distress radiating from his daughter's mind. The letter, addressed to Mikhail in his capacity as Regent, began with polite expressions of sympathy for the loss of his mother. The writer had an elegant command of the niceties of Comyn etiquette, at once respectful and intimate.
    This could not, Lew thought, be what had upset Marguerida. He
    went on to the next section. The language was no less flowing, the desire for the reconciliation of old quarrels beautifully stated. It was, on the surface, a gracious request for permission for the sender to present himself at the upcoming Council meeting.
    It was from Francisco Ridenow.
    "I have already answered the letter." Mikhail spoke slowly, as if choosing each phrase with special care. "I have given him leave to attend."
    In a tight voice, Marguerida said, "I wish you had not. That man is not to be trusted."
    Lew felt a surge of compassion for his daughter. Losing Mikhail was the one thing in all the world that Marguerida truly feared.
    " Dom Francisco is in an awkward situation, but we must give him a chance," Mikhail replied. "Very possibly, he is making an effort to establish a good reputation again."
    "I'm afraid I don't have your enduring faith in human nature." Mar-guerida's eyes darkened, like weathered bronze. "I know we all change, and men can improve their ways, but I find it hard to forgive him. He was our friend once. We trusted him ! And look at what he did!"
    Francisco Ridenow had long claimed that the ring of Varzil Ride-now, called the Good, which now rested on Mikhail's finger, should have come to him as a family inheritance. Relentlessly ambitious, Francisco had seized the opening created by the Old North Road ambush, with all the attendant confusion, and attempted to assassinate Mikhail.
    "You forget, dear heart, that he did not succeed," Mikhail said. "No lasting harm was done. We