Valdemar 06 - [Exile 01] - Exile’s Honor by Mercedes Lackey Read Free Book Online Page A

could have stayed there to die, and you didn’t. You made your choice when you sensibly took the rescue that was offered. And as for having your life interfered with, balderdash. If your Companion had never sought you out and that particular Voice hadn’t discovered your Gift—the thing you call a witch-power—another would have. Only this time, there would have been no rescue. And what is more, your so-called guilt could have been used to bring others to the Fires, others who were innocent of anything except supporting you.”
    Talamir was standing very patiently to one side, pretending to pay no attention to what was going on. Although—Alberich had to wonder, given what he’d said about the Companions talking to one another and to him, if he wasn’t managing to follow the entire conversation despite having no working knowledge of Karsite.
    The priest glared a moment longer, then abruptly, his expression softened. “Lad, you’re angry and resentful that your life has been turned upside down; you wouldn’t be human if you weren’t. You’re bitter and in despair at being betrayed; you should be, but be bitter at the right people, not those who want only your welfare. If you’re not frightened at being caught up in something you don’t understand, I’d be very much surprised, and I’d suspect that one of those blows to your head had addled your wits. Now you think you’re utterly alone. Well, you’re not.”
    â€œI didn’t know about you until a moment ago,” Alberich began.
    The old man shook his head. “That wasn’t what I meant. I’ve been living here for better than forty years, and I’ve learned a thing or two about Heralds. No—I meant something else entirely. Open your heart—and I mean, really open it—to your Companion, and you’ll see what I mean.”
    Alberich meant to shake his head in denial, but another stern look from the priest killed the gesture before he could make it. “Don’t argue,” he said. “Don’t think of an excuse. Just do it. And while you’re at it, open your mind as well as your heart.”
    The old man rose. “I’ll be going now, but if you need me, they know where to find me, or where to send you if you’d prefer, once you’re on your feet. For that matter, I’m sure your Companion would have no difficulty finding me wherever I happened to be without you having to ask anyone but him.”
    With that, he nodded to Talamir and shuffled out, followed by his acolyte. The door closed behind them, and Alberich stifled a sound that was midway between a sigh and a groan.
    His sacred duty to join the Heralds, was it?
    Hard words, thrown in the face of one who had lived his life by cleaving to duty, sacred or not.
    Hard words, spoken by one who had been forced to abandon a potentially better life than anything ahead of Alberich, because he could not reconcile orders with duty. If anyone had a right to be bitter, it was the priest, but there was no bitterness behind that rough-hewn exterior manner. And no duplicity either. Nothing but unvarnished, unadorned truth, as the old man had seen it.
    As he sees it—
    But with forty years more experience of this place than Alberich had.
    He swore under his breath.
    â€œPardon?” Talamir said. “I didn’t quite hear what you said.”
    Alberich was going to growl “Nothing—” and then changed his mind.
    â€œI said, make a trial of you, I shall,” he answered—so brusquely, even rudely, that he was surprised that Talamir didn’t take offense.
    But the Herald didn’t. “Good,” he said instead, and moved to follow in the steps of the priest and his helper. But he turned when he got the door opened.
    â€œIn that case, there is one thing I should like to ask you to do,” he said, with another of those measuring looks. “Before the Healer