EVEN BEFORE tIOUS ALBERICO FROM OVERseas in Barbadior to rule in Astibar, ty t liked to call itself quot;t Rules t; ain degree of asceticism. In Astibar tes ice in t provinces: sucoo fevered an appeal to emotion.

    to perform in tral courtyard of tcyard, and from terior rooms on te ibar, coins over o pay t t portal of Morian, food in , for no one living could knoo the goddess was.

    doo tyard later, so t all tizens of y and its distrada ed outside—could file past ree in tal vase t stood on a plintyard even now.

    tizens—isans, ss, lesser mercs— er ter. tside noo es. ting into tyard in time  extraordinary collection of petty and y, and of accumulated mercantile  Devin had ever seen in one place.

    Because of tival of Vines, all tibar distrada o tory estates. And being in to be present to see Sandre mourned—for all t many or most of tterly ed y years ago and more in t tes migaken place long since.

    ts and Adaons priestess s, seeming, in to be privy to a mystery t tively sals y of their repose.

    Menicos company ed in a small room off tyard t tomasso  aside for ties   remember seeing blue o performers before. An extravagant gesture, t.  tempted t oo early and oo muco calm o Ego be, on a tabletop.

    Eg ;Its just a performance,quot;  sibilant voice. quot;e do w we always do. e make music. e move on.”

    Devin nodded, and forced a smile in return.   to tables, and one of to pour er in a gold and crystal goblet  later Menico signaled and t out into tyard.

    t, backed by rings and pipes. No voices. Not yet.

    If Aldine and Nieri e last nig didnt s did, only in tration and intensity of ts t morning.

    Sometimes seeming to pull times follo, tened faces, tunics and t-black gloves t ruly otherworldly.

    rained o be. Not inviting or alluring as some otroupes approaces, nor a merely graceful prelude to tain ot. Menicos dancers os, t in  restive, preening audience.

    And in t silence t;Invocationquot; to Eanna of ts tered stars t he diamonds of her diadem.

    Rapt and attentive to rivances of professional skill to s artlessness, t carried t princes of Astibar ing of sorroibar, triads mortal c tals to move on Adaons earts for so s a time. So s and bitter and s a season of days.

    Devin rianas voice reacoo be calling ere. , even more tatues in a frieze, norap of time— and at t t o t  for to fill, in tals lived and died.

    So Menico di Ferraut o tes long ago, bringing forty years of art and a full, mucraveled life to t t this morning had become.

    Even as o sing, Devins  sund, unassuming leader hey were shaping.

    topped, as planned, after tage, for teners. tomasso  Sandres bier ake place upstairs. After, t tes, ending on Devins quot;Lament,quot; and t doside admitted al vase.

    Menico led t from tyard amid a silence so deep it  possible accolade.

    tered t  up in ted, no one spoke. Devin moved to o tcer of t-like in ted a glass of green s but declined te of food.

    not a smile —not no over truments, adjusting trings. Egic as ever, ing less and distracted. he arm.

    Devin looked for Catriana and sa for a second, t on. Ligrangely filtered, fell from a he space where she had been.

    Devin really didnt knoerions like ripples in er from t, o say exactly why he followed her.

    Simple curiosity. Desire. A complex longing born of trange, floating place of stillness and sorro as if t quite as it he dancers had begun.

    triana hrough,

    oo looked back. Alessan c in tregeans glance, only an intent expression Devin could not understand. For t time t day he was reminded of his dream.

    And because of t, pero Morian as  on the archway.

    taircase ained-glass -floor landing. In t  a glimpse of a blue-silver goo t at top of tairs. ruggling to clear it, to slip free of tanding slid into place and tered a curse at himself.

    Sibar. Sairs as irely fit and proper to pay o t  to deny  to do so. Not after e to enter t upstairs room ion.

    ated, and urned back t not been for t ibar lay o t, not t, at top of tairs.

    Devin  up. ook care noill not kno. At t as Catriana . An empty room, long unused, dusty , ts, but t came to  print of o.

    Silently Devin follo trail t floor of tures and objects of glass, exquisite in t. Mucure   of ttered. A great many darkened, begrimed portraits of stern lords and ladies gazed inimically down upon him as he passed.

    and again rigracing trianas feet, careful to keep from getting too close. S straiger t ter side of t offered onto trades overlooking tyard. It riana o tate.

    At lengto be t. Sanding by telpiece and traits on t Devin kneer  tables laden ly cleaned, but tains ill dra tness and tside.

    In tered ligely letting tc.

    t in tillness.

    Catriana  Devin could see t w blazed in  fear.

    quot; do you t; she whispered harshly.

    ook a ant step foricism, a mild, deflecting remark to ster t seemed to lie upon  find one.

    ;I dont kno; ly. quot;I sa ... isnt ; he finished lamely.

    quot; I t; so calm  of ;I ed to be alone for a fes,quot; Catriana said, controlling ;ted me and I needed to be by myself. I can see t you urbed too, but can I ask you as a courtesy to leave me to my privacy for just a little while?”

    It eously said.  Devin al of Morians.

    ured at tables and said, gravely, a quiet observation of fact and not a cion, quot;t a room for privacy, Catriana. ont you tell me why you are here?”

    o flare again, but once more s for a long moment, s lengt;You  so be oo t. truly it ter if you go. For both of us.”

    ill o t of trange room s laden, sumptuously covered tables and traits on to be a crance. riana singing t morning, o irely a in the world he knew.

    And in t mood Devin riction in , quot;Could  begin t a sart?”

    Once more sated.  impossible to read in tain liganding straigill on the room.

    quot;I t,quot; sly. quot;Not on t I t deny t a part of me migtle time no do here. Please—will you leave me?”

    ed to find or feel so muc, over and above all to do or say, and time urn to go.

    But a portal  morning and in exactly t t Devin turned t time from behind him.

    quot;Oriad!quot; Catriana ;I am cursed in all I turn my o!quot; So tically feeling around telpiece.

    quot;For t!quot; she whispered harshly.

    the urgency in her voice made Devin freeze and obey.

    quot; t; ter under ;t it s over—”

    Sopped. Devin cion of to t of tly open to reveal a tiny cubbyhole beyond. his eyes widened.

    quot;Dont stand t; Catriana ; A neoget s.

    A moment later the room click open.

    quot;O; Catriana groaned, from t. quot;Oh, Devin, why are you here?”

    Addressed te incapable of framing an adequate response. For one till couldnt say  t Catrianas perfume iny space tling scent.

    If  ago ly found y to a wo weeks.

    Catriana seemed to arrive, belatedly, at t of a from before. Devin closed  che

    . ickling  t by moving tle .

    ionless, tilting back from  ely s more tly a fool for ed tuation— about to compound alogue of sins by making a grope for he darkness.

    Catrianas robe rustled gently as sed position. o in tirely good for uous resolutions.

    quot;Sorry,quot;  beads of perspiration on o distract ried to focus on tside. Be and a steady, diffused murmur made it clear t people ill filing past Sandres bier.

    to , in t fled, tinguis recognizable.

    quot;I s posted  gives us a moment before thers come.”

    quot;Did you notice t; a muco ter ;Very amusing.”

    quot;Of course I noticed,quot; t man replied acerbically.  tone? And recently. quot; an evening scrounging up tins from ty years ago? his?”

    tly. quot;And a fine table of food it is,quot; ly.

    quot;t is not !”

    Laug;I kno isnt, but its a fine table all the same.”

    quot;taeri, t a time for jests, particularly bad ones. e only  before ten to me carefully. Only t is happening.”

    quot;It is only us, t; t;No one else? Not even my father?”

    quot;Not Gianno, and you knoen, pup!”

    Just t e in a quite unmistakable ly because of riana  sed  again,  sig ly against  one of her long arms had somehow slipped around his neck.

    quot;Do you kno; s soundlessly, mouto ;I rat of t?quot; tip of ongue, for just an instant, touche lobe of his ear.

    Devins mout bone dry even as o full, painful erection side  voice  kneerse explanation of someting lodge, but ts explanations ly been rendered definitively trivial.

    trivial,  of test importance imaginable  t Catrianas lips   even as ive accord—to touc and t doo t-of s , setting him free.

    Oriad!quot; roked ; you tell me before t you liked it dangerous?quot; ed  fiercely for t time.  her hips.

    Stled back on a ledge against to make it easier for h now rapid and shallow as well.

    quot;t; Devin side. quot;By second moonrise I  you to be...”

    Catrianas ig painfully, and at t moment t folds of s and found tal hed been longing for.

    Sed sound and  rigid for just a second, before becoming extremely soft in ly stroked t folds of ed again, very sligo eeto , lost in astonisionless, o  soundlessly, not knowing w he was saying.

    quot;Enoug; tside rasped crisply.

    quot;Even so,quot; said t. quot;Remember to togeto join us tonigever you do be sure you are not followed or we are dead.”

    t side of to t sloly into Catriana, finally recognized the voice hed been hearing.

    For tinued talking, but noonations of the day before.

    quot;At last!quot; fluted tomasso dAstibar bar Sandre. quot;e feared dreadfully t youd all contrived to lose yourselves in ty recesses, never to be found again!”

    quot;No suc; a voice gro;ter eig  ting still for t kind of music all morning is cursed ty work.”

    In t Devin and Catriana clung to eacer. t seemed to  tered ing rs together.

    Devin felt er eeto ime and in t moment  ly, into her.

    For an unmeasured, enervated space of time t, t  skin. to Devin tside seemed to come from infinitely far airely.   to move at all.

    At lengtriana carefully loo bear . raced he blackness.

    Bes of Astibar ill s ted and some fe tion of te and drank, toasting an end to exile. Devin, riana, still s o find o say w he was feeling.

    Suddenly sracing fingers and bit it,  . S say anythough.

    After t, Catriana found tc into to seize a cily retraced to tair ts coming tionally alert and alive norianas fingers and

    ts as they passed.

    S later.

    ;s wrong?”

    S;Id as soon it  proclaimed t t; sraight ahead.

    Devin lifted ;  about us being upstairs? I just gave tion. t even boto talk about it. t of time.”

    quot;Not to me,quot; said Catriana quietly.

    quot;I didnt mean it t ; Devin protested, taken aback. But unfortunately tairs by t e unexpected sense of estrangement t o let er the room before him.

    More ttle confused, ook o go back out into tyard.

    ing role in t t played out upstairs. Back, and t seemed to be  focusing like a beam of sunligail ting and revealing ime around.

    And so it  by time it o step foro end and croes, seeing tantly, noting omasso struck a pose of rapt atten- tiveness, Devin o give t;Lament for Adaonquot; an undivided soul, for  quite decided in w o do.

    ly in tory of t o t from mountain glen to crag to chasm brink.

    and ces to rise above t courtyard and beyond it, out among treets and squares of ibar.

    ended to pass beyond t nigrail o a o gating t Catriana dAstibar  done t s of murder to prevent . rove to turn taste of t knoo grief for Adaon, to let it guide and infuse t;Lament.”

    Better for boture in  and ted softness in  a certain kind of pride at Devins age is perronger t any otal man, and o sing, yard among t of Astibar, t o be t ter, not she.

    So Devin sang t t dying on tregean mountain slope all o give it, making o seek t of everyone who heard.

    Adaon fall from t o Casadel as to its end.

    And so too, t morning, did a part of Devins life. For wal of Morians urning back.