It was too good an opportunity to miss. Korinne moved deeper into Istvan's chamber and searched for the elfmaid.
She was sleeping on a bed at the far end of the room, covered to the neck by a light-colored blanket. Korinne moved closer in order to get a better look at the maid.
When she was standing next to the bed, Korinne felt her heart sinking like a stone in a river. The elf-maid was beautiful, a stunning example of the sort of elven beauty that had made the race famous throughout
Krynn for their grace, comeliness and elegance.
How could a human woman compare to a creature possessing such fair skin and hair, such a lithe and supple form? How could a human woman compare herself to an elf-maid?
Korinne thought of that for a moment.
And let out a little laugh.
How foolish could she be? How could she compare herself to an elf-maid?
There was no comparison. Surely her husband was aware of that fact.
Korinne was still young and it would be many years before her own beauty began to fade. And even if Lord Soth found the elf-maid attractive, she was still his wife and according to the Oath and the Measure that was a bond that was as highly honored and respected as the one linking him to the knighthood.
What's more, Korinne was in the prime of her life, ready and more than willing to produce an heir to the muchheralded Soth family name. It would make their union complete, draw her even closer to him.
Ready and willing, she thought.
But unable.
The worry that had fled her heart and mind just seconds earlier, came back with a vengeance.
She turned to leave the healer's chambers, her hand groping the wall in order to keep herself steady as she walked.
Chapter 12
The city of Istar seemed barren.
Lifeless.
The elderly mage moved through the streets, his thoughts wandering aimlessly, much in the same way as did his feet.
When the Kingpriest first introduced The Edict of Thought Control it had sounded like such a good idea.
Indeed, how better to prevent evil deeds than to put an end to evil thoughts?
How better to stop a rose from blooming than to nip it in the bud?
What had sounded good in theory had turned into a nightmare in practice.
Since the introduction of the edict, children had lost their parents, wives had lost their husbands, and husbands had lost their wives.
And for what?
For evil thoughts that might or might not have manifested themselves into evil deeds. The edict lacked any consideration for the faculties of human reason and self control. It was based on the belief that human beings were little more than animals who acted upon every impulse and instinct without consideration for any of the consequences of their actions.
Such was simply not the case.
People were basically good at heart. Sometimes the evil side of them came to the surface, but that was just a part of being human.
But despite all these thoughts, the mage continued to practice his craft on behalf of the Kingpriest in the hopes that the Kingpriest would eventually realize the damage his edict was doing to the people of
Istar. Once that happened, surely he would revoke the edict and life would return to something resembling normalcy.
In the meantime, he continued to read minds.
Up ahead in the middle of the street a mother was scolding her child for dropping a bag of fruit onto the ground.
This, after the child had assured his mother that he would not let the bag touch the ground until they reached home.
The mage read the mind of the mother. There were no evil thoughts there, just a proper reprimand and instruction so that a similar incident wouldn't be happening again any time soon. She finished her talk with a single slap on the boy's behind, sort of as an exclamation mark to her impromptu lecture.
And then the mage read the mind of the child. To his surprise, the young boy's mind was full of evil thoughts toward his mother.
I hate you… And I'm going to hurt you like you hurt me… Then you'll be sorry.
Evil thoughts to be sure.
But they were the thoughts of a child, an innocent who understood nothing about what he thought or did.
What then, would constitute suitable punishment for such thoughts?
If the mage reported the boy to the Kingpriest, the lad might be sentenced to death. That had been the punishment prescribed to adults who'd had similar thoughts.
But, to execute a child?
The thought made the mage sick to his stomach.
He watched the mother and child continue on down the street as if the incident had already been forgotten.
He read both their minds once more.
There was love there. Strong love. All the boy's evil thoughts were gone.
His evil thoughts had been… harmless.
The mage stood in the middle of the street thinking about what he should do. By order of the Kingpriest, he was bound to report all the evil thoughts he had read. But, he couldn't bring himself to report the boy and have him taken from his mother, a woman who obviously loved him more than anything else in the world.
The Edict of Thought Control was unworkable.
The realization left the mage with only one option. He decided he would take it.
He turned his back on the mother and child, and began walking west.
When he reached the outskirts of the city, he turned south, headed for Silvanesti.
To start a new life.
Chapter 13
"No matter how many times I've seen it," said Caradoc, "each time I lay my eyes upon it after some time away, I'm always in awe of its beauty."
"Indeed," said Soth. "It is a beautiful sight."
Ahead on the eastern horizon, the deep red outline of Dargaard Keep stood out like a single perfect rose. After ten days at the Knights'
Meeting in Palanthas (Soth attended six of those days) and an uneventful journey home, the knights were all eager to return to the keep and relate what they'd learned to their fellow knights.
But for Soth, there were other reasons which made him look forward to his return. For one there was his wife.
Dear, sweet Korinne. After such a long time away, perhaps she had some news for him. Even though Soth had vowed not to speak of such matters until she truly was with child, he couldn't stop himself from considering the possibility.
To have a son… Or perhaps even a daughter. He would teach her to fight, make her strong, the first female Knight of Solamnia.
He shook his head, realizing his dreams were getting the better of him.
And then there was Isolde. She would be fully healed by now, her stunning beauty completely restored. There was no real reason for him to contact her-she was merely just another person in the keep now, one of many-but nevertheless, he wanted desperately to see her, to speak to her, perhaps even to… touch her.
"The elf-maid you brought back to the keep," Caradoc said idly.
Mention of the maid startled Soth, bringing him back to the plains. Even though he was sure Caradoc's speaking of Isolde had been a coincidence, the uncanniness of it made Soth shiver. "You mean Isolde?"
"Is that her name?"
"Yes."
"Well, Is-olde," Caradoc had some trouble pronouncing the name, "is certainly a beautiful woman, elf or otherwise." "Yes," said Soth, his voice noncommittal. "That she is."
"Might make a man a fine lover."
Soth turned to look at Caradoc. His seneschal was staring blankly out over the horizon, obviously speaking of Isolde with a sort of wistfulness that he might speak about a well-made sword or a fine bottle of wine.
Soth turned his gaze forward and tried to match Caradoc's pensive sort of look with a similar expression of his own. "That she would," he said, trying to say the words musingly.
When the knights entered the keep they were greeted by dozens of people, most of whom were family and friends.