Edeard nearly struck her. But to do that would be to grant her victory. 'I will not give up on you, he told Salrana. 'What she has done to you is wrong and evil, and whenever the day comes that you realize that, I will be there for you. I swear that upon the Lady.
Now it was Salrana who regarded him contemptuously. The expression was so similar to the one on Ranalee's face it unnerved him. She took Ranalee's hand and carefully placed it on her bare breast. 'You have your life. I have mine. Even in your world of simplistic morality I can live how I choose. And 1 choose this. I choose Ranalee: my lover, my mistress.
Edeard glared at Ranalee, who returned a malicious smile.
'This is not over, he said. It was quite feeble, he knew, but he simply couldn't think what else to do.
Why can't she see what she's become? Or perhaps she really can. Lady!
'You won today, Ranalee told him in a mocking tone. 'Show a little nobility. The Waterwalker would.
Edeard barged out of the door, not bothering to conceal himself.
Edeard returned to the Culverit ziggurat and climbed the stairs without anyone noticing him. Even now he felt a shudder of trepidation that this would all turn out to be a fevered dream, that Kristabel… That seeing her would shatter the illusion. Good old Ashwell optimism.
Stupid. This is real now. I know that.
When he reached the tenth floor he drew up his courage, and went to the room Kristabel had claimed as her study. It was bare apart from the desk and chair. Even the curtains had been taken down as it slowly changed shape to the one she and Edeard had decided on. Bigger windows. Brighter, white lighting rosettes. He knew the walls were shifting inwards so the lounge next door could be longer even though the process was so slow his eyes couldn't see the change. Just before he'd left, Kristabel had remarked on how the tenth floor was already different from the home she'd lived her whole life in. He humoured her by agreeing, because she was so excited. And happy.
Now she was bent over the desk, her quill pen scribbling furiously as always. Her beautiful face was wrinkled as she studied yet another thick ledger containing family accounts. Three high piles of similar ledgers were propped up on the side of the desk.
My wife.
'You look bored, he told her.
Kristabel started. Then she smiled at Edeard as he stood in the doorway. 'I never even sensed you, she exclaimed. 'Are you creeping up on me? And why are you here? What about the bandits? You couldn't have found them already.
'No we didn't. But I know who and where they are now. They'll just have to keep for another day. I wanted to be home with my beautiful wife.
She hurried over with a big smile on her face, and kissed him welcome. 'That's so sweet. Finitan will kill you, though, it was hugely important.
Edeard put his arms round her. Not wanting to let go. Ever. He took a look out of the window, across the hortus to the fabulous living city beyond. 'Others have tried.
She frowned, and poked him in the chest. 'Are you all right? You seem… tired.
'No. I'm fine. It's just that today I realized there are some things you can never fix no matter how hard you try.
Kristabel kissed him again. 'But I know you, you'll just keep on trying. That's what makes you, you. That's why I love you.