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There was no sign of Erlein, but the two of them slowly made their way through the crowd to the raised platform in the middle space between the two roomsAlessan took up his pipes and Devin stood beside him, waitingThe Prince blew a handful of testing, tuning notes and then, without a word spoken, began the song Devin had known he would begin
As the first high, mournful notes of the "Lament For Adaon" spun out into the densely crowded rooms there was a brief, disconcerted murmur, and then silence fellInto which stillness Devin followed Alessan's pipes, lifting his voice in lamentBut not for the god this time, though the words were not changedNot for Adaon falling from his high place, but for Catriana di Tigana fallen from hers
Men said after that there had never been such a stillness, such rapt attention among the tables in Solinghi'sEven chanel mens watches the servants waiting on patrons and the cooks in the kitchens behind the bar stopped what they had been doing and stood listeningNo one moved, no one made a soundThere were pipes playing, and a solitary voice singing the oldest song of mourning in the Palm
In a room upstairs Alais lifted her head from her tear-soaked pillow and slowly sat upRinaldo, tending to Sandre's maimed hand, turned his blind face toward the door and both men were stillAnd Baerd, who had come back here with Ducas to tidings that smashed his heart in a way he had not thought could ever happen to him again, listened to Alessan and Devin below and he felt as if his soul were leaving him, as it had on the Ember Night, to fly through darkness searching for peace and a home, for a dreamt-of world in which young women did not die in this way
Out in the street where the fake gucci watch sound of the pipes and that pure lamenting voice carried, people stopped in their loud pursuit of rumor or the restless chasing of night's pleasures and they stood outside the doors of Solinghi's, listening to the notes of grief, the sound of love, held fast in the spell of a music shaped by loss
For a long time after it was remembered in Senzio, that haunting, heartbreaking, utterly unexpected offering of the "Lament" on the mild, moonlit night that marked the beginning of war
They played only the one song and then endedThere was nothing left in either of themDevin claimed two open bottles of wine from Solinghi behind the bar and followed Alessan upstairsOne bedroom door was partly open: Alais's, that had been Catriana's tooBaerd was waiting in the doorway; he made a small choking sound and stepped forward into the hallway and Alessan louis vuitton replicas handbags embraced him
For a long time they stood locked together, swaying a littleWhen they drew back both of their faces looked blurred, unfocusedDevin followed them into the roomAlais was there and RovigoRinaldo, Ducas and NaddoAll of them crowded into this one room; as if being in the room from which she'd gone would somehow hold her spirit nearer to them
"Did anyone think to bring wine?" Rinaldo asked in a faint voice
"I did," Devin said, going over to the HealerRinaldo looked pale and exhaustedDevin glanced at Sandre's left hand and saw that the bleeding had been stoppedHe guided Rinaldo's hand to one of the wine bottles and the Healer drank, not bothering to ask for a glassDevin gave the other bottle to Ducas, who did the same
Sertino was gazing at Sandre's hand"You're going to have to get in the habit of masking those fingers," he saidHe held up chanel quilted bag classic black his own left hand, and Devin saw the now-familiar illusion of completeness
"I know," Sandre said"I feel very weak right now though
"Doesn't matter," Sertino replied"Two missing fingers seen will mean death for youHowever weary we are, the masking must be constant
Sandre looked up at him angrily, but the Certandan wizard's round pink face showed nothing but concernThe Duke closed his eyes briefly, grimaced, and then slowly held up his own left handDevin saw five fingers there, or the illusion of suchHe couldn't seem to stop thinking about Tomasso, dead in a dungeon in Astibar
Ducas was offering him the bottlePassed it over to Naddo, and went to sit beside Alais on the bedShe took his hand, which had never happened beforeHer eyes were red with weeping, her skin looked bruisedAlessan had slumped on the floor by the door, leaning against the canvas gucci bags w |
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