The Shadow Matrix Read Free Page B

he
    wished—felt he needed—to have answered, and had gotten less than satisfactory
    replies. His uncle had not offered any hints as to what he wished to accomplish, and, in
    retrospect, Mikhail realized he had not been very supportive or even attentive. "You
    will handle it well, Mikhail. I am sure of that. We will talk further when you return for
    Midwinter. Take your time over the testing of the lads. There is no urgency."
    The encounter had left Mikhail with the feeling that what he had been told to do was
    not very important—and worse, that he was not either. He had ended up feeling exiled,
    the way he had after Regis' son Danilo had been born, unwanted and something of a
    bother. Intellectually he was sure this was not the case—then or now—but he was
    honest enough with himself to admit that his feelings were more than a little injured.
    The problem, as he saw it, was that Regis seemed to be trying to turn back the clock,
    claiming that the restoration of the Elhalyn kingship was necessary, as was the Comyn
    Council. At the same time, Regis insisted that these moves were not reactionary, but
    were in the best interests of the future. It sounded plausible until Mikhail examined it
    carefully.
    He did not think for a moment that Regis did not have some plan, some scheme, in
    mind. The only piece of real information he managed to pry out of his uncle was Regis'
    conviction that Darkover must become truly united—that the Aldarans must become
    part of the Comyn Council— and soon, too.
    Since the Aldarans were mistrusted by the other Domains, Regis was having a very
    hard time convincing the other members of the Comyn Council to agree to what little
    of his plan he revealed. Mikhail's own parents were opposed to the idea, as were Lady
    Marilla Aillard and her son Dyan Ardais. Dom Francisco Ridenow seemed to change
    his mind every other day, and only Lew Alton supported the idea completely.
    Mikhail did not have the reservations about the Aldarans that his parents did. He had
    visited them years before, quite unknown to his mother and father. He was acquainted
    with old Dom Damon, his son Robert, the heir, and Robert's twin, Hermes Aldaran,
    who had recently taken over the
    position of Darkover's representative to the Terran Senate from Lew Alton. And he
    knew Gisela Aldaran, their sister, who had been a charming young woman at the time.
    He had liked them, and knew perfectly well that they did not have horns and tails.
    But prejudice against the family was old and ran deep. Darkovans had very long
    memories, especially in matters of treachery, and the Aldarans had betrayed the
    Council years before. It was all very well for Regis to say that bygones should be
    forgotten, that it was time to heal old wounds. He had clearly not anticipated the
    steadfast resistance he encountered to his propositions.
    Mikhail was not sure even his uncle could manage to smooth things out, for all his
    powers of persuasion. The more he pressed, the more he was opposed, particularly by
    Mikhail's mother, Javanne Hastur. In a great many ways, his mother's behavior since
    the meeting in the Crystal Chamber had been even more distressing than Regis'. She
    had always been a headstrong woman, but the announcement of his Regency had
    provoked in her some single-minded fury that he could not understand. She was no
    longer the mother he knew, but a cold and distant stranger. There had been a few
    moments when he had even allowed himself to wonder if she were completely sane.
    Her mother had been an Elhalyn, after all, and they were known for their instability.
    He did not entertain this terrible idea for any length of time because, since Regis
    Hastur was her brother, he might find himself doubting his uncle for the same reasons.
    That thought was too much to bear.
    The wind blew a scatter of leaves across the trail, their color exactly the red of
    Marguerida's hair. Mikhail decided he would rather moon over his beloved than try to
    untangle