"It's going to get dark again tomorrow, you know."
Jonmarc thought Gabriel looked troubled. "I've put the oldest and strongest of my family at Dark Haven for that very reason. I don't think you'll have any problems-at least, not on the manor grounds."
"Arontala got in."
Gabriel looked away. "That was before my oath to the Lady."
Rafe, Astasia and the other guests were gone. The members of Riqua's and Gabriel's families drifted out of earshot. Jonmarc sat on the edge of a table, wondering if he looked as pale as he felt. "If he'd been mortal, I'd have said Uri was drunk."
Riqua grimaced with distaste. "In life, Uri had a taste for absinthe and dreamweed. As vayash moru, neither affect him. But if he drinks the blood of someone intoxicated with either, it creates a similar effect." "One of Uri's bodyguards didn't join the fight."
Riqua turned away. "Malesh. He's the worst of the lot-and for Uri's brood, that's saying something."
"Malesh is old enough in the Dark Gift to be dangerous, and young enough that he doesn't truly understand the power, or the limitations." Gabriel moved to a cabinet on the far side of the room and returned with a goblet of brandy, which Jonmarc accepted gratefully. The strong liquor steadied him.
"What's in it for him?"
Gabriel shook his head. "No one knows. Rafe hopes that Uri is all bluster. Uri may be- but I'm not so confident about Malesh. Uri is vain and arrogant. Malesh is hungry and clever. It's a bad combination."
"Astasia's question, about Carina. Do you think Carina will be in danger if she comes to Dark Haven?"
Riqua and Gabriel exchanged glances. "I •don't think that either you or Carina should leave the grounds of Dark Haven without a guard," Gabriel said. "Astasia's goal isn't overthrowing you. Bedding you, perhaps."
"Not interested."
"Don't worry-Astasia's hardly the type to pine. She enjoys the chase. Astasia may try to bait Carina-she'd enjoy giving the impression that there was something between the two of you. But I don't think she has any reason to do harm. She tends to pick the men who offer the least resistance."
"I'll talk with Rafe," Riqua said. "He can be damnably hard-headed, but he's got to recognize that Uri's pushing this too far. We didn't get rid of Arontala just to raise a new threat inside the Council itself." She signaled to her brood that it was time to leave.
The great hall was empty now, except for Jonmarc, Yestin, Eiria, and Gabriel. "There may be some dried herbs in the cook house that could make a poultice for that," Gabriel said with a nod toward Yestin's bruised check.