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.Earl Kestrel interceded then,though the flush on his bearded cheeks made amply clear that he was lessthan delighted with the situation. Then it is decided, Earl Kestrel said. The gyrfalcons will be releasedfirst to give them a moment to gain height.Then Lady Blysse will release herperegrine. He ended his speech with a quick, angry slash of his hand.Accepting thisas the signal, first Jet, then Sapphire released their gyrfalcons.Lady Blyssepermitted them enough time to climb to a comfortable rise of air where theysoared in easy arrogance.Any bulkiness the gyrfalcons had shown whenimprisoned on gloves was gone.At a word from her mistress, the peregrine Elation mounted the air.Sharp,almost knife-edged wings beat rapidly, alerting the gyrfalcons, whichshrieked, infuriated by the intruder s arrogance.They circled for positionwhile Elation was still gaining altitude.Elise felt her heart beating faster,certain that in a moment the sleek blue-grey peregrine would be nothing buta bloody burst of feathers.It s like us! she thought frantically.Hunting each other, seeking anyadvantage!Where she had been able to turn away before, she could not now draw hergaze from the sky.The three hawks were well matched in size, but thegyrfalcons had the advantage.Or did they?Elise watched in astonishment as Elation launched through the gapbetween the black bird and the white, slipping through an opening so smallthat the maneuver seemed impossible.Then, wings cutting the air like knives,Elation rose, stooped, and from the power of that stoop came down onto thewhite gyrfalcon.Stunned, the white gyrfalcon tumbled in the air, falling, rolling,recovering only inches from the dirt.Even then, all it could manage was tospread its wings, slowing its fall before coming to land with an undignifiedthud.Her attention diverted by the falling bird, Elise didn t see how Elation got the better of the black gyrkin, but afterward she would hear that the tacticswere similar.The gyrkin came to earth much as its mate had done.It didn tso much strike the ground as land with a sulk, its dignity insulted.Glancing atthe two Shield siblings, Elise saw its mood mirrored in their two faces, butwhere the falcons were merely offended, Sapphire and Jet were shamed. Magnificent! Prince Newell s voice broke the sudden silence. LadyBlysse, my congratulations! Similar compliments followed from the various spectators, but LadyBlysse had eyes only for her two competitors.Waving to them, she invitedthem to inspect their gyrfalcons.Within a few moments, the verdict waspassed that Elation had taken them out with the weight of her body ratherthan with her talons.Except for a few bruises and offended dignity at findingthemselves the prey rather than the predator, both gyrfalcons should be fit forservice. They re yours now, Sapphire said, anger and embarrassment barelyconcealed in her polite words. I hope you enjoy them. I enjoy them best, Lady Blysse replied, if you keep them.They finefalcons.Maybe we hunt with them again sometime. Jet started to smile, then tensed, fearful that this was some furthermockery.Elise felt her heart ache for his injured pride. We wagered them, Jet said stiffly. We can pay our debts. What is mine is mine to give, Lady Blysse said reasonably. Pleasetake. As a favor, Sapphire said, to a scion of House Kestrel, we will do so. With this, to Elise s relief, the expedition was finally over.The bloodycarcasses of the unlucky pigeons were gathered into sacks and Earl Kestrelbowed deeply to the assembled company.In his rich, well-schooled bardicturns of phrase he thanked them all for gracing himself and his ward withtheir company, praised the falcons that had provided them with such finesport, and invited them all to attend a banquet that evening.The centerpiecewould be the game killed this morning.The last was a formality, an almost ritual ending to a large hawking partylike this, so much so that Elise had already chosen what dress and jewels shewould wear this evening.She looked around for Jet, hoping that now that thehunt was ended he would return to her.Her beloved, however, was deep inconference with Lady Blysse and Sapphire, hotly arguing the varying meritsof gyrfalcons and peregrines.Elise s mare was more than willing to trail after the other horses.Although her thoughts were elsewhere, Elise chattered lightly with the otherladies, commenting on the pleasures of the outing.Only after they hadreturned their horses to the stable attendants and were re-entering the castledid Aurella Wellward say softly into her daughter s ear: Lady Melina spoke with me this afternoon about something that may beof interest to you.After you ve freshened, would you meet me in my solar here in the castle? Yes, Mother, Elise replied, her heart singing with anticipation andsudden terror.Her feet were so light that she could hardly keep from runningup the stairs to her room.DOUBTS AND FEARS plagued Elise as Ninette laced her into a cleansundress and helped plait her hair into a gleaming coil that would crown herhead.When Elise entered her mother s parlor, she hoped that Lady Aurellacould not see how nervous she was, but was certain that her rapidly beatingheart must give her away.Aurella was sitting by a round window through which sunlight spilled,transforming the embroidery thread spread across her lap into silken gems.On a frame nearby was the piece she had been working on since the previousspring, a heavy green wool waistcoat embroidered with a hawk perched on awell, a bowman standing to one side.The picture was an allusion to herfamily joined to Ivon s
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