Free Till Human Voices Wake Us by Victoria Goddard Page B

perfectly obvious that this actually was his relative. He had never spoken the truth of his family relations before.
    As he thought that, Robin spoke. “I didn’t know you had a brother.”
    Raphael rallied himself, made his voice off-hand and pleasant. “We’ve been out of touch.”
    “Oh, I see! Where have you just come from, then?”
    “Daun,” Kasian replied easily. “North of Kisare.” His English was strongly accented but clear.
    “In the Mountains of the Sun?” Scheherezade asked. “There are some fascinating stories about those mountains.”
    Raphael wondered what they were like. Well-inhabited and well-stocked with lore, like the Alps, or wild, like the Rockies? He couldn’t remember any tales about them.
    “Verily? I did go to university in Ixsaa, but I live to the north of Theldsford now, at the head of the Ishyerin, that is the Whitefeather.”
    Raphael had heard of the River Whitefeather, which entered the sea at Ixsaa. It drained half the northern continent of Daun, engorged by the Amazonian Tysse, but the river was called the Whitefeather from the smaller stream that came straight out of the Mountains of the Sun. There was a waterfall there, a single stupendous cascade that dropped a full mile. Half the stories he had heard of the Realm mentioned the Whitefeather; its source was in the lake on whose many islets was built Kasian’s City of Bridges.
    Max brought out a glass of white wine for Sherry and nearly spilled it when he saw them. “ Ston Kasian! Well I never!”  
    Kasian turned to him with a sudden heartwarming smile that made Will frown assessingly. “Maximilien mir Daniroth! I had no imagination you lived here in London.”
    “I never thought to see you outside of Ixsaa. I thought you’d run off to join the Fairies—begging your highness’ pardon,” he added to Robin, who waved at him carelessly. “Whatever are you doing here on Ysthar? Are you off adventuring like your parents? What are you a-questing for?”
    Kasian laughed heartily. “Nothing so fantastic, I fear. I come to find the Lord of   Ysthar that I might present to him a question. I am looking for my long-lost twin brother Raphael here.” He patted Raphael on the arm, who didn’t know whether to stare icily at this outrage, protest the name, or smile as if he didn’t care tuppence.
    He opted for the last, though it did mean an awkward few moments as his friends wrapped their minds around this sudden revelation.
    “You’re long-lost twin brothers?” murmured Will. “Were you separated at birth?”
    Ignoring this, Robin said, “Your real name is Raphael   ?”  
    Sherry said, “Did you find the Lord of Ysthar?”
    Max was still goggling at him. “You’re Kasian’s brother. That means your father is—”
    “I do not wish to speak about my father,” Raphael said, and due no doubt to his divided intention his voice came out cold and hard as a morningstar. Max met his eyes for a quarter-second before Raphael remembered to drop his, cursing himself for that out-of-character sharpness. He did not want to draw attention to his presence, let alone let slip what power he held within.
    Max spoke with uneasy briskness. “I’ll get you drinks.”
    Into the small pause that followed his departure, Kasian said, “Find the Lord of   Ysthar? Do you not?”
    Sherry whuffed a sigh. “Do we not what? Meet him? Some people do. I met him once, years and years ago. Before I ever met James.” Sherry cast a quick glance at him, as if to check the name was acceptable. He smoothed his expression back to its usual calmness; she smiled. “I don’t believe either Robin or Will ever has?”
    “No,” Robin said with disgruntlement. “He’s very shy.”
    “ Shy ?” Kasian asked. “I do not know that word. What does it mean?”
    Robin and Sherry looked at each other. Robin amplified. “Bashful. Reclusive. Disliking attention. Preferring to sit quietly in the corner rather than talk to strangers.”
    “Aha! Ondrelan