Marion Zimmer Bradley and Deborah J. Ross: Children of Kings

[bibliogramma]

The Children of Kings (pub. 2013), focuses on Gareth Marius-Danvan Elhalyn y Hastur, the oldest son of Dani Hastur and Miralys Elhalyn, grandson of Regis Hastur and Linnea Storn. Last seen in Traitor's Sun as an angry adolescent manipulated by Javanne Hastur and Francisco Ridenow, Gareth has grown to be a more tempered young man, chafing as others of his kin have done before him at the restrictions placed on a Comyn Heir. As heir to Elhalyn, he is destined to inherit a wholly honorary title. Thanks to years of inbreeding and other misfortunes, the Elhalyn line is seen as being tainted by mental instability and a lack of intelligence. Thanks to his youthful mistake in listening to Javanne, many see him as either weak-willed and easy to manipulate, or a potential traitor. He longs to prove himself, to be useful, and to get away from sycophants hoping to entangle him in their marital or political schemes.

The novel begins with the departure of Mikhail and Marguerida on holiday to Armida. After seeing them off, Gareth inadvertently "overhears" snippets of a telepathic conversation between his cousin Domenic, acting Regent in Mikhail's absence, and Danilo Syrtis, advisor now to three generations of Hasturs. Domenic, who possesses a previously unknown form of laran which can sense geological activity, has perceived unusual tremors which may have been caused by the landing of a spacecraft.

Curiosity aroused, Gareth follows Domenic and Danilo as they slip out of the Castle, and observes their meeting with a Dry-Town merchant who appears to be their agent. Suddenly embarrassed over spying on his friends and seeing something he ought not to have seen, he wanders aimlessly around Thendara before, ending up in the city's caravanserai quarter - where he is struck with the idea of running away to Carthon, to be free of his life for a while and to see something of life. When he encounters the trader he saw meeting with Domenic and Danilo, he makes up a cover story and asks to travel with him.

Two days later, with only his grandmother Linnea and a household retainer having any idea of where he is headed, Gareth sets out on his adventure.

In Carthon, staying with the merchant Cyrillon (who has received a message from Danilo Syrtis alerting him to Gareth's identity) he hears rumors suggesting that Terrans have landed in the desert and are trading with the tribes for blasters. Cyrillon is equally concerned by this and agrees to take Gareth to Shainsa. Gareth is guided into the desert region that appears to be the source of these rumours by Cyrillon's daugher Rahelle, who travels with her father disguised as a young boy apprentice.

When he discovers the landing site of a group of offworlders, Gareth attempts to persuade them not to trade blasters to the local tribespeople. They dismiss his concerns, but take him on as a labourer. He learns that they are arms smugglers intending to use Darkover as a base for rendez-vous with customers - mostly planets rebelling against the remains of the Federation, now known as The Nagy Star Alliance. He also discovers that the blasters are no more than cheap trade goods, obsolete and nearly depleted.

Meanwhile, Linnea has discovered that the reclusive Silvana, Keeper of Nevarsin Tower is in fact her long-lost daughter Kierestelli - who believes that Regis and Linnea abandoned her, and wants no personal contact with Linnea. While Linnea mourns losing her daughter a second time, Silvana, in emotional turmoil, returns to the chieri who raised her. There she learns that Regis had in fact returned many times to look for her after the threat to her was over, but that her foster-parent had "closed the Forest against him" for reasons that are not entirely clear. She also learns that the chieri are aware of Terran spaceships near Darkover, and fear that eventually Terran ships will return to wreak horrible destruction on the planet. They give her a special starstone, a heartstone, imbued with memories of the chieri, and tell her to use it to contact them when the need is greatest. Silvana then returns to Nevasin.

What especially pleased me about this section is that Silvana's visit shows us what happened to s'Keral and David Hamilton from The World Wreckers. They are both living in the Yellow Forest, though David is now quite old - and s'Keral is pregnant again. More, their first child Lian is also pregnant.

Back in the Desert, a party of warriors from Shainsa led by Hayat, the son of the Lord of Shainsa arrives at the smugglers' camp seeking blasters, and Gareth acts as the go-between in negotiations, which take several unfortunate turns. When a message reaches the smugglers from their client that they are being tracked by a former Federation warship, the smugglers decide to abandon camp, leaving behind the "trade goods" for the Shainsa warriors. The captain gives Gareth a warning: "Get clear of this base but stay away from any place that has a space port. I know there’s one up toward the big mountain range. When the sharks catch up with the Castor Sector ships, they’ll like as not decide the rebels have set up a base there. The way things are going, they’ll bomb first and ask questions later.”

After the smugglers leave, Hayat takes the blasters, but before heading back to Shainsa, he takes a Dry-Town religious amulet Gareth is wearing - actually a hiding Place for his starstone - saying that in working for the Terrans, he disgraced his faith. Hayat and his men ride off, leaving Gareth reeling from the effects of losing contact with his matrix. Even so, he knows that even if he does not survive to see Thendara again, the Domains must be warned of these dual threats from Shainsa and from space. Trying desperately to reach Linnea, he instead manages to send the warnings to Silvana in a dream - demonstrating that he, like Silvana, carries the Hastur gift of the living matrix. Silvana passes what she has perceived on to Linnea, who realises that the message comes from Gareth.

Rahelle takes Gareth back to Shainsa, where her father waits for them, but once there, Gareth decides to challenge Hayat for his amulet, and also to accuse him of bringing useless weapons to his father, in the hope that he can dissuade the Lord from going to war against the domains. He mortally wounds Hayat, thus proving his challenge, and takes back his starstone - which he then uses to save Hayat's life, as explosions in the skies speak of battle in near space.

Back in Thendara, Jeram, whom we met in The Alton Gift, has received a distress call from a rebel ship, the Grissom - the smugglers' customer. Damaged in a fight with a Star Alliance ship (which they destroyed), they need to set down to make repairs, and present themselves as allies. Domenic, acting Regent as Mikhail is still on holiday, offers them sanctuary as long as they respect Darkovan neutrality and Darkovan law - including the Compact. The Captain of the Grissom reluctantly agrees.

Not long after they land, a warship from The Star Alliance hails them, demanding the Grissom. When Domenic asserts Darkovan neutrality, the starship refuses to recognise it, and gives them an hour to reconsider before the city is destroyed along with the Grissom. As the Comyn Tower circle prepares to attempt to destroy the ship, Linnea contacts Silvana to say good-bye. Silvana, knowing that no human telepath circle can succeed, uses the heartstone to contact the chieri, who are able to disarm the battleship, rendering it incapable of attacking Darkover. The ship retreats from Darkovan space.

As the novel ends, all three children of kings - Domenic, Silvana and Gareth - are together in Thendara, celebrating Midsummer as kin. Gareth resigns his claim to the Elhalyn Domain and the kingship, to be a liason between Domains and DryTowns - and to be free to marry Rahelle.