Kelson nodded somberly, his mind reeling in the certain knowledge he had acquired in the past few minutes—for he was half-Deryni! And if his mother’s performance was any indication, he should be able to make use of that fact, at least to some extent. After all, he had been trained to accept these powers, to believe in them—had even learned some principles for control. Now, if he could just apply some of those principles he had been taught . . .

And Brion’s powers—those should still be accessible, too. Morgan and Duncan obviously had overlooked something—in the verse itself, perhaps. If Morgan’s seal had not been the Defender’s Sign, who, then, was the Defender?

As he thought about it, he realized that Morgan had been called Protector, not Defender, in the earlier part of the verse. So perhaps the Defender was someone else. But who? And the Defender’s Sign—what could that be?

Charissa had returned to her original spot at the foot of the chancel steps, and now indicated the mailed gauntlet still lying on the floor where Morgan had flung it. There was a grim smile upon her lips now, for there was no doubt in her mind that she held the upper hand. Kelson did not have his father’s power—for surely he would have used it to protect his own mother, if he had had it. The boy was not canny enough to sacrifice Jehana simply for the effect of a later sure victory. Besides, she knew full well that the burst of power that had saved Jehana had never come from the mind of the half-breed Kelson Haldane.

She nodded slightly in Kelson’s direction as he took his place at the top of the steps, leveling her gaze to his.

“And now, Kelson Haldane, son of Brion, will you accept my honorable challenge, to do battle in the ancient and honored manner of our Deryni forbears? Or must I strike out and slay you where you stand, smite you a martyr, without a fight?

“Come, Kelson. You were quite full of bluster before. I call your bluff!”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN - “Defender’s Sign shall seal . . .”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Defender’s Sign shall seal . . .”

KELSON’S mind raced frantically, reviewing everything he had ever encountered regarding Deryni magic, searching for inspiration. As he clasped his hands together, his thumb began absently rubbing the Ring of Fire, and he again turned over the ritual verse in his mind:

“New morn, ring hand. Defender’s Sign shall seal thy force. . . .

Defender’s Sign shall seal . . .

Defender’s Sign . . .”

Suddenly, a portion of the transept floor near Charissa locked into focus. Kelson had never noticed it before, but the marble was inlaid with a series of heraldic seals set within a large circle that defined the center of the transept: seals of various saints, seals of—by all the holy saints! Could it be?