C. Cherryh: Yvgenie

“I like her,” the mouse said, quite sure herself where Yvgenie’s heart was. And Kavi Chernevog’s as well, the god help them.

Then Eveshka wished something at Nadya quite strongly, not at him, Sasha thought, but about him—and Nadya said, hugging his arm the tighter, “Yes. I know he is,” leaving him the most distinct impression Eveshka judged him extravagantly kindly, far too kindly, considering his recent succession of mistakes…

Which he did not want to tell Eveshka yet. But he feared he had just let the worst one slip. God, they could see it for themselves: Pyetr was changed. Or the same again. Pyetr might always be the same, for all he knew, and it all was his fault, god—he wanted them not to hate him. He wanted them to love him. Nothing worse could happen to him than losing that. And wishing them not to was desperately, terribly wrong of him. So they should love each other. Not minding him and his wishes. Please.

There was a breathless hush then, in a piled-up calamity of possible wishes, wise and foolish, thick as the fallen leaves. But Pyetr said, “Sasha,” strolled over, kissed his eldest daughter on the forehead, then set a heavy hand on his shoulder and looked him straight in the eye, thinking, as if he had only chanced upon the thought—You did something, friend. Didn’t you? Like the damn teacup? The jug that won’t empty? Eveshka thinks so.

“Pyetr, forgive me, I’m—”

“—sorry?” Pyetr shook him gently. He heard a laughter in Pyetr’s voice this morning, a youthfulness that could have no patience with slow-moving wizards and their deliberations. “—Does the teacup care? It’s lasted this long: it might last longer. Who knows?—Who ever knows? Dare we even mention my seeing grandchildren?”

RUSALKA

CHERNEVOG

YVGENIE

THE GOBLIN MIRROR

Sale of this book without a front cover may be unauthorized. If this book is coverless, it may have been reported to the publisher as “unsold or destroyed” and neither the author nor the publisher may have received payment for it.

A Del Rey Book

Published by Ballantine Books

Copyright © 1991 by C. J. Cherryh

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copy-right Conventions. Published in the United States of America by Ballantine Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 91-91909

ISBN 0-345-37943-8

Manufactured in the United States of America

First Hardcover Edition: November 1991

First Mass Market Edition: November 1992