Returning from the priests’ bower, Auraya noticed Speaker Sirri sitting among some children, laughing. The Siyee woman looked up at her and beckoned.
Walking over, Auraya dodged as several of the children suddenly dashed away, shrieking. Tiny missiles were streaking back and forth. At Sirri’s feet was a large basket full of berries. The Siyee leader’s mouth was stained dark red from the juice—and so were the faces of the children.
Sirri looked down at Auraya’s clothes and put a hand over her mouth. Following her gaze, Auraya realized that her white circ and tunic were splattered with red spots. Sirri stood up abruptly and called out to the children.
“That’s enough!” she said firmly. The children skittered to a halt and then gathered into a group, their eyes on the ground. “Don’t waste them,” Sirri urged, her voice gentle again. “Take a handful each and be on your way.”
The children obeyed, breaking into a run as soon as they were twenty paces from Sirri. The Siyee leader looked at Auraya and sighed.
“I’m sorry.”
Auraya shrugged and sat down beside the woman. “I have a spare.”
“Not any more. That’ll never come out.”
Examining the spots, Auraya shrugged again. “If magic doesn’t work I’ll just have to order new clothes—and I’m sure the Priests here have a few spares in reserve. How did your meeting with the tribe leaders go?”
Sirri grimaced. “Not well. Who’d have thought trade with landwalkers would make some of us turn greedy.”
Auraya said nothing. The difficulties the Siyee had endured in the past had forced them to look after each other or perish. The lands returned to them by the Torens had been developed in ways the Siyee hadn’t had the numbers or knowledge to try, and now they found themselves arguing over sudden and unevenly distributed wealth. It was not landwalkers that had made some turn greedy.
“I’ve been wondering if we should consult the gods on the matter,” Sirri continued. “Leave the decision in their hands.”
“Better to sort it out yourselves,” Auraya replied.
Sirri’s eyebrows rose. “Why is that?”
Auraya frowned as she realized she could not provide an answer Sirri would accept. Have I come to distrust the gods so much I would warn others to have nothing to do with them? I’m starting to sound like a Wild.
“The gods would expect you to do all you could before consulting them,” she replied. She looked at Sirri. “But I guess you’re telling me you have.”
Sirri smiled. “Yes. But maybe you’re right. Maybe we should try harder. Have some berries. They’ve just come in season.”
They both scooped up a handful and began eating. Auraya thought of Jade. She would have liked these berries. I suppose she is still making her way out of Si.
She was surprised to find she missed the woman’s company. Though domineering and moody, Jade had been full of interesting anecdotes and knowledge. Auraya smiled. Jade might have been immensely old, but Auraya had managed to surprise her a few times.
“I wonder if there’s a way to remove the void,” Auraya remembered saying one night. “Perhaps if magic was drawn from another place and released here it could be filled in.”
Jade had stared at her in surprise. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
Finishing her handful of berries, Sirri began talking about the tribes fighting over the mines. Though she had heard it all the previous night, Auraya let the woman talk through it again, knowing Sirri simply needed to air her frustration.
:Auraya.
She jumped at the voice in her mind, then looked down at her priest ring. Juran was calling her through it. Well, I no longer have to wonder if shielding my mind prevents it working.
:Juran? she replied.
:Yes. Where are you?
:In the Open.
:Is Speaker Sirri with you?
:She is.
:I have something to request of her. Will you speak for me?
:Of course.
“Speaker Sirri,” Auraya interrupted. “Juran of the White wishes me to communicate a request to you.”
Sirri froze, mouth open. Then, as she recovered from the surprise, she straightened, smiled and nodded. “Tell him I’m listening—and give him my greetings and good wishes.
:Give her my thanks, Juran said. Recently we have discovered a Pentadrian plot in Jarime in which citizens of our city were murdered and others tricked into converting to the Pentadrian religion.
Auraya relayed this to Sirri.
:We have unearthed Pentadrian plots in Toren and Genria, and are investigating other reports of their operations. Their aim has been to quietly subvert the rule of these lands, while luring Circlians into abandoning the gods and worshipping theirs by offering positions of power to those without Gifts. Have Pentadrians or suspicious foreigners been seen in Si recently?
“Not recently,” Sirri replied. “Not since last spring, when we requested Auraya’s help. We have kept a watch on our shores ever since. The only visitors have been Elai.”
:I hope you are right. We have long debated what action would be appropriate in response to the Pentadrian attacks in our cities. If we ignore them, they may grow bolder. They may attempt to reenter your land. They will certainly try to subvert others again. We must let them know they can’t attack us without retaliation. Will you help us?
“Of course,” Sirri replied. “What can we do?”
:Huan herself suggested we attack them in their own land. Speed and surprise will be essential, so your Siyee warriors came to mind straightaway. The target was then obvious: the breeding stock of the black birds.
Sirri’s eyes widened. “That would be a risky and…daring attack. I trust you know where the breeding stock are?”
:In an isolated town, far from major Pentadrian cities. We will send maps and information about the town, the daily routine of the breeders and their birds—everything your warriors will need.
Auraya realized her heart was racing. Juran was asking the Siyee to take a great risk. They would enter enemy lands. If they failed, nobody could help them.
“I will go with them,” she said.
Sirri frowned. “Juran will…oh! Of course. You were speaking for yourself, Auraya. Thank you.”
:You may go with them if you wish, Juran said. But the gods forbid you to use your Gifts to help the Siyee or hinder the enemy. This must be a strike made by the Siyee, not by a White or even an ex-White.
Auraya gave a gasp of disbelief.
:Do you really expect me to let them die if they are attacked? she asked silently.
:The gods do, Juran replied. This strike is as much a symbolic act as it is an attempt to hurt the enemy. If you cannot obey the gods in this you should not accompany the Siyee.
:Can I heal them if they’re injured?
Juran paused.
:I suppose that would not negate the symbolism of the attack.
Auraya scowled.
:I suppose it would be an even better symbolic gesture if the Siyee all died in the attack. A noble sacrifice, and all that.
:Of course it wouldn’t be better. To strike and escape would be much stronger proof of our ability to retaliate.
“Well?” Sirri asked.
Realizing she hadn’t relayed Juran’s words since he had revealed that she was forbidden to use her Gifts, Auraya grimaced in apology. “Sorry. The gods have decided I can heal the Siyee, but do nothing else. I can’t fight the Pentadrians.”
“Well,” Sirri said grimly, “that is better than nothing.”
:Will the Siyee go? Juran asked.
“As always I must consult the Speakers of the tribes,” Sirri replied. “Though I doubt they would refuse something we agreed to in our alliance. When will this attack take place?”
:Not for some months. We must get the maps and instructions to you first.
“I will let you know as soon as a decision is made,” Sirri promised.
:Thank you. Goodbye, Speaker Sirri, Auraya.
As his mind faded away, Auraya felt anger seething inside. Clearly the gods wanted her to stay behind. She felt a light touch and looked down to find Sirri’s small hand resting on her own.
“I’m sure you’ll find a way around their restrictions,” the Speaker said.
Auraya met Sirri’s eyes and nodded, though she could see the questions in the woman’s mind and longed to answer them.
Why are the gods testing her like this? Sirri wondered.
Because some of them hate me, Auraya replied silently, though she knew the woman couldn’t hear her. Then she smothered a curse. When Chaia said Huan might try to hurt those I loved, I never thought of the Siyee.
But surely the goddess wouldn’t harm the people she had created?
Sunlight filtered through the trees. Emerahl’s bag was full and heavy and she was fighting the temptation to lighten it by removing a few cures. She hadn’t been to Southern Ithania before, however, and wasn’t familiar with local ingredients. If she was going to pay her way she would need to bring her own supplies.
The distance between herself and her destination seemed immense. It would take her a month to get out of the mountains, then she had to cross the Plains of Gold to another range. Once through the pass she must cross the northern edge of the Sennon desert. At the coast she would buy passage on a ship sailing to the Murian capital, Hannaya. It would be a long journey.
According to The Twins, the Thinkers in search of the Scroll of the Gods based themselves there. She had two choices: try to find the Scroll on her own or attempt to join them. Both choices presented her with difficulties.
If she chose to search for the Scroll herself, The Twins would skim the Thinkers’ minds and pass on everything they learned. The Twins had more than just the Thinkers to watch. They were keeping an eye on people around Mirar as well as keeping up their usual skimming of minds in Ithania. Added to that, Emerahl couldn’t stay in a constant trance linked to The Twins. She would only find out what they had learned whenever she found time to communicate with them, so she might receive important information up to a day later.
If she joined the Thinkers she would find out what they discovered as they discovered it. The only problem was, they were notoriously jealous of their knowledge and disdainful of women.
The Twins doubted she would ever gain their trust. Instead, she would have to prove herself useful to them. She could read most ancient scripts. She knew a lot about history. She spoke ancient languages.
Coming around a curve of the steep mountain slope she was traversing, she stopped and cursed. The narrow fold in the rock she had been following abruptly ended a few steps ahead under a loose covering of boulders and stones. There had been a landslide further up the mountain.
Crossing that would be foolish, she thought. It’s likely to start sliding down the mountain all over again. She would have to go back and find a new route.
She cursed Auraya and Mirar under her breath. I might have already found this Scroll by now, if Mirar hadn’t insisted I come here and teach Auraya.
But he owed Emerahl a big favor now. She smiled at the thought. And it wasn’t so bad, anyway, teaching Auraya. The girl is likeable enough—if one ignores her loyalty to the gods. It would be a pity if that loyalty proves her downfall.
She had to admit The Twins were right. If Auraya did join the rest of the immortals, she would be a powerful ally. With the ability to sense and hear the gods, and read the minds of mortals, she could help them all survive.
It doesn’t hurt to have someone that powerful owe you a favor, either.
Thinking back, she considered how Auraya’s manner had changed once she was able to leave the cave. The woman appeared to relish being in the forest. She was relaxed in that way people are when they feel at home, Emerahl thought.
How could an ex-White feel at home in the Si mountains, with no luxuries, no servants, nothing to rule over?
Suddenly she saw Auraya in a different light. She likes wild places, Emerahl thought. Places untouched by humans. Oh, she is happy enough to be around people, and the Siyee clearly have a place in her heart, but I think it is more than just the Siyee that calls her to the mountains. Emerahl laughed quietly to herself. She might not be so comfortable if she had to climb up and down cliffs, tramp through mud and cut her way through dense undergrowth, however.
Was Mirar aware of this? He had always been attracted to cities—to the bustle of crowds. A memory rose of a conversation she’d had with Auraya.
“I thought you didn’t like him.”
Auraya had smiled. “I never said I didn’t like him.”
Emerahl sighed. She knew there was always a chance that like could become love. She’d seen it happen often enough. Not that it would, but Emerahl was always going to wonder if she had ruined that chance for Mirar by telling him about Auraya’s affair with Chaia. And now that I’ve met Auraya I’m no longer opposed to the idea of Mirar and her together.
What was done was done. Mirar was resilient. Better for him to know the quick pain of truth than the ongoing pain of a long-held false hope. Turning around, she retraced her steps and began searching for a safer route.