by Anne Bishop
Come on, wild child, Michael thought. Let’s bring a bit of luck into Lee’s life.
Currents of power flowed around him, and he sent out the Magician’s gift of luck-bringing so that some good would balance whatever Lee had suffered in the past weeks.
As he reached the edge of the Den, he spotted Morragen Medusah a Zephyra sitting on a bench near one of the garden islands that ran down the length of the main street and contained dwarf trees and flowers that drew sustenance from moonlight instead of sunlight.
She’s dangerous, Magician, Belladonna had warned. Don’t push her.
I won’t push, Michael thought as he sat on the other end of the bench and smiled at the Tryad leader. But there’s no harm in telling a story.
“Nice night,” he said, smiling. “Then again, the sun never shines in the Den.”
“So it’s always a nice night,” Medusah said.
“Ah no. The Den doesn’t see the sun, but it does follow the seasons. A cold, rainy night is just as uncomfortable here as anywhere else. The only difference is how people pass the time once they get indoors.”
“I’m not sure this is a good match for the Tryad.”
“More often than not, what a person needs doesn’t always match what you imagine. And maybe you shouldn’t be looking at just the surface.”
She gave him a look that chilled him. But she didn’t understand what it meant when a man was an ill-wisher as well as a luck-bringer.
“One of the things we do for entertainment on a stormy night is tell stories. Something Sholeh would enjoy, I’m thinking. Anyway, there are enough of us from different parts of Ephemera to compare what Yoshani calls story-truths. Well, one thing led to another this evening, and a few of us were reminded of an old story. Don’t know where it began, since plenty of landscapes have some variation.”
“I’m not interested in stories tonight.”
“Oh, I think you’ll be interested in this one. You see, a long time ago, there were three sisters. Some of the stories mention two sisters, but we’ll go with a version that has three. So there were these three sisters who lived together and worked together and were as close as kin can be. Then one day, a man came by, passing through or looking for work—your choice. Anyway, some of the versions say he was a charmer with a shallow heart; others say he was an honorable man who enjoyed the flirtations of the eldest sister but found himself falling in love with the youngest sister. The day came when the sisters realized they wanted the same man. Now, these sisters had some power or magic, and their anger with each other grew to a fearsome thing. They turned against each other, each determined to destroy the other in order to have the man to herself.
“The middle girl ran to her sisters, wanting nothing more than to stop the fight. But she got caught in it. Some stories say a knife found her heart; others say it was the magic the sisters were flinging at each other that found her instead. It came to the same end. The remaining sisters, seeing what they had done, lost all interest in the man, and he lost interest in them and continued on his way. But the sisters still blamed each other for the death of the third sister—and they blamed the man. Wrapped in that blame, they gathered their power and made a terrible wish and turned love into a weapon. They wished to be kept apart from the world as punishment for wanting an outsider. And because they truly wanted to be set adrift, the world answered. And even to this day, the sisters drift through the world, never connecting to another place long enough to touch another heart.”
Michael watched the careful way Medusah swallowed.
“That’s an interesting story,” she finally said.
He nodded. “More interesting to those of us who were on the White Isle the day a young Landscaper and a Sister of Light spoke hard and heartfelt words that split an island into two places that now can’t touch. Story-truths, Medusah. The wrong words said in the wrong place by the right people, and a piece of the world is torn from the rest.”
She said nothing, so he added the last thing. “If the Tryad have some taboo about loving a person of single aspect, now is the time to mention it. Lee is falling in love with Zhahar, and I’m thinking he’s been given enough encouragement to believe those feelings can be returned.”
“She is Tryad.”
Three voices. Three tunes. All of them held sharp notes of fear.
“Yes, she is. I’m guessing love isn’t an easy thing, even among your own people.”
“No, it isn’t,” they whispered. “Is it easy among your people?”
He shook his head and smiled. “Not always easy, even when you’re with the right person. But maybe that story needs to have a different ending, one that gives love a chance to heal what magic cursed.”
“We can’t ignore our laws and taboos for one heart,” Medusah said. “Not when others paid so dear a price for wanting the same thing. If we allow our daughter to have what has been forbidden, it will tear the Tryad people apart.” Zephyra came into view and looked at him, her eyes bright with tears. “If the Triple Goddess could find a way to give a Tryad a chance at that kind of love without destroying our people, we would wish for it with all our hearts.”
???
Wild child, no!
Too late. Michael remained completely still while the currents of Light and Dark swirled around him and Morragen Medusah a Zephyra—and faded.
Lady of Light, have mercy. He’d have to check with Glorianna, since the Den was her landscape, but he was certain Ephemera had just responded to a heart wish. He just hoped Glorianna would have an idea of how the wild child had responded.
“Well.” Michael rose on shaky legs. “Teaser said he’d meet you at Philo’s and make sure you got settled in your room all right.”
Leaving her, he headed for Philo’s. Halfway there, he found the Apothecary kneeling in another of the garden islands while the Knife stood uneasy watch.
“Problem?” Michael asked.
“This plant,” the Apothecary said, lightly touching the leaves. “Does it grow here?”
Michael crouched beside the Apothecary and sighed. “I rake what I’m told to rake, dig where I’m told to dig, and wheel the barrow to the compost bins. If you want to know about plants here, you need to ask Glorianna.”
“Ask me what?”
He looked over his shoulder as Glorianna and Sebastian came up to them. Some sharp notes in both their tunes, which told him that Glorianna had felt that heart wish, and whatever she told Sebastian had the Justice Maker on edge.
“He’s wondering about this plant,” Michael said. Best to talk to Glorianna in private.
???
Glorianna cocked her head, then looked at him. He nodded, indicating he felt the wild child too.
“I don’t remember seeing that plant before,” Sebastian said, sounding cautious.
“I don’t think it was here before. Not in the garden islands anyway. Maybe it usually grows freely in some of the open land around the Den,” Glorianna said.
yes yes yes
Easier to find a plant in a flower bed than by wandering around in the dark on unfamiliar land. “Why are you interested in this plant?” Michael asked.
“It’s similar to one of the ingredients I use in the drops that help eyes heal,” the Apothecary replied. “But this is much more vibrant than the plants we’re able to obtain. Those plants need full shade, but still tend to be spindly.”
“Probably they need moonlight instead of sunlight in order to grow,” Glorianna said. Then she gave the Apothecary a sharp look. “You think this plant could help Lee? He said whatever was left in the bottle he had would give him the best sight he could have now.”
“That was true with the plant extracts I had to work with,” the Apothecary replied. “But with this? More of his sight might return.”
“What about the other ingredients?” Glorianna asked. “Do you have them with you?”
The Apothecary nodded. “I brought everything I could in the wagon.”
“Then bring a sample of each w
ith you to the meeting tomorrow, and we’ll see what else can be found.”
Thank you, wild child, Michael thought as he rose and reached for Glorianna’s hand.
Sebastian escorted the two shadowmen to the bordello, where he’d arranged for them to stay. Then he caught a ride with a demon cycle to make a last check around the Den and see if the guards, Addison and Henley, had anything to report.
Michael and Glorianna stopped by Philo’s, but the only person left at the tables was Zhahar, so they bid her good night, accepted a ride on another demon cycle, and crossed over the stationary bridge that would take them to Nadia’s house.
In the privacy of Glorianna’s old room, Michael told her about his talk with Morragen Medusah a Zephyra—and about the heart wish that even now might be manifesting changes throughout pieces of Ephemera.
Zhahar sat at one of the tables, drinking a glass of wine and nibbling on the food Philo had brought for her.
=You don’t feel easy here, do you?= Zeela asked.
*No, I don’t. I want to get away from here.* She hesitated long enough to be sure Sholeh was preoccupied with her own thoughts. These weren’t fears she wanted to share with her youngest sister. *I think I love him, Zeela. And that scares me.*
=Scares me too,= Zeela replied. =A man of single aspect has never stayed with a Tryad for long—even when the aspect who loved him gave up everything else.=
*I know.* She took a deep breath, then let it out in a sigh. *When I was private, I would fantasize how it might be between him and me and all of us.*
=I hope that fantasy didn’t include me rubbing skin with him too,= Zeela said.
Zhahar choked on the wine she’d just swallowed. *No, it didn’t.* She looked around to make sure no one had noticed her. *It’s just…Everyone Lee cares about feels easy here, but I don’t. Maybe it’s a sign.* And hadn’t she seen another sign that it would be dangerous to be near Lee while they were here?
A long silence.
*Zeela?*
=What did you see, Zhahar?=
*What?*
=I’m the warrior of our Tryad. You’re the heart. But I know you. You came into view once earlier, and you’ve been hiding until now. What did you see that scared you so much?=
*I thought I saw Allone,* Zhahar whispered.
Zeela swore viciously. =You have to tell our mothers.=
*They’re upset with me. Maybe you could—*
=I didn’t see her. She shouldn’t be here.= A pause. =By the triple stars, no wonder you want to get away from here. If she suspects that you and Lee have feelings for each other, if she accuses you…=
*I know.*
=Talk to our mothers. Tell Zephyra if you can’t face Morragen or Medusah. Zhahar, if Allone has touched this land, Glorianna Belladonna needs to know.=
A wave of exhaustion made her body unbearably heavy. Before she could push to her feet, her mothers sat down at the table, with Medusah in view.
“We apologized for your behavior and your words,” Medusah said. “When Glorianna Belladonna returns in the morning, you should make your own apology for speaking before understanding.”
“I will,” Zhahar said hurriedly. “And I do want to understand why I was mistaken. So do Sholeh and Zeela. Mother…”
“We know what it’s like,” Medusah said. “When we were your age, we went out into a one-face land to provide an anchor for Tryadnea. Even after we were discovered and were being hunted as a demon, we stayed to the end to give the others a chance to escape. We barely made it back before the last connection broke. We were not pursued by an enemy as terrible as you faced, but we know what it’s like to live in fear day after day, interpreting every look, every tone of voice, and wondering if that was the day we would forget for just a moment and betray ourselves. Morragen told you about the risks, but you still wanted to go. You wanted to help the Tryad.”
“And I failed.” If she had been able to keep the connection to Vision, maybe she could have stayed with Lee without losing her sisters.
Medusah looked surprised. “No, you didn’t. You protected Lee when he needed someone, and he helped you to return home. By doing that, his presence brought a person able to forge a link that connects Tryadnea with another piece of the world—a link far stronger than anything I could have created.”
Zhahar looked around, searching for a face that shouldn’t be there. “This place?”
Medusah also looked around. “My sisters and I all came into view in front of people of single aspect, and there was no disgust, no fear.” She laughed softly. “There was a candid desire among some of the residents to discuss the Tryad’s sexual practices, but the directness was refreshing. Some of their directness and ability to see the heart so clearly disturbs us, and their acceptance is, in its own way, just as unsettling.” She sighed. “This isn’t what I envisioned when I sent my will questing through the world, but I think this might be what our people need. At least for now.” Her eyes held Zhahar’s. “Which is why you must mend the break caused by your words.”
She was too tired to be prudent, so she was honest. “If Glorianna can make boulders, why can’t she restore Tryadnea?”
“These Landscapers say despair made the deserts, and hope the oases,” Medusah said.
“So you agree with her that what happened to Tryadnea is our people’s fault?”
“Yes, we do. If there is any truth in the story her lover told us tonight, then, yes, the Tryad did this to ourselves, and we’re the only ones who can truly fix it.”
Zhahar sat back, stunned.
“When we became leader, I searched the official records, the stories, consulted with those who serve as our people’s Memory. There was nothing left that explained why Tryadnea broke away from the rest of the world, no mention of first becoming adrift. I thought then, and feel more strongly now, that something happened—an act so shameful that it was expunged from our history. Or maybe the act itself wasn’t that shameful, wasn’t meant to be harmful, but the result was catastrophic. Considering the nature of our taboos and the penalty for breaking them, it’s easy enough to guess how it started.
“I listened to these people tonight, listened to the Landscapers among them. What happened to Tryadnea is not strange to them, and they all agree on one point: somewhere in the Tryad’s history, a heart cried out with such conviction, the world responded. And Tryadnea was torn away from the rest of Ephemera so that our contact with other peoples would be fleeting.
“Tryadnea has been adrift for generations, but I think this time, in her own way, the Triple Goddess heard our hopes and prayers. Zhahar, was it happenchance that the man you helped has a sister who began as a single aspect and is now two?”
She’d forgotten that. In the blinding moment when she thought Glorianna could make Tryadnea’s land viable again, she’d forgotten what the woman had already done to protect the world.
Medusah’s aspect waned, and Zephyra, the core and heart of her mothers’ Tryad, came into view.
“It wasn’t what you said that offended Sebastian and Lee so much as the way you said it,” Zephyra said gently. “That’s why their friend Yoshani made a point of explaining to me that Glorianna Belladonna isn’t just a Landscaper; she’s a Guide of the Heart, and that is how she can help us.” She tapped her fingers against her chest. “If we want Tryadnea to flourish again, we’re going to have to enrich the ground here first.”
::Don’t cry, Zhahar,:: Sholeh said.
She hadn’t realized she was. But she knew she was trembling.
“Mother, I think I saw Allone tonight.”
A stunned silence. Then Morragen came into view, her face cold and hard. “Here? Are you sure?”
She shook her head. “I saw someone standing at the mouth of an alley across the street from me. A woman. That I’m sure of, despite the cloak. When I saw her, I stopped. She stepped back into the alley, out of sight. I was afraid of what she might claim to see if I stayed in view.”
“So that’s why you avoided Lee and
his family.” Morragen nodded. “A wise decision, if Allone did slip past the guards and come to this place.”
“I don’t know what to do,” Zhahar whispered.
Zephyra came into view and placed a hand over hers. “You’re sharing a room with Kobrah, and I’ve been given a room in the same building. Much has happened today, and we all need some sleep. Tomorrow I will tell Glorianna Belladonna and Sebastian about Allone and the harm she can do to the Tryad people. Come, daughter. We need to rest.”
Wiping the tears off her face, Zhahar left the courtyard with Zephyra. Halfway to the bordello, they met up with Teaser, who went back with them. He escorted Zephyra to her room first, then showed Zhahar to the room that belonged to Sebastian and Lynnea and shared a bathroom with his.
The travel pack that held her clothing had been brought up. Kobrah was already there, looking sleepy as she combed out her freshly washed hair.
Unwilling to get into a clean bed when they felt gritty from the day’s travel and exertion, they took a quick bath before joining Kobrah and settling on their side of the bed.
How many lives had Allone destroyed in the years since making the choice that had destroyed her own?
Dreaming of what it would be like if Lee was willing to join hearts with her as well as bodies had been safe enough when they had been in Vision—especially since being at the Asylum helped her resist temptation. But now? If accused, she would have to make a choice before witnesses—and her choice would hurt Lee’s heart.
Better to bruise his heart now than risk her sisters. She just hoped that he would understand someday.
Chapter 25
Keeping his eyes closed, Lee shifted onto his back, put one hand behind his head, and listened to familiar sounds that seemed new: the querying chirps and mutters of a keet who was interested in breakfast, followed by a woman’s voice saying quietly but firmly, “Shh. Lee’s still sleeping.” Added to that, the murmurs of a male voice; Sebastian, talking to Lynnea in the kitchen. Probably discussing if they were going to have breakfast here or go over to Nadia’s house early enough to eat there.
