The Purifying Fire p-2

by Laura Resnick

  “It’s risky for you to have me here,” Chandra realized. “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m sorry, Chandra,” Samir said, pouring water into the basin. “I spoke against Walbert and the Order… Er, no offense intended,” he said to Gideon.

  “None taken.”

  “But I failed to persuade the other members of the council. Most voted in favor of cooperating with Walbert.”

  Gideon asked, “What’s been happening here?”

  Samir picked up one of the two small pots he had brought with him and poured some pale yellow powder into the basin of water. While stirring it around to dissolve it, he said, “Shortly after Chandra left on her journey, the Order’s intrusion on the woodlands increased. More soldiers, more patrolling, more spies.”

  With the powder dissolved, Samir soaked a cloth in the water, then began cleaning the savage cuts on Gideon’s chest and arms. “This will sting,” Samir warned, “but it will fight infection.”

  Gideon made no sound as the liquid soaked into his open cuts. But Chandra could tell from his focused expression that it was painful.

  Samir continued with his story as he worked. “Most of the woodlanders blamed the escalation of these impositions on Chandra’s, er, encounter with the Ghost Warden and the soldiers. They felt we were suffering for her rash act.”

  Chandra was incensed by this… but since she knew Gideon condemned what she had done, and since Samir had endured a great deal of trouble because of it, she kept her mouth shut.

  “Then Walbert made his proposal to the inter-tribal council.” Samir explained, “The council has one representative from every tribe or clan in the forest. It only meets when there is a problem or decision to be discussed that affects all the inhabitants of the Great Western Wood.”

  Chandra realized there was a gash on her left hand that she didn’t remember getting. She picked up one of the cloths Samir had brought into the hut, dipped it into the basin of water, and applied it to her hand.

  She drew in a sharp breath through her nostrils. It did sting.

  “What was his proposal?” Gideon asked.

  “You don’t know?” Samir said in surprise. “When I met you at the temple, I had the impression you were in Walbert’s confidence.”

  “I’ve been away. With Chandra. Whatever the proposal is, Walbert must have decided on it after I left.”

  “He has offered the races of the Western Wood a treaty,” Samir said. “If we cooperate with the Order on certain matters, then all Ghost Wardens, all soldiers, and all forms of intrusion or interference will be completely withdrawn from the forest. And they will remain outside our land so long as we continue abiding by the terms of the treaty.”

  “What are the terms?” Chandra asked.

  “There are some restrictions on summoning creatures. There will be penalties if our way of life affects the people of the plains. And there’s a requirement that all grievances that have formerly led to violent reprisals hereafter are presented to an arbiter of the Order for judgment.”

  “And the council agreed to this?” she said in surprise.

  “Well, it remains to be seen how sincere some of the council members are in their agreement,” Samir admitted. “And some other members, of course, don’t habitually think long-term.”

  “You mean,” Chandra guessed, “that some woodlanders think they can bend the new rules once they’re not being watched by ghost wardens and pestered by soldiers in their own territory. And the oufes are focused on getting the Order out of the forest now, rather than on what will happen next time they send assassins after someone who lives beyond the woods.”

  “Indeed.” Samir finished cleaning Gideon’s wounds and now picked up the second small pot he had brought with him, which contained some green balm. “This will be soothing, and it will help prevent further bleeding until you return to the Temple-where I imagine the mages can heal you better than my humble efforts.”

  “Thank you for your help,” Gideon said. “It would have been hard to make it back to Zinara without any treatment.”

  While applying the balm, Samir said, “So the members of the council see a way to make all the trouble here stop… if they also agree to the final term. Which is to turn you over to the Order, Chandra.”

  “I suppose that after the fire I started here, it’s not surprising that they agreed.”

  “Not everyone agreed,” he assured her. “But, alas, enough of them did. And that’s why you’re not safe in the Western Wood anymore. You’re too easy to recognize, and such interesting news travels fast. So you must stay hidden here until nightfall. Then we’ll cover your hair and make our way out of the forest.”

  “But why did Walbert make my capture a condition in his treaty with the inter-tribal council of the forest?” she asked in puzzlement. “I live with the Keralians, not with the woodlanders.”

  “The Keralians have received the same offer,” Samir said. “Mother Luti rejected it. Rather emphatically.”

  Chandra nodded. She would have expected that.

  “And now that the woodlanders have decided to accept the proposal

  …” Samir sighed. “It has put us on a different path.”

  “Walbert probably knew the Keralians would refuse,” Gideon said pensively. “By getting your people to agree to his terms, he eliminates any alliance against the Order that might have existed between the woodlanders and the Keralians.”

  “Yes,” said Samir sadly.

  “He also gains partners in trying to secure Chandra’s capture, and he reduces the places where she can hide-”

  “Hide?” she repeated, affronted.

  “-or roam freely.” Gideon paused before continuing, “And since he knows the woodlanders have long been friendly with the monastery, he also counts on Samir’s people to urge the monastery to accept the same treaty and surrender Chandra to the Order.”

  “The Keralians will never cooperate,” Samir said with certainty. “They despise the Order, and they place a very high value on independence and freedom. If Walbert is determined to capture Chandra, he’ll only succeed one way.”

  “By destroying the Keralians,” Gideon said.

  “Will he really go that far?” Samir asked.

  The woodland mage and Chandra both looked at Gideon, awaiting his answer.

  “Yes,” he said, finally.

  “You seem certain,” Samir noted.

  Gideon nodded. “Walbert will do whatever is necessary to achieve his goals. Including destroying Keral Keep.”

  I don’t understand,” Chandra said to Gideon after Samir had left them alone in the hut again. “Walbert knows I planeswalked, doesn’t he?”

  “He must. I followed you, and he knew I planned to do that.” Gideon added, “I didn’t exactly say goodbye, but he knows.”

  “Then why is he trying to get others to capture me?” she said. “Why doesn’t he just wait for you to bring me back?”

  “Because we’ve been gone a lot longer than he expected. A lot longer than I expected.”

  “Oh. Right.” She hadn’t expected to be gone this long, either.

  “He thinks I failed.” Gideon said, “He probably thinks I’m dead.”

  “And that I killed you?” she said. “Yes.”

  “But all this effort to capture me… He was that certain that I would return to Regatha?”

  Gideon nodded. “Yes, he seemed sure you’d come back. And he wanted your return to be under his control.”

  “But why was he sure I’d come back?”

  “I don’t know.” Gideon’s expression was impossible to read as he met her gaze in the shadows of the hut. “But you did come back, didn’t you? And he knew you would.”

  “If Walbert thinks I killed you, then he must also think I’m very dangerous.”

  “You are very dangerous,” Gideon said. He didn’t sound like he was joking.

  “And yet he’s encouraging woodlanders like Samir to try to capture me.” She said disdainfully, “He doesn’t seem
to have a problem with risking other people’s lives, does he?”

  “Neither do you,” Gideon pointed out. “How many people died in the Sanctum of Stars because of you?”

  “I didn’t plan on that,” she snapped.

  “How many were inside when it collapsed, Chandra?” he persisted. “Ten? Twenty?”

  “I don’t know,” she said tersely. “I was fleeing for my life, at the time.”

  “And the people you were fleeing from died because it was their duty to protect the Prelate’s property from you,” he said.

  She was about to reply when she heard Samir’s footsteps again. He entered the hut carrying a basket that held food, as well as a fresh pitcher of water for them.

  “I hope you’ll enjoy this,” Samir said to them. “My wife is a wonderful cook!”

  In truth, Chandra had never enjoyed anything she’d eaten at Samir’s home, always finding the food bland and overcooked. But given how revolting the food on Diraden had been, this meal today tasted like one of the finest feasts of her life. Gideon evidently felt the same way. They both ate voraciously and spoke very little.

  After the meal, Samir gave Gideon a threadbare tunic to wear, saying, “It’s old and much-mended, but it will hold together until you reach Zinara.”

  “Thank you.” Gideon pulled it over his head. “For all your hospitality.”

  “A guest brings good luck,” Samir said with a smile.

  “Not necessarily,” Chandra said gloomily.

  Samir asked Gideon, “Are you returning to the Temple?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m not coming with you,” Chandra warned him.

  “No.” He assured Samir, “Walbert will never know anything about today.”

  Samir glanced at Chandra, then smiled at Gideon. “I don’t understand you, but I do believe you.”

  “I hope we meet again,” Gideon said politely to him.

  Samir glanced between them. “You two probably have a few things to say before you part. I’ll wait outside, Gideon. When you’re ready, I’ll guide you to a path that leads east out of the forest. You can find the road to Zinara easily from there. And with so many of the Order’s soldiers patrolling here now, you may encounter, er, colleagues on horseback soon after you leave here. Perhaps they’ll help you get back to the Temple.”

  “Thank you, Samir.” When he was alone again with Chandra, Gideon said to her, “You have to leave Regatha immediately.”

  “I just got back,” she pointed out.

  “No one is safe while you’re here.”

  “Given how certain Walbert is that I’ll come back, I don’t think anyone will be safe after I leave, either,” she said. “He’ll just keep looking for me.”

  “This will only end if you go and never come back.”

  “I won’t run away,” she said. “Not while the Keralians have to deal with Walbert’s obsession with capturing me.”

  “I’m letting you go free now,” Gideon said, “but-” “Letting me?” she repeated. “Do you imagine you could possibly-”

  “-this is as far as I’ll go for you,” he said. “You’ve committed wrongs, Chandra.”

  “So has Walbert!”

  “You’ll only make it worse if you stay,” Gideon said. “If you leave Regatha now, I’ll lie to Walbert. I’ll say you never came back here, that you died on another plane. But I won’t do more than that for you.”

  “You don’t even have to do that much.”

  “If you stay, I won’t help you,” he warned.

  “I don’t want your help!”

  “I won’t betray the Order.” He took her by the shoulders, “Do you understand me?”

  “Take your hands off me,” she said through gritted teeth.

  His grip on her tightened. “I won’t turn away from my duty.”

  “What duty?” She frowned. “What does any of this have to do with you? You’re not from here. You’ve been here even less time that I have!”

  “The Order of Heliud isn’t limited to just one plane, Chandra,” he said. “Walbert’s Order is… a local unit, you might say, of something much bigger. Something that extends across other planes of the Multiverse.”

  She drew in a long breath, her head spinning as she realized what he was saying. “So that’s how Walbert knows about planeswalkers? He would have to know, wouldn’t he, if he’s part of something that exists on multiple planes?”

  “Yes. Walbert knows. So does his designated successor. No one else, though.”

  “And if you’re part of this thing, too, then that must be how you knew about the Purifying Fire before you ever came here. Because…” She gave him a quizzical look. “How did you put it? Gossip travels faster than galloping horses. Even across planes, it seems.”

  “And to places only a planeswalker can travel.”

  And as a planeswalker, she realized, Gideon would be highly important in a movement that existed on more than one plane. She asked, “So what is your duty?”

  “I serve the Order. My duty is whatever is needed of me.”

  “And what purpose does the Order have?” she said. “Pestering people in every dimension until they behave the way you want them to?”

  “Its purpose is to bring harmony, protection, and law to the Multiverse.”

  That statement awoke old ghosts. She smothered them and said nastily, “Oh, then it’s a good thing you ate a hardy meal to keep your strength up.”

  He let go of her. “Well, it’s not easy to keep up with a fire mage who thinks nothing of murder, pillage, and destruction.”

  “How dare-”

  “I have to return to Zinara,” he said. “Will you leave Regatha now?”

  “No.”

  He looked momentarily sad. “Then I can’t help you.”

  “I told you, I don’t want your help.”

  “I won’t let your choice become my weakness,” he said firmly.

  Chandra folded her arms and glared at him. “As long as you keep your word not to implicate Samir in anything, then what you do when you leave here is no concern of mine.”

  He looked at her for a long moment, saying nothing. Then he raised his hand to touch her cheek.

  She intended to pull away and tell him again not to touch her… but as their eyes met, she found that she couldn’t.

  “Chandra…”

  He didn’t say more. What was there to left to say, after all?

  She remembered wanting to kill him back on Kephalai when she was imprisoned in the Prelate’s dungeon. She longed to feel that kind of rage toward him again. Chandra missed the clarity of that hot, simple hatred. She missed the familiarity and sharp-edged certainty of those old feelings so much, she almost wanted to weep for their loss.

  And now, instead of killing Gideon, or fighting him, or telling him not to touch her… she listened in sorrowful silence to her erratic breathing and felt her aching heart beat too fast while they stood close together, their gazes locked, his fingers brushing her cheek so lightly that his touch almost tickled.

  Then Gideon let out his breath and turned away. In the doorway of the hut, with his back to her and his hand resting on the coiled sural that hung from his belt, he said quietly over his shoulder, “You saved my life on Diraden.”

  Feeling a weight on her chest, she admitted, “I may only be alive now because you were there with me.”

  “Goodbye, Chandra.” He left.

  With a cloak covering her red hair and with Samir as her guide, Chandra escaped the green wood that night by the silvery light of the waxing moon.

  The branches of trees and bushes clawed at her as she walked, she could scarcely see where she was going, and she knew that all manner of mundane and mystical creatures roamed the forest after dark; Chandra nonetheless found the Great Western Wood by night so much more pleasant and healthy a place than Diraden had been. There was life here, in all its robust and changing variety. And even in the current situation, at least not everything in the forest wanted to kill her,
eat her, torment her, or betray her. So after recently surviving Diraden, sneaking out of the forest on Regatha by night just didn’t provoke that much anxiety in her breast.

  Samir, on the other hand, was extremely anxious. While Chandra was in his lands, he felt responsible for her safety. And once they reached the edge of the dense woodlands and arrived at the rocky path that led up to Keral Keep, Samir’s anxiety didn’t ease.

  “You must push hard to reach safety before sunrise,” he advised her. “The forces of the Order are patrolling the lower slopes of Mount Keralia now, too. If they see you, they may attack.”

  “Then they’ll be sorry,” she said grimly.

  “With the Order tightening its noose around the monastery,” Samir said, “trade and communications are both becoming difficult for the Keralians.” He handed her a small scroll. “Please give this message to Mother Luti. I will not endanger my people by openly violating the decision of the inter-tribal council, but I am Luti’s friend-and yours-and so I will do what I can to help you, if my help is needed.”

  “Thank you, Samir.” She clasped his hand warmly after taking the scroll from him.

  “What would be best for everyone,” he said, “is for all the factions of Regatha to re-establish balance and once again live in tolerance of one another.”

  Actually, Chandra thought that Walbert’s death in a raging bonfire would be best for everyone, but she said only, “Yes, you’re right.”

  “Now go quickly,” he said. “You need to be inside the monastery’s walls before dawn.”

  Despite recent hardships, Chandra was energized by rest, a decent meal, and the return to a plane that wasn’t warped and twisted by Velrav’s dark curse, so she was able to travel quickly as she ascended Mount Keralia.

  Unfortunately, though, her speed wasn’t enough to save her from discovery. The moon’s position in the sky had scarcely changed since her parting from Samir when a sharp male voice in the dark said, “Halt! Who goes there?”

  Chandra froze in her tracks, wondering whether the stranger could see her.

  Another voice said, “Identify yourself!”

  She remained silent and motionless in the dark, waiting to see what would happen.