"Do you know why we formed the second web to guide starshowers into the sea?" he continued, directing his question to the children, who sat in the front row.
"We didn't even know the web did that," Mrillis said. A few chuckles rippled through the large gathering of seers, enchanters, scholars and artisans sitting behind him.
"That is one of our most carefully guarded secrets. Only those who know the web exists, who are strong enough to see it, know what it does. If the Noveni knew we had the web to protect Lygroes, can you imagine their fury and jealousy?"
"You can't make another net over Moerta?" Mrillis guessed.
"Because of the star-metal?" Ceera added. "Because it's too strong?"
"Exactly." Breylon nodded, giving the children an approving smile. "There was a time when we Rey'kil could have lived on Moerta and used up the power flowing through the land, and guided the Threads into another web. But that was long ago, in the days when each race stayed in its own land. We did not think of the web until the Noveni had begun coming as refugees to Lygroes, and then it was too late for us to do anything. In those early days when we could have helped, the Rey'kil were not welcome on Moerta."
"You haven't told them yet why we send star-metal into the sea," Haster said. He also sat in the front row.
"Ah. Exactly." Breylon winked at Ceera, who giggled. "A starshower falls so swiftly, and creates so much heat when it falls from the stars...star-metal explodes when it hits the water. We have long believed that the salt in the water and the depths to which the remaining fragments of star-metal fall somehow neutralize the poison. Just as salt protects meat from rotting and cleanses wounds and promotes healing. After your battle, however, we have learned differently."
"We learned that we've been defending ourselves from the very source of our magic," Master Prothis said in his usual sour tones. He made a disgusted, growling noise, but Mrillis was astonished to see a twinkle in the wrinkled old scholar's eyes.
"It is as you showed us, lad," the High Scholar continued. "The well of our strength, to use our imbrose and work magic, comes from star-metal. We have been safe here in Lygroes because we drain the energy away, simply by living here, by using magic. Many of us have spent the years since your startling vision studying the Threads and verifying what you learned. When you, Ceera and Haster battled the starshower, we learned that it is not salt water that neutralizes star-metal. It is the explosion that makes it safe. Enormous power is released, directly into the Threads, into the web woven between all the fragments of star-metal throughout the World."
"So if we can make star-metal explode all the time, there'll be more power for everybody someday?" Ceera said.
Silence rang through the hall at her words, spoken so innocently. Then someone snorted, someone else laughed, and ripples of whispers went through the hall as people started discussing it. Mrillis grinned at Ceera, who grinned back and wriggled with delight at the effect of her contribution.
Breylon raised his hand for silence after letting the talk go on for several minutes. "Yes, there will be more power. There are many Rey'kil who have never been able to work magic of even the most basic sort, to heal themselves or start fires or find lost things. If we are right, someday there will be enough power for even the weakest Rey'kil to perform magic. If," he said, emphasizing the word, "we can discern how to tap into the overabundance of energy stored in the star-metal on Moerta."
"And if we tap that energy, we can drain that energy," Le'esha said, "and eventually Moerta will be clean, purified of poison, safe for Noveni to live everywhere."
"It will take years," Prothis added. "Years of study and risk. Lives could be lost. And we'll have those dratted Noveni nobles hanging over our shoulders, whining and demanding to know when they can have their land back."
"The sooner we get them out of Lygroes and into their own land, the happier we'll all be," an old, crack-voiced woman called from the far back of the hall.
Voices rang out in agreement. Mrillis shivered, hearing the resentment and dislike for the Noveni. Somehow, it struck him that such feelings were more dangerous than an entire Encindi band of warriors racing down a slope against him.
"That was the mistake of our ancestors." Breylon didn't raise his voice, but made it ring against the rafters, so that the wood and thatching echoed like the slate ceilings in the Warhawk's fortress. "We live as a divided people, and look at the damage that has been done to our world because of it."
"We must work together and live together and share our gifts equally," Le'esha added. She stood up from her place between Mrillis and Ceera and turned to face the assembly. "If we had not isolated the Encindi in Flintan, we would have seen and sensed the activity of the Nameless One before he became a threat and before the war could begin. Do you not agree?"
Her ringing voice and her words brought a halt to the grumbling.
"If we had lived among the Noveni, and they among us, the power of the star-metal never would have accumulated to the level of being poison on Moerta. Do you not agree?"
"We will continue to share Lygroes with the Noveni," Breylon said, "and they will share Moerta with us. They will share their star-metal power, so that all Rey'kil will be able to use their imbrose in even greater degree. That is the profit for us. Who knows? Perhaps, when there is more than enough power in the Threads, even some Noveni could develop imbrose."
Someone snorted and a few people chuckled, and there were some whispers from around the room. Mrillis didn't sense anything nasty in the reactions. Mostly disbelief and amusement. Maybe even some interest in seeing that happen. He thought of Lyon and other Noveni friends who served the Warhawk, able to work magic, and he grinned.
"If there are Rey'kil without imbrose simply because they can't tap the power at the levels that exist now, logic says it is possible the Noveni are simply Rey'kil who need even higher levels of power to find their imbrose. And if that is true, then we are not two separate races, but simply different branches of the same family," Le'esha said. "I find that comforting."
"I find it crowded," Kathal offered from his post at the door. His words earned laughter from nearly everyone.
* * * *
The tug-of-war Mrillis and Ceera had engaged in fragmented the star-metal and released energy from it high in the sky, much as the impact of star-metal in the sea did. Every Rey'kil strong enough to witness the battle with the sky web had witnessed a sudden surge of energy through the Threads.
It was that surge of energy that gave the Rey'kil leaders hope for the cleansing of Moerta. As Prothis had pointed out, learning how to do that to the star-metal poisoning Moerta, and dissipating the concentrated levels of energy throughout the continent, could take years. Maybe generations. They didn't dare tell the Noveni their theories. Not until they had some proof, some results. More than just theories and hopes.
Even the skeptical dove eagerly into the puzzle and challenge of using what the children had discovered. Several of the most powerful enchanters had been able to delve deeply into the deadly tug-of-war the children had played with the enemy. They saw the enemy's power fade and then snap, as if the Threads he held had broken, or his grip had been incinerated by the sudden surge of power.
Le'esha grew quietly, coldly furious, when a group of five scholars proposed having Mrillis and Ceera repeat their performance at the next starshower.
"Absolutely not," she said, almost before the spokesman of the group could express what they wanted.
"But it is necessary," he said, using that falsely jolly tone Mrillis had seen Noveni nobles use when they thought they were being incredibly patient and someone else was foolishly stupid and obstinate. "Why waste years trying to duplicate the battle that vaporized the star-metal, when we can simply learn everything by being prepared and watching the children repeat their performance? I'd wager our enemy will try to pull star-metal down over Lygroes once more, if it is known that only children act as our defenders. We wouldn't have the battle we need, to duplicate conditions, if
the enemy knows that trained enchanters wait for his next move."
"They survived because they are innocents, because they do not know what they can and what they cannot do," she said, facing the assembly, her face pale and her eyes blazing with her anger. "They acted in fear and love for our entire land, and to protect each other. They survived because the Estall protects children and fools and those who sacrifice themselves for others. I will not allow it to happen again, for the sake of your theories and experiments." She sat down in her chair, and glared at the five scholars.
"I will not let you risk the children's lives for the sake of what you may learn. Yes, we need to discover how to make it happen again, how to control it. Yes, it is a gift from the Estall. But what good can come if we sacrifice lives to grasp and hold that knowledge? The Nameless One turned to blood magic to protect the World from the star-metal. Look what abominations came from his essentially good and noble quest." She sighed when Ceera climbed up into her lap and hid her silver head in the folds of her dress. "Actions are just as important as the motives that birth them. I will not stand before the Estall with the blood of innocents on my hands. Even for the sake of saving thousands of lives."
"The enemy, whether the Nameless One or those mimicking him, will continue to try to pull star-metal down in the sky," Prothis said. "Do we leave the sky web intact, to allow more battles in the sky?"
His words provoked a wave of discussion and he stood patiently in front of the assembly, waiting for a chance to continue. Mrillis was simply relieved that the attention had turned off him and Ceera again. Finally, the talk died down and Prothis continued.
"Starshowers only fall in the spring, and our period of opportunity to study them is small. In ages past, we were grateful for the short time of danger. How times have changed." He sighed, and some laughter rippled through the room in response to his irony.
Mrillis liked the sour old teacher for the first time.
"I propose we leave it in place for now. It will allow us to more closely watch the sky. If our enemy acts, it will provide the opportunity for others among us to battle with star-metal. We should prepare teams to watch the sky."
When Mrillis grew too tired to listen, when he couldn't make his mind follow the rapid exchange of ideas and counter-ideas and arguments, he left the meeting. Ceera had fallen asleep more than an hour before in Le'esha's arms. He envied the girl. She had an admirable talent for remembering things discussed in her presence while she slept. She would be able to tell him what everyone had said, whether she understood half of it or not. He knew better than to try to stay when his head hurt and he fought to keep his eyes open. Le'esha had made him promise not to push himself for several more days. Besides, he didn't want to fall out of his chair or snore, either of which would disturb the discussion and draw unwanted attention to him.
Endor waited for him, when Mrillis returned to the healing house. The two boys looked at each other for a few long moments, taking in the many changes that had occurred over the winter. Then Endor gave him his crooked, half-bitter grin. They laughed and leaped to slap each other's backs and grip forearms. Mrillis forgot his weariness as his friend deluged him with questions. No one had forbidden him to tell anyone. All Rey'kil would be involved in this venture, to one degree or another. No matter what anyone said or who Endor's mother was, Mrillis knew his friend was Rey'kil and loyal to High Scholar Breylon, if no one else.
"Destroy star-metal?" his friend yelped after hearing that proposal. "They'll kill themselves and poison the whole world."
Mrillis didn't think so. The Book of Stars and Beginnings was made of star-metal, after all. There had to be a way to make it useful. Why else would the Estall allow star-metal to fall on the World for so long, if it couldn't be made useful?
"It's like some herbs Healer Aelix uses. They're poison when they're raw, but when she dries them or cooks them or soaks them in wine, they become medicine," he explained. "The Estall gave us those herbs--why not star-metal, too?"
"What's the use of a gift that can kill you?" Endor retorted. He snorted and shook his red head and sprawled on his back across the end of Mrillis' bed.
"Well...fire is the same way, right? You keep little children away from it, because they don't know how to use it without burning themselves." Mrillis rubbed his forehead, hating the aching feeling that came from thinking too hard. He hated admitting when he felt tired, or when the scorched feeling inside his head came back. There was too much to do and learn, to waste time being sick and weak.
Chapter Fifteen
The next handful of days were misery. When Breylon or Le'esha weren't around, some scholars and enchanters hounded Mrillis and Ceera, picking apart their memories about the battle over the starshower like vultures stripping a corpse. Sometimes Mrillis felt like his brain had been shredded and the inside of his skull scrubbed clean with sand and embers.
He knew the leaders of the Rey'kil needed to understand what had happened, down to the minutest detail, so they could use what he and Ceera had discovered. That didn't help him fight the resentment he felt whenever a scholar or enchanter called his name.
There were long stretches of time when Le'esha sent the children away, to play and hide from the discussions of matters and theories high over their heads. The one time Mrillis protested, that he needed to hear everything, she suggested that perhaps he had done what the Estall had created him for--and he should be generous and share the duties and glory with others.
That idea made Ceera laugh. So did Mrillis when he worked past his resentment and the feeling he had been an arrogant idiot. So, he learned to enjoy the times when every adult on the island was busy with meetings, and the children were free to play and explore. Most of the time. There were the older boys to deal with when there were no adults around to control them. Some believed no females belonged on Wynystrys unless they were there to clean, cook and heal the men and students.
Mrillis was proud to guide Ceera around Wynystrys, to show her all the places he had told her about. He still hadn't fully recovered his strength. After more than three hours on his feet, he grew more tired than he liked to admit. When she became impatient with his slow pace, he grew irritated enough to let her run ahead of him.
The watchtower on the highest hill of the island had a ladder going straight up and steps spiraling up the inner wall, for those without the stamina or the courage to climb straight up. Mrillis climbed the stairs slowly. He barely heard when Ceera said she was going on ahead. He listened to her light footsteps pattering on the wooden boards of the stairs.
The quiet felt pleasant, for a few minutes. Then, when he couldn't hear her footsteps anymore, Mrillis felt a niggle of warning. He opened his mouth to call Ceera back, and heard Endor call his name, from the open doorway of the tower. Grinning, Mrillis waited for his friend to fly up the ladder faster than a squirrel, and meet him on the stairs.
"Where's the little bird?" his friend asked.
Endor frowned when Mrillis pointed up toward the bars of light at the top of the tower. Pillars held the roof above the wall and a wide platform resting on wooden beams thicker than a man's torso provided space for twenty to stand or sit.
"What's wrong?"
"Nixtan and his friends are up there, playing at being sentinels and planning war on all the beaches." Endor stood back and let Mrillis go ahead of him.
Endor and Nixtan had fallen into more than their fair share of fistfights. Mrillis sometimes suspected his age-mate provoked the older boy deliberately. He couldn't quite put all of his suspicion into words, but he sensed that Endor didn't like knowing that Nixtan and Mrillis had once been friends. It didn't help that some of the bullies on the island refused to forget that Endor was a half-blood, and they seemed intent on punishing him for all the crimes his father, the Nameless One, had ever committed.
What mattered now was knowing that even if Nixtan was among those bullies, the older boy might not stop them from picking on Ceera. He wasn't the friend Mrillis had known ju
st a few years ago, and might just be the ringleader in teasing her. Or doing worse things than tease.
Mrillis braced himself for the first sign of trouble. He strained to hear Ceera's cry of alarm or anger.
Nixtan and the boys he called his friends nowadays were fifteen and sixteen years old and considered themselves Breylon's prize students. They punished anyone who received more praise from the High Scholar than they did. Mrillis and Endor had to be constantly on their guard. The older boys considered girls under the age of fourteen a nuisance and treated every woman, no matter her rank, as a servant. If they didn't fear the Queen of Snows so much, Mrillis could only imagine the disrespect and nasty tricks they might have tried to play on Le'esha.
Ceera, without any visible guardians, would look like fair prey to those arrogant boys. If she had some warning--
Mrillis nearly laughed aloud. He could warn Ceera, without Nixtan or the others knowing. She could defend herself until Endor and Mrillis appeared. Mrillis knew better than to hope the little girl would turn around and flee before she came face to face with the bullies.
He reached out a hand to steady himself against the wall of the tower, kept moving, and reached with his mind.
Where are you?
Nearly to the top. Ceera's silent little giggle made the mental atmosphere tickle. You're too slow. I beat you!
The bullies are up there. They'll hurt you. Slow down and wait for us, will you?
Too late.
Mrillis saw through her eyes. Four boys wearing mud-spattered cloaks walked single-file down the winding stairs. Slow, cold smiles stretched their faces and they watched the girl who had stopped on the flat platform, where a series of narrow windows looked out over the open sea.
"They heard her and they came down," Mrillis told Endor. His chest ached from the effort of talking and running. His friend nodded. The boys moved faster, struggling to make as little sound as possible.
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