:That’s true.
:I suspect that’s not your only reason for tossing aside all concern for your own safety. So how did Auraya take the news?
:She tried to kill me.
:Oh. She was silent for several heartbeats. She was prepared to break her promise, then.
:As she pointed out, her promise was to Leiard.
:Ah. Obviously she didn’t succeed in killing you. Why not?
:Because I opened my mind to her and showed her the truth.
:And that dissuaded her? How interesting. Do you think killing you was her idea or the gods’?
:The gods. Huan appeared and urged her to do it.
:Auraya disobeyed her?
:Yes.
:Even more interesting. So did she learn it?
:Learn what?
:Healing.
:Yes.
:You do realize what that means.
:That she is Gifted enough to become an immortal. She already is immortal, Emerahl.
:Yes, but what is significant is that she could be without the gods’ intervention. She is a Wild. What that means for her depends on why they hate us. If it is a pure hatred of all Wilds, they will kill her.
Mirar went cold. Had he doomed Auraya to die just by teaching her to heal?
:There is something else I must tell you. The gods may have seen more than I intended.
:You let some secrets slip out, then?
:Yes. When I explained how Leiard and I became one person I thought of you, though only as my helper. I tried not to…
:You think the gods will guess who this helper was.
:Yes. I am sorry. You may be in danger.
She said nothing for a long time.
:Not as much danger as you face. They know I still live, but they do not know where I am. They know where you are.
:Only that I am in Si.
:Where are you heading?
:Auraya told me to leave Northern Ithania. I am heading for the coast.
:Auraya may not be willing to kill you, but I wouldn’t rely on the other White having the same scruples if I were you. Huan will enlist the Siyee to search for you and send the White in once you’ve been found. Do you think you could evade the Siyee?
:If I travel at night, perhaps, but it won’t be easy without a light.
:It’s a pity you’re not close to the coast already. You could make a boat and sail out to sea. There will be a limit to how far out a Siyee can fly. Once you have lost their pursuit, you can come to shore again. So long as nobody sees you, the gods will not know where you arrive. But I fear the White will be waiting for you by the time you reach the coast. She paused. Eventually you will have to approach water in order to leave Northern Ithania. Good timing will be essential. Let me think about this. I will reach my destination in a few days. I may learn of a safe place for you to go.
:Your destination, eh? There you go, being all mysterious again.
:You have just revealed my existence to the gods. Do you expect me to tell you where they may find me?
:No. I expected you to flay my mind with telepathic curses.
:If I didn’t think you will probably die—properly—any day now, I would.
:That’s reassuring.
:Is it? It’s not meant to be. Now wake up and get yourself out of Si.
:Yes, oh wise and holy one, he replied mockingly.
She broke the link with deliberate abruptness, startling him out of the dream trance. As he began to stand up a memory of Auraya surrounded by light flashed into his mind. Had she refused to surrender her will to Huan, as he suspected? Would the gods punish her? Or would they kill her now that it was clear she was a Wild?
She could be dead already, he thought. Because of me.
He had to find out. There was only one way. He had considered and rejected it countless times during his trek. If he dream-linked with her, and she was still alive, would she talk to him? Would he put himself in any more danger? Or her?
So long as I don’t tell her where I am, I am safe enough.
Closing his eyes, he sent his mind in search of the woman who had tried to kill him.
:Auraya?
She was slower in responding than Emerahl. The silence deepened his fear that she was dead. Then he heard his name spoken in surprise.
:Mirar?
:Yes.
:Why are you dream-linking with me?
:I am worried about you.
:You’re worried about me? I just tried to kill you!
:I may be a little different to the Leiard you knew, but I do still care for you.
:This is too strange.
:You think this is strange? I’ve woken up after a hundred years to discover I’m not the same person I was. I find I’ve done some stupid things: going to Jarime, working for the White, falling in love with one of the gods’ most powerful servants. What is strangest is I don’t regret any of it. All I regret is that I can’t be with you. I fear what they will do to you for letting me go. Have they punished you?
She was silent for a long moment.
:Not yet.
:Will they?
:I don’t know.
:Don’t wait to find out. Come with me. We will leave Ithania and seek the distant continents.
He felt amusement from her.
:Abandon everything I have, the people I protect and the gods, for you? Abandon the Siyee just when the disease is at its worst?
:No? Oh well. It was worth asking.
:If I choose to disobey the gods, I will face whatever punishment they deem appropriate.
:Even death?
She paused again, but not for as long.
:No. They won’t kill me for this. That would imply that they made a mistake in choosing me. If Circlians learned that I disobeyed the gods they would start to doubt the rest of the White. No, the punishment will be subtle. I fear…I fear they will remove my ability to fly.
Flight. He felt a sudden and unexpected thrill of insight. Her flying Gift! None of the other White have it! If Emerahl is right, and Auraya is a Wild, flight may be her innate Gift!
:If I left with you, however, she continued, the gods would be angry. Even if they didn’t send the other White after me, they might still be able to punish me. Consider the ring I wear. If they can make me immortal through it, perhaps they can kill me through it too. I don’t even know what effect taking it off would have. At the least I would no longer be immortal. I would age and die. Forgive me if I think staying here and accepting whatever punishment they choose is the better option.
:But you are…
With an effort, he made himself stop. He desperately wanted to tell her that she could make herself immortal, that all it took was a different application of his healing method. He wanted to warn her that she was a Wild, and the gods might kill her just for that.
Yet he also realized that she was right: the gods would not risk that her death would shake Circlian belief in the gods’ infallibility. They must have known she was strong enough to be a potential Wild. What did it matter when she was a White?
Once again he felt the excitement of a sudden insight. The gods knew that more Wilds were likely to arise over time. Powerful sorcerers tended to become priests and priestesses. Did this enable them to ensure Wilds never reached their potential? Had they chosen Auraya simply to control her? Were the other White potential Wilds, too?
:I am what? she asked.
His thoughts were racing. The other White hadn’t manifested any unique powers. Only Auraya had. Now she had shown herself to be capable of rebellion. Worse still, she had rebelled in order to protect another Wild. The gods must be torn between the consequences of getting rid of her and the risks of letting her live. And she was aware of none of this.
Which might be the only thing that saved her.
He had two choices: leave her ignorant and gamble that the gods would not harm her so long as she was unaware of her true nature, or try to persuade her to flee with him. She was too distrustful of him and
bound to the gods and the White. She would not believe him if he told her his suspicions—at least not straight away. Even if she did and left with him, he would be taking her away from the life she loved into a life of danger.
:Mirar? she asked. What were you saying?
:That you are a braver person than I, he said. Thank you for sparing my life. I hope I can repay you one day.
:Don’t thank me yet, Mirar, she told him.
:No? Are the other White coming to catch me?
She did not answer.
:All I can promise you is that if you are found your death will be quick. And permanent.
She broke the link. Opening his eyes, he saw that he was surrounded by mist turned white by the faint light of the coming dawn. He shivered, but not from the cold.
Her last words were a warning. She could not help him. The other White were coming. He must get away, and quickly. The mist would hide him from any Siyee that might be searching for him. Standing up, he stretched and started through the trees.
Sunlight glittered off the waves, setting Reivan’s eyes smarting. The night had been long and uncomfortable but the day wasn’t going to be any better, if the growing heat of the sun was any indication.
I’m grumpy, Reivan thought. It’s lack of sleep and being stuck in a small boat for most of a day. That would make anyone grumpy.
Whenever she thought of Imi she forgot discomfort and weariness. The princess hadn’t returned the previous afternoon so they had remained in the boat all night. Imenja sat in the prow, silent and watchful. Now she turned to Reivan.
“What would you advise, Reivan?” Imenja murmured. “Should we go to shore and search for her, or return to the ship?”
Reivan considered. “We promised to take her home. We also agreed to stay out of Si. That doesn’t mean we can’t row in close to shore to look for her. So long as we don’t set foot on dry land they can’t accuse us of invading.”
Imenja chuckled. “No. I doubt the Siyee will see it that way. They will…” She frowned and looked up. “Ah.”
Reivan followed the Voice’s gaze. Farther east, three tiny specks moved in the sky toward the seaward horizon.
“They have seen the ship.”
Reivan looked back. The ship was not visible.
“How?”
“They are higher up than we.”
“Of course.” Reivan shook her head. I am tired, she thought. I should have realized the Siyee would have a better view.
“No matter. They are…” Imenja’s eyes narrowed, then she smiled. “They are hoping to distract us so we don’t notice an Elai girl swimming toward her home.”
“Imi.”
“Yes.”
“Has Imi left us? Did they convince her that we are the enemy, and that she should go on alone?”
Imenja shook her head. “Those Siyee do not know she was with us.”
“Perhaps she told them she was going east so she could swim this way without drawing their attention to us.”
“We can only wait and see. If she does not appear in the next few hours, we will know she has gone on alone.”
They waited in silence. The distant Siyee returned to shore without noticing the small boat.
“I hear her,” Imenja said suddenly.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Reivan searched the water around them. Every splash caught her attention. Suddenly a head appeared above the edge of the boat. The girl grinned, though she was breathing heavily.
“Sorry,” she panted. “I couldn’t…get away…They insisted…I stay…eat…rest.”
“I understand,” Imenja said, smiling. She rose and offered Imi a hand. The girl took it and yelped in surprise as the Voice lifted her out of the water and into the boat.
“You’re strong!” she exclaimed.
“When I need to be,” Imenja agreed. She ordered the rowers to take them back to the ship, then sat down again. “They told you the way to Borra?” she asked Imi.
“Yes.” Imi grimaced. “They don’t like Pentadrians much. They warned me to keep away from you.”
Imenja nodded. “That is the unfortunate consequence of fighting against them in a foolish war,” she said with feeling.
Reivan looked at Imenja, surprised the Voice would express such an opinion in the presence of others. Then she remembered that they were speaking in Elai; the rowers could not understand them.
“I wanted to tell them they were wrong about you,” Imi said. “But I didn’t.”
Imenja patted her hand. “They will find out, in time.”
“I hope so.” Imi yawned widely.
“You’re tired,” Imenja said. “Lie down and sleep. I’ll wake you when we get to the ship.”
Imi nodded and stretched out on a seat. Taking a blanket, Reivan dipped it in the sea and then draped it over the girl to protect her from the sun. She looked up and found Imenja nodding approvingly. They exchanged a look of mutual relief, then fell into a weary silence.
As Mairae entered Juran’s room she mused that the scene that greeted her was becoming a familiar one. Juran was pacing and Dyara was sitting on the edge of her seat, her back straight and her forehead creased with a frown. As Rian followed Mairae to the chairs, Juran stopped pacing, looked at them both, then sighed.
“I have called you here to report on the situation in Si,” he said. “The gods decided that, since she was closest, Auraya should find and execute Mirar.”
Mairae drew in a breath in surprise, which drew Juran’s attention.
“She was closest,” Juran repeated. “None of us could have got there quickly enough.”
Poor Auraya, Mairae thought. Wasn’t it bad enough that her former lover turned out to be an enemy of the gods? “So you’re about to tell us she’s feeling bad about it and we should give her our sympathies?” she asked dryly.
Juran winced. “No.”
Mairae blinked in surprise. “She isn’t? She’s made of stronger stuff than I thought. I suppose if she was angry enough she—”
“She didn’t kill Mirar,” Juran interrupted. “She let him go.”
“Oh.” Mairae looked at Dyara. The woman’s lips had thinned in disapproval. Rian was staring at Juran with what looked like both shock and anger. “Why?”
Juran shook his head. “Mirar opened his mind to her. He convinced her…of many things: that he smothered his own identity and invented Leiard in order to hide from the gods, that he didn’t intend any harm and means to leave Northern Ithania, that he does not deserve execution.” Juran sighed. “I cannot say if any of this is true. It may be that he is able to fill his mind with lies in a way that it appears he is offering up the truth. If he can or cannot is irrelevant. The gods ordered Auraya to kill him. She didn’t.”
The room fell silent. Mairae felt a pang of sympathy for Auraya, yet at the same time she was disappointed. It would not have surprised her to know Auraya had found it difficult and distressing to kill Mirar, but she had not expected to learn that Auraya had refused to do it.
“Wait…” she said. “Was she unable to bring herself to do it, or did she refuse?”
“What difference does that make?” Rian muttered.
“There’s a difference between hesitation and refusal. An experienced fighter may hesitate in battle when confronted with something unexpected—that his enemy is his friend, for example. Whatever Mirar showed her, it made her hesitate. If she’d had time she might have dismissed it. She should be given a second chance.”
“She has been,” Juran said. “She has until this afternoon to consider her actions, then she must complete her task. Mirar can’t have travelled far. Siyee have been sent out to locate him.”
“If she refuses again?” Rian asked.
Juran grimaced. “She will be punished.”
Mairae shook her head. “I still think this is too much to ask of her. She is still new to her role. One of us should go in her stead.”
“She must prove her loyalty to the gods,” Rian stated.
“H
e is right,” Dyara said. “If people knew that she had refused their order—”
“Who is going to tell them?” Mairae asked. “This happened in a distant place,” she glanced at Juran, “hopefully without witnesses. Nobody but us and the gods know about it.”
Dyara’s expression hardened. “If the gods ask this of her, it must be necessary. The gods see into our hearts and minds. They know when our loyalties need testing.”
Mairae stared at Dyara. The older woman could be stern and domineering, but she was not usually this lacking in sympathy. She sounded more like Rian. “How easily would you kill your adviser if the gods ordered it?”
Dyara’s eyes widened in surprise and anger. “Timare is a priest, not a…a filthy Wild.”
“How do you know? You didn’t detect Mirar’s mind behind Leiard’s.”
“I’ve known Timare for forty years. How well do you know your lovers?”
Mairae shrugged. “I don’t. I don’t need to.”
“It seems to me there are a lot more people in this world that you may find yourself reluctant to kill.”
“I use them for sex, Dyara. I’m not in love with any of them.”
“Mairae!” Juran protested. “This is not getting us anywhere.”
She looked up at him then smiled apologetically, knowing she was unlikely to gain Auraya any sympathy by arguing with Dyara. Juran was always more inclined to take Dyara’s side over hers, anyway.
“What are we going to do?” Rian asked.
Juran turned to regard him. “We have to be ready in case Auraya refuses again, or needs our help finding and killing Mirar. You and Dyara will sail south. We know Mirar intends to leave Northern Ithania so he will probably travel to the coast.”
Rian straightened in his seat.
“I will not hesitate. It will be a pleasure to serve the gods.”
Mairae smothered a sigh. I hope you find the resolve to do this, Auraya, she thought. Rian is going to be even more unbearable if he gets to kill someone as famous as the great Mirar.
40
Morning light revealed ominous clouds obscuring the mountains around the Blue Lake village. The air was icy and the vegetation around the bowers was white with frost. Auraya drew magic and dried off a log with a blast of hot air. As she sat down she realized it had only been a handful of days since she had rested here beside Mirar. It seemed a lot longer.
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