Facing the Sun

by Carol Beth Anderson

  “He was,” Sella said. “I’m positively shocked at his lack of focus, aren’t you?”

  Ash laughed. Sella’s disdain was justified. Six weeks earlier, Aldin had received a gray awakening and joined their group, and Ash often wondered if allowing that had been wise. The young man was only seventeen, but he had been on his own since fifteen, living on the streets and in cheap boarding houses, finding jobs where he could. He was young, and he acted even younger.

  Every time Ash wanted to kick himself for bringing the immature young prankster into their midst, he thought about Aldin’s gift. Ash had never heard of anyone who could walk up walls and across ceilings as if on flat ground. Aldin had a lot to learn about how to best use his magic, having only experienced a few months of training at a midwife house. His control was weak and unpredictable. But Ash and Konner wanted that level of raw talent in their group.

  “Where is the guard now?” Ash asked.

  Sella’s eyes shifted downward, toward the lobby, and she did not answer.

  “Sella?”

  “I don’t know. I’m looking.” Then her gray-lit eyes widened, and her words came quickly. “The guard is climbing the stairs. He’s nearly to the third floor. He must be checking the offices early.”

  Ash cursed. “Is Aldin almost done?”

  “He’s still roaming around the office. Stupid kid! He’s kneeling in front of the desk chair. I don’t know what he’s doing. Wait, he’s standing up—no, now he’s lying on the couch.”

  Ash stared at the building, wishing it would give him its interior secrets as it did for Sella.

  “The guard has unlocked the first office door,” Sella said. “Aldin is in the last office—the fifth one. The guard is moving on to the second office now.”

  “What’s Aldin doing?”

  “He’s still lying down. He’s wiggling around on the couch, like he’s trying to get comfortable. His magic isn’t even active anymore.”

  Ash turned to her. “We need to decide how we’re going to get out of here without being seen. If Aldin’s caught, safety officers will swarm this place.”

  “The guard just finished with the third office.” There was silence for half a minute. Sella whispered, “The guard’s at the last door. Key in the lock—Aldin heard it; he’s running to the window. But it’ll take too long—oh, sweet Sava’s knuckles, the guard used the wrong key. Aldin is on the windowsill; he must be activating his magic—the guard is trying again—”

  “He did it!” Ash said, louder than he’d intended.

  Aldin had indeed done it; he was sprinting down the side of the building. Ash shook his head; he’d never get used to seeing Aldin sideways like that, gravity bent to his will. The young wall-walker made it to the ground and didn’t stop running until he’d reached the other side of the road.

  Sella’s gaze could have frozen a hot coal. “Someday your luck will run out, you twit.”

  Aldin gave her a rakish grin. “Grabbed this on the way out,” he said, tossing her the item they’d come for.

  Ash shook his head. He felt as if his heart would beat out of his chest; how could his young accomplice be smiling after all that?

  The next morning, Ash walked into Konner’s study. Konner wasn’t there, but three of the seats were occupied. “Good morning,” Ash said. “How did yesterday go, Camalyn?”

  Camalyn Hunt, the newest member of the group, held up a hat. It was gorgeous, constructed of vibrant blue wool with peacock feathers. Ash looked at it appreciatively, ever the artist. “Tell me about the hat.”

  “It was priced at forty chips.” Eyebrows around the room rose; at that price, the hat must have come from one of the finest shops. Camalyn’s pink lips held a proud smile as she continued, “I had a delightful chat with the milliner, and he agreed to pay me twenty chips, three quads to take it.”

  Ash laughed and asked, “He paid you twenty and three to take it?”

  Camalyn’s grin widened. “I explained to him how much his business will improve when all the women of Savala see me wearing it, and I tell them where they can purchase their own.”

  Ash shook his head in disbelief. “That was very good.”

  Camalyn’s father, a businessman, had taken out multiple loans at Konner’s bank. The man had recently defaulted on all of them due to his own poor decisions. He had begged Konner for yet another loan, explaining that his gifted daughter Camalyn could not bear to live at a lower standard than she was accustomed to. His arguments had not swayed Konner, who knew when to cut his bank’s losses. However, Konner had arranged a meeting with Camalyn, and his promises of influence and affluence had easily convinced her to become a Gray.

  Camalyn was speech-blessed, and since experiencing her gray awakening, she had delighted in using her persuasive powers to manipulate willing shopkeepers. It didn’t hurt that she was exceptionally pretty, and she knew it. She had become accustomed to getting her own way before her magic had even awakened. Now that her gift no longer resisted being used for questionable purposes, she was enraptured with her own success.

  “Any issues with being detected?” Ash asked Camalyn.

  She looked unsure. “I don’t think so. The cosmetics make the glow around my mouth less noticeable. I keep my lips close together when I speak. I’ve also taken your advice, holding up a fan.” Camalyn demonstrated, looking beguilingly over the top of her fan at Ash. With those eyes looking at them, the shopkeepers probably didn’t even care if the gray glow was evident.

  “Excellent,” Ash said. “Sella and Aldin were busy yesterday too. Would the two of you like to show Camalyn what you retrieved last night?”

  Sella handed a small canvas bag to Aldin. With a flourish, he pulled out a desktop name plate reading, “KONNER BURRELL, PRESIDENT.”

  Camalyn’s mouth dropped open, and it widened into an incredulous smile. “You broke into his office?”

  Aldin nodded proudly while Sella raised an eyebrow in annoyance. “He was nearly caught,” she said. “He treated the office as his own personal lounge. We had agreed he would get in, take the name plate, and get out, but he was in there for a good five minutes. He barely made it out the window while the incompetent night guard was trying to unlock the office door.”

  “Well, I had to leave him some of these.” Aldin pulled a jar out of his pocket. On the front was a handwritten label reading, “TWILLBERRY PRESERVES.”

  Ash was confused. “You left jam in his office?”

  Aldin’s young face was filled with satisfaction as he announced, “I spread some on his chair!”

  The other residents of the room widened their eyes. Sella said, “If you don’t warn Konner before he sits in those, I’m pretty sure he’ll kill you.”

  “It’s too late!” Aldin said, laughing. “I’m sure he’s already left for work.”

  “You’re an idiot,” Sella stated.

  Aldin shrugged, and he still looked remarkably proud of himself.

  Ash pointed to the name plate. “You’ll probably want to make sure Konner doesn’t see that.”

  “What’s the point?” It was Sella speaking, her arms crossed. She was staring at Ash.

  “Of what?” he asked.

  “Of all this,” Sella said. “Now, before you say we’re practicing our gifts in ways that won’t garner us a lot of attention, stop. I know all that. I’ve been here for six months now; we’ve added two new people; and you and Konner still haven’t told me why we’re here. I’ve stopped working. I’m living in this huge house. I’m given anything I need, and I know it’s not from the kindness of Konner Burrell’s heart. Tell us why.”

  Ash cleared his throat. “Well—”

  He was interrupted by Camalyn. “I agree. When Konner brought me in, he told me we’d change the world together. Don’t get me wrong; I’m loving all this, but a peacock feather hat doesn’t change the world.”

  Ash looked at Aldin, waiting for him to join the cry for information. The young man looked uncertain, then asked, “Were there any scones
left after breakfast?”

  Sella and Camalyn groaned, and Ash shook his head, which was becoming his standard reaction to Aldin. When Ash looked up, the two women were still watching him expectantly.

  This was a predicament. Even Ash knew few details of Konner’s plans. But this wasn’t the first time Sella and Camalyn had pushed him to tell them more. He was concerned that if they weren’t soon satisfied, they would leave the group, taking their gray magic with them.

  Ash opened his mouth. “Well—” he began.

  At that moment, the door to the library opened. Konner Burrell stepped in, and Ash bit back a laugh when he saw Aldin shoving the nameplate underneath his seated form, then squirming. The brass edges couldn’t be comfortable to sit on.

  Konner joined Ash, standing in front of their seated compatriots. “Have a seat, Ash,” he said. Ash complied, and the banker leaned back, half-sitting on the edge of his desk. He gazed at each of the four people in front of him. His mouth held a small smile. After several seconds, Konner spoke. “I have spent the past weeks and months watching you. You are all skillful. More importantly, you are all trustworthy. I stayed home this morning, because it is time to tell you what we’re working toward.”

  Ash looked at Camalyn and Sella, who appeared just as surprised as he felt. Could Konner have heard them through the door? No, the door was thick, and they hadn’t been speaking that loudly. Was the man that skilled of a strategist, that he had somehow predicted the exact time when his fledgling team would have reached a breaking point, the time when he could come in and be the hero, giving everyone what they wanted?

  Konner continued, his voice solemn and thoughtful. “Every day, I look at the world around me,” he intoned, “and I am grieved.”

  He spoke to the four of them the same way he had spoken to Ash a year earlier. Konner shared his disgust with the weakness and complacency of their culture. He harkened back to the time of the ancient epics when strong individuals and nations had ruled the world.

  Ash felt the same internal stirring he had experienced during that first conversation, and he knew the others in the room felt it too. He could see it in their posture, leaning toward Konner, and in their eyes, locked on the banker’s face.

  The foundation established, Konner said, “I’m sure you’ve been wondering what’s next. What can we do to change this?” Ash nodded, along with the others.

  “The Cormina Council must be stopped,” Konner said. “They have outlived their usefulness. They have become an agent of stagnation instead of progress. Their lifespan is limited. They will be replaced by something stronger.” He paused. “We will be led by a powerful, determined, inspirational monarch.”

  Ash drew in a breath. A monarchy—like the kingdoms of old.

  As if he had read Ash’s mind, Konner continued, “It will be like the ancient days, the days when men and women of will and desire formed the world into what they wanted it to be!

  “But it will also be modern, unlike anything history ever saw or dreamt, for in this room is something new and unstoppable—gray magic. Together, we will be a relentless force, leading society into a position of strength again. We are the Grays. And we will introduce a monarchy that will reshape our world.”

  The room was silent; Ash knew the others were contemplating the dream of ruling a nation, just as he was. Finally, Sella spoke up. But her voice did not hold its customary cynicism. She simply asked Konner, “Will you be the king?”

  Konner gave a small laugh. “No,” he said. Then his face was again sober, deliberate. “Ash will.”

  Ash couldn’t get enough air. Magic filled his hands, fiery pain he tried to tamp down. He hadn’t accidentally activated his gift in a long time, but this news was too much to take. He forced the gray storm to leave his hands and struggled to breathe deeply. Everyone in the room was watching him, and he felt he should say something, but he could not. He was relieved when Konner spoke instead.

  “People want to be led by someone they can look up to,” Konner said. “But they also want to feel they can relate to their ruler. Ash has the distinction of being the first recipient of gray magic. In time, that will be known publicly, and the people of Cormina will be unable to imagine a greater honor than to be ruled by such a man.

  “But Ash also has a charm about him that will captivate people. Men will imagine sitting in a pub with him, and women will imagine lying in bed with him.

  “If we are to be effective in changing the world, we must ensure the world wants to be changed. I am confident that most people of Cormina will willingly trade our incompetent council for King Ash . . . though we must come up with a better name than that for him.” Konner smiled, and the others laughed—all except Ash. He was still trying to regulate the thoughts tumbling through his head. King?

  Aldin spoke up. “When will this happen?”

  “Be patient,” Konner said, still smiling. “This will take time—years. We will take many intermediate steps in the meantime. To begin, Camalyn, how do you feel about becoming a member of the Cormina Council?”

  Camalyn responded with widening eyes, and those perfect lips parted in surprise. In a few moments, she sputtered in response, “I don’t know anything about politics.”

  “Don’t worry about that,” Konner said. “I will guide you.”

  “All right,” Camalyn said uncertainly.

  Konner narrowed his eyes. “I do have one more question for you.”

  Camalyn’s voice was quiet. “Yes?”

  Konner’s smile, usually dignified and controlled, turned mischievous. “How do you feel about becoming a religious zealot?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Occasionally an expectant mother will ask you whether there are ways she can encourage her baby to be born facing the sun. She may repeat ridiculous advice she has heard—to stand on her head; to place fragrant flowers in front of her pelvis (which is meant to encourage the child to turn in that direction); or, most frighteningly, to physically rotate the child from the outside.

  It is our job to dissuade all such efforts. Adolescence is difficult for nearly all children; it becomes doubly so when a child must deal with a burgeoning magical gift. Sava should be the only one who determines which children are born facing the sun.

  -From Midwifery: A Manual for Practical and Karian Midwives by Ellea Kariana

  Tavi walked along the road toward school, her sister Ista on one side and her brother Seph on the other, just as she had done countless other days. On this morning, however, everything seemed peculiar.

  Her head was unfocused and her whole body exhausted. When Tavi’s friends had brought her home after her awakening, she had gone straight to bed, leaving them to explain everything to her siblings and parents. She had slept through dinner, and then all night, and when she had woken the middle of the next morning, she had still been tired. Tullen had already gone home when Tavi had emerged from her room. She had spent the weekend doing little but sitting outside with Sall and Narre, but Tavi still felt spent.

  This morning also felt different because Tavi was flat-out nervous to go to school. These were the same classmates she had known for years, yet she did not want to see them. She tried to convince herself that perhaps no one knew of her awakening, but surely that wasn’t the case. Oren was small. Word traveled quickly, and the entire town had been waiting for the all-blessed girl’s gifts to awaken. Tavi dreaded all the questions, and if everyone stared instead of questioning her, that might be even worse. She feared her classmates would want a demonstration, and she had no idea how to give them one, had she even wanted to.

  Seph’s voice intruded into her thoughts. “So you get to take half the day off school from now on.”

  “I’ll still be learning, just at the midwife house instead of at school,” Tavi said. It didn’t matter; this was a variation on the same conversation they’d had all weekend. Seph was convinced that Tavi would live a life of ease now that her magical training was beginning. He would graduate in half a year; Tavi
did not know why he was so fixated on her schedule change when his schooling would be over soon enough.

  “I hope you have a great time at your training,” Ista said. Tavi gave her an appreciative smile.

  Despite her anxiety about school, Tavi was looking forward to seeing Narre and Sall. These daily walks to school often reminded Tavi of how different she was from the rest of her family, and she wanted to be around friends who had experience with magic.

  The rest of the walk was silent until they entered the schoolyard. Seph and Ista both rushed to their friends. Tavi didn’t see Narre or Sall yet, and she thought it would be best to avoid socializing in the yard. She walked toward the front doors, eyes straight ahead. Perhaps school would start without incident.

  Tavi arrived at her classroom and sat at her desk. She rearranged her books and supplies though they were already organized. When she finished, she looked at the clock on the wall and saw that ten minutes remained before the start of class. Sitting quietly, Tavi became aware of rustles and whispers behind her. She took a deep breath, tried to ignore it, and failed. She risked a short glance over her shoulder.

  The classroom doorway was filled with students of all ages, jostling to see in the room. Tavi turned toward the front of the class again, her face burning with embarrassment. Why had she worn her hair back today? Her ears were hot, and now everyone could see the evidence of her humiliation.

  “Excuse me!” An insistent female voice broke through the murmurs, and Tavi released a breath. Thank Sava, Narre was here. “Don’t you all have somewhere to be?” Narre asked. “You too! Get to class!”

  Narre sat next to Tavi. “Everything’s fine, the gawkers are gone,” she said.

  Tavi turned to her cousin. “Thank you.”

  The relief was short-lived; other students arrived, and each one who passed Tavi’s desk looked at her. Tavi swore she could feel the eyes of those behind her too. As the morning continued, it didn’t get much better. Tavi continually caught people staring at her—even her teacher. Lunch couldn’t come soon enough.