Beyond the Boundary Stones (The Chronicles of Tevenar Book 3)

by Holder, Angela

  “He’ll miss our help.” Josiah grinned at Kevessa, inviting her to remember the long hours they’d spent together in the stern of the ship, using the Mother’s golden light to move the wind. Greatly daring, she grinned back, and their eyes connected for a dizzy instant.

  Apparently oblivious, Master Elkan shook his head. “He’ll have to do without. It will be a long time before we finish our work here. Come on, Kevessa.”

  She broke away from Josiah’s gaze and followed him, hoping her flush didn’t show in her cheeks. By the time they reached the head of the table she’d forced her thoughts away from Josiah by wondering what Master Elkan wanted to speak to the Matriarch about. She’d understood it would be at least another week before they’d be able to determine if the initial treatment had been successful and she’d gotten pregnant.

  The Matriarch greeted Master Elkan enthusiastically. Kevessa waited as they exchanged greetings and small talk, content to be the wizard’s unnoticed shadow.

  Almost unnoticed. After a few minutes Kevessa became aware that Lord Renarre’s gaze was fixed on her with unmistakeable hostility.

  She frowned at him, puzzled, and he looked away. Master Elkan said, “Your majesty, I’ve been thinking about your condition. There’s something I’d like to try, with your permission. Can we withdraw to your private chamber for a few minutes?”

  The Matriarch practically leaped to her feet. “I’ll do anything you think might help. Will you require my husband’s presence?”

  “Not this time.” Elkan nodded at Lord Renarre. He blinked when Renarre answered his greeting with a cold stare, then pointedly turned away.

  If the Matriarch noticed her consort’s odd behavior, she ignored it. “Come with me.” She swept away, accompanied by her usual escort of servants and guards. Master Elkan followed, and Kevessa hurried after.

  They settled into a plush sitting room. The Matriarch gazed eagerly at Elkan. “Tell me what you want to try. I thought you said you could do nothing until my courses were due.”

  He rested a hand on Tobi’s head. “In normal circumstances that would be the case, but time is so urgent for you I think an exception is warranted. I was hesitant to suggest it, because what I’m thinking of requires extremely precise control of the Mother’s power, and Tobi and I are so new to each other I wasn’t sure we could coordinate our efforts well enough. But we’ve gained a lot of intense experience in the past few days. It’s strengthened our bond to the point I’m confident we can manage it.”

  “Excellent. Please begin immediately.”

  He held up a cautionary hand. “This will only work if a child has already been conceived. Is that a possibility?”

  The Matriarch glanced at the door, toward the dining hall where they’d left Lord Renarre. An odd expression crossed her face, a mix of tenderness, longing, and baffled anger. “Yes.” She sighed, shook her head, and lowered her voice to a confidential tone. “That first night, everything was perfect. Like it hasn’t been for years.”

  “You settled your argument?” Master Elkan’s voice was politely neutral.

  She shrugged. “Of course he wants to be involved in his child’s life. How could I respect him if he didn’t? I realized he’s hungered for a child all these years, always despairing it would ever happen. I promised I wouldn’t keep her from him, as long as he followed my wishes. He agreed. After that…” A smile played around her lips, and she blinked coquettishly at Master Elkan. “I don’t think it’s any of your business.”

  He didn’t respond to her flirting. “It’s not. As long as—”

  But she’d quit paying attention. Her brows drew together, and a deep crease furrowed the smooth expanse of paint on her forehead. “The next night, though, he turned cold, angry. But he wouldn’t tell me why. He still won’t. He barely speaks to me. Yesterday he said it was time he took his ship out again.” She looked at Master Elkan pleadingly. “What happened?”

  He reached for her hands, and she let him take them. “Would you like to call him in? I can mediate between you.”

  She pulled away. “It wouldn’t help. Just go ahead with what you brought me here for.”

  He hesitated a moment, then collected himself. “As I was saying. If you’ve conceived a child, it’s only a few days old. At this point in its development it floats free in your body, almost too small to see. In the normal course it would reach your womb after about a week and take root there.”

  He drew a deep breath. “The Mother’s power can speed up any natural process. Including growth, as long as enough resources are present for the body to consume. Your child, if it has come into being, is so small it requires only a tiny amount of nutrients. There should be plenty available. We ought to be able to accelerate its growth considerably. I think it might be possible to bring it to the point of implantation with a few hours of careful work.”

  The Matriarch leaned forward, her face avid. “Yes,” she breathed. “Oh, yes. Do so, right now.”

  He glanced at Tobi. “I have to warn you, I’ve never tried this before. It’s within the Mother’s Law, it’s just that usually there’s no need to interfere with the natural process. Everything is at such a small scale that extreme delicacy will be required. If the child’s development goes even a tiny bit wrong, major consequences will follow. If that happens, I’ll have to reverse our work and let things proceed at their normal pace.”

  “I understand. I’m willing to take the risk.” She swallowed. “Unless there’s a chance you might cause what would have been a normal pregnancy to miscarry?”

  “I don’t think so. I should be able to identify any issues soon enough to stop and go back before anything goes irreparably wrong.” His voice went gentle. “If the child’s inborn pattern of being—which has already been fixed—is such that it can’t develop properly and would inevitably miscarry at some point, we won’t be able to fix the problem.”

  She shuddered, but didn’t look away. “Better to find out now and be done with it,” she said, softly, but with steel in her voice.

  “I understand.” Master Elkan pulled his chair close to the Matriarch’s couch and took a firm grip on the nape of Tobi’s neck. The mountain cat sat up attentively and perked her ears at the Matriarch. “Lean back and relax while we work. Kevessa, move in close and follow what I’m doing. You may need to know how to do this someday.”

  Kevessa dragged her chair over and shook Nina awake. The squirrel sleepily sent a wave of golden power from Kevessa’s hand to wash over the Matriarch’s belly, a moment behind Tobi and Master Elkan’s.

  At first all Kevessa perceived were the calm, pleasant sensations of a healthy, normally functioning body. She focused on the ovaries and uterus, and the flexible tubes that connected them. The right ovary had the squishy feeling and ripe fruit taste that indicated its egg had been released a few days before. She’d learned to recognize the signs during the voyage, when Master Elkan had taught her to control her own cycles. But he’d said pregnancy would be indicated by a low hum and a spicy scent, and she didn’t sense either.

  Tobi focused her light on the right tube, and Nina followed. Sensations eased into Kevessa’s awareness. A warm spark glowed against the palm of her hand, a waft of cinnamon and a hint of vanilla teased the back of her throat, a chime like a tiny bell rang in her ears, and a miniature deep red bubble floated in the midst of the golden glow.

  “Ah. Yes,” Master Elkan murmured. “Two, maybe three days old. I wonder what Gevan’s lens would show, if we opened a window?” He was quiet for a few minutes. As he’d taught her, Kevessa paid close attention to each sense in turn. Everything she perceived agreed with his assessment. “All is in order. Normal, healthy, thriving.” Again he fell silent.

  Kevessa understood his hesitation. A healthy body was so beautiful, every aspect exquisitely balanced, myriad intricate systems dancing in perfect time, singing in perfect harmony. No influence, even the holy touch of the Mother’s power, could improve on perfection. And it would be terribly easy to acc
identally throw things off and introduce the dissonant, rancid, aching sensations of illness and injury she’d become so familiar with over the past few days.

  She was glad she wasn’t the one who had to decide whether to proceed. At length Master Elkan sighed. “Hold very still. We’re going to begin.”

  The change was impossibly delicate at first, just the barest quickening of tempo. The golden light intensified, and the warm spark pulsed a little hotter. Time flowed smoothly faster. Kevessa sat back and admired Tobi and Master Elkan’s work. Nina made approving chitters. The beauty of the Mother’s design was enhanced by the addition of her power. The tiny red bubble swelled and floated along its path, sound and scent and taste strengthening in concert. Only once over the course of the next two hours did the elegant progression falter, when a cough broke Master Elkan’s concentration for an instant. But it immediately resumed with no harm done that Kevessa could perceive.

  The red bubble settled into the purple folds that lined the uterus. They enveloped it with a sigh and a musky scent of welcome. The bubble sent out eager crimson roots that sank deep into the honey-flavored depths.

  Gently, gently, accelerated time slowed back to its native rhythm. The golden light of the Mother’s power softened and faded. Kevessa sat back in her chair, breathing hard. Watching had been draining enough. She could only imagine how Master Elkan and Tobi felt.

  They seemed all right, with the contented tiredness of work well done. Master Elkan broke into a broad smile. “All finished. We moved it through about a week of development. The child is firmly implanted in your womb and back to growing at regular speed. Everything looks normal and healthy. We should be able to tell within a few days whether your body is going to have a rejection reaction. If it does, we’ll keep it under control.”

  The Matriarch pressed her hands to her belly, eyes alight with wonder. “I’m pregnant?”

  “You are.” Master Elkan returned her smile.

  Her voice sharpened. “Is it a girl?”

  He patted her hand reassuringly. “We won’t be able to tell for some time. Around nine weeks—ordinary time—at the earliest. Maybe three with continued acceleration.”

  She leaned forward and clasped her hands. “You’ll be able to repeat this? How often? How soon can my heir be born?”

  Master Elkan tilted his head to the side, considering. “As the child grows, it will require more nutrients. You’ll have to eat more even than a normal pregnant woman, and we’ll need to be careful not to push it past what’s available. I’d say a brief session every two or three days should be safe. As much as double the usual pace, or a little more. So four, four and a half months.”

  “That’s… wonderful. Amazing.” Kevessa hadn’t thought it possible for the Matriarch to be struck speechless, but Master Elkan had done it. For a long moment she was silent, staring into space.

  At last she shifted her gaze to Master Elkan’s face. “Anything you desire—ask and it’s yours. If it’s within my power to grant.”

  His fingers dug into the loose folds of Tobi’s skin. “I want a building to outfit as a permanent Mother’s Hall. Near the middle of the city, close to the residential districts. Big, at least as big as the main Temple.”

  She didn’t hesitate. “Done.”

  “I want ten percent of the taxes you collect dedicated to the support of the Mother’s Hall and Ramunna’s wizards. Written into law, so it can never be rescinded, even if a future Matriarch becomes displeased with the wizards.”

  She leaned back, a smile playing across her face. “You drive a hard bargain.”

  He inclined his head, but didn’t avert his gaze. “Well?”

  “I think that might be possible. If my pregnancy continues to go well. I’ll draft the decree now. I’ll sign it and make it permanent the day my daughter is born, healthy and whole.”

  “Agreed.” He took a deep breath. “I want a further three percent of taxes devoted to finding ways to heal without the Mother’s power. I want Professor Gevan placed in charge of its distribution. I want half of this year’s amount paid immediately so he can begin his research right away.”

  The Matriarch laughed. “I seem to remember that when you first arrived you swore you wanted nothing in return for helping me. Of course I knew you were lying. Everyone wants something. But I never guessed just how greedy you would prove.”

  Master Elkan’s face was stony. “It’s not for me.”

  “Of course not.” Her smile was deeply cynical. “I’ll give you a quarter now, so Professor Gevan’s research can begin. Further payments will be released periodically, as long as you continue to please me. Anything else?”

  “Not at the moment.” Master Elkan rose and bowed to the Matriarch. Kevessa leaped to her feet and curtsied. “If you’ll excuse us. It’s been a long and tiring day. The Mother thanks you for the generosity that will make it possible for her servants to better carry out her will.”

  “The Mother is welcome.” The Matriarch dismissed them with a sweeping gesture.

  As Kevessa followed Master Elkan and Tobi out of the room, she glanced back. The Matriarch had both hands pressed hard to her belly. Her head was bowed, her eyes closed, and her lips moved in what could only be a silent prayer.

  Nineteen

  Vigorre assisted Kevessa up the steps of the carriage and climbed in after her. He dropped into the rear facing seat, doing his best to appear comfortably relaxed. She couldn’t be allowed to see the tension that hummed through his every nerve.

  When he’d received her note the night before, he’d immediately sent to Keeper Yoran to see how her request might affect their plans. Yoran had sent a terse note in reply, ordering him to do as she’d asked. He hadn’t explained his reasoning, but Vigorre suspected that having one fewer wizard on the dock as the ships cast off would serve his purpose. His superior had been pleased that Vigorre’s habit of fetching Nirel from her home gave him an unremarkable excuse to be absent. His cover would remain safe without him having to actively oppose his fellow Purifiers.

  Kevessa settled across from him and smiled as the carriage lurched into motion. “It’s so nice to have a few minutes to chat and catch up. We’ve been together every day, but it’s been so busy I don’t think we’ve exchanged ten words.”

  It wasn’t hard to settle into the easy companionability they used to share. “You’re right. I’m glad you figured out a way to fix that.”

  She’d always been one of his favorites among the children of the aristocracy he’d grown up with. She was smarter than most, and she’d always seemed to understand his ambition to become a Keeper like his father, even when others of their circle had mocked him for the intensity of his desire. He’d toyed with the idea of requesting her when it was time for his parents to arrange his betrothal, but that had always seemed a part of the distant future. Now the future he used to imagine was warped beyond recognition.

  Kevessa stroked Nina, who lay in her lap, bright eyes watching Vigorre. “Tell me how your family’s doing. How old are the twins now, five? And I hear you’ve got another little sibling on the way.”

  “In the spring.” She listened with every sign of interest and enjoyment as he described how Nathenarre constantly obsessed about everything concerning her first child, while Father tried not to show the nonchalance that came from having been through it twelve times before. The conversation drifted to news of their mutual friends and acquaintances. There had been several scandals while Kevessa was away, and she was eager to hear all the shocking details.

  But when the carriage left the market, busy with early morning customers, and neared the gates into the Dualist Quarter, she sobered. “Do you mind if we close the windows? And can you ask your coachman to slow down?”

  “All right.” He stuck his head out to instruct the driver, then rolled the covers down over the windows and fastened them, though the high clouds showed no sign of rain. He dropped back into his seat. “What’s going on?”

  “Look.” She put one han
d on Nina and held the other out, palm up. A spark of gold bloomed on her palm and grew into a glowing sphere bigger than Vigorre’s head.

  He swallowed. He’d gotten used to seeing the demons use their power, but it still unnerved him. And he’d had little opportunity to observe the wizards use windows. “What are you looking for?”

  “The assassin who killed Master Dabiel, in Tevenar. I’ve traced him back to this point, but I was too far away to follow him further. Father thinks he was sent by the Purifiers, but I think it was the Dualists. I’m hoping to find evidence that will convince him and the others. Everyone’s been so busy worrying about the Purifiers’ schemes they’ve completely ignored the Dualists, and they hate us just as much. Maybe more.”

  Vigorre swallowed and nodded. Anything that diverted the wizards’ attention from the Purifiers was a good thing. And Keeper Yoran would be interested in anything Vigorre could learn about the Dualist’s activities. The last thing they wanted was for an ill-timed strike by the heretical sect to disrupt their carefully orchestrated plans.

  The sphere cleared to reveal a nondescript man backing through dark streets toward the gates. Kevessa watched intently as he raised a hand to acknowledge the guard and backed through. “I knew it! Now where did he come from?”

  She traced his path backward through the narrow streets. Soon her face screwed into a grimace. “Vigorre, can we go down that way? It’s hard to keep it open when we’re too far away.”

  He was nearly as interested now as she was. He called instructions to the coachman and settled down to study the window with Kevessa.

  The man wove a circuitous path, but eventually he slipped backward through a door, unremarkable in the midst of many identical buildings. Vigorre directed the coachman to halt as Kevessa sent the viewpoint of the window inside. The sphere brightened with the soft yellow glow of lamps. The man backed into a round space shrouded with heavy, brightly colored tapestries and knelt beside a robed figure. Kevessa sucked in a breath, then sent the window zooming rapidly back through time, until it reached the point just before the robed figure came in.