After a while Josiah looked up from the plans for the fang-needle. “Hey, Thanna, I guess we should get back to the others. To the Mother’s Hall, I guess we can say now—Thanna?”
She blinked at him woozily. “Wha…?”
“Are you all right?” He scrambled to his feet and rushed to her. Sar!
Thanna looked at him and tried to say something, but her eyes rolled back and she slid bonelessly out of her chair, crumpling to the floor. Josiah crouched over her, frantically grabbing for Sar. Warm fur met his hand and the Mother’s power flowed over Thanna’s still form.
It feels like she hasn’t eaten for days. Instead of sweet, her blood tasted far too salty. A sharp lemony smell joined a grating sound and a pulling sensation. Her whole body was washed with a bluish tint. What’s going on? Did we give her too much?
I fear so.
Can we take the extra insulin out?
I don’t know of any way to do that.
Josiah gulped. More food then. To balance it out. Do you think that would work?
It’s worth a try.
Josiah tore his eyes open, though he kept his hand pressed hard to Sar’s neck. “She needs something to eat. Something soft, easy, quick to digest.” He thought of the honey taste of her blood when it needed insulin. “Something sweet. Candy?”
Gevan jumped to his feet. “One of my colleagues keeps some for when his grandchildren visit. I’ll fetch it.” He hurried from the room.
Josiah closed his eyes again, focusing on the sensations of Thanna’s body. They weren’t good. A thin whine like a hungry child begging for food joined an echoing, hollow feeling. How could it happen that fast? Don’t people turn extra food into fat, and use it up when they don’t have enough to eat? She’s not got that much fat, but it should be plenty for her to go for weeks without eating.
I don’t think her body can convert the fat fast enough to counter the effects of the extra insulin. A properly functioning pancreas must be able to sense just how much to release.
I guess. Josiah opened his eyes to find Nalini watching them with interest. He rubbed his forehead. “We gave her too much,” he explained.
She tilted her head thoughtfully. “I wondered about that when you went for the third dose.”
Josiah clenched his fists and rose to his knees to glare at her. “Why didn’t you say so then?” he demanded.
She settled back in her chair and crossed her arms. “It’s just as well to find out right away what can happen. Now that we know it’s possible to overdose and what the signs are, we can watch for them.”
“But Thanna might die!”
She shrugged. “That would be unfortunate, but she’d have died before now if she hadn’t come to you. Mistakes are inevitable when experimenting with new treatments.”
“I won’t let her die because of my mistake!” He turned his back on Nalini and returned his focus to Thanna.
It didn’t do any good. All he could do was watch as she got worse and worse. Sar kept trying to speed up various parts of her body, mostly the ones associated with digestion, but Josiah feared it wouldn’t work. The Mother’s power couldn’t create what wasn’t there.
At last Gevan burst through the door. He thrust a fistful of paper-wrapped sweets at Josiah. “Here. See what you can do.”
Josiah ripped the paper off one. Good, it was soft, some kind of taffy. He didn’t want Thanna to choke. He pulled off a small piece. “Thanna, wake up. Swallow this.”
She stirred as he pushed it between her lips. Her effort to swallow was weak, but Sar boosted the movement of her throat muscles. Josiah fed her more bits of the candy, all the time watching her body’s reaction and begging the Mother to let this work.
Slowly, it did. The signs of starvation eased and the sensations swung back toward normal. Look, Sar told him. Here, in her liver. Her blood is going back to normal faster than the small amount she’s eaten should account for. I think there’s another substance here that counters the insulin’s effects.
Balance.That was one of the basic principles of how bodies worked. Can you see how to trigger it without food?
I think so.A brief surge of power sped the process fractionally. Yes. If this happens again, I’ll know how to deal with it.
Good. Though it’s good to know it can be fixed without the Mother’s power, too. But we’re going to have to be a lot more cautious until we figure out the right amount of insulin to give.
Mindful not to repeat his first mistake, Josiah quit after the first piece of taffy and waited until Thanna quit getting better, still a good way short of fully recovered, before giving her more. By that time she was fully awake and could chew and swallow on her own.
When her wooziness cleared, he helped her up from the floor and back into the chair. “Rest until you’re sure you feel well enough to walk back down to the Mother’s Hall. I want Elkan and Tobi to check you and make sure you’re really all right.”
She scrubbed at her face. “Is that going to happen every time?”
“No. We got carried away and gave you too much.” Josiah shrugged, his face hot. “Now we know to be more careful.”
“You’d better be.” She shook her head experimentally. “I’m feeling a lot better. Let’s go tell the others.”
Josiah assisted her to her feet. She was a little shaky at first, but it quickly went away. They bid farewell to Gevan and Nalini and headed back to the Mother’s Hall.
Thirty
It wasn’t true. It couldn’t be. They were wrong. Every time Nina sent the Mother’s power through her to work its miraculous healing, Kevessa was more certain. Vigorre and Nirel were either mistaken or lying.
But whenever her familiar was asleep, or apart from her for whatever reason, the doubts crept back. Surely her friends wouldn’t lie to her. And Nirel’s story had been so vivid. Kevessa strained her imagination, creating all sorts of bizarre scenarios to explain how Nirel might have misinterpreted some perfectly innocuous event, but none of them seemed even slightly plausible.
She should tell Master Elkan everything. But she’d promised Nirel not to go to him until they’d discussed it again. And then Nirel had vanished. Supposedly her father had insisted she accompany him on a trading voyage with Ozor, but Kevessa had her suspicions about that. More likely she’d jumped aboard in order to escape Kevessa and the consequences that would follow if the other wizards learned about her lies.
Vigorre was avoiding her, too. It had been a whole week and they’d exchanged only a few brief words, quickly hushed when one of the other wizards approached.
Borlen’s addition to the Guild was wonderful, of course, but in the short term it meant more work for her. Today Master Elkan had spent most of his time instructing Borlen and Shadow in the basics of wizardry. With Josiah off at Gevan’s workshop all morning, that had left the bulk of the healing to Kevessa. She’d been too busy or drained to think all day.
Now, though, she was determined to put an end to her uncertainty, one way or another. She couldn’t observe the event in question, which had taken place far out of range across the ocean, but she could investigate the parts of Nirel’s story that had happened in Ramunna. And she could confront Vigorre with what she found.
The first part was simple. Mama had invited her and Father to spend Restday at home again. This time Kevessa had flatly refused to leave Nina behind, and Mama had reluctantly agreed to let her come along.
She bid farewell to the other wizards at the door of the new Mother’s Hall. Elkan, Josiah, Borlen, and their familiars walked toward the palace together. Vigorre climbed into one of his family’s carriages and it drove off. Father held out his hand to assist her up the steps of Papa’s most elegant carriage.
Once they were out of sight of the Hall, Kevessa leaned toward Gevan. “Tell the driver to make a detour. I want to go by Lady Yovella’s house. We might need to stop on the street outside for a while.”
Gevan frowned at her. “Why?”
“That’s where Nirel said she
first told Vigorre what happened to her. I want to see if she was telling the truth.”
He nodded grimly. Father was even more skeptical of Nirel’s account than Kevessa was. He’d kept his promise not to go to Master Elkan with what she’d told him, but she didn’t know how much longer he’d be willing to let her handle things.
Gevan shouted the change in orders to the driver, who complied without comment. Most of the route through the city was the same, but they continued two streets past the turn to Mama and Papa’s house before rounding the corner onto the curving road that led to the mansion where the ball had been held.
As soon as they were close enough, Kevessa stroked Nina, who snuggled in her lap. Would you open a window on that house up there, please? To three months ago. While we were still in Tevenar.
What are we looking for?
Kevessa swallowed at Nina’s tone of innocent curiosity. One way or another, her familiar was going to find out about Nirel’s accusation tonight. Nirel and Vigorre told me something last week when I went home for Restday. I need to see if they were telling the truth or lying to me.
Nina stretched her body upward, one paw on Kevessa’s arm, and peered at her face. Lying to you? About what? Her nose twitched. Is this what’s been bothering you all week?
She should have known she couldn’t keep her agitation completely secret from her familiar. Yes. She sighed. There was no way she could explain. You’ll see.
Nina made a rude sound, but pressed her paws into Kevessa’s hand and popped open a window over the other. It zipped through days and nights until it paused on an evening when carriages crowded the street and richly dressed guests waited to pass through the doors.
That’s it. Kevessa felt a little wistful that she’d missed such a grand event. She loved music and dancing and visiting with her friends. She doubted she’d get a chance to any time in the near future. But she wouldn’t have passed up her trip to Tevenar for a hundred balls. Look for Vigorre or Nirel.
They spotted Nirel first, as her father escorted her in. They skimmed over the time until Vigorre appeared with his father and stepmother, then slowed down when he swept Nirel into a waltz. Kevessa listened carefully to everything they said to each other. Her breath quickened when the conversation turned to religious politics, but the dance ended before anything significant was said.
Gevan sat back and frowned at the window. “I didn’t realize Vigorre had Purifier sympathies.”
“You have to admit he had a point.” Kevessa concentrated on watching as Nina sped further through that long-ago night. She winced as Kabos angrily accosted Nirel and urged Nina to hurry past that part. She had no desire to listen to her friend berated. There wouldn’t be anything important, anyway, until Nirel and Vigorre met again. There! Slow down.
Vigorre and Nirel walked together through the dark garden and settled on a bench. Kevessa’s face got hot. She didn’t want to intrude on her friends’ privacy—what they did together was none of her business. But fortunately, for a long time they only talked. Vigorre told Nirel about his family. His voice intensified as he expressed his conviction that the Mother would never give her power to some of her children, but not all. Kevessa gulped and held her breath as he begged Nirel to confirm his suspicions, and she protested in a way that revealed she was hiding something.
Nina stiffened as Nirel launched into her tale, just as she’d told it to Kevessa a week ago. The squirrel’s dark eyes didn’t waver from the golden sphere. As Nirel described the familiars’ demonic actions, Nina began to tremble.
When Vigorre leaned down to kiss Nirel, Kevessa pulled her hand away from Nina and the window vanished. She clenched her fists. Her voice sounded rusty in her ears. “That matches what she told me.”
Nina pressed herself hard into Kevessa’s stomach. Why would she say such horrible things about us? I like Nirel, she’s a good helper. Master Elkan thinks the Mother might offer her a familiar. She doesn’t act like she’s afraid of us.
Gevan reached for Kevessa’s hand. “I can see why it troubled you so much. She sounded very sincere.”
Nina reared up to stare Kevessa in the face. You can’t believe her? You know I’m not a demon!
I know. Kevessa swallowed miserably and looked away. At least, I think I know. Nirel said that familiars can erase memories. That maybe you’d erased mine.
Nina backed down her lap, her back arching, her tail bushing out. You do believe her!
I don’t!
You promised you’d never betray me! Nina shivered all over. When Kevessa reached for her, she jerked away and fell sprawling onto the seat, her claws scrabbling for purchase. All week you’ve been thinking I was a demon! You didn’t tell the other wizards what Nirel said. You think I would break the Mother’s Law by changing your memory. You think I would hurt people! Nina’s mouth opened and her scream tore into Kevessa’s ears and heart. I don’t want to have to break our bond. Please, please, don’t make me—
“No!” Kevessa threw herself to her knees on the carriage floor and tried to meet Nina’s eyes, but the squirrel squeezed them shut. “I don’t think any of those things! I don’t care what Nirel said! She must have been lying. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. And I showed you, didn’t I? I swear I never meant to hurt you. Please don’t break our bond. I’m still willing to humble myself and serve the Mother. I’ll always be willing.”
Nina’s eyes opened a crack. Her sides heaved with her frantic breaths. The reproach in her mental voice broke Kevessa’s heart. How could you doubt me?
I don’t know. Nirel is my friend, and Vigorre, too. I thought I could trust them. Kevessa swallowed. I guess I can’t.
Nina’s panting slowed, and she dragged herself to her feet. We need to find out why they lied to you.
Kevessa gulped and nodded. I don’t think Vigorre was lying. He believes what Nirel told him.
Yes. Nina crept forward. Kevessa pressed her cheek into the squirrel’s soft fur and encircled her with her arms. I didn’t do those things and forget. I would never eat a person, or even bite them. I would die first. I can’t go against the Mother’s will. Nothing could make me.
I know. I know. Kevessa stroked Nina and crooned over her until her distress lessened. We’ll find out why Nirel lied to him and to me.
Nina drew back and put a paw on Kevessa’s cheek. We can trace her.
Yes. She must have talked to someone about it. Kevessa devoutly hoped that was true. What if Nirel, for some unfathomable reason of her own, had made up the lie in her mind, without ever discussing it with anyone? They’d never be able to discover the truth.
There was only one way to find out. She seated herself on the bench, gathered Nina into her lap, and addressed Gevan, who was staring at the two of them in baffled, horrified fascination. “Father, we have to follow Nirel until we find out why she lied. It might take a while. I know Mama will worry. But we have to do this right now.”
He gave a sharp nod. “I agree. I expect we’ll find that the Purifiers put her up to it. But since the Mother lets us see the whole truth, we’re fools to rely on guesses and suppositions. I’ll take care of making our excuses to Alitta.”
Kevessa smiled at him gratefully and put out her hand. Nina snuggled into the crook of her elbow and opened a window.
Nirel and Kabos had walked to the ball from their home in the village. Gevan kept calling instructions to the driver to keep them in range. They had to stop at the gate to the Dualist Quarter, but the guard recognized Gevan and let them in. On the far side the guard let them out again, and they rolled down the bumpy road until they neared the village.
They traced Nirel through the day of the ball and the day before, seeing nothing suspicious. But as they skimmed over hours of Nirel sleeping the previous night, they reached the moment she’d climbed into bed far more quickly than Kevessa expected, when the time in the window was still well after midnight. She and Gevan exchanged glances, then she silently bid Nina continue. They watched as Nirel exchanged a few words with Kabos,
inaudible in the reverse progression of time, and backed through the door.
Nirel trudged backwards through the starlit night. The driver was too well trained to complain when Gevan ordered him to turn around and drive back to the city, but Kevessa was sure he must think they’d gone mad. It worried Kevessa to see her friend out alone so late, but apparently she’d escaped harm.
Inside the gate of the Dualist Quarter, Nirel veered onto a side street. Kevessa had Nina douse the window while Gevan spoke again with the guard. It was harder to convince him to let them back into the city than it had been to get out, but eventually he allowed them to pass.
With a sense of sick inevitability, Kevessa watched Nirel wind through the streets to the same hidden shrine where she’d traced Tharan. Of course. Nirel was in league with Davon, too. That’s what all her quibbling over fine points of the law had been about. She’d been concealing her own guilt.
It didn’t take much searching to locate the moment they sought. Nina let time within the window run forward.
Nirel knelt beside Davon, facing the white scroll hanging between two lamps. “What do you want me to do, Elder?”
“You accepted the invitation to the ball as I instructed you?”
“Yes, Elder.”
“A young man will be there, the son of First Keeper Emirre. I want you to seek him out, gain his trust, and confide to him something that happened to you in Tevenar. A terrible secret that you’ve shared with no one else.”
Nirel’s brow furrowed for a moment. Then she smoothed it and bowed her head. “What secret, Elder?”
Davon smiled. “One I’ve carefully designed to serve our purpose, once it reaches the right ears. I’ve considered everything you told me about your experiences in your homeland, and I’ve crafted a tale that blends with actual events. As we go over what you must say, please feel free to offer suggestions to help it more accurately reflect Tevenaran culture. The more authentic details we can include, the more believable it will be.”
Beyond the Boundary Stones (The Chronicles of Tevenar Book 3) Page 39
