The news fit right in with the chaos other pilgrims had reported. People from all over Cormina, in tiny towns and large cities, were grumbling about increased taxes. Angry citizens had publicly humiliated nobles, and in one case, a mob had attacked and nearly killed a duchess. Production of goods, from lantern oil to wine to linen, had slowed due to nobles who didn’t understand the industries they’d been told to lead.
The Golds discussed all of this, trying to determine how they could take advantage of the turmoil. Finally, without any actionable ideas, they ended their meeting.
Tullen didn’t move from his position, sitting with his head bowed. Since his outburst about driving out the soldiers, he’d been quiet, simmering in his own thoughts. Tavi stayed with him, and soon they were the only ones left in the room. She reached out to him again, rubbing her palm along his back.
“Cormina is falling apart,” Tullen murmured.
“It is.” Tavi sighed. “And it leaves me wondering, is our resistance pointless? It sounds like Konner is doing a great job bringing himself down.”
Tullen twisted to face Tavi, forcing her hand off his back. Fury overtook his expression. Tavi swallowed hard; it wasn’t an emotion she was used to seeing on his face.
“Our resistance is not pointless!” Tullen said. “Did you hear the stories, Tavi? Did you hear about the girl those soldiers took? Do you think she made it home alive? Even if we forget about her, let’s not forget Shola and her family, and all the others in the Meadow who died!”
Tears filled Tavi’s eyes, and she tried to blink them away. “I haven’t forgotten them! How dare you say that?”
“If you haven’t forgotten them, then fight for them!” Tullen said. “Better yet, let’s fight for those who haven’t died yet. The longer it takes us to succeed, the more people will die. But if we stop Konner, we’ll prevent deaths. We may never know their names, but we’ll know it was worth it.”
“I never said I wouldn’t fight!” Tavi’s voice was thick with tears, and when Tullen looked at her, the angry lines of his forehead softened. Tavi continued, “What I mean is, we can’t seem to figure out what our next step should be, and while we strategize, Konner seems to be helping us more than we’re helping ourselves.”
“You’re right; he’s losing control. But still, we have to act. I’m so—” Tullen stopped, and a single sob escaped his throat. Tears ran into his beard. When he spoke again, Tavi’s heart broke to hear the grief in his tone. “I’m so scared we’ve already waited too long.”
She grabbed his hand, his tears making hers flow more freely. “And I am so scared we’ll act too quickly. Just like we did before. Everywhere is dangerous now. The Grays—they killed Misty when we were in the forest. We were celebrating my birthday, Tullen! Not fighting them, not plotting against them. We were just celebrating. Now those same people are running the country, and they can hurt us anywhere, anytime. It doesn’t matter what we do. I don’t . . . Tullen, I don’t know how to protect us all.”
Tullen tried to wipe her tears away, but his hand was already wet from wiping his own face. They shared a short laugh at the futility of the gesture. “You don’t have to protect us,” he said.
“Yes. I do. But I don’t think I can.”
Tullen got off his chair and knelt before Tavi, holding his arms out. She leaned into him, resting her chin on his shoulder, embracing his waist. It felt so good, too good. “I want to do this,” she whispered. “But I want to do it right.”
He pulled back but remained kneeling. “Do what?”
“Fight Konner.”
“Oh.” He gave her a small, disappointed smile, then brought his hand up to her face, pushing a strand of her black hair behind her ear. “Tavi,” he breathed.
She waited for him to say more, but his mouth remained closed, his lips still curved into a slight smile.
Those lips. So soft and familiar. She missed them, more than she wanted to admit. She tugged her gaze back up and found his eyes. Uncomfortable with the intensity she discovered there, she allowed herself to look at his lips again.
Uninvited, ridiculous desire flared so hot in her chest, she barely prevented her magic from lighting up her body. She turned her entire head away, taking two deep breaths. When she brought her gaze back to Tullen’s face, she discovered he was looking at her lips. He flicked his eyes back up to hers, then down again, then up once more, his expression full of mischief and desire and hope.
She heard his question as clearly as if he’d asked it aloud. Seconds passed, time seeming to slow. And still the question, hungry and persistent, remained between them.
Tavi answered by standing and leaving the room. The desire she’d tried to squelch was so fierce, she was glad she didn’t fall under its weight. Halfway down the hall, she looked behind her. No one was there. She told herself she was relieved.
Chapter Eighteen
After the coronation, I sensed cautious hope throughout Tinawe. Now, however, the city is overwhelmed by pessimism. Workers are unhappy with regulations that seem to change weekly. The streets and public buildings are dirty. When royal representatives arrive from Savala, they want to gloss over our city’s issues.
Perhaps I should not even send this letter. You are risking your life for our land’s safety, and I do not want to worry you. Yet we have always been honest with one another, and I hesitate to write half-truths, meant only to please you.
- Sharla Stemming to Colonel Kav Stemming, from Year One: Correspondence in the Corminian Kingdom
“Only two new pilgrims have arrived this week,” Sall stated. “One of the monks said more may not arrive until spring.” He looked out the sitting room window, and Tavi followed his gaze. The sun was bright, but it shone on patches of snow. Winter would be there soon.
Tavi’s shoulders deflated. She didn’t know what they’d do when their primary source of information dried up.
“So we’re supposed to sit here for months?” Narre asked. “Talking to the few pilgrims who are lucky enough to get stuck here with us once the weather gets really bad?”
Sall turned to Tullen. “You talked to the new ones, right? What did they say?”
Tullen nodded. “It was a middle-aged couple from a little town north of here. They said the duchess in their area has demanded such high taxes, many parents are going hungry so they can feed their children. They think she’s passing all the new taxes on to the people and refusing to pay any of them herself. She’s been seen with fine clothing and a new carriage.”
“It sounds like it might not take much to nudge the townspeople into rebellion,” Tavi said.
“Just like the other cities and towns pilgrims have come from,” Ash said. “Maybe we could take a trip to go meet with all of them if we didn’t have to fear seeing our faces on posters as soon as we get there.” He threw a wadded-up piece of paper into the blazing fireplace.
“We need to strike directly at Konner, Relin, and Camalyn,” Jenevy said. “We’ve heard enough to know that people all over Cormina are already seeking change. If we can bring down the leaders, the people will take their nation back.” She raised her eyebrows at Ash. “And we won’t have to worry about posters anymore.”
“Why aren’t there more pilgrims from Savala?” Reba asked.
It was a question they’d discussed before. Savala was so close, yet they’d only met two Savalan pilgrims, neither of whom knew much about current politics.
“Because people in the capital city don’t tend to live contemplative lives.”
The answer came from the direction of the doorway. Tavi turned and smiled at Tess, who was twisting her hands in front of her. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said. “Tavi, I wondered if I could meet with you in your room? Tullen, I think you’ll want to come too.”
Tavi looked at Tullen, who shrugged. “Sure,” she said.
A few minutes later, they were settled in Tavi’s room. Tavi sat on her bed; Tullen sat on Narre’s; and Tess stood near the closed door, picking at one of her
fingernails.
“Is everything all right, Tess?” Tavi asked.
“It’s fine.”
“You seem nervous.”
Tess let out a little laugh. “I had an idea, but I’m not sure . . .” She trailed off.
Tavi’s brow furrowed. “You can tell us anything.”
“I know.” Tess stopped picking her nails and let out a short breath. “Have you met Ven?”
Tavi shook her head, but Tullen asked, “Short monk, maybe a little younger than I am? Rarely out and about?”
“You have met him, then,” Tess said.
“Well, I’ve seen him, but I’ve never talked to him,” Tullen said. “In fact, I wondered if maybe he was mute. I heard someone speak to him once, but he didn’t answer.”
Tess smiled. “He’s not mute, just terribly shy. He’s also gifted.”
“What’s his gift?” Tavi asked.
Tess paused, then blurted, “Amplification.”
“That’s a useful gift,” Tullen said. “But I don’t suppose there’s a lot of need for it here. There are only, what, twenty-five of you here? And half of the monks never talk.”
“No, no,” Tess said. “Oh, dear, he’ll never speak to me again if he finds out I’m telling you this. Not that he ever speaks much, as you’ve noticed. Anyway—he doesn’t amplify voices.”
She paused. After several seconds, Tavi said, “Tess, you’re not making any sense. Just tell us what you’re talking about.”
Tess sat next to Tavi on the bed and said, “He amplifies magic.”
Tavi and Tullen exchanged a confused glance.
“Have you ever heard of that gift?” Tess asked.
“I’m not even sure what you mean by it,” Tullen said. “How does it work?”
Tess replied, “I haven’t seen him use it, but other monks say his hands are gifted, and if he touches another Blessed, he strengthens that person’s gifts.”
“If he was riding on my back, and he activated his touch gift, could I run even faster?” Tullen asked.
“I think so.”
Tavi’s eyes widened, and her mouth spread into a slow smile. She turned to Tess. “How well does it work?”
“I don’t know if it can be measured, but I’ve heard someone with a weak gift can suddenly be very strong, and someone with a strong gift . . . well, the word I’ve heard other monks use is ‘unbelievable.’ ”
Tavi smiled. “So let’s say someone with a hearing gift desperately wanted to find out what’s happening in Savala, but they’re too far away to use their gift. If Ven touched that person, could they hear conversations all the way in the city?”
Tullen let out a delighted laugh. “That’s a brilliant idea!”
“That’s the reason I came to you,” Tess said. “I know you’ve been wanting to go to Savala, but it’s not safe for you there. This morning, I saw Ven. The idea entered my mind, and I couldn’t stop thinking of it. But I can’t imagine him ever agreeing to this. Just being in a room with two strangers for longer than a few minutes would be torturous to him.”
“But surely he’s used his gift to help others before,” Tavi said.
Tess looked down. “After his gift awakened, he was pressured to use it so often that he locked himself in his bedroom for months on end. When he was fourteen, his parents agreed to allow him to join the monastery to escape from the pressure of it all.”
“Oh.” Tavi sighed.
But Tullen didn’t appear discouraged. “There’s always a way. Tess, what does Ven enjoy?”
Tess said, “He spends most of his time in a little corner room on the third floor. There are windows on two sides. He watches out them for hours on end, writing down everything he sees. At night, he turns his writing into poetry. I often bring food to him, and when he’s looking out the window or writing, he seems happy.”
“Is he there now?”
“Probably.”
“Then let’s visit him,” Tullen said. “But first, let’s get Reba. I have an idea.”
Tess knocked on Ven’s door.
“Come.” The response was so quiet, Tavi almost missed it.
Tess opened the door and entered. Tavi, Tullen, and Reba followed.
A small monk who didn’t look much older than Tavi sat in a straight-backed wooden chair facing the corner of the room. Two huge windows provided a beautiful view of the mountain and beyond. The young man turned, saw four people in his room, and promptly tumbled out of his chair.
“Oh, Ven!” Tess ran to him, helping him back into his chair. The two of them whispered back and forth for a few minutes, long enough that Tavi wondered if the rest of them should leave. Reba, who didn’t know why she was there, looked ready to bolt.
Finally, Tess stood. “Reba,” she said, “will you activate your gift?”
Reba’s eyes grew wide. “I don’t like to use my magic.”
“Please, Reba,” Tavi said. “I think it might be worth it. Just for a short time.”
“Fine. I’ll try.” Reba closed her eyes and spent a full minute inhaling and exhaling, slowly and deeply. Finally, gray light entered her eyelids and surrounding skin, and when her eyes opened again, they too shone with gray magic. “It hurts,” Reba said.
“I know,” Tess said, her expression exuding more sympathy than Tavi had ever felt toward Reba. “Can you come over here to Ven’s left and look out the window? Ven is going to activate his touch gift. He’ll touch your hand with one finger. Is that all right?”
Confusion joined the pain in Reba’s face, but she replied, “I suppose.”
She walked up to Ven and faced the windows. He activated his gift in an instant, then reached out one glowing finger to touch Reba’s hand.
Immediately, she gasped and pulled away. Ven looked up in a panic and whispered, “So sorry.”
“No, no, it surprised me. Please . . . do it again.” Reba held out her hand, and when Ven touched it, her face softened into a smile. Tears slipped out of her glowing, gray eyes.
“Ven,” Tess said softly, “Do you have your notebook ready?”
Keeping his left hand in contact with Reba, Ven used his right hand to pick up his little notebook from where it had fallen. Tullen found a pencil and handed it to him.
Tess smiled at Reba. “What do you see? Tell us all of it. No detail is too small.”
“It’s astonishing,” Reba said. “I can see for miles and miles. I can see Savala, even individual streets and buildings. And people! There’s a family—”
“Nature, please,” Ven interrupted, his voice still soft.
“Nature?” Reba asked. Seeing Ven’s nod, she said, “I see a park outside Savala. It hasn’t snowed down there yet. There’s a lovely, huge evergreen tree in the corner.” She laughed. “I could count the needles on the tree if I wanted to. But that would take hours. They’re beautiful needles though, such a rich, dark green. I wouldn’t want to touch one of their points; they look sharp.”
Ven was writing so quickly, Tavi wondered that his hand hadn’t already cramped. Reba continued her descriptions, telling of a flock of wooly sheep, a sandy beach where lovely seashells waited to be discovered, and the dolphins she found playing in the ocean east of Savala.
After half an hour, her magic released, and she gave a little moan of disappointment. But she turned to Tavi and Tullen and said, “I think that’s the longest I’ve used my magic at once.”
“Since it turned gray?” Tavi asked.
Reba gave her a sad smile. “Ever.” She turned to Ven, knelt next to him, and took his still-glowing hand in hers. “Thank you,” she said, her voice choked with emotion. “I never thought I would see that far. I hardly even thought of the pain, because what I saw was so beautiful.”
To Tavi’s surprise, Ven didn’t pull his hand away. “Yes,” he said, looking at the words he’d written. “So beautiful.” He turned back to Reba, his young face relaxing into a smile. “When can you come back?”
Tess walked up and stood in front of Ven. “Let’s t
alk about that,” she said.
A week later, Tavi and Tullen climbed the stairs to the third floor, as they’d been doing every day. They waited outside the little corner room until the door opened.
Reba exited, her lovely face beaming. “We saw a pack of wolves playing in the snow.” She turned her head and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Ven.”
Ven gave Reba a wide smile, one he never gave Tavi or Tullen. Tavi raised an eyebrow, looking at Tullen to see if he’d noticed it. His smirk told her he had.
They entered the room and closed the door. Ven was uncomfortable with conversation of any sort, so they both nodded at him before settling into their spots. Tullen sat in a chair by Ven, and Tavi sat on Tullen’s other side. Ven activated his touch gift, and a moment later, Tullen’s ears were glowing. Ven’s index finger found the back of Tullen’s hand, and Tullen closed his eyes. It always took him a few minutes to wade through all the noise in Savala and find the particular voices he was listening for.
After a while, Tullen said, “Ah, there’s our good friend Konner.”
Tavi smiled. “Better you than me.” She’d take her own listening shift an hour later, unless she and Tullen ended up needing to listen to two conversations at the same time. The routine was the same every day: Reba’s shift with Ven, followed by two hours of Tavi and Tullen listening.
“What’s Konner doing?” Tavi asked.
“He’s with Relin and Camalyn in the throne room, as usual. Remina Birge is there; it sounds like she just got back in town.”
Tavi’s face screwed up in disgust. She’d always disliked Birge.
Tullen continued to listen quietly, while Tavi looked out the windows at the beautiful, peaceful winter landscape. The only sound in the room was the scratch of Ven’s pencil as he watched the scenery and wrote his observations. It was peaceful, soothing.
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