Voice of the Gods

by Trudi Canavan

  When the others laughed, Imenja only smiled. If the ambassador had noticed that she and Nekaun had not exchanged a word, he didn’t show it. Imenja did occasionally join in conversations, but Reivan knew her mistress was participating only enough to show she was listening. She was the image of a polite guest, when she ought to be behaving like a host. Or matriarch. Or at least like someone who had a say in matters.

  Nekaun laughed at the conclusion of the story and Reivan felt a shiver run down her spine at the sound of his voice. She resolutely forced her mind from considering why. Taking her glass, she drained the last of her water.

  It’s late, she thought. And it doesn’t look like we’ll be turning in soon. Sometimes these dinners feel like they’ll never end.

  Abruptly, Nekaun stood. “It is late,” he said, “and our guest has travelled far. He must be tired, and I know we,” he looked at Imenja and then the other Voices, “have much to do tomorrow. Let us retire for the night.”

  Is that relief on Imenja’s face? Reivan wondered. She moved her chair back and stood, then waited her turn to bid the ambassador good night. When the young man had left, Reivan followed Imenja out of the room.

  “Is there anything you need from me tonight?” she asked.

  Imenja looked at Reivan and smiled, and this time it was a warm, genuine smile.

  “No. There’s one small matter I have to attend to, but I shouldn’t need you for that. Go to bed, Reivan. You look tired.”

  Reivan made the sign of the star. “Good night.”

  “Good night.”

  Reivan turned back and walked to her rooms. Warm nights had made her sleep restless. Though she was eager to get to bed, she doubted she would rest any easier tonight.

  Her doubts proved well founded. As soon as she lay down on her bed she knew sleep wasn’t going to come soon or easily. Sighing, she let her mind run over the work of the day and list the tasks for tomorrow.

  Then a voice called her name.

  It was a male voice. A little louder than a whisper, and coming from the direction of the balcony. She knew at once who it was.

  I should ignore it, she thought. If I do he’ll go away.

  But she didn’t want him to go away. And besides, he was the First Voice. You didn’t ignore the leader of the Pentadrians and the gods’ highest servant.

  Standing up, she moved to the balcony and looked down. A figure stood in the shadows, barely visible.

  Nekaun.

  “Good evening, Reivan.”

  “First Voice.”

  “There is no need for formality now.”

  “Isn’t there?”

  “No. There is nobody here but the two of us. I’d prefer for you to call me Nekaun in private. Will you, for me?”

  “If you wish.”

  “I do.”

  “Then I will, Nekaun.”

  He tilted his head to one side. “You are so beautiful, Reivan.”

  Her heart did something she knew to be physically impossible. She found she had pressed a hand over it unconsciously.

  “Do you find me attractive, Reivan?”

  What a ridiculous question, she thought. Anyone that good-looking knows that everyone finds them attractive, whether they can read minds or not. And he can read minds.

  So why did he want her to say it?

  “Sometimes, from the right person, hearing them say such a thing is…” He sighed. “…more real. Somehow it means more.”

  She felt her heart twist. “I do, Nekaun. I find you attractive. Too attractive.”

  His eyebrows rose. “Why ‘too’?”

  “It is…it is awkward. I am Imenja’s Companion.”

  “So you are. That does not mean we cannot be…friends.”

  “No. But it is still awkward.”

  “Let it be. There is nothing wrong with us being together. As friends. Or even something more.”

  Something more. She found she could not speak.

  “Reivan?”

  “Yes?” Her voice was thin and breathless.

  “Would you welcome me in, if I came to your door?”

  She took several deep breaths.

  “I would not turn you away.”

  He moved away. Her breath caught in her throat, and her heart was racing. What am I doing? I just invited him in. There was nothing subtle about what he just said. I’m no fool. I know it’s not just my room he wants me to invite him into.

  Footsteps were fading away. She backed into her room and stopped. He’s coming to the door. Now.

  This is a bad idea. What about Imenja? She won’t be happy about this. I know it. She cast about, then hurried out of the bedroom. The main door of her suite was a few strides away. She stared at it, heart hammering.

  I have to turn him away. I’ll…I’ll tell him I changed my mind. Surely he’ll understand. I can’t do this.

  He’ll know I’m lying.

  The knock made her jump even though she was expecting it. Swallowing hard, she made herself walk to the door. She took hold of the handle, drew in a deep breath, and pulled.

  He moved into the room like a gust of warm air. The smell of him enveloped her senses. He moved close and warm hands pressed against the sides of her jaw. She stared at his face, unable to believe this intense expression of desire was directed at her.

  “I…” she began.

  A frown of concern creased his forehead. “What is it?” he asked gently.

  “I…haven’t done this before,” she said weakly.

  He smiled. “Then it’s about time you did,” he said. “I can think of no better teacher than the former Head Servant of the Temple of Hrun.”

  With those words echoing in her head, she could not gather her thoughts enough to protest any more. She did manage to laugh when he picked her up, just like in the silly romantic tales some women liked to read, and carried her into the bedroom.

  I’m going to regret this, she thought as he shrugged off his robes and she hesitantly slipped off her nightdress. Then a little while later, as his lips and tongue descended to her nipples and his fingers trailed down over her belly, she began to change her mind.

  No, I’m not going to regret this at all. Not one bit.

  10

  Emerahl watched Auraya’s face as they stepped out from behind the waterfall into the sunlight. The former White’s frown disappeared and she stopped to take a deep, appreciative breath of fresh air. Catching Emerahl watching her, she smiled.

  “It’s good to be outside again,” she said. She stepped up onto a boulder and stretched. “I feel like I haven’t flown for months.”

  “You enjoy it, then?”

  Auraya grinned. “Yes. It’s so…unrestrained. I feel unbound. Free.”

  As the younger woman jumped back down again, Emerahl chuckled. “That’s how sailing feels. Just me and a boat, and nothing to worry about but the weather.”

  “Ah. Yes. The weather. It’s best to avoid flying in storms. There’s not just the cold and rain, but the risk you’ll be struck by lightning or fly into a mountain hidden in the clouds.”

  “Sounds just as dangerous as sailing in a storm,” Emerahl noted wryly.

  Auraya looked thoughtful, and nodded. “How shall we start these flying lessons, then?”

  “I have no idea. You’re the one teaching, this time.”

  “So I am.” Auraya looked around, then started toward a flat, clear area a little downstream. “And I have no idea how to teach this. The other White couldn’t do it, but I don’t know if that was because they were incapable or I’m a bad teacher.”

  “I’d suggest you teach it by putting your pupil in the same situation you were in, except Mirar told me you discovered the Gift after falling off a cliff.”

  Auraya looked back at Emerahl, her face serious. “We could do that.”

  Emerahl gave her a level look. “Let’s consider it a method of last resort.”

  “It wouldn’t be as dangerous as it sounds,” Auraya continued. “We’d need higher cliffs
than those around us, though. You need time in the fall for the initial shock to pass, then to figure it out, then to apply magic to—”

  “Actually, let’s consider it out of the question.”

  “I’d catch you if it didn’t work. You’d be quite safe.”

  Emerahl decided not to respond to that. She wasn’t sure she trusted Auraya that much. “How did you go about trying to teach the White? Did they throw themselves off the Tower?”

  “No, they tried to lift themselves off the ground.” Auraya stopped as they reached the flat area.

  “Then that’s what I’ll do.” Emerahl turned to face her. “Tell me what to do.”

  “Can you sense the magic around you?”

  “Of course.” Emerahl let her senses touch the energy all around them.

  “Can you sense the world around you? It’s a similar feeling.”

  “The world?”

  “Yes. I find it easier when I’m moving. Then my position is changing in relation to it. That’s why falling was so useful. The world was rushing past me, or I past it, so I noticed the change in my position.”

  Emerahl took a few steps while searching for a sense of her surroundings other than what she could see and hear. She paced around Auraya in a circle.

  “I don’t sense anything.”

  “It’s similar to sensing the magic around you.”

  Circling Auraya again, Emerahl felt nothing like what Auraya had described. She shook her head.

  Auraya frowned and looked around them. “Perhaps you’re not moving far or fast enough. If you jump off a boulder you’d move faster. The fall is short, so you’ll have to be concentrating.”

  “I’ll give it a try.”

  They moved toward the stream. Choosing a boulder as high as her shoulder, Emerahl clambered up. From the top it seemed higher than it had from the ground.

  Auraya stepped back, giving Emerahl plenty of room.

  “Concentrate,” she said.

  Taking a deep breath, Emerahl made herself jump down to the ground. She landed off balance and staggered forward. Auraya caught her shoulders and steadied her.

  “Sense anything?”

  Emerahl shook her head. “Too busy thinking about how hard the ground was going to be.”

  “Try again. Maybe if you do it often enough, you’ll forget about the ground.”

  Forget to be scared, you mean, Emerahl thought wryly. She climbed up and forced herself to jump again. Before Auraya could ask anything, she turned and climbed the boulder once more.

  After twenty jumps, Emerahl could land with practiced grace. She could even manage to remember to concentrate on “the world around her” as she fell. But she still sensed nothing.

  “What happens next?” she asked, more for the opportunity to rest than any confidence in her readiness to move on.

  Auraya’s eyes brightened. “You change your position in relation to the world. Using magic.”

  Emerahl stared at Auraya, knowing her face expressed utter incomprehension but not caring. The woman’s expression changed to disappointment.

  “The cliff might be the only way. It might just take rapid motion for a certain length of time in order for the mind to com—”

  “I’ll keep trying,” Emerahl told her.

  A while later Emerahl stopped. Her knees and ankles were hurting. Her body told her that hours had passed, but the world she was failing to sense somehow kept up the illusion of it still being early morning.

  “This isn’t working,” she muttered to herself. “There’s got to be another way.”

  “Maybe if we found a steep slope, we could carve out a gully for you to slide down,” Auraya suggested. “That would be almost like a fall.”

  A fall? Emerahl felt her skin tingle with sudden excitement as an idea came to her. Turning, she regarded the waterfall. The pool was deep beneath the cascade. As a child she had loved to dive into the ocean…

  “It’ll be cold,” Auraya warned, guessing Emerahl’s intentions.

  “If I can stand the ocean in winter, I can put up with this chilly puddle,” Emerahl told her.

  She retrieved a rope from the cave. The climb up to the top of the fall was not easy. Moisture had encouraged moss to form in cracks, which made handholds slippery. At the top, Emerahl secured the rope to a tree, then tied loops along the length for hand- and footholds.

  Moving to the edge of the stream, she stepped out into the water. The flow pulled at her legs, trying to tug her off balance. At the edge of the fall the force of the water was insistent, working hard to convince her there was no way to go but over the edge.

  This first time I’ll just concentrate on getting the dive right—and not knocking myself senseless on the bottom of the pool.

  She closed her eyes and sent her mind back to a time when she was younger—much younger—and the imagined monsters living in the dark corners of her home had been more frightening than throwing herself off a cliff into the churning ocean.

  Opening her eyes, she bent her knees, let herself fall forward, and sprang out into the spray-filled air.

  The pool rushed up and slapped her with shocking cold. As the chill water surrounded her she instinctively curved her body forward and upward to shorten her dive. Her knees knocked against the pool floor.

  Then she was swimming up to the surface. Sodden sandals dragged at her feet as she waded out. She drew magic and directed it to heat the air about her.

  Auraya was sitting on top of a boulder nearby. She smiled and raised an eyebrow.

  “Didn’t even try,” Emerahl told her. “Wanted to get the dive right first.”

  Auraya looked at the rope hanging down the cliff. She opened her mouth, then closed it again and shrugged.

  Feeling warmer and not a little exhilarated by her dive, Emerahl kicked off her sandals and started toward her makeshift ladder.

  If I have to jump off cliffs to learn this, she thought, I may as well have some fun at the same time.

  Danjin opened the door and hesitated. The hair and clothes of the two Dreamweavers glistened with droplets of rain, and water was beginning to puddle around their boots. Raeli followed his gaze and smiled faintly.

  A warm breeze touched Danjin’s skin. The Dreamweavers’ clothes began to steam. In a moment both were dry.

  “We are here at Ellareen the White’s request,” Raeli said. “This is Dreamweaver Kyn, Dreamweaver Fareeh’s replacement.”

  “Welcome,” he said. “Ellareen of the White is waiting for you.”

  Danjin ushered the Dreamweavers in. Ella was standing beside the table, a few steps from what she had affectionately dubbed her “spying chair.” For a moment he saw her as these Dreamweavers must: a young Circlian healer they had once known and worked with, transformed by undecorated white robes, elegantly arranged hair and the gods’ favor into an imposing, powerful woman.

  “Dreamweaver Adviser to the White, Raeli,” Danjin said by way of introduction. “And Dreamweaver Kyn. This is Ellareen of the White.”

  Ella smiled at the pair. “Thank you for coming here. I apologize for the humble surroundings. Be seated, if you wish.”

  As the pair settled into the chairs, Ella sat down on her seat beside the window. The room contained no other seats so Danjin remained standing.

  The Dreamweavers looked calm and relaxed. He hadn’t seen Raeli much since Auraya’s resignation, not even in passing at the Tower. The male Dreamweaver with her was middle-aged, thin-faced and wore a short beard. He reminded Danjin a little of Leiard.

  “What can we help you with, Ellareen of the White?” Raeli asked.

  Ella smiled. “I was hoping I might be able to help you. A few weeks ago I was given the task of finding a way to end the violence against Dreamweavers and the hospice.” If this news pleased the pair, Danjin noted, they showed no sign of it. “At the advice of my adviser, Danjin Spear, I have been examining the reasons people might wish you and the hospice harm. That is why I have been using this room.” She glanced at the windo
w. “To watch the thoughts of those passing the hospice.”

  The eyebrows of the two Dreamweavers rose.

  “Did you discover anything of use?” Raeli asked.

  “I did. I don’t need to point out to you that some people of this city have an irrational dislike of Dreamweavers.” Ella’s expression was serious now. “That has been so for a long time and doesn’t explain the recent attacks. I suspected that something happened a few months ago that changed people’s opinion.” She paused, looking from one Dreamweaver to the other. “I believe the cause was the news that Mirar is alive.”

  Raeli’s gaze sharpened. “A rumor,” she said. “That is all.”

  Ella nodded. “A rumor some believe enough to start killing Dreamweavers.”

  “You want us to deny the rumor?” Kyn asked. “They won’t believe us.”

  “No,” Ella agreed. “Some people will never believe anything but what they want to. Most, however, are simply followers, as easily led astray into lawlessness as back to lawfulness. We must find the leaders, but also woo back their followers. To do so…” Ella paused and glanced at the window. She frowned and turned her attention back to the Dreamweavers. “To do that, we must assuage their fears. What they fear, I have learned, is what will happen if Mirar begins to influence the Dreamweavers again. They fear he will make Dreamweavers dangerous.”

  Raeli pursed her lips as she considered Ella’s words. She looked at Kyn, who was frowning.

  “You want us to assure people otherwise?” he asked. “They won’t believe that either.”

  Danjin expected Ella to deny that, but she did not speak. He looked at her and found she was staring out the window again. When she turned back she wore a distracted expression. It quickly disappeared.

  “No,” she said, meeting Kyn’s eyes. “I want you to declare that you won’t have anything to do with Mirar. That the Dreamweavers have got along without him for a hundred years and will continue to do so.” She turned to Raeli, who had opened her mouth to protest. “Have you found that missing Dreamweaver student yet?”