Priestess of the White aotft-1

by Trudi Canavan

  “People of Borra,” she said slowly, picking the words in their language from their minds. “Do not abase yourself before me. I am not the goddess Huan, but one of her servants.”

  Heads rose. The Elai exchanged glances, then slowly got to their feet. She could see them clearly now. They were only slightly shorter than landwalkers and completely hairless. Their skin was a smooth, glossy blue-black, similar to the skin of the seaner she had seen swimming next to the ships on her return from Somrey. Their chests were broad and their hands and feet large and flat with membranes between the fingers and toes. As they stared at her, she noticed that their eyes were rimmed with pink. When they blinked she saw that this pinkness was another membrane, which slid over their eyes like a second set of lids.

  All eyes were fixed on her. She skimmed their thoughts. Several had quickly concluded that, if she was no goddess, and clearly not Siyee, then she was a landwalker and not to be trusted. These Elai regarded her with unconcealed suspicion and a hint of simmering hatred. The rest were still confused, their thoughts sluggish. These were the lowest of the Elai society, she guessed. The slow or the unfortunate. They did this menial work because they could do little else. She looked at their leader. He was no smarter, but his bullying temperament had earned him this higher position.

  As she met his eyes, the man squared his shoulders. “Who are you?” he demanded.

  “I am Auraya of the White,” she replied. “One of the Gods’ Chosen. I have come on behalf of the gods to meet the leader of all Elai - King Ais.”

  The leader narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

  “To...”

  It was hard to find the right words when these Elai workers’ thoughts were full of words they associated with landwalkers - killing, raping, stealing. The words for peace, negotiation or alliance did not pass through their minds so she changed tack. The leader did not expect her to explain herself.

  “That is for the king’s ears only,” she said.

  The leader nodded.

  “Will you send one of your people to the king for me?” she asked.

  He scowled. “Why?”

  “I would not enter your city without permission,” she replied.

  He paused, then looked around at his workers. He pointed to the man who had first seen her - the watcher. The man’s shoulders were slumped and his skin looked dull. She read thoughts of discomfort and realized he was dehydrated from spending too much time out of the water. As he received his orders he cheered at the thought of a decent swim.

  “Go tell Ree,” the leader said. “He’ll send someone to the palace.”

  As the man splashed into the water the leader looked at Auraya. “It will take time. The palace doesn’t take much notice of harvesters. We have work to do now. You wait here, if you want.”

  She nodded. He said no more, but raised his voice and hounded the workers back to their tasks. Auraya watched them for a while, but when she caught several resentful thoughts about her staring she moved farther away and took care to appear as if her attention was elsewhere.

  The sun climbed to its zenith, then began to descend. The Elai did not pause for rest, though they stopped now and then to wet their skin. From their minds she learned more about Elai customs.

  Their city was crowded, and most Elai lived in tiny rooms. Living in such close quarters made them respectful of each other’s space. Strong taboos about touching or meeting another’s eyes existed, and were based on a strict social hierarchy.

  They couldn’t have been more different to the Siyee.

  Despite these divisions of class and power, there was a strong sense of duty toward all other Elai. These men and women willingly emerged from the city to harvest the seaweed, be bullied by men like their leader, and risk being attacked by raiders, in order to help feed their people. She read concern from many of them for a worker who was ill and to whom they had brought food.

  Even the wealthy and powerful contributed to the city’s safety. If the king knew his people were starving, he would distribute food to them. Four times a year he held a feast to which all Elai were invited. He even took his place in the roster for manning the lookout above the city, climbing the long staircase in order to help watch for raiders.

  Staircase? Above the city? Auraya smiled. So there is another way into the city other than the underwater one.

  It was an interesting piece of information, but not one she intended to use. To do so would be to ensure she never gained the Elai’s trust. Reading the workers’ minds had shown her the terrible impact the raiders had made on the sea people’s lives. It was no surprise to see how deeply they loathed landwalkers. Being a representative of the gods might get her an audience with the king, but it would not ensure anything more. She was going to have to prove herself trustworthy.

  She sighed. And I don’t have time for that.

  “Landwalker woman.”

  She started at the gruff voice and turned to see that the leader was approaching. Standing up, she walked forward to meet him.

  “The king sent a reply to your message,” he said hesitantly. She realized with dismay that he was gathering his courage. He expected her to be angry and feared how she would express it. “He said: The King of Elai does not want to talk to the landwalker claiming to speak for the gods. Landwalkers are not welcome here - not even to stay on the smallest island. Go home. ”

  She nodded slowly. There was no sign of deceit in his mind. The message might have changed a little with repetition, but not the general meaning in it. The man regarded her warily, then hurried away.

  :Juran?

  :Auraya? Juran replied immediately.

  :The King of the Elai refused my request to meet with him. I don’t think he believes that I am what I say I am. She repeated the message. That is not all. These people’s hatred for landwalkers is strong. I think we will have to prove ourselves trustworthy. I wish that we could do something about these raiders...

  :That would remove a potent incentive to ally with us.

  :I don’t think a promise of dealing with the raiders some time in the future will impress them at all. Unlike the Siyee, help will have to come before, not after an alliance.

  :You can’t be sure of that until you meet the king. Be persistent. Come back tomorrow and every following day. You can, at least, impress him with your determination.

  She smiled. I will.

  Looking down at the workers, she saw that they were now tying huge bundles of seaweed on their backs. Some were wading into the water and swimming away. She caught snatches of thought that told her they were leaving early and that some suspected this was because her presence frightened their leader.

  She sighed in frustration. How was she ever going to win over the Elai, when just her presence on the beach had an adverse effect on these people?

  Huan did say this would be a challenge, she reminded herself.

  Smiling wryly, she gathered magic and lifted herself into the sky.

  29

  As the dark folds of sleep slipped away, Emerahl became aware of voices.

  “Jade. Wake up.”

  “That’s probably not her real name.”

  “I don’t know her real name. Do you?”

  “No, she wouldn’t tell me.”

  “You asked?”

  “Didn’t you?”

  “No. It’s not polite.”

  “I used to know a girl named Jade.”

  “It’s a nice name. Not like Brand. Who’d call their daughter Brand? I hate my name.”

  Who are these women? Emerahl felt her mind rise toward full consciousness and memory return. They’re just my room companions. She frowned. They’re awake before me? That’s unusual...

  “Who’d call their daughter Tide? Or Moonlight?” Tide asked.

  Brand giggled. “My little brother used to have a pet moohook called Moonlight.”

  Tide chuckled. “Moonlight. Diamond. Innocence. Names best suited to whores or pets. Only an idiot would curse their child with
them. Jade isn’t too bad, I suppose. Look, she’s awake at last.”

  Emerahl found herself looking at the two attractive young women. She yawned and sat up.

  “What are you two doing up this early?”

  Brand smiled ruefully. “Rozea’s called a meeting. You’d better get dressed. Quickly, too.”

  Emerahl swung her legs out from under the blankets and stretched. The other two girls were wearing older tunics rather than their best. Emerahl chose the worn, plain tunic Leaf had given her to wear outside of working hours or during lessons and quickly changed into it.

  As she dressed she saw and heard other girls passing in the corridor. Brand and Tide waited quietly but she could sense excitement and expectation from their minds.

  “What’s this meeting all about, then?” she asked as she quickly combed her hair.

  “Don’t know,” Brand replied.

  “Probably something to do with the war.”

  “Hurry up and we’ll find out sooner,” Brand urged.

  Emerahl smiled and moved to join them at the doorway. They stepped out into the corridor, Brand in the lead. Emerahl took note of the turns they made, and after climbing the third staircase guessed that their meeting place was on the top floor of the brothel.

  A few steps later she followed her companions through a pair of large open doors into an enormous room. Windows lined opposite walls. A wide screen painted with scenes of lovemaking stood on a raised floor at the end of the room. The main floorspace was filled with girls.

  Emerahl looked around, surprised to see so many. Some she had only met briefly since arriving at the brothel, others had introduced themselves and welcomed her warmly. There were girls here she had never seen before. As she scanned the faces she saw a distinctly masculine one, and realized that there were young men in the room as well as women. She hadn’t seen male whores here before, either.

  “This is the dancing room,” Tide murmured. “Rozea has two or three big parties in here each year. Sometimes the king attends. Last year he—”

  Her words were lost behind the clang of a bell. Faces turned toward the raised floor. Rozea had appeared. The madam waited until the room was quiet, then handed a large gold bell to Leaf.

  “It is good to see you all in one place again,” she said, smiling. “So many lovely faces in one room.” Her gaze flickered around the room, then her expression became sterner.

  “You will have all heard by now that Toren’s army will be leaving in a week to join the fight against the Pentadrian invaders. Many of our customers will be going to war to risk their lives for our sakes.” She paused, then smiled. “And we will be going with them.”

  Emerahl felt her stomach sink. The last thing she needed to do was tag along after the very priests who wanted to find her. She would have to leave the brothel.

  “Well, not all of us,” Rozea corrected. “Some of you will stay here. I’ll leave the choice up to you. We will travel as comfortably as we can. I have already arranged for tarns and tents to be made. Our customers will still be of the same quality and they expect a certain degree of luxury for their money.”

  She smiled. “For some of you this will be a rare opportunity to travel outside Porin. You will also witness a great event. It is not every day you have the chance to see the White in battle. You may even, if you are lucky, meet one of them.”

  Emerahl resisted a smile. Rozea was making tagging after an army sound like a wonderful adventure. There would be a lot of work, in rough and dangerous conditions. Surely none of these girls - and boys - were fooled by this pretty speech.

  Her senses told her that the room was buzzing with excitement. Emerahl sighed. These young women and men know nothing of war, she reminded herself. There hasn’t been one in over a hundred years, from what I’ve heard.

  One pair of eyes was not shining with excitement, however. Moonlight was standing to one side, her expression aloof. Emerahl sensed mild envy from the woman. Rozea’s voice became businesslike again.

  “Those of you who wish to go, come to the front of the room. Those who want to stay behind, move to the back. Go on now. There is no shame in either. I need people to come and people to stay.”

  Brand strode forward confidently. After a moment’s hesitation, Tide followed. Emerahl stayed where she was, near the back. As the room began to settle, Rozea scanned the faces of those closest to her. She frowned, then looked up at the back of the room. Seeing Emerahl, her lips thinned in disappointment. Emerahl felt her stomach knot. She tried to think of a reason Rozea might want her to come on this trip, but she could find none.

  The woman’s attention returned to the small crowd before her.

  “Thank you. Stay here and Leaf will write down your names. You may all have a day free to visit family before you go, if you wish to. Once again, thank you.”

  She stepped down from the raised floor and strode toward a pair of doors. As she reached them, she paused and looked at Emerahl.

  “Jade. Come with me. I want to speak to you.”

  Emerahl smothered a sigh and followed Rozea into a large room furnished with an enormous bed fit for a king. In fact, she thought, it probably is for the king. The woman closed the doors quietly, then turned to face her.

  “Why don’t you want to come with us, Emerahl?”

  Emerahl signed and looked away. “I only just got here. I feel comfortable and safe for the first time in... well, a long while.”

  Rozea smiled. “I see. What if I told you I have plans for you? What if I said that by the time you returned to Porin you would be the richest, most sought-after lady of pleasure in all of Toren?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Rozea’s smile widened. She took Emerahl’s arm and gently drew her to the bed. They sat down. “Moonlight is pregnant. I can’t take her with me, and I’ll need a new favorite soon anyway. The comments customers have made about you have proved me right. You’re good at your work. You have a quality about you that intrigues men. I want you to be the new favorite. Since you must be seen to earn the position, you will leave with the girls and take on your new role when we—”

  “I don’t want to be the new favorite,” Emerahl interrupted.

  Rozea’s eyebrows rose. “Why not? You will have fewer customers, and then only the best of them. You will earn ten times as much as you do now.”

  “But Panilo—”

  “If you have a special place for him in your heart, then you may still see him.”

  “I don’t want to leave Porin.”

  Rozea straightened and crossed her arms. “I’ll give you a few days to think about it. I have to warn you, Jade. The comfort and safety you have here must be earned. I expect you to come with me, favorite or not.” She inclined her head at the door. “Go.”

  Emerahl bowed her head and walked out of the room. The knot in her stomach had grown into a hard lump of anxiety. She looked around at all the whores talking excitedly and sighed. I thought I’d found a place to lie low and hide. Instead I’m to become the city’s favorite mistress. So much for the anonymity of prostitution! She considered the options she had. She could leave the brothel now and remain in Porin, alone, unprotected, with limited money in a city half-empty. If Rozea pays me. Emerahl chewed her lip. Or I could leave the city with Rozea and the girls.

  Rozea would probably follow behind the army, after the supply carts. The priests would travel at the front of the column, leading the army. Their attention would be elsewhere. But the priest searching for her might guess she’d take the opportunity to leave. He might stay behind to watch for her. This is so frustrating. I don’t even know if the priest is still watching the gates. She did not like taking even tiny risks. One small mistake could mean her death. She had lived a long time, and the longer she had lived, the more fond of living she had become.

  Either that, or I’ve just become a bigger coward.

  Then I must get over it. Sometimes risks have to be taken, or one ends up trapped and miserable. So which risk is wors
e?

  Leaving the city with the whores might be a smaller risk than leaving by herself. If she was one girl among many the priests might not look closely. Then again, she might stand out as the only one whose mind was unreadable.

  Unless, of course, they think there’s a good reason for my lack of thoughts. A good reason, like being dead... or unconscious.

  She felt a shiver of cold run over her skin. Playing dead was not something she wanted to do again if she could avoid it. Reaching an unconscious state, however... There were many ways to do it, and not all of them were unpleasant.

  “What’s wrong, Jade?”

  Emerahl turned to find Brand approaching. “Rozea ordered me to go.”

  Brand snorted. “So much for giving us a choice. Are you going to visit your family before you go?”

  “No, are you?”

  The girl shrugged. “Probably. I don’t like them much, but I may as well take the chance to leave the brothel for a day.”

  Emerahl frowned. She doubted Rozea would allow her to go out. How was she to get the substances that would make her fall unconscious?

  Then the obvious solution came to her. She lowered her voice. “Could you do me a favor, Brand?”

  The girl smiled. “Depends what it is.”

  “I’ll probably need a little something to help me relax on this journey. Could you do some shopping for me while you’re out?”

  Brand’s eyebrows rose, then she grinned. “Sure.”

  The warm updraft from the ravine bore the young Green Lake tribesman upward. He tilted his wings and landed lightly on the cliff top. His face was flushed with embarrassment and anger.

  “It’s not easy, is it?” Tryss asked the man, smiling wryly. “Think of what it was like when you first learned to use a bow. This is even harder. Both you and your target are moving. If you had the dedication to learn the bow, then you have what it takes to learn this.”

  The man’s expression softened a little. Tryss turned to the next young warrior, a sullen-looking man, and frowned.