by Anne Bishop
Silence. Then Nadia said, “He’s still blind?”
“The eyedrops we were given to reverse the damage are helping,” Danyal replied. “Some sight has been restored. But there is no way to tell how much of his sight Lee will regain. I’m sorry.”
Nadia blinked away tears and leaned against Jeb when he scooted his chair closer to hers and put an arm around her shoulders.
“Does he want to stay away from us so much that he wouldn’t come home even after he was hurt?” Lynnea asked. “Why didn’t he come home?”
“He wanted to stay away from me,” Belladonna said.
Danyal heard pain in her voice—but the cruelty she struggled to control still flickered in her eyes.
Sebastian and Teaser made a rude noise.
“Blind or not, surrounded by enemies or not, he didn’t stay to avoid you, Glorianna,” Sebastian said. “He stayed for the girl.”
“Sebastian wins the pot,” Teaser said as he broke a Delight in half and scraped the remaining cheese out of the bowl.
“The Shaman was being careful about what he said about…” Sebastian gave Danyal a sharp look. “Zhahar, wasn’t it?”
Wary, Danyal nodded.
“If Lee is still pretending to be mad in order to stay clear of the wizards, a Handler couldn’t afford to be seen romancing with an inmate,” Sebastian continued. “That would raise questions that could get her dismissed from her job—or even put her in danger. But that doesn’t mean Lee isn’t feeling a pull.”
Teaser snorted out a laugh and got another smack in the arm from Nadia.
“A one-shot bridge could get them both to safety,” Michael said. “I’m not making light of the danger to your people, Danyal, but Lee would have known he wasn’t able to fight against them on his own. If he didn’t want to leave the girl, she could have come with him.”
“There was…concern…about Zhahar’s sisters,” Danyal said.
“Ah.” The sound was made by every person around the table.
“Yes,” Yoshani said. “His heart may be somewhat conflicted right now, but Lee understands and respects loyalty to family.”
A thoughtful—and aching—silence filled the room. When Nadia finally broke the moment by reaching for her wineglass, Danyal asked, “Is there a way you can help us?”
“Can people travel anywhere in your city?” Belladonna asked.
Or had Glorianna asked the question?
Thorn trees. Thunderous Light.
Or had both sides of this woman spoken the words? He sensed two distinct heart-cores in her, the same way he’d sensed three in Zhahar.
“In the city of Vision, you can find only what you can see,” he replied.
“So if your heart doesn’t resonate with a part of the city, you’ll do what?” Sebastian asked. “Walk past the street without seeing it? Head out for a particular part of the city and never quite get there?”
“Something like that,” Danyal agreed.
“Not quite as noticeable as it is here, but more apparent than in Michael’s part of the world,” Nadia said. “What about people who don’t belong in your city?”
“There are coaches that travel to cities and towns beyond ours. There are ships that bring passengers as well as cargo. A person could buy passage on one of those to reach another part of the world.”
“Reaching another part of the world doesn’t mean they would reach the right part,” Michael said. “You can travel as far as you can afford to reach and still not find the place your heart needs.”
Caitlin Marie’s breath caught. Lynnea reached across the table to clasp her hand.
An old grief in Michael and his sister that was just beginning to heal. Who had they lost—and how?
“You have no stories about a special place in your city where a person could go to begin the journey to find what his heart desires?” Yoshani asked.
Unsettled by the question, Danyal shifted too quickly and then had to wait for the pain to settle back to a dull ache.
“In this part of Ephemera, a person can’t reach a place that doesn’t resonate with his heart,” Sebastian said. “It sounds like our stationary bridges, which provide limited possible landscapes, act more like the pieces of your city. But the resonating bridges—”
“Are like the Sentinel Stones in Elandar,” Michael said. “They take you to a place that resonates with your heart. Maybe your will can exert some influence on the destination, but when you walk through the Sentinel Stones, it’s a fair certainty that you’re leaving behind everything you know.”
“Lee must have created resonating bridges for the people who disappeared,” Nadia said, looking at Glorianna Belladonna.
Glorianna nodded. “I probably muddled things when I made Ephemera put back the pieces that it had taken from other parts of itself.”
!!!
“Pushy little world,” she muttered.
“Can’t you…” Danyal stopped, not sure what to ask.
“Do what, Shaman?” Her voice was sharp with frustration. “You survived an attack because Ephemera turned a pocket watch into a resonating bridge that brought you here. Maybe it did that because your heart and will were focused on escape, and because of your association with Lee, it brought you to a place he knew. Maybe there was some residual power flowing in the currents from your contact with him. Maybe Ephemera is changing. I don’t know. Here, the Bridges are the ones who connect the pieces of the world, but other parts of Ephemera aren’t broken and have shaped other ways for hearts to find the place they call home. The point is, even Landscapers can reach only the places in Ephemera that resonate with their own hearts. Nadia, Michael, Caitlin, and I don’t know your city, which means none of our landscapes are in your city.” She hesitated, and there was sadness in those green eyes. “Which is one of the reasons why Lee is there. It wasn’t a place we—I—could reach.”
Danyal started to sit back, but Yoshani touched his left shoulder, stopping him before his injured shoulder brushed against the chair.
“Can I get back?” he asked.
Glorianna looked at Nadia before answering. “We don’t know. Ephemera and I can create a pair of Sentinel Stones that will act as a resonating bridge, but whether it will take you back to Vision…”
No way back? He had wanted to see the world beyond the city, but he had never considered that he would find himself unable to return home.
Teaser shifted in his chair and cleared his throat. “I don’t have any suggestions for getting the Shaman home, but we might be able to send a message, let his people know where he is—if Zhahar has a friend named Kobrah.”
Sebastian and Michael snapped to attention. Danyal stared at Teaser. That was where he’d heard the name—when Kobrah had told him about her dream friend.
“The girl you go out walking with?” Sebastian asked.
Teaser nodded. “She’s never said much about where she is. Doesn’t say much about anything, really. But she did mention a friend once or twice. Kobrah and Zhahar aren’t names from around here. That’s why I remembered them.”
“Kobrah is a Helper at the Asylum,” Danyal said. “She mostly works with Zhahar.”
“So we can get a message to Lee,” Sebastian said. “Let him know what happened to Danyal and find out what he knows. Or at least what Kobrah knows.”
“Can’t always reach her,” Teaser said. “It’s usually easier after I’ve prowled the Den for a while, but I’ll go back to my room and give it a try.”
“Is there anything else we can do?” Nadia asked.
Glorianna stared at Danyal. A few years ago, he had faced down a grief-crazed man who had come to the Temple of Sorrow, still holding the bloody knife that had been used to kill the man’s wife. He hadn’t felt this vulnerable.
“Glorianna?” Michael asked softly.
A slow release of breath as she said, “Perhaps the Shaman should sit out in the courtyard, where he can get a feel for the Den.”
“Good idea,” Sebastian said, giving her a
smile that warmed the room by a couple degrees. “The Magician can keep him company, and you can prowl with me.”
Lynnea leaned forward. “While you’re here, Glorianna, I wanted to talk to you about making a little garden in that one corner of the courtyard.”
Sebastian and Teaser groaned.
“Some of the flagstones are all broken and loose back there.”
“It’s behind a statue,” Teaser said. “No one sees it.”
“I do.” Her look dared them to say anything more.
???
“Did you have something in mind?” Glorianna asked, smiling.
Lynnea caught her lower lip between her teeth, then said, “Philo wouldn’t want something that would dig into the walls, but maybe a plant that is sturdy enough to grow upward to cover the space—and will flower?”
“You need a trellis?” Jeb asked. “It would be easy enough to put one together.”
“Oh,” Lynnea said. “A trellis would be wonderful.”
“Ephemera,” Glorianna said at the same time Michael said, “Wild child.”
They sounded like parents who had just stopped a child before it could do some mischief.
Danyal’s eyes widened as the currents of power suddenly swirled around him.
“If you can’t get candy from your parents, try your uncle,” Nadia said, watching him.
“Uncle Voice-guide knows better than to give out candy without permission,” Glorianna said. “Doesn’t he?”
He could have sworn he felt the world sulk for a moment before the currents drifted away.
Remembering how quickly Ephemera had responded to his flippant remark about a ruby, Danyal reached for his water glass and drained it—and said nothing.
“Fine,” Sebastian said, pushing his chair back. “You two rearrange Philo’s Place to your liking. And then, Glorianna, we’ll prowl. Just try to remember it is Philo’s place, and he should have the final say.”
“Of course,” Lynnea said sweetly. Then she turned to Glorianna. “Maybe we could add a couple of pots for autumn-blooming plants to give that spot a bit of color now.”
The four women and Jeb left the table and went outside.
“I’ll try to contact Kobrah and let you know what I can,” Teaser said. Then he left too.
Danyal wanted to sit out in the courtyard, wanted the chance to see something unlike anything he’d seen before, wanted to talk to these men whose understanding of the world was so different from his own. But remembering Teaser’s comments about holy men visiting the Den made him hesitant. “I don’t want to make your people uncomfortable,” he said to Sebastian. “Perhaps I should go back to the room.”
Sebastian studied him and then smiled. “Even a Shaman’s heart has no secrets from Glorianna Belladonna. Not much scandalizes the Den’s residents, so your presence will just add spice.”
“Come,” Yoshani said.
They settled at a table near the street, where they could watch the carnival called the Den of Iniquity. Sebastian, Michael, and Yoshani pointed out the incubi and succubi. Not that they had to point out the succubi. His body did that all on its own, making him glad he was wearing underwear, no matter how brief.
Then there were the bull demons and the demon cycles—machines that looked like engorged bicycles without wheels and had a demon living inside them. The cycles could be persuaded to give you a ride, but were just as willing to have you for dinner.
After a while, Michael pulled a tin whistle out of the inner pocket of his jacket and began to play. The first song was beautiful and haunting, so full of despair and hope it made Danyal’s heart ache. The second song…He knew that tune but couldn’t say why it was so familiar.
Michael finished the song, put his whistle away, and asked Philo for a glass of ale.
“Those songs are beautiful,” Danyal said. “Did you write them?”
“I play what I hear,” Michael replied, murmuring his thanks when Philo brought a pitcher of ale and glasses for all of them. “The first song is Glorianna Belladonna. It helps her to hear both sides of herself while she works to fit the pieces back together.”
Michael didn’t explain what that meant, and Danyal didn’t ask. The story Lee had told him was explanation enough. “And the second song?”
Michael gave him an odd smile. “That’s the music I hear in your heart.”
Chapter 21
“Any sign of the Apothecary?” Lee asked.
“Nothing has changed since you asked me a minute ago,” Zeela replied. “Nothing is going to change a minute from now either. Thought I’d save us both the annoyance of you asking again.”
“No need to get snippy about it.”
“You think this is snippy? I can show you—”
A hummm of sound. Not knowing what was private and what Zhahar would be willing to share with everyone in their party about the Tryad, he didn’t ask about that hummm. He had decided for himself that when the sisters who weren’t in view were close enough to the surface for him to sense their presence, he translated their proximity as voices speaking in unison. When they were submerged to rest or allow a sister some privacy, the voice he heard became singular. This hummm was new—probably them discussing something with each other.
Lee waited. When it became clear that the sisters weren’t going to include him in a conversation, he said, “What did Zhahar say?”
“She said you didn’t have a bowel movement this morning and that’s why you’re cranky,” Zeela snapped.
Kobrah, who was sitting farther back in the wagon, snorted out a laugh but said, “If you have to fart, aim it out the window. No reason I have to smell it in here.”
“It would scare the horse,” Zeela replied in a prim tone that was more suited to Sholeh. “And we wouldn’t want that, would we?”
Lee sighed and wished Zhahar would come into view, but Zeela could handle the horse and wagon, which was why she was on the driving seat while he and Kobrah hid inside. A man wearing dark glasses would be noticed. And a man with limited sight wouldn’t be able to spot danger until it was on top of him.
So he and Kobrah stayed hidden, and Zeela sat outside and waited for the Apothecary to return from the bazaar with some supplies.
“Watching the pot doesn’t make the water boil faster,” Zeela said. “But when you don’t pester the grown-ups, things do happen.”
It was tempting to reach through the window behind the driving seat and slug her in the arm, but he was pretty sure Zeela lived by the “hit back and hit harder” rule of physical discussion, and he would be the one who ended up bruised.
“What’s happened?” he asked.
“Apothecary is coming.” She sounded wary, despite her voice being barely loud enough to be heard. “And it doesn’t look like he found much at the bazaar. Close the window and stay quiet. Tell Kobrah to latch the top half of the door and open the bottom half a handspan so he knows which part to use.”
Lee relayed the instructions to Kobrah, then secured one shutter and closed the other until there was a two-finger strip of light. Holding the shutter in place, he waited.
A minute later, the Apothecary pushed open the bottom half of the door, set the carry sacks inside, and muttered, “Lock this up,” as he pulled the door closed.
Lee heard Kobrah’s quiet movements as she worked all the bolts that secured the two halves of the door to the wagon and to each other.
“Let’s get out of here,” the Apothecary said quietly. “Go up to the end of the street and turn right. Follow that road until I say different.”
“What happ—” Lee began.
“Not now.” The words were quiet but sharp. “Once we have some distance between us and the bazaar, we’ll talk.”
They drove for an hour. No one spoke except when the Apothecary gave Zeela directions. Eventually they reached a travelers’ well—a resting place off the road that provided water and a place for people to stretch their legs.
“No one else here,” the Apothecary said. �
�You two should come out and get some air.”
Lee pulled open one shutter to give Kobrah some light to work the latches on the door. Zeela secured the horse while the Apothecary took the bucket from its place on the outside of the wagon, filled it at the well, and set it down for the horse.
Kobrah hopped out of the wagon. Lee squinted at the rectangle of light, put on his glasses, then felt his way to the door.
“Mind the step,” Zhahar said.
Glad to hear her voice, Lee stepped down and reached for her hand. She stiffened for the moment it took her to remember that the rules governing the conduct of Handlers and inmates no longer applied. Then she relaxed and moved with him to the wide bench set under a tree where the Apothecary and Kobrah waited.
“Two Shamans were killed in the bazaar a few days ago,” the Apothecary said. “The bazaar is closed for a week of mourning. Other people have been hurt; visitors have been robbed and beaten. The bazaar is right next to The Temples, which are the Shamans’ home and the community at the heart of the city. Oh, there might be a cheating merchant running a booth or a pickpocket lifting his wages from visitors’ pockets, but this violence and killing Shamans? Nothing like this has ever happened there. And while Shamans are still walking among the people, no one has seen The Temples since the deaths. We’re talking about acres of land and the temples people went to for guidance and comfort no longer being visible to anyone.”
“How can that be?” Zhahar asked. “The Temples are surrounded by a wall, and Zeela says one side of that wall forms a boundary for the bazaar. People have to be able to see it.”
