Elenna turned her attention to Beau. “Why do you feel that way?”
Beau did not deign to answer her question. I pondered what he’d said. Would I fall deeper into his spell if I gave my body to him? The du-toath women believed that they drew power from the coupling of man and woman. Could it be that my power would increase? This was not the first time I had thought such dangerous thoughts, but now it was harder to escape because come nightfall, I would join Johai in his tent. His bedroll smelled liked him, and I felt every inch between us, and it was never enough. Often enough he went out at night. He seemed to sleep little and eat less, but the promise was there.
Camp was set that night, and I lingered at Elenna’s campfire as long as I dared. My eyes were growing heavy, and my head sagged. Johai would not come for me. However, I knew he expected me to return to him at night. I roused myself enough to trudge back to his tent. I waved off Beau’s offer to escort me. I was safe within the Stone Clan camp. Aland’s people were kind to me, though they kept their distance. I often found children fleeing when I came near. More often the people would smile before scurrying away. I am isolated in a crowd, I thought to myself.
When I approached Johai’s tent, it was lit from within. I saw his form silhouetted against the tent canvas. I paused outside his door, thinking of my conversation with Elenna. I am strong. I will not let his spell capture me. I pushed back the flap and entered the tent. He was seated at the table he used. Maps were strewn about, held down by smooth river rocks. His hair was tied back in a tail at the base of his neck. A few white tendrils had escaped and brushed against his brow. His fingers were ink stained and there was a smudge of ink on his cheek. He looks just like him; he even works like him. He must have heard me enter because he looked up.
“You’ve returned to me.” His lips turned up at the corners. It was a mockery; whether he suspected me false or thought me under his spell, he had to know I would not be able to stay away.
I did not reply and lay down upon the sleeping mat, my back to him. I was curious about the maps upon his desk but did not want to appear so, in case it awakened his suspicions. The paper shuffled and snapped as he rolled his maps and set aside his tomes. His footsteps fell lightly upon the carpet that acted as floor in the tent. He kneeled down beside my bedroll, and I flinched involuntarily.
“You continue to fear me. I promised you I would not hurt you, Maea.” When he spoke my name, it was like a caress. He did not presume to touch me. He would never touch me within the confines of the tent. It was the only place I was safe from his seduction, it seemed. He is too proud to take me by force. He would have me willing or not at all. It was a small comfort considering I continued to flirt with the idea of letting him into my sleeping roll some night.
“You must miss your bedroll. Perhaps I should stay with Elenna now that she has joined us. It would be more proper,” I said to change the subject.
“I think not,” he said. His voice was hushed. Outside the camp was growing quiet as the others went to sleep. I heard the distant call of night patrols as they passed one another along the perimeter, and the song of crickets. “I need little sleep, despite this mortal form. Besides it soothes him to know you are near.”
I clenched my hands in my blanket. He is playing with my emotions. He thinks to use the real Johai to lure me. I could have laughed if I was not terrified. We are both working to the same end. He wants me to trust him, and I want him to trust me.
Instead I said, “I thought Johai and you were one and the same.”
“Yes and no. His soul lives within me, as I once lived within him. We are one and the same, two souls bound together by fate.” He paused and looked towards the door. I rolled over to regard him better; it seemed he was battling with some unspoken emotions. His eyes darted back and forth but focused on nothing in particular. For a moment, I thought his eyes flashed blue, but it may have been a trick of the candlelight. He shook his head and continued. “As I told you before, I feel as he feels. I know his thoughts, his desires…”
His last word hung on the air, and I brought the blankets closer to me and rolled over once more. “Good night,” I said, and once more sleep did not come for me for quite some time.
Days bled one into the other. We rode during the day and made camp at night. The Biski were cheerful as they rode, singing as we traveled. The children herded goats, sheep, and chickens. The women gathered edible plants as we journeyed, and the men ranged out farther, hunting to keep our supplies well stocked. It was a wonder that we did not strip the land bare. How Aland kept such a roving group fed was a mystery to me.
I spent my days with Beau and Elenna, speaking of everything and nothing at all. At times Elenna would lapse into silence. Once I saw her watching a mother and child riding in the back of an ox cart. The mother nursed the child, who could not be more than a few weeks old. She had a strange wistful look upon her face. When I questioned her, she laughed it off.
The mother and child made me think of Sabine. She would be nearing her lie-in soon. By spring the child of two crowns would be born and with it the prophecy’s final days. I felt time slipping by like water through my fingers. At night, I slept little and was troubled by dreams of fractured images of blood and war. One night I dreamed of a woman with golden hair giving birth. Her labor was long and painful, and there was blood, so much blood. The child she bore wore the mask of the specter, and I woke up panting after seeing it. I did not dream of my mother or my grandmother, but I felt I was headed in the right direction. Despite my sleepless nights, I was gaining Johai’s trust little by little. It started inconsequentially enough; we talked about our days. I brought him food and urged him to eat. We talked little of the past and less of where we were headed. He showed me our place upon his maps once. We were south of the river ford by a few hundred leagues, near to Blackthorn, Duke Wodell’s holdfast. After weeks of this routine, I was finally summoned to Aland’s council.
We had camped along the river, between two forks. It was swollen from rain; the rapids were white peaks rushing past on each end. The camp had been set upon the riverbank, and the Biski set up paddocks for the flocks. Tents were spread out, and women ventured along the river, collecting reeds, and boys fished with nets and sharp spears. Johai told me when I woke that Aland had summoned me to his council. I had been hoping for this moment since I had joined the Stone Clan but feared it as well. What if they see through my deception?
Johai provided me a blue gown in the Biski style. It was a straight silhouette with billowing sleeves and embroidered hems. Along the hems were white stallions rearing, chasing each other back and forth. Elenna came and helped with my hair. We braided my forelocks and twisted in a few amber-colored beads, which contrasted against my hair.
Johai came for me when the council began. He looked me up and down, and for once I did not feel repelled by his gaze. “Come. Aland awaits,” he said. He offered me his bended arm, and I took it.
I had grown accustomed to the fearful way in which the Stone Clansmen ran from me. Now with Johai beside me, they seemed too terrified to even run. A group of men who were carrying a stag stopped and nearly dropped their load as we passed. One of them made a gesture of warning with his fingers. We must seem strange indeed to them, me with my violet eyes, pale skin and dark hair, and Johai with his pale hair and dark eyes.
Aland’s tent was as I remembered from my visions. It was larger in person and seemed to dwarf all other tents near it. I examined the animals painted upon the canvas and was struck by the beauty and detail in the simple animal drawings. The tent flap was opened, and within stood the young woman I had seen in my vision. She saw Johai and smiled. When her gaze fell upon me, however, her expression soured.
“My father awaits,” she said. She stepped aside to let us in.
I felt her animosity rolling off her as I passed by. I will need to be careful of her, I think.
Aland was seated within. Unlike Johai, he sat upon cushions on the ground in front of a short table.
Flanking his left and right were two older men with full beards. One had an arrowhead tied in his beard, and the other an orange feather and several beads in his hair. Johai took a seat upon the cushions across from the other two men.
“Welcome, Dreau, Johai.” Aland inclined his head to each of us in turn. “I would like to introduce you to our brother from the Eagle Clan.” He pointed to the man with the orange feathers tied in his hair. “And our brother from the Arrowhead Clan.” He pointed to the man with the arrowhead in his beard.
I bowed my head and greeted them in the Biski tongue as I had learned in Thero’s camp. It was near the extent of what I had learned of the language. I was no master of tongues, unlike Johai, who seemed to have a knack for it. The Eagle Clan leader seemed surprised by my address. The Arrowhead Clan leader looked at me with a shrewd gaze.
“Now that we are all here, we may begin.”
I noticed there was no one representing the Neaux. A creeping feeling stole over me.
“We have come to a place of decision,” Aland began. “Before us lie many paths. We head north, but our scouts have given us little information about the enemies. The Red Queen would have us swing up north and strike at the heart of Danhad. It would be a long march with many enemies to fight before we could meet our real foe. I want you, Dreau, to guide us in our path.”
My mouth felt dry. They want me to tell them how best to attack Danhad. Can I lead them to murder my people? Johai was watching me, and I realized this was a test. He wants to see where my loyalties lie.
“I will look into the waters, if that is what you wish,” I said.
Aland tugged at his forked beard. “Yes. This would be the best path, I think. A wise leader considers all possibilities. We shall give you time to read the waters and then report to us with your answer.”
It was an obvious dismissal. I thanked him again, my tongue and my head thick. I had not considered this outcome when I had thought to join Johai. I only wanted to lure him to the Sea Chamber. I did not want to be the cause of more death. What can I tell them that will not make me suspect? If I lie, Johai will know.
Johai escorted me back to the tent. Before I went within, he touched my shoulder. “I have prepared everything for you. You will not be disturbed as you look within the waters.”
I swallowed past a lump in my throat. “Good, I will need to concentrate to find the correct path.”
He nodded and left me. I watched him stroll away before slipping inside the tent. Within, the basin had been prepared. It lay in the center of the tent, a pillow beside it for me to lean upon. I thought of my grandmother leaning over the basin, peering into the water’s mysteries. I wished she was with me to give me guidance. What should I do? The light was dim within the tent, but already I could see images flickering upon the water’s surface. It called to me, begging me to look within. I kneeled down beside it and placed my hands on the smooth edges of the basin. I leaned in and let the vision embrace me.
It was night. A woman heavily cloaked rode on a shaggy pony. The animal seemed nearly limp and lame. Then out of the shadows of the forest, two men emerged. They were sitting astride sleek warhorses and the one man to the right had a full black beard and black hair, which was pulled back to the nape of his neck.
The black-haired man challenged the woman. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?”
“Please help me,” she cried before falling off her horse into a heap upon the ground.
The man stepped forward, and when he crouched over her, I recognized him. It was Duke Wodell. He was thinner and with fewer lines about his eyes and face. His hair was jet black without a hint of gray. This was long ago.
“Call the magiker. This woman needs help.” He scooped her up into his arms. Her hood fell back, revealing a curtain of midnight black hair. Her skin was pale as moonlight. The duke looked down upon her unconscious expression. She was haggard, dark circles ringed her eyes, and her cheeks seemed sunken. He eased her into the saddle of his horse and rode off as quickly as he could with the unconscious woman in his arms.
The vision blurred and changed. The woman sat in a bed. Her cheeks had filled, and the circles had disappeared. She was beautiful with her milk-pale skin, dark hair and bright violet eyes. I knew those eyes, but I was afraid to admit the truth. She held a book loosely in her hand. Someone knocked upon her chamber door.
“Come in.” Her voice was sweet and low.
Duke Wodell strode into the chamber. He regarded the floor. He was a man broad of shoulder, with thick arms and a handsome face. For a man so large, it seemed odd that he would be afraid of this petite woman.
“I hope you have been comfortable here,” he said.
She smiled. “Thank you, you’ve been very kind to me,” she said in accented Danhadine.
“The magiker says you will be well enough to leave your chambers soon.”
“Then I can continue on my journey?” she asked.
He looked up at her, large brown eyes startled. “I had hoped you would stay.”
She sat up a little straighter and shifted in her seat. “You know I cannot.”
He shuffled from foot to foot. “Helene, there’s something I must ask you…”
She rose from the bed. The blankets fell away, revealing her pale and naked body. I was embarrassed by her bare form. I found I could not turn away. Duke Wodell also seemed riveted by the sight of her, and his words fell away.
“Yes?” she said, her voice husky.
He took a tentative step towards her; uncertainty lined his face.
“Come to me, Mikell.” She opened her arms and took him into her embrace. She tangled her hands in his hair. He kissed her deeply, and I did turn away, unable to look any longer at the intimate scene.
“I love you, Helene. I want you to be my wife.”
She pressed a finger to his lips. “Shh. Let us have this night.”
The vision faded and I was back in the long hall, looking for the Sea Chamber once again. It was nowhere to be found. I have to find it before the summer solstice, before the promised day comes. I came to the end of the hall. My mother was waiting for me at the window, once more gazing out across the distant sea. What had happened to that vibrant woman my visions had shown me? Why did you take your own life?
“You and I walk the same paths, daughter.”
“We do?” I asked, hoping that she would explain.
She nodded. “After I was initiated, I left my home behind. I went north, following the call of the first. It led me to Blackthorn Manor, where I met your father. He was a good man, and I would have been happy with him, I think, had my fate been different.” She frowned, and for a moment I saw a glimpse of the woman she had been. I had known my mother only as a face of the first, an enigma who spoke to me in riddles, but before she had become what she was, she had been my mother and a woman who had fears and sorrows of her own.
“Why did you leave him, then? Why did you leave me alone?” It was the question I knew she would never answer, but I could not help but try.
She did not turn to face me. “You will learn in time, when the time is right.”
I wanted to curse her, but I knew there was no time. “Tell me, then, where does this path lead me? Do I instruct the Biski to kill those who were once my countrymen?”
“Your path and his shall diverge and meet again. You must follow in my footsteps in order to find the Sea Chamber. Travel as I have to Blackthorn, the place of your conception. There you will meet allies. You must be careful, Maea. The road gets only trickier from here. Be ever watchful and do not let your guard down around him. Don’t let his sweet lies lull you into a false security.”
“I know.” I have not forgotten. I know what lurks beneath his seeming charm.
“He can be persuasive. It would be best if you left him now to keep yourself free of his charms.”
My thoughts had taken a similar path. I was winning his trust, but at what cost? It was just a matter of time before I fell under his spell once m
ore. How can I escape without him stopping me? He will not let me go now that he has me.
She sighed and patted my cheek. “I am sorry I left you. Believe me when I say I loved you more than life.”
The vision ended, and I was once more back in the tent I shared with Johai. The sounds of the camp crowded my senses. I closed my ears and blocked everything else out. I must follow the path my mother once travelled, but what do I tell Aland? How do I direct the Stone Clan and their allies? I sighed. I thought of Duke Wodell, my apparent father. His estate was near at hand. Could I escape in the night? I shook my head. Johai would catch me for certain. I sat up. Johai has made pacts with the Danhadine… I had a plan formulating, a dangerous one, but it may be the only one that could both set me free from Johai and lead him to the Sea Chamber.
Chapter Twelve
The forest seemed to be closing in about us. Every snap of a twig and the creaking of leather saddles seemed amplified and returned back to us tenfold. The forest was thick here. The sun struggled to force its way through a thick bow of branches overhead. Dappled sunlight fell upon us as we crunched through the undergrowth. The Biski were at home in this wild territory, with their axes and spears. Even their untamed beards, beads and feathers blended in even though we were brushing against territory they did not roam. The messenger we had sent ahead to Blackthorn had returned with the promise of safe passage. Yet my heart remained lodged in my throat. What if he changes his mind and slays us out of hand? Elenna rode beside me, serene and distant. She smiled when I looked at her before redirecting her gaze to the distance. Beau, on my other side, scanned the horizon, ever watchful of danger. In front of them, Aland and Johai rode side by side, flanked by half a dozen Biski men.
“Are you certain he will remain true to his word?” I asked Johai. This was my idea, but I had my own misgivings now that we were in this dark wood. Duke Wodell might laugh at my offer. The Neaux with the Stone Clan may sense foul play and send word to Arlene. If this goes awry, then the blood is on my hands. It was my plan. We had broken our party into two, one half going west along the river, the other going east to Blackthorn. The Neaux had gone with the western-bound party.
[fan] diviners trilogy - complete series Page 72
