He leaned forward. "The way the king has been acting towards us over these past few weeks is starting to make people nervous - it's shining a light on the fact that Andarra's most powerful weapon, its best defence, could be made impotent by one man's prejudice. When all this is over, I guarantee that there will be an argument for changing that - renewed support for the Tols both in the Assembly and amongst the people. Andarra may not like us, but they are beginning to recognise our value. And the more that happens, the more sway we will have."
Davian gave a slow nod. "That's good for Tol Shen... it doesn't mean anyone will feel differently towards the Augurs, though," he noted.
"When we tell everyone that the Augurs are the only ones who can seal the Boundary, I suspect that may change too," said Driscin. "It should be enough to have the Treaty amended, to remove the ban. That's more progress than we could have dreamed of a few months ago."
Davian leaned back, heart rate increasing a little as he assessed what Driscin was saying. Much still had to go right, but he couldn't see any flaws in the logic. It was possible. "And if that happens, you want the Augurs to be overseen by Tol Shen. You want me to join Tol Shen," he concluded after a moment, enthusiasm suddenly waning again.
Driscin nodded. “The Athian and Shen Councils are too at odds to work together on something like this, and any association with Athian is political poison at the moment. The Augurs need to be unified, allied with somebody... reliable, if the Assembly is to ever take them seriously. Tol Shen is the only realistic option.”
Davian shook his head, unable to hide his reluctance. It all seemed perfectly reasonable - and yet he knew Tol Shen's reputation. They were power-hungry, manipulative. The idea of their exerting any measure of control over a group of Augurs, over him, made him uncomfortable.
"No," he said after a moment. He glanced at Ishelle. "Once these invaders have been defeated, I will work with you to fix the Boundary - but that's all. I don't want to join Shen."
Ishelle made a face. “Because we’re all evil, I assume?” she said, sounding more amused than annoyed. “That’s what they teach you in Athian, isn’t it - that Tol Shen are more interested in power than what's right, while every single Gifted from Tol Athian is a shining beacon of the standards of El himself?"
Driscin spoke up before Davian could respond, making a calming gesture in Ishelle's direction. “You've grown up in an Athian school, and you're reluctant. I understand.” He rubbed his forehead. “If you are concerned about the types of people you associate with, though, perhaps you should take another look at your friend Taeris Sarr before coming to a decision.”
Davian flushed. “You’re talking about what he did three years ago? That’s a poor example to choose, Elder Throll. I was the boy he rescued - he saved my life by killing those men. Hardly a black mark against him in my book.”
Driscin shook his head. “But you don’t know the whole story,” he said quietly. “Haven’t you ever wondered where you came from? Before the school, I mean.”
Davian stared at the Elder, puzzled. “Of course I have.”
“We think that Taeris knows,” said Driscin. “What we do know is that he is the one who brought you to Caladel as a child, who dropped you at the school's doorstep. He’s followed you, followed your progress your entire life. It was no coincidence that he found you in Desriel, nor that he was there that day three years ago.”
Davian shook his head again. “He would have told me something like that,” he said, with more confidence than he felt.
“There’s more,” said Driscin. “He set up that encounter in Caladel, Davian. He told those men you were from the school. He wanted them to attack you, so that you would be forced to defend yourself, to discover you had powers.”
Davian scowled, his head spinning. “I don’t believe that.” It couldn’t be true - though there was no black smoke, nor any pain in his temples to indicate Driscin was lying. Davian snorted, ignoring the sudden sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. “How could you possibly have information like that?”
Ishelle shifted. “You surely didn’t think I’d miss the opportunity to Read you and your companions, back at Thrindar? There wasn't time to get everything from him, but Taeris was far too preoccupied finding a way out of Desriel to worry about shielding himself." Her lips curled upward. "I know what you were thinking when you bumped into me, too, by the way.” She winked at him, and he felt himself blush furiously.
Davian took a few seconds to recover, then shook his head. "No. Either you're mistaken, or this is some sort of trick. Taeris isn't like that."
Driscin sighed as he saw Davian's defiant expression. “Perhaps this is something you need to resolve for yourself.”
“And how can I do that, exactly?”
“Ask him.” Ishelle stepped forward, placing her hand on his shoulder. “You know how to see whether people are deceiving you - I’ve watched you do it for the last few minutes. You know we’re not lying to you, Davian. You owe it to yourself to at least find out if we’re right.”
Davian gritted his teeth; he still wanted to argue the point, but he knew it would just look like he was being unreasonable. “No matter what I find, it won't change my mind about Tol Shen,” he said, a little defensively now.
“I don't understand. Where else would you go?” Ishelle crossed her arms. “You don't know anyone at Tol Athian, even if they were willing to take you in. The only other survivor from your school was Torin Andras, and you can be certain he won't be spending his time around the Gifted.”
“How did you….” Davian trailed off, grimacing. “Oh. Well, if you know that, then you know we're friends. I can do more by working with Wirr – Torin - than I could by joining Tol Shen, anyway.”
Driscin shook his head. “Don’t delude yourself on that front, lad,” he said, his tone gentle. “He’s a prince of the realm, the Northwarden’s son. You might be friends, but whatever passed between you at the school, don't imagine you're equals. Even if he wants to welcome you at the palace gates with open arms, he won't be able to."
Davian frowned. "Meaning?"
"Meaning if you stay in the city to aid Prince Torin, you'll be forever hiding, living your life in the shadows. It will be years before he can afford to be publicly associated with an Augur, regardless of how soon the Treaty is changed. Years before he can acknowledge your existence.” He looked at Davian with a serious expression. "Your influence would be limited at best. It would be a waste of your talents."
Davian gave Driscin an angry stare. The Elder's argument was sound, but it wasn't what Davian wanted to hear. He'd assumed that once he made it to Ilin Illan, made contact with Wirr, things would work out somehow. That he'd find a way to stay, to help the only friend he had left.
Driscin sighed as he watched Davian's expression. "You are not convinced - that's fine; perhaps we can change your mind in time. You at least agree that the Boundary needs to be sealed?"
Davian nodded slowly. "Yes."
"Good." Driscin stood. "Then do what you must, for now - go to Ilin Illan, help where you can. But think about what I've told you - and once these invaders are defeated, come and find me at Tol Shen. If you still want only to seal the Boundary and return to Ilin Illan, then there will be no pressure to join us permanently. You have my word.”
He nodded to Davian, then gave Ishelle a tight smile. Without further pleasantries, he left the room.
There was a long silence as Davian and Ishelle looked at each other awkwardly.
“Am I free to leave?” asked Davian eventually, his irritation at the way he’d been treated bubbling to the surface again, making him sound ruder than he meant to be.
Ishelle held up her hands in mock defence. “You are. But I thought perhaps a full stomach might make you a little less prickly,” she said, with a smile to show she was only teasing. She gestured to some buttered bread on a tray next to the bed. “You must be hungry. You should eat.”
Davian gave the tray a mistrustful glance.
<
br /> Ishelle laughed as she saw his expression. “Nothing unusual in the bread. I swear it.”
Davian thought about refusing the offer, but at that moment his stomach growled. He hadn’t eaten since the small amount of drugged food he'd managed to ingest. And it would look petty. And, he may not get another opportunity to eat properly until he reached Ilin Illan.
Scowling, he took a cautious bite of the bread. When he was still able to move his arms and legs satisfactorily, he wolfed down the rest, all the while watching Ishelle with a wary expression. Despite her apparently having intended him no harm, he couldn't bring himself to trust her again so soon.
He finished, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. “I’ll be on my way,” he said, standing. “I’ve wasted too much time as it is.”
Ishelle frowned. “To Ilin Illan? Tonight? Surely you need some rest.” She gestured to the bed. “You can have this room free of charge, if you like.” She grinned, a dimple appearing in each cheek. “As compensation for being drugged.”
“Thanks,” said Davian in a wry tone, " but I don't need it."
Ishelle kept smiling, unfazed. “How about we make a deal. To show there are no hard feelings, at least take a free meal. A proper meal. No drugs. And my company for the evening.”
Davian snorted. “You almost had me until the last part.” Ishelle continued to smile at him cheerfully, and he wilted, sighing. A proper meal was too good to pass up. “Very well,” he said reluctantly, making a weary gesture in the direction of the door. “Lead the way.”
They made their way downstairs into the common room. The innkeeper, a short, rotund woman of middle age, was soon bringing them their meals. When Ishelle offered to pay, the innkeeper refused, insisting that Ishelle's coin was no good to her.
Ishelle shrugged at Davian's questioning glance. "I've been here a month. She likes me."
"Your knowing exactly what she's thinking has helped, I'm sure," observed Davian. He'd seen the thin lines of kan, stretching from Ishelle to the innkeep. Minute, almost unnoticeable, but definitely there. His new companion had been Reading her.
"Nothing wrong with that."
Davian snorted, shaking his head. Malshash had been clear about this, but it was barely more than common sense. Common decency.
Ishelle looked at him with genuine surprise. "You disagree?"
Davian gave an emphatic nod. "Yes. These people... regular people, they have no way of defending themselves against us. What right do we have to go prying inside their most personal thoughts?"
Ishelle shook her head. "You haven't Read many people, have you? Most of them deserve everything that's coming to them." She sighed, waving away his scowl. "Don't pout. I'm not asking you to do it."
Their meals arrived, and the two began eating. They were silent for a while, then Davian paused as he saw Ishelle looking at him with a curious expression. She smiled, leaning back and dabbing at her mouth with her napkin. “So tell me about Caladel,” she said. She waved her hand impatiently as Davian gave her a wary look. “Not the attack; I know all about that. What was it like, growing up in an Athian school?” She shook her head. “I always thought it would be so… boring.”
Davian sucked in his breath; it stung to hear the destruction of the school mentioned so flippantly. “I’d prefer not to talk about it,” he said, trying unsuccessfully to keep the stiffness from his voice.
Ishelle grimaced when she saw his expression. Her shoulders slumped a little.
“I’m sorry,” she said after a few awkward moments. “I know I can be… blunt. Driscin says I rely on my abilities so much, I don’t really know how to talk to people any more. Maybe he’s right.”
Davian hesitated. She sounded… uncomfortable. Genuinely embarrassed.
He paused for a few more seconds, then sighed, leaning forward.
“It wasn’t boring.” He took a mouthful of food, chewing as he thought. He swallowed. “There was always a lot to do. Studying, practicing.” He scratched his head. “Sometimes, we got sent outside of the school to run errands.”
Ishelle raised an eyebrow. “I think you and I have different definitions of boring,” she said with a gently mocking smile. Despite that, Davian thought he could detect a hint of gratitude in her tone.
He shook his head in chagrin. “I’m not explaining it very well. My friends were there,” he clarified. “It was... simple. The school was my home. It may sound monotonous - it was monotonous, I suppose - but for the most part, I loved my life there.” With another twinge of sadness, he realised just how true that statement was.
Ishelle shook her head. “I cannot imagine being forced to stay in the one place all those years,” she admitted. “It sounds like just another prison, barely any different to what the Tols must have been like during the sieges. Essence and kan are both dull unless you can go out into the real world and actually use them.”
Davian leaned forward, glad of the shift in conversation. "I take it you aren't a student at one of Shen's schools, then - you never got the Mark? Because if you had, there wouldn't have been much choice in the matter," he added dryly.
"No, thank the fates." Ishelle gave him a half-apologetic shrug. "I work in the kitchens at Tol Shen, when I'm not out with Driscin trying to find other Augurs. But Driscin always made sure I didn't draw enough Essence to be bound by the Tenets." Ishelle frowned. "You did, though, I take it?"
Davian hesitated, then nodded. "I don't remember it, but... yes." He fell silent as he thought about that day, thought about what Driscin had told him earlier. He had a sudden urge to ask Ishelle exactly what she'd seen when she had Read Taeris... but he knew that whatever the answer, he wouldn't believe a word of it until he spoke to Taeris himself.
The moment passed, and Ishelle evidently sensed that Davian didn't want to speak further on the subject. The conversation turned to lighter things as they ate and for a while, Davian actually found himself relaxing.
Soon enough, though, their plates were cleared and he remembered the long journey he had ahead. He sighed. He still mistrusted Ishelle, but the meal had been a pleasant respite from the road. "I should go soon," he observed. "Before I do, though - is there anything else you can tell me about this invasion?"
Ishelle shrugged; it might have been Davian's imagination, but he thought he saw a flash of disappointment on her face. “The Andarran army was about to meet the invaders, last I heard. Hopefully that will be the end of it."
Davian shook his head. "No. A while back, I... saw something. The invaders, camped outside Ilin Illan. That's why I'm trying to get back there. If there is going to be a siege, they will need all the help they can get." He raised an eyebrow at her. "You could come. Two of us could make a real difference."
Ishelle hesitated. "No," she said slowly. "I don't think that's for me."
Davian made a face but nodded, having not really expected a different response. “Have you heard if the king is going to change the First Tenet, to let the Gifted fight?”
Ishelle shook her head. “Nothing beyond what Driscin said earlier. King Andras has made some strong statements against the Gifted in the past few weeks... if those are anything to go by, it's not likely.” Her eyes narrowed. “You have been isolated, haven’t you? Tell me, Davian, in truth. Where did you disappear to? How did you do it?” Her eyes burned bright with curiosity.
Davian grimaced; he had no desire to talk about Deilannis. He could see the determination in Ishelle’s eyes, though - her desire to know how he’d escaped her for so long.
He quickly came to a decision. “Let's trade. If you tell me how to make myself invisible, I’ll tell you how I avoided your tracking.”
Ishelle considered for a moment. “You first.”
Davian smiled, knowing he had her hooked. “Not a chance.”
“Nothing else you want to know more?”
“Invisibility,” Davian replied in a firm tone.
Ishelle sighed. “Very well.” She played with her fringe idly. “It’s not terribly difficult, o
nce you get the hang of it. Encase yourself in a kan shield, but rather than have the kan absorb Essence, make it redirect it – a little like when you draw it out of the environment, I suppose. Bend it around yourself, so it’s as if the Essence is passing through empty space.” She grinned. “It was an accident, to be honest. Driscin and I were testing ways of deflecting attacks one day, and, surprise!” She made a dramatic gesture. “Driscin nearly had a heart attack.”
Davian smiled. “I can only imagine.”
Ishelle grinned. “Driscin thinks it works by bending the light,” she continued. “The Essence drags it around the shield, rather than letting it through.”
Davian glanced around at the other occupants of the room. “I probably shouldn't test it right now,” he said regretfully.
“Try it on an object. Something small so no-one notices,” suggested Ishelle.
Davian gave her an approving look, then concentrated. He covered his bowl in a tight mesh of kan, then altered its properties so that it redirected Essence as Ishelle had suggested. Nothing happened; Davian adjusted the hardness of the kan a little, making it act almost like a mirror.
The bowl wavered in front of him, then vanished.
Davian’s eyes widened, and he felt himself grinning. “This could be useful,” he mused.
Ishelle beamed. “You have no idea,” she said with a wink. She leaned forward. “Your turn.”
Davian looked her in the eye. “I’ve changed my mind, actually.”
Ishelle gaped at him for several seconds.
“You lied to me?” she eventually choked out in quiet, outraged disbelief.
“Fair is fair,” replied Davian cheerfully. “You should have been checking. And anyway, you drugged me. I think we might be even now.”
Ishelle stared at him, caught between shock, annoyance and amused chagrin. “You’re serious. You’re not going to tell me.”
Davian shrugged. “Perhaps we can make a new deal. I'll tell you if you come to Ilin Illan.”
Ishelle looked at him through narrowed eyes. “Tempting, if I thought you would hold up your end of the bargain.” She shook her head, smile rueful. "I suppose I'll just have to wait until Tol Shen to get it out of you, then." She hesitated, looking him in the eye, suddenly serious. "Speaking of which. You are going to come, aren't you?"
The Shadow Of What Was Lost (Book 1) Page 56
