The brothers glanced at her and at each other, the concern in their faces deepening with her every word. Something about Rai's amnesia disturbed them. "Apprentice Mala said it wasn't uncommon for the medicinals to bring on a temporary amnesia, and that it would fade over time," Rai continued, trying to assuage their fears as well as her own.
"But you can't remember anything? I've heard of girls not being able to remember their stay of service at the Temple, or being tired in the days afterward, but never amnesia from before their stay at the Temple. I wonder what they're hiding his time," Meik grumbled, his eyes still fixed on Rai.
Stoi grabbed Meik's arm. "Now, have a care there, Meik. Rai is our sister now, whatever she remembers or doesn't remember. The Temple might not even have anything to do with Rai's amnesia. Keep in mind, this condition isn't her fault. At any rate, the past is over. Right now we've got cargo to deliver."
"I didn't intend to..." He cast his eyes to the floor. "We've had a history of problems with the Temple. I get so upset sometimes I can't think straight. Still, I should know better than to cast blame in your direction. I'm sorry, Rai."
"That's okay Meik; it's plenty frustrating for me too."
Stoi released Meik's arm and turned back to Rai, brows knit with concern. Even though they directed their distress at the Temple and not herself, it still made her nervous to watch her new Uncles so upset by her amnesia. Apprentice Mala had portrayed it to Rai as no big deal, but with their reaction, she now knew it was a larger issue. She wanted to know more about what they knew of the Temple--but now was not the time.
"Well, Meik's right about one thing: amnesia doesn't happen every day--not even among those who've served in the Temple." He considered for a moment. "Do you remember anything else about your stay in the Temple that you thought of as unusual or strange?"
For a moment Rai wanted to avoid the discussion altogether; this was not the way she envisioned her first day with the Durmah going. Then it dawned on her that Stoi and Meik were the first people she'd met with whom she had something in common: an apparent distrust of the Temple, and likely so did the entire Durmah Sept. Luck had paired her with a family who shared her point of view. Rai lowered her voice to a whisper.
"One of the medicinals they gave me dulled my sense of smell. Even now I can't smell things right, and everything tastes off too."
"Well, that's unusual, but it could just be a normal side effect too. It's hard to say. We're not Healers," Stoi replied.
"I don't think so. I faked taking the meds yesterday, and my sense of smell has started to recover."
"You stopped taking the medicinals? Didn't your nurse notice?" Meik queried.
"Well, I dumped the medicinals in the bath water before Mala came to check on me, so she never knew. She told me the Temple would send more of that special mixture here to the Durmah house to aid in my recovery, but I do not intend to take it. I'll take the regular anti-plague meds like everyone else. Don't worry about me, I feel fine."
Stoi looked straight at Rai. "Look, as long as you're healthy, then that's all right with us. Please understand, our Sept's dealings with the Temple have a history, and I for one don't trust them with anything. If we could get plague treatments from another source, well, I'd gladly pay for it, whatever the par. You'd be better off not putting your trust in them. Anyway, we're your family now, and I want you to keep me apprised of any further interactions with them, understand?"
Rai nodded.
"Regardless, the Temple didn't inform us of any damage to your memory. They're supposed to disclose all illnesses and injuries of potential candidates, so I do wonder what they're doing. I wouldn't be surprised if they somehow damaged your faculties and just didn't want to admit it, assuming we wouldn't question them."
Stoi sighed, and then turned to Meik. "Well, I know you wanted to get out early today, but we need to stop by the Temple and at least leave a message for the Matriarch and let her know that Durmah won't stand for this. Hopefully we can get the story on what happened to Rai here."
"Do you think there's something wrong with her they didn't want us to know about?" Meik replied, casting a sidelong glance at Rai. Rai took offense to the implications and his tone.
Stoi frowned back at Meik, also appearing annoyed with his tone. "No, Rai seems healthy enough. You feel fine otherwise, right?"
"Oh yes, just fine, like I said before." Rai didn't like the direction this discussion could go. Others could think of her as sickly or otherwise unable to pull her own weight. Stoi nodded back at her reassuringly.
"Well then," he continued, "I agree. We have to make a point of it." Meik said.
"Okay. Let's visit the Matriarch and hear what she has to say about Rai's amnesia. I think it's worth setting off a couple hours late," Stoi replied.
"Do you think we need to tell Kait? I mean, wouldn't she be the more appropriate person for such a visit?"
"No, we can tell Kait all about it when we get back from the Temple. I want to hear the Matriarch's excuse for this with my own ears. Assuming her Revered Excellence even condescends to give me an explanation, that is." Stoi rolled his eyes.
Stoi picked up a thick scroll from the table and handed it to Rai. "Well, since we need to run this errand, why don't you familiarize yourself with the goods being packed for this trip and make sure nothing gets missed? Also, complete the packing by midday. I'm sure we'll be back by then at the latest. It shouldn't be too hard, everyone around here knows the drill and it'll give you a chance to see how it all works."
Stoi stood and placed a firm but gentle hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Rai, one way or the other, we'll find answers for you. Besides, we don't like the Temples thinking they can get away with treating Durmah poorly, all right?"
Rai thought his motivation might be more about Durmah's treatment at their hands then her particular situation. "I understand. Don't worry about the wagons. I'll make sure everything's in order before you get back."
"That's the spirit! Oh, and if you need help finding any supplies, just ask the head cook. See you soon!"
Watching them leave, Rai's head filled with questions about the coming trip, her sister Jesse, and the Waystation in Kiya's Grace. She figured there would be ample time on the trip to discover. So much escaped her knowledge--about the Durmah, about the Temple, about her past. She only hoped the answers would come soon.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Rai and Kait were pouring over the route maps over a cup of tea when Stoi stomped into the main hall, sweat beading from his brow. Laan, Stoi's cousin by Kait's sister Nele and long-time traveling companion, sat next to them, whittling away at a small woodcarving of a squirrel. From the tense draw of his features, Rai could guess how the meeting at the Temple went. She steeled herself for his news, reminding herself it had been a slim chance at best, anyway.
Laan glanced up, nodding acknowledgement of Stoi's arrival. He remained keenly aware of what was going on around him, despite his quiet demeanor. Kait had told her he could be completely focused on something or someone, yet be aware of all the conversations taking place in the background--even in a crowded room.
"Everything looks well in order in the stable yard. What'd you do girl, give everyone the afternoon off? I mean, don't you know you have to drag the work out, to keep everyone busy?" Stoi asked.
Kait and Rai both chortled. "Your brother thinks he's funny, doesn't he?" Rai asked Kait.
"Here we thought you'd forgotten about the trip, you've been gone so long." Kait said to Stoi. She leaned back in her chair, a flicker of pain passing over her features. "But in all seriousness, Rai managed loading the wagons before noon, so I sent most everyone off on errands."
"Yes, and now I'll have to hitch the horses myself!" Stoi hung his thumbs from his belt, ticking his tongue in disapproval.
"As you do many times a day on the road, Stoi. Don't give the girl a hard time over it," Laan replied.
"Oh, Rai knows I'm joking, don't you?" Rai gave a quick nod, although his demeanor d
idn't relax the knot in her belly. She didn't have the courage to ask how his morning's errand had fared.
"Why didn't Meik return with you?" Laan asked.
"I sent him off to arrange for our Guardian escorts. It's late notice, but I doubt it'll be a problem. Besides, he got pretty worked up at the Temple, and I figured he needed the time to walk it off."
Laan nodded, and a lull in the conversation hung in the air. As they'd suspected, Stoi's news wouldn't be positive.
Kait sighed, resignation painted across her features. "Your wife decided not to wait for your return, and headed off to visit with her birth-Sept for the afternoon. She bade you goodbye, and a safe and quick return."
"That sounds like my Chirey, all right. Can you tell her I should be back within two weeks?"
While Stoi was away Kait had grumbled to Rai how Chirey, against custom, maintained strong ties to her birth Sept, the Genneb, after her marriage to Stoi. Many husbands in the same situation would have demanded their wives commit to their new Sept fully, but Stoi doted upon Chirey, and indulged in her needs. Rai guessed it stemmed from guilt to his extended absences away from home while he was on the road.
"Sure. I had the cook prepare a late lunch for you, so you'll have something warm and fresh on your way out of town. Both Laan and Rai have already eaten. They figured you'd want to leave immediately," Kait continued.
"Thanks Sis," Stoi said. He pulled up a chair. "Are you feeling better today? You looked a bit exhausted after the late night feasting. We were worried about you."
"Yes, sorry. I was just a little worn out. You know how it is."
"Yeah, I suppose I do," Stoi replied.
Kait, as Chieftess for the Durmah Sept, should have been the one to confront the Matriarch but was unable due to her poor health. Both Stoi and Meik blamed the Temple for Kait's suffering. Kait had left for Temple service at fourteen, the picture of good health, having never been sick a day in her life. She'd returned six years later after having a respectable four children but a shadow of her former self, her vitality stripped from her like the colors of a flower. Their mother, Chieftess Marra, had passed while she was away, and Kait had stepped into their mother's shoes as Chieftess when she returned, but constantly fought against devastating fatigue.
"How did your meeting at the Temple go? When I woke up and heard that you and Meik had run off to the Temple before your trip, Rai filled me in on her amnesia and your desire to find out what the Temple staff knew about it."
Stoi shrugged. "Meik were fortunate, I suppose, as the Matriarch herself agreed to meet with us without an appointment. As you'd expect, she wouldn't talk much about it, except to deny any wrongdoing by the Temple healers. She claimed when her birth Sept brought her to the Temple for service, Rai already had amnesia. They were tight-lipped on when or how it happened, and the healers felt no obligation to question them further. The Matriarch assured Meik and I her staff did nothing which contributed to Rai's current state."
Rai processed this new information, trying to understand how it might fit into the puzzle.
"A girl, with amnesia, left on the steps of the Temple for her years of Service by her Septmates? Why didn't they question them over what happened to Rai, or research her background first? The Matriarch's story doesn't ring true," Kait replied.
"That's what we thought too. Meik wondered, afterward, if you could have gotten anything more out of her, but I doubt it. Anyway, the Matriarch further assured us Rai is healthy in every way. She hadn't considered amnesia a significant illness or limitation, and therefore didn't disclose it to us. She also thought Rai's memory of her service in the Temple would return, but couldn't say when that would happen with the memories she had prior to her Temple service."
"I don't believe a word of it. Wouldn't you think they'd at least be a little curious as to what would cause such an unnatural phenomenon in a person as total loss of memory? Prying into an adoptee's past and associated Sept business is held private and sacrosanct, and thus a forbidden practice--but situations like this warrant exceptions. Perhaps the Temple's just too busy these days to care much about the welfare of every girl they care for. It's horribly negligent of them. How could we rely on the Temples to find an eventual cure to the plague, if they can't get a simple adoption right?"
"I may never know." Rai couldn't hide the bitter disappointment in her voice.
"Don't worry about it, child. You can put your faith securely in Durmah, right where it should be. I know the Temple's not going to follow up on this, but I will," Kait said. "My health may be poor, but I do have a network of contacts I can ask and see if anyone's heard of any recent incidents of amnesia. However, you could have been in service anywhere from months to years, so it's possible that it's been too long for people to remember."
She turned to Stoi. "Keep your ears open on the road, too. This has Temple incompetence written all over it, and if they did it to Rai then I imagine they'd do it to anyone. It might not be an isolated occurrence. My girls Blethe and Marra are in Temple service right now! What's going to happen to them? The side effects of the fertility treatments are bad enough!" The last sentence sent a chill down Rai's back. She knew Kait was referring to her own state of deteriorating health.
"I'll do that. We'll be discreet. The laws against looking into the histories of adoptees are clear. The penalties for breaking them are on the stiff side."
"I never said we should ask about Rai's past in particular, I'm going to send letters to my contacts and ask if they've heard of any cases of amnesia. That's innocent enough. Who knows, one of them may even know of a folk remedy to try. Anything would be worth a shot since the Temples are no longer investigating these themselves. If I happen to discover a little more about Rai along the way, well it'll be a complete coincidence." Kait winked at Rai. "Well, I can't have you all sitting around all day just keeping me company! Stoi, why don't you go grab that bite of food the cook has ready for you. Rai and Laan can get the horses hitched up."
"Yes ma'am. We'll get right on it," Laan replied. He pocketed his animal carving, sheathed his knife, and then headed out the door.
Rai turned to Kait and took her hands in her own. "Thanks Kait. This means the world to me." They hugged briefly, and then Rai followed Laan out the door. "We'll be ready in ten minutes," she called on the way out.
CHAPTER EIGHT
After a quick lesson on handling the horse-drawn wagon, Stoi handed the reins to Rai and they set out on their journey. Laan followed behind them in the second wagon. It was the most exciting moment that Rai could remember; but she guessed that wasn't saying much. Rai turned around and looked at the Durmah Sept house one last time. She felt a twinge of sadness, knowing it would be a long time before she would see Kait, Meik, and the others again. Something inside of her told her to look forward, not back, and she once again focused her gaze on the road ahead.
The city streets were nearly empty in the heat of the late afternoon sun, so all was quiet and serene as the two wagons made for the city's western gate. The temperature had combined with the morning rain to form an oppressive haze that reached as far as the eye could see. Rai looked around; this was the first time she'd really seen the city. As they moved toward the outskirts of Raven's Call, the large Sept houses gave way to multi-unit dwellings as they moved toward the outskirts of Raven's Call.
"Who lives in these buildings?" Rai asked. "They don't look like the other Sept houses we've passed."
"That's where the Sept-less live, the work houses. The Temple's provide them those meager living units in return for day labor."
"But I thought the Temple placed people like me with Septs?"
"Yes, child, in cases like yours they try do. It doesn't always work out. Not every Sept is open to taking on new, non-blood members."
Rai cringed inwardly at the thought. Had the Temple not found a home for her with the Durmahs, she might well be staring out the small window of one of those decrepit little dwellings even now.
"Some become Sep
t-less for other reasons," Stoi continued. "Sometimes, the plague has killed off their families or reduced their numbers such that they can't afford to run a proper Sept-house anymore. Others disgraced their Septs and soon thereafter turned out onto the streets to fend for themselves. Whatever their offense, the Temple feeds and houses them in return for their labor. The Temple won't turn anyone out of the cities."
Approaching the outer wall and western gate, Rai noticed the block housing gave way to large buildings that huddled under the span of the outer wall. They looked different from the tenement housing, dirtier and somehow more industrial looking. They had no windows, and many of them had wagons and equipment in front and along the side.
"What are those buildings used for?"
"Those are the Temple's factories where the Sept-less work. They mill grain, butcher meat, produce simple clothing and shoes--pretty boring stuff actually."
"Sounds like it," Rai replied in agreement. It seemed a cold existence to Rai, working only to fill the Temple's pocket and having no connection to those around you.
As they came to the gate at the city wall a Guardian emerged from the gatehouse to meet them. She was of average build but above-average height, with long dark hair. Rai pulled back on the reins to stop the horses and shot Stoi a quick glance.
Stoi gave Rai a wry smirk. "They always have us check in, to make sure we've been properly processed," Stoi said. "The Guardians are ever so courteous that way." Laan halted his wagon and waited behind them.
The Guardian stopped about three feet from the left side of the wagon. "Sept and destination?"
"Durmah Sept on route to Kiya's Grace via the Highland route," Stoi replied. "We filed travel papers this morning."
"I'll inform your escort of your departure." She turned and reentered the gatehouse. After a few seconds, the Guardian popped her head of the gatehouse door motioned to the guard at the gate. He opened the gate and allowed them through. Neither showed any expression. Rai urged the horses forward, perplexed with the impersonal nature of the Guardian's behavior. Were all Guardians so stiff and formal?
The Dream Sifter (The Depths of Memory Book 1) Page 7
