Voice of the Gods aotft-3

by Trudi Canavan

  Footsteps drew closer and she realized that someone was approaching. She kept her eyes on the stone, expecting the man to pass, but he didn’t. He moved to her side and when she looked up she realized it was the younger of the Thinkers.

  She resisted a smile. Of course it was.

  “Bar’s always been like that,” he said. “He doesn’t like women much. I hope that you are not too disappointed.”

  “It is his loss, not mine. Tell me, how did this monument stone come to be here?”

  He shrugged. “It has always been here.”

  She chuckled. “Now I am disappointed. Are you Thinkers so befuddled by your smoking herbs that you don’t even know the treasures you have here?”

  “This is no treasure.”

  “A monument stone from ancient Raos no treasure? Do you know how rare these are? The Circlians destroyed so much from the Age of the Many that our history is in fragments.” She pointed at a glyph. “This priest, Gaomea, is one of the few whose names are still known.” She ran her finger down the line of symbols, translating to Murian. “Are there any other stones like this here?”

  He was staring at her now. “I don’t know, but I can ask the librarian for you. If there is anything here, he’ll show you if I ask for it.”

  She turned to regard him. “It’s that bad?”

  “What?”

  “I can’t ask for them myself?”

  He grimaced. “No. Like Bar said, you’re a woman and foreign.”

  She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Well, I suppose it’s still better than home. The only way you can see old treasures is to buy them off a rich noble, and only if he or she is willing to sell.”

  He led her away from the table toward the old man cataloguing his scrolls. “All this belongs to the Pentadrians,” he said in a voice that indicated he didn’t think much of that.

  “At least they haven’t destroyed it. The Circlians would have. I was lucky to save this.” She patted the box.

  “So... what’s in there?”

  “Just a fragment of a scroll.”

  “Why did you come here with it?”

  She paused and regarded him carefully. “It’s in Sorl.”

  He stared at her in disbelief. She continued on as if mistaking his silence for puzzlement.

  “An ancient priest tongue of Mur. I would have thought you’d know that.” She shook her head as if exasperated. “I was hoping it would make more sense to a local, who might know the places it refers to and what ‘breath offering’ means.” She slipped the box into a bag at her waist. “Could we ask about those treasures now? I think they’re all that’s going to make this trip worth the effort.”

  The tension and excitement within the young man was palpable. With admirable self-control he kept silent. She was expecting this: the younger Thinkers rarely did anything without consulting their powerful peers first.

  “Then I’ll just have to make sure old Rikron shows you everything.”

  22

  Auraya had tested a few limits to her abilities in the last few days. It was not possible for her to sleep and remain airborne at the same time, so she had remained awake as she hovered over Glymma. After a few sleepless days it became difficult to concentrate, so last night, at Juran’s urging, she had retreated to the hills to rest.

  Her willingness to obey the gods was constantly tested. She could hear the thoughts of the Siyee. She knew they were chained somewhere below the Sanctuary. She knew they were frightened and despairing.

  But they had not been harmed physically. Nobody in the Sanctuary - nobody whose mind she could read - knew what Nekaun planned to do with his prisoners. Some thought he intended to ransom them. Others considered a possibility Auraya was glad the Siyee had not considered: that the sky people would be handed over to a group known as the Thinkers, who would probably study and experiment on them.

  Returning to her position high above the Sanctuary, Auraya began to skim the minds of those below.

  The first mind she found was that of a Servant given the task of alerting the Voices if Auraya approached the Temple. The woman had already seen Auraya. She had informed Nekaun telepathically through her star pendant.

  Auraya ignored the woman and skimmed over the minds of other Servants and the domestics that took care of mundane chores. Fragments of prayers, recipes, sums and songs came to her. Snatches of gossip, instruction and intrigue threatened to distract her. But her need to find the Siyee was all-consuming.

  There. They’re still there.

  The impracticalities of being physically chained to the same place were beginning to have an effect. She sensed humiliation and revulsion as well as fear. Then she sensed their fear deepen. Looking closer, she saw that one of the Siyee was being taken away. She felt her stomach clench and realized she had let herself drop toward the Sanctuary. Pulling up, she watched and waited, dread growing.

  She saw Nekaun through the Siyee’s eyes. Nekaun said something, but the Siyee was too frightened to comprehend it. Something about leaving.

  Then the chains were removed from the Siyee’s wrists. Doors opened and the sky appeared. The Siyee took a step forward, but the man caught his shoulder in a firm grip.

  “Tell her to meet me on top of the Sanctuary,” he said slowly.

  The Siyee nodded. He was to be a messenger. That was the price of his freedom. The man holding the Siyee let go. The Siyee staggered forward toward the doors. There was a short drop outside. Was this a window, then? No matter. The wind was good. His legs were still stiff. He stretched his arms - he ought to warm his muscles up more before attempting to fly but he wasn’t going to stay any longer than he had to.

  Reaching the opening, he leapt out and felt his heart soar with joy as the wind lifted him up.

  Free... but what of the others? He circled higher. The man wants to speak to Auraya. Maybe she can work something out. But where is she?

  Auraya descended quickly. The Siyee saw her and rose to meet her. He flew in a tight circle around her.

  “The leader freed me,” he told her. “Gave me a message for you. He wants to meet you. On top of the buildings.”

  She whistled that she understood.

  “How are the others?”

  He described what she had seen in the Siyee’s minds: the hall, the lack of sanitation and his fears that they would soon lose the ability to fly.

  “I took food and water for Zyee and Siti to leave at the places we camped,” she told him. “Is your water skin empty?”

  “Yes.”

  “Swap it with mine.”

  She flew alongside him to make the exchange. When she was done he circled around her, looking down anxiously.

  “Can I help?”

  “No. Go home.”

  He whistled an acknowledgment.

  “Then good luck. Be careful. Could be a trap.”

  “I know.”

  She watched him fly away. He was tired and hungry. How would he manage to return to Si, across the Sennon desert, with no food but the little she had stolen from Klaff and only one skin of water?

  I should have stolen more and flown it back to some of our camps in Sennon. She frowned. Maybe I should do that now, as well as catch up with him and...

  :Auraya?

  She looked down. A mind was calling her name. Concentrating, she identified the Servant woman given the task of watching for her. The woman was uncertain that her call would be heard, but Nekaun had asked her to try.

  Auraya searched for the woman. She found three figures standing on the roof of the topmost Sanctuary building. The woman, Nekaun and another, who was full of suppressed excitement and self-importance.

  :Juran? Auraya called.

  :Auraya. What is happening?

  She told him that Nekaun had freed a Siyee in order to give her a message, and of his request.

  :Should I meet with him? she asked.

  :This could be a trap, Juran warned.

  :I’m willing to take that risk. If I don’t meet with Neka
un, he might retaliate by killing Siyee.

  :Go then. See what he wants.

  She looked up at the tiny speck that was the escaping Siyee.

  :If Nekaun wants to ransom the Siyee, will you agree to it?

  :That depends on the price.

  Taking a deep breath she drew magic, created a barrier around herself and began to descend. She felt a movement in her pack and cursed under her breath. If only she’d thought to ask the Siyee to take Mischief with him. But the veez would have been an extra weight the Siyee didn’t need.

  Three upturned faces watched her. The woman looked at Nekaun abruptly, made a gesture with her hands, then walked away. She lifted a hatch in the roof of the building and descended into darkness.

  Auraya landed several strides away from the two men.

  Nekaun smiled. “Welcome to Glymma, Auraya,” he said in heavily accented Hanian.

  Looking at the man standing beside the Voice, Auraya read from his mind that he was Turaan, Nekaun’s Companion, and was here to help translate. His master did not yet know any of the northern languages well and doubted Auraya had learned any of the southern ones.

  I must be careful to avoid showing an understanding of anything said in the southern languages, she thought. Nekaun might reason that I have learned them somehow, but the gods will know that isn’t true and guess that I’m reading minds.

  “Welcome?” she replied in Hanian. “I doubt I am.”

  Nekaun’s smile widened. He spoke in his own language and Turaan repeated his words in Hanian. “Not to some, but they do not understand your reasons for being here.”

  “And you do?”

  “Perhaps. I must admit, I am guessing at a few matters. From the Siyee’s minds I learned you are forbidden to fight. I guess from this that you are here only to protect them. I think maybe you mean my people no harm.”

  “Only if you do no harm to mine.”

  His eyebrows rose. “Yet they came here to harm my people.”

  She smiled thinly. “That is not true.”

  He frowned, then chuckled. “Ah, that is right. They came here to harm the birds. So if a few people got in the way, the Siyee would not have hurt them?”

  Auraya crossed her arms. “I did not give them their orders.”

  “It must be difficult to love a people yet watch others rule them badly.”

  “It is not a unique position to be in.”

  His gaze wavered, as if what she had said had caused him to think of something, then steadied again. “I make you an offer. If you will stay here and let me show you my people and my city, I will free the Siyee. For every day you are here one will be freed.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “All I have to do is stay here?”

  “And let me show you my people.”

  “Why?”

  His expression became serious. “Your people do not understand mine. You think us cruel and depraved. I wish to show that this isn’t so.” He grimaced. “I do not want to harm the Siyee nor do I want to enslave them, as is allowable by our laws. I could ask for money in exchange for their freedom but I do not need it. What I want more is peace. You are not a White, but I doubt a White would ever come here no matter how humble our request. However, you are their ally. You can tell them what you see here.” He looked at her earnestly. “Will you stay?”

  Auraya regarded him suspiciously. It might still be a trap. There was no knowledge of one in Turaan’s mind, but he might not have been told.

  So? Some risks are worth taking, for the sake of the Siyee.

  “One Siyee every day,” she repeated.

  “Yes.”

  “I must witness them leave.”

  “Of course.”

  “You will give them food and water for the journey home?”

  “It will be arranged.”

  “And sanitation for those that remain?”

  “I have people already seeking a solution to that problem.”

  “Will you swear it on your gods?”

  He smiled. “I swear, on Sheyr, Hrun, Alor, Ranah and Sraal, I will release one Siyee prisoner per day and night you remain here, and that you will not be harmed during that time.”

  She looked away, as if considering.

  :Juran?

  :Yes?

  She described the terms of the bargain.

  :He will try to recruit or convert you.

  :I expect so. He will fail.

  :Yes. I believe he will. This is a dangerous game, Auraya, but if you’re willing to play it, you have our approval. Good luck.

  Meeting Nekaun’s eyes, Auraya nodded once.

  “I will stay.”

  After reporting to Emerahl and The Twins, telling them of Genza’s request that he travel with her to Glymma, Mirar had let himself drift into sleep. He dreamed Auraya was trying to tell him something, but a knock interrupted her. Then he realized his eyes were open and he was staring, awake, at the ceiling.

  Something just woke me up. Sitting up, he frowned and listened. He looked toward the door...

  ... and sensed both hope and uncertainty. A familiar presence stood beyond the door, determination rapidly waning.

  Dardel. She’s finally got up the courage to approach me again.

  For a moment he was caught between conflicting feelings. The memory of Auraya’s presence in his dream lingered in his mind. Yet he knew this opportunity to reassure Dardel might not come again.

  Auraya isn’t here, he told himself. She’s not in love with you.

  Standing up, he walked to the door and opened it. Dardel stared up at him, eyes wide.

  “What can I do for you?” he asked.

  “I heard you were leaving. I came to... to say goodbye.”

  Though she did not meet his eyes, he could feel her conflicting emotions. She was hoping they would do more than just say goodbye.

  “I’m glad you did,” he told her. “Dardel...”

  She looked up. He raised an eyebrow. Her lips curled into a smile. “I hope you don’t mind the late hour. I couldn’t sleep.”

  “Not at all. These hot nights do make sleeping difficult. Would you like to come in and... talk?”

  She slipped past him into the room. Shutting the door, he turned to find her shrugging out of her vest. “This heat just makes me want to take off all my clothes.”

  He laughed quietly. “I thought I was the only one.”

  Coming over to him, she took hold of his vest. “Let me help you.”

  Dreamweaver robes discarded, they moved to the bed. She smelled of sweat and jungle flowers; the moonlight caught the curve of a shoulder. Breast. Hip. Warm skin under his palms. Hands moving over his body. They drew ever nearer, teasing with fingers, exploring with lips, until they couldn’t get any closer. He felt her heels press into his back and then they were rocking back and forth, the only sounds their breathing and the soft creak of the bed, taking him ever closer to that moment when pleasure overtook thought.

  When thought returned she pulled away from him. He reached out to touch her, but she caught his hand. Surprised, he looked at her closely and sensed a thoughtfulness.

  “Something is different,” she said. She looked at him. “I thought it would be more exciting now I know who you are. But it isn’t. It’s...” She frowned and shook her head. “I don’t know.”

  He leaned back against the wall.

  “Sometimes a fantasy is more exciting than reality,” he said.

  She nodded, then frowned and shook her head again. “It’s not that.” She looked at him and smiled. “Well, it is a bit. But there’s something about you that’s always bothered me. You remind me of... have you...?” She stopped and looked thoughtful. “I get the feeling there’s something distracting you, even when you’re most, um, attentive.” She paused. “I’d normally guess it was a woman. I hope that’s not too presumptuous.”

  She was perceptive, he mused. He also recognized her mood. A bit of conversational intimacy sometimes rounded off bedroom encounters nicely, though
women liked it more than men. He had learned to appreciate this long ago. They could be frivolous, funny, outrageous or show depths of intelligence and insight. Sometimes they simply needed to talk about their problems. At times a little too much. That took a little patience.

  Dardel was no complainer. He could have shrugged off her guess, but there was no reason to, so long as he kept Auraya’s identity secret.

  “There is a woman,” he told her.

  She looked up at him. “Then why aren’t you with her? Is she in the north?” Her eyes widened. “Are the Circlian gods keeping you apart?”

  He smiled. “No. Unfortunately she doesn’t regard me in the same way I regard her.”

  “Oh.” Dardel’s shoulders dropped and she smiled at him sympathetically. “Then she’s a fool.”

  He chuckled. “The number of times I’ve said that to women in the opposite situation. Now I’m reassured that it helps - a little.”

  But Dardel didn’t appear to be listening. Suddenly she looked up and punched him lightly in the shoulder.

  “And you just bedded me! How can you do that when you love another!”

  He caught her wrist. “Do you really expect me to be celibate for a woman who has no interest in me?”

  She smiled. “No. I suppose not.”

  “I can think of a few ways you could show your support for my decision not to remain celibate.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “I’m sure you can.” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “It’s nice to know you’re human enough to be a fool for love.”

  “Is it?” He grimaced. “Glad it’s nice for someone.”

  “Aw.” She grinned and patted his cheek. “Then I guess I’ll have to make sure it’s extra-nice for you.” Leaning forward, she began to trace her fingers across his chest. He smiled, caught her hand, and pulled her closer.

  23

  The Sanctuary, in contrast to the Temple, was a jumble of interconnected buildings on several levels. Auraya felt as if she was descending into a maze, yet every time she began to feel trapped and disorientated Nekaun would lead her into a corridor open to the air on one side, or out into a courtyard. She realized that this form of architecture allowed breezes to flow through the building, making the dry heat bearable.