The role of the guide from their world had several uses. One was to find people, another to assess an enemy's state of mind or circumstances, a third to get an idea of what forces someone was going to face.
A skilled guide could do all of those things without being detected by the person they were bridging to unless the person was very sensitive. Given Valry's empathy she'd inherited from her mother, he suspected she might sense his presence.
As soon as he'd finished crossing into her link, he could feel the heavy exhaustion that encompassed her. He wasn't sure what to make of the room she was in. He could tell she was laying on a bed, but it was hard and cold. Something sharp was poking into her feet and he could smell blood but wasn't sure where it was coming from. Aside from the hard bed and whatever was poking her feet, she didn't seem to be hurt. The room was well lit, and through a narrow arch he could see another room that appeared bigger.
Two voices, neither that he recognized, but a man's and a woman's were talking, too quietly for him to hear what they were saying. There was another presence there, within her mind, calling to her, promising her relief, promising her rest and comfort. Aiqho'il recognized it immediately as Zared, the same presence he'd warned her about before.
And that was when he felt Valry fighting that presence, but not on her own. Like a carefully placed path of leaves and twigs from the top of a tree to the ground during a rainfall, the Well had built itself a bridge to her that allowed it to feed her power without a single drop being lost or making a sound. It was no wonder he hadn't been able to sense it at first, it was completely silent and unnoticeable until you actually found it and saw it firsthand. The bridge was so silent and perfectly built, there was no way Zared would ever sense it within the girl.
Aiqho'il realized the child must not have slept in days and was being sustained entirely by the Well, much as it had sustained him in his mother's womb. But just as eventually his mother's body could no longer hold him and he had to be born, so eventually, would Valry's mind and body no longer be able to withstand the exhaustion.
"Wellmage?"
Aiqho'il smiled at Valry's thought in his mind. He'd have been surprised if she hadn't sensed him there. He still hadn't told her his name, wanting to protect her in case Zared or his followers ever suspected there were more of the lost souls there than just Nahtan.
"It's me, little one," he replied. "You've been away from the Well for some time, I was growing concerned."
"They're making me stay awake," she thought back. "Is papa there?"
"Yes, little one, I'm with your father."
"Tell papa it's Linah."
"Linah?"
"He'll know."
Aiqho'il frowned. He could tell even just this brief conversation was wearing on her. "I'll tell him. He's almost to you, we're marching on Basiyr now."
"Hurry."
Aiqho'il pulled back from her link, opening his eyes as his bridge collapsed between them. Now he knew why she hadn't been here, and how she'd managed to fight Zared off on her own for so long. He looked out at the Well as it crested and swirled almost happily at his discovery.
"You don't have to be so proud of yourself," he told it, standing up.
He began his chant that would move him back to Zakris' world, and had nearly completed the shift to where his body appeared to be asleep in Lady Caya's wagon, when he sensed another presence in the wagon. He stopped at the last second, his spirit pausing at the shift between worlds.
"Goddess?" he asked. He could only sense the presence, not see them. But he knew it was either Jensina or Halona. He had sensed both in the Firstwood many, many times over his years there, so had become very familiar with them. The presence was distant somehow, so he couldn't be sure which one it was.
"Wardsman," Jensina's thought answered his, surprised. "Thou doth know I'm here?"
"I sensed you on my shift back to this world from my old world," he replied. He paused, trying to feel for where she was, realizing there were distinct boundaries here now. "The wagon--you're secluded here?"
"The wagon is a sanctuary," Jensina explained. "We can move in this world in two times: our own or the mortals'. I have come to the mortals' time to...better watch over my son and offer what protection I may. But to remain long term, I have to have a sanctuary."
Aiqho'il turned that over in his mind. Yenene and Lady Caya sat talking quietly near the back of the wagon, leaving him to sleep undisturbed near the front. He'd told them he wasn't feeling well and asked if he might lay down for a bit, knowing the two priestesses would oblige.
"You've been with us since we met the caravan?" he asked.
"Yes," Jensina answered. "Please do not tell my son. It's safer if he not know I'm here."
"That's why Yenene feels such a bond with Lady Caya," Aiqho'il realized. "She senses you."
"Yes," Jensina's voice was calm. "You sleep when you return to your world?"
"Only if I intend to return to this body," he replied. "If I do not intend to return to it, then it simply disappears."
Jensina was quiet for a moment, and Aiqho'il was about to finish his chant to return to his body when she continued.
"You bear the same powers we do as gods, yet father says you are no more than a boy."
"We were--" Aiqho'il paused. "Very different from you. As far as my age, I've been dead longer than you've existed. Did you know I watched Zakris create you and your sister? But I appear as I was when I died in our world, and I was young, perhaps no more than seventeen or eighteen summers as your mortals measure time."
"I think when this is over, I would like to meet you, Wardsman," Jensina said.
Aiqho'il couldn't help but chuckle. "We have met, Goddess," he replied. "I was the other spirit there in your temple when Nahtan died to find where his daughter was taken--and I am the lion who first brought you your son." He finished his chant, crossing the final line between worlds and taking a deep breath as he opened his eyes.
"Gaurel?" Yenene turned as he sat up on the bed. "How are you feeling?" She stood and came to check on him.
"Better," he nodded to her, glancing up to where Lady Caya still sat at the back of the wagon. "I found Valry finally," he said quietly. "She is still at the temple."
Yenene sighed and he could see the relief in her expression. "Is she safe?" she asked quietly.
"For the moment," he replied. "Do you know the name Linah?"
Yenene frowned. "She's Nahtan's sister," she said. "But she's missing and has been for some time."
"She's not missing," Gaurel shook his head as he swung his feet down from the bed. "She's at the temple and I believe she's the one who has Valry now."
Yenene stared at him, then shook her head slowly. "Zared will stop at absolutely nothing to try to break Nahtan," she realized.
"I don't think Zared realizes he's dealing with Daghr'il now, not Nahtan," Gaurel said. "And Daghr'il would not break easily."
Yenene nodded. "Is Nahtan truly gone then?" There was a note of loss in her voice, and he thought even one of regret.
Gaurel shook his head. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "I hope for his sake that he's not, or the entire reason for his coming to this world will be for nothing."
"He should be told," Yenene said quietly.
"I can tell him," Gaurel said. "He cannot hurt me and his rage does not affect me as it does you."
Yenene reached over and squeezed his hand, smiling at him. "I'll go tell him," she said. "It'll raise fewer questions with Lord Asher for me to be there than you. You've been fairly absent lately, so a sudden appearance with news may raise too many questions. My showing up with the information can be explained far easier because of my role as a priestess."
Gaurel nodded. "The Well is still open in him," he advised her. "But now that's it broken through again, his control over his temper is better. However the power to destroy will come easier to him next time he chooses." He figured he should probably tell her everything for her to tell Nahtan. "Valry is in pain, they
're trying to wear her down so she'll succumb to Zared. I could feel pain in her feet, extreme exhaustion and I could smell blood, but couldn't tell where it was coming from. She was cold, and hadn't slept in some time, but the Well is sustaining her and helping her fight off Zared."
"What about Lord Valin?"
"I neither saw nor heard any sign of him."
Yenene nodded. She stood up and went to have a quiet word with Lady Caya, then opened the door and slipped out onto the step on the back of the wagon. A couple of minutes later, Gaurel heard Yenene's horse gallop ahead of the wagon.
Nahtan turned his head slightly when he heard a horse approach. A quick glance behind and he saw Yenene fall in beside Brijade. The two spoke quietly for a moment before Yenene moved up next to him.
"I need to talk to you," she said quietly. "It's about Valry."
"What is it?" he asked her, his concern obvious. He could tell there was something serious by her expression and the hesitancy in her tone. A tightness started in his chest, afraid she was going to tell him something had happened and they were going to be too late. He told himself if that was the case, Gaurel would have been the one to tell him, not her.
Yenene glanced past him to Asher, then back at Nahtan. "It might be best to discuss it in private," she said.
Nahtan watched her for a minute, liking the implications of that even less. He turned to Asher.
"We'll catch up," he told him. "Yenene needs me for a minute." Asher nodded, looked past him and nodded to Yenene as Nahtan pulled ahead then led Yenene to the side of the army. "What?" he asked her again. Renato stamped a hoof, snorting. Nahtan touched his bond with him, reassuring him they'd be moving again soon. Renato pushed back, obviously sensing the tenseness in Nahtan.
"Gaurel has news about Valry," Yenene said. "She's still at the temple."
"Is she all right?" he asked, frowning. They'd known she was there, but exactly what their plans were for her had remained a mystery. He clenched his left hand out of habit, still almost wishing for the pain from his wrist to distract him.
"He says for now she is," Yenene continued, then paused. "But she told him Linah is there and she's the one who has Valry now. She's trying to wear Valry down so she'll give in and Zared can gain control over her."
"Linah?" His chest tightened more as a sense of dread settled over him. He couldn't remember if Michak had told him how long she'd been missing for, but he knew it had been a considerable amount of time. She'd disappeared while walking home one night in Edgewind, and there had been no trace of her again no matter how far they'd searched. They'd finally guessed she'd been taken to sell at a slave auction and was long gone. Nahtan realized Zared taking his sister and corrupting her to follow him was just another way to try to hurt him. The fallen god was doing everything he could to try to destroy him, and now his own sister was going to be responsible for turning his daughter over to Zared. He felt his jaw tighten as the burning in his chest flared up and his hands burned briefly.
Nahtan took a slow breath. "Did he see Lord Valin anywhere?" He knew Rial wouldn't abandon Valry, but he also knew there was a chance the young lord had been discovered and killed. He wasn't going to underestimate Zared or what he'd order his followers to do. Though he did know Rial wasn't going to go down without a fight.
"No," Yenene replied. "But that doesn't mean he's not there or trying to protect her. It's entirely possible things would be far worse if he wasn't there."
Nahtan was quiet for a long moment. She had a point, whatever their plans were for Valry could have been delayed because of whatever Rial was doing. It was entirely likely they were in a situation that he couldn't get Valry out of on his own, but he could cause delays while they waited for Nahtan to get there. He pushed the burning in his chest down, forcing himself to believe he still had time to get to Valry before it was too late.
"Was she in any pain?" he finally asked.
"He said he could feel pain in her feet and she was cold," she said. "But that was all aside from exhaustion."
He nodded his head. He knew they were trying to wear her down, to weaken her to the point that Zared would be able to earn her trust. He knew then that as soon as he knew where Thorvald and his armies were at Basiyr, he would do whatever he needed to in order to destroy them so they could march on the temple. "Thank you, Yenene," he told her, then turned Renato and galloped back to the front of the army.
Three - "No distractions"
Lord Valin tossed one of his daggers into the air, flipping it, then catching it when it fell. He tossed it again, flipping it, then catching it. Hun-Ki lay by his feet, his head laying over Rial's boots as he snored. Even in his sleep, the big dog's tail would occasionally thump against the floor. Rial sat on the floor, his back against the low cot where Inacia lay, the thin blanket pulled over her.
"I think I need to kill someone," he decided.
"You killed someone this morning," Inacia said quietly, rolling over onto her side so she was facing him. She reached one hand over to rest against the back of his shoulder. "If you start killing them all, it'll draw too much attention."
"We've been in this damned temple almost six days now, and still no sign of Valry," Rial said. "Soon I won't care."
"We're almost done clearing this floor," she pointed out. "Then we only have two levels left if you've figured right. Between every level being a different layout and having to avoid being seen, it makes it take time to check every room for her."
Not knowing where Valry was being held, they were forced to go room by room searching for her. Logic had led them to guess she was being held in one of the upper levels, so they had started working their way up. Hun-Ki helped it go a little faster where he was able to tell with just a quick sniff in each room if Valry's scent was there, but avoiding all of the priests and servants of Zared's was taking far longer than Rial liked. He was sure Nahtan had moved on from Olorun by now and would be well on his way to Basiyr.
He almost wished he could see what was going to happen to Thorvald and what was left of his army at Basiyr. He didn't know how much of an army Nahtan might have with him now, but he knew Nahtan wasn't going to stop until either him or Thorvald was dead.
And as Rial could attest, Nahtan didn't stay dead, even when you did kill him.
"I still think I need to kill someone," Rial said. He flipped the dagger around and threw it at the wall, sinking it into the wood next to his other one.
"Well now you only have one left, and that one's too long to flip in here," Inacia scolded him.
Rial glanced back at her, then pushed himself to his feet and walked over to pull the daggers from the wall. The private cell they were in was as tiny as the first one they'd used when they first snuck into Zared's temple, but it gave them somewhere to hide and rest. As they'd moved to new levels, they'd looked for unused cells for those who lived here. When he came back, he pushed her feet over and sat on the end of the bed as he sheathed his daggers.
"I did offer to share the cot," she reminded him.
"And I already told you--"
"No distractions," she cut him off. "I know. Just because I offered to share the bed doesn't mean anything. She sat up, pulling the blanket around herself. "You already told me you're not married. When was the last time you courted anyone, anyway?"
Rial glanced at her.
"Technically, I've never 'courted' anyone," he told her. "They've all sought me out. I haven't been able to stand any of them for more than a few weeks."
Inacia nodded her head slowly, obviously understanding. "So they only like you for your title and land, not for the murderous, arrogant bastard you are? Whatever could be wrong with these girls?"
Rial sighed, noting the faint upturn to the corners of her eyes and controlled muscles around her mouth as she tried not to smile.
Unfortunately, he had to admit there was a seed of truth to her teasing. Most of the girls who came seeking his attention left on their own for one reason or another once they got to know him better.
At least one had left in less than a day. The few months he'd spent with Inacia had been the longest he'd spent with any girl. Their relationship had been strictly focused on finding Nahtan's daughter and keeping her safe until her father could get to her and rescue her from Thorvald.
"Just remember when we're out there in the halls," he began. "I'm the one with the daggers and garrote and you're the one wearing the robe with nothing on underneath, so it's this murderous, arrogant bastard that's keeping you alive when someone happens upon us unexpectedly." He paused to glance down at Hun-Ki as the big dog snorted and rolled over onto his back in his sleep. "Me and the overly happy mutt," he corrected.
Inacia leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "Yes, I know," she told him. "And I'm glad you're very quick with both daggers and garrote." She sighed. "We're both exhausted. You take the cot and I'll lay down on the floor with Hun-Ki. It's easier for me to use him as a pillow." She gathered the blanket around herself and climbed off the cot. All she had to wear was the priestess' robe, and she'd taken to removing that as soon as they'd get back to wherever they were using to rest. They had left their horses loose in a nearby meadow and hidden the saddles and packs somewhere safe. Rial's gelding was well trained enough that he'd come when signaled and guide Inacia's horse back with him. "Let's try and get a few hours' sleep then clear this floor tonight and maybe start on the next one."
"I'm just concerned we'll be too late when we find her," Rial shook his head. He wasn't sure what he'd do if they were. Since catching up to Thorvald, this was the first time they hadn't known exactly where Valry was. Before that, even when they'd been separated from her, they'd still been able to signal her that they were nearby.
"The priests and initiates are still talking about her and whatever preparations being made," Inacia assured him. "So whatever they're doing, it's taking time. We'll find her and you won't let the king down."
Rial chuckled. "I couldn't care less about letting His Majesty down," he told her. "I did kill him once, remember? My concern is the Princess and whatever harm they may do to her. Nahtan can take care of himself."
Basiyr: Chronicles of Nahtan: Book 6 (The Herridon Chronicles) Page 5
