"Fine." Naatos tipped his head. "She's a mindreader, I shouldn't have to do that, but she's an odd one. I'll find some way to seduce her more subtly. She'll still suffer though. Nothing I can do will stop that."
"That's her decision then. Tell her that if she wants, you'll eliminate Shon and remove her pain. What matters though is that then you would be doing what she wants. You'd be respecting her decision." WroOth put his arm around Naatos's shoulder. "But whatever you do, brother, don't wink at her. Only one member of this family can pull it off, and it's definitely not you. Every time you wink, it's like you're saying 'I'm about to do something quite diabolical to you.' And given that Amelia assumes that's what you're thinking every time you look at her, it's best to avoid anything that enforces that idea."
"I have never winked at her." Naatos gave WroOth an irritated glance, though he wasn't particularly annoyed with him. When his brother was right, he was right.
"And that's why we still have hope." WroOth grinned.
18
The Second Problem
When Amelia left the chamber above the Levthro, she was surprised to see how much had changed. All was astir with preparations.
In every hall, families loaded up slat wagons with food and supplies. Libyshans and Machat worked together. Neither side appeared to be acknowledging the rage of the mob. Indeed, fear thickened the air. A fear so strong Amelia could almost see it.
As a Machat woman passed her, Amelia stopped her. "What's happening here?"
"We're going into the deeper caverns and passages. We'll hide and barricade the doors. The lelk herbs will cover the scent, but we have to be finished before night falls if the herbs are going to do their work." She shuddered. "Even so, we'll need more time than that to get enough distance. Gather your possessions, Neyeb. You must find a safe place as well."
Safe? Amelia watched the woman hurry away, her brown skirts swishing with her rapid pace. She folded her arms. Wherever she went would cease to be a safe place. The best plan she had come up with was that she needed to leave like Shon.
She made her way down the cool passage, weaving together the components of her plan with this newest revelation. Her conversation with Leonas had left her encouraged, but she still needed to decide the timing and ensure she didn't cause more problems by leaving. "Obviously I will be seeing Naatos sooner than I wanted," she said softly.
Her slippers made soft shooshes on the stones. Amelia turned the possibilities through her mind. Her return had to be as much on her terms as possible. She tapped her finger to her cheek.
If she wasn't careful, she would give Naatos added fuel to attack New Istador. Or he would decide he could accomplish everything he wanted, imprisoning her so that he could go and lay waste to the Machat. There had to be a way to prevent that.
Amelia rubbed the back of her neck. There had to be some solution, but all she could see were the problems. Naatos, at his core, was a hunter. Even with these lelk herbs to put him off the scent, Amelia found it hard to believe they would work alone. The deeper passages, secret though they were, were little more than delays. Which was probably why they would continue fleeing down the passages.
A soft crying broke into Amelia's thoughts along with a bitter tendril of fear—a particularly horrible choking terror.
Here the passages were pitted with large holes that resembled openwork lace. Most were not deep, but beneath the torchlight, Amelia glimpsed a small form. She knelt down. A little girl with sand-blond hair cowered in the back of the hole, her hands over her face as she whimpered.
"Hey there." Amelia leaned forward, supporting herself on her hands. "Are you all right?"
The little girl shook her head, tears streaming from her eyes. She hiccuped. "The monsters…"
"Monsters?" Amelia tilted her head. "What monsters?" She glanced around the passage, half-expecting to see a crudon crouching around the corner or a massive spider clinging to the ceiling.
"The Paras. They're going to eat me." The girl began sobbing again.
"Oh." Amelia's chest tightened. Even the children of prophets and foreseers got scared. Where were this girl's parents? She debated searching for help, but what if the child wandered away? A sick feeling twisted in her stomach. What if other children did this? It would take more than twelve hours to check all these passages. "So you're hiding from the Paras in here?"
"Do you want to hide with me?" The little girl wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and curled her knees tighter to her chest to make room.
"I don't think there's enough room for me in there." Amelia rapped the side of the wall with her knuckles. It echoed faintly. "Not particularly strong either. Why don't you come out here? I can help you find a better hiding place. One your mommy and daddy can fit in too."
"They want us to go into the dark." The little girl shuddered, her lips quivering. "I saw it when they opened the doors. It's deep, deep, deep in the ground. But that's where the Paras are. It'll be dark, and they'll sneak up on me, and I won't see them! I know they will because I've had dreams about it. And I'm a Machat. Our dreams come true."
"All dreams?" Amelia asked.
"My momma says no. But how am I supposed to know when it's a prophecy and when it's because I'm scared? Wouldn't I be scared if it was going to happen?"
"I would be scared either way." Amelia sat at the edge of the hole. "Nightmares are frightening. But everything is going to be fine. What's your name?"
"Iya."
"That's a very pretty name. Mine's Amelia." Amelia slowed her own breaths and pushed away the perturbed thoughts. This child might not be a mindreader, but that did not mean she couldn't pick up on what Amelia was feeling. "You know…it's really scary being a little girl when something like this happens. Of course, monsters are scary no matter what age you are. I was close to your age when I first faced the Paras."
"And they didn't eat you?"
Amelia held up her hands and smiled. "Does it look like they ate me?"
Iya giggled. The tears dried on her cheeks. "No."
"Good. Because that would have been a bad surprise for me." Amelia rubbed the flesh of her bare arm, the long sleeve bunched at her elbow. As she did, one of the previously stuck bandages fell off. She paused, startled to see deep dark gouges in her skin.
Iya's eyes widened. "What's that?"
Amelia swallowed hard. She pushed her sleeve farther back. The remaining bandages slid off. Underneath, the skin was twisted, blackened, and marred. Was this how it was with all the bites and stings?
"What happened?" Iya leaned closer, gripping Amelia's wrist to get a better look. "Are you a warrior?"
"Yes…" Amelia pulled the bandages from her sleeve. She then rolled back her other sleeve, and these cloths also fell away. Her shoulder and arm were just as twisted and scarred. She bit the inside of her lip. Don't be ridiculous, she thought. You've got more important things to focus on.
Iya slipped out of the hole. "Can I touch it?"
Amelia gave a shallow laugh, her voice tight. "Sure."
Iya crept closer to Amelia and tapped her skin lightly with her dirty fingers. She then poked a little harder against the dark ridges. "What bit you? A Para?"
"No." Technically, it was Naatos's fault, but he hadn't bitten her. Amelia swallowed hard. "It was a nest of hook-fanged spiders."
"Spiders?" Iya's hazel eyes were even wider now. "Did the Paras make them attack you? Naatos makes monsters, I heard."
Amelia forced a smile. "You know, spiders scare me more than anything. I was so afraid because I was stuck with so many, but you know what? I got out of there eventually. And here I am."
"I don't like spiders either, but the Paras scare me more."
"Well, you know that's not such a bad thing," Amelia said. "Because the Paras can be fooled in a very easy way."
Iya shook her head fiercely." But the Paras turn into monsters! WroOth is a dragon. I don't like dragons." Iya's lips trembled again. "How did you get away from the Paras when you were like me?
"
Amelia wondered how best to answer. It was so complicated. "I almost didn't. I made a big mistake. There were people who were supposed to protect me, and I almost didn't go with them. My guardian, Joseph, had to come and rescue me, and then we…"
Iya suddenly climbed onto her lap and wrapped her arms about her neck. "Were you scared?"
Startled, Amelia pulled back. She steadied herself on the wall. "Yes…yes, I was very scared. I didn't know what was going to happen. But Joseph told me I needed to hide. He knew that I needed to be in another place, and that's what you need to do." She stood, clutching Iya. The words came a little easier now, and the plan she had been working to sort out suddenly snapped into place. She knew just what to say and almost exactly what she would do. "See, you shouldn't be alone when the Paras come. You need to go with your mommy and daddy down into the dark places because that's the safest place for you. And as soon as you go and all the other children are safe, I'm going to go out and face the Paras."
Iya gasped. "But they'll eat you!"
Amelia tapped Iya on the nose. "They'll have to catch me first. See, I'm the Third Nalenth, so that means I'm extra sneaky. Elonumato made sure of that. And I'm going to make them look very silly because I'm going to leave them a letter and make them come looking for me. And that means they won't be able to stay here and hunt for you."
Iya poked the scar on Amelia's shoulder, pushing away the fabric. "Will they catch you?"
"Only if I let them." Amelia started back down the hall the way she had come. Hopefully this was the right path. "Do you think I should?"
"No. They're monsters. You shouldn't let monsters catch you."
"That's true. Of course, you shouldn't run away by yourself when there's monsters around either," Amelia said. "I imagine your parents are very worried about you."
Iya shifted uncomfortably. "Do you have special tricks as a Nalenth?"
Not unless you count getting abducted into their family, Amelia thought. "Well," she said. "I'm very fast, and I'm pretty smart. So that should count for something."
This plan actually made sense to her. She went over the items she would need. If she could get Naatos, AaQar, and WroOth to pursue her, she could potentially give the Machat a few more hours to finish getting deeper into the mountain, allowing the herbs to work and mask their scent. But how could she get all three to come after her?
"But monsters are big." Iya frowned, her thin brows scrunching together and her upturned nose wrinkling. "They can eat you like this." She pantomimed biting.
"Well, it's a good thing that Vawtrians don't eat people then, isn't it?" Amelia bumped Iya up as she slipped. "Besides, they need me alive."
"They can still cut off your arms and your legs. Like this." Iya made telling chops to Amelia's shoulders.
Amelia choked back a laugh. It was entirely inappropriate, and it shouldn't have been that funny. But somehow she couldn't fully restrain it. "I don't think so. But I'm glad you're feeling better."
"Did you ever stop being scared?" Iya asked. Her face suddenly brightened. "Kepsalon!" She waved both of her hands as Kepsalon rounded the corner.
Kepsalon waved back. He gave Amelia a knowing smile. "I see you've found one of our runaways."
"Are there a lot of them?" Amelia asked.
"About sixteen. But we'll find them." Kepsalon tapped Iya on the shoulder. "Your mother is frantic with worry, little one. You should not run off like that. Now I suppose we'll have to take you back."
"She's going to make the Paras go away." Iya patted Amelia on the head as if she was a guard dog. "She has a plan."
"Ahhh, do you?" Kepsalon folded his arms and nodded. "Well, why don't you enlighten me."
"Well," Amelia said, continuing to walk. "You have a problem."
"Actually we have two, but the first one has been resolved," Kepsalon said.
"Oh, that's good. The second problem then is that you're going to need more time, and Naatos and his brothers have to be out of New Istador if you're going to hide the trail and give those herbs enough time to obscure everything."
"Yes. That is precisely the case. We will need every minute of four hours once the doors close behind us to fully hide our trail," Kepsalon said, pointed toward three of the tunnels on his left. "Not that you should be worried, little dreamer. There will be plenty of torches. I will even let you carry one. I have a special oil you can put on it so that it will not go out, even if you drop it."
Iya smiled, pleased. "Can I have a dagger?"
"You'll have to ask your mother about that. Now what is your plan, Amelia?"
"I'll give Naatos, AaQar, and WroOth a reason to chase after me, and I'll leave a trail out of New Istador and into the forest that will make it hard for them to find me. I'll make sure it takes at least four hours or longer. But I'll need some supplies. And, obviously, I'm not going to have time for those lessons. Do you have books? Anything I can use to learn how to be a Neyeb? There just isn't the time."
Iya poked her cheek. "I thought you were a Neyeb. You don't learn to be one. You just are."
Amelia smiled but pushed her hand away. "It's not quite that easy."
"I have a few texts you can use," Kepsalon said. "Your abilities are much stronger than you realize, though they are choppy. It's not just about learning what you can do but channeling those abilities as well. As far as supplies, what do you want?"
"I need things that will make a trail easier to follow," Amelia said. "But they'll have to obscure it and overwhelm their sense of smell as well so I can make fake paths and then disappear. Pepper, cinnamon, cumin. A few bags of anything like that should do. I'll also need a satchel for the books. I'll leave the Salvation of the Third Nalenth with you. I can't risk that Naatos will take it from me. And of course I'll take my knives. I shouldn't need any weapons other than that. Oh, and I'll need garments that are sturdy and…alluring."
Kepsalon raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Amelia shrugged. "Can you think of a better way to get Naatos to chase me?"
19
Final Preparations
It did not take long to find Iya's mother. Her mother swept her out of Amelia's arms and started kissing and scolding her at once, tears streaming down her cheeks. In between those tears, she thanked Amelia and gripped her hands.
Amelia would have stayed longer, but time was precious. Meanwhile, Kepsalon gave one of the attendants a list of items Amelia needed and took the Salvation of the Third Nalenth for safekeeping. He then suggested Amelia rest. "You will have a long task ahead of you," he said. "And I can spend these remaining hours either teaching you what I can about being a Neyeb or letting you sleep. You'll want at least a two-hour head start. So if you leave just after dinner, you should be well enough on your way."
"Teach me." Amelia rubbed her hands across her forehead, sifting through all the thoughts. That sense of fear she had gotten from Iya remained fresh in her mind. The other children likely felt the same way.
"And where might you be going?" Kepsalon asked, matching his pace to hers once he caught up. "You are heading the wrong way if you want to learn."
"There are missing children. You can give me my lessons while I search for them." Amelia paused. Was that it? Did she feel someone else? She gripped her arm, she felt the ridges of scar tissue. Shaking her head, she struggled to return her attention to the matter at hand. There were far more important issues than these scars. "There are missing children," she said again, her voice tight. "We have to find them. We'll talk and search."
"As you wish." Kepsalon's gaze drifted from her face to her arm. His eyebrow arched before he looked away. Amelia tugged her sleeves down. "The first thing you need to know is that your elmis are what receives the information and are what allow you to be a mindreader. Without your elmis, you will have heightened emotional perception, but you will not be able to read minds among other things.
"Each set of elmis provides a different focus. The elmis on your forehead are general perceptive elmis. They are not
attached to emotional impulses so much as they gather information. Particularly strong emotions will still reach you though. However, the elmis on your palms and wrists are the strongest and most commonly used. They are also directly connected to your emotions. You can enhance your focus by directing your palms at the individual whose mind you are trying to read. Particularly powerful Neyeb do not even have to be within eyeshot of the individual. For now, though you'll need to be fairly close. Unless it's someone whom you're particularly close to."
"Like Naatos." Amelia pulled her sleeves down farther and then adjusted the neckline of her dress as one of the final bandages from her shoulder slipped free.
"Yes. As he is your husband, you have an exceptionally strong connection to Naatos. He can reach you when you are deep mindreading if he has the necklace, though soon that will change. Right now, you will need to be in contact with the necklace to form a connection, but with practice and intimacy, you will be able to reach his mind with only a thought. The distance will become meaningless. And actually given what all has happened, you share a strong bond with all three. With time, it will not be difficult for you to contact any of them."
"I suppose that's a good thing," Amelia said.
"At the very least, it is useful. Now then, the elmis on the soles of your feet, you won't feel much from them. They are more instinctual, almost to the level of foreshadowing but not so easy to articulate. Neyeb never wear thick-soled shoes. Those elmis are what you will use in battle or when running or even when you're attempting to stay ahead of Naatos. The closeness of the locking will give you some advantage. It will at first feel like an urge to move. Almost a pricking. Quite easy to ignore until you get used to them."
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