Elkan went on absently as he watched Edniel escort the first group of twenty Ramunnan prisoners toward the ship. “Jaron was telling me they’re reconsidering signing on with the Blasters’ Guild. They’re both enthusiastic about its potential and eager for the status of founders, but they hope for children eventually, and a small, new guild probably won’t have any wards to place. The Miners’ Guild is huge and mining’s dangerous, so their chances are much better if at least one of them stays a member. I certainly understand his point, but Meira needs all the good people she can get.” He sighed. “If Hanion even agrees to entertain her bid. The whole question might be moot if he supports the miners’ claim to the blasting powder.”
Tenorran gaped at him, unable to keep his reaction off his face any longer. Elkan frowned. “Is something wrong?”
Tenorran shook his head numbly. This must be another of the wizard’s schemes to win Tenorran’s trust and turn him to the Tevenaran side. What he described couldn’t possibly be true. Somehow he’d discovered Tenorran’s vulnerability and designed a lie to appeal to his deepest, most shameful desires. He must have staged that encounter so Tenorran would see it and then fed him the carefully prepared fiction. Jaron and Sachiel were probably laughing together over how easily he’d been fooled, before they went off to celebrate with female companions.
Elkan should have pursued this strategy from the start. It would have gotten him a lot further than all those awkward breakfasts he’d spent making friendly overtures while Tenorran rigidly concealed his attraction to the handsome wizard who so obviously felt nothing in return.
The Ramunnan prisoners filed onto the ship. When they moved out of the way, five Tevenarans crossed the plank to the dock. Edniel welcomed them with clasped hands and directed them to where a clerk waited to check their names off a list.
Elkan spoke softly. “Jaron and Sachiel wouldn’t be welcome in Ramunna, would they?”
“No,” Tenorran whispered.
“I wondered. I was only there for a short time, and it took me a while to realize what I wasn’t seeing. There were couples who came together when one needed healing. But they always called themselves friends, even when it was obvious they felt their loved ones’ pain in their own bodies.” He stared into the distance, rubbing his right wrist with his left hand. “And there were no families. Many orphaned or abandoned children, but when I asked about childless couples they might be entrusted to, people always named a woman and a man.”
More groups of Ramunnan and Tevenaran prisoners moved back and forth between ship and dock. Elkan remained silent for a while. Tenorran was grateful for the reprieve. He couldn’t let himself believe what Elkan was saying. It had to be a deception. Didn’t it?
He tried to remember what he’d seen during his limited freedom in Korisan. There had been few displays of affection in public. Everyone maintained a businesslike friendliness with everyone else. But occasionally he’d noticed a husband and wife holding hands or standing a bit closer than with others. Had they all been male and female pairs? It had always been difficult for him to tell who was what sex here. Everyone’s clothes were similar, and there seemed to be no pattern governing who wore their hair long or short. Facial hair was uncommon. If a person’s gender wasn’t obvious from their body shape or features, there was no reliable way to tell. Maybe the truth had been right before his eyes, and his assumptions had made him as blind as Elkan had been to the way things were in Ramunna.
The last Tevenarans descended from the ship, and the last Ramunnans boarded. Dockworkers loosed ropes as the next ship maneuvered into place.
Elkan took a deep breath. “I suspect your life hasn’t been easy. If you want to tell me about it, I’ll listen.”
He couldn’t speak. Elkan was the enemy. Anything Tenorran told him would be a betrayal of his homeland and people.
But suddenly the burden of silence he’d borne so long was crushing him, smothering him, burying him alive. The foundation of the wall he’d built to protect himself was broken, shattered by weapon fire and exploding bombs, and the stones were collapsing around him in a roar of dust and smoke. If he didn’t speak, he would suffocate.
He stared at the docking ship without seeing it. A different scene played out in his memory. “When I was twelve, my father took me to witness the public flogging of one of his officers. He’d been discovered committing “unnatural acts.” I didn’t know what that meant, but Father explained it to me. Carefully, in explicit detail. I think he suspected and wanted to warn me what could happen. The man was whipped bloody while his shipmates watched. Then he was formally expelled from the Armada and sent away with nothing. He’d served Ramunna faithfully for fifteen years. The man they caught him with was hanged. For treason, they said.”
Elkan remained quiet, but something in his manner conveyed nonjudgmental acceptance. The words he’d never before spoken poured out of Tenorran. “So of course I was always careful. I never let myself be alone with any of my school friends, especially not the ones I thought might share my perversion. I joined the Armada as soon as I turned eighteen. There’s never any privacy aboard a ship, and when we had shore leave I made sure never to go near the places that cater to men like me. I would go with the other officers to a brothel and pay a whore for an hour of her time and her silence. Maybe people guessed, but as long as I gave them no evidence I was safe.”
“I doubt anyone did. I never suspected, nor did Meira.” Elkan winced and ran a hand through his hair. “It never occurred to us someone might want to conceal their natural inclination. If I’d known, we might have been able to work things out so you could stay here.” He sighed and shook his head. “But it’s too late now. I promised to return you in exchange for Josiah.” His voice hardened. “I’m sorry to send you back to that. But it’s yet another reason I can never allow Tevenar to fall under Ramunnan rule. It’s all I can do to protect my own people; I’ve given up trying to save yours.”
“Of course.” Tenorran squelched an ache of traitorous longing. “I wouldn’t have agreed to stay, anyway. I’ll always be loyal to Ramunna.”
Elkan gave him a skeptical look, but didn’t argue. He turned back to watch the ongoing exchange of prisoners, leaving Tenorran alone with his thoughts.
Ship after ship disgorged Tevenarans and bore Ramunnans away. The crowd of prisoners on shore dwindled. Finally, well after midnight, the last few boarded the dozenth Armada ship and it pulled away from the dock. Only one ship remained in the river, waiting its turn. His mother’s banner hung from the mainmast, stirring slightly in the breeze, gold field gleaming in the light of the Mother’s power.
Tenorran’s heart pounded as the Matriarch’s ship pulled up to the dock. Before it touched, a lanky figure vaulted over the rail and raced to throw his arms around the neck of the donkey that trotted to meet him.
His mother, resplendent in full regalia, stood on the deck, watching. Sailors extended a plank to the dock, and three people crossed at a more sedate pace: a young man with an eagle on his shoulder, another man with a thick snake draped around his neck, and a woman carrying a squirrel in her arms. They moved with eager steps to stand beside Elkan. He nodded a greeting, but his eyes remained fixed on the Matriarch, and his hand remained firmly on Tobi’s head.
She met his gaze with equal intensity. “You have what you asked for, Master Elkan. Now return my son to me.”
Elkan gestured for Tenorran to accompany him, and they walked together across the dock. The wizard stopped when they reached the plank. “Your majesty, I want you to know that Tenorran never betrayed Ramunna. He refrained from taking his own life in order to spare his comrades’ loved ones from undeserved punishment. He never told us anything about how the blasting powder is made; we discovered that knowledge before he ever set foot in Tevenar. He pretended to cooperate with us, but his true loyalty never wavered. The false information he gave us came very close to undermining our cause.”
The Matriarch heard him out, but when he finished she made a dismissive gesture. “I’
ll deal with my son’s transgressions as I see fit. Now hand him over.”
“Go on,” Elkan told Tenorran. Tenorran took a deep breath and walked over the bouncy plank onto the deck of the ship.
His mother gave him a searching inspection from head to toe. She nodded and turned back to the wizard. “I will return tomorrow to work out an agreement as to how Tevenar will help me retake Ramunna from the Marvannans.”
Elkan inclined his head. “I will receive you in the Mother’s Hall. An hour past noon?”
“That will serve.” She gestured curtly to the sailors, and they set about casting off. “Tenorran, come with me.” She swept off toward the stern cabin. Tenorran followed, his stomach churning.
With a word she dismissed her attendants. The door closed, leaving the two of them alone for the first time Tenorran could remember. Very possibly the first time in his life. His mother seated herself in an ornate upholstered chair and gestured for Tenorran to take a seat in a plainer chair facing it. “Benarre told me about everything that’s happened since you arrived here.”
Tenorran dropped his eyes. “Master Elkan told the truth. I did not give the Tevenarans the Secret. They had it already. I chose not to carry out my final duty so I could try to prevent them from using it. Even though I failed, I never betrayed you. Everything I did was for Ramunna’s sake.”
She waved dismissively. “I know. Benarre’s account made that obvious. Especially his description of the trap you devised for the wizards.”
“Are you going to use it?”
“Not tonight. I still hope to use their powers for my own purposes. Perhaps in the future, if it becomes necessary.”
Tenorran frowned. “Now they’re back in control of the city, it’s only a matter of time until they discover what we put in place and dismantle it.”
“Don’t worry. Benarre and I have plans to keep it concealed.”
“If you’re sure.” Tenorran was still worried, but he couldn’t add any information to what Benarre had already relayed.
His mother regarded him, a smug little smile playing around her lips. “Your concern demonstrates that you feel no allegiance to the wizards. If I still had any doubts, your response to what you learned about Tevenar just now dispelled them.”
Shock coursed through Tenorran. “What?”
“I’ve been watching you through a window since we came in range. I saw that shameless display, and I heard what Elkan told you. If you resisted the temptation to beg to remain here where your perversion is openly accepted, I’m certain nothing can sway your loyalty.”
His mind floundered like a drowning man. “You know about me?”
She made an impatient gesture. “Shorren told me when you were a child. I’ve always been pleased with your discretion.” She leaned forward. “I can protect you from the consequences if it should ever become known. I can even ensure everyone looks the other way if you choose to indulge upon occasion. All I ask is that you continue to serve me as faithfully as you have so far.”
“Of course.” Tenorran felt as if the deck under his feet were sliding into a whirlpool. “I’ll do anything you want.”
“Good.” His mother laid a hand on her belly, pressing layers of silk and velvet skirts against its swollen curve. “Your sister will be born very soon. She’ll be in danger from her first breath. I need people to protect her who I can trust implicitly. People bound by ties of blood. You’re the only one besides her father who is.”
Tenorran stared at her. His eyes dropped to her abdomen in horrified fascination. She was pregnant again? And she expected him to feel some kinship with the creature concealed within her distorted body?
After his father died, he’d resigned himself to never having a family again. His mother was practically a stranger to him. Why should he care more for her offspring than for any random squalling Beggar’s Quarter brat?
And yet, he did. This child would be connected to him in a way no one else in the world could be. His sibling. Someone who would understand what it was like to grow up the child of the Matriarch. His little sister, who would look up to her big brother, idolize him, love him. Yearning caught in his throat.
His mother nodded. “Yes,” she said softly. “I can trust her to you as I can to no one else. I want you to be her personal bodyguard. You’ll answer directly to me and Renarre. She will always be with one of the three of us. You will lay down your life for her sake if the need arises. I don’t ask for a vow or a signed oath. You’ll do so freely, of your own will, because she is your blood.”
“Yes,” Tenorran whispered. He felt dizzy. He’d expected his mother to treat him as a traitor, and instead she was offering him her utmost trust. She knew his heart had always remained true. Overwhelming relief and gratitude flooded him. “Thank you.” His lips shaped the word he’d never dared utter. “Mother.”
She smiled. “Come here.” Tenorran rose and cautiously approached. She opened her arms, and he bent to give her a stiff embrace. She hugged him warmly. “My son.” Briskly she released him and offered her hand. “Help me up. I’m afraid I’m getting rather awkward as my time draws near.”
He helped her rise, and she took his arm and leaned on it. “Escort me to my cabin. I’ll have them give you the one next to it. I want you nearby when I go into labor.”
He led her belowdecks to the largest and most elegantly appointed cabin. She gave orders to the sailors they passed, all of whom rushed to do her bidding. After Tenorran left her at her door, he was shown to a room nearly as fine, from which the ship’s captain had been hastily evicted.
He sank onto the bunk, thoughts and emotions still reeling. It was obvious what his mother was doing. She was a master manipulator. She’d perceived what he desired most in all the world and given it to him. Her belief, her trust, her love. In exchange she demanded his heart and soul.
They were hers. Even if everything she offered was false, only a calculated ploy to win him over, Tenorran couldn’t resist.
Forty-Two
Kevessa settled into one of the facing couches. Josiah plopped down beside her, while Vigorre and Borlen took seats across from them. Master Elkan paused at the door, speaking to a messenger who’d approached him as they entered the office. “Tell her I’m going to be busy all day. I’ve called a meeting of the Council of Guildmasters for tomorrow morning so she can apply for recognition of the Blasters’ Guild. I think we can get it approved before Hanion arrives.”
The messenger nodded and left. Master Elkan closed the door, pulled the chair from behind the desk, and dragged it to the end of the couches. Tobi sprawled at his feet as he seated himself and leaned forward. “It’s good to see the three of you again. I just wish it were under better circumstances.”
Kevessa, Vigorre, and Borlen exchanged glances. Vigorre spoke for all of them. “The circumstances seem good to me. You’re in control of Tevenar, the Matriarch will welcome the Wizards’ Guild back to Ramunna after we help her reclaim it from the Marvannans, and meanwhile we have the chance to study under real masters. What’s the problem?”
Elkan tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. Josiah frowned and started to speak, but Elkan waved him silent. “I’ve made a decision. I’m afraid you won’t like it, but after a great deal of thought I’m convinced it’s the best possible course of action. You’re not going back to Ramunna.”
Kevessa froze. Shadow hissed as Borlen stiffened. Vigorre sat bolt upright, Nirre beating her wings. “What?”
Elkan regarded them grimly. “I’m reinstating the Law of Isolation. Tevenar will have no more contact with Ravanetha. All wizards must remain within the boundary stones.”
Vigorre, Borlen, and Josiah erupted into heated protests. Kevessa sank back into the cushions of the couch, stroking Nina hard. When the others finally paused for breath, glaring at Elkan, she caught his gaze and spoke with quiet passion. “You can’t do that. The Mother told me her power is for the whole world now.”
“Only because we forced her hand.” Elkan’s eye
s were unhappy, but his voice was resolute. “If Ozor hadn’t left Tevenar, it might have been centuries before she was ready to remove the barrier. She would have prepared both Tevenar and Ravanetha to renew contact. Things would have gone smoothly. Instead, it’s been nothing but conflict and bloodshed. I’m convinced that the best thing we can do is to withdraw before the upheaval claims even more lives. We’ll have to wait for the rest of the world to be ready for her power before we try to take it to them.”
Vigorre stood up. His face was chalky pale. “No. I refuse to believe that’s the Mother’s will.” He put his hand up to touch Nirre. “The people of Ramunna need her power. She chose us to serve them. You can’t keep us here.”
Elkan shook his head wearily. “All of you agreed to be my apprentices. You owe me obedience.”
“Then I take it back. Nirre and I have done well enough without a master so far. If the Mother no longer wants wizards in Ramunna, our familiars will break our bonds when we pass the boundary stones.”
“I hope to persuade her to do just that.” Elkan rubbed his forehead. “But you’re right. Unless she decides to enforce the law again, I can’t compel you to remain. But I can withdraw the support of the Wizards’ Guild. Or Hanion can, rather. I won’t have any difficulty persuading him.”
Vigorre sank back into his seat. Josiah wrapped his arms around Sar’s neck. “Please, master, don’t do this. It’s not what the Mother wants. At least, Sar doesn’t think so. What does Tobi say?”
“That it’s a matter for our free will.” Elkan rose. Tobi stood up and pressed herself against his legs. “It won’t become an issue until Verinna sails. But I wanted to give you all the warning I could. Please think about it. Tevenar will welcome you for as long as you choose to stay. I’m going to be too busy to teach you three as you deserve, so I’ll assign you other masters. Whether they’re temporary or permanent is up to you.” He started to move to the door.
Vigorre stepped into his path. “What about Tesi?”
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