Between Darkness and Light (52 page)

He straightened up and turned round to face the newcomer, wrapped, like himself, inside the hooded black robe of the priesthood. “Well met, Conner. May the sun shine on you today.”

“And on you,” replied the elderly Human. “Though from the look of the sky, I doubt it. May I join you?”

“You're welcome,” he said, indicating the crenelated wall on which he'd been leaning. “But I warn you, it's a cold perch this morning.”

“Many's the dawn I've seen,” said Conner, moving forward to lean against the stonework. “Either from one end or the other. I found nothing cleared my mind quite like this time of day. The world is so quiet you can almost hear Her breath.”

Lijou didn't miss the faint gleam of humor in the other's eyes. “Very true,” he murmured, mouth dropping in a slight grin. “Which Her do you mean?”

“Kuushoi, Winter's Goddess, of course,” said Conner, his breath misting in the cold air. “It's Her season after all.”

“It is indeed,” he replied, eyes narrowing slightly as he regarded the Human more thoughtfully. “What brings you out here so early?”

“I find I need less sleep these days,” said Conner, turning his attention to the snow lying in the gap between the crenellations. Reaching out, he scooped up a handful and began rolling it into a ball. “One of the more useful symptoms of age.” He leaned over the parapet and lobbed his snowball down at a rocky outcrop several yards from the base of the wall.

“I hear you're settling in well.”

“Yes, indeed. Stronghold is an amazing place. Your library alone is a treasure house for me, now that I can read your language.”

“I'm told that when you aren't busy with Noni, or in the library, you're usually to be found in Ghyakulla's shrine.”

“I have always been a servant of the Lady,” said Conner quietly. “Only Her name has changed.”

A freak gust of icy wind swirled round them, making their long robes flap against their legs. Lijou had to lean into it to keep his balance. Automatically, he put out a hand to steady the older man, but stopped. There was no need. It was as if the wind had passed him by. As he continued to stare at Conner, beneath the Human's neat gray mustache, the corners of his mouth twitched in a gentle smile.

“There's a larger shrine to Ghyakulla at Vartra's Retreat,” Lijou said, needing to break the silence. “And some of her priesthood. You could go there if you prefer. We're more of a warrior priesthood here.”

The gentle smile widened. “I am more than content here. There's a purpose to everything, if we only stay still long enough for it to find us.”

As Lijou began to wonder on how many levels their conversation was taking place, the wind gusted again, this time bringing with it the first flakes of snow.

“I think we should go in now,” he said. “We've an hour yet till the morning bell rings. Will you join me in the kitchens? We should be able to scrounge something to eat and drink.”

Conner pulled back his hood, looking up at the sky, letting the snowflakes land on his face. “You go. I think I'll stay a little longer,” he said. “It's been a long time since I've been able to enjoy winter.”

Winter. He'd said that word again, thought Lijou. “Don't stay out for too long,” he said. “You're not long out of a sickbed, you shouldn't overdo it. I don't want to face Noni's wrath even if you do.”

Conner laughed, a deep, genuine sound of pleasure. “Ah, the good Noni. We've had several interesting conversations. She finds it hard to accept I'm an adult, quite able to make my own decisions.”

Lijou chuckled and turned to go back inside. “She's like that with all of us who come under her care.”

“Before you go, Father Lijou,” said Conner, “on that other matter, perhaps you could clarify something for me. You're Head of the priesthood, aren't you?”

Lijou stopped, confused. “Yes, I am.” What other matter did he mean?

“Am I right in assuming that all members of the Brotherhood who have a Leska relationship are under your jurisdiction?”

“Yes, they are, but for a slightly different reason. They are En'Shalla, in the hands of the Gods.”

“Ah,” Conner nodded. “I understand now. Thank you.”

“A pleasure,” Lijou murmured, catching the ghost of that smile once again.

 

It wasn't till he was thawing his hands round a mug of c'shar in the kitchens that he realized he'd been given his solution. “That wily old dzinae,” he murmured. Had Conner known what was bothering him—or had it just been a coincidence? Somehow, he didn't believe it was a coincidence, and he began to get an inkling of why the Regent at Old Sarum had been so eager to send Conner to Shola. There was more to this Earth Priest than met the eye, a whole lot more.

 

When Rhyaz joined him in his office, Lijou didn't beat about the bush, he told him the news from Haven straight.

“Let me go over this again,” said Rhyaz slowly. “Vartra visited Tanjo and spoke to the cub Dhyshac, gave him a coin, and told him he was to go to the Shrine and follow in his father's footsteps?”

“Yes. He's taken the Creed and is now training under Tanjo and L'Seuli,” said Lijou.

The Warrior Master's ears were tilting sideways now in anger. “Correct me if I'm wrong, but over a month ago, I gave L'Seuli explicit orders that the cubs were to be placed in cryo. I can't believe you countermanded those orders, which can only mean L'Seuli disobeyed them.”

“You do realize it's winter here, don't you, Rhyaz? And that cryo involves freezing.”

“Your point being?” said Rhyaz, his voice deepening with his growing anger.

“Some of those placed in cryo dream, and when they do, Kuushoi can reach them.”

“I fail to see what you're getting at! It seems to me you're excusing L'Seuli's . . .”

“Rhyaz, think for a moment,” Lijou interrupted. “We know Carrie dreams in cryo, and that Kuushoi has visited her. Did you really want the cubs—hybrid telepaths ten years old—all in cryo during winter when Kuushoi rules?”

“The chances of that happening are . . .”

“As great as those of Vartra visiting one of them! What if they had been in cryo? Would you have faced Vartra's wrath, Rhyaz? We should be grateful L'Seuli had enough compassion for the cubs to ignore your orders.”

Lijou could sense Rhyaz remembering his one encounter with an enraged Vartra when they'd found His tomb deep in the tunnels under Stronghold, but the Warrior Master thrust the memory aside.

“That doesn't excuse his disobedience of my direct order!”

“L'Seuli is in command of Haven, Rhyaz. We chose him because we believed he embodied what we both stand for, and the ability to make his own decisions, including the final decision on whether his orders are appropriate or not.”

“Are you condoning his actions?” demanded Rhyaz, getting out of his chair and beginning to pace round the room. “Because if you are, you can defend him at a hearing when I haul his ass back here on charges!”

“This one time, yes, I am condoning his decision, because of what has subsequently happened,” said Lijou firmly. “I never did agree with you on putting the cubs into cryo, you know that. As for bringing him back on charges, I don't think so, Rhyaz. He and Jiosha are Leska-Linked. We can't remove them both.”

“He's not fit to run Haven if he can't . . .” Rhyaz stopped abruptly and turned on Lijou. “What did you say?”

“I said you will not bring him back on charges. He's as fit to run Haven as you are to run the Brotherhood Warriors.”

Rhyaz walked back to the chair and sat down, staring at Lijou. “I can't believe I'm hearing you right,” he said more quietly. “You would fight me on this?”

“This time, I'll not back down, Rhyaz. I said it before and I'll say it again, had you put them in cryo, when Kaid and Carrie found out, you would have made yourself two implacable enemies.”

“You mean if . . .”

“I mean
when
. Both Carrie and Kaid have been touched by the Gods, you know that. They will find out.”

Rhyaz snarled softly. “Dhyshac can stay out, but the others go into cryo immediately. That's all I'm prepared to concede. As for L'Seuli . . .”

“Don't make me pull rank on you, Rhyaz,” said Lijou quietly. “Just accept what is done and be grateful that Kuushoi couldn't reach the cubs and tell Carrie about them.”

“Pull rank on me?” Rhyaz stared at him. “How can you pull rank on me?”

“You're En'Shalla now, a telepath with a Human Leska. Technically you are answerable to me, but I have no intention of invoking that unless you force me to.”

A stunned look crossed Rhyaz' face. “You'd betray my trust in you like that?”

Don't even think that!
Lijou sent angrily, knowing Rhyaz understood there could be no lies in mind speech.
I'd die to protect your rights as the Brotherhood's Guild Master, you know I would! Your En'Shalla status will never be mentioned again by me. But in this one instance, you've been wrong from the start. The only betrayal would have been to put those trusting, innocent cubs into cryo!

“Am I not Brotherhood, too?” Lijou asked, raising an eye ridge. “You were once my pupil, Rhyaz. I learned from you as much as you learned from me.”

“That's an even dirtier blow,” Rhyaz muttered, but his ears were righting themselves. “I can't believe you'd do that to me!”

“I didn't help overthrow Ghezu's rule by being a doormat,” said Lijou dryly. “I have chewed L'Seuli out for disobeying you, trust me on that, and given him a heavy penance for it, but let what's done be done and move on. The cubs are safe with Tanjo. None of the Sleepers there will know they are hybrids, and they're used to keeping their mouths closed. As for Dhyshac, Tanjo took him to L'Seuli in secrecy. We've arranged a diversion so that the crew on Haven will believe he's been brought in by one of the
Watcher
patrols from Shola. We're sticking with the story that Vartra chose him because as you well know, it pays to hide a lie in the truth.”

“You were born a Brother, you just had the misfortune to be a priest first,” said Rhyaz wryly, getting to his feet. “Very well, I'll concede this to you this time, Lijou.”

Lijou stood up, and clenching his right fist over his heart, sketched a bow to Rhyaz. “Thank you, Guild Master.”

Rhyaz grunted. “Don't mock me as well.”

Lijou put on an air of injured innocence. “I wasn't mocking you. I was showing my respect for your judgment.”

Quick as a flash, Rhyaz reached out and clouted him lightly round the ears.

“Ouch!”

“Gotta get my own back somehow,” Rhyaz grinned before leaving.

“I'm glad you agreed to help me out at the hospital,” said Vanna, biting a chunk out of her fruit pastry. “You've hardly gone anywhere in the last couple of months.”

“I went to the midwinter festival,” said Carrie, picking hers up from the plate in the center of the canteen table and nibbling on one end. “And that was a disaster.”

“So you had to leave early. At least you did come.”

“None of you gave me an option.” It had been held on her bond-mother's estate this time, and she'd sat at the back of the hall trying to hide from her memories of the one the year before. There couldn't have been a greater contrast between how happy she'd been then, and how miserable she was now. She sighed, then tore a chunk off the pastry and chewed it, hardly noticing the sweet taste of the berries inside. “I made a fool of myself, breaking down in tears like that.”

Vanna leaned forward and patted her hand. “Hardly anyone but Rhyasha noticed, cub, and she had you out of the hall and on your way home with Kaid in no time.”

Carrie winced as she picked up her mug of coffee. “Please, don't call me that, Vanna. You know that's Kusac's name for me.”

“Carrie, you must stop being so sensitive about everything,” sighed Vanna. “I know how much you miss him, but Kusac will turn up eventually, and then you'll all know what really happened.”

“Considering the warrants out for his immediate arrest, Vanna, he'd really be mad to come here,” she said quietly. “I'm sure he's hiding somewhere, waiting for us to find him.”

Vanna sighed. “And here was me thinking how well you'd done today. Do you realize you went a whole morning without mentioning him once?”