Call of the Colossus: An epic fantasy novel (The Mindstream Chronicles Book 2) (20 page)

“You would only have had me suffer for four hours instead of six,” Jora said. How noble of her to apologize for the extra two hours.

“No, you misunderstand. I’m not in favor of corporal punishment at all, for you or for any of our members. The two other elders out-voted me on it. My punishment of choice was extra duties. Extra hours in the Observation Request Room. A presentation to the other novices. An examination of a particular law and a paper on it. That sort of thing. Something that would further your education at the same time.”

“Oh,” Jora said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.” The elder’s kindness surprised her. She must have wanted something. Jora hated that she was growing suspicious of people, but the Order had already demonstrated it would turn on her like a rabid dog.

“You needn’t apologize to me, Novice. Unfortunately,” Elder Devarla said, “I must ask you for those books. The dominee won’t be satisfied until she has them, and I sincerely don’t wish to see you punished every day for failure to comply.”

Jora sighed. This nightmare was never going to end. “I’m sorry, Elder. I know this puts you in a precarious situation with her, but I’m not going to give her what’s rightfully mine.”

“Setting aside our difference of opinion on whose books they are, consider loaning them to the dominee. Without the ability to Mindstream, she won’t be able to put the information to use, so where’s the harm in that? You said you’ve hidden them, but that means you can’t access them whenever you wish, either. They do no one any good tucked away in some secret hideaway.”

“You’re wrong about that,” Jora said. “I can get to them anytime I wish.”

“All right, so why not loan the books to the dominee? She’ll have them for a week or two and return them when she’s satisfied that the information is useless to her.”

“I don’t believe she will. She hates me. I wouldn’t be surprised if she kept them purely out of spite.”

“Jora, please,” Elder Devarla said. “If you wish it, I’ll get on my knees and beg you.” She made a move to do just that.

“No, Elder,” Jora said, aghast. “Please don’t do that. It won’t do any good. I’m not going to change my mind. She can’t have the books.” It was petty of her, she knew, but her joints were still sore from the bucking and gagging. She wasn’t as quick to forgive these days as she’d been in the past.

The elder held out the black cloth. “Here. Take it.”

Jora unfolded the cloth and discovered it was the black mantle of shame. She’d seen a disciple wearing it a few weeks earlier, though she didn’t know what the girl had done to deserve it. Everyone had avoided her as if the mantle were a plague they could catch.

“You’ll need to wear it until you comply. Do you understand what it means?”

“Everyone will know I’ve violated the Order’s code of conduct and won’t talk to me.”

“No one’s forbidden to interact with you, but don’t be surprised if some of your friends avoid you.”

Korlan ran out of the building and stopped short, looking toward the Spirit Stone. He smiled when he caught Jora’s eye and nodded at Elder Devarla as he passed her.

“Why the face?” Korlan asked, approaching. “Isn’t that your elder?”

“She’s pretending to be on my side while supporting the dominee’s attempts to steal what’s mine.”

“Well, I’m on your side.”

“Hey, do you want to come with me to the docks? I want to see if Sundancer’s there.” She’d brought her flute with her, intending to use it to identify the day’s tone. Elder Kassyl was no longer there to record them in his book, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t pick up where he’d left off.

His face brightened. “Sure. Now that you’re the Gatekeeper, you’re supposed to take an enforcer with you whenever you leave the premises, and I’m happy to go with you. Besides, it’ll be nice to finally meet this dolphin friend of yours.” He looked her over. “Are you sure you can walk that far?”

“Believe it or not, walking helps,” she said.

“What about the red robe? Won’t people, I don’t know, accost you on the street?”

She held up the black cloth. “Not with this on. They call it the black mantle of shame. Help me put it on, will you?”

The hike to the docks took longer than usual because of Jora’s body soreness, but along the way, she felt her joints start to loosen.

The mantle had its benefits. Even citizens outside the Order knew that anyone wearing it was to be shunned. In spite of her red Gatekeeper robe, or perhaps because of the combination of the two, people scurried out of their path and avoided even making eye contact with her, though she sensed their stares and whispers.

Most of the fishers had gone by the time they arrived, and the seagulls with them. The smells of the seaweed and salt water were strong but welcoming, the scents she’d long associated with home. The memory of it was both comforting and painful.

“Does she loiter here?” Korlan asked, looking out over the water.

“She usually comes close in the mornings and hunts around here, then goes where she goes later. If I want to talk to her, I need to come as close to sunrise as I can.” Jora pulled the flute out of her robe, lifted it to her lips, and played the greeting, the first few notes of the Song of the Sea Spirit.

“
Ahoy, Sun Dancer.
”

A distant whistle sounded. “
Ahoy. Ahoy, Autumn Rain.
”

“That’s her. She’s coming.”

“What are you going to say to her?”

“I want to ask her about those warrior statues around the Legion headquarters.” She didn’t mention her conversation with Retar or the information she’d found in the book of tones. Though she thought of Korlan as a friend and didn’t think he would betray her, Milad could use the Mindstream to Observe this conversation later, and she didn’t want
him
to know.

“What about them?”

“Who they are. Why they’re in stone. That sort of thing.”

Sundancer’s smiling face rose up out of the water, and she twittered happily. “
I am happy see you, Autumn Rain.
”

“
I am happy see you, Sun Dancer. This man is my friend. He helped me fight my enemy. I not know song name.
”

“
I name man Shark Fighter. Shark Fighter is Autumn Rain friend and Sun Dancer friend.
”

Jora laughed. “She named you Sharkfighter because I told her you helped me defeat Elder Sonnis.”

Korlan pushed out his chest and looked around with an air of superiority. “Yah, groping blindly while bleeding to death is a rare heroism.”

Jora laughed.

“I wasn’t much help, really. You should tell her that.”

“Don’t be modest. You were more help than you realize.” To Sundancer, she said, “
Shark Fighter is bashful.
”

“
Shark Fighter come swim,
” Sundancer said.

“She’s inviting you to swim with her. Do you want to?”

“No, do you?” Korlan grabbed Jora by the upper arms and pretended to push her into the water, holding her tight to make sure she didn’t actually fall in.

She squealed anyway, taken by surprise. “Gadfly!” she said as she tried to swat him.

He laughed and jumped out of her reach.

Below, Sundancer watched the exchange with interest. “
Shark Fighter loves Autumn Rain.
”

“
No,
” Jora answered. “
We are friends.
”

The dolphin twittered a laugh. “
Shark Fighter loves Autumn Rain.
”

“Stop,” Jora said aloud, laughing. She lifted the flute to her lips once again. “
I talked to your friend last night.
”

Sundancer went still, her eyes wide. “
The god?
”

“
Yes. We talked about warrior statues. He said I can free them from the stone.
”

“
Yes. You can free but not like Calling,
” Sundancer said. “
You cannot command them like allies.
”

“What’s she saying?” Korlan asked.

“Hush. I’ll tell you later.” She lifted the flute to her lips. “
I understand. I want free only one. If one becomes friend, then I free more.
”

“
Wise,
” Sundancer said.

“
The Spirit Stone said I can borrow ally power, but I not know what phrase,
” Jora said. “
Book not say.
”

“
Two commands you must know. First is calling. This you know already. Second is borrowing. Ally teaches you command you want know, and you sing borrowing command plus ally command. This power is dangerous, Autumn Rain.
”

“
Dangerous how?
”

Sundancer explained that every ally had a particular power which she could harness temporarily for herself, such as to touch someone to put them to sleep, turn someone to stone, swim fast, or breathe underwater. If she used magic on herself that didn’t expire or get interrupted, like sleep, she would be like that forever. “
Ally magic can be removed by the next Gatekeeper, but Gatekeeper casted cannot. Beware use magic on yourself. Never use statue on yourself. You will be statue forever.
”

Understanding flared in her mind.
“Is that what happened to the Spirit Stones?”

“
Yes,”
Sundancer said.
“First generation of stewards swam to faraway places. They beached and used borrowed magic to statue selves. They wanted to become historians. If modern whales lost the ancestral knowledge, they can teach. They not know Gatekeeper cannot restore them. Hundreds of years passed. Thousands. No one can restore them to flesh. Not before, not now, not ever.”

Jora cast her eyes down in sadness. To think of them trapped in stone for all eternity wrenched her heart. There had to be a way to free them. There had to.

“
To command ally magic, you whistle borrowing command, ’
Trust into my own hands your power of…’
and you name power. When you want use power, whistle power name.
”

“
May I use power when I want?
”

“
Use before next sunrise or you must borrow again.
”

Jora asked a few more questions to ensure she understood the process. In the case where an ally could whistle, it could teach her the command she wanted to borrow, but if not, she would need to consult Sundancer. Though Po Teng couldn’t whistle with his plate-like mouth, he had no trouble humming the command for her to release someone from stone. With Sundancer there to supervise, she tried the borrowing command.

“
Trust into my own hands your power of Free from stone, let blood flow through.
”

“
Yes,
” Sundancer said. “
Now you can whistle release command to free warrior. Must touch until phrase stops.
”

Jora took that to mean until she finished saying the words. “
I understand. Thank you, Sun Dancer.
”

“
Borrow not powers you cannot stop yourself. Be careful, Autumn Rain.
”

“
I will.
”

“
I go now fish. You come tomorrow?
”

“
I try. Goodbye, Sun Dancer.
” Jora stood and waved.

“
Goodbye, Autumn Rain. Goodbye, Shark Fighter.
” Sundancer waved one flipper at her before twittering and swimming away.

“She said goodbye to you,” she told Korlan.

“What else did she say?”

She looked at him innocently. “The water is getting cool, the fish are slower and easier to catch, and she’ll soon be swimming south for the winter.” She laughed at his skeptical expression, then took him by the hand. “Come on. I have to study before I meet Bastin for my lessons.”

Chapter 12

Korlan bid Jora goodbye in the justice building and watched her walk stiffly toward the dormitory. Though he was disappointed that she didn’t trust him enough to reveal what she and the dolphin had talked about, the fact that the dolphin had given him such a noble name made him smile. Sharkfighter. Jora must have overstated his role in their confrontation with Elder Sonnis. A name like Wounded Spectator was more appropriate.