The Last Of The Wilds (57 page)

The shadowy figure vanished and she felt her heart sink, but then another pair of Elai appeared. Following them, she saw a great blackness appear in the wall ahead. The lightfish were gone, perhaps a precaution against the landwalkers finding the city entrance. She realized it was possible, having seen landwalker divers. But landwalkers couldn’t hold their breath long enough to get
into
the city.

Swimming into the darkness, she was relieved to see light ahead. It led her to the pockets of air in the tunnel. She managed to swim the entire length without coming up for air at the same time as anyone else, so nobody recognized her. Then a larger, brighter glow drew her upward, and she surfaced in the Mouth.

For several minutes she floated there, gazing at the caves and lights and people. It was a sight too good to be real. She was afraid to swim forward in case…

As another arrival splashed up nearby she shied away.

What am I afraid of?
she asked herself.
Am I still afraid that Teiti or father will punish me for slipping away? Even if I knew they would, would I swim away now?

She shook her head and swam toward the edge of the water.

As she emerged she began to attract attention. Ordinary Elai glanced at her, then turned back to stare. Guards frowned, then blinked in surprise. One, the captain, stepped forward.

“Princess? Princess Imi?”

She smiled crookedly. “Yes.”

“Where have you…” He paused, then straightened. “May I escort you to the palace?”

Amused by his sudden formality, she nodded. “Please.”

At once he began to bark orders. Three more guards took their places with the captain, in front and behind her. Others ran down the main stream toward the palace.

They’ll tell father. He’ll know I’m coming.

She felt her stomach flutter but forced her legs to move. A crowd of onlookers had stopped to watch and now they began to keep pace with her on either side. Stares had changed to smiles. Voices called a welcome to her. Abruptly she felt tears coming and blinked them away.

The distance to the palace seemed endless. She quickened her pace, then slowed as she saw the palace gates. They stood open.

A man stood between them.

Her father.

The guards stepped aside as she started forward again. She barely noticed. All she saw was her father hurrying forward, then she felt her hold on her tears slip as she saw his own eyes glittering.

Finally, she threw her arms around him and felt his around her, familiar and strong. She realized she was apologizing, then laughed aloud as she realized he was too.

“What are you apologizing for, Father?” she blurted out. “I’m the one who gave Teiti the slip and left the city.”

He pulled away to regard her. “I should have let you out more often. You would not have been so curious, and you would have had guards to protect you.”

She smiled and wiped at her eyes. “I would have given them the slip, too.”

He looked at her searchingly. “Where have you been? That rascal trader’s son told us you’d been taken by raiders.”

“That’s true.” She paused. “You weren’t too mean to him, were you? I talked him into it.”

He frowned. “Teiti had me lock him up.”

Imi gasped. “Poor Rissi! She must have been so angry!”

Her father winced. “She was, but I was much angrier with her. You must tell me everything.” He turned her toward the palace. “Does your return have anything to do with the ship outside?”

“It has, Father. The people on that ship rescued me and brought me home. I owe them my life.”

He frowned, clearly unhappy to hear it.

“Not all landwalkers are bad,” she told him.

His frown turned into a scowl. “You think so, do you? What do they want in return?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing!” He shook his head. “They always want something. They won’t get anything from me!”

“Father,” she said firmly. “They saved my life.”

He paused, then sighed. “I should give them something in return.”

She shrugged. “At least your thanks.”

He stopped and looked at her strangely.

“What has happened to you, to make you so wise and brave?”

She grimaced. “A lot, Father. Let’s go in, and I’ll tell you everything.”

He nodded, put an arm around her shoulders, and guided her through the palace gates.

There was little point in going over it again. He’d considered everything he’d done and what the consequences might be. He had spent fruitless hours considering how he could have done things differently.

But while travelling in Si took much of Mirar’s concentration, it didn’t occupy his mind completely. The part not concerned with endless climbing and walking insisted on circling around and around, and every time he tried to think of something else he soon found himself dwelling on Auraya, himself, the White and the gods.

And Emerahl. Why did I have to go and think of Emerahl when I opened my mind to Auraya?

He had only thought of her briefly, as a helper and friend. He had not thought of Emerahl’s quest to find other immortals. If the gods had recognized her—and it was possible they hadn’t—they would alert the White to her existence. They did not know where she was, however. So long as Emerahl didn’t do something to attract their attention, or bump into one of the White, she was safe. The gods might search for her by looking into the minds of mortals, seeking someone visible to a human but invisible to them, but that would take time and they had a more pressing matter to occupy them—Auraya.

He hoped she was right that the gods would not kill her for fear of weakening their followers’ trust in the White. He hoped he had not doomed her by opening his mind to her. It had been the only way to save himself, but he hadn’t done it purely out of self-interest. He had wanted her to see the truth. Wanted her to finally know him for what he was—and that he loved her.

Fool
, he thought at himself.
She’s one of the Gods’ Chosen. She can’t love you in return
.

But she could
, another part of his mind whispered.

He felt a stab of alarm. Was Leiard coming back? He sought a sense of other in his mind, but there was none.

I am Leiard
, he reminded himself.
I had better accept that his weaknesses are mine and make sure I don’t endanger others again. If I can’t have Auraya, I had better take myself as far away from her as possible
.

The air in the steep, narrow ravine was humid and still. It set Mirar yawning and he considered stopping for a short sleep. He’d barely paused to rest since leaving the Blue Lake tribe and the weariness he’d pushed aside for so long suddenly seemed unbearable.

He stumbled. Looking down, he frowned as he saw the thin vines crossing his path. His heart stopped and he looked up and around, fear chasing away the muzziness encroaching on his thoughts.

The trees and forest floor around him were draped with sleepvine. Caught up in endlessly circling thoughts about Auraya and the gods, he hadn’t noticed what the ravine had led him into. The smell of rotting flesh turned his stomach. Somewhere under the lush carpet was an animal corpse or two, victims of the sleepvine’s Gift.

Now that he was aware of the insidious suggestion at the edge of his mind it was easy enough to block it. He started forward again, carefully stepping over the vines that crossed his path. It was a large, mature plant. The ravine was a natural corral and probably brought the plant many victims.

The ravine narrowed further, but the reach of the plant’s vines soon ended. Breathing a sigh of relief, Mirar made his way down the narrow crevice. He had to climb or squeeze past several rocky outcrops.

This better not lead to a dead end…

If only Tyve had been able to come with him. He was sure the boy would have. But Tyve’s mind was open to the gods and would have unwittingly betrayed Mirar’s location to them.

The rock walls ended on both sides several paces ahead. Mirar could also see that the ground dropped away there, too. Beyond he could see the tops of trees swaying in the wind. As he reached the end of the ravine he found himself standing at a cliff edge. It wasn’t a dead end, but climbing down would take time and a lot of concentration.

Before him rose mountains, and the climb he faced next was nothing compared to what he was going to have to tackle to cross those rocky slopes. Emerahl had suggested he head for the Sennon desert. Crossing the mountains was the shortest route. The easier route, though longer, would have taken him downriver from the Blue Lakes to the coast, but the coast was where the gods would expect him to go. It was where the Siyee would watch for him and the White would wait for him. They would not expect him to climb over a mountain then tackle a desert to get to Southern Ithania. At least he hoped they wouldn’t.

Sighing, he sat down to eat and examine the terrain ahead. Though the forest hid much of the ground beneath, he could plot an optimistic path past more obvious obstructions.

A shadow passed over him. A large shadow.

He looked up in time to see a Siyee glide out past the edge of the cliff, then curve back out of sight.

Few Siyee lived in this part of Si. It was still Blue Lake tribe territory, but with so much usable land near their lake the tribe didn’t need to roam far to find food or other necessities.
They could be after something they can’t find locally
, he thought.
Rare plants, perhaps. Or maybe they’re patrolling their land
.

Or maybe they’re searching for me.

Standing up, he backed into the crevasse. Whether seeking him or not, any Siyee who saw him might reveal his location to the gods, if they were watching. He paused, considering if he should go back instead of climbing down the cliff.

The cliff stretched a long way in either direction, a natural barrier between him and the mountains. He would have to tackle it or go a long way out of his way.

A winged shape glided overhead. He sensed a smug satisfaction, and patience. His stomach sank.

He knows I’m here.

So he may as well let the Siyee watch him descend. After that, under the cover of trees, it would be much easier to evade pursuit.

No black ships were visible on the horizon as Auraya neared the village of the Sand tribe. Siyee were everywhere: among the bowers, on the coast and in the sky. When she was close enough she searched their minds and located Speaker Tyrli.

By the time her feet touched the sand a crowd of Siyee had gathered. One of the women from the village had brought two bowls with her, and Tyrli offered these to Auraya. One was full of water, the other filled with tart berries.

Auraya accepted the ritual welcome.

“I received your message, Speaker,” she told him. “Where did you see the ship?”

He pointed a little eastward of south. “It was only visible from the air. The sails were marked with a star. My men flew out to it and saw Pentadrian sorcerers on board.”

Auraya nodded. “Has it been seen since?”

“No.” She caught a glimpse of a hairless, dark-skinned child in his mind. An Elai girl. He was worried that she might have encountered the Pentadrians, though it was unlikely. Auraya restrained her curiosity; there were more important matters to deal with.

“Did anyone follow the ship?” she asked.

He nodded. “At a distance, for as far as was safe. It sailed southeast, far out to sea. Toward Borra.”

“They did not land?”

“No. Are the Elai in danger?”

Auraya shook her head. “I doubt it. The Elai are no threat to them, and they are too few to be of interest to the Pentadrians as allies. I suppose they might try to convert them, but the Elai were created by Huan. I doubt they’d turn from her.”

Tyrli nodded in agreement.

That doesn’t mean the Pentadrians won’t try
, she thought, remembering that Juran had told her of Pentadrians trying to settle in other lands. She sighed. “I should discuss this with Juran.”

The Speaker smiled. “Come to my bower. My daughter will make sure you are undisturbed.”

Auraya hesitated, then nodded. “Of course.” He did not know she had reason to be reluctant to communicate with the other White.

I can’t avoid it forever
, she told herself.

By the time she had reached Tyrli’s bower she had steeled herself for what she expected to be an unpleasant argument. Tyrli’s daughter brought water and a more substantial plate of food, then left Auraya alone.

The walls of the bower glowed with the sunlight the membrane allowed through. Auraya took a deep breath, closed her eyes and sent her mind out.

?

There was a pause, then,

. Where are you?

n the Si coast. The Sand tribe reported seeing a Pentadrian ship a few days ago.

d the Pentadrians land?

. They said it headed southeast, toward Borra.

t would the Pentadrians want with the Elai?

:I don’t know. There is no reason for them to attack, and the Elai are unlikely to embrace any offers of friendship. We know how suspicious they are of landwalkers.

.

d I investigate?

Juran was silent for several breaths.

. How well are the Siyee recovering from Heart-eater?

e disease has spread to all but the most remote tribes. The situation cannot get much worse.

He paused again.

t are your intentions regarding Mirar?

Auraya felt her chest tighten.

:I
can’t kill him if I believe he doesn’t deserve it
.

t even if the gods order you to?

She hesitated.

. It makes all they represent—
all we represent
—
worthless
.

There was a long silence.

a and Rian are leaving for Si today. If they kill Mirar, will you feel they have rendered all we represent worthless?