The Law of Isolation (63 page)

Josiah jumped in before Elkan could answer. “But then anybody could do those things, not just wizards. We could concentrate on things only the Mother’s power could cure. We could help lots more people that way.”

Elkan nodded. “There are so few of us, Gevan. I can only imagine how much need there must be in Ravanetha. The three of us will barely be able to make a dent in it. Even if every wizard in Tevenar were to go there, it’s a whole continent, with a massive population. We could pour out all our energy every day for our whole lives and never come close to doing a fraction as much as we do here. And even that’s not enough.”

When he put it like that, Gevan understood the magnitude of the problem. But he still didn’t grasp why it had to be so dire. “So train more wizards. Recruit people in Ramunna, or wherever.” Not that the Matriarch would ever let Marvanna or Giroda learn the secrets of the wizards, or allow them to travel there. But best not to bring that up with Elkan now. Gevan was sure the wizard would resist any such restrictions. “Give them their own animals and let them go to work.”

Elkan fondled Tobi’s ears. “In the long run we will. At least I believe—hope—that’s the Mother’s plan.” He glanced at Kevessa. “She’s already started. But it’s not that easy. When the Mother touches an animal to create a familiar, it upsets the balance of the world. Just a little, but it adds up. Too much, too fast, and disasters start to happen. Earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, weather that’s too hot or too cold, too much rain or too little, new diseases or changes to old ones… There are always some of those things, but her actions can cause there to be more, and worse. Some people were speculating that the bad weather this year, maybe even the wheat blight, were a result of built-up stresses from the past twenty years of the Mother calling more wizards than usual to make up for our losses during the hurricane.”

Gevan stared at him. Even after what Kevessa had told him of her vision when she’d bonded with Nina, he was still deeply skeptical about the Mother’s existence as an actual individual being. But if she really did exist, it made sense that she would have those sorts of limits. Nothing in the universe came free; there was always a price for power, one way or another. Maybe it wasn’t as impossible as he’d thought for her to exist, if she must obey the same immutable laws as everyone else.

He mentally shook himself back to the current discussion. “So you’re saying wizards are always going to be scarce.”

“For our lifetimes, at least.” Elkan looked momentarily bleak. He gestured to the lens in Gevan’s hand. “If what we learn with the aid of your devices can do even a little to make us more efficient and able to help more people, the whole world will benefit.”

Gevan let himself imagine such a future. All of Ramunna, all of Ravanetha, transformed into something like what he’d seen in Tevenar. A world where people didn’t just die, where there was always hope, where nearly everyone was able to live out the fullness of their lives…

It seemed like a ridiculously optimistic dream. Yet Elkan seemed to think it was possible. And he wanted Gevan’s help. He thought Gevan’s devices, laughable as they were next to the the Mother’s power, could have a real purpose. They could complement the wizards’ abilities in a way that might lead to wonders far greater than either could accomplish alone.

His hands shook as he fastened the lens into place and nestled the tube into the velvet of its case. “I think… I think I would like to work with you on that effort.”

Elkan laid a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe now I understand why the Mother chose this time to reunite our lands. She’s guiding us, Gevan, whether we’re able to see it or not.” He sighed and looked toward the horizon, past where Josiah and Kevessa were leaning over the rail. “I’ll ask Captain Yosiv if he’s ready for more help with the wind.” He nodded to Gevan and turned to make his way toward the stern. Tobi bounded to him and twined around his legs, nearly tripping him. He laughed and fondled her ears with rough affection before they continued side by side.

“Father, look!” Kevessa’s voice was bright with excitement. “In the water.”

Gevan hurried to her side. Nina, on Kevessa’s shoulder, chattered in his ear as he leaned over the rail and looked down. The prow of the ship pushed up smooth green swells of water on either side as it cut through the waves. “I don’t see anything.”

“There.” Josiah pointed. Gevan looked just in time to see a glossy grey back break the surface in an elegant curve and vanish back under the water.

“Josiah says that when his ancestors came to Tevenar, the Mother sent a dolphin to guide them.” Kevessa caught her breath as another of the creatures appeared. This one released a burst of air and mist from the orifice on top of its head before submerging.

“It’s in the First History,” Josiah said. “Of course, Whitecap was a familiar, and these are just ordinary animals.”

“I don’t care,” Kevessa said. “I still think they’re good luck.” She laughed in delight as a third dolphin leaped ahead of them, his whole body emerging from the bow wave and arching gracefully, entering the water with scarcely a splash. “Maybe the Mother sent them to tell us we’re following her path.” She shot Gevan a teasing sidelong glance. “What do you think, Father?”

Her enthusiasm was infections. He grinned back at her. “I think they’re playful animals who like to take advantage of the disturbance the ship makes in the water. I saw others do the same when we left the harbor in Ramunna, while you were hiding.”

She made a face of exaggerated mock-dismay at him. “Listen to him, Josiah. Even after everything that’s happened, even though I told him I saw her with my own eyes, he still refuses to believe in the Mother.”

Josiah held up a hand. “Leave me out of it. The last time you tried to get me to help you convince him, I ended up falling out of a tree.” He sobered briefly, remembering. He put his arms around Sar’s neck and leaned against the donkey. “It’s his choice if he wants to ignore you.”

Kevessa pouted and wrinkled her nose at him. When she turned back to Gevan, her smile was still teasing, but a little bit wistful, too. “One of these days, Father, you’re going to see proof even you can’t deny. I’m going to laugh at you.” She turned away from him haughtily. On her shoulder, Nina’s bright eyes regarded him cheerfully.

Gevan stroked the squirrel’s head with the tip of his finger, then put his arm around Kevessa’s shoulders. She leaned into him. “I’ll savor the sound of your laughter, no matter what the cause.”

She sighed and put her arm around his waist. They stood there for a while, gazing out at the horizon.

Kevessa caught her breath as another dolphin arched before them. “Say what you will, Father. I still think they’re a sign that the Mother is guiding us.”

Gevan took a deep breath of the salty air. He thought about what awaited them in Ramunna. It would be nice to be able to believe that some invisible, benevolent power protected them and would lead them through the tangled web of dangers and opportunities that surely lay ahead. It would be so much easier than knowing that only their own choices and actions would determine whether their efforts would end in triumph or disaster.

Still, Kevessa had seen
something
when Nina bit her, and somehow that experience had enabled her to wield the wizards’ powers. Those powers were undeniably real, no matter what he’d believed about them before.

He tightened his arm around his daughter. “Maybe you’re right, Kevessa.” Maybe they’d need that kind of guidance if they were to have any hope of navigating the hazards ahead and coming at last to some safe harbor. “Maybe you’re right.”

Above them, the Mother’s power filled the sails with radiance, driving them forward as the coast of Tevenar fell away behind and they set their course for Ravanetha.

* * * * *

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Beyond the Boundary Stones
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first chapter
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Acknowledgements

T
hanks to my fourth-grade elementary school teacher who assigned me a research paper on Galileo, and to the author of the biography I read. I was impressed by his boundless curiosity and the ingenuity of his research methods. It was great fun to write a character inspired by him, and to imagine how that sort of scientist would react to encountering real magic.

Thanks again to Michelle, my terrific beta reader, whose enthusiasm for these stories never stops her from telling me how to make them better.

Thanks to Lou, who made the beautiful cover.

Thanks to my friend Amanda, who allowed me to use her son’s name.

Thanks to my family, who support my writing career even when supper is late and I can’t write words as fast as they want to read them.

And thanks to all those with the courage and compassion to take healing and help and truth to the people and places in this world that need them.

About the Author

A
ngela Holder lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband of twenty-four years. She has three children: one starting high school, one starting college, and one grown, married, and out on her own. She spends a lot of time in Starbucks, drinking vanilla lattes and flat whites and telling stories about her imaginary friends. She enjoys dabbling in many hobbies, including spinning, knitting, weaving, costuming, hot air ballooning, singing in her church choir, and performing in amateur musicals. For news about future releases, visit her website at
www.angelaholder.com
and join her mailing list, or like her Facebook page at
facebook.com/angelaholderauthor
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Here’s an excerpt from Book 3 of
The Chronicles of Tevenar
:

Beyond the Boundary Stones: Chapter 1

N
alini tied off the last stitch and reached for scissors to snip the silk thread. She straightened, stretched, and took a deep breath. Then she set aside the needle and scissors and went to remove the sponge from over her patient’s mouth and nose.

The boy’s father snuck a glance at the line of neat dark crosses across the brown skin of his son’s abdomen. Then he focused on the boy’s slack face. “Are you sure he’s all right? How long until he wakes up?”

“Not long.” Nalini dropped the sponge in a metal bucket. Later she’d bury it. The sweet oil of vitriol was highly flammable and must be treated with caution. “He needs to rest for several days while the wound heals. But I removed the source of his pain. It won’t trouble him anymore.”

The man swallowed and avoided looking at the bowl where Nalini had deposited the diseased organ. “I can’t help but worry that something will go wrong. It must be evil to interfere with the Mother’s creation this way. He didn’t even twitch when you cut into him. It’s not natural. How can he live with part of his body gone?”

Nalini kept tight hold of her temper. “This part isn’t necessary for life. But it would have killed him if I hadn’t removed it. Would you sacrifice your son’s life rather than interfere with nature?”

“No,” the man muttered, drawing back. “But what if this brings some terrible curse on him, worse than what he suffered before?”

“It won’t.” Nalini tried to keep her thoughts charitable. The man was here, wasn’t he? When the boy, despite all his determination to exhibit adult stoicism, had cried out at the pressure of Nalini’s hands on his lower belly, she’d known surgery was the only way to save his life. She’d sworn the father to secrecy and told him to bring the boy to her house late at night. She couldn’t afford to be discovered and have to flee again. She’d had her doubts about whether the man would risk it, but an hour ago he’d carried the boy to her door.