The World Weavers (3 page)

Be careful, Uncle Aaron,
Kadar sent. Sulis seconded the wish.

The sending cut off, and Sulis released his hand, her head bowed.

“I told Uncle Tarik he should come with me,” Kadar whispered, guilt flooding him. “He refused. My love for Farrah brought this upon him. Our family would not have been involved in this if not for me.”

“Kadar?” His grandmother's voice shook him out of his reverie.

Kadar looked up and realized the meeting had stopped and all eyes were on the twins in the back of the room. His grandmother took a step toward him, one hand out. There was fear on her face as she watched him and Sulis stand.

“Uncle Tarik has been taken prisoner by Voras,” Kadar told Grandmother. She closed her eyes and her Guardian, Palou, put an arm around her. Kadar looked around the room. “Illian has been closed to trade; caravans are being seized by the Temple. Southerners are trapped in Illian. Several men were taken along with Uncle Tarik. I must go tell my aunt Raella and my cousins that Uncle Tarik is in Voras's hands.”

Grandmother opened her eyes, looked into Kadar's. “I could feel Tarik was in distress, through our link, but I did not know why. I'll tell Raella that he has been captured. I want you to go with Turo as our voice with the Tigus. I need to go convince Raella's family, the Tasharas, to contribute metal and supplies for the Tigus.”

Kadar shook his head as the Tigu warrior studied him with bright eyes. “No. I need to protect my family, my daughter. I've brought you your Guardians—­my job is done. I leave in the morning.”

Grandmother grabbed his arm in an iron grip as he turned away. “Don't be selfish, Kadar. Aaron's news means that war is at hand. We need every talented man and woman serving.”

Kadar broke her hold. “War arrived months ago, while you were hiding in Kabandha. I couldn't protect my beloved from it—­but I will protect my daughter, the aunt who raised me, my cousins. I'll serve while protecting them, or not at all.”

Grandmother opened her mouth to retort. She was interrupted by a hoarse yell.

Kadar jerked around to see Dani on his knees, clutching his arm, which bled freely from shoulder to elbow. Ava stood over him, a bloody knife in her hand. A visible black haze shimmered between her and Dani. The crowd backed away, forming a clear space around the Loom and her Guardian.

“Ava, no!” Clay stepped forward, and Ava brandished her knife threateningly.

“He will not hurt me again,” she declared. She muttered under her breath. Dani gasped and put a hand on the floor, his strength siphoned away.

Sulis stepped forward into the standing warrior pose. The dark haze flowed in her direction and Ava snarled. She raised her knife again to stab Dani, and Lasha darted in. She jerked the knife out of the younger girl's hands. The dark haze coated her hands and Lasha threw the knife away with a cry, trying to wipe the darkness off.

Ava slapped her hand on Dani's bloody wound.

“I own you now,” she said. “Your will is mine. You cannot harm me again.”

Dani looked up at her, bewildered. “I've never hurt you,” he said. “I never would. I've a little sister like you. I'll protect you like I would her. I want to serve, like the One told me to.”

Ava stared down at him, the rage on her face dimming as she really saw his face. She looked down at her bloody hands and backed away from Dani. Dani's
feli
came out of the crowd and bumped his head against Dani's side. Ava stared at the great cat and put her hands to her mouth, then realized they were coated with blood and jerked them away again, smearing blood on her face. The crowd was frozen, watching her.

Sanuri pushed her way through the crowd, humming to herself. She walked up to Ava, and grabbed her hands, turning them over to look at the blood. She shook her head, a frown on her pale face.

“No, no, no,” she muttered. “Bad, bad.”

She dropped Ava's left hand and reached and grasped Dani's bleeding arm. The dark haze thinned, then dissipated. He held still as Sanuri looked between him and Ava.

“Good now,” Sanuri said, patting him on the back. “You come now,” she told Ava, leading her by the hand. “Come, come now. We'll fix what's bad.”

The crowd parted as the two girls walked out hand in hand, one fair haired and slender with bloody hands, one muttering and pale with strawberry curls.

“The fate of the world rests with those two broken girls,” Palou said softly from beside Kadar. “One help us all.”

“Shush,” Grandmother said. “That doesn't help.”

Kadar and the Chosen stepped forward to help Dani up. Master Tull stepped forward.

“Nothing more will get done today,” she told the shocked crowd, shaking her head. “We will break while the Chosen regroup. And let's keep this incident to ourselves until the Chosen understand what has happened.”

Kadar could see blisters forming on Lasha's hands where the black haze had touched her.

“What was that black stuff?” Lasha asked, wincing as Sulis examined her hands.

“Blood magic,” Clay answered. “We think Ava learned it from Aryn, during the battle at the Obsidian Temple.”

Master Anchee brushed past Kadar and pushed Sulis out of the way. He pressed his palms down onto Lasha's upturned ones. She sucked in her breath, but did not pull away.

“This is another convenient thing about the Guardian bond,” Master Anchee said. “Large wounds require an expert healer, but Guardian and Chosen can keep each other alive by sending energy.”

He removed his hands and the skin of Lasha's palms was healed smooth again.

“Thank you,” Lasha said softly.

Kadar caught the Prophet Clay staring at him.

“You should go to your daughter,” Clay said. “You will find your path at Tsangia. We will send a party of the Chosen with you. They will convince the Tashara family to contribute to the war effort.”

“But what of Voras, and the war?” Kadar asked. “The Chosen don't have time to gad about the desert.”

“There will be no war before the autumn winds set in,” Clay said, his voice flat but loud. “Even Voras sees the folly in traveling to the heart of the Sands in the summer. He prepares, gathers information, and waits to strike. He will gather his army, and then come for us.” Clay glanced over at Dani, who was looking pale and binding his wound with a bandage someone brought him. “We will send Dani with you to give Ava time to accept her bond with him.”

“Did she hurt him with that magic?” Kadar asked.

Grandmother shook her head. “She did nothing other than tie the two of them more closely. She was interrupted before she could actually bind Dani's will.”

“I can sense her,” Dani said, shaking his head. “She feels scared, confused, angry, and guilty. How can one little girl feel so much?”

Lasha laughed and slugged him in the shoulder. “Just because your emotions center on eating and fighting, doesn't mean the rest of us are that simple.”

“Very funny,” Dani said. “But, why's a Northern girl like her even in the desert?”

“She was Forsaken,” Sulis said. “She was the girl Kadar saved during our pledge year, after she was assaulted. We brought her to the desert to try to help, but she's gotten worse.”

Dani looked horrified. “I remember that. Whiskers, no wonder she doesn't want me around. How am I supposed to protect her if she can't bear to have me beside her?”

“We have to give it time,” Grandmother said. “She regretted her actions, even before the Weaver intervened. Hopefully that'll turn things around.”

“Meanwhile, anyone who is leaving with me needs to start preparing,” Kadar said. “I'm leaving in the morning, with or without an escort.”

“I'm going,” Sulis said. “I want to meet my niece.”

Ashraf stepped up beside her and put an arm around her.

“I believe Anchee and I should stay,” Clay said. “We can talk to Ava, get to know the Weaver a little better and start working her into our patterns.”

Kadar glanced around. Lasha was staring determinedly at Master Anchee, so he assumed she would stay. Grandmother and Palou exchanged looks.

“I will go to speak with the Tasharas and take the brunt of Raella's anger when she finds out Tarik has been arrested,” Grandmother said. “We don't want a big party imposing on them. Dani, Ashraf, and Palou can act as guards.”

The Tigu warrior Turo stepped forward. “I will go, too,” he said in heavily accented
Sanisk
. “Yes, I speak a little of your tongue,” he said, at their surprised looks. “I will go to get the iron, see new places.”

Kadar nodded to himself. He'd let the stables know to ready six horses besides his own and a string of mules for the supplies they'd bring back. It wasn't too large a group to travel quickly. In two and a half days he'd see his daughter again.

J
onas sat in the quiet of the Temple of the One, in the shadows at the edge of the round dome under the ledges the unpaired
feli
rested on. No visitor would see him sitting there. He knew it wasn't proper for the Voice of Parasu to meditate at a different altar. But Parasu's altar was not a peaceful place for him. He shared the private altar reserved for the Voice of Parasu with his keepers. Sitting in the One's Temple kept Parasu himself at bay, especially when Jonas left his
feli
behind, so Jonas's mind was free to think and feel and be human.

“And here you are again, brooding,” came Alannah's voice. Jonas looked over at her as she settled beside him in the shadows. “What has disturbed you this time?”

Jonas weighed his words before speaking. The arrests were general knowledge, so he would not be giving away secrets of his altar if he confided in her.

“They've arrested Sulis's uncle,” he said. “With Parasu's blessing. They will question him and other Southerners.”

“You do not agree with this decision,” Alannah said. It wasn't a question—­she knew him too well. “You have doubts.”

“Yes,” Jonas burst out. “Yes, I have doubts.” He stopped; worried that he might be overheard. Alannah gestured to the two doorways. Two large
feli
were blocking the entrances, signifying that the Counselor was in a private session.

A torrent burst from him. “I doubt my keepers are doing what's best for Illian,” he said. “I doubt my deity cares for anything but worship. And I doubt that I can stay human, that I can stay myself, when he is always in my mind.” Jonas looked into Alannah's sympathetic eyes. “I don't want to lose my humanity, Alannah. I feel like I'm losing me, like what makes me who I am is slipping away. How do I hold on to the things that matter most to me and still serve Parasu? Do I have to give up the things I value most? Do I lose compassion, caring, empathy, love?” Jonas stumbled over the last word as his voice cracked in distress.

“Do you remember when we were pledges and Sulis decided to cure your fear of horses by putting you on her favorite mare?” Alannah asked.

“How could I forget?” Jonas said. “It promptly jumped a fence, throwing me off into a straw pile. I had straw stuck everywhere and a huge rip in my pants. We had to tie a horse blanket around my waist so I could preserve my decency traveling back to the Temple.”

They laughed together, the sound filling the room. Alannah put a hand on his arm.

“But you told me you were no longer afraid of horses, afterward,” Alannah said, still smiling.

Jonas shook his head. “Strangely enough, I wasn't. The worst had happened and I survived. I'll never love the beasts, but they don't terrify me.”

“That's why you need your friends and family. Turning to us is how you keep your humanity. We can help you face your fears in ways you can't by yourself. We are always there to remind you just how human you are. All you have to do is reach out,” Alannah told him.

Jonas smiled. “I'll remember.”

 

CHAPTER 3

T
he scrubby brush of the lowland desert opened before their delegation as they rode west on the mules Kadar had procured, heading for Tsangia.

Sulis snickered as Kadar rode up on her left side, putting her, Ashraf, and Dani neatly between him and Grandmother.

“What are you laughing at?” he asked.

“You know it won't work. She's going to have her say. Best get it over with rather than drawing it out by avoiding her,” Sulis told him.

He flashed her a grin. “I like to make her work for it.”

Ashraf shook his head. “You two realize most ­people beg your grandmother for her wisdom, don't you?”

“Well,
we've
never been known as wise,” Sulis said.

“Reckless, perhaps,” Kadar added.

“Wiley.”

“Smart.”

“Hot-­tempered.”

“Speak for yourself,” Kadar protested. “I have a cool head.”

They spoke together. “But not wise.”

“And not getting any wiser,” Grandmother said from behind Kadar. “I want to speak with you, grandson.”

Kadar rolled his eyes at Sulis and pulled away to ride beside Grandmother. Ashraf chuckled and Sulis grinned, enjoying their old banter. The group had rode into Shpeth the day before, and stayed in Sulis's family home overnight. Aunt Janis had been cheerful for her guests, a smiling and gracious hostess. But Sulis had seen tears in her eyes when no one was looking; she was terrified for her brother-­in-­law Tarik and worried her husband, Aaron, was in danger trying to free his brother.

“How far do we ride today?” Ashraf asked.

“It's a half-­day ride to the Tsang River,” Sulis told him.

Dani frowned, looking over the scrubby brush. “I didn't know rivers flowed through the desert. Is the land around it green, like the oasis, or brown like this?”

“Green. The Tsang used to flow to the ocean, before the great battle turned all this to desert. Now it empties into a basin and seeps into marshland on each side.”

“There is good iron there,” Turo grunted on the other side of Dani. “Makes good axes.”

Ashraf nodded. “The Tashara tribe mines iron and gemstones here. They're the most prominent family in this part of the North. Besides the Hasifels,” he added quickly.

“Uncle Tarik met Aunt Raella when he went to propose that the two families combine forces and export their goods through our caravans,” Sulis said.

“I don't remember seeing gems in your sales hall,” Dani said to Sulis.

Ashraf chortled. “That's because the Tasharas rejected him. My father told me they wanted to keep their own caravans and not give anything to the Hasifels.”

“Aunt Raella went with Uncle Tarik when he left, though,” Sulis said. “She took the Hasifel name, too, which was a big scandal.”

“Why?” Dani asked.

Sulis grinned. “By tradition, the ­couple takes the name of the more prominent family. So Aunt Raella gave the Hasifels precedence over her own family.”

Ashraf nodded. “Your grandmother's status as a Chosen and priestess of the One gives the Hasifel clan higher social standing, even if they aren't as large or wealthy as the Tasharas.”

“My own mother caused a scandal by taking my father's name,” Sulis said. “She said it was because he was the last of his clan, but I think she wanted to tweak Grandmother.”

“Your ­people are as bad as my own,” Dani grumbled. “First circle, second circle, all that prominence stuff. Are you from Shpeth like Sulis is, Ashraf?”

Ashraf grinned. “No, I'm from Frubia, way down south.”

“He's heir to a giant silk demesne there,” Sulis said.

“Not anymore,” Ashraf said quietly, his smile gone.

Sulis mentally kicked herself. Ashraf never mentioned his family now that he was a Guardian. She'd forgotten his sister had replaced him as heir.

“I was heir to my da's armory business before the
feli
took me for the Temple,” Dani sympathized. “It was a kick in the gut to Da and me. I don't know . . . oh!”

They'd been steadily gaining elevation as they rode. The river valley came into view, and they paused at the top of the rise to take in the valley below them. The green trees, lush grasslands, and rushing river were a vivid contrast to the scrub surrounding them.

“There's the town,” Sulis said, pointing. She moved her arm and pointed to a dark gash far in the distance, downriver. “And those are the mines. We'll arrive at the town by late afternoon.”

K
adar barely glanced at Tsangia as they rode through the town. Dani and Ashraf gazed around in interest at the shops and corrals as they rode down the main square, but he and Sulis had often traveled here when they lived in Shpeth. It was the closest town to their childhood home, and both of their aunts had once lived by the river. Kadar was eager to ride to the outskirts where Aunt Raella's family lived. He wanted to see his daughter.

“We need to check with the River Inn if they have enough space for us,” Grandmother said. “After we get settled in, we can make an appointment with the ironworkers and Raella's family.”

Kadar shook his head. “I'll ride on ahead,” he said. His daughter was the only reason he was here.

Grandmother conferred with Palou. “I'll go with you. Palou and the others will find spaces at the inn,” she said.

“I'm going, too,” Sulis said stubbornly. “Ashraf can take my pack to the inn. I'm finally going to meet my niece!”

“Fine,” Grandmother snapped.

They paused, shuffling packs. Kadar kept his, hoping to room with his daughter. He would not be going with the Tigu tribes, as his grandmother had planned. He would stay here until Datura no longer needed a wet nurse. Then he had to decide if he wanted to move them to Shpeth. He'd made his contribution to the war when he brought Sanuri to the desert.

The Tasharas' merchant hall was heavily guarded. Kadar went past the actual sales hall, where the cut gems and jewelry were displayed, and on to the artisan and business side. Guards at the entrance stopped them, and a messenger was sent to Aunt Raella, announcing their presence.

“Kadar! It's good to see you. Come this way.” Kadar's cousin Abram grinned at their surprise on seeing him. “Mother is in the office area. Good to see you, Grandmother Hasifel, Sulis.”

He ducked as Sulis reached to ruffle his hair, and he gave Grandmother a hug.

“You're as tall as I am now,” Sulis told him. “When did that happen? Are you apprenticed here?”

Abram nodded as he led them around tables of men and women sorting gemstones in various stages of being processed.

“I'm apprenticed to one of my uncles, with Kile. Yanis is here, too, acting as a runner between the buildings,” Abram said. “I'm more of a salesman than a gemworker, but I can make friends anywhere.”

“That's great,” Kadar said. Abram had protested when his mother moved him and his brothers to Tsangia earlier in the spring. He had not wanted to abandon his childhood home in Illian.

Abram pushed open a door to reveal Aunt Raella bent over a desk in a smaller room, frowning at the tallies. It was a familiar sight to Kadar from his time with her in Illian, and he had to choke back a feeling of homesickness.

She looked up and smiled at Kadar. Her smile faltered as she took in Grandmother behind him. She respected Grandmother, but also feared her connection to the One.

“Kadar, Sulis, welcome!” Aunt Raella said. “Grandmother Hasifel, we are honored to have you here.”

“I'm afraid we bear bad news,” Grandmother said directly. Kadar sighed at her bluntness. He'd wanted to break the news more gently. Raella's smile faded, replaced by sick understanding.

“Tarik's been taken by Voras's soldiers,” Grandmother said, and Aunt Raella sank onto a bench. “Aaron is scouting around the outskirts of Illian, staying far enough away that he doesn't get seized, trying to find out where he's been taken. We don't know if Simon is still in the city, or if he's escaped.”

Abram put a hand on his mother's shoulder, his face tight with suppressed emotion. Raella's face went still, blank. She took a ­couple of deep breaths, then nodded.

“Then I was right to get the younger boys out,” she said. “I'm glad I convinced Abram and Kile to apprentice here or they'd be in danger as well.”

“If Aaron can't figure out a way to release Tarik on his own, he's going to travel to Stonycreek, the Forsaken city, gather our fighters, and find a way to free him,” Grandmother said.

Aunt Raella shook her head. “That Forsaken city is the reason he's been taken,” she said bitterly. Kadar's stomach churned with guilt. “Farrah used all of us, even Kadar, to get what she wanted. I don't think Aaron will get any help from the Forsaken.”

“You know this is the beginning,” Grandmother said. “The war is starting. We will need the Tasharas' help. We need iron, weapons for the Tigus.”

Abram protested wordlessly, objecting to the timing of the request, but Raella just nodded and stood. “I'll speak to my parents, and they'll gather the elders. I manage the business operations for my parents, but they still make the major decisions.”

A door at the back of the office opened, and a tall, golden-­haired woman stepped through. She held an older baby girl on her hip and a small infant in a sling across her chest. Sulis choked and Kadar realized he'd never told her that her old nemesis from the Temple, Joaquil, was now Datura's
abda
. Joaquil smiled at Kadar, but he had eyes only for his baby girl.

“Datura,” Kadar said.

Datura looked around at her name. “Da!” she cried, pointing at him.

Kadar was thrilled that his brilliant little girl still knew him. He reached for her.

“Da!” she said again, pointing at Grandmother. “Da!” She waved her fist in the air.

Sulis snickered at the disappointed look on Kadar's face and grabbed his daughter before he could. She spun the baby around and Datura chortled and pumped her fists. “Can you say Aunt Sulis?” she asked, holding Datura in front of her face. “Say auntie.”

“Da!” Datura said, and then she belched milk down Sulis's front. Kadar howled with laughter at his sister's horror. He took Datura from her as Joaquil helped Sulis wipe milk off her shirt with a towel she had slung over her shoulder.

“I'm surprised to see you here,” Sulis muttered to Joaquil in the Northern tongue as Kadar cradled his daughter, amazed by how much she'd grown in a few ten-­days.

“I left the Temple after my son was born and my
feli
died,” Joaquil said matter-­of-­factly. “Alannah placed me as Datura's wet nurse. Raella has me apprenticing with her—­learning the language and helping around the office.”

“And I could not have found a brighter apprentice,” Aunt Raella said with forced cheer. “She's picking up
Sanisk
quickly and already knew her sums.”

“I don't miss the backbiting of the Temple or the nastiness,” Joaquil said. “Everyone here is a family. I like that my boy will be a part of this, instead of being lonely in the Children's Home.”

Sulis seemed less disgruntled once Joaquil mentioned Alannah's name. “Dani is with us,” she told Joaquil. “You should stop by the inn and visit him.”

Kadar didn't hear her answer as Grandmother reached for Datura.

“Let me hold my first great-­granddaughter,” Grandmother said.

Kadar marveled as Grandmother's face softened, became younger as she gazed on Datura's face. Datura was just as awed and reached up to gently pat her wrinkled cheek.

“Where are you staying?” Aunt Raella asked.

“The River Inn,” Kadar said. “But I was wondering if you'd have room here for me, by Datura.”

Aunt Raella smiled. “Of course,” she said. “I'll have a guest room made up. Datura spends most of the day here in the office with Joaquil and me.”

Datura wriggled and Grandmother put her down. She scooted across the floor and pulled herself up using the bench. Raella laughed at Kadar's proud grin.

“Her newest trick. Won't be long before she's walking,” she said. She nodded to Grandmother. “If you want to go get settled at the inn, I'll send word when the elders are ready to meet with you. Joaquil, why don't you go with Sulis and her grandmother and see where they are rooming. That way you can see your old Temple friend and know where to deliver messages to them.”

“I'll see you later, little darling,” Sulis cooed to Datura. She didn't try to pick her up again. She smacked Kadar on the arm. “Don't go signing any work contracts before we talk to the elders. You know it'd be a feather in their cap to get a Hasifel working for them, but we may still need you.”

“Don't cause any riots in town,” Kadar warned her. “And don't get poor Ashraf into trouble either.”

“Oh, Mister Stodgy, no fun at all,” Sulis shot over her shoulder as she shooed Grandmother out the door. Kadar turned to spend some time with his daughter, a smile on his face.