by Anne Bishop
“This storm changes nothing,” Belladonna said, extending her hand toward Nadia.
Nadia gripped her daughter’s hand and repeated, “This storm changes nothing.”
Belladonna held out her other hand. Sebastian gripped it. Looking at Morragen, he said, “As the Den’s anchor, I want the border between Tryadnea and the Den to hold. I want the chance to get to know my new neighbors.”
The rain stopped just as Jeb, Lynnea, and Caitlin returned to the kitchen.
Teaser opened the kitchen door, stared out the screen for a moment, then muttered, “Daylight. Can flowers swim?”
“Best we deal with what’s outside later,” Jeb said.
“Sit down,” Belladonna said, her eyes still fixed on Morragen and Zeela.
Don’t do it, Danyal thought, watching Zeela while trying to get a sense of the depth of Belladonna’s anger. What he felt in that divided heart frightened him. If you bring this storm down on your people, you will never forgive yourself.
Morragen sat.
Lee said, “Please, Zeela. Do as she asks.”
Zeela sat.
Belladonna released Nadia’s hand. She tried to release Sebastian’s too, but he held on until she looked at him.
Heat lightning and thorn trees. But that connection was enough to add the thunder of clean water to the thorn trees.
When Glorianna sat down, the others did too.
“You don’t have to condemn your people to have something for yourself,” Glorianna told Zeela.
Danyal considered the little he knew about Sholeh Zeela a Zhahar—the private things he’d seen when he’d packed up her possessions after Zeela had been knifed, and the story Yoshani and Michael had put together that could explain what had happened to the Tryad long ago.
“It’s about heart, isn’t it?” he asked gently. “That’s why what you want you also fear. Because it’s about heart.”
“It usually is,” Sebastian replied, looking at Lynnea.
Medusah came into view. She stared at each of them in turn but said nothing.
“Then I was right about the missing piece of the story,” Michael said. “It’s not just about us being able to accept you. It’s about you having enough heart—enough courage—to accept us. If enough of you want a connection, hope for a connection to another piece of Ephemera, there are some of you who can take that hope and wind it into an anchor that will hold for a while. But that’s an anchor attached to a rope that frays a little more every day. In order to build a solid bridge between your people and another, you need heart.”
“Yes,” Glorianna said softly, thoughtfully. “It’s not enough to be physically present in a place; you have to live in the place. Interact with people. Build a life.”
“You don’t know what it’s like to be an outsider,” Medusah said bitterly.
Caitlin let out a pained laugh. “Oh, some of us do. Some of us know all too well what it’s like to be different from everyone else around you.”
I wish I could bring her to the Temple of Sorrow, Danyal thought. I wish I could help her release some of that old pain.
But she surprised him by smiling at Glorianna. “Now I’m learning that it takes time for the heart to embrace being accepted. And it takes time to learn that something doesn’t have to be the way it’s been.” She ducked her head, as if shying away.
“What is it, Caitlin?” Nadia asked.
“It was just a thought,” she mumbled.
When she didn’t say anything else, Teaser gave her an elbow bump. “They’re waiting for the thought.”
She’s someone he likes but doesn’t think of sexually, which must be strange for him, Danyal thought. Someone he pesters and teases—and wouldn’t hesitate to defend. And that has changed him.
“Well, Sholeh and I were talking last night,” Caitlin said hesitantly.
Sholeh appeared long enough to frantically shake her head, but it was Zhahar who came into view, looking pale and sick.
“She explained about the connections Tryad made to hold Tryadnea to other landscapes, and that got me thinking about the journeys,” Caitlin continued. “Every person who lives in Darling’s Harbor takes a walk between the Sentinel Stones when they reach their majority. They spend weeks preparing for it, putting their gear together and making up a pack much like Michael used to carry for his wandering. Families celebrate, and there are both laughter and tears because no one knows if that person will ever come back. And then the people making the journey walk between the Stones to find out where they belong in the world.”
Lee almost bounced out of his chair.
“So I was thinking that maybe some of the Tryad’s troubles were caused because they weren’t connected with places that had people interested in meeting them. Lots of the people in Ephemera don’t meet many beyond their own.”
“There’s truth in that,” Michael said.
Caitlin looked at Glorianna. “Maybe you could come back to Darling’s Harbor with me, and we could talk to Peg and some of the others about having a few of the Tryad living and working in the village.” She glanced nervously at Medusah. “Do any of your people have experience sailing or fishing? We have a lot of sailing and fishing.”
“We have lakes and rivers, but not big water,” Medusah replied.
“Doesn’t mean some youngsters wouldn’t be interested in learning a different skill,” Jeb said. “Have to figure out how to fairly divide the work time.”
Glorianna nodded. “Something that could be discussed, especially since it’s reasonable to assume that each sibling in a Tryad would have different interests.”
“Hate to say it, Auntie Nadia,” Sebastian said, “but the people in Aurora might be a bit too prissy prig to welcome people as unique as the Tryad.”
“They weren’t nice to me the last time I went shopping in the village,” Teaser said. Then he looked thoughtful. “But that might have been because the shopkeeper noticed the way his wife was smiling, and I’m pretty sure he’d never put that kind of smile on her face.”
Lee groaned. “Teaser.”
“What? I’m just saying.”
“Aurora isn’t the only possibility,” Glorianna said.
“I don’t think Dunberry has recovered enough from the deaths the Eater caused to be receptive, but Foggy Downs might be open to a few new residents,” Michael said.
“What is the point of this?” Medusah asked. “Your border is breaking, and we’ll be adrift again.”
“It has faded, which isn’t the same as breaking. Is breaking what you want?” Glorianna countered. “If Danyal is right and it’s about heart, our accepting you will never be enough. You also have to accept us, have to be willing to look at someone who isn’t like you and see more than someone who is a one-face. You have one young man who is a Bridge. With training, he would be able to connect Tryadnea with other parts of Ephemera. If there is one Tryad with that gift, there may be more. You may even have the equivalent of Landscapers among you—Tryad who maintain the balance of Light and Dark in Tryadnea. And you may have darker powers swimming in your bloodlines as well.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Medusah said.
“Yes,” Belladonna replied, “you do know.”
Medusah’s face tightened but she didn’t argue.
Silence. Danyal heard the ticking of a clock somewhere in the house.
“That’s it, then?” the Knife finally asked. “The border gets fixed and everything is the way it was?”
Danyal saw gentle sadness and understanding in Yoshani’s face when the holy man said, “The border will be fixed, but everything has changed. Hasn’t it, Glorianna Dark and Wise?”
“One heart can change a landscape,” Glorianna said softly. “And a heart can change and grow to the point where it no longer fits in a landscape. Sebastian and I will go back and repair the border when we’re finished here. But despite how well it’s marked, I don’t think you’ll find that border, Sholeh Zeela a Zhahar. I don’t know if you’ll ever f
ind your way back to Tryadnea. So I’ll remind you of Heart’s Blessing. Let your heart travel lightly, because what you bring with you becomes part of the landscape.”
“W-what does that mean?” Zhahar asked.
“It means Ephemera has responded to all the conflicting heart wishes—including yours,” Glorianna said gently. “You didn’t want to go back to your homeland. Now you can’t.”
Zephyra came into view, her eyes full of tears. “Why couldn’t you give us a chance to understand?”
Danyal wasn’t sure whom the question was meant for. He wasn’t sure Zephyra knew either.
Choking on a sob, Zhahar ran out of the room.
“I’ll go,” Lynnea said before hurrying after the other woman.
“What is Zhahar supposed to do, Glorianna?” Lee asked.
“Her life, her journey, her choice,” Glorianna replied.
“I got back.” Lee removed his glasses and carefully rubbed his eyes. “When I needed to, I was able to get back home.”
“But you don’t quite belong here anymore. And you’re not staying.” Glorianna squeezed his hand. “So let’s consider how to get you back to where you need to be.”
“What about me?” Danyal asked.
“Your life, your journey, your choice,” she said, looking into his eyes.
She was the guide and the monster the Shaman Council had hoped he would find—and it was time to make a choice. “What color are my eyes?”
Glorianna gave him a puzzled smile, but there was no hesitation before she said, “They’re blue, with a ring of gray, but whether they look more blue or gray depends on your mood. They’re like Michael’s eyes in that way.”
She saw the man as well as the Shaman, and the wonder of that opened a part of his heart he hadn’t known was closed.
“I would like to return here, because you all have so much to teach me,” Danyal said. “I would like to walk in Sanctuary again and spend time in the Den.” He laughed softly at the dismayed sounds coming from Teaser. “But I need to return to Vision. I need to tell the other Shamans what I’ve learned about the enemy who has come among us. And I…” He looked at Glorianna Belladonna, Guide of the Heart. “And I would like to talk to you. Privately.”
Glorianna shifted in her chair until she could see the Apothecary and the Knife. “And you?”
“If the shadowmen don’t find a way to eliminate this enemy, we’ll be pushed out of our own city,” the Knife said. “So I want to go back.”
The Apothecary nodded. “I could do some good with fresh-picked plants, but I need to be able to get home to do that good.”
Glorianna nodded, then turned to Lee. “What did you bring?”
Standing up, Lee opened the blanket. “You’ve been able to make access points out of a stone bowl or a brick, so I thought these might work as an access point to Vision.”
Nadia, Michael, and Caitlin looked at the gongs and chimes and shook their heads.
Glorianna stared at the gongs, then pushed her chair away from the table. “No. They’re not an access point. Not for me.”
“Lee, where did you get those?” Danyal asked.
“Glorianna?” Yoshani said with a hint of alarm that brought Michael to his feet.
Lee set one of the gongs upright and reached for its mallet. “Maybe you need to hear it in order to—”
“No!” Danyal shouted. Springing to his feet, he rushed around the table, sucking in a breath at the sudden pain in his hip. He grabbed Lee’s wrist so hard the other man dropped the mallet. “Where did you get these?”
“From the temple at the Asylum,” Lee replied. “They were the only things I could think of that were easy to carry and might resonate with Vision.”
Danyal released Lee’s wrist. Then he laid the gong down on the blanket, careful to prevent it from making any sound. “My fault. I’ve been trying to understand you, Lee, and understand how you connect with the world. It’s not our way to share Shaman training with someone who isn’t a Shaman.”
All the color drained out of Lee’s face. “What would have happened if I struck the gong here?”
“These gongs release sorrow,” Danyal said quietly. “And there are people in this room who carry a great deal of sorrow. You could have opened a door in some hearts that I don’t have enough skill to close. In a temple meant for such things, I could do it. But not here.”
Sebastian swore. Michael looked grim.
Lee immediately looked at his sister. “Glorianna.”
She reached out, almost touching the gong. “Even the Eater of the World had no secrets from Belladonna,” she whispered. “At the end, just before I followed the music and found my way back to the Island in the Mist, I left a heart’s hope plant for It. A tiny thread of Light.” She looked up at Lee. “That landscape isn’t closed anymore. Hard to find, even harder to reach, but it isn’t closed.”
“Lady of Light, have mercy on us,” Michael said as he went to Glorianna and placed his hands on her shoulders.
Danyal felt the thorn trees wrapping around the house, felt the teasing prick of thorns against his skin. Not really there. Not yet.
He waved a hand over the gongs. “These are not a good choice for you.” Ignoring the hot ache in shoulder and hip, he leaned over the table and held a hand over each wind chime. He picked up the largest of the three, the one that would have the deepest tones. “But this…” He moved his hand to make the chime ring. “This is joy.”
He felt a change in the rest of the people in the room, but he kept his eyes on Glorianna. The Light within her made her skin glow.
“Where did this come from?” she asked.
“Until they are brought to The Temples, the chimes, like the gongs, are ordinary,” Danyal replied. “But the Shamans breathe a measure of their gift into them in order to serve a specific purpose.”
“Temples,” she said, staring at the wind chime. “But there is also a Place of Light.”
“A portion of The Temples is—or was—open to all who sought comfort or guidance. The rest is the Shamans’ piece of the city. Within that is the piece where the masters live. It is removed from the rest of the city, but not unaware of it.”
“A Place of Light,” Yoshani said.
“And the access point for you, Danyal,” Glorianna said.
“What about the others?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Do you agree, Magician?”
Michael hesitated. “If you’re saying the sound of that chime is your way of reaching Vision, then you, Danyal, and Yoshani are the only ones whose music is in tune with the place.”
“Does that mean the Shaman can get back but we can’t?” the Knife asked.
“It means we found one connection between here and there,” Glorianna replied. “It’s more than we had an hour ago.” She stood up and stepped away from the table. “I need some air. Shaman? Come find me in an hour.” She pushed the screen door open and walked out.
“With all that rain, she’ll be ankle deep in mud before she takes three steps,” the Apothecary said.
A beat of silence. Then Lee said, “No, she won’t.”
Lee found Glorianna working in the flower beds farthest from the house.
“By rights, Zeela should be the one out here pulling weeds,” he said.
“Would Zeela know which plants are weeds?” Glorianna asked.
After a moment’s thought, he shook his head. “I don’t think any of that Tryad knows much about plants, except what they think is pretty.” He knelt beside his sister, immediately soaking the knees of his trousers. “Give me the other pail. I can’t see well enough to tell the weeds from Mother’s plantings, but I can clean up the stones.”
Glorianna handed him the pail, then went back to pulling weeds.
“I’ve been acting like an ass since I got back,” he said.
“A bit. Sebastian and Teaser figure it’s because of the girl. Since they’re incubi, it isn’t surprising they would focus on the female. Mother thinks it’
s because you’re scared.”
“What about you? What do you think?”
“I’ve been thinking of Michael’s mother and how, because the boundaries between landscapes aren’t clearly defined in Elandar, she could be in a place where she didn’t really belong. I’ve been thinking of how that must feel.” She stopped working, studied him for a moment, then returned to the weeding. “If you were certain you were just visiting, that being here was temporary, you wouldn’t need to push to make sure you didn’t belong.”
“I’m not trying to get away from all of you,” Lee said.
She laughed quietly. “Yes, you are. And you should.”
“Are those words coming from my sister or a Guide of the Heart?”
She hesitated, then said, “Not your sister.”
Not his sister. Nothing he said right now would surprise her, so he spoke the truth. “I can’t do what I used to do. I can’t travel to check on the bridges connecting landscapes the way I used to. I can’t see well enough to travel alone—and even if I could, I’m tired of that life.”
“I agree,” Glorianna said. “You should be traveling with a companion whenever you need or want to travel.”
“What kind of companion are we talking about?” Would Zhahar be interested in traveling through the parts of Ephemera he knew? Would her sisters object to traveling?
Glorianna made a humming sound and bumped his arm. “Shift over.”
“You didn’t answer the question.”
“A Guide wouldn’t answer such a question, and as your sister, I’m disappointed that you can’t figure that one out for yourself.”
“You’re starting to sound like Sebastian and Teaser.”
“Then you don’t want to know how much speculation Caitlin and Lynnea have indulged in about you and Zhahar.”
Lee sighed. If he had a choice, he’d take incubi curiosity over inquisitive female relatives any day. Except Glorianna.
“I wasn’t trying to hurt you,” he said after they’d worked in silence for a few minutes. “Using the gongs in the temple helped me, so I didn’t think they would hurt you.”
“I know.”