Sage Truth [Book 2 of the Teadai Prophecies]

by Dana Davis

  If she could only bloody move! She focused on her fingers again and attempted to budge any one of them until sweat coated several parts of her body. And this, despite the cold air that blew in from outside. The breeze touched her skin in small, uneven intervals, and she suspected the wagon had some sort of covering, probably to shield them from outsiders. She didn’t feel the sun on her back, either, but it must be daylight now. No one traveled at night. At least, no one with any sense.

  She let out a mental cry of frustration mixed with anguish. Her voice was silent, as it had been the last two days. She hadn’t ingested anything in two complete days, either, except in her dreams, not even water. She was certain this was her third day in the wagon, since they’d stopped twice for long periods and she had heard night insects on both occasions. Not even a Gypsy could survive long without water. Did her captives not care whether she lived or died? Her thoughts turned to Henny and the other younglings. They were too young to die.

  Blazes, I’m too young to die! Snowy, I miss you? Goddess, please keep him safe. She couldn’t even cry.

  She tried using the Energy again, just a tiny spark. But she couldn’t feel it, minuscule as it was, rise anywhere in her body. They were bound somehow, as Haranda had explained. Weariness set in and she released the Energy.

  If starvation didn’t kill them, the lack of bodily relief would, eventually. Back in Maricar, Healer Mag had taught her that a person needed to get rid of waste to survive, though she couldn’t remember how long it would take to die from lack of release.

  The wagon hit another bump and her mind cried out with pain. She took in the Energy again but that didn’t help much, so she released it again.

  Singer, a whisper sounded inside her head.

  She thought she felt the soft touch of silk on her mind and her heart rapped against her ribs. Dar? Is that you? Or am I dreaming?

  You don’t dream now, singer. The she-wolf’s whisper caressed her mind. I’m with you. You are injured.

  Oh, so joyful to hear! Taniras would have been bawling if she could. I didn’t have time to call you, Dar. How did you know where to find me?

  We are always connected, singer. No one is ever alone within the pack.

  Taniras should have realized that. She knew that feeling, a sense of time immemorial, stretching back to the birth of the pack consciousness, when middlings still lived in caves like animals. So long ago. My kin have been taken. We were poisoned somehow and bound. I can’t move my body.

  Yes, I sense that. And we are near.

  But I heard the pack howls from a great distance. You’re here?

  We have been following from the shadows, silent. Other packs run in the distance.

  She should have remembered that too. Though the combined pack consisted of every wolf that had ever lived, they ran in separate groups. Dar’s pack was here. With her. Watching out for her. Taniras mentally cried out with joy and her emotions echoed through the pack. Then every wolf, both near and far, responded with enthusiasm. A delight to hear them again, to have them in her thoughts once more.

  Dar hushed the others with mild amusement and relief. What runs through your body is not of the soil. There was a long pause as the combined voices of the pack brushed against her mind. This type of communication no longer made her dizzy and nauseous, thankfully. If she were capable of heaving her stomach, she might choke to death since she couldn’t open her mouth. Someone has used magic on you. There is the stench of magic in your blood.

  Taniras’s senses picked up on that the instant Dar thought it. A scent of death mixed with a fragrance of charred wood, and it came from inside her body. Those bloody insects. Confusion waved through the link. We were attacked by biting or stinging insects before I lost consciousness. They must have been produced with magic. Elemental magic, no doubt. Another wave, this time sharp and fearful. Taniras used her will to hold on to the link. Dar? What is it? Please, don’t leave me. Panic threatened to dull her other senses.

  I’m here. The she-wolf sent her own messages of calm to the pack.

  Can you sense my mate?

  He’s near you.

  His scent filled her nostrils through the link, and she wanted so much to take in a deep breath. He was probably within arm’s reach. Thank the Goddess.

  Yes.

  She told Dar everything Haranda had said in the Netherworld about Croferituus and would have wet herself if she’d she been able to when Dar’s reply came.

  She is with you too.

  What? Taniras didn’t hide her sudden alarm. Low growls filled her mind.

  The woman you seek. The one called Croferituus. She is with you. Close. We can smell her. People scent, cat scent. A wave of foreboding. And death.

  Howls filled Taniras’s mind and an image of Dar’s bared teeth came with it. She must be one of the wagon drivers. Haranda thought she was on the island. They must work fast. Do you know how to get this magical poison from my blood, Dar? There came another long pause mixed with trepidation. Dar?

  There is a way. But it won’t be pleasant, singer.

  An image of herself screaming with pain filled Taniras’s mind and she would have shuttered if she could. Will it work? Will it free my body?

  Yes.

  Then do it.

  First, we must strengthen the pack link.

  Do whatever you must. My kin need me. Dread caused her heart to pound furiously against her chest. She would have to keep silent so as not to cry out and alarm her captors once the magic was broken.

  Whatever Dar was doing to strengthen the pack, it worked. Taniras felt the power of a thousand-thousand wolves, reaching across great distances, back and back to the dawn of the pack itself, when they were nothing more than vicious creatures, bereft of mind speech, and without consciousness. She had a sudden urge to bite something. Voices, like a river run amok, plowed through her mind, and she mentally screamed at the assault. She barely heard Dar over the confusion.

  Singer! The silky touch had a harsh edge to it now. You must concentrate on me. Do you understand? We can’t hold this link for long without madness.

  I hear you. Please, hurry. Madness might come sooner than Dar expected. At least for Taniras. She focused on Dar’s voice, her wolf scent, her mighty presence.

  You must keep silent once the spell is broken, singer. We are ready. Harness the Energy.

  Taniras obeyed and took in the Energy. Do it now, Dar. Even before those words formed in her mind, warm discomfort began to pump through her veins. At first, she thought she could tolerate it, but when the pain grew hot, her mind screamed out, echoed by the pack. Can they feel this? That thought came and left in a blur as muscles seemed to tear away, rip from bone. Dar seemed distant now, and all Taniras wanted was relief from the agony. Her limbs twitched against their binds and her mouth opened, ready to emit a scream.

  Be silent, singer!

  That was enough to jolt her senses and she clamped her mouth shut, biting her teeth together so hard she thought they might shatter. The agony receded along with the mass of wolf voices, replaced with aching muscles, a fierce headache, the urge to urinate and defecate, and the blessed awareness of the Energy. But not before a whimper slipped from her throat. She bit back the noise. Thank you, Dar. The tired wolf caressed her mind with a mental lick.

  She wanted to curl up and weep but the wagon suddenly stopped. Her eyes flew open and she squinted at the bodies around her. Oh, Goddess help me! They heard! Her vision was so blurred she couldn’t tell one person from another. She shut her eyes and froze in the position she was certain the captors had left her in, bruised cheek down against the rough blanket. Thirst consumed her and her bladder wouldn’t wait long. Her limbs were still tied and she was certain the binds left her skin raw.

  “I know I heard something,” a woman said.

  Taniras felt the air shift as someone pulled back the covering over the wagon bed. Something poked her legs but she remained motionless.

  “They’re helpless,” another woman sai
d.

  She is the one, Dar’s silky voice hissed. She stinks of magic and death.

  Taniras’s heart raced but she kept her body still. The woman definitely gave off the stink of death and Taniras had to work to keep from heaving. Exhaustion helped her task. Soon she could sleep without much effort, but she really needed to relieve herself.

  The women gave up and returned to the driver’s seat. Taniras felt the rocking motion as they climbed aboard. The wagon started to roll again and she let out a long breath. She opened her eyes and blinked several times to clear the fog from her sight. She had to squint even with the protection of the covering. Two days. Now going on the third. Oh, how she wanted food and release!

  Sympathy waved through the link with Dar and the wolves shouted the hunting cry. Hunger and blood lust came with a sharp scent of wolf musk. They planned to feed her. At this point, she would eat her meal raw, if that’s what they served. With effort and sheer willpower, she pushed the hunger aside and searched those around her. Haranda, Wren and Saldia were here. She craned her neck to look toward the front of the bed. Snowy lay there on his stomach, limbs bound. He was still, but she could make out the subtle movements of breath. Joyful howls filled her mind.

  The wagon jolted over rough ground and she saw just how hard the others hit the blanketed floor. They would all have bruises after this. She twisted and scooted her hips back to see behind her. Blankets covered the entire bed, thankfully, because through a small hole in the rough fabric, she could see another wagon directly behind them. She would have to be careful, extremely careful, not to get caught awake. What surprised her most was that the driver’s bench was empty. No one drove the team. The horses simply followed, keeping pace with her wagon. More elemental magic, unless one of the women was an animal urger. And a fortunate thing for her.

  She glanced at her former clan mother and wished she had slumbering Energy. At least then she would be able to contact her kin. But Haranda was probably awake now. They all might be. With her hands still bound behind her, she scooted as close as she could to Haranda and placed her lips next to the upturned ear.

  “Haranda?” Her voice came in raspy and strained tones from a throat devoid of moisture. “I hope you can hear me. It’s Taniras. The wolves have taken the poison from my body.” She craned her neck to the front of the wagon but they kept moving, and the two women up front chatted about what to have for night meal. “The pack wants to help. I know you can’t move. Please, hear me. Tell the others in the Netherworld.”

  She repeated her words to Wren in hopes that at least one of the Gypsies was awake then gave reassuring words to Snowy. Afterwards, she glanced around for anything that might contain water, but there were only a couple of empty buckets that had tipped over and a hay bale on this wagon, besides several kin.

  The urge to relieve herself became too strong to hold and she managed to snag one of the buckets, no easy task with her hands tied, and get it near the end of the wagon. Sheer determination led her to success in getting her underbreeches out of the way. The horses and wagon wheels covered the sounds, thankfully, and they kept moving. Afterwards, she poured the contents onto the ground, hoping the drivers would think one of the horses relieved itself as they moved along and simply ignore it. She stuffed some hay into the bucket to cover any remaining smell.

  When the wagon made a large jolt, she lost her balance and fell to her side. Her cheek lay at the edge of the wagon. If she fell out, she would be trampled before anyone even knew she was awake. But she hadn’t fallen out. Her heart pounded in her head and she took in quiet breaths to calm herself before scooting away from the edge. She bumped someone’s feet. Snowy.

  She scooted to his head and leaned to his ear. “I love you. I’ll get us out of this.” But she had to wait for her kin. They had to be ready.

  Exhaustion overcame her and she slid her aching body back to its initial position. She rested her bruised cheek against the rough blanket and fell into darkness.

  Cottages in the Land of the Goddess surrounded her and she watched the servants decorate for Winter Solstice. So beautiful. Kin hurried this way and that. Some headed to lessons and meetings, others to chores or games. Someone stood nearby, someone she recognized, a woman. But what was her name?

  The woman came closer and dark eyes studied her. “Taniras.”

  “Yes.” Who was this woman? “I know you.”

  “I’m Haranda. Remember?”

  Ah, yes. She nodded.

  “The wolves have cleansed you of the magical poison. Remember?”

  She did remember that. “Yes. We’re captives.” Suddenly, she stood in a village near the Tandiar River. A massive cloud of undulating black dots hurried toward her. She focused on Haranda again.

  “Yes, Taniras. You spoke to me today. I thought when you became silent that you might be sleeping. I know you can’t slumber but you’ll remember what I tell you.”

  “Yes. I can do that. I remember everything you tell me.”

  Haranda smiled and caressed Taniras’s cheek. “Yes, singer, you do. Wren is trying to locate any who are asleep now and tell them the news, but perhaps your wolves can find a way to free us all.”

  “I’ll ask.” Her memory suddenly filled with her waking life. Dar’s words jolted her mind and she grabbed Haranda’s arm, startling her. “She’s with us.”

  “Who?”

  “The one who stinks of magic and death. The yellow-eyed woman.”

  “Croferituus?

  “Yes. Dar smelled her with me. And so did I. She drives our wagon.”

  Haranda paled but only for a heartbeat. Then her face hardened.

  Taniras’s mind seemed strong now in the Netherworld. “Am I slumbering?”

  “No, singer. You don’t have that Energy. But you do seem quite aware today. Perhaps the wolves have something to do with it.”

  “Perhaps.” She couldn’t hear the pack now, though.

  “How do you feel? I heard you moan before the women came to check on us.”

  “The cleansing was painful.” She would never forget that as long as she lived. “My apologies for making noise. I could have been discovered.”

  “No need for apologies. You did well. Now, you sleep. I have work to do.” Haranda vanished.

  Taniras glanced around and her surroundings changed back to the Land of the Goddess. She started for Snowy, who lounged beneath one of the large trees.

  “Are you certain?”

  A woman’s voice jolted Taniras awake and she fought her instincts to move. Croferituus. She recognized the voice now. It was still light out, probably just after midday from what she could see through the blanket. The wagons had stopped.

  “Yes.” The other woman sounded as though she stood a few paces from Taniras’s wagon. “A bloody pack of them has frightened the horses. That’s why they’re not following the rest of the wagons.”

  “That shouldn’t be. My spell can’t be broken by filthy hunting beasts. There must be something else.”

  “The captives are still out.”

  Croferituus chuckled but it didn’t sound nice. “Of course they are, you stupid woman. Besides, no dirty Gypsy or Sage could possibly outmaneuver me with the Energy. Not the way I use it.”

  The woman had to know that anyone awake could hear her. She sounded so smug Taniras wanted to leap from the wagon and thrash her. The wolves howled an attack song in her mind. Dar hushed them. Taniras wondered whether Haranda and the others felt the same. Of course they did. The women had begun to walk away from the wagon. Her stomach ached with hunger. She had to get out of these restraints. If she could escape with the wolves, perhaps they could free the others. Or at least, she could find some help.

  She didn’t have long to ponder that because the wagons began moving again and all she thought about was her thirst and hunger and weariness. She slept on and off.

  At dusk, they stopped and she caught the acrid odor of fire. Her mouth felt like dust and she could hardly swallow anymore. After the wo
men bedded down, footfalls of two guards, presumably the same two she’d heard each night, passed near her wagon.

  One bottom corner of the blanket flapped open and Taniras slammed her eyes shut. Her head was turned the wrong way and she rested on her left cheek instead of her right. Son of a goat!

  No alarm, singer, Dar’s silky voice said. I bring food.

  She opened her eyes to see the she-wolf’s head poke through the blanket. A most beautiful site! Taniras’s eyes began to tear and she fought sobs.

  Dar crept into the wagon with a mouthful of something red and held it near Taniras’s mouth. No thought of disgust. Taniras simply pulled the strands with her teeth and began to chew, but it wasn’t meat. It was some sort of tuber, very moist and comforting to her dry mouth.

  Slowly, singer. Too long without food will make you ill.

  Yes. She knew that. Healer Mag’s teachings came to her mind, as they so often did. Small bites and chew slowly. Broth is best.

  Dar began to gnaw on the binds, and Taniras winced at the pain of sharp teeth against raw flesh. The guards passed again, just as she swallowed her last bite of tuber. Dar stiffened and the musky scent of alarm filled Taniras’s nostrils. The guards must not have noticed anything unusual because they kept moving.

  Once the footfalls moved away from the wagon, Taniras focused on the wolf’s yellow eyes. What is it?

  The poisoner is here also. I can smell her. She is helpless. Shall we kill her?

  Eletha’s poisoner was a woman? Taniras hadn’t expected that but it made sense. No one looked twice at a tavern mug in a woman’s hands, especially if she came into a kitchen. They had all but given up on finding the poisoner back at Mistress Norine’s tavern. And Mistress Norine was here somewhere too. She had signed on as a cook. Two of her daughters and many others from Bankar also lay helpless somewhere.