by C. R. Daems
* * *
The first performance went well, and our skit was again a success. The games netted a tora, a good profit for one night. I noticed the usual thieves, no assassins that I could identify, and three Wizards: Fire, Water, and Earth. From what I knew, it made for a strange combination.
The next day Marku was informed that a local noble, Lady Roshan, wanted us to perform for her and her guests, five nights hence. That would require us to stay an additional two days but gave the clan a day's rest between our last scheduled performance and Lady Roshan's party. Performances for nobles always proved lucrative.
That night Anil hung on the Intermediate's roof watching as six men arrived. Four stood in the shadows or behind the building while two went inside, confirming my initial impression. I intended to take no action but would like to determine who hired them. I pushed Kasi to follow them when they left. To my surprise, they were soldiers disguised as commoners and employed by Lord se'Dishad, a nephew of se'Dubben and the ranking noble in Ashtol.
The next night's performance went off well. Afterward, I again worked the fortuneteller tent and Alida the dart-throwing tent. When my next customer didn't enter, I opened the flap and peered out. Everyone stood staring toward Alida's tent. I moved closer. Marku and Yoan stood facing a Water Wizard who had hold of Alida's arm.
"I found her cheating. I'm taking her to Lord se'Dishad for judgment," the Wizard said. He looked middle aged and amused. He smiled at Alida while his eyes roamed her body. I headed for my wagon, sending Kasi to follow him. I had just finished putting on my drab clothes and had my blacks in my hand when Stela entered.
"No! Don't go. He will kill you… Alida needs help…he will rape and kill her if you can't save her and the clan will do something stupid…the clan will be destroyed…leave now, save yourself…by the gods I don't know what…"
I finished dressing as she dithered, then gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek before climbing out of the wagon. Alida wasn't going quietly. The Wizard just laughed as he dragged her along while she struggled to get loose. I hurried to get ahead of them.
The street where I waited in the shadows was filled with well-maintained row houses. I didn't know what I would or could do to save Alida. I had been lucky with the Fire and Wind Wizards, but intuition ruled not logic. Alida was family.
When he was close, I threw a knife and then another. A wall of water swirled around him, and the knives lost their power and spin when they hit the water. It was obvious that knives would never make it past that swirling wall of water. I stood there out of ideas when a wave of water hit me, driving me into the cement stairs leading to one of the houses. I lay there fighting for breath, knowing I had to move before more water slammed into me again. I leaped onto the stairs and over just as a huge wave hit where I had been. The stairs saved me from being smashed against the cement a second time.
He continued moving toward me. Knowing I would soon be exposed, I ran toward the other side of the street and at the last moment dove onto my stomach as the next wave came roaring down the street. The impact missed hitting me directly, as it would have if I had been standing, but the undercurrent sent me sliding down the street into a tree trunk. The skin on my stomach and chest was scraped raw from the street and my ribs throbbed with pain from hitting the tree. I was losing this confrontation. Unlike the Fire Wizard, this Wizard didn't need to drop his water shield to send each new wave. Although the swirling action around him created a weak vortex, he stood safely five hands under water. Even if something entered the vortex, it would lose power before it hit him. There had to be air inside the water surrounding the Wizard; otherwise Alida would drown.
Before the next wave hit, I managed to rotate behind the tree, although it would only provide a temporary refuge. After another wave, I ran toward a house with cement stairs and used them to jump up and grab the bottom of an iron terrace. As I did, another blast of water hit. The force of the wave lashed over my legs, nearly tearing my hands lose. Before the next wave, I pulled myself up onto the terrace, caught hold of a cement gargoyle projecting from the roof gutter, and dragged myself up onto the roof. His next wave was wasted on the house. By then there were uprooted trees, houses with broken windows, doors, and fences, and the sides of several buildings showed signs their foundations had cracks. The street was being torn apart.
I scrambled up the roof as the rain started. Slowly, it increased in intensity until the roof resembled a river with a strong current. I dug one of my knives into the roof and hung on as the racing water worked to rip my hold free. The Wizard stood in the middle of the street with water from the roof splashing around him. Soon I'd lose my hold on the knife and would be swept off the roof to the ground below. If the fall didn't kill me, the Wizard would.
I rolled on my back and let go, letting the water propel me down the roof with increasing speed. As I slid ever faster, I drew two knives. As I flew off the roof, I flipped over in the air and plunged head first into the center of the swirling water. My speed slowed as I slid into the water. Then I collided with him, my knives driving into his shoulder and neck.
The wall of swirling water crashed to the ground with Alida, who lay unconscious. The Wizard lay dead. I raised his head and twisted until his neck snapped. I grabbed a leg, twisted, and threw all my weight on it. It cracked. I gasped for breath as my battered ribs shot pain through my chest. Next, I jumped in the air and came down on his ribs.
I knew I would regret it and did. The impact nearly caused me to pass out as my body exploded in pain. Everything hurt. Although drenched, even my hair seemed on fire. I stood there waiting for the dizziness to stop. When my head cleared and the pain dulled, I dragged him over to a large tree and smashed his face into it several times before draping him around it. In the shadows of the tree, I quickly shed my blacks. When I got back to Alida, she was sitting up, holding her head. By now, lights were appearing and people had gotten enough nerve to look out their windows and doors. Gasping for air, I put my hands under her arms and, with her help, lifted her to her feet.
"What happened, Ryana?"
"Come on. We need to get away from here. The Wizard is dead. I think another Wizard killed him."
Alida wasn't hurt, just dazed. When she saw me limping, she put her arm around me and we limped as fast as we could back to the wagons. The audiences had left, and the clan had gathered around Marku as we staggered in. They rushed us with hundreds of questions. I quieted everyone by collapsing. Although faked, it had the desired effect—they stopped asking questions. Marku carried me to the wagon with Stela following. He laid me on the cot and left. As Stela began undressing me, my blacks dropped out.
"Just put them in my bag for now. I'll put them away later."
"You collapsed on purpose? How did you save her? How badly are you hurt? I'm sorry I made you go." She stopped to take a breath. "Thank you, Ryana. We can never repay what we owe you."
"Alida's in shock, not hurt. Like before, you must stay in Ashtol. Alida's story goes like this," I said with a weak smile. "She doesn't know what the Wizard wanted, but somewhere along the way, the Wizard raised a wall of water and chaos broke out. She fainted and only came to when it was all over, I was there, and we helped each other back to the wagons. Make sure she keeps to that story. I've made it look like a Wind Wizard did it."
I lay back to catch my breath. Pain seemed to come from everywhere. "Now for my story. I raced after Alida thinking to kill the Wizard. This time I had knives—not a rock. When I caught up with them, I threw three knives at him. A wall of water came up and washed away the knives. Then a wave of water smashed into me, knocking me out. When I woke, it was all over. I found Alida in the street, and she helped me home." It hurt to talk. Stela shook her head.
"Not a bad story. Better than last time. You have cuts and bruises from head to foot. I'll bring something to bandage the cuts and salve for the bruises. It'll speed up the healing." She paused for several minutes and had a faraway look. "Why did you do it, Ryana? You coul
d've just left. You risked your life in a fight that should've been certain death." She stared hard at me as if my eyes held the answer. I didn't know. Certainly not logic. I should've lost a battle with any Wizard—intuition ruled my actions.
"Alida's my friend…and family."
She held my head between her hands. With tears rolling down her lightly tanned skin, she kissed my forehead. When she left, I drifted off to sleep.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Ashtol—Calion Province
Once again, everyone in the clan visited me at least twice the next day. Alida came in the afternoon. She gave me a hug, and pain scored a direct hit to my brain and ricocheted around inside. I moaned to maintain the visual-self illusion. She let go and jerked back.
"Sorry, Ryana." After a minute, she took my hand. "Thank you for trying to save me. I love you like a sister, even if you do dumb things. Stela told me the lie you want me to tell. Why?"
"To protect the clan. The best lie is a story that's close to the truth and simple."
"Like your boyfriend in Scio?"
"Yes. I did it for a friend. You're doing it for your clan."
"You're scary. The Shadows made a big mistake letting you go, but I'm glad. Otherwise, I never would have had you…for a sister." She turned and hopped out of the wagon.
The second day I got up and walked around, answering the same questions over and over again. I couldn't help but notice Alida's inquisitive looks as I retold my story. If she suspected it and the one with Ilka were lies, she didn't say.
Luckily, there were no acts the next day. I did little except sit and talk. In the afternoon, Yoan came and sat down next to me.
"I wonder whether the Wind Wizard attacked the Water Wizard because he attacked you, kidnapped Alida, or because of something between the two? In either case you were brave and stupid to try saving her." He frowned and shook his head.
"A knife in his back would have served him right." I laughed wryly. "They are harder to kill than they look."
"Hope you'll be well enough for our skit for Lady Roshan's party."
"Afraid I'm going to miss?" I gave him my best evil smile.
"It had crossed my mind." He gave a snort. "Ilka and I worry about you. You seem to be accident prone. We want you healthy for the wedding." He surprised me when he gave me a kiss on the cheek before walking away.
I didn't take part in our third performance. I would have been uncomfortable throwing knives. The pain in my side might have affected my aim. Only a few fingers' width off in the wrong direction could be disastrous.
As I stood and watched, an Earth Wizard wandered into the back of the crowd. Although he appeared to watch the performance with interest, he showed no emotion. At the end of the acts, I took my usual place in the fortuneteller tent. I was surprised when the Earth Wizard came in. I wasn't surprised that everyone stood aside to allow him to go to the head of the line. He didn't sit.
"I understand you can read the past as well as the future."
Word sure gets around fast.
"There are as more pasts than people in Ashtol. I can only give you the past I see."
"That will be sufficient." He placed a tora on the table and left. For a moment, I was confused. Then I realized I had been invited to the Earth Wizards' guild hall. The rest of the evening was quiet—no more Wizards or assassins. I closed the tent and returned to the camp, where everyone had begun to gather to eat and share experiences.
"Well, Ryana. I see another Wizard wanted his fortune told. Pretty soon the king will be asking for a telling," Vali said, and the gathering turned quiet.
"The Wizards all seem to want to know the past, but they pay well." I flipped the gold tora to Stela.
"That seems more dangerous than the future. No one can challenge the future, as it hasn't happened yet. The past can be verified," Ilka said, frowning.
"What do you tell them about the future, Ilka?" I asked.
"Something that I can guess from the hints they give me, usually, nothing extravagant. A little hope that something good will happen to them."
"I tell them the future has many possibilities, and that I can only tell them the one I see. For the past, I reverse the logic. There are many pasts, I can only tell them the one I see." Everyone sat silent. Then Ilka and Alida began clapping, and soon everyone joined in.
"It gives them hope, not once but several times. The hope you give them and the possibility that another future could be even better," Alida said. "No wonder they flock to you."
After everyone had gone to bed, I wandered off into the trees and skirted the town. The Earth Wizards' lodge stood near the edge of the forest. Halfway there I changed into my blacks. When I arrived, a young Wizard stood outside the door.
"Shadow, you're welcome." He opened the door and led me into their meeting hall, where seven Wizards were gathered. An old Wizard with white hair and a pleasant round face spoke.
"Good evening, Shadow. We thank you for coming."
"I've answered your call, as will the Shadows as soon as I can get word to them." I looked around the room. Four women and three men sat in vine chairs. Most were middle aged or older.
"As we'll answer your call."
"Can you tell us the past you see with the death of the Water Wizard? We've heard a Wind Wizard killed him," an old, brown-haired woman with a wrinkled face said in a gentle water-like voice.
"A Shadow killed him…"
"You now know the weakness of the Fire, Wind, and Water Wizards. Soon the Shadows will also know. It's a very sobering fact that we Wizards are vulnerable to non-Wizards. Do you know our weakness, Shadow?"
"I would have to fight you to find out, which I've no reason to do."
"You've some opinion. What would be your approach?" the same woman asked. It was a very dangerous question. Would they consider it a threat that could put them in jeopardy? I no longer felt time, only the moment.
"Since I've committed the Shadows to support you, I'll give you my conjecture. Right or wrong, I'll not share it with the Shadows." I paused to look around the room. "At any distance from you, I would lose, so I must cling to you or die."
"You're truly the Shadow of Death. We can hear it in your words and feel it in you now. Relax, Shadow. The earth has told us that you'll be true to your word. We mean you no harm." The old lady smiled. I felt like I had passed some test and relaxed.
"Let us tell you what we know…" The old man outlined a plot to overthrow the king and named guilds they knew or suspected were party to the plot. I had suspected as much, but now I had it confirmed. I had accomplished the task Morag had set for me and should return to Ahasha to report my findings. Logic required that I do just that. My intuition said to continue to Tarion, the center of the king's power. That had to be where the center of the plot lay. There was more to be learned. Besides, the Shadow Sisters had always supported the king; therefore, weren't we obligated to do what we could to warn him? I walked slowly back to my wagon.
* * *
Lady Roshan's castle was small compared to those of the more influential lords, and her reception hall seated fewer than a hundred. As we had before, we set up our props well before dinner and waited in an adjoining room while the nobles dined. Two hours later, we were summoned and put on an abbreviated version of our standard performance. I was still sore, so I watched from the side, waiting for our skit, which would be the last act.
Yoan and I put on the knife-throwing act because the other one required too much rolling on the ground during our mock fight. Our audience was boisterous and the skit a huge success. Lady Roshan waved Yoan and me over and gave each of us five toras. She stopped me as I turned to go.
"Aren't you the fortuneteller who tells fortunes for Wizards?'
It was a dangerous question. I couldn't lie because she already knew, and I couldn't refuse without putting the clan is danger.
"I've had one or two stop in for their amusement."
"So, you're a fake?"
Damn the woman.
>
I wished there were an answer other than yes or no. Both had potentially disastrous consequences.
"There are many futures, my lady. I can only tell the one I see."
"And the past?"
Double damn the woman.
"Again, there are as many pasts as there are people where the events existed. I can only tell you the one I see."
"An interesting answer. It would work for a fake as well as someone who had the ability to see into both. Come with me." She pushed her chair back and walked out of the room with me tailing behind. The hall buzzed like a swarm of bees. Two guards followed us into a book-lined study ten times the size of my wagon.
"Sit," she said and waved me to a chair. "Tell me about the past and the Water Wizard's death."
Triple damn the woman.
"Come closer." I pulled a small, polished table in front on me. She motioned to the guards, and they moved a chair close to the table for her. "Put your hands on the table."
When she did, I placed mine over hers. She tensed and so did her guards. I didn't know why I was doing this, but it felt right. I closed my eyes.
"The Wizard guilds are divided across Hesland—except one. Because of this, a guild can't rely on its brothers in another province. So it's with guilds that are aligned in another province. I see other players in for the toras. One stands alone in the shadows. The Wind and the Fire Wizards are aligned in this province." I could feel her tense at times during my story. Intuitively, I knew she wasn't part of the conspiracy. When I opened my eyes, she sat staring at me.
"And my future?"
Damn, damn, and damn again.
I closed my eyes. I had a pounding headache.
"You're caught in two worlds that are being torn apart. Neither world is safe. As they separate, you must jump onto one or the other, or fall into the darkness. I see a shadow watching. One of many possible futures, but this is the one I see."
"If you see the future, which world do I jump to?"