Sunweaver

by Ryan W. Mueller

  "Faina, you're a Sunweaver!" he said. "I can see the heat field around you."

  Her eyes widened. "No, Kadin, I'm not a Sunweaver."

  "But only people with powers have fields around them, and yours is much brighter than Marell's."

  "I'm not a Sunweaver," she said, walking a few steps away from Kadin. When she spoke again, her voice was very soft. "I'm a Fireweaver."

  A tense silence fell. Kadin looked into Faina's eyes, trying to think of something to say, but his voice failed him.

  "I-I think I'm beginning to understand," he said. He stepped closer and thought about putting a hand on her shoulder, but decided against it. Her expression made him hesitant.

  "Let's find somewhere we won't be overheard," she said.

  "I know a place," Kadin said, taking the lead. Faina followed him to the small shed where he'd trained with Marell. She looked at it with a skeptical frown as he ushered her inside. After dinner in Andric's manor, the shed felt even smaller.

  "Are you sure it's all right to talk here?" she asked, glancing around, looking paler than usual.

  "We should be fine. People don't usually come this way." But Kadin swayed on his feet, peering toward the door every few seconds, straining his ears to make sure he didn't hear anyone approaching. Faina's secret could be deadly.

  "I'm ready to tell my story," she said, steadying her balance against the wall.

  Kadin nodded and listened.

  "My parents were both Fireweavers," she said, keeping her voice low, barely more than a whisper. "We were involved with the Brotherhood of Fire in Hyrandel."

  Kadin shook his head.

  "They're a group of Fireweavers operating in secret. They provide safety and support for those of us hiding here, trying to live normal lives." She hesitated a long moment. "But my parents weren't just members of the Brotherhood. They were part of Halarik's Chosen."

  "What's that?" Kadin asked.

  "A more militant group of Fireweavers. Halarik's Chosen believe that we should rise up and take power, that we should kill anyone who gets in our way." She took a breath. "Now, I don't believe this, but my parents did. The Brotherhood and Halarik's Chosen don't get along. In the Frozen Lands, they are opposing political factions."

  "So what happened with your parents?" Kadin asked, feeling queasy.

  "They were involved in the assassination of a potential Sunlord."

  Kadin's stomach lurched. He remembered what Marell had said about Sunlords being killed, but he had trouble believing Faina could be a part of that. She didn't seem dangerous. She wasn't what he'd expected of a Fireweaver. But was she different from her parents?

  "When the Brotherhood found out about this, they turned against my parents. I was ten years old at the time. I had not yet come into my powers. Nor did I understand that what my parents had done was wrong. They were my parents after all, and you're supposed to trust your parents."

  Kadin disagreed, but he remained silent.

  When Faina spoke again, he could hear the tears in her voice. "I hated the Brotherhood for what they did," she said. "I knew I could never join them. But there was nothing else left for me. The Sun Guard doesn't care about the daughters of Fireweavers. So I ended up on the streets. The first year was hard because I had not yet come into my powers.

  "When I did, though, an entire world opened up to me. I went from starving to living in luxury, able to steal anything I wanted. I'm not just a Fireweaver. I'm a very talented Fireweaver. Ironically, the only weave I struggle with is Yellow and Green, the one that could get me out of here. I can use it, but I can do little more than shift pebbles around."

  "I still don't understand," Kadin said. "How'd you end up here?"

  She hesitated, and he feared she would end her story there. At last, she said, "When you're as talented a thief as I was, you attract the attention of crime lords. I might have been living a good life for a street rat, but I didn't have stability. I didn't have family. I operated alone, scared to get too close to anyone and reveal that I was a Fireweaver. The crime lord who took me in, Nalir—he knew. After all, if I was a Sunweaver, I wouldn't be living on the streets. I'd be living in luxury."

  "And he didn't care that you were a Fireweaver?" Kadin said.

  "He's a crime lord, not a priest of Aralea, or a Sun Guard. He saw me for what I was: useful. In fact, I was especially useful. He knew my secret, so he could threaten me with it. He could make me do almost anything he wanted. All he had to say were a few words: 'I'll tell the Sun Guard.' I was thirteen at the time, and I was afraid. In truth, I still am."

  She fell silent, looking away in deep thought. Kadin opened his mouth to speak, but he wasn't sure what to say.

  She wiped away a tear trickling down her cheek. "Nalir made me do horrible things. I did my share of thievery for him, but I was also sent to resolve disputes with other crime lords, or to help keep some of the lesser street gangs in line. He even made me kill people."

  She tried to say more, but became choked up and looked away.

  "I'm sorry," Kadin said, his throat sticking. He didn't know what else to say.

  "That's why I don't deserve your help and compassion," she said. "I've done horrible things, Kadin."

  "You had no choice."

  "Yes, I did. I could have been courageous. I could have chosen to die a good person. But I was weak, easily controlled. Now I'm getting what I deserve."

  "You don't deserve this," Kadin said, "and you know that. You made mistakes in your past, but the past is the past. It doesn't matter anymore."

  "I know you mean well, Kadin, but you can't understand how it feels. Not this."

  "All right, maybe I don't." Kadin took a breath. "So how did you escape Nalir?"

  "I decided I couldn't do it anymore, regardless of the consequences. Most of the people he asked me to kill were killers themselves, or people who were otherwise terrible people. That helped me keep the guilt from consuming me. But when he asked me to kill someone I knew was innocent, someone I'd known from my time on the streets, I couldn't do it. I begged him to reconsider, but he was adamant about it. That was when I found the courage I needed. I left, and I never came back."

  "Why didn't he turn you in?" Kadin asked.

  "I don't know, but I was afraid that he would. I stopped using my powers. Without them, I was only an average thief, but I simply couldn't bring myself to use them. I thought of the people I'd killed with them, and I seriously considered turning myself in. Surely I deserved to die for the things I'd done, whether I was coerced or not."

  "Didn't you stay in Illindel, though?" Kadin asked. "Couldn't he have found you?"

  "I'm sure he could have. In truth, I think he developed an attachment for me. Not quite like a father, but maybe like an uncle. It sounds strange, but I think he wants me to come back on my own. I can't go back, though. I can't go back to that life."

  Kadin wished he could comfort her, but he didn't want to make things awkward. "Is that why you're scared about leaving here?" he asked. "You don't want to deal with Nalir."

  "That's part of it, I suppose. I still don't think I deserve your help."

  "You're not as bad a person as you think you are," Kadin said. "You were forced into a situation no one should have to face at such a young age, and you've recovered from it. Focus on the person you are now, not the person you used to be."

  She chuckled. "It's interesting how our roles have reversed. I remember being the one comforting you not too long ago. You might not think so, but you've grown a lot."

  "I have hope now. That makes a big difference."

  "It does," Faina said. "I just worry that it won't be enough to get us out of here."

  "All I need to do is work on my Yellow/Green Sunweaving. Marell told me the fence might be weak in places. I don't know how long it'll take, but I will get you out of here."

  "But we'll both be fugitives," she said. "I already have a death sentence hanging over me. You don't want that, Kadin."

  "I won't. No one will
want me dead when they find out what I am."

  Faina gave him a strange look. "What do you mean?"

  "I lied to you before. I'm not just a Sunweaver. I'm a Sunlord."

  "Are you certain?" Faina asked. She didn't sound doubtful at all.

  He leaned back against the stone wall, taking a deep breath. "I can feel the sun. Marell told me that only a Sunlord can do that. I might not have the power to fuel the sun yet, but I'll develop it one day. With all the potential Sunlords being killed, the world needs me. They won't kill me over being a runaway slave. Legally, I can't be a slave anymore, so I won't really be a runaway. And once I make my Sunlord abilities public, I'll be able to protect you. I don't care that you're a Fireweaver."

  "I'm not sure your influence will stretch that far," she said. "Even Sunlords can't do anything they want. But thank you."

  "Maybe not." Kadin shrugged, wishing he knew what he could do to help her. After an uncomfortable silence, he said, "So your parents were involved in the assassination of a potential Sunlord. Do you know why they did it?"

  "They never told me. They kept a lot from me."

  "That's the reason I can't make my abilities public," he said. "Being a Sunlord puts me at risk. It's better if I pretend to be just another Sunweaver." He sighed. "But that makes it harder to protect you."

  "Don't worry so much about me. I can take care of myself."

  Kadin knew she could, but that didn't change the way he felt. He wasn't protecting her because he thought she was weak, or because she was a girl. He was protecting her because now he had the power to do so. He'd seen too many people with that kind of power fail to protect those weaker than them, and he would never allow himself to become one of those people.

  He would free Faina. He didn't care what he had to do.

  Chapter 26: The Guarded Corridor

  After lunch, Atarin went away to handle important business, leaving Rella alone with Karik. Rella found it difficult to remember that Karik was related to the Sunlord. In her world, there had always been clear separations between Sunweavers and Fireweavers.

  Karik smiled, scooting forward in his chair. "What do you think of it here?"

  "Well, the people here in the palace seem happy," Rella said. "But that isn't necessarily proof that everything is prospering under Atarin's rule."

  Karik kept smiling. "True. Of course, things would prosper more if we weren't stuck here in the Frozen Lands. Human beings were not meant to live in such a cold place."

  "Then why did you come here?" Rella asked. "Were your abilities exposed?"

  "Yes," Karik said, but he didn't quite meet her eyes. Rella wished she could feel at home among these people, wished that she could trust them. Perhaps she had issues with trust, but she didn't think that was the case here. She'd come to trust Kae, and Kae didn't trust these people.

  Still, Karik was a mystery. Why was he here?

  "I'm sorry," Rella said, hoping she sounded sincere. She looked into Karik's brown eyes, looking for answers there. All she got was another smile. Despite her unease, she liked something about Karik. She had to remind herself to be wary.

  "Don't worry about me," Karik said. "I've been accepted here. And they'll accept you, too, if you don't cause any problems. Maybe you don't agree with some of our goals, but you have to agree that we've been oppressed, that we deserve better."

  "I can't disagree with that." Rella worked to keep from fidgeting beneath the table. "Do you know when we'll begin training to be Firelords?"

  "It shouldn't be too long—well, as long as you have the talent."

  "If my mother had it, I'll probably have it too."

  "Probably," Karik said. "Would you like to see more of the palace?"

  "Don't you have more important things to do?"

  "Not right now."

  "All right," she said, rising from the table. "Is there a library here?"

  Karik chuckled as he got up from his chair. "All the things here, and your first instinct is to go to the library. I can appreciate that. My brother and I frequently enjoyed spending days in the library at the Temple of Aralea. That was about the only thing we did together." He closed his eyes a long moment, as though experiencing an uncomfortable memory. Then he met Rella's gaze. "You can find fascinating things in books."

  "Oh, I agree," Rella said, following him out of the massive dining chamber. In truth, she didn't care much for reading, but she had a reason now. She couldn't get Kae's suspicions out of her mind. These people wanted to bring Halarik back. With their god returned, they could conquer Tarileth. She had to figure out how they were doing it.

  Was Karik involved?

  "Why has Atarin come to trust you so quickly?" she asked as they walked. She didn't expect an honest answer.

  Karik looked away. "You'll have to ask him."

  How was Rella supposed to trust these people when they evaded her questions like that? "Perhaps I will," she said. "But why can't you tell me yourself?"

  "If you must know, I've been working with him for longer than you think. From a distance, though. Do you think I decided just recently to change my allegiances?"

  "No, I suppose not" Rella said. She remained silent the rest of the way to the library.

  Karik showed her through the door like a gentlemen. "What would you like to find?"

  "I'd like to see the Fireweaver version of our religious history."

  "Good choice," Karik said with another smile, leading her forward with a gentle touch. "You'll find that section over here." He pointed to a shelf. "There's plenty of material."

  "Thank you."

  "I'll be waiting in another section of the library," he said. "Tell me when you're ready to see your new chambers. I think you'll find them to your liking."

  Rella watched warily as he disappeared from view around a magnificent wooden shelf. There were dozens and dozens of these shelves, towering over her. So many books filled each shelf that she wondered how people had ever managed to write so much. This place had to have a copy of every book ever written. How would she find what she needed?

  She paced in the aisle, thinking her way through this. If she wanted to find out how to free Halarik, she needed to look up information on his prison. She perused the shelves, searching for books on that subject and making sure no one was watching her.

  Would they have the information she needed here, or had they protected it? They seemed to trust her, but surely they didn't trust everyone. She spent hours sifting through material, finding little that looked helpful. Every now and then, she looked up, expecting to see Karik standing over her impatiently, but he didn't appear. Not even once.

  It bothered her. They shouldn't have trusted her so easily.

  Or was something else happening here?

  Regardless, she kept reading. At last, she came upon a book that looked promising. The author of it had lived back during the time of the war between Aralea and Halarik. When she got to the section on Halarik's prison, she read carefully, rereading some things to make sure she got them right. The other stuff had been interesting, but she could worry about it later.

  The book described Aralea's sacrifice to create Halarik's prison. After everything she'd been through, Rella believed the sacrifice without hesitation.

  Then the book detailed the conditions under which Halarik could be freed from that prison. For it to happen, every Sunlord in the world had to perform a weave to offset the weave Aralea did.

  Every Sunlord in the world. She felt suddenly cold. She'd heard the rumors like anyone else. For years now, potential Sunlords had all ended up dead at the hands of mysterious assassins. As far as she knew, Sunlord Zaren was the last remaining Sunlord.

  And Zaren's son had shown up in the palace of the man who most wanted to bring Halarik back. If Karik was here, could Zaren himself be as well? After all, he could have been kidnapped since she was last in Tarileth, or the authorities could have kept it quiet, trying not to incite panic. From her perspective, the kidnapping looked easy.

&
nbsp; Had Karik kidnapped his own father?

  Trembling, she continued reading. The book went into more detail about the process to return Halarik, stating that it had to happen on the same day of the year as Halarik's imprisonment. It gave an exact date.

  A date less than a month away.

  Rella returned the book to the shelf, then rose, trying to steady her quivering legs. Once she did, she returned to the front of the library, where Karik was sitting back in a red-cushioned chair, looking relaxed and confident as he read.

  He glanced up from his book. "You must be really curious."

  "It's always been a vice of mine," she said, trying to keep her voice light.

  "Nothing wrong with curiosity. Did you find anything interesting?"

  "I was actually wondering about something," she said. "Why is this city called Haladel? Is it in honor of Halarik, or is there some deeper meaning?"

  Karik put his book down on a wooden table. "If our scriptures are accurate, Haladel is the place where Aralea sacrificed herself to imprison Halarik. Atarin believes he has built this palace upon the very sight of that imprisonment. We're closer to Halarik than anyone else."

  Rella kept her expression neutral. "That is really interesting. It doesn't feel like it." She took a breath. "Do you think that will help Firelord Atarin free him more easily?"

  "Atarin thinks so," Karik said. He hesitated a moment, narrowing his eyes. "Why do you think Atarin intends to free Halarik?"

  Rella's heart began pounding. "Oh, I thought that would be common sense. What else would Atarin want more than freeing our god?"

  Karik nodded as if he'd accepted her explanation. "You ask some interesting questions."

  Her stomach lurched. "Who wouldn't be curious about the possible return of a god? He's the god who gave me my powers. It would be fascinating to meet him. I'm not sure it's the best idea to free him, but I'm not Firelord Atarin. Maybe he knows something I don't."

  She hoped she'd put on a convincing performance. It was difficult to tell what Karik was thinking behind his casual mask.

  Karik rose from the chair. "I believe he knows many things the rest of us don't."