by Sharon Hinck
“I was never able to deliver it. I’m sorry.” Tristan’s eyes softened. He rummaged in his pack that was propped near the doorway. After pulling out the crumpled cloth, he offered it to me. “When we arrived back in Braide Wood, I learned about the changes happening in our clans. Cameron had escaped, Jake had disappeared, factions were forming, Hazor was once again strengthening its forces near the borders.”
I smoothed wrinkles away from the carefully stitched waterfall. All those days in a fog of lost memories, I’d lost so much time, so much understanding of the dangers and problems. “What’s been done?” I asked.
“All we could,” Kieran snapped. “But we have new decisions to make, so why don’t you save your questions for another day—if we even survive to see another—”
Tristan elbowed Kieran hard, shooting him a glare. “I tracked Jake myself, and still have my best guardians looking. We won’t give up.”
Kieran grabbed his baldric and slipped it over his shoulder, every movement as sharp and angry as if he were sparring. What had I said to set him off now? “This feels familiar,” I murmured.
He looked up from settling his sword at his hip, surprise startling a wry smile from his lips. “Sorry. Not your fault.”
Tristan wiped his hands over his face and shook his head. “You two will have to get things untangled later. Linette, what did you mean about the worship tower?”
“We have to begin the call to worship.”
“She’s right.” Lukyan pushed to his feet.
Kieran tightened the strap on his bootknife, then straightened. “How does that even make sense? Most of the songkeepers from other clans haven’t come for this gathering, and we need people to watch the walls.”
“Remember what happened when Hazor tried to invade?” Mist had fallen over Lyric while the people gathered to sing, the power of the One striking terror into the hearts of our enemies, protecting our city.
“I was a little busy,” Kieran said dryly.
Remorse flooded me. Of course his memories were different. I walked to Kieran and placed a hand on his chest, where Zarek’s soldier had impaled him on the field of battle. “The clans all owe you so much. We haven’t forgotten your sacrifice. You of all people know we . . .”
He stared at my hand until I pulled it back. Finally, he met my eyes. I could read the conflict that tore at him. All his life he’d fought against a world that seemed to oppose him on every side. Even so, the One had called him, and that call had changed him. He longed to trust, to yield, to serve. But every instinct in him urged him to rely on his own plans.
“Maybe there’s an answer in the middle,” I said quietly.
“Such as?” He trudged up the stairs, and the rest of us followed.
Holy One, show me the right path. “Lukyan can go to the songkeeper’s lodge and ask those who are there to come to the tower. I need to go to the worship tower immediately.”
“You won’t be safe there,” Kieran tossed over his shoulder.
I scurried to keep up as we entered a large training room in the guardian hall. “The safest place to be is in the presence of the One.”
Caralad grasped my hand and nodded.
“Fine.” Kieran looked too irritated to argue. “But Tristan and I—”
His plans were interrupted by the shrill sound of a signaler.
“Again? It’s barely first light.” Tristan jogged to the doorway and tilted his head, then paled. “That’s not coming from the Corros side of the city.”
Chapter
30
Susan
As we crested the berm near the transport station and Lyric came into sight, a flood of memories pounded at me like the relentless force of Cauldron Falls. My knees buckled, and I stumbled to a halt, clutching at the hooded cloak Aiyliss had given me. The last time I’d arrived here I’d led a haggard band of captives, newly released from the nightmare of Rhus—weeks ago by my world’s time, seasons ago by this world’s, and a lifetime ago by the terrain of my soul.
Again I walked at the head of Rendor clan, but today the large contingent strode purposefully. Moved by Jake’s impassioned plea, they walked with a confidence that, unlike my own, seemed to grow as Lyric drew nearer. Looking out toward the curving walls, I shuddered, unable to take another step until Mark’s arm wrapped around my shoulders. “Are you all right?” he asked quietly.
How often had he asked that question in the days before we’d come here? He didn’t deserve all the worry I’d caused him. I ignored my bruises and aches, lengthened my spine, and managed a smile. “Lyric takes your breath away, doesn’t it?”
Not a lie. When I’d first seen the city, the towers had reminded me of gothic cathedrals. But instead of sharp spires and dark lines, here all the shapes were curved. The white pearlescent wall drew a rippling pattern around the whole city, with beautiful scallops adorning the top of the entire expanse. The huge entry tunnel dipped down below the wall, and then a wide ramp led up into the city, glowing with iridescent crystal.
I wanted to run away, skirt the city and head straight for the grove. The rumors and bits of information we’d gleaned frightened me. What if Cameron had taken over the Council again? What if a Rhusican sowed poison throughout the city? What if Kahlarean assassins infiltrated and attacked? The dangers that might face us turned my feet to lead.
Jake drew alongside us, one hand resting on the sword Rendor clan had provided. Mark wore a similar one. Though the clan had offered me one as well, without my former Restorer skill, it wouldn’t have done much but weigh me down. Instead, I’d accepted a bootknife and adjusted the Kahlarean venblade holster to wear at my ankle.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” my son said. “Not just the buildings, but what it means. When I first saw it, the words for a song came to me. Couldn’t help myself.”
I indulged in a motherly hug and brushed his hair back from his face. It had grown long, in the custom of many of the clans. His tunic covered the horrible scars on his arms, but his cheeks seemed hollow and too thin, his eyes too weary. “Will you be all right? When I think of what they did to you . . .”
His weariness disappeared as he smiled. “Mom, you helped me through it.”
“Me?” I shook my head. “We should have tried to come back sooner. I feel like we abandoned you.”
“The One used your suffering to bring truth to Rhus. When I was afraid, when I doubted, I remembered that.”
His words humbled me and challenged my perspective. This wasn’t the time to dwell on whys or what ifs. Mark and I were here for a reason. We’d come to rescue Jake. Against all odds, we’d accomplished that. And the One had also rescued Mark. My husband had looked into the face of his enemies and shown mercy. And I . . .
I still had fears to confront. I squared my shoulders and faced the walls—and any obstacle that lay beyond—determined that on the other side, my family would be restored.
Jake turned and scanned the group behind us, then studied the nearly empty city entrance. “The roads should be full of gathering clan members. We’ve got to find out what’s happened.”
Without waiting, he strode forward, the rest of us falling in behind. A guardian several stories above us on the wall watched us for a few seconds, then turned. The shrill warning of a signaler sounded.
By the time the noise stopped, a contingent of guardians had charged from the entry, fully armed.
“Hold back,” Jake called to our group. He walked forward, hands a careful distance from his sword belt.
One of the guardians pushed to the front, waving to his companions to stand down.
Tristan! He looked as rough-hewn as I remembered, and a bit harried. But warmth lit his eyes as he offered his arm to Jake. “Well met, Jake of Rendor.”
As the men clasped forearms, Mark and I stepped forward, so I was close enough to hear Tristan’s next quiet words. “It’s abou
t time you showed up. The clans are in about the most danger I’ve seen—and that’s saying something.”
“So I’ve heard,” Jake said. “Sorry I couldn’t escape sooner. But the One sent help.” He moved aside, and I tossed back my hood.
Tristan’s eyebrows rose, then he grinned at Mark and me. “Back again? And where did you find our lost Restorer?”
“Cameron sold him to the Kahlareans.”
Tristan bit back an oath. “Kieran suspected something like that. Cameron disappeared at the same time as Jake. But it’s hard to believe he’d stoop that low.”
Not hard for me. But I pushed away both my animosity at the mention of Cameron’s name and my relief at finding he had disappeared. More political and military discussions loomed ahead, but at the moment I had other priorities. News in Rendor had been sketchy and so polluted with rumors that I needed some reliable updates. “How is Kendra? And everyone in Braide Wood?”
Tristan’s grin returned. “We have a daughter. Emmi was born in Hazor, and we returned to Braide Wood before the truce with Zarek fell apart. They’re safe at home.”
“Congratulations!” I sprang forward and hugged him. The startled guardians waiting nearby lifted their weapons. His deep laugh reassured them, and they lowered their swords while I badgered Tristan for details.
He ignored my questions and scanned the area. “Later. There’s no cover out here.”
He hustled us into the city, but I wasn’t going to be deterred that easily. “So you were still in Hazor when the baby was born? How long was the labor? Is Kendra doing well? Oh, and how are your parents? Are the fields at Morsal Plains recovering? Is Kieran still working in Sidian?”
Tristan rubbed the back of his neck and cast a glance at Mark, who covered a laugh with a cough. What was their problem? I was trying to be efficient and get some questions answered quickly.
In spite of our urgent pace, I took in the wide plaza in front of the worship tower with appreciation. The huge arched entries on all sides invited everyone inside. But where was the sound of drums? Where were the voices raised in praise?
A slim figure moved across the plaza, blonde hair catching my eye. Linette! A small boy held her hand. A young cousin from Braide Wood at his first feast day celebration? It looked like the child would be disappointed, since clearly no gathering was occurring.
I grabbed Mark’s arms and tugged him as I veered in her direction, waving to catch her attention. We’d only moved a few feet when a man ran toward us from between the guardian tower and the council building. Mark’s hand reached for his sword, and he reflexively blocked me with his other arm in the sort of parental seatbelt move we’d often used when hitting the brakes on our van.
I peered around Mark. “Kieran! You’re back from Hazor. How did that go?”
He spared a glance at me and raised an eyebrow, but then ignored us as he stopped in front of Tristan. “We’ve diverted an outright attack. Corros has agreed to send a delegation to an emergency Council session.”
“Good work,” Tristan said, his face betraying his surprise that Kieran had managed a negotiation.
He shook his head. “They had a condition. That Cameron will speak for them.”
Nerves flared up my spine. The man who had tortured me, betrayed the clans, sold my son . . . How dare the Council allow him that respect?
Kieran turned his focus on Jake, scowling. “You picked a fine time to disappear.”
Jake’s jaw muscles flexed. “Wasn’t by choice. Looks like we picked a good time to return.”
Into the near palpable tension between them stepped Linette. “Jake! Well met.” Her gentle features lit up with relief.
Jake’s skin flushed, and he clasped both her hands. “I talked to the One about you each day. How did the work go in Hazor?”
Her smile drooped. “We tried.”
Kieran’s hackles rose, and he edged between them, facing Linette. “I thought you were going straight to the worship tower.”
This time my hackles rose, but she just tilted her head as if confused by his sharp tone. “I visited a few homes of friends first, letting them know we plan to go ahead with the morning worship. But we’re on our way now.”
I knelt to get on eye level with the boy. “And who is this fine young man?”
The full warmth of Linette’s smile turned on me. “We call him Caralad. We don’t know his actual name. I found—”
“Save the reunion for later,” Kieran said tersely. “If you’re still determined to start the gathering worship, get to the tower and stay there. Tristan, we need your most trusted guardians to escort the Corros delegation. I’ve sent Nolan to the Council offices to notify the councilmembers.”
“Mark and I can go with Linette to the tower.”
“Wait,” a feeble voice quavered from near the worship tower. We all turned, and my heart swelled at the sight of Lukyan’s bushy white brows. “I must request a different important meeting.”
I stepped forward to meet him, lending my arm to support the bent frame of a body that had been used for years in service of the One. “Well met,” I said quietly. “Of course we all want your counsel.”
He smiled at me, and the smile felt like a benediction.
Kieran shifted restlessly. “Maybe you could go with Linette to the tower and—”
Lukyan planted his staff with force. “I must speak with Susan”—his gaze shifted to my son—“and Jake.” The corner of his mouth shifted and he stepped in front of Kieran. “And you, Kieran of Braide Wood.”
Kieran shook his head. “Maybe after we—”
“Now!” The elder songkeeper’s voice held thunder that belied his frail appearance. “Join us at the worship tower.”
Tristan slapped Kieran’s back. “We’ll wrangle the Council together. Go have your talk.”
Kieran shot him a glare and clamped his jaw, but stalked toward the nearest tower entrance.
I walked beside Linette as we followed. “We heard in Rendor that the gathering was cancelled. Is it true?”
“Not if I can help it,” she said.
She’d always reminded me of a fine-boned warbler, but whatever she’d experienced since I’d seen her last had given her a core of determination and strength that today put me in mind of a falcon.
Jake had taken my place at Lukyan’s side, and we slowed our pace so they could keep up. Although he was helping the elder songkeeper, my son’s gaze strayed often to Linette. My brow puckered. Was she another tie that would make Jake unready to return to our world? Hadn’t we come here to bring him home?
And what if I have another purpose? the One whispered to my heart.
I pushed the thought aside. I couldn’t face that question right now.
The vast worship tower was empty. My heart sank and my gaze sought out Linette’s. At least a few of the local songkeepers ought to be here—no matter what threatened outside the city. Our feet echoed on the polished stone floor.
“So empty,” Jake said sadly.
“Not empty.” Linette faced us, lifting Caralad into her arms. She looked up at the space over our heads.
Kieran rubbed the back of his neck. “She’s right.”
A hint of reverence shaded his tone, forcing me to do a double take. Had aliens taken over Kieran’s body?
He focused on Lukyan. “Why this meeting? Make it fast.”
Okay, maybe not.
Mark grabbed a wooden armchair that rested near an entrance and brought it to Lukyan, who eased himself down and gestured for us to sit. Mark sank easily to the floor and I sat beside him, my bones protesting, still sore from the battering of our escape in the river and from camping last night. Linette gathered Caralad into her lap, and Jake settled beside her. He whispered something to her that made her giggle. Kieran scowled and knelt on the other side of Linette, as if ready to spring into battle at
any moment.
His scowl faded when she turned to him. “Where’s Nolan?” she asked quietly.
A hint of warmth tinged his features. “Running messages for us here in town. Don’t worry, I won’t let him out of Lyric.”
She smiled and shook her head. “But I’m guessing he offered.”
Kieran’s low chuckle echoed in the mammoth space.
Now it was Jake’s turn to shift impatiently. “Lukyan, I need to present myself to the Council and testify about what’s happened.”
Kieran nodded. “Having the new Restorer back will do a lot to hold off civil war.”
My chest swelled as I thought about how my son had held the clans together in the past few seasons. It was bittersweet to look at Jake as a leader instead of my little boy, but I was so proud of him.
Pain flickered across Jake’s face, and he pushed back a sleeve to show his unhealed wounds. “Except I’m not anymore.”
Kieran’s eyes widened, and Linette made a small sound of dismay, but Lukyan seemed unsurprised. The old songkeeper drew a slow breath. “And you worry about why the One would withdraw the gift?”
“His service here is finished.” I said hopefully. “We can all go –”
“We’re facing a civil war,” Kieran said to Lukyan. “Some of our own clans are allying with our enemies, and who knows what allegiances Hazor and Kahlarea and Rhus have built with each other against us? And now we have no Restorer? I have a city’s worth of questions for the One.”
Lukyan shook his head. “There is something more important to discuss.”
Our voices all rose in protest.
“What could be more important?”
“We must convince the . . .”
“Can we rally the guardians from . . .”
Whichever way this discussion moved, and whatever plans we made, I wanted to be clear that our involvement was temporary. We were not going home without Jake this time, especially now that he was no longer a Restorer. But arguments swirled, and no one listened to me.