by DAVID B. COE
"She's Vettala," Jynna said at last.
U'Selle raised an eyebrow. "She can't answer for herself?"
"She hasn't spoken since… since the outbreak," S'Doryn said quietly. "She said something today," Etan said.
Everyone looked at him.
The boy's cheeks shaded to crimson. "It's true! She told Jynna and me not to fight."
The a'laq appeared to stifle a grin. "Sage counsel from one so young. Very well, Jynna. You may speak on Vettala's behalf until she's ready to speak for herself."
"Thank you, A'Laq."
U'Selle looked at S'Doryn again. "We didn't know that you'd bring others back, so we haven't made any arrangements for them yet. You can take Jynna?"
He looked at N'Tevva.
"Of course we can," she said, smiling. "Gladly."
They'd never had children of their own, and S'Doryn had given up hoping for them long ago. He knew that N'Tevva had as well. But the gods worked in strange and wondrous ways. It seemed they were to be parents after all.
He placed a hand on Jynna's shoulder. "Is that all right with you?" he asked her.
She nodded, though there were tears in her eyes. He could only imagine how hard this must be for her, for all the children.
"I believe that Etan might be happy with T'Noth," he said after a moment, "at least for the time being."
The a'laq smiled. "Is that all right with you, Etan?"
"Yes, A'Laq."
"Good. And perhaps Vettala can stay with me." The woman smiled kindly, but Vettala gave a small cry and buried her face into Jynna's dress. U'Selle's smile gave way to a grimace and she looked at S'Doryn once more. "Perhaps it would be best if you took them both for now," she said. "We can see how matters stand after a few days."
"Of course, A'Laq."
"She doesn't mean anything by it, A'Laq," Jynna said, concern on her pale features. "She's just scared still."
"It's all right, Jynna. I understand. And I think she's very fortunate to have such a good friend."
"With your permission, A'Laq," S'Doryn said, "we've ridden a long way. I'm sure the children are even hungrier than I am."
"Of course, S'Doryn. We'll speak again later."
S'Doryn bowed to her, and he and N'Tevva led the children away from the a'laq's cottage. They walked Etan to T'Noth's house before continuing on to their own. Along the way, S'Doryn wondered how they were going to fit them both. They hadn't a lot of space and while finding a bed for Jynna wasn't a problem, he didn't know where they'd put Vettala. In the end, however, it seemed less of a problem than he had feared it might be. Vettala never strayed from Jynna's side, and when Jynna asked the younger child if she wanted to share a bed for the first few nights, Vettala nodded enthusiastically.
T'Noth and Etan joined them for the evening meal. N'Tevva had made plenty, no doubt anticipating that he would be hungry. She might have even known that T'Noth would join them; he often did. After they'd eaten their fill of stew and greens and dark bread, the children went outside, leaving the adults alone. S'Doryn wasn't sure if they intended to play or merely to speak where they couldn't be heard. It seemed to him that Jynna and Etan had every bit as much to discuss as did he and N'Tevva. His wife, though, appeared concerned as she watched them leave the house.
"They've traveled a long way today," she said, frowning. "And they've been through so much. Shouldn't we put them to bed?"
"We will soon," he told her. "But not quite yet. I imagine they need some time to themselves, without us around. The sooner they begin to feel comfortable here, the better for all of us."
She nodded, though she continued to glance anxiously toward the door. It had only been a few hours, but already she was trying to protect them as might their natural mother.
Before long, S'Doryn, N'Tevva, and T'Noth were joined by
U'Selle. N'Tevva offered her some food, but the a'laq refused, and was taken by another coughing fit.
When she could speak again, she asked about the eight days they'd spent in the hills with the children.
"Did you learn anything from them?" she asked.
S'Doryn briefly described Jynna's encounter with the Mettai woman.
For several moments after he finished, the a'laq merely stared at the floor. "It does all sound a bit odd," she finally muttered, "but really that's all. I don't see how this woman could have anything to do with an outbreak of the pestilence."
"Couldn't she use magic to put a curse on the people she met?" T'Noth asked.
She actually smiled. "A curse? I think you've listened to too many tales of Mettai blood magic." She shook her head. "As far as I understand it, Mettai magic is not all that different from our own. Yes, it comes from blood and earth, but their powers run no deeper than our own."
"They wouldn't have to run deeper," S'Doryn said. "They'd just need to be… different. We have healers who can mend wounds and tame fevers. Couldn't they just as easily cause illness as cure it?"
She frowned, but a moment later she conceded the point with a shrug. "I suppose. But you're assuming that she did far more than that. For any of this to make sense, she would have had to make herself immune.
"Or," T'Noth said, "she would have had to create a disease that strikes only at Qirsi."
"At Qirsi adults," S'Doryn corrected.
"Or at Qirsi magic."
All of them looked at N'Tevva.
"That makes more sense than directing it at adults," she said. "Doesn't it?"
S'Doryn shuddered, knowing that she was right. "Yes, it does."
"I asked this of S'Doryn in the hills," T'Noth said. "And now I'll ask you, A'Laq. What do we do about this?"
"About what?" U'Selle answered, sounding frustrated. "We have only a tale told to us by a child." She raised a hand, seeming to anticipate S'Doryn's objection. "I know she's clever, and I believe her to be honest, but I also know that she's been through a terrible ordeal. Her life these past nine days has been a waking nightmare. How do we separate what she truly saw from those things that haunted her sleep or grew from her imagination? None of us has seen this woman. Did you even see her baskets?"
"I didn't," S'Doryn said. "But according to T'Kaar, the other children remember seeing baskets in their homes that day."
She nodded. "Well, that's something at least. But do they confirm the rest?"
He shook his head. "No. That comes from Jynna alone." "I see."
"I believe her," S'Doryn said.
T'Noth nodded. "I do, too."
A small smile crossed U'Selle's lips. "To tell you the truth, I'd be inclined to as well. But I'm not certain what we can do about it. Even if we take as true everything that Jynna told you, we wouldn't know where to begin searching for this woman."
T'Noth shook his head. "So we do nothing," he said, his voice flat.
"For now. Keep talking to the children. Learn as much as you can from them. And in the meantime, I'll speak with the a'laqs on the plain and along the wash. Perhaps they'll know something about this woman."
"Thank you, A'Laq."
She smiled and stood, patting T'Noth on the shoulder as she stepped past him. "You both did well," she said, pausing in the doorway. "I hadn't foreseen the coming of these children into our village, but now that they're here, I think each will be a blessing to us in his or her own way. Good night, N'Tevva. I believe those girls will be very happy to have you around, after spending so many nights with nothing but Fal'Borna men and their horses."
The two women laughed, as did S'Doryn. T'Noth smiled as well, though he looked a bit confused.
Once U'Selle was gone their mirth faded, leaving them all silent and pensive. It was growing dark outside, and after a time N'Tevva went in search of the children. Left alone, S'Doryn and T'Noth continued to sit there, saying nothing, S'Doryn staring out the door at the deepening shadows around his home, T'Noth toying with his empty cup of wine.
"This could start a war," the younger man finally said.
S'Doryn looked at him and shook his head. "The Mettai are weak. Th
ey have no armies, no warriors. It wouldn't be much of a war."
"If the Mettai are attacked by a Qirsi army, Eandi warriors will come to their defense."
"It's just one woman, T'Noth, if it's even that. There's no reason for our people to do anything to the Mettai."
"You say that now, but what if this woman is responsible, and what if she takes her plague to other Fal'Borna villages, or to the J'Balanar?
What then?"
S'Doryn had to admit that it was a sobering question. "Let's hope someone finds her soon," he finally said.
"Let's hope."
A moment later, N'Tevva returned with the children. All three of them were flushed and laughing, even the little one, which gladdened
S'Doryn's heart.
T'Noth and Etan said their farewells, and walked off to T'Noth's home. N'Tevva began preparing the girls for bed in the bedroom that she and S'Doryn usually shared. For the time being, at least, that would be their room, and the adults would sleep in the common room. After a time, she came out again.
"They want you to say good night to them," she said.
He nodded and walked back to their bedroom. Now it was the girls' room. Was that how they'd speak of it from this night on? Was he really a father now?
They were tucked into the single bed, Vettala by the wall, her pale eyes shining in the light of the single candle that burned by the door. S'Doryn crossed to the bed and sat beside Jynna. "Good night," he said.
Jynna smiled. "Good night."
"You're comfortable?"
She nodded.
He looked at the younger girl. "And you?"
She hid her face in the pillow.
It seemed that smiling with the other children was one thing. Accepting him as a friend, much less as a new father, was quite another. He stood, walked to the door, and bent to blow out the candle. Before he could, Vettala let out a small cry.
"I think she wants it lit," Jynna said.
"All right then." He straightened and stepped out of the room. "Thank you," Jynna called to him. "From both of us."
He grinned. "You're welcome." He pulled the door until it was nearly all the way closed, and went out to the common room. N'Tevva was sitting at the table.
"Did the younger one say anything to you?" she asked, looking concerned.
"Not a word," he said, sitting beside her.
She shook her head. A pale wisp of hair fell over her brow and she brushed it away. She still looked much as she had when they first were joined. Her skin remained smooth, save for a few lines around her eyes and mouth, and she still wore her white hair tied back loosely. Her eyes were the color of the winter sun on a hazy day.
"She wouldn't even look at me," she said. "I tried everything, but you would have thought that I was a demon from the Underrealm itself the way she shied away from me."
"It'll take some time. But Jynna will help her through it."
"I know," she said. She smiled, though the look in her eyes remained sad. "There are children sleeping in our home."
"I've been thinking about that. It's not quite how we always hoped it would happen."
"No, but that's all right. They need us." "We're a bit old to be starting out as parents."
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said airily. "Oh, I suppose you're getting on in years, but I'm certainly not."
He laughed, then leaned over and kissed her. "I missed you."
"I missed you, too." She took his hand, but he could see that she was troubled. "All this talk of a Mettai witch frightens me. It's going to frighten a lot of people as it gets around the village."
"It should," he said. "If she's really out there, doing to other villages what we think she did to Tivston, we should all be terrified."
Over the next several days, the girls began to settle into the rhythms of Fal'Borna life. They accompanied N'Tevva into the fields and they fished the waters of the lake with S'Doryn. They even went to the sanctuary for lessons with other children their ages, though N'Tevva was concerned about Vettala, who had yet to say a word to either her or S'Doryn, and who seemed unwilling to leave Jynna's side.
According to the older girl, however, Vettala willingly went off with children her own age once they reached the sanctuary. Even there, she spoke to no one, but she played some of the games that the younger children played, and she appeared to listen attentively to her lessons.
U'Selle had said that she would speak with other a'laqs, using her powers to walk in their dreams, as all Weavers could. But S'Doryn heard nothing from the a'laq, and he didn't presume to ask her, knowing that if she had anything of importance to tell him, she would do so.
The full of the two moons came and went, marking the beginning of the Harvest waning, and still the a'laq told him nothing.
"You should ask her," T'Noth urged one evening, as S'Doryn and
T'Kaar walked the fields with him.
"Don't you think she'd tell us if she knew anything?" T'Kaar asked.
"Perhaps she hasn't even reached for them yet," the younger man said. "She's not been well, you know. It might have slipped her mind." "And what if it hasn't?" S'Doryn asked. "What if she takes the ques tion as an affront?"
T'Noth offered a small shrug. "You could…" He shrugged a second time. "She'd probably understand. She knows how anxious we are for any word of the woman."
"Perhaps it slipped her mind," T'Kaar said, grinning now.
"Yes," S'Doryn said. "I think you should remind her, T'Noth. Old as I am, it might slip my mind as well."
T'Kaar laughed.
"Fine," the younger man said, walking away from them both. "We'll wait."
They didn't have to wait long. Three days into the waning, at midmorning, as he worked his crops, S'Doryn received word that the a'laq wished to speak with him. He hurried to her house, arriving there just as the brothers did. It seemed they had been summoned as well.
"Do you know what this is about?" T'Noth asked.
He sounded eager, as only a young man could under such circumstances. For his part, S'Doryn had started to hope that Jynna had been wrong about the Mettai woman, that her tale really was just the product of fear and grief and a young girl's imagination. He dreaded hearing whatever it was the a'laq had learned.
Stepping into the a'laq's cottage, they saw that the other members of the clan council were there as well, some of them seated around her table, others standing. Far more surprising, Jynna, who was supposed to be at the sanctuary, sat at the table beside U'Selle, looking pale and young and very scared. Every person in the room looked up as the three men entered.
"At last," the a'laq said brusquely. "Come in, please. There isn't much room, but I hadn't the strength to make my way to the sanctuary." "Not good," T'Kaar muttered, his voice tight.
S'Doryn had to agree.
Jynna looked as though she wanted to be near him, but was afraid to offend the a'laq. U'Selle appeared to notice this as well, for she whispered something to the girl, and immediately Jynna was on her feet. She ran to him, threw her arms around him, and pressed her face to his shirt.
"What's going on?" she asked, the words muffled. "Why did they bring me here?"
"I don't know, Jynna," he said, stroking her hair. "But we'll find out. Sit with me."
She nodded, and followed him to the table. T'Noth and T'Kaar sat with them and the rest of those who had been standing came to the table as well.
"When Jynna first came to our village with her story of the pestilence and its odd effect on her people," the a'laq began, "we didn't quite know what to make of it. Some wondered if this were some new form of the disease that struck only Qirsi victims. Others thought it might be unique to the Y'Qatt, a product of their forswearing of magic. And still others thought it might be the work of the Mettai, a spell directed at Qirsi magic.
"I've considered all of these possibilities and at the same time have been in contact with a'laqs throughout Fal'Borna lands to see if there are other villages or septs that have suffered as J
ynna's people did, dreading the day I would find them."
She took a breath and was taken with a fit of coughing. When it finally passed, she dabbed at her mouth with a small cloth.
"I found them this morning. Or rather, they found me. Another a'laq, a man named S'Plaed, spoke to me as I slept, Weaver to Weaver." Jynna turned to S'Doryn, looking puzzled.
"Weavers can walk in the dreams of other Qirsi," he whispered to her. "Even from afar. It allows us to communicate with other septs, even other Qirsi clans if need be."
U'Selle had paused in her tale, allowing him to explain. Now she went on. "S'Plaed leads a sept on the northern edge of the plain. Not long ago they numbered five thousand strong. Then they were visited by an Eandi merchant. Within hours of this man's appearance, the pestilence struck, sickening thousands-at least half of S'Plaed's sept. As with Jynna people, this strain of the disease took hold of their magic so that fire and shaping and healing raged out of control. Hundreds more died in the destruction the afflicted did to their families and neighbors. The a'laq usually meets with all merchants who visit his village, but in this case the man was in too great a hurry to leave. His haste is all that saved S'Plaed's life.
"According to S'Plaed, the merchant's name is Torgan Plye and among the wares he was selling that day were Mettai baskets of uncommon quality. This man has been named an enemy of all Fal'Borna people, and is to be killed on sight."
"Did you ask about the woman?" Jynna asked, drawing stares from all around the table. "There was a Mettai woman! She made the baskets!"
S'Doryn feared that U'Selle might be angered by the interruption, but the a'laq just shook her head.
"He said nothing about a woman, or about any Mettai for that matter."
Jynna started to say more, but U'Selle silenced her with a raised hand.
"The baskets are enough, child. I believe what you told us about the woman, and as soon as I heard that he was selling Mettai baskets, it occurred to me that she and the merchant are partners in some dark scheme. I don't know how or why she came to be working with this Torgan Plye, but clearly there are Eandi abroad on the plain who seek to destroy all Qirsi people, be they Fal'Borna or Y'Qatt."
"How long ago did this happen, A'Laq?" T'Noth asked.