by Anne Bishop
“I am the monster that Evil fears,” Belladonna replied softly. “I am the one who can take Tryadnea out of the world. Not just set it adrift. Take it out of the world. Or, worse, I can have Ephemera connect your land to the place that is feeding the Dark currents swelling in your homeland. You think you’re a demon, Tryad? You haven’t yet seen the worst demons that walk in our world.”
Zhahar sat perfectly still, too afraid to move and call attention to herself.
“We will wait for you outside,” Morragen finally said. She left the dining room, closing the door behind her.
“Now,” Glorianna said. “What I told you about Heart’s Justice is true. At least for a person of single aspect.” She reached over and closed a hand around Zhahar’s wrist. “Listen well, Sholeh Zeela a Zhahar. A link will be forged between you and Ephemera, and the world will send you to the darkest landscape you deserve. You may end up in a familiar place—even back in Tryadnea, despite not being able to reach it otherwise—or somewhere unlike anything you’ve seen, where you’ll spend the rest of your life hiding what you are. The heart has no secrets. Take this day to think about who you are and what you truly want.”
Glorianna pushed back her chair.
“What about Lee?” Zhahar asked, feeling her face heat. “Do you know where he is?”
Glorianna looked at her. “Lee is no longer a consideration. Where he is doesn’t matter. What you and your sisters want for yourselves is all that can matter now. Remember, Sholeh Zeela a Zhahar, Ephemera is going to send you to the darkest landscape that resonates with your heart.” She walked to the door, then looked back. “Let your heart travel lightly, because what you bring with you becomes part of the landscape.”
Zhahar sat at the table a long time. No one came in to check on her. No one disturbed her. She knew there were other people around, but she felt alone. So terribly alone.
::She used our full name,:: Sholeh said slowly. ::Twice.::
=So?= Zeela growled.
::So this Heart’s Justice will take us to the darkest landscape that resonates with the heart of Sholeh Zeela a Zhahar.::
Zhahar felt her heartbeat quicken. *Not the one who is three, not the individuals who might be split if considered separately, but the three who are one. She was telling us she can work it so the world considers all three of us together.*
=If we’re united, the darkest landscape that would match Sholeh will balance out the darkest one that would match me,= Zeela said, sounding hopeful.
*Someplace all three of us could survive,* Zhahar agreed. Put aside the rest, she thought as she took the mug out to the kitchen. Let your heart travel lightly.
Lee was gone; she was estranged from her mothers and from her people. All she and her sisters had were each other. She hoped that would be enough.
Glorianna walked out of the kitchen and stood near the door. Sebastian had taken Lynnea home to rest. Her mother was in the keets’ room, taking care of her birds, and Jeb was helping her. She didn’t know where Caitlin and Teaser were, but they wouldn’t have gone far. Neither would Yoshani. Not until they had witnessed the Heart’s Justice that would determine Zhahar’s fate.
That left Michael, who was sitting on a bench, playing a tune that was full of bitter weariness and a few turns of phrase that sounded hopeful.
It was the music he heard in the heart of Morragen Medusah a Zephyra.
She walked over to where Morragen stood, looking at the flowers blooming in Nadia’s garden. Looking but probably not seeing.
She would make no apology for eavesdropping. Zhahar had known she was at the dining room door and had most likely drawn some courage from having someone besides her mothers hear her words. But some things about the Tryad had fallen into place because of those words.
“Whose voice whispers through the Tryad’s dreams?” she asked when she stood beside Morragen. “Is it the voice of Guides who stand for the Light, or do you listen to the voices that were shaped in the Dark?”
“You speak in riddles,” Morragen said harshly.
“Do I? How many generations have your people drifted? How many of the strong were lost when they were exposed to people who were primed to see them as demons or monsters? Tryads have mated outside your race. You have a young man who is a Bridge—at least one of his aspects is. What other talents have been brought into your race?” When Morragen said nothing, Glorianna continued. “Who decides who leads? The a Zhahar Tryad is disgraced, so they won’t follow you when you step down as leader, the way you followed your mothers. Disgraced because one aspect wanted to love a one-face man, not just use him to bring in fresh blood to the race.”
“She may be disgraced, but she doesn’t have to go through with this Heart’s Justice of yours.”
“What kind of life do the disgraced have among your people?” Glorianna countered. “Why are your customs so harsh? I ask you again, Morragen Medusah a Zephyra. Whose voice whispers through the Tryad’s dreams?”
“What does Allone spreading rumors now accomplish? It would have been years before Zhahar would step up and take our place.”
“Adrift and bitter, the Dark currents in Tryadnea grow stronger,” Glorianna said. “A successful union between a Tryad and a man of single aspect might strengthen the bonds between your people and another, might nourish hope that could create other bonds. The Dark Guides and wizards did a similar thing to the Landscapers. Over the years, they persuaded the instructors at the school to view as dangerous the students who were stronger than usual or who had more connection to the Dark currents. And we were dangerous—to the wizards. So they destroyed those among us who were the Guides and destroyed the strongest among the Landscapers under the guise of protecting Ephemera. They whisper in the dark, Morragen, and I think they’ve been whispering in Tryadnea for a long time now.”
She waited while Medusah came into view.
“These wizards are people of single aspect,” Medusah said. “How…?”
“If one aspect of a Tryad can be a Bridge, one aspect can be a wizard,” Glorianna said, feeling the sudden wash of power in the currents of the world. “A betrayal and death long ago, like the one in the story about the sisters, could have tipped the resonance of Tryadnea enough to let the wizards in. Their females couldn’t wear human faces, but mating with another race that might have been spawned in the darker currents could give them offspring that could hide. Change the resonance of Tryadnea and set your land adrift. Become an essential part of what is needed to connect the land to another place, but keep the connection only if there are wizards influencing that place. Those wizards provide shelter in the other lands while they mate with Tryad, especially the Tryad who already have some of their bloodlines. And the power that shaped the Dark Guides and their progeny is reinforced in your people.”
“If any of that is true, then we have been betrayed over and over,” Medusah said. She swallowed hard. “What Zhahar said was true. Every Tryad who goes out to connect our land returns damaged in some way.” She frowned. “You think that’s why we were able to connect to Vision? Because the wizards were already there?”
“Yes, I think that’s why. But there were enough hearts that wanted something different. I think that’s why, even though you were anchored to Vision, Ephemera made me aware of you. The moment Tryadnea began resonating with me, it was no longer within the wizards’ ability to control the currents of Light and Dark. They can influence the currents by influencing people’s hearts, but they can’t easily set you adrift again.”
“So the enemy is among us, wearing the face of a friend.”
“The most dangerous enemies usually do,” Glorianna said softly. “That’s why I’m not going to establish other borders or boundaries between Tryadnea and my other landscapes. If there are wizards hiding among those who govern the Tryad, I can’t risk them reaching my pieces of the world—especially Sanctuary. I can’t risk them finding Caitlin when she’s tending her landscapes. We won’t even know a wizard is there until…” She clamped a
hand over her nose and stepped back from the flower bed as a stinkweed poked out of the ground. “All right, we will know now that there is a plant that will warn us. Ephemera, get that out of my mother’s garden and shift the wind so the smell blows away from the house.”
Medusah stared at the flower bed. “Could that plant grow in Tryadnea?”
“At this point, I think it will grow anywhere.” Glorianna lowered her hand and sniffed. The plant hadn’t been there long enough to stink up the area too much. “If no one else understands the significance of it suddenly appearing, you’ll have your warning that a wizard is nearby.”
Medusah hesitated, then submerged as Zephyra came into view. “Is there nothing you can do for Zhahar and her sisters?”
“Their life, their journey, their choice.” Glorianna lightly touched Zephyra’s arm. “It may take them a while, but they’ll find the place their hearts recognize as home.”
“Then we will return to Tryadnea to consider all we have learned. And we’ll hope that someday we will have news of Sholeh Zeela a Zhahar.”
“Travel lightly, Morragen Medusah a Zephyra.”
“And you, Glorianna Belladonna.”
Glorianna wasn’t sure if the Tryad wanted to say more or just didn’t know how to leave after everything that had happened in the past couple of days. She did notice how Yoshani and Teaser were suddenly available to escort Zephyra back to the border between the Den and Tryadnea. And she noticed that her mother didn’t come out of the house until Zephyra was gone.
“What do you think?” Glorianna asked, linking her arm with Nadia’s.
“Are you asking a fellow Landscaper or your mother?”
“My mother.”
“She’s hurting for her children. As a leader, I think she recognizes that her people might be harboring a deadly enemy—and that must be a terrible and frightening realization. And as a woman, I think she’s hoping that, by being cut free of their people, Zhahar and her sisters will find the heart magic that has been eluding the Tryad for so many years.”
“If Zhahar does find it, the Tryad who were merged or forced to sacrifice siblings because of some archaic law will be bitter, maybe even destructive.” Especially if some part of them answered to the Dark.
“Yes. I don’t envy the a Zephyra Tryad.”
“Nor do I.” Glorianna hesitated, struggling to say the words. “Do you mind that I have two aspects?”
“Aspects.” Nadia smiled. “We have a way to describe it now, don’t we? No, I don’t mind, and even if I did…” She shrugged. “Your life, your journey, your choice.”
She felt the currents of Light become a little stronger, so she laughed and said, “How long are you going to wait before you give Lee one of the young keets as a housewarming present?”
“He doesn’t want a keet.”
“He didn’t want a keet. Now I think having one would be good for him.”
Nadia said nothing. Then, “The youngsters I have now will be leaving for their new homes in a few days, but Jeb is building a couple of cages that might suit Lee’s new residence.”
“So he should be settled in well enough by the time you’re looking for homes for the next brood?”
“Exactly.”
Laughing, the two women walked back to the house.
Chapter 34
They didn’t sleep that night. They simply stared at the big traveling bag that would hold everything they could take with them.
Twice Zhahar pulled out the Three Faces and the Third Eye, the spiritual symbols of her people, intending to leave them behind. But it wasn’t the spirit of her people that had failed her; it was the people themselves. So she tucked the Three Faces carefully into the bag, then studied the three-eyed goddess. One eye to see intentions, one to witness actions, and one to see the heart.
“Watch over us,” she whispered as she tucked that into the bag too.
=It’s almost time,= Zeela whispered.
*Where is Sholeh?* Zhahar asked. *She needs to be with us when this happens.*
=Let her rest a little while longer.=
*She won’t have much of a life in a dark place.*
=Probably not. But we’ll do what we can for all of us.=
A tapping on the guest room door. When Zhahar answered it, Nadia stood on the other side.
“Ready?” Nadia asked kindly.
No. “Yes, we’re ready.” Zhahar hefted the bag, grunting a little at its weight. *I hope we don’t have to lug this very far.*
Zeela didn’t answer.
“You already have plenty to carry, but I made up a pack that has water and enough food to last you for a day or two.” Nadia handed her the pack and briefly touched Zhahar’s cheek. “Travel lightly.”
=She says that and then weighs us down a little more,= Zeela grumbled.
Or maybe it was an attempt at humor, since Zhahar could feel Sholeh’s presence now.
“The others are waiting outside to say good-bye,” Nadia said.
She didn’t want to see them, but it occurred to her that people fated to receive Heart’s Justice usually didn’t get a send-off. So she thanked Nadia for the food and walked outside.
Michael and Yoshani were waiting just outside the door. Michael held up another pack. This one was big enough to hold the food pack and more. When he slipped the food pack into it, she heard the clink of coins.
“Yoshani and I were doing a little weeding last night and unearthed this stash of coins. We thought having a bit of gold would smooth the way once you get to where you’re going.”
“Be well, Sholeh Zeela a Zhahar,” Yoshani said. “I hope we meet again.”
She blinked back tears and walked over to where Lynnea and Sebastian waited.
“Here,” Lynnea said, holding out a book. “I know you can’t carry much, but this is my favorite book of stories. I thought Sholeh would enjoy them.”
“Glorianna is waiting for you at the edge of the road,” Sebastian said. “I’ll walk you up there.”
He took her elbow before she could decline the offer. As soon as they rounded the corner of the house and were out of sight of the others, he stopped and slipped a small cloth bag into the pack.
“One-shot bridge to the Den,” he said. “Heart’s Justice is supposed to take you where you’re meant to be, so you’re supposed to handle whatever hardships come your way. But if you’re in danger, Zhahar, if your lives are at risk, Sholeh or Zeela can use the bridge to cross over, and we’ll deal with the consequences.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “All of you.”
He kissed her cheek, then led her halfway to where Glorianna waited.
She walked the rest of the way alone—and not alone. One who was three. Three who were one.
There were a lot of things she wanted to say to Lee’s sister, but none of them were appropriate—and probably didn’t matter now.
Our life, our journey, our choice.
“Let your heart travel lightly,” Glorianna Belladonna said. “Because what you bring with you becomes part of the landscape.”
*What do we want to bring with us?* Zhahar asked her sisters.
::Hope,:: Sholeh whispered.
=Courage,= Zeela said.
*Heart,* Zhahar added. Then she said to the Guide of the Heart, “We’re ready.”
Glorianna smiled. “Yes, you are. Ephemera, hear me.”
The wind blew over her skin, under her skin. The ground felt soft, fluid. The world faded and became a white sheet where images flashed by almost too fast for them to see. A dark lake and two huge black stones rising out of the water. A desert of rust-colored sand. A harbor town that made them uneasy. Another harbor town that looked bright and happy. A valley full of fog. Bobbing lights and music.
Images pulled at one or the other of them, but not all of them. And then…
Zhahar felt something snag her as the ground became so fluid it disappeared. She screamed—and heard Sholeh and Zeela scream too.
She stumbled and almost stepp
ed on a dead, bloated cat, scattering the rats that had come for a meal.
Zeela came into view, steadying them as they walked out of the alley and looked around.
=Late afternoon, if I can trust the position of the sun and the feel of the day,= she said.
*Then we’re nowhere near Aurora,* Zhahar said. *But it has the cool feel of autumn here too. Sholeh? Are you all right?*
::Yes.::
Zeela wasn’t sure of that, but being the one in view, she had to pay attention to where they were and leave Sholeh to Zhahar.
A dark place. She could feel it. It looked like a poorer section of town, but that wouldn’t have made it dark. Sometimes the fanciest parts of a town were also the darkest. This felt more like a shadow street that had gone septic.
*Shadow street?* Zhahar asked.
=Couldn’t be.= But it feels like one. Blowing out a breath, Zeela headed for a group of men working around an empty lot in the middle of the block, then veered toward the women who were watching the workers from across the street.
“What happened?” she asked a middle-aged woman.
“Strangers took over a house a while back,” the woman replied. “Nasty pieces of work, every one of them. Then one night they disappeared—and the house with them. Pipes were ripped open and we had water and sewage filling up the house’s cellar and pouring out into the street. Was worth a demon’s ransom to get the city workers to come out here and begin fixing things. Had to petition a Shaman before we got any help, and had to hire the Knife Guild to protect the workers, because some bad things had happened on this street. Wasn’t like that before the strangers arrived, even if it was a shadow street.”
Zeela swayed and wished she’d taken time for a sip of water and a bite of food. Not that she would have taken either in that stinking alley, but…
Shaman. Knife. Shadow street.
“What is this place?” she asked. When the woman, who had sounded friendly enough, gave her a less-than-friendly look, she added hurriedly, “I just arrived. Was left here, actually, and wasn’t told the name of the town.”