The Talons knew he was an orphan, but never inquired as to the whole story. Rhoie let them assume that his parents had been killed by Arconus, or by one of the clan chiefs, as had been the case with so many of them. The unspoken lie made him feel a little closer to them, and also a little farther away.
Rhoie felt battered by the fates. Everything he had loved and believed in had been ripped from him; first his parents, then Brandi, then Santaque, then Liam. Some of the Talons were gone, men whom he considered friends and brothers. But now, at least for the night, it seemed as if his fortune was turning. It was as if the fates had returned something they had taken. Liam was alive. Rhoie loved the old man. Now he was to be king?
Naturally, he then thought of Brandi. This time he thought how happy she would be to know that her father was still alive. It did not take long for sleep to come. Tonight, he would dream of living in the palace with King Liam.
~Æ~
Sinead sat at the table with Viebke while Brandi worked. The feeble, frightened young woman of a few months ago was now a driven, confident messenger of the fates, unlike anyone Sinead had ever seen. Sinead imagined her to be far more powerful than Viebke or Bianka, although she continued taking lessons from the elder Æhlman sister.
They would be heading home in the morning. Sinead had felt the tremor in the æther earlier that day, but she did not know what it was. When Viebke asked them about it, Brandi had answered, “The second stone has been placed. When we are finished here, we must return to the mountain.”
Sinead still could not understand how these events were all going to come together, and she still did not understand why the Oracle had sent her along with them, but watching Brandi gave her confidence that they were all moving in the right direction.
“You, ma’am,” Brandi said, and reached out to a member of the small crowd.
“Yes?” she answered, and stood up in a challenging posture. She was an older woman with a very confident demeanour.
“Mrs Stockton,” Brandi continued. “May I call you Liana?”
“Yes, I suppose so. How did you know my name?”
“A friend of yours told me, Liana. It is clear you are very sceptical about our mission here, and it also clear you have some status in this town. I would like to address you, so that I may have the best chance of convincing the rest here.”
“Well, dear,” Liana said politely, but with a streak of defiance. “The twelve of us gathered here today come to you at great risk. We are opposed to the King. We hate his regime. We would love to see another on the throne, but what you are asking is impossible.
“Our lives are already in danger just for being here. We have families, and you want us to go and support this man we have never met. We have all heard of your father, and we would support him as king. But what you are suggesting is very far-fetched. I cannot imagine uprooting my family to go to some ruins in the desert. I’m sorry, Brandi, but you will have to do much more to convince me that what you are saying is true, or that I should be a part of it.”
“Of course, Liana. You are wise not to believe my words. Remember, though, I am not asking you to fight. I am asking you to go and live your lives there as you live them here. Others will fight, but those who do will need food and clothing. We need to build a community to support the army.”
“Army?” Liana interrupted. “You speak of an army? Brandi, I know Liam Foster survived the attack at his tavern. But we don’t know where he is. Where is he going to find an army?”
“People will come,” Brandi said simply.
“What you are saying is ridiculous. How are we to believe you?”
“Would you believe your husband?”
Liana looked shocked, and then she smiled wryly and said, “My husband is dead.”
“Yes, but his spirit is still strong in the æther. He says that the soldier who killed him is not to blame. It was the King who gave the order to make an example of him for distributing Lazaro’s Flame from your home. He says Liam Foster is the one you have been waiting for since you were ten years old.”
Liana fumed, “How dare you evoke his name!”
“I am sorry to upset you, but I must fulfil my fate as you must fulfil yours. Your husband loves you still. He knew about your affair with the gem dealer.”
Liana looked around the room, clearly embarrassed.
“He never told you because he knows you also came back to him. He knows you knew you made a youthful mistake, and you were sorry. He forgave you sixteen years ago, but he was never able to absolve you because you never told him yourself.”
“How dare you!” Liana screamed, and stormed out of the room.
It was now Sinead’s job to go after her and explain Brandi’s gift, while Brandi spoke to the remainder of the group. It was sometimes an unpleasant business, but they all had to fulfil their fates.
XXIV
In order to truly understand the rhythm of the fates, one must first overcome the prejudice of his own experience.
– The Tomes of Æhlman
Argus took another sip of his tea laced with scarlet moss. With the aid of the drug, he was better able to understand the Mikraino’s talents. He took another dove from the cage and threw it into the air. Rubalt, the most precocious of his Mikraino pupils, took to it and guided it through the obstacle course Argus had designed among the trees. None of them spoke, but Rubalt would sometimes whistle and clap when he was particularly pleased. Argus had named them after some of the mythical characters of Walvaai legend, the Tau Seign, or beast guides, who had the power to communicate with animals. Indeed his pupils showed every indication of Tau Seign ability. Argus was certain it had to do with their eyes, although he could not understand how they saw. It was as if the scarlet moss enhanced in him a weak form of special vision that was the Mikrainos only form of vision.
They had been quite agitated after the loss of one of their kind. Argus was certain they had sensed their comrade’s death at the time it happened. It was a day after Bryntal returned with the box that he finally understood their strange and sudden behaviour. Bryntal told them all about the death of their companion. Apparently, when he fell, they could all feel it. They were panicked by the nearness of death. They all grabbed at their backs and chests at the same time, as if run through by an arrow, which was exactly what had happened to their friend. They seemed to have adjusted over the past several days, however. Their training seemed to distract them, if not cheer them, and they were learning quickly.
They could direct the flight of a bird. They could track any animal on the ground, and they seemed to be able to coax a squirrel out of a tree, or flush a raccoon from the brush. Argus learned this through experimentation on his sizable private property just south of the capital. Not even the King knew exactly where his property lay, in spite of numerous attempts to have Argus followed, but the Mikraino had been drawn to it. Argus did not know who these small people were, or where they came from. He knew of Mikraino who lived in the mountains. He had even heard the myth of the Mikraino with eyes of black. He consulted his books on the topic, only to find the histories greatly lacking in relevant detail. Yet, here they were, four of them at his home, another on a mission with Gastious and one who had died in his service.
He did not know what to make of their behaviour. Though they all seemed to be in various stages of adulthood physically, in many ways they acted as young children might, unaccustomed to the world, and unaccustomed to their own bodies. In other ways, they seemed hauntingly aware and mature, as if they saw far more with those strange eyes than he could ever know.
All that mattered at the moment, however, was that they obeyed him without resistance. He communicated with them through a combination of hand signals and speech. At first it was difficult, but by now the Mikraino had picked up the language well enough to understand most voice instructions, and they had learned to respond with hand gestures.
Rubalt had emerged as the leader. He learned more quickly than the others. Sometimes he wo
uld communicate with them through hand signals, but normally he would just repeat an exercise over and over until the others could imitate him. They rarely looked at the bird or squirrel that was the object of the experiment. Rather, they would stare intently at Rubalt.
Argus named the other males Shagien and Kienten, and the females Bryntal and Tienden. Personalities emerged from them. Shagien seemed committed to Rubalt, as a kind of apprentice or second in command, eager to please and loyal, but slow to learn. Kienten was very clever, and very quiet, pensive, it seemed to Argus, and a pensive nature was not to be trusted. He wondered if he had made the right decision sending him off with Gastious. Tienden was very shy and never committed to her studies as the others did. Bryntal was clever, but she became frustrated when things grew difficult, and was easily distracted. The one who died was fat and lazy, and, Argus thought, no great loss. His expandability was a part of the reason he had been chosen for that mission. It was Bryntal who had delivered the message box. Despite her restlessness, she had proven an excellent tracker. Argus was uncertain if he was only beginning to understand their personalities, or if they were only just beginning to develop them. In any case, they had proven to be a great asset.
They had brought him the message box, and though he knew he could never open it, he had already learned much from having it in his possession. He just hoped that his goals and the goals of the King would not conflict.
~Æ~
Sinead sat with Brandi in a tiny anteroom outside a chamber where an argument was raging. When the debate grew heated, they could hear nearly every word between Viebke and Bianka. Although they still did not know exactly what it was all about, Sinead had gathered that the Vetra Ta’raa had been chosen, but Bianka was highly opposed. That must have been the meaning of the second stone.
Viebke had told them to wait for her here. They had apparently taken the vote, but the debate continued for another hour.
Bianka’s voice carried clearly. “I’m telling you, sisters, this is an outrage. We cannot carry on like this. A swain as the Vetra Ta’raa? A mongrel dog doesn’t give birth to a pure-bred.”
Sinead knew she should feel insulted, but it was not in her humble nature. A swain sister was generally held in higher esteem than a veshia, which is what she would be until she was elevated to the high status of the Keeper of the Stones.
“Bianka, the meeting is over,” Viebke answered calmly but firmly. “The council has decided to dispatch the runners. The Vetra Ta’raa has been chosen, and not by us, but by the fates.”
“I’m telling you, that is not what the stone means. It simply cannot be,” Bianka railed.
“The rest of us think otherwise, sister, and so shall act accordingly. Brandi will go to Sarhani. She has laid the ground work. The swain sisters will follow her and usher supporters along the way with them.”
“This is madness. You are putting our sisters at risk. You know a few of them will end up in the wasp pits for choosing the wrong men.”
“And suddenly you are concerned, Bianka, for our mongrel swain sisters’ welfare?” Viebke asked.
“Do not question my love for my sisters, Viebke! It is for them that I protest. Lyra cannot be the Vetra Ta’raa.”
“I do not question your love for your sisters, Bianka, save one,” Viebke finally said.
There was a very long silence. Sinead found herself flushed. She was not even in the room, and she was unnerved to the point of perspiration. She could imagine the beautiful faces of the two elders, brown-haired Viebke and fair-haired Bianka, staring each other down in a silent duel of wills.
Finally, Bianka spoke again in measured tones. “You know my differences with Lyra have long been resolved. I’m thinking of the facts. You used as evidence the fact that the box led Milarae to Lyra and Foster, and then the stone was placed.”
“We’ve been over this, sister,” said Viebke.
“Yes, but you haven’t listened to reason. Milarae no longer carries the box. It is with Argus. Surely this could be the reason for the second placement. Surely Arconus should be the Vetra Ka’raa. He is already King.”
A voice Sinead did not recognise, said coldly, “I would not have an Æhlman sister join with that swine, and the King would never have her. One must achieve the age of twenty-one before she can earn her Trident, and we all know that would be too old for him.”
“All men have weaknesses, even great ones. I fail to understand that ...” Bianka shot back.
Viebke’s voice drowned out her sister’s. “Out of respect and love for you, I allowed you to voice your opinions long after the discussions have ended and the council has voted. I am going to put an end to it now. This council is adjourned.”
Viebke emerged first from the room with an angry look on her face. She seemed surprised to see Sinead and Brandi there. When she did, her expression softened.
She smiled and sat down between them and put an arm around each of them.
“Oh, you two are breath of fresh air,” she said. “I wish I could go on the road with you again, away from all of this, but I am needed here. You two must go to Sarhani. That is where we believe your father will make his stand, should he survive the coming trial. It is such a beautiful thing, and worth fighting for. But there will be ugliness along the way.”
Viebke stood and offered a hand to each of them. “Come with me for some tea.”
Most of the other elder sisters had filed out by now, but Bianka lingered outside the chamber door.
“May I speak with the Keeper-in-waiting for a moment, sister, before you take your tea?”
“Of course, Bianka,” Viebke answered, then said softly. “Don’t worry, dear. I’ll always be there for you.” Then she winked and took Brandi away.
Hot blood rushed through Sinead as she stood and bowed to Bianka.
When Viebke and Brandi had left, Bianka spat, “You owe me, Sinead. You made me look a fool in there.”
“What? How? What did I do?”
“You told the council that your little friend Brandi could channel the dead. That her father was to become king.”
“I only told them what I saw,” she answered, terrified and confused.
Bianka sat down and patted the seat beside her, beckoning Sinead to sit down. Then she sighed and said, “I’m sorry, Sinead. It has been a long, taxing day. I don’t mean to be harsh with you. You know I am the second oldest of all the sisters.”
Sinead nodded softly.
“Well, as the second oldest, I often have the most responsibility. Sometimes I have to make decisions that are unpopular. I must be the voice of reason when my sister, or the majority, head in the wrong direction.”
Sinead merely nodded again.
“Viebke is a beautiful, loyal sister, but she is naive. Sometimes, she follows her heart rather than her mind, or the will of the fates.” Bianka pulled Sinead close to her in an affectionate embrace. “I know Viebke has been holding back on you.”
“Holding back?”
“She doesn’t want to teach you magic.”
“Well, she has begun to teach me and Brandi. I’ve learned so much already.”
Bianka laughed and said, “Oh, Sinead. I should not have left you so long. You know I was the one who nominated you for the Keeper of the Stones. It could have been Gershwin. Many argued that she had a stronger tie than you to the Oracle.”
“Yes, of course, I know. I will be forever grateful.”
“Good, Sinead. Good. I simply fear that I have lost you, and let Viebke get too close to you. I can teach you things you never imagined.”
“Really? You can teach me more?” Sinead was excited about the possibilities of learning the true secrets of the Sisterhood.
“You don’t even know what the stones really mean, do you?”
“Not really, no.”
“You see, each stone represents a turning point, or rather a pillar upon which our new nation will be built. But these pillars are still a matter of interpretation.”
“I th
ink I understand.”
“The problem is,” Bianka continued, “sometimes the sisters, as well meaning as they may be, read the signs of the fates with their hearts, and not with their minds, and they see what they want to see, rather than what is. Oh, I’m sorry, Sinead. I’m boring you again. You have work to do. You may discuss what I have said with anyone freely. Viebke will have no problems with anything I have told you. However, she might not appreciate extra lessons in magic.”
“That might get me in trouble,” Sinead answered.
“Yes, me too,” Bianka said and laughed. “Maybe we can keep that part a secret.”
Sinead could not remember why she had ever been afraid of Bianka.
“Good, I’ll give you a quick lesson right now. This is how you and I can communicate with one another while we are apart ...”
~Æ~
The world was a strange place to him. Time and space seemed distorted. He had vague recollections, memories of a life he had left behind, but the memories were different to how the world looked now. Everything had been so much clearer before. He could not remember details about his other life, but he could remember a sense of understanding, a sense of order in the old world that was completely lacking in this one.
He had come to this place simply because he did not know what else to do. He had sensed this property from a great distance, and it had made him curious. Now that he was here, he felt out of place. He had sensed the others, and they had sensed him. They were learning the ways of this world from a very old man. They had come here for the same reason he had, lured by the patterns of energy. Now they seemed to regret coming, and they warned him not to come closer, not to let the man see him. He was sad that he could not join them, but he heeded their warning. They were out of the house now, in the garden with the birds. This would be a good chance to leave, but he did not wish to set the box down. He loved the feel of it. It was so beautiful. It cast a strange energy that was irresistible to him. He held it in his hands and tried to puzzle out its significance.
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