AESSA'S CHILDREN: BOOK ONE -- THE LAST BORDER
By V. A. Watts
(c) 1993
NOTE: This work is under a registered copyright and unauthorized distribution is prohibited and will be prosecuted. All characters are fictional and of my own invention. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Note on pronunciation: Proper Names and nouns within the language most commonly used on Aessa, Lliyassean, allow that each letter have its own sound. The first vowel in each word is long, the following vowels hold the short sound. Therefore, the name Thana is pronounced: T-HAYN-AH. Maygra is MAY-IH-G-RAH, Kieri is KI-ERR-IH, and Jael is JAY-EL. Diminutives such as Jai and Mag are pronounced as written, so Jai would be Ji (long "I") and Mag would be Mag with a short "a". The use of glottal stops is pervasive. Words ending in "I" are masculine gendered, "a" indicates feminine gender, "n" indicates plurals. Partial Glossary is at the end of each chapter.
"This may not work at all," Jael breathed when Damyn and Merida explained to him what they wanted to attempt. They had gathered at Merida's work table, Rhys and Sarai silent observers. The four of them slipping out of their chambers at dawn, hoping to be at their task before too many were awake and possibly causing distractions to the delicate work. "What I do for Kevyn is easier -- I know which memories are mine and which are his. I can't begin to sort out what Maygra Sees and Hears or whether it is past or present." CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
"But you can buffer what she perceives," Damyn said. "Merida can help secure those perceptions."
"But to make Maygra understand what we are doing?" Jael shook his head. "She is not aware of us, Dami. For this to work, Maygra must be able to handle those controls herself. Can you teach her that, Masyra?"
Merida bit her lip. "I'm not sure. I understand the theory of what Damyn proposes, but to actually insert those controls. I am adept enough at wound healing, but mind work . . . ."
"Is Kellas's specialty which you well know," Kevyn said gruffly. His expression was angry, as was Kellas's, but he kept his tone moderate.
"The decision was mine, Kev," Jael said. "We may need Rhys's Voice and I am certainly required, but you . . . ."
"You have been making a great many decisions for me lately," Kevyn said coolly. "And while I appreciate the sentiment, I have the right to choose my own course. I think I can apply enough concentration to go unchaperoned for a while. You did say I needed practice," he added, trying to take the edge off his voice.
Jael flushed, staring mutely at Kevyn until the younger man gripped his shoulder.
"I am not angry, Jai," Kevyn said softly. "My sister may think I need a keeper, I would rather have a friend, or two," he added meaningfully glancing at Maygra. "I will distance myself from the actual work you do, but don't deny Maygra what and who she needs because of me."
"That was not our intention, Kevyn," Merida said quickly. "This is out of Kellas's realm of experience as well."
"Distancing ourselves may not be a bad idea," Damyn said. "For Maygra as well as your other patients."
"Her own rooms would be best then," Sarai said. "There are none but your folk, and Jurrana can take the children away. Kevyn, I would suggest you spend your time in the Web Garden. It is the best Shielded of our buildings."
Kevyn agreed, leaving them hesitantly but unwilling to added to their worries. Merida started to get a stretcher, but Rhys took the a more direct line, scooping Maygra up in his arms, his expression not betraying the shock he felt -- she seemed so fragile. It was not a trait he tended to associate with Maygra.
She has grown so important to us in such a short time, he thought, following Sarai and Merida out of the chamber, the three men following, Damyn explaining their plan to Kellas.
Sarai stopped to speak to Jurrana while Rhys and Merida settled their patient onto the bed.
"Are you ready, Jai?" Damyn asked softly, resting his hands on the man's shoulders.
"As I will ever be. You'll have to follow closely, Kellas -- it will be up to you decide when she is sufficiently buffered to rebuild her Shields."
Merida slipped onto the bed, resting one hand lightly on Maygra's forehead to watch over her physical condition. There was no signal given as Jael began his work.
His nervousness made him hesitant. Despite his skill, he was no Healer. Cognizant of that fact, he moved slowly, isolating the fragments of sound and sight carefully and testing each tiny Shield before attempting the next. He was only barely aware that Kellas was clinging to the periphery of his Gift, the Healer observing passively so as not to distract Jael.
It was more difficult than Jael had anticipated. He would isolate one fragment only to find another that escaped his attention. He could detect no distress from Maygra but was not sure he would recognize her among the thousand of clamoring perceptions. He tried continuing on methodically, but he found himself being distracted and unsure of what his perceptions were.
Unable to use his Gift, Damyn was, nonetheless, the first to recognize Jael's distress. He tried gripping the man's shoulder, knowing that physical contact sometimes made such work easier, but Jael's muscles were hard as stone, the muscles in his neck twitching. Merida caught his eye, reaching out to touch Jael as well, her eyes widening as she realized that Jael was breathing neither deeply nor regularly. She opened her mouth to warn Kellas, when suddenly Jael convulsed, his contact with Maygra lost as he passed out.
Damyn caught him, dropping to his knees heavily to keep Jael from falling from his chair. Kellas gave a startled yelp, almost blacking out as well until Rhys steadied him. Leaving Damyn to deal with Jael, Merida returned her attention to Maygra, calming the accelerated heartbeat.
"What happened?" Rhys demanded when Jael opened his eyes.
"Too . . . too many . . . there's no Shield strong enough to . . . to shut that out," Jael said with a gasp, almost retching. Damyn held him, accepting the cup of water Sarai held out and forcing Jael to take tiny sips.
"There has to be a way," Kellas said studying Maygra. "It's not as if her personality's been replaced, just overrun."
"Can you concentrate on her Gifts, Jael, instead of the perceptions themselves?" Sarai asked. "Block those off one at a time."
"I tried, but with so many open it's hard to know which one is being affected, if at all. We call it Voice, but Speaking and Hearing are two separate gifts. When are Voices past conversations or present?" he rubbed his forehead. "I don't know which are her memories."
"Can you shut out all her perceptions," Damyn asked suddenly. "Externally? A tight focus."
Jael nodded slowly. "How tight? I can block her completely as we did during our crossing, but then what?"
"With Merida and Kellas within, if they can find that part of her that is still Maygra, perhaps they can block her Gift entirely."
"For how long?" Jael asked quietly. "I know Sura thought a Gift could be completely suppressed, but to deny her all access to her Gift?"
"We can worry about restoring her potentials later," Damyn said. "It won't be so very different from what she has known all her life, Jai," he added harshly. Jael gripped his arm but Damyn would not meet his eyes. "I want her to live," Damyn murmured. "I don't care what Oath I made."
"What am I not understanding?" Rhys asked quietly, alert to the conflict between the two men.
"There's an Oath between us," Damyn said, swallowing. "An Oath I made to Maygra -- you have fulfilled part of it, Rhys. Aessa alone knows why or how."
"She'll be alone again," Rhys said, suddenly understanding and recalling his own hasty Oath. "You won't be alone in breaking it, then, Damyn."
"Can you, Jael? Will you do as I ask?" Damyn pleaded.
Jael studied the pale face of his commander for a long moment before nodding.
Merida gasped, so suddenly was she cut off from the smallest perceptions save Maygra and Kellas. Her colleague was equally caught off guard, gripping her hand painfully before setting to work and then again when he delved into Maygra's mind.
Where there had been a cacophony of sound and images, now there was nothing. There was no trace of memory or thought, as if Maygra had disappeared entirely. Just as suddenly he found himself forced out of her mind, a mental shove that affected him physically. Jael's Shield faltered and Merida found herself doing all the work for Maygra's body as the images surged without Jael's Shield to hold them back.
"Whatever we're fighting is definitely not glad we're here," Jael said grimly, as Damyn and Rhys eased Kellas to the floor.
"How is he?" Merida murmured as Sarai bent to examine the Healer.
"I don't know. Backlash, I think," Sarai said, brushing her hand gently across the Healer's forehead. "How is Maygra?"
Merida shifted her controls slightly, sighing when Maygra continued to breath on her own. "This is taking its toll. If only we understood better what you are attempting, Damyn."
Kellas moaned softly, opening his eyes and wincing as Sarai helped him sit up. "Lady, I was not prepared for that! If that's any suggestion of the Shields she used to have, I'm amazed anyone was able to ever get through."
"It comes easier if you know her well," Damyn sighed, touching Maygra's pale cheek, his fingers lingering on the scars. "Whatever is left of Maygra is locked behind those Shields."
"It helps if I know where to look," Kellas agreed getting to his feet, nodding a Jael to signal he was ready to try again. Jael reset his Gift only to have to reach out to catch Kellas as he fell.
The Healer had gone white, the triggering of his own Gift like rubbing salt into a wound.
"Easy, Kel," Sarai murmured as they settled him into the chair. She studied him anxiously for a moment, testing his limits carefully, not surprised when he moaned at the slightest contact. "This is going to take time to wear off," she said, touching his cheek. "Rested or not, he's over-strained himself trying to do for Kevyn as well as treating the other wounded," she informed the others.
"I can do this," Kellas argued. "Give me a few minutes to reorient myself."
"I don't think so, Kel-kiri," she said. "You could do more harm than good as you are now. I'm not here just out of concern for Maygra," she added, eyeing each of them. "I'm also here to ensure none of you go to far in this attempt. I may disagree with the Council's decision, but I have no intention of allowing any of you to compound that mistake by foolishly risking yourselves. Is that understood?" When no one disagreed, she smiled faintly. "Damyn, what else can we try -- within reason? I know you think isolating the sources of interference is the key, but what methods are available?"
Damyn covered his face with his hands. "I don't know how to explain it any better. It's mental surgery -- isolating the damaged or foreign material to give the healthy room to heal."
"If given the space, could she heal herself?" Jael asked.
"Maybe, but what you're proposing could take days or weeks," Damyn said. "I know you're strong, Jai, but you can't protect her indefinitely."
"Could you do better?" Rhys asked and Damyn stared at him.
"It's not an option. This is not surgery, which I could accomplish with my hands and eyes, but this requires Healing and I can't . . . ."
"The only reason you can't is because of your own fear," Rhys said coldly, shrugging off Sarai's hand. "My mother's spell isn't in force any longer, Damyn. Maygra took care of that for you -- but she can't quell your fear."
"I only think it is fear . . . ," Merida began, but Rhys waved her off sharply.
"I can break the blocks to your Gift, Healer," Rhys said, "But the rest is up to you."
"And break what else?" Jael snapped. "Why don't you try forcing yourself through that nightmare in her mind?"
"If I had any idea what I was doing, I might," Rhys shot back. "But I don't. Nor does Merida or Kellas. Damyn does, or thinks he does. How much fear are you willing to face for her, Healer?"
Damyn stared back at him, resting his hand on Jael's arm when his friend would have interceded. "If you can do what you say, then do it," he said, a flush to his cheeks.
"This is not wise, Damyn," Merida said. "Maena . . . ?"
"None of this is wise," Sarai said, watching Damyn carefully.
"Can you work within Jael's Shield?" Damyn asked.
"I can, but it's not necessary. I have enough control . . . ."
"I'm not sure I do," Damyn said coolly.
Rhys raised his chin then nodded. "So I recall. Your choice, Jael. I'll be careful."
Jael stepped behind Damyn and Rhys felt the world close off around him.
Damyn's natural, passive Shields were still in place, easily maneuvered around when there was no resistance. There were still ragged edges to Damyn's mind, healing, but not quite whole and he could feel the Healer flinch as he got too close to those open, unprotected places.
Rhys felt vaguely uncomfortable, knowing he was dealing with emotional as well as Gift damage, not an area he felt well prepared for, and even less prepared when he realized that he must deal with his own fears as well as Damyn's.
Sorcery left its traces. Unlike a Gift, it forced its way into and through the natural order of things, damaged areas a Gift might disturb, but not permanently disable. The spell Lorisa had set was gone, but the damage was not, nor were the memories it left, and Rhys fought against the surge of nausea that came with the echo of purpose from his mother's work.
It was not fear of his Gift that so suppressed Damyn, but the memory of how that gift had turned against him, drawing in emotion and pain like a whirlpool, feeding on itself by demanding it be used again and again, a hunger that would not be satisfied. Although he had helped erase the spell, Rhys had not had to deal with the aftermath. He had left that to Merida and Kellas. The confidence in himself as a Healer had always been one of Damyn's strengths. Lorisa's spell had destroyed that confidence and a good portion of the Healer's personality with it. The Damyn that Maygra and her kin had always known, would be forever lost to them, even if Rhys were able to help Damyn regain access to his vast store of knowledge and talent. It had not been the purpose of the spell, but Rhys had no doubt his mother would be pleased with the results.
He pushed onward, seeking, as he had been taught, for the core where resided the basis of personality and Gift. The potentials in Damyn were untouched, not so the controls that had taken a lifetime to build.
He felt Damyn try to push him away, threatened and frightened by the thought that he would lose what little control he had left. There was no physical sign of struggle between the two men, but Rhys was aware when Jael strengthened his Shield and even more aware when Damyn reacted involuntarily, flinching as the healing gift turned defensive.
He tried to soothe the fears, easing around the fragile defenses rather than trying to break through them, but they eluded him and Rhys was suddenly unsure that it was only fear that kept Damyn's gift inactive.
Support came from an unexpected source as Rhys became aware of Jael's presence. Where Rhys had tried to ease around the fear, Jael met it and acknowledged it, not approving or disapproving, but simply accepting it. The resistance eased and Rhys found himself confronted with a wave of antagonism. It was the last point of resistance and Rhys took it on himself, reeling but not retreating before Damyn's anger and terror at being stripped of everything he was or ever hoped to be.
That his mother's will was malicious, Rhys knew, but he had learned it at an early age and it no longer surprised him. Damyn had been unprepared, physically and emotionally for such violence. Not just that enacted on his people, but on him personally. He had only met such viciousness before on a personal level -- short-lived and borne out of pain or fear or anger. Lorisa's vileness was part of her nature and she dropped it casually, with no thought of how if affected its target or caring for the outcome. Hatred Damyn could understand, but the casual contempt and degenerate attitude were more than he could comprehend.
Rhys bore it all, only partly to fulfill his original intent. He found himself attempting in some part to atone for his mother's actions.
The resistance was intense but short lived and Rhys released his controls as Jael eased his Shield. Damyn was crying silently when Rhys was at last able to focus on his face, and he was not surprised to find his own cheeks wet.
"I'm sorry," he murmured gripping the man's arms. "I've known her for so long for what she is, I forget that others are not prepared for her . . . depravity."
Damyn drew a sharp breath returning his grip before turning away, going to Maygra's balcony to recover. Rhys met Jael's gaze with respect and a certain amount of humility.
"One of these days, Maen, you are going to realize that while most battles are fought alone, few are won that way," Jael said softly and went to Damyn.
The Healer started at Jael's touch but returned with him, smiling faintly at Merida's concerned frown.
"I will go cautiously," he said. "I think, Sarai, that it might be best if Kellas left us," he added. "There is no guarantee that I will succeed any better, but I would rather not add to his injury."
Kellas waved Sarai off. "If I can't be of assistance, at least I won't deprive her of yours," he said with a crooked grin. "I will check on Kevyn -- check only," he added with a wink that made him wince again.
"I will watch her, Merida," Sarai said as her daughter tried to stretch.
Merida did not protest, sliding off the bed stiffly. She paused by Rhys, reaching up to wipe his cheek. He caught her hand and she returned the rare embrace.
"I think we might need to wait another day. We are all beginning to tire."
"If Jael is willing, I would like to make one attempt," Damyn said. "Before I lose my nerve," he added with a strained chuckle.
Jael nodded, stretching his own stiff muscles. "You and Maygra alone?"
"I'm not sure I can monitor her effectively through your Shield," Merida said, taking her place on the bed once more.
Jael assented, waiting for Damyn to signal his readiness to begin. The Rheman Healer settled himself next to Maygra, catching her hands in his and then gave a tentative call to Jael. Jael shifted his Shield to draw the Healers in. Damyn began as he had promised, cautiously. He fought back his own fear and steeled himself as he opened the gates to his own mind.
Maygra's pain and fear almost overwhelmed him as he forced himself into the vacant space Maygra now occupied. There was no other way to describe it. Almost immediately he felt the same force that had so disabled Kellas and recognized it immediately. It was fear. Maygra's fear. Her terror was all she had left, cast among images she neither understood nor could control.
This was not what he expected, but it made more sense now that he could experience it for himself, rather than having to rely on the descriptions of others.
Kira'sai, what could you possibly be so afraid of? he thought idly as he tried to isolate the source of her fear. Another forceful wave came at him and this time he did not resist it, letting it wash over him like a wave, anchoring his newly awakened Gift in the emotional link that had always bound the two of them together. Behind the resistance he found the source.
The images that haunted her were just that, images. There was no substance to them. Living, she had confronted her worst fear of dying alone and screaming with no one to hear. Alone as her father had not been, but she would be without a Gift. She had understood the perceptions at first, acknowledged them for what they were, but when she Spoke, no one answered.
That despair reminded him forcefully of his own, so recently confronted. There was no indignant anger in Maygra, however, no subconscious acknowledgment that it was unfair. She saw it as a punishment for her thousand perceived faults and she had no defense.
Damyn faltered under the lack of faith in herself. There was no sense of her strength, only of her weakness. She had driven their survival in the past year, but now she saw only her failures. She begged for judgment, but none of the Voices she had suddenly gained would respond.
I'm here, kira'sai, he murmured. I will answer you.
The startled reaction almost sent him into darkness, catching Jael as well. Like a muscle reflex, Maygra grabbed desperately at the contact, using all her untapped potentials with so little control and so much force, Damyn and Jael were caught in the surge of raw reckless energy. Jael's Shield faltered and the Voices came again, like a torrent. Damyn felt himself getting lost among them and knew why Jael had failed at his initial attempt. Rashly, he reached for his friend, his own fear thrusting itself on him again. He realized his mistake too late, hearing Jael's scream as the older man was paid back tenfold for his inadvertent merging with Kevyn. Damyn withdrew inside himself, his worst fears suddenly come true. He was not Healer enough to cure this and he had drawn Jael into his inadequacy, reaching for the steady presence just as Jael was reasserting his Shield. All his friend's concentration had been on accomplishing that task, and he had set no protections for himself.
As if to echo his self-loathing he became marginally aware of what Maygra felt. There was so much, half-spoken phrases and images of places he had never seen or dreamt of in his life. The memories came out in a rush. Not thousands a Voices, but a few, young, small, frightened, as their short lives ended in pain and fear. Rhema's children were dying again and this time Maygra could hear them. Other Voices and Visions came forward as well. Some Damyn recognized and others he could not as lives faltered and failed, some slowly and some too quickly.
His mother's Voice was among them, and Renn and Kiva's as well, though he could not tell if it were past or present.
Badly planned healing, he heard his mother scold gently. I taught you better. He held on to that memory, knowing it was his and not Maygra's.
You always did take on far too much, he heard her scold, all the while helping to correct his mistakes. He could not be sure she was not truly there, or just a fragment of some fractured memory, but he concentrated on what he could remember and on what she had taught.
Any idiot can have the Gift. Only a Healer has the skill, she murmured. Damyn reached after the thought, knowing he had fought this battle before and won, but not with so many distractions. He needed Jael's Shield before he lost contact with he and Maygra completely. He trusted Merida enough to keep their patient breathing as he sought some fragment of Jael and found it, struggling against the nightmare he had brought on Kevyn.
Like an amputation, Damyn cut Jael away from the maelstrom of Maygra's perceptions. Physically and mentally, Jael collapsed against him, exhausted and defeated. Maygra has a link with Rhys, however disguised, find it! he demanded, bolstering Jael's Gift with his own as he had in Irrekas, heedless to the cost.
Sluggishly, Jael responded, reaching for the link. But it was not Rhys he found, but Kevyn, easier to access but Kevyn was unprepared.
Sarai and Rhys both reacted as they realized what had happened. Laurien's question was immediate and outraged, backed up by Fayr as the Web was inadvertently tapped.
"No," Sarai whispered, breaking free of Rhys's hold to run into the corridor. Rhys felt frozen, he knew of Kevyn's involvement -- Jael's Shield was still scattered. How the two of them were able to break through the heavily protected chamber, he had no idea, but it occurred to him that it may have been a weakness Lorisa had structured. He checked the link, moderating with his own skill the unsteady energy leaking from the Iimarin. Kevyn's reaction had been instinctual, not deliberate, he realized as he followed Sarai out of the chamber. Maric met him, a half dozen guards at his heels.
"Are we under attack?" Maric asked.
"Not exactly," Rhys muttered. "Guard Maygra's room, Maric. No one enters -- no one, including the Masyr-Maen, do you understand?"
"Maiden's Wings, Maen, what trouble have you caused now?"
"I wish I knew, Maric. Five lives may hang on your agreement to this -- including Kevyn's. Can you do this?"
Maric nodded. "I'm getting too old for the Watch anyway," he said. "You lot, if you can't follow Rhys's orders, be off!" he snapped, not surprised when only two left. "We'll hold it, Maen, but I don't know for how long."
"Long enough, I hope," Rhys said, running.
Laurien's angry demand for an answer followed Rhys all the way to the Garden. Sarai was already within, cradling Kevyn's still form in her arms, Derrys her uncertain champion against his father.
"If you move him, you will kill him," Derrys said. "The Web is tapped, but not dangerously."
"You did this!" Fayr accused as he sighted Rhys. "It's a flagrant abuse of your damned powers and it will not go unpunished."
"It is neither flagrant nor abusive," Rhys snapped, kneeling beside Kevyn. "Kevyn did not come here to steal power from the Web by stealth. This is an accident, borne of desperation."
"Which you should have prevented, both of you," Laurien said coldly, entering the chamber. "Moderate the Web, Fayr," he ordered, still staring accusingly at Rhys and Sarai.
"It was not intentional, Laurien," Sarai said. "Determined we may have been, but not to this extent, which you should know."
"I wish I did. Can you extract Kevyn from this link, Derrys?"
"Not without harm," Derrys said. "Kevyn knows the basics, but it's been years since he worked the Web. I do not believe this was planned, Masyr-Maen."
"What you believe is immaterial. What is the Web's condition?"
"Stable. The flow of energy is being moderated -- externally," he added.
"Externally? Can you trace that?"
"I already have. The location is Maygra's chambers."
"And the source?"
"That I cannot identify. The chamber is Shielded."
Rhys started, his focus tightening on the same path Derrys had followed.
In Maygra's chambers Damyn felt the images fade away. He was not sure what Jael had done, but he was aware that Maygra had shifted her focus from fear to something else. He approached carefully, not wanting to distract her from the small gain she had made. The Voices vied for her attention, Rhema's children still cried out and Maygra heard them.
You did not do this, he Said softly. These deaths are not yours. Let them go.
I cannot! her whispered response was wail of despair. She asked for so much and there is so little I can offer. How can I take her Oath when I caused this?
Caused what? You did not cause their fear, kira, and you did not act alone.
Can't you hear them? Why couldn't I hear them?
Because only you could understood their fear. You will answer for it, Maygra, we all will, but only to Aessa. You knew that once.
I cannot take her Oath. She demands too much!
It is not for the dying and the dead that she asks your Oath, but for the living, he murmured suddenly realizing why she had been assaulted by so many Voices. Those Voices are gone, kira'sai. It is these that you must heed -- it is for these that she asks your Oath.
He filtered them for her, pressuring Jael to ease his Shield fractionally, isolating a few. They were casual and present, adults and children who had little idea of the struggle that was taking place, a struggle that affected them far more than they realized.
She did not open the way for them to punish you, kira, but to let you know that you were not alone -- even in your silence. I made a promise to you, Maygra. A promise you made as well.
She has gone . . . , the Voice said and retreated.
She will Hear you, Damyn murmured, his strength ebbing with the prolonged use of his will. Jael faltered as well and the rush of Voices assaulted them again.
She will hear you, Another Voice said, familiar and strong. If not from you, through us, through me, if I have to track Her to Her very door.
As if extending a hand, the second Voice drew her out once more and Damyn caught her as well, feeling Rhys's presence in his mind and physically supporting him.
Speak it, Maygra, Damyn urged. Between Aessa and Maygra . . . , he began and she responded fearfully, a child being taught to understand the darkness.
Between Aessa and Maygra . . . , she said and felt them support her, another Presence adding Her strength and Her Voice. Let nothing separate or divide. I am the hand, the heart, the will. Her hand, Her heart, Her will. I am not, as much as I am, Aessa. In life, in death, until there is nothing left, I am Her will and voice and not my own." The last was a mere whisper, the last breath of a body and mind too taxed to take another. Damyn fought to hold on to the will, but it faded from him as Jael's Shield fell away. He did not even have the strength to weep. Merida tried desperately to force life into the limp form, but Damyn stopped her, clutching Maygra's cold hands in dull shock.
Rhys released him, leaning against the bed frame, his eyes dulled with fatigue and sorrow. Behind him, Laurien's gaze was also sorrowed, the anger falling beneath true regret.
"After all this," the Masyr-Maen murmured. "She can demand much, Our Lady. Her Will can comfort . . . and kill."
MY WILL . . . . That Voice echoed through Ravon like thunder, though it would be remembered as a murmur or a soft breath of air.
Rhys stiffened, feeling the Voice sing in his blood. He clutched at the bed, instinctively reaching out to steady Laurien. The Masyr-Maen was staring at him with wide eyes.
"Lady's Grace," Merida whispered, her hands still resting on Maygra's chest. They moved faintly as a shallow breath was drawn into still lungs. Damyn saw the movement as well, covering Merida's hand with his own.
Faint color came to Maygra's cheeks, accented by the white scars.
"The Lady takes Her promises seriously," Laurien said, not at all mockingly, gripping Rhys's arm.
"All this for a promise?" Merida said softly, releasing the last of her controls. She was paler than Maygra, drained and awed at the same time. Beside her, Jael was slumped in his chair, tears falling unheeded.
"A simple promise," Rhys responded.
"No, not simple," Jael said, lifting his head and searching along the frail link, sighing when he realized Kevyn was still present, unknowing but unhurt. "Nothing with Maygra is ever simple."
Rhys nodded, searching along his own link and finding Maygra's quiet Voice and hers alone. The other Voices were gone as if they had never been. He stiffened when he realized there was another link, weak but growing stronger, pulsing like a living thing, with a familiar musical tone.
Sarai, the Web? He queried, allowing Laurien to follow him.
Whole, but different, She returned carefully.
YOU SEEM SURPRISED . . . , came the soft reply, almost laughing. Suddenly aware that Aessa had spoken to him, Rhys withdrew, staring at Laurien, dizziness assaulting him at the depth of the Voice. Without a word he fainted, not from fatigue, but from fear.
CHAPTER 25
GLOSSARY
A'del'eva:..............Literally: "By your oaths to Aessa" A war cry and a summons. (think au seccors)asa:........................Literally: Truth. an affirmative as in, "yes" or "is it not so?"
Graen:....................pl. Mountains, (also Grae; Mountain)
hait:........................ "To Me" or "Here", imperative, a summons.
kira'sai:...................f. sister, little sister, beloved sister, [familial]
kira:........................f. little one, child (diminutive)
kiri:........................m.little one, child (diminutive)
kiri'nai:...................m.brother, little brother, beloved brother [familial]
Makyera:................f. First, as in a title.
Makyera Gen:........as in First Sword a title, overall commander of the Watch (also: gen... sword, shield, defense)
Masyra-Maena:......f. title of rank for females, equivalent of Lord-Master, title for a member of the Elder Council (or Lady-Master)
n'gari:.......................large lizards, desert scavengers, about the size of a rhinoceros, but looking more like komodo dragons.
Shadrai:...................Literally, Shadow Speaker.
shan'nai:.................m.Wise man or brother, an affectionate term of respect. Used between equals.
shan'sai:..................f.Wise woman or sister, an affectionate term of respect. Used between equals.
theris:.......................fruit bearing tree native to Elerak and the Eastern Plains, rather like a pulpy pomegranate
uralen:.....................pl. Ural; a large cliff dwelling bird, average wingspan is about 20 feet, scavengers mostly.
varin:........................a breed of extremely stocky, sure-footed horses, powerful bodies but small heads. (pl. varinen)
vegen:........................historically they were small leather-winged creatures, not unlike bats, but with elongated snouts and long flattened tails used as messengers for the gods. (pl. vegenen)