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How are you doing that then?
I drew the magic for it before we stepped into the void, she told him. Now
try again.
He reached for magic and felt it flow into him. He channelled it out to form
his own light.
Good, she said, nodding. It is still the same. There is magic in the center
of the room. It is ringed by a void. The gods, who are beings of magic, can t
cross the void, so they can t see you here. Not unless they look through the
eyes of someone standing outside the void.
He moved around slowly. Now that she had drawn his attention to the void he
could sense it easily. He started moving across to the other side.
Don t leave! Emerahl warned. Come back. Now that you know what this place
is, you can t leave it. If the gods are watching they might read your mind
and& and&
Her brow was creased with worry. He walked back to her side. If they were
watching me arrive, they d know where I was anyway.
Her gaze was intense. Do you think it s likely they were watching you?
He grimaced and turned away. It s possible. I don t know&
You still can t leave. If they don t know what this place is, I d rather they
didn t find out.
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You mean to keep me in here forever?
She shook her head. Only as long as it takes for me to teach you to hide your
thoughts from them.
He considered her thoughtfully. He had learned that skill long ago, but had
fogotten it when he lost his memory. It was difficult to relearn without the
help of someone who could detect thoughts or emotions. Now was a good time to
relearn it.
And then?
She shrugged. I don t know. You asked me to take you away. You didn t say why
or where. I guessed you wanted to go somewhere safe. I ve taken you to the
safest place I know. She smiled crookedly. I m also guessing that you need
to sort out a few things in your mind. If you want help with that, I ll do
what I can.
He looked around the cavern. It was not the cozy hut in the middle of the
forest that he had been hoping for, but the void made up for that. It would
have to do. Slipping the straps of his pack off his shoulders, he set it down
on the hard stone floor.
Then I guess we had better start decorating.
4
I t was night. It was always night.
An eerie light hung about the ground. She could not see its source. It made
the faces around her appear even more ghoulish.
Her path was blocked by a corpse. She stepped over it and moved on.
I m looking for something. What am I looking for?
She thought hard.
A way out. An end to the battlefield. Escape. Because&
Movement in the corner of her eye set her heart racing with dread. She did not
want to look, but did. All was still.
Another body blocked her path: a priest, his upper torso and head blackened
and scorched. She stepped over him reluctantly.
Don t look down.
Something below her moved. Her eyes were lured downward. The priest stared up
at her and she froze in horror. He grinned at her, then before she could step
away, his scorched hand grabbed her ankle.
:Owaya!
She jumped at the urgent, unexpected shout in her mind. Suddenly she was
staring at the ceiling of her bedroom. Her heart was pounding. Her skin felt
hot and sweaty. Her stomach was clenched.
Scare Owaya?
A small form leapt onto the bed. With the moonlight behind him, she could see
the distinctive fluffy tail and small ears of her veez twitching with concern.
Mischief, she breathed.
Owaya fraid?
She drew herself up onto her elbows. Just a dream. Gone now.
Whether he understood or not, she couldn t guess. Did veez grasp the concept
of dreams? She had seen him twitch and mutter in his sleep, so she knew he had
them. Whether he remembered them, or understood that they weren t reality, she
couldn t guess.
He moved across the bed and curled up beside her legs. The pressure of his
small body against hers was comforting. Lying back down, she stared up at the
ceiling and sighed.
How long will I have these nightmares for? Months? Years?
She felt vaguely disappointed at herself, and at the gods. Surely being a
White meant she didn t have to endure bad dreams as a consequence of a war in
defense of Northern Ithania and all Circlians? Though the Gifts that they had
given her protected her from age and injury, they did not appear to include
protection against nightmares. Surely the gods didn t mean for her to suffer
like this?
Dreamweavers could help me.
She sighed again. Dreamweavers. Now there was a matter to prick her
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conscience. She knew removing the Dreamweavers influence over people by
encouraging priests and priestesses to absorb their healing knowledge was
ultimately the right thing to do. She would save the souls of people who
otherwise turned from the gods. It just seemed too& too sneaky.
After the meeting at the Altar she had decided she d better find out if any
healer priests and priestesses were willing to work with Dreamweavers before
approaching Dreamweaver Adviser Raeli. She had told herself she was being
efficient she could ask if any were willing to travel to Si at the same
time but she knew she was putting off the moment when she would have to start
being sneaky.
Several volunteers had come forward. She had been expecting enthusiasm for the
post in Si, but had been pleasantly surprised by the numbers interested in
working with Dreamweavers. All had been impressed and humbled by what they had
seen in the aftermath of the battle. Many were eager to learn from
Dreamweavers, though for some it was out of a determination to match or
surpass the heathens in knowledge and skill rather than because of any
newfound respect for the cult.
She had delayed further by finding a location for them to work in. It needed
to be a place where neither Dreamweavers nor Circlians had greater influence.
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