The Obsidian Temple (18 page)

Farrah glared at him, “No, you aren't a follower, are you? You aren't committed to us. You want everything to go back to what it was before the massacre; you want safety for your ­people, peaceful captivity for mine.”

Kadar actually choked at the unfairness of that one. “Because I don't want more ­people massacred, I'm not committed to the cause?” he spat out. “See the trees in the forest, Farrah. See the actual ­people who died and their families who mourn them. Every day I work with Forsaken, with towns­people, and with my own ­people. All of them are more than just masses, Farrah. They are individuals, who have families and dreams of a better future. I see a better future for you as well, but it needs to be a peaceful one. The violence needs to end.”

“That's the problem, isn't it?” Farrah hissed at him. “You're helping me, not the Forsaken. You don't have any interest in the cause. You want to make me a good little wife, and that's
all
you want for me.” Farrah turned her back on him, crossing her arms over her chest, her back rigid with fury.

Kadar shook his head, stung, and left. He walked out without taking the laundry basket she wanted delivered. She could get Severin to carry it, or wait until one of his cousins dropped by. He wasn't certain what this so-­called plan was for getting the Forsaken out of the city, but it was clear she wasn't going to tell him. And if she and Severin were planning more bloodshed, he wasn't going to be a part of it.

The next afternoon, he dedicated time to the family business, letting his cousins make laundry deliveries while he played with Datura on a spread rug in the sales hall, giving her the attention she deserved. Kadar had brought Sanuri to the sales hall to get her out of Aunt Raella's hair, and she was braiding belts in the back room. After the burnings and massacre, sales had been quiet as towns­people kept to their homes. The Hasifels had made more off that single day they'd introduced the new silks than they had in the entire winter season.

Uncle Tarik had convinced Aunt Raella to stay even though she'd wanted to take the boys and go to the desert. Kadar hadn't realized that Aunt Raella was one of those desert folks who had come north because of love but always longed to go back to the desert. The tension in the city was now trampling her love for Uncle Tarik though he tried to placate her. By now there was as much tension between Uncle Tarik and Aunt Raella as between Kadar and Farrah.

A slender, deadly feline shadow slipped into the doorway and Kadar snatched up Datura and drew his knife. It took a moment to recognize Yaslin, Alannah's white
feli
. The
feli
stopped and sat, as though presenting herself as harmless. Kadar was lowering his knife when Alannah ducked into the doorway.

Her eyebrows rose as she saw his drawn knife, and he put it down on the table.

“Sorry,” he said, gesturing for her to sit in a chair. “Caravan reflexes. The large mountain cats are deadly with babies and toddlers. She's got the same shape.”

“No, I'm the one who is sorry,” Alannah said. She stayed standing and instead started gazing at the fabrics and goods for sale. “I should have sent a messenger ahead to warn you we were coming, or made an appointment. But the One impressed the urgency upon me, so I came without thinking.”

Kadar stepped up beside her. “What is it? What's happened?”

“I should pick up some fabrics while I'm here,” Alannah said absently. “To make it look like I just had an urgent need to shop.”

“Because all Counselors shop for wild colors and printed silks,” Kadar said teasingly, eyeing her pale golden robe.

She finally looked directly at him and smiled. “We do wear things under these robes, you know,” she said, provoking a blush out of him. “And I do have family. My older sister's birthday is next week. That'll work.”

“What is it?” Kadar asked. “What are you trying to avoid saying?”

Alannah prowled the store again and then looked over at him. “I was hoping you'd tell me,” she admitted. “The One wanted me to come here, but she wanted me to come here to warn the Forsaken. I don't know why she didn't send me to the Forsaken district. That tells me perhaps you are more connected to the rebellion than anyone knows. And that perhaps you can send a message to someone in charge of this rebellion?” She looked pointedly at Datura, squirming to get down from Kadar's arms.

Kadar set Datura down on the blanket, hiding his face while he gave his daughter the teething ring. If he admitted his connection to the rebellion, they'd know Farrah was in the movement and might go after her. But if the One was giving a warning, they probably really needed to know about it.

“The One isn't going to harm the ­people you love, Kadar,” Alannah reassured him. “But she might have to step in if you don't warn them they are angering her. She supports their freedom, but they must work it out on their own with the deities.”

Kadar sat on the floor beside Datura. “I can deliver a message,” he admitted, watching Datura teethe on her ring of twisted fabric. “But I can't promise it will be heeded.”

“That's all I want,” Alannah said. She paused and took a breath, closing her eyes, and Yaslin came by her side. She put a hand on the cat's head as Kadar looked over. When she opened her eyes again they were completely black from iris to pupil. Kadar shivered.

Her tone was flat when she spoke again. “The One requires that no
feli
be harmed in this rebellion.” She paused as though listening and fumbling for the words to continue. “Four
feli
were killed last night. The One will not interfere if humans are killed, but
feli
are of the One. If one more
feli
dies at Forsaken hands, the rains will cease, the food stores will spoil, and sickness will sweep the district. If you comply, the
feli
will no longer be able to be used by soldiers to track the Forsaken.”

Kadar bit back a curse, not wanting his daughter to pick it up, as she was starting to lisp syllables. “That stupid plan. Those idiots.”

Alannah put a hand to her forehead and winced, and Kadar stood and led her to the chair. He ducked his head into the break room and mixed up some chai tea.

“So you know what is going on?” Alannah asked as Kadar handed her a mug. She sipped the tisane.

“I hope not,” Kadar said. “I hope I'm wrong.”

A yowl from the doorway made Alannah smile, and she put her fingers down coaxingly as Amber minced through the doorway, flame-­striped tail held high. Kadar choked and started to rise as Sanuri came into the room, following the cat. The last thing they needed was a Temple Counselor knowing about Sanuri.

“Wait,” Alannah said softly, surprise and wonder suffusing her face. She set the tea down.

Sanuri ran over to Alannah and put her hands over the Counselor's. They stayed that way a moment, staring into each other's eyes like they were communicating mind to mind. Kadar reached with his own farspeaking, but could not feel any communication. He could see some sort of bond between them, though.

Sanuri spoke first, her red curls bobbing earnestly. “You are my Guardian.”

“Oh my goodness,” Alannah breathed. “Yes. I am yours. You are mine as well, little one. The One gives me to you.”

Sanuri clucked her tongue once, then shook her head, dropping her hands. “Not yet, silly,” she said. She wandered to the break room, leaving Alannah staring after her.

“You know what she is?” Kadar said cautiously.

“Yes, though I won't name it here,” Alannah said. Amber arched against her still-­outstretched hands, and Alannah looked down and petted the purring cat. “And I am bound to her, but bound to the One at the same time. I'm going to ask Elida what this means.”

“Is that wise?” Kadar asked. “Can Elida be trusted?”

Alannah nodded. “We are aware that the prophecy is beginning. Even if we hadn't seen the lesser signs, poor Jonas's elevation by Parasu is too huge a hint to be ignored.” She chuckled slightly and took a sip of her tea. “Jonas is almost beside himself worrying. It's good to see the master of competence flummoxed.”

“So what will you do, now that you know about Sanuri?” Kadar asked. “She isn't totally sane, you know.”

“She wouldn't be,” Alannah said. “Being what she is. It's stability she needs, not sanity, and clearly you're giving it to her. She needs to go to the desert.”

“She says not yet,” Kadar said. “And Grandmother agrees.”

“So she does,” Alannah said, a smile quirking her lips. “And we are silly to say otherwise, so we will just wait.”

Kadar sighed. “I hate waiting,” he admitted. “Let's get you some goods for your sister, on the house. I will spread your message as high up as I can get with the Forsaken.”

K
ADAR KNOCKED ON
the door of the room Farrah used for pressing and collecting orders of laundry. He'd dropped Datura off at home when the sales hall closed and walked back to the Forsaken district through a soft rain, trying to plan what he would say to Farrah to make her see reason.

“Hold on,” Farrah's voice said. He frowned as the door, which was usually ajar, unlocked and opened. “Oh, Kadar, come in.”

Kadar stepped in, and was surprised to see Severin leaning against the wall. Farrah closed the door and Kadar glanced between them. Farrah had a slight blush, and Severin's clothes looked more rumpled than usual. He stepped forward before Kadar could open his mouth.

“We got six families out last night, twenty ­people,” Severin said. “It was a successful maneuver.”

Farrah nodded. “Severin was just telling me the
feli
were the key, exactly as I thought. I don't like seeing innocent creatures harmed, but once they were taken out, the soldiers were easy, and our ­people escaped far into the night without fear of being tracked.”

She sounded proud, and Kadar stared at her, horrified.

“Farrah, think. Who are the One's beloved?” he asked, ignoring Severin. “Who did the One create us for? The
feli.
They are sacred creatures. In killing them, you betray the One.”

Severin stepped up beside Farrah. “You don't understand the cost of freedom,” he said. “Sometimes innocents suffer. A price has to be paid, so the Forsaken can be free.”

“You want to know the cost?” Kadar asked trying to keep his voice steady. “I had a visit from the Counselor of the One today. The One is warning you; the One is warning the Forsaken, Farrah. You are making an enemy of him by killing the
feli
.”

Farrah drew back from him, clearly frustrated. “And what has the One done for us?” she asked bitterly. “When has she protected us? When has she claimed us as her ­people? The One has never paid attention to us before.”

“Well, you have the One's attention now,” Kadar said, disappointed. “And you might pay dearly for it. The One says that you will cease to kill the
feli
, starting now.”

“And what will happen if we don't?” Severin shot back.

Kadar was disgusted by the question. “Then the rains will stop.” He waved to the pattering water outside. “The Forsaken will die of thirst. Your store of food will spoil, and disease will plague the entire neighborhood. The One has been looking after the Forsaken, whether you believe in him or not.” He started to leave, then paused and looked directly at Farrah. “And Farrah, the One says the
feli
will no longer be used as trackers by the soldiers from now on. So even in your disloyalty, the One gives you a gift. I hope you choose to be worthy.”

Farrah stared back at him, her expression defiant rather than chastened. Kadar left the two together; Farrah so close to Severin their sleeves were touching. He walked through the deepening dusk, welcoming the rain. Kadar's words had not reached Farrah's heart. He felt like the Farrah he knew and loved was dying, replaced by this cold, bloodthirsty woman he could not understand. Kadar took a longer route, past the Temple and through the merchant district, trying to cool his anger. He would go home and hold his daughter with a good heart, vowing he would protect her and make certain her future was bright.

 

Chapter 16

I HAD TO
give her a warning from the One,
Kadar sent.
I can't believe she let them kill
feli
.

Sulis could feel the frustration in Kadar's mindvoice. There seemed to be more to his frustration with Farrah than this one incident, but that could just be her sensing his anxiety from all the events from Illian. It was frightening, thinking about her family living in the city in the midst of riots and murders. She worried the townsfolk would turn against Southern ­people as well as the Forsaken.

Maybe you should leave and bring Datura back to Shpeth,
Sulis sent him.
Where she'll be safe.

That's what Farrah said as well
, Kadar confirmed.
But I'm not leaving again, not with so much unrest in the city.

Underlying that sending was the frustration that Farrah loved the cause, loved the Forsaken, more than Datura and him. Sulis sighed, shaking her head at her brother's naivety
. This is what she was born to do, like I was born to serve the One, Kadar. We both serve in our own way. She wouldn't be the woman you love if she didn't have that dedication.

There was a pause.
I'm not sure the woman I love still exists,
he sent. Before she could ask, he changed the subject.
How is Ava? And the rest of the group?

Sulis hesitated. She decided nothing good could come of sharing Ava's strangeness. Ava was seeing the healers regularly since running away, and the strange episodes had gotten less frequent.
They're all good. Clay had to leave again, but we're starting to work well together, so we hardly need his guidance when we practice.

And Ashraf? How are things with him?
Kadar's mind voice was teasing
.

Sulis just gave him a slight mental shove and felt his laughter
.

Ooooh, look like things have heated up! About time you realized you were something more than friends,
Kadar snickered. Then the voice sobered
. Oh, speaking of old friends, you'll never believe who is going to be Parasu's new Voice. Your fellow pledge, Jonas.

Sulis sent a wordless burst of shock down their link
. Jonas? But he isn't experienced enough to be a Voice.

Alannah tells me it's because of the way all of you pledged on your own, without the Voices' guidance. It gave him a special bond with Parasu. He won't be the leader, not until he's had more training, but he'll channel Parasu.

Sulis wondered why Kadar was meeting with Alannah. It seemed strange that the two would casually meet, and surely a Counselor for the One wouldn't be involved in the Forsaken rebellion.

She has been visiting our ward,
Kadar responded to her query
. It seems they are connected somehow, much like you and Ashraf are. Ugh, headache forming. Have too much to do to have one, must break off now. Love and misses.

Love and misses,
Sulis sent back
.

Their ward? Kadar was being cryptic, so he must be worried that mindvoices could be overhead. He must mean the girl Grandmother thought might be the Weaver. But connected like her and Ashraf? Sulis couldn't picture Alannah in love with another female.

Sulis blushed. Not in love, bonded. Alannah must be the Weaver's Guardian. No wonder the Weaver was still in Illian and not here training with them. Sulis looked out the window and realized she was missing breakfast. She shook herself and stood, dislodging Djinn from her lap. He took the warm spot she left and stretched out.

So much was happening in Illian. The riots and murders of the Forsaken were enough to unsettle the city. To appoint a new Voice, the Tribune must be ill and dying, which would unsettle the city more. And the new Voice was inexperienced, which would shake things up even more. Sulis strode to breakfast, thinking about the events.

“You look serious,” Palou said when she settled in with her food. She glanced up to realize that everyone except Clay was at the table, staring at her as she muttered to herself. “Bad dreams?”

“Kadar found me again, with his mindvoice.” Sulis quickly explained what was going on in Illian. Ava exclaimed at the riots and the murders of the Forsaken, and Sulis quickly reassured her that her family was fine.

“Alannah seems to be a Guardian of the Weaver,” Sulis said, “though I don't understand how that would work. She's not a fighter. She's a Counselor.”

Her grandmother tapped her lips thoughtfully with a finger. “There will be enough physical fighters surrounding all of us. It is the mental attacks that the Weaver will need to be guarded against. You'd said before that Alannah was strong with blocks. She is obviously very strong for the One to have taken her with so little training. I must admit, I would rather have had the older, more experienced Counselor for the Weaver's Guardian, though.”

“Counselor Elida,” Sulis said, nodding. “Maybe she'll be needed to keep peace in Illian.”

“Or her mind is too set,” Anchee said. “The older we get, the harder it is to bond with someone new. Sometimes I feel as though we are perhaps too old for this game, Joisha and I. Not malleable enough to survive what needs to be done.”

Grandmother's face was sad and serious as she looked over at her old friend. She seemed to sense Sulis's worry and smiled.

“Speak for yourself,” she said lightly, nudging Anchee. “I intend to tell my great-­grandchildren tales of our glorious battle.”

“Is there any way I can contact Kadar?” Sulis asked. “He always gets terrible headaches, and so he doesn't get in touch with me as much as I'd like. I want to know more about what is happening up there, and these tiny glimpses are driving me mad.”

Anchee shook his head. “It's not your gift. You don't sense other mindvoices, so you wouldn't be able to sense him. I'm not surprised he gets headaches. I'm more surprised he can reach this far at all. The combination of his very strong mindvoice, your twin bond, and the fact that you both seem to be using a
feli
bond has stretched the entire length of the desert. Be grateful that you can speak with your brother. I am. We are learning about these events days, sometimes weeks, earlier than we could normally relay them.”

Sulis applied herself to her food. She didn't want to look around at the faces. All their relationships had gotten more uncomfortable since Ava's disappearance. She hadn't lied to Kadar; they were working at raising energy together better than ever. But outside of their training, things were tense.

She'd tried to approach Ava about what the girl had seen, and Ava told her that she ran because she saw someone who looked like her rapists. But they'd searched Kabandha for the men she described and found no one. When Sulis tried to press her to say more, she became distraught and cried, and Sulis felt guilty. Ava had started avoiding Sulis by leaving earlier or later than Sulis for meals and plunking herself in the middle of the kittens when they weren't at meals. The mother
feli
accepted Ava as one of her own kittens now but still hissed if Sulis got close.

Grandmother was trying to restrain herself from going back to criticizing Sulis for everything even though Clay had left Anchee in charge of Sulis's training. She often grimaced and turned away when they were all working together, like she had to resist correcting Sulis or the others. And Sulis was angry that Grandmother hadn't told Clay about Ava's blocks, leading to Ava's pain. Sulis wanted to either scream at all of them or go back to the house and have a crying fit.

“Well, this is a gloomy group,” Clay said, and her head snapped up to find him standing beside the table with a plate piled with food in his hands. They shifted on the bench to make room for him, and he sat and happily started eating his mounds of food.

“That was a quick trip,” Sulis said.

“I told you it would be,” Clay said around a mouthful. “I had to intercept your uncle Aaron, send him north. How have all you been doing with your training?”

“Things seem to be coming together,” Anchee said. “We are lifting more energy, becoming more precise with the patterns.”

Clay looked over at Ava.

“And you, little one? No more running off?” he asked.

Ava looked down at her mostly empty plate. “The healer wants to speak with everyone. She said once you were back, we all needed to talk.”

Everyone looked at her, but she refused to look up, picking at the rinds on her plate, her face set. Anchee and Grandmother exchanged a look, and Clay patted her on the arm.

“Have her meet us in the main hall,” Clay said. “I want to see this energy you are doing. Go tell her now since you're finished.”

Ava returned her plate to the kitchen and left, not looking at any of them. Clay looked between Grandmother and Sulis and sighed. “All that good energy wasted. Everyone is all at odds again.”

“I am not patient enough for teaching,” Grandmother admitted with a laugh. “Next time, I'll go in your place, and you can stay here.”

“But you were better than last time,” Sulis said, patting her on the arm. “You glared instead of criticizing. That's a start.”

Clay nodded. “Just so, just so. Sadly, I don't think the healer will have news we want to hear. But we will work with what we have, all of us. It is all that is given, so it must be enough.”

They walked as a group to the main hall. Ava hadn't arrived yet with the healer. Ashraf, Palou, and a third guard assigned from the warriors spaced themselves out as guards against the wall. Master Tull had decided that Ashraf and Palou needed to pay too much attention to the lessons and their Shuttles to be proper guards, so an elite guardsman had been assigned to them.

Clay crouched and examined Ava's mandala from the day before. It was the most common mandala they worked with, used for several dances and forms. It was still usable, mostly unscuffed from the previous day's work, a testament to how precise their steps were getting, and how well they were matching their energy with Ava's.

“Yes, the energy is still here,” Clay said. “You worked with a great deal to have it remain overnight.” He stood and clapped his hands once. “Now, we will start to divide the energy.” He pointed to lines on the floor. “Dancers, work with just the yellow lines.”

Anchee and Sulis stared at each other, baffled, then at their Prophet. He looked at their confusion and burst out laughing.

“Oh, the look on your faces,” he chortled. “But think about it, really think. Yes, you learned the dances as one long chain of moves, but what happens every time you step in time with yellow lines, the core energy?”

Sulis had stare at the pattern to mentally trace every step of the dance until she reached the yellow line, but Anchee was faster.

“Warrior. We are in some sort of pose signifying the Warrior stance,” he said. He walked around the pattern, his face in a frown, and Sulis cocked her head, trying to figure out what he was seeing. “Every yellow line has some form of Warrior stance. Which makes sense, since we use core energy to lift into the Warrior pose.”

“Yes,” Clay confirmed. “But there are four expressions of Warrior pose. Can you understand why you do them in the order you do?”

Sulis looked at the lines again, and something clicked. “It depends on what comes after, right?” she ventured, and Anchee nodded in agreement. “Like this yellow line connects to the green, and that means we have to go from the yellow of core chakra to green heart-­chakra energy, so we need to use a more open, heart-­lifting warrior so we can open to the green heart energies.”

“Good,” Clay applauded. “Now I want you to take up positions on the first yellow line. Then you will find the shortest path, in the dance, to the next yellow line. Always move in a sunwise spiral, though, as your chakras move within you. Never counter unless you are trying to dissipate energy rather than lift it.”

Sulis stared at the pattern, feeling overwhelmed, and Anchee stood beside her. “Look,” he said, pointing to a blue line. “If we move to that, the throat chakra, then the red grounding chakra, we would be at the next.”

Sulis nodded. “But if we are going to blue, would our Warrior form change? We were moving to red last time.” She shook her head, trying to figure it all out. “And what pose do we do at blue?”

“Ummm,” Anchee hummed, then laughed. “Cloud hands? Parting waters? Argh, I thought I knew my form, but taking it to pieces like this is impossible.”

Clay nodded. “You have excellent habit energy,” he said. “You know each pose as they came in a sequence, but not on their own. Like when you learned the alphabet for writing. Can you take just one letter and know what is before and what is after? Automatic reflex will serve you if you are being attacked, but it does not allow for creativity and change. So now I want you to learn each move as a separate energy center. Notice when you take your third Warrior in this set. How does the pose you took before it and the pose you take after it change the energy flow? Notice that for each pose.”

“I'm going to need some paper,” Sulis said. “I can't just think through these things and remember them like you can. I need to draw it somehow, find how they all connect, find the patterns.”

Clay nodded. “Yes, that's fine to begin with as long as you don't get too attached to the writing. It is good to work through thoughts on paper as long as the paper doesn't become your memory. You may . . . ah, here is Ava.”

Ava came in small group, along with a healer and Master Ursa.

“Healer Rana, Master Ursa.” Clay bowed respectfully. All except the three guards pulled up bolsters and sat in a circle. Sulis made certain to sit beside Ava for support. Ava stared at the ground, her expression bleak.