Canavan, Trudi Age of the Five 2 The Last of the Wilds

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Sometimes it is so tempting to let Chaia have his way.
She suddenly felt intensely uncomfortable. How could she feel desire for, of all
things, a god! It was wrong.
:Don t I get to decide what is right or wrong? Chaia asked.
She felt a tingling along the side of her face and caught her breath. It was a brief
touch. She sensed his attention shift abruptly.
:I must go, he said.
The luminous presence flashed away. She had an impression of incredible speed,
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leaving her with no doubt that he could cross Ithania in a heartbeat.
Auraya!
She jumped and turned to look at Juran. To her surprise the others had gone.
They had left, and she hadn t even noticed.
Juran stared at her, clearly annoyed. She grimaced in apology and his expression
softened.
What is going on, Auraya? he asked quietly. Your attention has been straying
of late, even during important meetings. It is not like you.
She stared back at him, unsure what to say. I could make up some excuse. It
would have to be a good one, though.
Only something important could justify how I ve been lately. As the silence
between them lengthened she realized she could not think of an excuse good
enough except the truth.
Still, she hesitated. Would Chaia want Juran to know he spoke to her all the time?
:Chaia?
As she expected, there was no answer. The god was nowhere near. Juran
watched her expectantly.
He never said I should not tell Juran, she thought. She took a deep breath.
It s Chaia, she murmured. He talks to me. Sometimes at& inconvenient
times.
Juran s eyebrows rose. Since when? And how often?
She thought back. Two months, and at least once a day.
What about?
He looked annoyed. She was not surprised. He was the leader of the White. If
Chaia was going to favor anyone with daily visits, surely it ought to be Juran.
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Nothing important, she said hastily. Just& conversation. As Juran frowned,
she realized this had not helped. It sounded too evasive. He advises me on the
hospice, she added.
Juran nodded slowly and she was relieved to see he was mollified by this. I see.
That would make sense. What else?
She shrugged. Just friendly conversation. I think& I think he s trying to get to
know me. He had over a hundred years to get to know you. Even Mairae s been
around for twenty-six. I ve only been here a short time.
That s true. Juran nodded and his shoulders relaxed. Well. That is a
revelation. What you didn t hear me say was that a trio of Siyee have been
sighted flying toward the Tower. The others have gone up to the roof to greet
them.
Auraya felt her heartbeat quicken. Siyee? They would not fly this far without
good reason.
He smiled. Let s go up and find out what it is.
It was only a short climb up the stairs to the roof. The sun now hung just above
the horizon. Auraya looked beyond the other White and scanned the sky. Three
figures were gliding toward the Tower.
The White were silent as the winged trio drew near. Two of the Siyee were
middle-aged, Auraya saw. The other was a little younger and wore a patch over
one eye. The Siyee formed a line and landed in unison. The younger man
stumbled, but caught his balance. They were clearly exhausted.
Three pairs of eyes fixed upon Auraya. She glanced at Juran, who nodded.
Smiling, she stepped forward to greet the arrivals.
Welcome, people of the sky. I am Auraya of the White. She indicated each of
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her fellow White, introducing them. The Siyee with the eye patch made the sign
of the circle.
Thank you for your welcome, Chosen of the Gods, the man replied. I am
Niril of the Sun Ridge tribe. My companions are Dyni and Ayliss of the Bald
Mountain tribe. We have volunteered to remain here in Jarime as representatives
of our people.
We will be honored to have you among us, she replied. You must be tired
from your journey. I will escort you to rooms where you can rest, if you wish.
Niril inclined his head. We would be grateful for that. First I have news that the
Speakers are anxious for me to deliver. Ten days ago a black ship was seen off
the coast of southern Si. The Siyee who investigated sighted several groups of
Pentadrian men and women disembark and travel inland. They saw the star
pendant on some of the Pentadrians chests, and they saw birds.
Auraya felt a chill run down her back. The Siyee had lost too many fighters in
the war. Did the Pentadrians know this? Did they think the Siyee vulnerable?
That is bad news, she acknowledged. But it is fortunate your people saw them
arrive. That gives us time. She glanced at Juran and the other White. We will
decide what can be done about it.
Yes, Juran agreed. We will meet at the Altar. Auraya will take you to your
rooms first. We will discuss our conclusions with you when you are rested.
Niril nodded, his shoulders dropping with weariness. Auraya smiled in sympathy
and beckoned.
Come with me.
17
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Imi floated in a forest of sea-bell trees. They swayed softly, stirred by a current.
Glowing, tiny bells moved in dizzying patterns around her. She reached out to
touch one. The delicate cup swayed closer, as if eager to be plucked.
Then rows of teeth appeared, and the bell lunged toward her hand.
She snatched her hand away, horrified. A shadow slid over her, smothering all
but the glowing bells in darkness. Dread gripped her. She looked up.
The hulk of an enormous ship loomed overhead. Ropes descended like snakes,
seeking her out. She wanted to flee, but could not move. Only when the ropes
had tangled about her did she regain control, but by then it was too late. The
ropes drew her upward, and her struggles made no difference.
Still she fought them, knowing what awaited her on the surface. Raiders were
there. Cruel, cold men. In comparison to these landwalkers, the fishermen who
had caught her taking the sea bells had been kind and generous. The fishermen
would have let her go once she had finished harvesting the bells for them.
Once free she would have swum to the sea floor to retrieve the bells she had
collected for her father before heading home. She wouldn t have given them to
him straight away. He would be too angry at her to enjoy them. No, she would
have accepted his punishment for slipping away and been thankful that she had
escaped.
That wasn t what had happened. As the ropes drew her to the surface she braced
herself for the memory of what had come next, but before she broke free of the
water, something hard rammed into her ribs. The pain jolted her awake. She
gasped and opened her eyes.
Light filtered down through a wooden roof. From the cool sensation around her [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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