Do I still want to leave? She thought of the Raen waiting for her outside. Would he go, if she chose to stay after all? I could test his word… but he’d read my intentions from my mind.
“What happened?” Lejikh asked. “Was Baluka right? Did the Raen take you?”
“Yes. He… he wanted to talk to me.”
“What about?” Ankari asked.
“If you can tell us,” Lejikh added.
Rielle drew in a deep breath and let it out again. “I can’t stay with you,” she told them.
“Ah,” Lejikh said, nodding.
Ankari scowled and muttered something Rielle did not catch.
“It is better that I go,” Rielle told them. “I will only bring you trouble, and that is no way to thank you for all you have done for me.”
Lejikh frowned. “Where are you going?”
“Nobody can take me home, so somewhere else.”
“How are you… ah. He is taking you.” Lejikh nodded, his shoulders falling.
With a shuddering breath, Ankari embraced Rielle again. “I wish you could stay,” she breathed into Rielle’s shoulder. “We would be happy for you to be our daughter.”
Rielle flinched. This was never going to be easy, she thought. This was never going to be possible, she added. At least I got a chance to say goodbye, this time, unlike with my family, and Izare, and the weavers. But first… She gently pushed the woman away. “Baluka is not here,” she stated.
The couple shook their heads.
“I fear what he will do,” Lejikh said. He shook his head. “I should have tried harder to make him stay.”
“Can you tell him why I left?” Rielle asked. “And that I am safe?”
“We will send word through all the Travellers,” Lejikh told her. “And leave messages wherever we visit.”
She nodded. “If I think of a way to contact him, I will try it.”
“Thank you.”
She took a step backwards, towards the door. “Goodbye,” she said. “Thank you. Good trading to you and your family.”
“Wait!” Ankari hurried over to a cabinet, wiping her eyes again. She took out a small bag stitched with an intricate design and brought it to Rielle.
“Take this,” she said. “Open it later. It was to be your wedding gift. Perhaps it will help you start a new life.”
“I can’t—”
“It will help you remember us.”
Rielle closed her hand around the bag. Something cylindrical lay inside. She slipped it in a pocket, then, fearing they would see guilt in her face, turned and stepped out of the door. Her eyes were suddenly obscured by water so she felt her way down the stairs. She wiped her face, and, while there was still light to see by, took out the bag and opened it.
A silver chain poured into her palm, followed by a cylindrical pendant the length of her little finger, covered in designs similar to the Traveller stitchwork. A seam at the middle told her it was made of two pieces. They came apart with a tug and twist, revealing a tiny cluster of bristles.
A paintbrush. Her heart warmed. She slipped the gift away, drew in a deep breath, let it out in a sigh, then straightened and started back down the hill.
And nearly walked into a man-shaped shadow.
“Ready?” the Raen asked.
“Yes,” she said, her voice slightly hoarse.
His hand encircled her wrist. The darkness brightened into white.
PART FOUR
TYEN
CHAPTER 11
Brev’s hands were shaking. As he saw where Tyen was looking, he quickly thrust them within the pockets of his coat.
“No,” the man said. “I didn’t see them myself, but I saw the scene in the mind of the boy who told me. He thought the farm might be being watched by the killers, as neighbours had seen strangers appearing and vanishing afterwards.”
Tyen nodded. “You did the right thing.”
“The neighbours wanted to know what to do with the bodies. I told them to burn or bury them. They were in no state to take back to their homes.”
Volk frowned and Hapre’s mouth thinned, but neither of the generals voiced their unhappiness at the decision.
“That, too, was the safest option,” Tyen reassured Brev. “We all know there’s little chance we will be buried at home, following the rites of our peoples.” His heart sank a little further. He might not have been able to save Yira, but at least he’d got her remains to her home.
“Are you sure you were not followed?” Volk asked.
“As sure as any can be.” Brev’s eyes darted into the shadows of the room. “I took all the steps, all the precautions.”
“Thank you,” Tyen told him. “You may go.”
Brev took a step back, then hesitated. “Are we going to move to another world again?”
Tyen glanced at the generals. “We’re about to work that out.”
The man grimaced in apology, then hurried out of the room. When the door had closed behind him, Tyen scanned the minds in and around the building and found none occupied in mind reading. He turned to the two generals.
“What do you think?”
“We should leave,” Hapre said without hesitation.
Volk chewed the inside of his cheek as he considered his answer. As the man’s pause lengthened, Hapre began drumming her fingers lightly against her thigh. The big man always thought over his answers carefully before speaking, which the other generals found annoying even as they appreciated that it was a good habit, especially as Volk dealt with all the intricate matters of rebel security.
“It could be exactly what the allies want us to do,” Volk said at last. “They may have found the world we’re hiding in, but they don’t know all the places we are located in here. Rather than waste time seeking us out, all they need to do is scare us into fleeing, watch the well-used paths to the next worlds and attack anybody that leaves.”
“Then we don’t take the well-used paths,” Hapre said. “The allies can’t stay in the place between worlds. They’ll have to wait at the arrival places those paths lead to. We can make new paths and avoid them.”
It was Tyen’s turn to frown. “I’m almost certain that the allies have a way of breathing between worlds, or simply don’t need to. During the battle Preketai considered taking Yira between worlds and holding her there until she suffocated.” His voice caught and he paused to swallow before continuing. “He did not plan to take a deeper breath, or believe he could hold his longer than she could. He just considered it something that he could do.” He looked up to find the pair staring at him in amazement and horror.
“You saw into his mind,” Volk said, shaking his head. “Your strength never stops surprising me, Tyen.”
Hapre grimaced in sympathy. “That must have been a hard thing to see.”
“Yes.” Volk looked at his counterpart again. “This means we truly can’t risk leaving right now.”
She shook her head. “But we can’t stay. They’ll hunt us down, group by group. We must scatter, each group forging new paths out of this world. Some will be caught, but most of us will get away since there aren’t enough allies, as far as we know, to stop all of us.”
“The first to leave will be the most likely to die,” Tyen pointed out.
“Someone has to be first.” Her eyes were hard. “We’ll call for volunteers to lead the allies away.”
“Or we lead ourselves, since we are the strongest,” Volk suggested.
“No. It means those who hold the most valuable information will be at greatest risk of capture.”
Tyen shook his head. “It would be better if we all left at the same time. I agree with Volk that they’re probably expecting us to flee. But we can’t stay, either. They will hunt us down if we do. We need to wait until they believe we’ve decided to stay, then, when they enter this world to look for us, leave all at once. That’s when we’ll have our best chance of evading them. In the meantime, we should set up fake hiding places to draw their attention first and alert us to
when they’ve entered this world.” Tyen looked from one general to the other. “What do you think?”
The pair nodded, both thinking it was a reasonable plan. “We should consult Frell,” Hapre said.
Volk shrugged, resisting the temptation to tease her over the romance that had begun between the pair, which was a habit Hapre did not find amusing. Even so, Hapre’s eyes narrowed as she saw his expression and guessed what he was thinking. Tyen drew in a breath to speak before the two could begin antagonising each other openly.
He let it out in a sigh as a knock interrupted him. The thoughts of the messenger behind the door told Tyen what he’d come for.
“Frell wants me to meet one of the new recruits,” he told the generals. “Since he is already expecting me, I will go and warn him of the situation at the same time.”
“I’ll begin setting up the fake hiding places,” Volk said. “I have a few locations in mind. Ones we abandoned because they weren’t secure enough, or we discovered the locals are untrustworthy.”
“And I’ll tell the other groups what happened and warn them to be careful and ready to leave,” Hapre added.
“No warnings yet.” Tyen turned away and headed for the door. “Every group should already be ready to leave at any moment. Every messenger we send risks leading allies to them or us, especially now. Stay here in case more reports of allies arrive.” He opened the door and nodded at the man waiting outside. “So where is Frell, Daam? Ah, in the market still. Let’s meet him there.”
Daam nodded as Tyen stepped past and led the way down the corridor to the stairs. Tyen considered the other information he’d gleaned from the man’s mind. Something about one of the new recruits was unusual, but Daam didn’t know what it was. He only knew that the man was a strong sorcerer. Stronger than Frell.
A shiver of warning ran down Tyen’s back. “How strong?” he asked, looking over his shoulder.
Daam smiled. “Not as strong as you, Tyen,” he said.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Frell believes so.”
“How can Frell be so sure?”
“The man let him read his mind. He’s trustworthy.”
Tyen stopped at the top of the stairs. “If Frell has tested him, why do I need to meet him?”
“Frell says you’ll want to. He couldn’t tell me why. Only you can know. This man has quite a grudge against the Raen, from the sounds of it. He’s very keen to help us.”
Great, Tyen thought. What I don’t need right now is a powerful sorcerer thinking his strength alone will gain him respect, especially one pushing for immediate action against the Raen. Though… if Tyen sent the man to lead one of the isolated groups, that would keep him out of the way.
Descending the stairs, he passed through the empty kitchen into the storeroom. He drew a little magic to shift some crates aside, lowered the trapdoor and climbed down the stairs. Daam followed and a faint scraping told Tyen the young man had shifted the crates back in place.
The stairs led to a passage, which soon opened up into an alcove built into the wall of a canal. Dirty water ebbed by, carrying the stench of the city. He stepped onto one of the boats tied up along this and sat down as Daam unhitched the rope and stepped aboard. The young man picked up the pole and began manoeuvring them out into the waterway.
Soon they emerged into the sunlight and among a steady flow of other craft. A cool breeze kept the smells at bay. So many people were about that he wondered if the whole city was out enjoying the fine weather. Most greeted each other as their boats passed. Their good cheer didn’t reach him. The thought of the Raen’s allies lurking outside this world, waiting for the rebels to panic and flee, was like a pressure behind his eyes, making his head ache. He wished he could warn the groups of rebels hiding all over this world without putting them in further danger. As always, some would be getting lax in their efforts to stay hidden. News that the allies had found and killed a group would shock them into being more careful, and they’d be alert and ready to leave when the signal came.
The trouble was, he’d feel responsible for their deaths even if their failure to stay hidden was the cause. He still felt responsible for Yira’s death, no matter how much he told himself that joining and leading the rebels had been her choice. For this reason he hated being the rebels’ leader, despite it proving easier than he’d expected. He’d tried to pass the role on to one of the other generals after they’d all found a new world to hide in, but none of the three would accept it. Nobody but Tyen was suitable, they’d told him, especially as he’d come up with all the good ideas before. When he’d corrected them, pointing out how Yira had contributed more, they only used this indication of his fairness as another reason he should lead.
Each silently recognised the unspoken truth: that they, having noticed that the Raen’s allies had taken particular pains to pursue and kill the former rebel leaders, didn’t want to be the next one to die. That Tyen was the strongest rebel, and had the best chance of surviving the next attack or confrontation, assuaged their guilt at insisting he lead.
He’d given in, eventually, because being in charge was the easiest way to hold the rebels back. At first they had been too busy finding a new world to hide in to propose an attack on another ally. Then he’d resisted calls for action and the generals had supported him, concluding that he needed more time to grieve at Yira’s death.
In truth, the guilt and sadness still ambushed him now and then. It left him feeling lonely, and he would seek time alone so he could slip into the place between and talk to Vella without having to take her out of her pouch.
He missed Yira. He missed her companionship, her confidence, her familiarity. Nobody else here had known him as long as she had. The rest of the rebels were strangers in comparison. Only Vella had known him longer, and since Yira’s death he’d realised how much he missed talking to her, too.
As the boat rounded a corner, a cacophony of sound assaulted him. Roused from his thoughts, Tyen looked around and admonished himself for not being more alert to his surroundings. They’d entered the city’s main market. Trade within it was almost entirely conducted on the water. Some kind of system of navigation was in place but it was not obvious to outsiders and so far Tyen had not paid enough attention to work it out. Daam seemed to know what to do, so Tyen looked into the young man’s mind.
That one’s going the way we want to go, Daam was thinking. I’ll just do what he does.
Tyen’s cheek twitched, but as soon as he realised he was about to smile, the compulsion vanished. Looking away from Daam, he scanned the minds of the people around them. One woman was stubbornly refusing to lower her prices, mostly because she’d taken a dislike to the customer. A man was trying to charm another woman, who was much younger than he thought and oblivious to his advances. An old man was sitting at the prow of his boat, not minding that his son insisted on doing all the talking to customers now, because he loved to watch people. The man thought back to a woman he’d seen a short while ago. “Never seen anybody like her. I reckon she’s an Other-Worlder. Wasn’t browsing. Looking for someone, by her manner.”
A chill crept over Tyen’s skin. He looked further, jumping from mind to mind. The old man’s thoughts had shifted away from the woman without revealing which direction she had been going. With too many minds around him to read effectively, Tyen concentrated on those in the direction Daam was poling the boat in. When their way was blocked and they had to wait until it cleared he was able to stretch further, sweeping around them in an arc.
He found her less than a hundred paces away, moving away from him and Daam.
“… just the sort of place they’d hide. Lots of people…” she was thinking. Her mind shifted to the other allies. “Fools. If the rebels come out all in one group they might be strong enough to kill one of us. Better to pick them off one by one.” She concentrated on reading the minds around her for a while. “Where are they? I know someone arrived in this city in the last few hours…”
; A jolt went through the boat, bringing Tyen’s attention back to his near surroundings. Daam was squatting in the middle, holding the hull of another. It was occupied by three men and a woman: Frell and three strangers.
Tyen looked over the newcomers. A couple, newly married, and a man a few cycles younger than Tyen sat in the craft, all dressed in local garb. From Frell he learned that the young man was the one he wanted Tyen to meet.
“When did you arrive in this world?” Tyen asked, looking at each newcomer in turn.
The three glanced at Frell, who nodded to indicate they should reply.
“A few hours ago,” the young man said. “We travelled in together.”
“One of you was followed,” Tyen told them. He turned to Frell. “A single ally. A woman. Working alone. Take the newcomers and head east. And Daam…” The young rebel had turned pale. “Go back to the house, making sure you’re not followed, and warn them.”
“What will you do?” Frell asked.
“Lead her away from here.”
“I’ll go with you,” the young man offered.
Tyen opened his mouth to refuse, but the man was thinking that two strong sorcerers had a better chance against this woman than one. If she realises I’m the rebel leader she might try to capture me, as the Raen warned. But with another rebel by my side the chances of her succeeding are slimmer.
He held a hand out to the young man, who seized it in a firm grip. Tyen pushed into the place between worlds, but not so far that the market vanished from sight. He skimmed through the place between towards where the woman ought to be. Few people saw them, too caught up in the business of buying and selling. Deciding to change his strategy slightly, he surfaced again among diners sitting near a food stall at the end of a pier, then searched for and found her. Her name was Inekera, he read.
“She’s close,” he said. He let go of the newcomer’s hand and stepped up onto one of the seats.
“The Raen is back!” he shouted. “The Raen has returned! Who is he to tell us where we can go and what we can do? Join us! Together we can free the worlds from his rule!”