“I don’t care what you think,” she snapped. “I just want to be left alone.”
“Her father to the core,” Dranymire rumbled. “Lorandranek lives again.”
“Do you mind?” R’shiel snapped. There was something hugely disturbing about being mocked by a demon.
“I mean you no disrespect, Princess,” Dranymire said. “I admired your father greatly. He, too, despaired of being responsible for others. He did not feel himself worthy of the task. Nor was he particularly enchanted with the idea of being King. His reluctance made him a great one. Power always sits safer with those who do not seek it. I have missed him. You remind me of him a great deal.”
Silence followed the demon’s statement. R’shiel was aware that everyone was looking at her, and the feeling made her intensely uncomfortable. She glanced across at Tarja, who was studying her with concern.
“If R’shiel wants to come with me, then she is welcome,” he told the Harshini, not taking his eyes from her. “She’s right when she says I will need help to convince the rebels. Perhaps she will join you when she has had an opportunity to... grow accustomed... to her new status.” Tarja glanced at Brak. A look passed between the two men that R’shiel didn’t understand.
“You are risking her life, Tarja,” Shananara pointed out, obviously hoping to appeal to his common sense where she had failed with R’shiel.
“It’s her life to risk. You were more than happy to leave her in the hands of the Kariens, a couple of days ago.”
“That’s hardly fair,” Brak objected.
“She’s right in saying that her presence will help,” Ghari added, lending Tarja his support. “Without proof, the rebels will hang Tarja soon as look at him. If we bring them the demon child—”
Shananara shook her head. “Dranymire is right. You are as reckless as your father was. You have no idea of the danger you are in, R’shiel.”
“It would make little difference if she did,” Dranymire observed. “She will go with her friends, regardless of what you tell her. You are te Ortyn yourself Shananara. How much notice have you ever taken of others? Even your brother? Grant your cousin the same privilege.”
Shananara took in the words of the demon, then glanced at Brak with a shake of her head, before turning back to R’shiel. “Very well, if you must go with them, I cannot stop you, much that I wish I could. But I will not allow you to leave completely ignorant of your heritage. We have the night ahead of us. You will learn something of your power before you leave, I will see to that. Come.”
There seemed to be as much a threat as an offer of assistance in her cousin’s words, but R’shiel rose and followed Shananara into the darkness beyond the fire.
“You must understand what it is that makes you unique,” Shananara told her, as they seated themselves on the ground at the top of the small knoll where she had watched the dragons landing earlier that day. “What separates you from all others, human or Harshini.”
“You mean other than the fact that I don’t want to be your wretched demon child?”
Shananara sighed. “You are what you are, R’shiel. Denying it will not make it go away. In time, you will come to see that you must accept your destiny, or...”
“Or what?”
“Or you will never be content,” Shananara replied. “Now let us begin. As I was saying, your power is unique. All Harshini can tap the power of the gods. In your case...”
“Doesn’t that make you gods, too?”
“No. It means that... Oh dear, this is going to take forever... You don’t even understand the nature of the gods, do you? This is like explaining philosophy to a tree stump.”
R’shiel smiled at the Harshini’s frustration. “So I guess that means you’ll just have to forget about me. Thanks anyway, Shananara, but...”
“The last time?” R’shiel asked, rather chastened by Shananara’s outburst.
“You tried to kill someone, R’shiel. No, worse than that, you wanted to make him suffer. You deliberately set out to torment another living creature. Your human side might have thought it justified, but your actions tore through the soul of every Harshini and demon linked to that power. You cannot let that happen again. Not if you wish to live.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Of course not. I am incapable of even thinking such a thing. But there are others who are not. The demons are not bound by our aversion to violence, and their bond with the Harshini demands they protect us. If they come to believe you are a threat, then they will do whatever it takes to ensure that threat does not continue. Do you understand?”
R’shiel nodded slowly, the reality of her situation beginning to sink in with a certain amount of dread.
“Good. Now, are you ready to continue?”
“Yes.” She did not want to admit it, but Shananara had frightened her.
“That’s better. Now let’s go back to the picture of the door in your mind I used before. That made sense, didn’t it?”
R’shiel nodded.
“Well, when you reach for the power, you open that door. A normal Harshini... dips a cup into the river and takes the magic he or she needs for the task at hand. If the task requires more than they can channel, then they must appeal to the gods directly for their assistance.”
“Is that what happened when I broke the staff?”
“Not exactly. The Staff of Xaphista is more a destroyer of magic than a weapon. The more magic you have, the more painful it is. That’s why you were burned. To break it requires you to draw sufficient magic to fight the effects of the staff long enough to destroy it. What you did was no mean feat. The staff is not alive, but it can sense when it is threatened.”
“You speak as if it still exists.”
“It does,” Shananara assured her. “Not the one you destroyed, certainly. But every priest carries a staff, and they are all as dangerous as Elfron’s. Don’t think that destroying one has removed the threat.” She hesitated before continuing. “We are related to the Karien Priests, R’shiel. Once, a long time ago, they were Harshini, like us. Although the line is almost extinct, Xaphista keeps the demon bond alive by making his priests drink his blood during their initiation. He feeds off his believers and trust me, he has millions of them. His power rivals that of a Primal God. Incurring his wrath is not a thing you should take lightly.”
R’shiel shuddered at the thought of ever meeting another of Xaphista’s priests. “So what must I learn?”
Shananara sighed. “R’shiel, if we had a thousand nights like this one, I still could not teach you all you must know. You don’t understand the difference between a Primal and an Incidental God. You don’t understand the nature of demons, or how they are bonded to the Harshini. You don’t even understand the difference between you and other Harshini.”
“Well that’s hardly my fault,” R’shiel pointed out, a little annoyed by Shananara’s despairing tone. “What is the difference?”
“The difference is your blood. Ordinary Harshini can only dip a cup into the river. You and I are te Ortyn. If we need to, we can dam the whole river and release it all at once, but unlike my brother, or me, your human blood makes you capable of using it to hurt people, to destroy. Do you understand the danger?”
R’shiel nodded uncertainly, not at all sure that she understood anything.
“I can only teach you two things in the time we have. How to reach your power and how to let it go. But you
