Damin would not come for her. She was certain of that.
He didn't even know that she carried his child.
CHAPTER 24
The Seeing Stone in the Temple of the Gods loomed over R'shiel, a solid lump of crystal as tall as a man, mounted on a black marble base. Candles set in solid silver sconces lit the altar, reflecting off the Stone with flickering rainbow light. She studied it for some time, hoping to learn its secret.
“It concerns me that the demon child knows so little of the ways of the Harshini.”
R'shiel turned. Kalan was striding towards her down the centre of the echoing temple. Kalan had ordered it cleared whenever R'shiel wished to use it - apparently she thought the demon child needed solitude during her worship.
R'shiel did not correct the High Arrion's assumptions. It was convenient that the Sorcerers' Collective thought of her as Harshini. It wouldn't do at all to remind them she was a Medalonian half-breed raised to despise the gods and everything they represented.
“Concerns
Kalan frowned. “I wish you were joking.”
“So do I.”
The High Arrion climbed the steps to the altar and stopped beside her, studying the crystal for a moment. “You sent for me?”
“I need to contact Sanctuary.”
“And you want to know how to use the Stone?”
R'shiel nodded. “Glenanaran and the others are still unconscious. I'm not sure how to help.”
“We owe them a great deal,” Kalan agreed.
“So, what's the trick with this thing?”
Kalan shook her head in despair. “This
“I'd settle for them just minding their own business.”
Kalan sighed eloquently but made no further comment. She stepped up to the Stone and laid her hand on it, as if she drew strength from its solid presence, then turned to R'shiel.
“In the old days, before the Sisterhood conquered Medalon, the Seeing Stone was our main link with the Harshini. In those days we had scores of Harshini roaming through Hythria and Fardohnya. Medalon was their home but their teachers were spread out even as far as Karien, before the Overlord came to power. There were five Seeing Stones back then.”
“Five? What happened to them? Where are they now?”
“The Stone in Yarnarrow was taken to the Isle of Slarn, when Xaphista came to power in Karien. The Sisterhood somehow disposed of the Stone at the Citadel. The Stone in Talabar is gone too, but nobody is certain where.”
“And the fifth Stone is in Sanctuary.”
Kalan nodded. “This Stone was silent for almost two hundred years, after the Harshini left us. Then Korandellan appeared about three years ago, seeking Lord Brakandaran.”
“He sent him to look for me.”
“And now here you are, seeking to use the Stone to speak with Korandellan. Strange how things turn out.”
R'shiel wasn't sure how to answer that. Kalan had been in a strange mood since they arrived in Greenharbour. Perhaps it was because of the attack on the Collective.
“Can you use the Stone?”
Kalan nodded. “In theory, although I've never tried. We lost a great deal of knowledge when the Harshini departed. We have the texts that describe the skills, but without Harshini tutors to explain the nuances of the techniques, many things proved impossible. I cannot use the Stone as you can. All you need do is place your hands upon it, draw on your power and think of whoever you wish to contact.”
“That's all?”
“So I'm led to believe.”
“But you don't know for certain?”
“I am not Harshini, Divine One. I do not have access to the power that you control.”
“The staffs that Xaphista's priests use. They have crystals in them too. Are they like the Seeing Stones?”
Kalan looked thoughtful. “I don't really know. The Overlord uses them to link with the priests, so I suppose they work on the same principle. I've never seen one up close.” She smiled faintly. “As you can imagine, there is little communication between the Collective and the Overlord's minions.”
“The shaft is black,” R'shiel told her, her voice hardening in remembrance, “and made of metal. The head of the staff is gold, shaped like a five-pointed star, intersected by a lightning bolt crafted of silver. Each point of the star is set with crystal and in the centre of the star, is a larger gem of the same stone.”
“You speak as if you've seen one.”
“I've had the dubious pleasure of being on the receiving end,” she explained.
“That raises some interesting possibilities,” Kalan said thoughtfully.
“What do you mean?”
“I wonder if the crystals you describe are pieces of the missing Stones? I don't know how they could be, but it's possible, I suppose.”
“If they are, could I use them too?”
The High Arrion shrugged, but she did not dismiss the idea out of hand. “For what?”
“I don't know, exactly. I'm just curious, I guess.”
“Even if the crystals really are pieces of Seeing Stone, you couldn't really do anything with a staff unless you could get past the pain.”
“Yes, well that does present something of a problem,” she agreed, pushing away the painful memory of Xaphista and the pain his staff could inflict. She had beaten the collar though, and that had been worse than the staff. Perhaps, if she had to, she could do it again. But not easily; and certainly not by choice.
“I suppose you could get around having to touch the staff itself by using another Seeing Stone,” Kalan added thoughtfully.
“Why another Seeing Stone?”
“The Seeing Stones are channels, Divine One. They focus the power of the gods and allow it to be used in a specific manner. The size of the Stone determines its power. Legend has it that the Stone at the Citadel was three times the size of this one.”
“So, what are you saying? That even if the staffs contain pieces of Seeing Stone, they're too small to do anything with?”
“I'm saying they couldn't be used like this one. You couldn't use them to talk to the priests. They would convey nothing more than... I don't know, really... emotions, maybe... vague impressions, at best. And that's assuming you can access a Stone capable of communicating with the chips of crystal in the staffs.”
“What about this Seeing Stone? Or the one at Sanctuary?”
She shook her head. “The Stone in here is only good for contacting Sanctuary - the Harshini made sure of that before they withdrew, and you can't use the Stone in Sanctuary, because for something requiring that much power, Korandellan would have to bring Sanctuary back into real time. If they are chips from the missing Stones
