'Do you believe in the gods, sir?' she asked.
'I believe in him,' he said, pointing to Trevanion. 'And where he goes, the Guard follows. Don't ask me to believe in anything else.'
She stared at him for a moment, understanding in her eyes. 'Your family lived close to some of the Forest Dwellers, did they not?' she asked.
Finnikin could tell Perri was surprised by her knowledge, but he revealed little.
'I prefer not to refer to them as family.'
'But you witnessed the gifts of some of the Forest Dwellers?'
His stare was cold. 'I knew little of their mystic practices. Whatever contact I had with the Forest Dwellers had less to do with sharing our skills than with shedding blood. Theirs.'
'Then it will be hard for me to explain what I can do in the sleep,' she said.
'Try,' Trevanion urged, giving Evanjalin a quick nod of encouragement.
'It's a blood spell,' Finnikin said.
'Ah, I see. Now everything makes sense.' Perri's tone was dry.
'And Seranonna's spell was a blood curse,' Sir Topher continued.
'And the young girls of Lumatere are protected because the impostor's men think they have a blood disease,' Trevanion added.
'Can you explain the blood spell that has given you this... gift, Evanjalin?' Moss asked.
Evanjalin looked at Sir Topher, as if seeking his permission.
'Maybe without so much detail, Evanjalin,' he said, a flush in his cheeks. 'I will explain the rest later if necessary.'
She nodded. 'I was twelve years old. I remember it clearly because a wondrous feeling came over me. As if I was melting into the souls of others, and I felt a wave of such peace that I truly believed I was in the heavens with our goddess. That night, I walked my first sleep with a bundle in my arms. A baby.'
'The baby spoke to you?' one of the men asked.
Evanjalin looked confused. 'How can a baby speak?'
'The same way someone can walk through another's sleep. With very little credibility,' Perri said.
'I would have preferred if the goddess had given me a more credible gift, sir. Perhaps the ability to heal or talk to the animals or hold a sword the way a man would like his sword to be held, but alas I am stuck with walking through the sleep of others.'
Perri had the good grace to look apologetic, and Finnikin heard a few chuckles around them. By now every member of the Guard had surrounded their table.
'Do you walk through the child's sleep?' Moss asked.
Evanjalin shook her head. 'Yet I know every single time when we walk through the sleep of the child's mother, although we never walk the sleep of the other who sometimes joins us.'
'The other?' Perri asked.
'How do you know where to go?' This came from Ced.
'I don't know. It is as if we are both lost in this dreamscape together and then suddenly we are in someone's sleep thoughts. At times it is wonderful, and other times ... I cannot begin to tell you of the demons that visit humans as they sleep. Guilt is the greatest monster. Remorse, a killer. But the worst are the memories. Yet sometimes, they are the only things that keep our people alive.'
'You must dread sleep,' Aldron said.
'Not at all. When the sleep first began, it was beautiful. I felt pure joy. I think I was experiencing the euphoria of a woman of great courage holding her newborn.' She looked meaningfully at Trevanion. 'A woman whose sleep I had walked before.'
'It was Beatriss?' he asked quietly. 'Beatriss gave birth to a child five years ago?'
'Perhaps alive. Perhaps helping those responsible for the weakening of Seranonna's spell,' Trevanion said firmly.
'Who would that be?' one of the older guards asked. 'Very few of those who worshipped the goddess Sagrami were spared during the five days of the unspeakable.'
'The cloister of Sagrami,' Perri said quietly. 'It can only be the novices.'
'The novices would have been put to death with the rest,' Moss insisted.
Evanjalin's gaze returned to Perri. 'The other who walks the sleep with us is very strong in her power. The child is drawn to her as she is drawn to her own mother. I believe she has both light and dark in her.'
'Tesadora,' Perri said under his breath.
'You seem certain that Tesadora and the novices lived, sir,' Evanjalin said.
Perri did not respond.
'Is that good or bad?' another of the guards asked. 'That this Tesadora takes charge within Lumatere?'
'Her mother was Seranonna,' Trevanion said.
Finnikin saw the looks pass among the guards at the mention of Seranonna's name.
'Tesadora was as mistrusted among her own people as she was by the rest of Lumatere, so let's just say that she was not raised in the bosom of her people. She is cunning and has a very dark soul,' Perri said.
'Just the person we need to break the very dark spell cast by her mother,' Evanjalin said.
'But you must be wrong about Lady Beatriss aiding her,' Perri argued. 'One would have been a novice of Lagrami, the other Sagrami. There is no way that Tesadora of the Forest Dwellers and Beatriss of the Flatlands would be acquainted. No possible way that Beatriss would trust her child with someone so dark of spirit. Do not underestimate Tesadora's hatred of the world.'
'You trust your children with those who have the power to protect them,' Trevanion said.
'The other... I mean, Tesadora walks the sleep with us only sometimes,' Evanjalin said. 'But I do not sense her evil. Just a forceful will. I know she is there for the child. It is when the sleep is dark and fearful that she is there. Last night we walked the sleep and there was much grief, but Tesadora's powers ensure the child sees or hears nothing that will damage her. The child has been kept innocent. I cannot begin to think of the effect that has on Tesadora.'
'And you?' Finnikin asked. 'Who protects you?'
'Faith in my goddess, of course.'
There was a mixture of intrigue and skepticism on the faces of the guards around her.
Perri turned to Trevanion. 'So what is our plan?'
'We split up, each group traveling to a different kingdom to collect our exiles. We meet in the Valley of Tranquillity as soon as possible. Moss and Aldron, I want you to leave for Lastaria tonight. The priest-king is there.'
There was an intake of breath from the guards. 'Blessed Barakah?' one said in a hushed tone.
Trevanion nodded. 'He travels with a large number of exiles. Take them to the Valley of Tranquillity. The rest of you will travel in groups of four or five. If you come across any exiles, do your best to convince them to join you, but under no circumstances do you stay with them in their camps or tent cities. Too many of them are plagued by fever or fear. The moment you reach the Valley, I want every strong man and woman trained to use a longbow. The attack on the impostor and his men needs to be fast and accurate, or else we will never take the palace.'
There were murmurs among the Guard.
'How many of them do you believe there are?'
'The impostor king rode into Lumatere with six hundred men. Our own people could have been recruited as part of his army. Who can say?'
'But how do we get in?' one of the guards asked. They were all looking at Evanjalin.
'We need to find the Monts,' Trevanion said. 'They may hold the key.'
Perri shook his head. 'Not a sighting in ten years. I return to the Valley with Moss each year at the time of the harvest moon, and we have not seen hide nor hair of them.'
Evanjalin stood, and the men instantly rose with her. She acknowledged them with a nod. 'Our king will get us through the main gate,' she said. 'That has been promised in the curse.'
And then she left and all Finnikin could hear was the name Balthazar whispered around the room.
