Again, please tell me why I should care, Taeben? I am locked up here, inside my own mind. For all that I can do about it, I might as well already be dead, so I fail to see how -
I will let you out.
You are lying because you are desperate.
You are pushing your luck.
Let me out of here, give me back control of my body, and I will find the information you need—and the orb as well.
There was a long pause. It was apparent to Ellie that she had overlooked Taeben’s extreme hatred for being out of control—she had been so eager to learn from him and then so foolishly taken in by his charms that she had ignored that aspect of his character. No more.
Yes. I agree. Let me get us somewhere safe, and you will be free of that prison, Elspethe. You have my word.
All went dark for her, and when she could see, again, she found that she was no longer in her mind. She was in a room, surrounded by her books and Taeben’s journals. Everything was there—and he had clearly been trying to make sense of her work. Was she in the embassy again? Uncertain. Ellie smiled and stretched for the first time in however long she had been confined. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice? Get locked up in the dungeon you created for me, A’chrya Taeben.”
Thirty-One
Call Me Mother, Revisited
It felt so good to be able to stand. Taeben had let her out and given her back control of her body. Ellie was sure it wouldn’t be for long, but she planned to take advantage of it. The low hum that reminded her of the presence of her A’chrya in the back of her mind was still present, but she didn’t care. It was so lovely and quiet, here in hiding—she didn’t even know where she was, really, but didn’t care about that either. Taeben had found a place for her to work and had gone off to tie up a loose end. Silence soothed her and made her smile until -
Elspethe?
Well, that was really too good to last, wasn’t it? The voice was unmistakable—the Mother Dragon had found her.
Yes, my Lady?
How is the plan coming along? What is going on with the Nature Walker and the Rajah? Why have you not made a report?
They have made it to the red dragon, and they gave him the orb, but I do not know where it is. Taeben has been involved and tried to intercept the orb, but the golden dragon hid it before he could get it. I have her under surveillance—but there is interference. Someone has taken control of the golden dragon.
DAELYTH?
Even though the dragon was not there in the room with her, Kaerinth’s voice ricocheted throughout Elsepeth’s body. She bit her lip until the stinging pain it left behind subsided and took a moment to make sure that her communication with Taeben was concealed from the Mother Dragon—for now.
Yes, my Lady. I am not sure how it happened, but I am investigating.
She could feel Kaerinth’s panic at the mention of her grandchild. She felt the frantic consideration of options. She felt the hatred the Mother Dragon harbored for Taeben. That might just be useful. And as soon as those emotions surfaced, they were gone.
Elspethe, please, call me Mother. You have served me as best you can, and you have made up for the wrongs done to me by your ancestor, D’Ayna. You will have a place when I again control Orana if you will obey me now and help me save my granddaughter. I fear it is your wizard that has invaded her mind.
Yes, Mother.
Keep me informed.
To the north, in Omerith’s fortress, a female figure—concealed in a hooded cloak that hid even her facial features—walked the halls, stopping periodically to put a hand to a door. She would incline her head toward the door for a moment, and then move on. Finally, she came to the door where Sath and Gin were contemplating a plan, and as soon as she removed her hand from the door, she knocked the hood off her head and entered the room.
Gin looked up at the sound of the door opening and gaped and then immediately knelt.
Mother.
Sephine crossed the room and took Gin’s hands in hers, helping the Nature Walker back to her feet. “We will speak aloud so that your Rajah is not left out. I sense he is already angry enough with me that he would not allow me in his mind. You need not kneel before me, my Nature Walker. I am here to help. Did Omerith know what to do with the orb?”
Sath narrowed his eyes. “He initially didn’t want anything to do with it. Too tempting, it seems, for him to bring his father back from the Void—nevermind the tyrant that Lord Taanyth had become, or the pain he had inflicted.” Gin shook her head at Sath, but he ignored her. “He agreed to help and to keep it in his stronghold. But that didn’t work either because his daughter has been compromised—along with the orb, mind you. So I’d say this has been a bust, as far as top-secret missions go.”
Sephine turned her attention to Sath, her face etched with sadness. “And the potion I gave you, did you use it? For you seem to be your old self again, Rajah.”
“You know good and well that I did.” He looked at Gin. “This is what I mean about ‘higher beings.’ They want to play and meddle in our lives like we are their dolls, and then when things go a bit sideways, they walk away and leave us to sort out the mess.” He growled loudly as he stalked over to the window.
Gin swallowed hard before she spoke. “Mother, I -”
Sephine held up her
