Priestess of the White

village the Dunwayans took hostage, she has come a long way.

Dyara smiled. “Auraya, this is Danjin Spear,” she said. “He is to be your adviser.”

Danjin made the formal sign of the circle. Auraya began to raise her hands in reply, then stopped and let them fall to her side again.

“Greetings, Danjin Spear,” she said.

“Greetings, Auraya of the White,” he replied. She sounds confident, he noted. At least she keeps her nervousness from her voice. She just needs to work on her bearing. She straightened and lifted her chin. That’s better, he thought. Then he realized that she would have read his thoughts and adjusted herself in response. It is going to take some time to get used to this mind-reading, he mused.

“I can see you two will work well together,” Dyara said. She ushered them toward the chairs. “Danjin has been useful to us in the past. His assessment of the Toren situation was particularly insightful and helped us achieve an alliance with the king.”

Auraya looked at him with genuine interest. “Is that so?”

He shrugged. “I only related what I learned from living in Toren.”

Dyara chuckled. “He is refreshingly humble, too. You’ll find his knowledge of other peoples as useful. He can speak all the languages of Ithania.”

“Except those of the peoples of Siyee and Elai,” he added.

“He is a good judge of character. He knows how to deliver advice to powerful men and women discreetly and without causing offense.”

Auraya’s attention moved from Dyara to him as they spoke. Her lips twitched at Dyara’s last comment.

“A useful skill indeed,” she said.

“He will accompany you whenever you hold an audience. Pay attention to his thoughts. They will guide you in your responses.”

Auraya nodded and looked at Danjin, her expression apologetic.

“Danjin is well aware that having his mind read constantly is part of his role,” Dyara assured her. She turned and smiled at Danjin while continuing to speak to Auraya. “Though that doesn’t mean you should ignore the rules of good manners about which I told you.”

“Of course not.”

“Now that introductions are over, we must get you to the lower levels. The Toren king is waiting to meet you.”

“I’m meeting kings already?” Auraya asked.

“Yes,” Dyara said firmly. “They came to Jarime to witness the Choosing. Now they want to meet the Chosen. I wish I could give you more time, but I can’t.”

“That’s fine,” Auraya said, shrugging. “I just hoped to have time to familiarize myself with my new adviser before demanding work of him.”

“You will familiarize yourselves as you work.”

Auraya nodded. “Very well.” She smiled at Danjin. “But I do hope to get to know you better when I have the chance.”

He bowed his head. “And I look forward to making your acquaintance too, Auraya of the White.”

As the two White rose and moved toward the door, Danjin followed. He had met the woman he would be working for, and nothing about her suggested his role would be difficult or unpleasant. His first task, however, was another matter.

Helping her deal with the Toren king, he thought. Now this will be a challenge.

Tryss changed his position slightly, his toes curling and uncurling around the rough bark of the branch. Staring down through the tree’s foliage he saw another movement in the undergrowth below and felt a rush of anticipation. But though he longed to lean forward, stretch his wings out and dive, he held himself still.

His skin itched as sweat ran over him, wetting the woven string-reed cloth of his vest and trousers and making the membrane of his wings itch. Straps about his hips and neck felt restrictive and uncomfortable and the spikes hanging against his belly felt heavy. Too heavy. They would drag him to the ground the moment he tried to fly.

No, he told himself. Fight your instincts. The harness won’t restrict you. It won’t weigh you down. There’s more danger on the tips of these spikes. If he scratched himself with them... He did not like his chances of surviving if he succumbed to a sleep drug while perched on a thin bough many man-heights above the ground.

He stiffened at another movement below. As three yern stepped out into the clearing beneath him, he held his breath. From above they were narrow barrels of brown hide, their sharp horns foreshortened to mere stubs. Slowly the creatures approached the glistening creek, snatching mouthfuls of grass as they moved. Tryss ran his hands over the straps and wooden levers of the harness, checking that all was set correctly. Then he took a few deep breaths and let himself fall.

Yern were herbivorous herd animals with fine senses that allowed them to detect the position and mood of every member of their herd. Those senses could also detect the minds of other animals nearby and know if any were intending to attack. Yern were swift runners. The only predators who succeeded in catching one were those that used the advantage of surprise or had canny mind-deception Gifts of their own - like the dreaded leramer - and even then they could only hope to catch the old and sick animals of the herd.

As Tryss fell, he saw the yern - sensing the approach of a mind set on attack - tense and cast about, confused and unsure which direction to flee in. They could not comprehend that a predator might attack from above. Halfway to the ground, Tryss spread his arms wide and felt the membranes of his wings collect and resist air. He shot out of the tree and swooped toward his prey.

Sensing him almost upon them, terror overcame the beasts. They scattered in every direction, hooting loudly. Tryss followed one, ducking under the branches of other trees. He chased it into the open, then, when he judged himself in the right position over the beast, he tugged at the strap wound around his right thumb. One of the spikes at his waist fell.

At the same time the yern abruptly changed direction. The spike missed and disappeared in the grass. Biting back a curse, Tryss banked and followed the creature. This time he tried not to think about being ready to strike. He cleared his mind of all thought but matching his flight with the yern’s, then jerked his left thumb and felt the small weight of the spike fall.

It struck the beast’s back just behind the withers. Tryss felt a surge of triumph. As the animal continued running, the spike flicked back and forth against its hide. He watched anxiously, afraid that it hadn’t sunk deep enough for the drug to enter the bloodstream, or that it might fall out again.

The spike remained lodged in the yern’s back. The beast’s run slowed to a stagger, then it stopped and Tryss found himself circling like a carrion bird. He searched the surrounding area carefully for leramer or other big predators. They would steal his prize if he was not careful.

The yern below him swayed, then toppled onto its side. Judging it safe to land, Tryss dropped lightly to the ground a few strides from the animal. He waited until he saw the yern’s eyes glaze over before approaching. The animal’s horns were sharp and could easily ruin a Siyee’s wings.

The animal looked huge up close. Tryss doubted his head would have reached the height of its shoulders, had it been standing up. He ran his hand over the yern’s hide. It was warm and had a strong animal smell. He realized he was grinning with excitement.

I’ve done it! I’ve single-handedly brought down one of the big animals of the forest!

Siyee did not hunt the large animals. They were a small race, light and fragile with few magical Gifts. Their bones were delicate and easily broken. Their legs were not suited to running long distances, and the movement of their arms - their wings - was limited. Even if they could have hefted a spear or sword, their grip on it would have been too precarious. With all but thumb and forefinger included in the structure of their wings, their hands were useless for tasks that required strength. Whenever Tryss regarded his body, he wondered if the goddess Huan who had created his people out of landwalkers - the humans that occupied the rest of the world - so many hundreds of