Looking back toward the coast, Mirar chuckled. Arleej had been true to her word. The town had been crowded with Dreamweavers. In his battered, dirty clothes, he had been too ordinary and uninteresting to attract more than a cursory glance.
Unfortunately, it had also meant there was no shortage of healers, so he had nothing to trade. He had been forced to steal a boat. It was a small craft - too small for the swells of the ocean - but with his limited sailing experience he doubted he could manage anything larger.
Throughout the night he had kept it moving and upright mainly by magic. Now, just before dawn, the water was calmer and he was exhausted.
I can’t sleep yet. I have to get Emerahl to teach me how to keep this thing afloat, he told himself. Otherwise I won’t sleep at all for the next few days or weeks.
Lying down, he fell into the dream trance easily.
:Emerahl.
After his third call, he heard a reply.
:Mirar. Where are you?
An a boat.
:What? How did you... oh! You got past them!
:Yes. Last night.
:Well done.
:Thank you. Arleej did a fine job of filling up the coastal villages with Dreamweavers. I think she spread a rumor about a plague starting there. The locals will be making a fortune out of charging Dreamweavers for beds and meals, though hopefully they’ll also be robbing the Circlian priests and priestesses the White brought with them.
:Did you see any of the White?
:No, but I heard someone say they were close by. The Siyee followed me right up to the village.
:When was this?
:Yesterday.
:So what are you doing asleep? You must get as far from the coast as you can. The Siyee can fly a long way in a day.
:I know. But this boat is small and it takes all my concentration to stop it capsizing. I need your help.
:What sort of boat did you get?
He sent her a mental image.
:You got a DINGHY! You IDIOT!
:There wasn’t much choice. I had to steal it. With so many Dreamweavers in town, nobody was going to exchange a boat for dubious cures from a vagabond traveller.
:I suppose not.
:You’ve got to help me. Teach me to sail.
:Via dream links? I can’t lie around all day. I’m on a Quest.
The way she said it, he knew there was a capital letter.
:But I’ll drown!
:Very well. Between you and The Twins I’m spending half my day on my back... Hmm, that wasn’t the best way of phrasing that. Oh! That reminds me. I have some important news for you.
:Yes?
:The Twins tell me the rumors have spread like a summer fire across Northern Ithania. She paused for dramatic effect. Your Auraya has quit the White.
Mirar felt his entire being come apart then fly back together again. How could so few words hold so much meaning, both thrilling and terrifying?
:Is she alive?
:Apparently so. She has returned to Si. According to the Siyee The Twins have skimmed, she’s been therefor a few weeks.
:Which means she can still fly. His heart was racing now. It’s her innate Gift, Emerahl. She’s close to becoming an immortal. I know it!
:You can’t be sure.
:I am. She learned to heal with magic too easily for it not to be true. Just one small step, one nudge, and she will become an immortal.
:The gods will hardly approve of that.
:No, but the only alternative is to let her grow old and die. I must teach her.
:How do you plan to get her to come to you?
He frowned. Auraya would never leave Northern Ithania and venture into the land of the Pentadrians, even if the Siyee didn’t need her.
:I’ll have to go to her.
:You’ll die. Even if you managed to avoid Siyee, Auraya doesn’t know how to hide her thoughts. And I thought she told you never to return. That doesn’t sound like someone who’d welcome you back, let alone trust you to teach her something that will probably make the gods want to kill her, too.
He felt a pang of pure frustration, then the answer came to him.
:Someone else must teach her.
:Who?
:You must teach her, Emerahl. You must go to the cave you took me to, then send for her. While she is in the void you can teach her to hide her mind. She won’t be leaving Si, so the gods won’t be too suspicious about her movements. Yes, that would work.
Emerahl was silent for a long moment.
:But... what about my Quest?
He felt a wave of affection for her. If she had been going to refuse, she would have answered more forcefully. Yet he paused before answering. She was so keen to follow this Quest. He liked that she now roamed the world with confidence.
But who else could he call upon?
:It can wait, can’t it? I wouldn’t ask but... you’re her only chance.
Emerahl was silent for a long time.
:I’ll do it. She had better be a quick learner.
He smiled.
