Voice of the Gods

“Do you still have your Skills?” a Servant asked.

“I imagine I have those that were naturally mine before I became a Voice. That means I have lost immortality. I suspect I am no more powerful than our most powerful Dedicated Servants. Except... I can still read minds.”

Lost her immortality? Reivan felt her heart twist with sympathy.

“If you and the other Voices are not as powerful, will you continue to rule?” the Elai king asked.

“Without the gods, will we start fighting each other? Will the world fall into chaos?” a Servant added, his voice strained with a hint of hysteria.

Reivan couldn’t help smiling. “We were already fighting each other.”

Imenja chuckled. “Yes. We were. But will we have reason to now? What do you think, Companion Reivan? Should we try to continue ruling our people, or should we find ourselves a quiet little hut on a mountain somewhere and wait for the world to end?”

Reivan looked at Imenja. The woman’s eyes searched hers. She realized that this was not just her mistress asking her for advice, but a friend seeking reassurance.

“I think Southern Ithania will be fine so long as you are its ruler.”

Imenja smiled. “I hope the rest of the south agrees with you, Reivan.”

Seeing a movement over Imenja’s shoulder, Reivan looked up to see that Nekaun was striding toward them, his face rigid with anger.

“But I think you’ll have a fight on your hands,” she murmured.

Imenja chuckled. “Oh, I don’t think Nekaun will be a problem. He’s offended a remarkable number of people in the short time since he was elected.” Her shoulders straightened. “And there’s no way I’m going to let him get away with treating you so badly, or the other women he harmed that night.” She looked at her fellow Voices. “What do you think?”

Reivan looked at Imenja, surprised and horrified to learn that she had not been the only Servant to experience Nekaun’s idea of “thrilling” lovemaking.

“I think we should apply the strictest of our laws,” Genza said. Vervel and Shar nodded.

Imenja spun around to face Nekaun.

“Nekaun, formerly First Voice of the Gods, I hereby charge you with the rape of a Servant, of which I know you are thrice guilty. What do you have to say in your defense?”

Nekaun had slowed to a stop, his expression incredulous. Reivan glanced at all the Voices’ faces, heart pounding with both dread and a dark hope. Surely they wouldn’t... but they weren’t going to tolerate Nekaun as their ruler now that they didn’t have to.

Recovering from his surprise, he sneered at Imenja.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“I am daring,” she told him.

“The gods will never allow it.”

“The gods are dead, Nekaun.”

He rolled his eyes. “You really are a fool if you believe that. Even if it were true, nobody is going to believe it - or this charge. They’ll think it’s nothing but a convenient lie invented to get rid of me. The people voted for me, remember. They won’t like you defying their decision.”

Imenja looked at the Elai king. “Your majesty, would you do me the favor of thinking of a word. Don’t speak it aloud.”

He frowned, then shrugged.

“Rebellion,” Imenja said. “Am I correct?”

The king nodded.

“Think of another.” She paused. “Treaty,” she said. The king nodded again. After repeating the exercise three more times, Imenja looked around at the Voices, Servants and advisers. “Are you all satisfied that I can still read minds?”

All nodded.

“Do you believe me when I say Nekaun is guilty as charged?”

All nodded.

“Will you testify to this, if this is ever contested?”

All nodded. Satisfied, Imenja turned to regard Nekaun.

“If I could charge you with incompetence and get the same result, I would,” she told him. “But the charge of rape of a Servant is much more serious, and it would not be fair to the women you harmed to deny them justice.” She looked at her fellow Voices.

Vervel nodded. “A single charge is punishable by ten years of slavery. A second earns a lifetime of slavery. A third—”

“- is punishable by death,” Nekaun finished. He crossed his arms. “You don’t stand a—”

Heat seared Reivan’s face. She heard Imenja utter a cry of fury and the air filled with light and sound. Then all was quiet. Reivan stared at the scene around her. Several Servants lay on the ground, some groaning, some still. Imenja, Vervel, Genza and Shar stood over a charred body, still twitching.

Nekaun, she thought. He’s not going to recover from that. The thought brought an unexpectedly powerful relief, but as she looked at the burned flesh her cheek began to hurt. A lot. Imenja looked up at her and her expression softened into sympathy.

“I’m sorry, Reivan,” she said, hurrying over. “I didn’t protect you in time. I expected him to strike at the Voices, not the Servants.”

Reivan shook her head. “It’s nothing.” She looked at Nekaun’s body. It had stopped twitching. “I guess you’ve made a fine example of him.”

Imenja gasped out a laugh. “Oh, I think we have. You’ve got to make a few examples on the road to ruling the world. I can’t think of a better one to start with than our former First Voice.”

Reivan looked closely at Imenja, but she couldn’t decide if her mistress was serious or not. Imenja glanced at her. “What is it?”

“You... you don’t seem that upset about the death of the gods.”

“Oh, I’m upset,” Imenja said with feeling. “And angry. Yes, and getting angrier. But I haven’t decided what to do about that.”

“Hunt down Auraya and kill her?”

“I’m not angry with Auraya.”

Reivan lifted her eyebrows in surprise. It caused the skin on her cheek to stretch, and she winced.

Imenja frowned. “I’ll explain later. We have to get you to a Dreamweaver.” She looked at the Servants on the ground, then at those still standing. “Go back and get help,” she told them. “Don’t rely on your pendants working.” Two of the Servants nodded and hurried away.

King Ais cleared his throat. “If you do not need me, Second Voice, I will return to my people.”

She looked at him and nodded. “Yes. Thank you for your assistance, King Ais. It was very much appreciated.”

He smiled faintly. “I am guessing it is no longer required.”

“No. But we would be honored to continue working with your people in the future.”

He bowed slightly. “As we would be honored to work with you and yours. Goodbye. And good luck.”

All watched him move to the edge of the road. He slid out of sight down the embankment, then a moment later they heard a faint splash. Imenja turned to Reivan and smiled.

“We have much to do, and I hope you’ll help me do it.”

“Of course I will,” Reivan said. “Whatever happens, I’m still your Companion.”

Smiling broadly, Imenja took her arm and they both started along the Isthmus, toward home and a new and unexpected future.

The White walked slowly and silently back to Diamyane, their heads bowed and their faces lined with grief and shock. None of the other advisers approached them, so Danjin did not either.

He did not understand what had happened. Questions crowded his mind. What had Auraya done? Were Mirar