Voice of the Gods

and the Dreamweaver woman who had run forward despite Arleej’s protest a part of it? Why was Auraya so upset when she left?

He remembered how Mirar had comforted her, then guided her off the Isthmus to a boat, and he felt anger stirring. There was something between them still. That was obvious.

At last the White reached the end of the Isthmus. High priests and priestesses waited expectantly, ready for the battle to begin. The White stopped and exchanged glances. Juran looked back at the advisers and Dreamweavers who had followed them to the meeting with the enemy, then raised a hand to indicate the other White should wait.

When Danjin and the others arrived, Juran surveyed all who were watching.

“The gods are dead,” he said. “Both the Circle and the Five are gone. There will be no battle. Pack up and prepare for the journey home.”

A stunned silence followed, then questions burst out. The White ignored them. They exchanged a few words, then parted, each heading in a different direction. Seeing Ella heading toward the docks, Danjin sprinted after her.

“Ellareen!” he called as he neared her. She paused and looked around at him. He stopped, shocked, as he realized that tears ran down her cheeks.

“Hello, Danjin,” she said, wiping her face.

“What happened?” he heard himself demand.

She looked away. “Exactly what Juran said. The gods are dead.”

“How?”

“Auraya...” Ella’s voice was tight with emotion. Her eyes were fixed on the Isthmus. “The other Wilds. They trapped them. They killed them.”

Shocked, Danjin could say nothing. Auraya did betray us, he thought. But not by joining the Pentadrians, as we feared. By joining the Wilds.

Ella started down the dock toward a group of Dunwayans working on a ship they had hoisted up out of the water. She didn’t turn to see if he followed. Looking beyond, he realized that every ship sat at an angle, their decks awash with water. Further from the shore a forest of masts had replaced the warships of the Dunwayans.

All sunk.

The Elai were the only people who got to practice their fighting skills in this war, he found himself thinking. The Dunwayans will be disappointed to hear the battle is not going to happen now.

The war had been abandoned. He ought to have been relieved at that, but instead he felt empty. Ella stopped and he managed to catch up with her.

“The Elai,” she muttered, staring out at the water. “Must do something about them.”

Then she strode away again. Looking in the direction she had been staring, Danjin saw a distant shape. A tiny boat, three figures aboard. Something flashed a vivid blue.

Auraya, he thought. The Wilds. The gods were right all along. They are dangerous. If they can kill gods, what else can they do?

He shivered, suddenly cold. Thrusting his hands under his vest, he felt something hard in one of the internal pockets. Reaching inside, he pulled it out.

A smooth white ring lay in his palm. He felt a chill spread to his bones. It was Auraya’s link ring. Ella hadn’t asked for it back the previous night, so Danjin had pocketed it until he had a chance to give it to her.

Memories arose of the first time he had met Auraya. He had thought she would make a good White. Later he had come to love her like a daughter, and admire her for her compassion and intelligence. He had worked hard for her. He had worried about her while she was imprisoned in Glymma. He had never doubted her.

She betrayed us, he thought. She turned on the gods. She killed them.

Closing his fingers around the ring, he drew back his arm, moved to the water’s edge, then threw it with all his strength. It disappeared into the murky water.

Then, turning away, he started back toward the town.

Neither Mirar, Emerahl or Auraya said anything during the journey to the Sennon shore. Mirar watched Auraya closely. She stared at the bottom of the boat, her expression closed and distant.

I will have to tell the others of Huan’s trickery, and that Auraya learned too late that Chaia didn’t try to kill her, he told himself. And that he killed himself and the others. They won’t understand why she grieves, otherwise.

He couldn’t feel the same sorrow. Chaia had done terrible things in his time. The world was better off without him. But Mirar knew he would not be able to express such an opinion to Auraya. Ever.

Finally the bottom of the boat scraped against sand. Auraya looked behind at the shore, then braced herself as Emerahl used magic to push the vessel high up out of the water, next to another.

The three of them rose and stepped out. They were in a small bay. Sand dunes hid them from the sight of all but passing boats. Three more figures waited, sitting on the beach. They had lit a small camp fire. Mirar caught the smell of cooking fish.

“This is a fine welcome,” he said.

“The Gull provided the fish,” Surim said. He handed Mirar a mug. “I brought the kahr.”

Mirar drank a mouthful of the strong liquor. “Ah!” he sighed. “I needed that. I’m afraid I don’t have anything to contribute.”

“You brought us Auraya,” Tamun said.

They all looked at Auraya, who remained silent, staring into the fire.

“So, what will we all do now?” Surim asked. He filled another mug with kahr and handed it to Emerahl. “Any plans?”

Emerahl shrugged. “I have always wanted to start a school of sorcery and healing.”

Mirar looked at her in surprise. “I thought you decided you never wanted to be the center of anything again, after being worshipped as The Hag?”

“I never meant that to happen, and I spent all my energy trying to escape it. Maybe if I start something myself, and put my energy into controlling it, it will work out differently. Besides,” she lifted her mug in salute to him, “I’ve got an expert to consult on founding and controlling a group of sorcerers. What are you going to do?”

He shrugged. “Help Dreamweavers recover from the last hundred or so years. This time I have two continents to roam. I always knew my people spread into the south; I don’t know why I never visited them before.”

“Because the gods were doing worrying things in the north,” Surim answered.

“What about you two?” Emerahl asked, looking at Surim and Tamun. “What will you do?”

Surim looked at his sister. “Stop hiding, for a start. I’d like to travel.”

“I don’t want to go back to being famous,” Tamun said. “How can we give people advice, anyway? We don’t know how the death of the gods will change things.” She looked at her brother. “I don’t want to travel yet, either. I think...” She paused to consider. “I think I’d like to settle somewhere. A place where people make things. Craftspeople. Artists. That sort of thing.”

“And I will visit you - maybe I’ll sell what your people make!” Surim exclaimed. “I could become a merchant!”

The Gull chuckled. “I guess I’ll be seeing you on the water.”

“You’re not going to change anything, are you?” Emerahl said.

The boy shook his head. “The sea is my home. It took me a thousand years to find it, and I see no reason to change.”

They fell into a thoughtful silence. A thousand years before he became The Gull, Mirar thought. And he was a legend before I became immortal. How old is he?

“I’m going back to Si,” Auraya said. They all looked at her. Mirar felt his heart lift. She’ll be all