Voice of the Gods

Emerahl stared at Auraya, knowing her face expressed utter incomprehension but not caring. The woman’s expression changed to disappointment.

“The cliff might be the only way. It might just take rapid motion for a certain length of time in order for the mind to com—”

“I’ll keep trying,” Emerahl told her.

A while later Emerahl stopped. Her knees and ankles were hurting. Her body told her that hours had passed, but the world she was failing to sense somehow kept up the illusion of it still being early morning.

“This isn’t working,” she muttered to herself. “There’s got to be another way.”

“Maybe if we found a steep slope, we could carve out a gully for you to slide down,” Auraya suggested. “That would be almost like a fall.”

A fall? Emerahl felt her skin tingle with sudden excitement as an idea came to her. Turning, she regarded the waterfall. The pool was deep beneath the cascade. As a child she had loved to dive into the ocean...

“It’ll be cold,” Auraya warned, guessing Emerahl’s intentions.

“If I can stand the ocean in winter, I can put up with this chilly puddle,” Emerahl told her.

She retrieved a rope from the cave. The climb up to the top of the fall was not easy. Moisture had encouraged moss to form in cracks, which made handholds slippery. At the top, Emerahl secured the rope to a tree, then tied loops along the length for hand- and footholds.

Moving to the edge of the stream, she stepped out into the water. The flow pulled at her legs, trying to tug her off balance. At the edge of the fall the force of the water was insistent, working hard to convince her there was no way to go but over the edge.

This first time I’ll just concentrate on getting the dive right - and not knocking myself senseless on the bottom of the pool.

She closed her eyes and sent her mind back to a time when she was younger - much younger - and the imagined monsters living in the dark corners of her home had been more frightening than throwing herself off a cliff into the churning ocean.

Opening her eyes, she bent her knees, let herself fall forward, and sprang out into the spray-filled air.

The pool rushed up and slapped her with shocking cold. As the chill water surrounded her she instinctively curved her body forward and upward to shorten her dive. Her knees knocked against the pool floor.

Then she was swimming up to the surface. Sodden sandals dragged at her feet as she waded out. She drew magic and directed it to heat the air about her.

Auraya was sitting on top of a boulder nearby. She smiled and raised an eyebrow.

“Didn’t even try,” Emerahl told her. “Wanted to get the dive right first.”

Auraya looked at the rope hanging down the cliff. She opened her mouth, then closed it again and shrugged.

Feeling warmer and not a little exhilarated by her dive, Emerahl kicked off her sandals and started toward her makeshift ladder.

If I have to jump off cliffs to learn this, she thought, I may as well have some fun at the same time.

Danjin opened the door and hesitated. The hair and clothes of the two Dreamweavers glistened with droplets of rain, and water was beginning to puddle around their boots. Raeli followed his gaze and smiled faintly.

A warm breeze touched Danjin’s skin. The Dreamweavers’ clothes began to steam. In a moment both were dry.

“We are here at Ellareen the White’s request,” Raeli said. “This is Dreamweaver Kyn, Dreamweaver Fareeh’s replacement.”

“Welcome,” he said. “Ellareen of the White is waiting for you.”

Danjin ushered the Dreamweavers in. Ella was standing beside the table, a few steps from what she had affectionately dubbed her “spying chair.” For a moment he saw her as these Dreamweavers must: a young Circlian healer they had once known and worked with, transformed by undecorated white robes, elegantly arranged hair and the gods’ favor into an imposing, powerful woman.

“Dreamweaver Adviser to the White, Raeli,” Danjin said by way of introduction. “And Dreamweaver Kyn. This is Ellareen of the White.”

Ella smiled at the pair. “Thank you for coming here. I apologize for the humble surroundings. Be seated, if you wish.”

As the pair settled into the chairs, Ella sat down on her seat beside the window. The room contained no other seats so Danjin remained standing.

The Dreamweavers looked calm and relaxed. He hadn’t seen Raeli much since Auraya’s resignation, not even in passing at the Tower. The male Dreamweaver with her was middle-aged, thin-faced and wore a short beard. He reminded Danjin a little of Leiard.

“What can we help you with, Ellareen of the White?” Raeli asked.

Ella smiled. “I was hoping I might be able to help you. A few weeks ago I was given the task of finding a way to end the violence against Dreamweavers and the hospice.” If this news pleased the pair, Danjin noted, they showed no sign of it. “At the advice of my adviser, Danjin Spear, I have been examining the reasons people might wish you and the hospice harm. That is why I have been using this room.” She glanced at the window. “To watch the thoughts of those passing the hospice.”

The eyebrows of the two Dreamweavers rose.

“Did you discover anything of use?” Raeli asked.

“I did. I don’t need to point out to you that some people of this city have an irrational dislike of Dreamweavers.” Ella’s expression was serious now. “That has been so for a long time and doesn’t explain the recent attacks. I suspected that something happened a few months ago that changed people’s opinion.” She paused, looking from one Dreamweaver to the other. “I believe the cause was the news that Mirar is alive.”

Raeli’s gaze sharpened. “A rumor,” she said. “That is all.”

Ella nodded. “A rumor some believe enough to start killing Dreamweavers.”

“You want us to deny the rumor?” Kyn asked. “They won’t believe us.”

“No,” Ella agreed. “Some people will never believe anything but what they want to. Most, however, are simply followers, as easily led astray into lawlessness as back to lawfulness. We must find the leaders, but also woo back their followers. To do so...” Ella paused and glanced at the window. She frowned and turned her attention back to the Dreamweavers. “To do that, we must assuage their fears. What they fear, I have learned, is what will happen if Mirar begins to influence the Dreamweavers again. They fear he will make Dreamweavers dangerous.”

Raeli pursed her lips as she considered Ella’s words. She looked at Kyn, who was frowning.

“You want us to assure people otherwise?” he asked. “They won’t believe that either.”

Danjin expected Ella to deny that, but she did not speak. He looked at her and found she was staring out the window again. When she turned back she wore a distracted expression. It quickly disappeared.

“No,” she said, meeting Kyn’s eyes. “I want you to declare that you won’t have anything to do with Mirar. That the Dreamweavers have got along without him for a hundred years and will continue to do so.” She turned to Raeli, who had opened her mouth to protest. “Have you found that missing Dreamweaver student yet?”

Raeli closed her mouth, then shook her head. “We believe he is dead.”

Ella grimaced. “Poor Ranaan.” She sighed. “I know my suggestion angers you, but I ask you: what is more important, the lives of your people or your loyalty to a man who abandoned you for a hundred years and now cannot be here to help you fight the violence his return has... Excuse me a moment.” Her eyes widened and she rose and turned to the window in one movement, then whirled about, strode to the door and left the room.

The two Dreamweavers looked at Danjin questioningly. He shrugged to indicate he hadn’t any idea what she was up to, then hurried after her.

She was already at the base of the stairs. As he started down she paused and looked up at him.

“Stay here, Danjin.”