Voice of the Gods

the eyes and mouth indicated she was well into her middle years. They were lines of humor, but also of grief or bitterness.

“Why am I not convinced of that?”

Jade’s eyes narrowed and she regarded Auraya thoughtfully. Then she beckoned. “Come a few steps closer.”

Auraya hesitated, then obeyed. As she did her barrier faltered. She reached for more magic, but none came to her.

As she realized what her senses had been telling her all along, she felt a rush of terror. There was no magic around her. She was as vulnerable as any Giftless mortal. She backed away and found herself surrounded by magic again.

“What you are sensing is a void. It is only a few steps deep. See?” The woman waved a hand carelessly and a spark of light appeared before her. “You can gather some magic first to protect yourself as you cross it.”

Auraya considered the woman. If she wanted to take advantage of my moment of vulnerability she would have done so. Drawing magic, she created another barrier and fed magic into it as she walked across the room. Now that her attention had been drawn to the void it was easy to sense. Still, she did not feel at ease until she was out of it again.

Jade regarded her with a knowing smile and gestured toward the other bed.

“Have a seat.”

Auraya sat down. Between the beds was a large rock with a smooth, round hole carved into it, filled with boiling water. Jade ladled out the water into a bowl. The grains in the bowl dissolved to make a dark red liquid, and the distinct smell of maita reached Auraya. The woman poured it into two small cups and handed one to Auraya.

“Mirar slept on that bed last year,” she said.

Auraya nodded slowly. “So you’re the friend. I suspected as much.”

“That was before you tried to kill him,” Jade continued, ignoring Auraya’s comment. “But you couldn’t do it.” Her eyes narrowed. “Why not?”

“I had my reasons.”

The woman’s gaze was direct. “He opened his mind to you, and showed you the truth. That’s why. He risked a lot in order for you to know it.”

“Or simply to save himself.”

Jade’s eyebrows rose. “Is that what you think? Did you not consider he did it for love?”

Auraya met the woman’s stare. “Love had nothing to do with it. He wanted me to know the truth, but he would not have revealed it if I hadn’t been about to kill him. He would have continued deceiving me.”

The woman nodded. “But you must know he loves you. Do you love him?”

Auraya felt conflicting feelings returning and pushed them aside. Why was Jade asking these questions? Why did she want to know if Auraya loved Mirar? Was she jealous, or just a protective friend? Auraya considered different answers and how Jade might react to them. A denial might anger her, and Auraya did not want to risk that. An affirmation might be tested, however.

“I don’t know,” she replied honestly. “I doubt it, since I don’t really know him - or rather, I know only a part of him. Do you love him?”

“As a friend.”

“You helped him regain his identity.”

“Yes.” Jade looked down at her cup and frowned. “I brought him here after the battle. He was quite a mess. Wasn’t sure who he was. Leiard one moment, Mirar the next.” She grimaced. “He eventually sorted himself out. I thought he’d be safe here in Si, but he has a talent for getting himself in trouble. First you nearly kill him, then he narrowly avoided the White in Sennon, and now...” She shook her head.

Auraya looked at Jade skeptically. “Since you so obviously want me to ask: where is he now?”

The woman’s eyes flashed with amusement. “Do I? But I can’t tell you, or the gods will read it from your mind when you leave the void.”

“When I leave...?” Auraya frowned and looked around the cave, though she didn’t expect to see any visible clue to confirm her suspicions.

“The void surrounds us on all sides. The gods are beings of magic, so they can’t reach us here.”

Auraya considered this news. If Jade told her where Mirar was... but if Jade knew then the gods could take the information from her mind when she left the void anyway. Unless... unless Jade could hide her thoughts, as Mirar could. Auraya resisted the urge to stare at the woman. How powerful is she? Could she be another immortal?

“When I leave they will know you are here,” she observed. “They will read that from my mind, too.”

Jade spread her hands. “Yes. But why would that concern them? I am just an old curer with dubious friends.”

“If Mirar feared revealing your existence, then you have reason to fear it.”

Jade’s eyebrows rose. “So you’re not stupid. That’s good.”

“How do you plan to stop me leaving?”

“By making you an offer too good to refuse.”

“And if I refuse it and leave?”

“You will never see me again.”

The woman sounded confident. If she is an immortal, she has managed to evade the gods’ notice for over a hundred years. Keeping away from me shouldn’t be hard for her.

“What is your offer?”

Jade smiled. “To teach you how to hide your thoughts from the gods.”

So I was right. She can hide her mind. After all, she must be able to do it to be able to teach it.

“Why?”

“Why would I teach you or why would you agree to learn it?”

“Both.”

Jade leaned forward. “What if I told you Mirar was in trouble? That he needed your help? What would you say to that?”

“I would tell you I cannot help him,” Auraya replied without hesitation. Huan’s voice repeated in her mind: If you set yourself against us or the White, or if you ally yourself with our enemies, you will be regarded as our enemy. “What sort of trouble is he in?”

“Mortal danger.”

Auraya’s heart began to race. Was this woman testing her, or was he truly facing death? What if he is? She couldn’t - wouldn’t - help him if it meant making an enemy of the gods. Refusing to kill him had already cost her so much.

Abruptly, Jade stood up and moved away, walking to the pots by the wall.

“I’m glad I don’t have such a choice to make,” she said. “Though I never had a choice offered to me. I’ve always been despised by the gods.” She picked up a jar and turned to smile at Auraya. “Mirar is in Mur, in a little seaside town called Bria, where Dreamweavers are accepted by the locals for all their skills. He is in no danger.”

Auraya sighed with relief, but suspicion quickly returned. “You’re lying, at least about his location. You wouldn’t have told me where he was until I had agreed to learn to hide my thoughts.”

Jade unplugged the jar and sniffed the contents.

“Wouldn’t I?” She set the jar down again. “Are you willing to risk that it’s true, and be the cause of his demise?”

Auraya shook her head. “You haven’t answered my questions. Why do you want me to learn this?”

“Mirar asked me to teach it to you. He believes you are in danger and I fear he will come here himself if I don’t do it.”

“You risked exposing yourself on a whim of his?”

Jade’s expression became serious. “Not a whim, I’m afraid.” She walked back to the beds. “You are in danger.”