He walked back through the trees to the little campsite and handed the water skin to his sister. She took it without looking at him and sprinkled the berries with droplets of water. He stood looking at her for a moment, then sat down again. After they ate, they would bathe, he first, she later. They did that every night, using whatever water was at hand, washing themselves as best they could. There were no fresh clothes to change into, but at least they could keep their bodies clean. It was warm enough even at night to wash in the rivers and streams-in winter, in a land farther north than any part of the one he had come from. Bek wondered anew at the strangeness of such a thing, remembering Walker's own comment on it.
Grianne passed him a slice of bread covered with crushed berries reduced to a sugary spread, and he chewed on it thoughtfully, eyes on her face. She was still testy from his efforts at breaking down her disbelief earlier in the day. In fact, she had told him not to speak of it again. But he could not stay silent when there was so much at stake. Nor could he afford to wait until she was more receptive.
When she made the mistake of glancing over at him, he spoke at once.
"You're not thinking clearly," he said. "If you were, you would see all the flaws in your reasoning. You would see the gaps of logic in what you've been told."
She stared at him without expression and chewed slowly.
"If I'm not Bek, how come I have the same name? You say I was mind-altered to believe that 'Bek' was my real name. But Quentin has known me all of my life. So have my adoptive father and mother. I've been Bek since I was brought to them. Are they mind-altered, as well? Is everyone in Leah mind-altered to believe I'm someone I'm not?"
She made no response, other than to lift a slice of cheese to her mouth and take a bite.
"Or is Walker so clever that he's been planning all this since he brought me to Coran and Liria fifteen years ago?"
She stared at him, an insect regarding a leaf.
"That's what you believe, isn't it? You think he's been planning this charade all these years, just to trick you. But you can't tell me why he would do this, can you?"
She lifted the water skin to her lips and drank from it, then handed it over so that he could do the same. Her eyes were as flat and dead as those of a snake.
"Oh, that's right, he wants to break you down, to undermine your resolve, to get past your guard. That way he can subvert you, can turn you to his own uses, whatever they might be. He can steal your magic and make you his puppet. Just like he's done with me, only you're the bigger catch, because your magic is so much stronger than mine and you're a bigger threat to him." He let the sarcasm slide through his words like oil. "Shades, isn't it is a good thing you were smart enough to see this coming?"
She reached for the water skin and took it back from him. "I thought I told you not to speak of this again."
He shrugged. "You did." He finished off his bread and took a slice of the cheese. "But I can't help myself. I have to understand why you don't see the truth. Nothing you believe makes any sense at all." He paused. "What about the reason the Morgawr gave you for why Walker tried to steal you away in the first place? What about that? He said it was because Walker wanted you to become a Druid like he was, but our parents refused. They wouldn't allow it, wouldn't consider it, so he killed them and stole you away. Wasn't that a little clumsy, when there were so many more subtle ways to win you over? Why would he be stupid enough to let you witness the killing of our parents while snatching you away? Couldn't he have just mind-altered you instead? Wouldn't that have been a whole lot easier? He's clever enough, isn't he? His magic can make you believe anything. That's how he got to me."
Her eyes were locked on his. "You are not me. You are weak and stupid. You are a pawn, and you do not understand anything." She spoke without rancor or irritation. Her words were cold and lifeless, and they mirrored the pale, hard cast of her young face as she finished her bread and cheese without shifting her gaze from his, looking so deeply into his eyes that he thought she must see everything that was hidden there.
He shook off the chill her gaze made him feel. "What I understand," he said quietly, "is that you've become the very thing you were so intent on avoiding."
She shook her head quickly. "I am not a Druid," she said. "Don't call me that."
"You're as good as. The same as, really." He leaned forward in challenge. "Explain to me how you differ from Walker. Tell me what he has done in his life that you have not done in yours. Show me where the road you have traveled branches from his."
She regarded him silently, but her eyes were angry now. "You seem intent on provoking me."
"Do I? Let me tell you a story, Grianne. While I was on my way to Arborlon, I traveled with Quentin through the Silver River country. While I slept, I had a vision. The vision was of a young girl who appeared to me, then transformed into a monster, a thing so hideous I could barely manage to look upon it. That young girl was you at six years of age and the thing you transformed into seemed very like the Mwellrets you command. I believe in visions, in portents of things to come, in foreshadowings of the future. That was one. I was being shown your past and your future. I was being told that it was up to me to change your destiny, to prevent that transformation from happening."