Last of the Wilds

49



Auraya stopped and looked up at the Altar. The five sides were upright, closed to the world. Scenes from the day played through her mind.

Mischief had announced her return, somehow slipping out of her room to find Mairae’s veez, Stardust. Soon after, she had been summoned to Juran’s room. Mairae had been there, with both veez.

“Why didn’t you tell us you had arrived?” Juran had asked.

“I expected the gods would tell you when I arrived. I was surprised you weren’t there to meet me.” She shrugged. “It was late and I decided not to wake anyone.”

He had nodded at that. “I want you to tell me everything that happened, from the moment you first discovered Mirar, as Leiard, was in Si.”

So she had related everything. It had taken some hours. She was interrupted from time to time with questions from the other White. Dyara and Rian were listening through a link to Juran.

When she finally finished, Juran had spoken of the gods’ punishment and asked if she was willing to accept it.

“For myself, I am,” she had told him. “But I find it hard to accept that the Siyee are being punished for my actions.”

:You should have thought of the possible consequences to the Siyee before you disobeyed the gods, Dyara had said.

“I would never have guessed the gods would be so, so… would make such a decision,” Auraya answered.

:You still question the gods’ wisdom, Rian said.

“Yes,” she replied. He had made several such lofty comments. “If the ability to question was not a requirement of being a White, the gods would not have chosen me. And it certainly would have reduced the candidates at Choosing Ceremonies.”

Auraya remembered seeing Mairae smile at that, but when Juran had turned in her direction she had schooled her expression to one of stern disapproval. That was when I realized they all felt they must behave as if I were a disgraced child. That they must quash any sympathy they felt, whether for me or for my decisions.

:Those worthy of serving the gods are few, Rian had said next.

She had winced at that. I know I have been a fool, she thought. I don’t regret it, since the only other option was to be a hypocrite and a murderer. I only wish being a fool hadn‘t had such an impact on the Siyee. I would do anything to make up for that.

Juran had stepped in then, saying that they should endeavor to cooperate and avoid unnecessary conflict. That matters should return to how they had been before. Mairae had looked at him with an expression of sadness and pity.

“I doubt matters will ever be the way they were before,” she had murmured.

Auraya wondered who Mairae had been referring to. Herself, perhaps? Had the gods’ decisions caused another White to question? Or was Mairae referring to all the White? Or just me.

She obviously wasn’t referring to the Siyee. Nobody seemed at all concerned about the sky people. When Juran had finally ushered Auraya from his room, she had turned back and asked him if he wanted to learn Mirar’s healing Gift. He had shaken his head as if the idea appalled him.

A faint sigh of air drew Auraya’s attention back to the Altar. The five sides were beginning to hinge open. She felt her heart stop, then begin racing.

I am about to take an enormous risk, she thought. I might lose everything. But as Mairae had said, matters would never be the same. I have already lost a great deal. If I lose the rest, I’ll just have to accept that.

Hurried footsteps echoed in the Dome. She turned to see Juran and Mairae striding toward her. Turning away, Auraya walked up to the Altar’s table and sat in her chair.

“What have you called us here for?” Juran demanded as he reached the Altar.

“I have a question to ask the gods,” she replied, meeting his eyes. “One that you may wish to hear the answer to.”

He stared at her, clearly annoyed that she had called a meeting without consulting him first. “Which is?”

“You will hear it just as soon as you begin the rite, and the gods appear.”

He hesitated, then Mairae put a hand on his shoulder.

“Go on. I doubt we’ll get it out of her any other way.”

Sighing, Juran took his place. Mairae slid gracefully into her chair, her eyes aglow with curiosity.

“You’re certainly keeping us entertained, Auraya,” she said approvingly, in a near whisper.

Auraya managed a smile. She looked at Juran expectantly. He sighed again, then closed his eyes.

“Chaia, Huan, Lore, Yranna, Saru,” he intoned. “Once again, we thank you for the peace you brought to Northern Ithania and the Gifts that have allowed us to keep it. We thank you for your wisdom and guidance.”

“We thank you,” Auraya murmured along with Mairae. She concentrated on the magic around the Altar, but felt no sign of the gods.

“Auraya wishes to ask of you a question. If you will allow her an answer, please appear before us.”

“Guide us,” she murmured.

Juran opened his eyes and leaned back in his chair. Meeting his gaze, she saw disbelief in them. He did not expect the gods to respond. But as she stared back at him she felt presences at the edge of her senses. They moved toward her.

Five glowing figures slowly appeared around the Altar. Chaia appeared beside Juran. He looked at her and smiled, but then his smile faded as he saw what was in her mind.

:What is your question, Auraya?

Huan had spoken. Auraya felt a sudden trepidation. This was the goddess she had defied. This was also the one who demanded unquestioning obedience.

Forcing herself to face Huan, Auraya gathered her courage.

“Will you allow me to resign from my position as White?”

Juran gasped and Mairae drew in a sharp breath.

“No, Auraya!” Juran said. “That is not necessary.”

“We were all a bit harsh on you today. You can’t take Rian too seriously,” Mairae added.

Auraya kept her gaze on Huan. The goddess’s eyes narrowed.

:Where will you go?

“To Si.”

Huan looked at her fellow gods.

:We must discuss it. Remain here.

The five figures vanished. Auraya drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“Auraya,” Juran said sternly. “You said you would accept the gods’ punishment.”

She turned to stare at him. “And I have. But I cannot accept their abandonment of the Siyee.”

He frowned. “Are they worth giving up your position, your immortality—your power of flight? How can you help them without that?”

“I will do what I can,” she told him. “I…” She shook her head. At the limits of her senses was a buzzing. Concentrating on it, she was surprised to find she could make out words.

:… warned you this might happen, but you insisted on testing her again and again.

It was Chaia, she realized. He was angry.

:No more than we have tested the others, Huan replied.

:After many years in service!

:She was the last White. She was never going to have the luxury of time to get used to her role. Now we can find a more worthy replacement. What say the rest of us?

:Agreed, Lore said.

:Yes, Yranna added.

:Give her what she wants, Sam agreed. Then we can get rid of her.

:Only if she turns against us, Chaia corrected, his tone firm. I say we should keep Auraya a White.

:You are out-voted, but we will let her go to Si. The shock of her resignation will be damaging enough, though knowing she left to help the Siyee will reduce the… Wait. She can hear us! Huan exclaimed.

:I warned you. You know she can sense us when we‘re close, Chaia said, perhaps a little smugly. Does this change your mind?

:No, Huan said.

The gods drew closer and moved into their positions around the table. Auraya realized she had been staring blankly at Juran, and looked away. The five gods reappeared.

:We grant you your request, Huan said.

:There are conditions, Chaia added. You must not seek to rule a land or people for yourself. If you set yourself against us or the White, or our work, or if you ally yourself with our enemies, you will be regarded as our enemy.

“That is reasonable. I accept your conditions.”

:Remove the ring.

Auraya’s heart lurched again. She held out her hand, then slowly drew the white ring off her finger. Standing up, she turned to face Chaia.

“Serving you has been the greatest joy and honor, but it is clear you need someone in this position more worthy of it. I do not wish to turn from you. You still have my respect and love, and I will continue to serve you as a priestess if that is acceptable to you.”

Chaia looked at Huan.

:That, as always, will be a decision for the White to make, he said.

Huan’s eyes narrowed slightly. Auraya glanced at Juran, then looked down at the ring. Taking a deep breath, she placed it on the table. She felt nothing—no wrenching loss, no change at all. Taking a step back, she straightened and looked up at Juran again.

He regarded the ring with a grim expression. Well he should, she thought. The White are vulnerable without a fifth member. But I’m sure the gods won’t leave them so for long. I doubt they’ll wait another twenty-five years to replace me.

She looked at Mainte. To her surprise, the young woman smiled and nodded. There was a friendly respect in her eyes. She doubted the other White felt the same. Dyara and Rian were sure to be watching through Juran and Mairae. Dyara will be disappointed, Auraya thought. Rian, however, will be overjoyed.

:Your decision cannot be reversed, Huan said. However, there is no need for you to remain in Jarime. You may return to Si.

Auraya nodded and made the formal sign of the circle. “Thank you.”

The gods vanished.

Auraya paused, uncertain what to do or say next. Juran was still staring at the ring. Slowly he reached out and picked it up. His eyes rose to hers.

“You sacrificed everything for the Siyee,” he stated.

She smiled. “Yes.” She thought of Mirar’s belief that her Gift of flight was her own.

“But maybe not everything,” Mairae said.

Auraya looked at the woman in surprise.

“I can read your mind now,” Mairae explained.

“Of course.” Auraya shook her head. “I didn’t think of that.”

“Well, are you going to try to fly?”

Auraya looked at Mairae, then focused her mind on her sense of her position in the world. She could still feel it. Drawing magic, she lifted herself upward. Mairae gave a laugh of triumph.

“Yes! You can still help the Siyee.”

Relief rushed through Auraya and she found herself grinning. “I can reach them. All I have to find out now is whether I can still heal them.”

“Then I guess you will be leaving as soon as possible,” Juran said. He looked tired. Auraya dropped to the ground again.

“Yes. I only need to pick up Mischief and a few belongings.”

He nodded, then stood up. “Take care of yourself, Auraya. I don’t need to tell you to avoid Pentadrian sorcerers. I… I must consult the others before deciding if you may remain a priestess.”

“I understand.”

“Drop by now and then, so we can catch up,” Mairae added.

Auraya smiled. “You must both come to Si some time. Perhaps you could sail to the coast. I think you’d like it there.”

Mairae looked at Juran. “We should make the effort.”

He nodded, then led the way down the Altar to the Dome’s floor. “We should. And it may be of great advantage to us to have a priestess living in Si who can reach us quickly.”

Auraya looked at him sideways. “I would like to continue working with you, too, Juran of the White.”

He looked at her, then for the first time since she had returned, he smiled.


Her boat was just where she had left it. Emerahl turned to Surim and Tamun.

“Thank you for your hospitality,” she said.

Tamun smiled and opened her arms wide. To Emerahl’s surprise, the normally reserved woman stepped forward and embraced her.

“I should be thanking you for coming here and giving me someone to talk to.”

“Other than me,” Surim added.

“You’re not such bad company yourselves,” Emerahl said.

As Tamun stepped back, Surim gave Emerahl a hug, squeezing the breath out of her.

“Take care of yourself, Old Hag.”

“You take care of each other.”

“Oh, we’re good at that. We’ve always looked after each other.”

“For better or worse,” Tamun added. Then she cleared her throat. “That’s enough, brother.” Surim released Emerahl and stepped back, grinning.

“But it’s been so long since I had another woman in my arms.”

Tamun made a low noise. “A few weeks, from what I recall.”

“A few weeks is a long time.” He looked thoughtful. “Hmmm, and I think it’s probably time I did another trip downstream.”

“That swamp girl takes too much of your attention,” Tamun said disapprovingly.

“She’s a little old to be called a girl, though I’m sure she’d be flattered by it.”

Tamun made a low noise, but said nothing. She handed Emerahl a bag—the one Emerahl had been watching her making.

“This contains food and clean water, and those local cures we talked about.”

“Thank you.”

“We’ll try to contact you every night,” Surim told her. “In dreams.”

“And I will contact you if I learn anything new.”

They both nodded. Surim frowned. “We would go ourselves, but you know the world that exists now much better than we do. Though we skim the minds of mortals every day, we cannot be sure what we have learned will enable us to survive.”

“And if we did go, we ought to separate.” Surim didn’t say how much they didn’t want to. He didn’t have to. His normally bright voice was strained.

“We will be of better use skimming minds and feeding what we learn to another.”

Emerahl smiled and raised her hands. “Stop it. I understand your reluctance. I want to do this. Even if we don’t find a way to kill the gods, knowing more about them—especially their limitations—is always a worthwhile pursuit.”

“It’s your quest,” Surim said, chuckling. “That’s what The Seer would have called it, anyway.”

Emerahl laughed. “She would have called it ‘The Quest for the Scroll of the Gods.’ ”

Tamun nodded. “And she would have written some appalling poetry and called it ‘prophecy.’ A green-eyed sprite will find the scroll; save the world and everyone’s soul.”

“Stop. Please.” Still chuckling, Emerahl turned to the boat. She unwound the mooring line from the pottery urn and stepped aboard. At once the vessel began to drift away from the ledge and The Twins.

“The current will take you out,” Surim called.

“Good luck,” Tamun added.

Emerahl set down the bag and looked over her shoulder. Already the current had taken her halfway across the cavern. The brother and sister waved. She raised a hand in reply.

Then, as her boat reached the cave entrances on the other side, she turned to the front and guided it into the main tunnel.

She chuckled to herself. The Quest for the Scroll of the Gods has begun.


Nothing had been said since they had left the island. Nothing could be said, since they swam the whole way with only a few short rests. When Imi had begun to lag behind, warriors had caught her hands and pulled her along, which would have been fun if everyone hadn’t been so serious.

Now, as Imi emerged from the water beside her father, she found just wading through it took an immense effort. Her whole body ached. Her legs hurt from so much swimming and her shoulders were sore from being hauled along. She was relieved when her father, having reached the edge of the Mouth, stopped.

“My people. Citizens of Borra.”

She looked up, surprised by her father’s voice suddenly booming loudly from beside her. Seeing the crowds of Elai milling around the edge of the Mouth, she realized that many had gathered to await their return. And for news.

“Today I have made a great gamble, but one I know many of you support. I have struck an agreement with the Pentadrians. They will trade with us, they will teach us— and you all know they have much to teach—and they will come to our aid in times of trouble.

“There is danger in such an agreement, and it relies on trust and integrity on both sides. But it also offers great benefits. I believe, with the Pentadrians’ help, we will grow stronger. Perhaps strong enough that we will no longer need to hide here in this city. Perhaps strong enough that not only will we no longer need to fear landwalker raiders, but we will rid the seas of their filth.”

He looked around at the faces before them. Some were frowning, but most looked pleased. He glanced at Imi, then took her hand.

“Together we will grow proud and strong, and live to occupy the islands once more!”

Someone cheered, then more voices joined in. Imi felt her weariness fade. She looked up at her father and grinned. He smiled at her, and for the first time it was not a wary half-smile, but one of determination.

And, together, they began to walk through the crowd toward the palace.


Danjin settled into a chair beside his wife. Silava smiled at him and put aside the letter she was reading. Rising, she collected a jug of tintra that had been warming by the brazier and poured some into a goblet for him. Returning to her chair, she picked up the letter again.

“Which daughter is it this time?” he asked.

“Your eldest,” she replied in mock disapproval at his tone. “Your granddaughter had a fever, but she appears to have recovered. Do you think we could visit them again this summer?”

“That depends whether—”

A knock interrupted him. Their servant appeared and hurried to the main door. Danjin caught a glimpse of a white-clothed man before the door closed again.

“A message for Fa-Spear,” the servant said respectfully, handing Danjin a metal cylinder.

Silava glanced at the message. “Off to the Temple again?”

He regarded the metal cylinder in puzzlement. “They usually just tell me to come. This is formal.”

“Perhaps it is an invite to a special ceremony.”

“Perhaps.” He examined the seal. It was unbroken. The cylinder was no fake, as far as he could tell.

Silava drummed her fingers on the arm-rest of her chair. “Are you going to open it?”

“Eventually.”

“Why not now?”

“You haven’t nagged me enough yet.”

He ducked as she threw her empty goblet at him. Laughing, he broke the seal and tipped out the scroll inside. Silava rose to collect her goblet and refill it with tintra. Danjin uncurled the scroll.

His eyes moved across the words, but his mind refused to comprehend them. Or so he wished. When he had read the message three times he laid it aside, then stared at the brazier as he struggled with disbelief.

“What did it say?” Silava asked.

“Auraya has resigned.”

He saw Silava’s head come up abruptly. She said nothing for a moment.

“Did it say why?”

“No, but it said she has returned to Si. She came here. To Jarime. She didn’t tell me.”

“Of course not. If people had known what she was going to do there would have been an uproar.”

“I suppose so. I would have kept it a secret, but if she didn’t want the other White knowing her plans she might—”

Another knock came from the door. This time Danjin rose and answered it. A white-clothed messenger solemnly handed Danjin another message cylinder, made the sign of the circle, then strode back to a Temple platten.

Danjin had the seal broken and the scroll in his hands before he reached his chair. When he saw Auraya’s graceful writing he felt a rush of relief. She hadn’t forgotten him.


To Danjin Spear,


I have little time to linger in Jarime, so I must make this regrettably short. Today I made a difficult decision, but one that I do not regret. I have resigned from the White in order to dedicate myself to helping the Siyee.


I wish I could deliver this news in person, but each moment I linger more Siyee may die of Hearteater. I want to thank you for all your advice and assistance this last year and a half. You have been as much a friend as an adviser and I will miss your wisdom and humor. I will recommend that the White instate you as the adviser for my replacement. I know you will do well.


A good future to you,


Auraya Dyer


“That’s nice,” Silava said. “She sounds rushed.”

Danjin looked up to find his wife standing by his shoulder. He shook his head at her. “This might have contained secret information.”

She patted his shoulders. “It might have. I took a risk. What will you do with the ring?”

He looked down at his hand. “I expect they’ll ask for it back.”

“Probably. It might not even work any more.”

“No.” He slipped it off his finger and cupped it in his hand. Looking at it, he felt a pang of sadness. “She was a good White. Too good. She’s given it all up to help the Siyee.”

“I know,” Silava said soothingly. “Let me take that and put it somewhere safe for now.”

He handed her the ring. Her footsteps moved away, then stopped and she returned. Taking the jug from the brazier, she topped up his goblet.

“Drink. It’ll warm you up. And think of this: it’s going to be months before they find a new White. We’ll have all that time to ourselves.”

He looked up at her. “And we’ll be free to visit our daughters for the summer, too, I suppose.”

She pretended to be surprised. “I hadn’t thought of that… but you’re right.”

As she walked away, he chuckled. At least his wife was happy. Looking down at the letter he felt a wry amusement. Since Auraya had first met the Siyee she had been enchanted by them. I hope that means you’re happy too, Auraya, he thought. I hope the sacrifice is worth it.

And I guess I should welcome you back to the world of mortals.