The Last of the Wilds aotft-2 Read online

  My dreams are never this vivid...

  He leaned forward to kiss her.

  ... or this interesting.

  His lips met hers. It was no chaste, affectionate brush of magic. She felt his touch as if he were real.

  Suddenly she was sitting up on her elbows in bed again. Her heart was pounding, but not from fear. Lingering feelings of elation melted away, leaving her disturbed.

  What am I thinking? Gods, I hope Chaia wasn’t watching me!

  She tried to gather her thoughts. It wasn’t intentional. It was just a dream. She couldn’t control her dreams. Ah, if only I could!

  She lay back down, patting Mischief as he gave a sleepy whine at her movement.

  A dream, she told herself. Surely Chaia wouldn’t have been offended by that?

  Even so, it was a long time before she fell asleep again.

  It wasn’t easy staying awake. Imi stared at the ceiling, tracing the marks made hundreds of years before by the tools of cave-carvers.

  From the other side of the room came a soft wheezing.

  At last!

  She smiled and slowly began to climb out of the pool. It was one of Teiti’s duties to stay close to her at night in case she fell ill or called for help. Curtains dividing the room gave Imi some privacy, but they did not block sounds.

  Years before she had done something about that. She’d quietly complained to her father about her aunt’s snoring and suggested walls be built around the guardian’s sleeping pool. He had agreed, but she suspected only because Teiti had been the first guardian Imi had liked; he didn’t want to have to find her a new one.

  A single curved wall had been built beside the guardian’s pool, not quite meeting the room’s wall. Imi had told her father she been hoping for a complete room, including a door, but he only smiled and asked how Teiti was supposed to hear Imi call out for help if she was completely shut away.

  Imi found that the curved wall did block noises enough to allow her to creep about without waking her aunt. Ironically, Teiti had not been a snorer in those days, but had recently developed the habit. Now Imi had two reasons to be grateful for the wall.

  She brushed droplets of moisture off her skin, then paused to listen for Teiti’s snoring. Earlier that day, Imi had sent her aunt on several errands - tasks that only the princess’s guardian could carry out - in order to wear Teiti out. As she’d hoped, her aunt had wanted to retire early and had quickly fallen into a deep sleep.

  The soft wheeze of Teiti’s breathing continued. Imi walked over to a carving on the wall. Reaching behind, she found the bolt that held it fast and carefully pulled it aside. The carving swung outward like a door, revealing a hole in the wall.

  A large box lay on the floor under the carving. She stepped on top of it, then climbed into the hole. Looking back, she wedged her webbed toes in a bolt loop on the back of the carving and pulled it closed.

  It was utterly dark in the tunnel. Imi crawled forward, bothered less by the lack of light than by the closeness of the tunnel. She had grown quite a bit in the last year, and soon she would have trouble fitting into the small space.

  When the sound of her breathing changed subtly, she knew she was near the end of the tunnel. She reached forward and touched a hard surface. Tracing her fingertips over it, she found the bolt and slid it open.

  The hatch became visible as it opened and allowed in a faint light. She crept forward until her head was exposed. The inside of a wooden cupboard surrounded her. She paused to listen, then crawled farther forward so she could put her eye to the crack between the cupboard doors. The narrow room before her was empty and dim. Grabbing the frame of the hatch, she pulled herself out of the tunnel, unlatched the cupboard doors and stepped out.

  She went straight to the door of the room and peered through the little spy-hole in its center. It was high up, and she had only recently been able to reach it. Before she had been forced to open the door a crack to check outside.

  The passage beyond the door was empty. Satisfied, she turned to regard the room. The walls on either side were a mass of pipes. The end of each flared outward and were shaped like ears. Her father had told her long ago that he had a device that allowed him to listen into other people’s conversations. He had never shown her this room, however: she had found it herself.

  What he had shown her, years before, was the hole behind the carving in her room. He’d told her she was to hide there if the palace was attacked by bad people. She didn’t know whether he feared attack by landwalkers or from bad Elai. The landwalker raiders that had robbed and attacked Elai in the past couldn’t enter the city. They couldn’t hold their breath long enough to swim along the underwater entrance.

  If her father hadn’t meant for her to discover the room, she reasoned, he wouldn’t have shown her the tunnel behind the carving. For years now she had been venturing here every few weeks to listen in on conversations in and out of the palace.

  Through the device she had learned a great deal about many important people, and that people in different parts of the city lived very different lives. Sometimes she envied the other children she overheard. Sometimes she didn’t.

  Though she knew her father used this room, he had never discovered her here. She was also lucky that Teiti had never woken and found her missing, or caught Imi entering the hole behind the carving.

  Moving to one of the pipes, she put her ear to it. The voices that came whispering down the tube were quiet, but soon her hearing adjusted and she began to make out the words.

  “... not marry him, mother! He is more than twenty years older than me!”

  It was the voice of her cousin, Yiti. Imi frowned. Had she chosen the wrong pipe? No, she was definitely listening to the one that came from the jewellers’ cave. She put her ear back to the opening.

  “You will do as your father tells you, Yiti,” a woman replied calmly. “You will marry him, have his children, and when he dies of old age you will still be young enough to enjoy yourself. Now have a look at this one. Isn’t it pretty?”

  “Young enough? I will be an old crone! Who will want me then?”

  “You will be no older than I am now.”

  “Yes. An old crone with nothing to...”

  Imi pulled away from the pipe. Though she sympathized with Yiti, she couldn’t spend the whole night doing so. Her cousin and aunt must be visiting the jewellers’ cave in order to buy something for the wedding.

  She had tried the pipe to the jewellers’ cave first because it was one of the places the traders might go to sell their wares. There was a good chance they’d talk about sea bells.

  But they weren’t there. She considered where else they might be. At home, perhaps. Moving to a pipe that came from one of the trader’s homes, she listened carefully.

  The pipe offered only silence. She tried a few more homes and even the Main Room of the Palace, but though she heard the voices of other members of the traders’ families, or their servants, she heard nothing from the traders themselves.

  Frustrated, she selected pipes at random. After hearing countless snatches of conversation, she caught a laugh that sounded much like one of the traders. It was a good laugh. One that put people at ease. Which was probably useful to a trader, she realized suddenly. He wanted people to relax, and relaxed people bought things. She’d noticed that about her aunt. If Teiti was annoyed or unhappy when she was at the market, she hardly looked at the wares in the stalls. If she was relaxed, she was much more likely to buy Imi a treat.

  “... wager?”

  “Yes. Ten.”

  “Twenty.”

  “Twenty, eh? Matched!”

  “You?”

  A sigh. “Out.”

  “Settled? Yes? Turn.”

  There was a triumphant chuckle, and a groan, then the light sound of corrie shells clinking against each other. She recognized the voices of the traders she’d overheard, plus a few more. They were playing squares, she guessed.

  For several more rounds the trader
s’ comments related to their gaming, then they took a break to eat a late-night snack and drink drai. They began to talk of their families. She waited patiently for the talk to turn to their profession.

  “Gili says he saw raiders off Xiti Island three days ago.”

  “Not raiders,” a rough voice said. “Divers.”

  Several of the traders cursed.

  “Knew we shouldn’t have waited.”

  “It was a gamble we had to take. It takes time for sea bells to get big.”

  “And a lot less time for the landwalkers to steal them.”

  “Thin, pale-skinned thieves!”

  Imi’s heart skipped a beat. So the sea bells were somewhere near Xiti Island...

  “Steal?” The one with the easy laugh gave a humorless chuckle. “It’s not stealing if nobody owns it. Nobody owns anything they can’t defend. We can’t even defend our own islands.”

  “Huan made us the people of the sea. All treasures of the sea belong to us.”

  “Then why doesn’t the goddess punish these divers? Why doesn’t she punish the raiders? If she means for us to have all the treasures of the ocean, she would stop the landwalkers taking them, or make us capable of stopping them.”

  “Huan wants us to take care of ourselves.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Either she means for things to be this way, or we have made some error.”

  Imi sighed with frustration. Stop talking about the gods! she thought. Talk about the sea bells again. But the conversation fragmented into two different discussions.

  “We should never have put aside so much of our knowledge of metallurgy. Or we should trade goods for swords from the mainland.”

  “... lone swimmer might succeed where a group would not. The harvest was small, but better than...”

  “What’s the use? They rust away in...”

  “... dangerous. What if...”

  “... you care for them properly. You need to...”

  “... time it well. The right weather conditions... harder to see below the...”

  “... surface with something to prevent corrosion. The landwalkers...”

  “... won’t dive during bad weather.”

  Imi’s mind was spinning from the effort of deciphering the different conversations. The trouble was, she wanted to hear both. The traders’ discussion of how a lone Elai might swim in and take some of the sea bells excited her, but she was also intrigued by the other traders’ interest in trading with landwalkers.

  A distant tapping caught at her attention. She reluctantly pulled away from the pipe, then felt her heart constrict as she realized she was hearing footsteps drawing nearer. She leapt away from the pipe and dove into the cupboard. Just as she pulled the doors closed she heard the sound of the main door opening. She froze.

  Looking between the cupboard doors, she felt a thrill of apprehension as she recognized the broad shoulders of the man strolling up to the pipes. At the same time she could not help smiling with fondness. Her father was humming to himself. She recognized the song as a popular new tune by Idi, the beautiful new head of the palace singers.

  He bent to listen at the pipe that led to the singers’ cave. Imi watched, her heart racing. He was only a few steps away. Only the cupboard doors stood between them.

  After a moment he straightened, smoothed his waist wrap, then swaggered out of the room.

  Breathing a sigh of relief, Imi turned around. She grasped the frame of the hatch and pulled herself into the tunnel. Only when she had reached the other end did her heart stop racing.

  She slipped out of the tunnel quietly, pushed the carving into place, and tiptoed back to her pool. Moving carefully to avoid splashing, she slipped into the water and felt the comforting coolness as it surrounded her.

  I know where the sea bells are now, she thought. All I have to do is find a way to get away from Teiti and my guards, and slip out of the city. There are only two ways out of the city: the staircase to the lookout and the Main Pool... When did I decide I’d go, rather than send someone?

  It wasn’t until the next morning that she began to wonder why her father had been eavesdropping on the singers’ cave.

  5

  The old storehouse was full of tantalizing smells. The odors were of wooden shipping trunks and straw mixed with the variety of goods they had contained, spiced with the salty tang of the sea breeze coming in from the docks a few streets away.

  In one room the pungent odor of hroomya, the dye that produced an intense blue, overwhelmed all other scents. In another the warm smell of oiled leather dominated. One room was highly perfumed, while another’s stained floor reeked like a drink house. Goods from all lands of Northern Ithania had been stored here, from places Auraya had never seen.

  A knocking brought her out of her reverie. She realized she had wandered far down the corridor and hastily turned back. As she reached the hall in which the former owner had conducted his business with customers, she stopped. Am I ready to do this?

  She took a deep breath and made herself walk over to the main doors.

  As ready as I’ll ever be, she told herself. All I can do is try to keep any less pleasant consequences as small as possible.

  She straightened as she reached the heavy wooden doors. Grasping the handles, she pulled them inward. They parted and swung open with a satisfyingly impressive creak. Auraya smiled at the woman in Dreamweaver robes standing behind them.

  Raeli, Dreamweaver Adviser to the White, gave Auraya a wary look. She had never made any attempt to hide her distrust of the White, but had always been cooperative. Auraya read from the woman’s mind that this strange meeting place had sparked both curiosity and wariness in the woman.

  “Come in, Dreamweaver Adviser Raeli,” Auraya said, beckoning.

  “Thank you, Auraya of the White,” Raeli replied. As she stepped inside her eyes moved around, taking in the storeroom’s hall and the corridor that led away. “Why have you brought me here?”

  Auraya chuckled. “You come straight to the point. I like that about you.”

  She indicated that Raeli should follow her, then, without waiting to see if she did, started walking slowly down the corridor. “Jarime is a large city and is growing ever larger. Until now the sick had to visit the Temple or send someone there to collect a healer priest when they needed the help of Circlian healers.” She glanced over her shoulder and was pleased to see that Raeli was following. Slowing so that the Dreamweaver caught up, she gestured at the empty rooms. “It is a long journey for some. To alleviate that problem, we are going to turn this place into a hospice.”

  Raeli considered this news. It is a good idea, she thought. It is about time the Circlians took better care of the poor living in this district. The distance to the Temple is a problem that some people overcome by consulting us Dreamweavers instead... Are the Circlians trying to take our custom away? Why has Auraya invited me here to tell me this? Her plans must involve Dreamweavers. At once Raeli felt a rising suspicion.

  “What do you want of us?” she blurted.

  Auraya stopped at the entrance to the room that smelled of leather and turned to face the Dreamweaver. “To invite your people to join us. Dreamweavers and healer priests working together. I’d say it was for the first time, but it has happened before.”

  Raeli frowned. “When?”

  “After the battle.”

  The Dreamweaver stared at Auraya. So they admit we were useful, she thought. It would be nice if they thanked us. Or we got some kind of acknowledgment for our work... but I suppose this is an acknowledgment. Her skepticism faltered for a moment and she felt a small thrill of hope.

  Auraya looked away. “Of course, it might not work. Several healer priests have volunteered to work here with you, but they may find they are less tolerant and open-minded than they believe. The sick who come here might not accept your help. I doubt we will overcome more than a century of prejudice in a few weeks, months or even years. But,” she shrugged, “we can
only try.”

  The Dreamweaver moved into the opposite room, her nose wrinkling at whatever smell lingered there.

  “I can’t answer for my people. It is a decision for the Elder.”

  “Of course.”

  Raeli glanced back. “This place will need a good clean.”

  Auraya smiled ruefully. “Some rooms more than others. Would you like to have a look around?” She saw the answer in Raeli’s mind. “Come then. I’ll show you - and tell you my plans for modifications. I’d like your opinion on how we should change the water supply system.”

  This time, as she continued down the corridor, Raeli walked beside her. Auraya described how both cold and heated water could be piped through the building. Each room would be fitted with a drain to allow for easy cleaning. There were operating rooms for surgery, and storerooms for medicines and tools. Raeli made simple suggestions in a quiet voice and thought frequently of older, more experienced Dreamweavers who could give better advice.

  When they had explored every room they returned to the main hall. Raeli was quiet and thoughtful, musing that she had always laughed at the title of Dreamweaver Adviser because she didn’t believe the White would ever listen to her advice. Then suddenly she looked up at Auraya.

  “Have you heard from Leiard?”

  Auraya felt a jolt inside. She stared at Raeli in surprise.

  “No,” she forced herself to answer. “You?”

  Raeli shook her head. Scanning the woman’s thoughts, Auraya understood that Leiard had not just disappeared from her own life. No Dreamweavers had seen him since the battle. The Dreamweaver Elder, Arleej, was concerned about him and had asked all Dreamweavers to report to her if he was seen.

  She felt a stab of worry and guilt. Had he fled everything and everyone out of fear that Juran or the gods would punish him for daring to be her lover? Or was he simply obeying Juran’s orders? But Juran had said he had ordered Leiard to leave, not to disappear completely.

  He didn’t order Leiard to sleep with a whore, either, she reminded herself. She started toward the hallway and Raeli followed. He must have known I’d read his mind the next time I saw him - whenever that might be - and see his infidelity.