The Last Of The Wilds (19 page)

“It was a beautiful ceremony, Dedicated Servant Nekaun,” Imenja told him.

He bowed his head. “Thank you, Second Voice. And thank you all for participating.”

Imenja’s expression became serious. “We have always done so. This year it is all the more important to take joy in the creation of new life as well as grieve loss and death. It gives us hope.”

Nekaun nodded. “It does indeed. Will you be returning to the Sanctuary now, or would you like to stay for the feast?”

“We will return now,” she replied. “As always there is much for us to do.”

“Then let me escort you to the gate.”

Reivan watched him closely. She tried to imagine him proud and all powerful like Kuar had been, rather than this friendly and obliging Dedicated Servant, and found she couldn’t.

One thing is sure
, she mused.
If he becomes First Voice he will be nothing like his predecessor. If that is better or worse, I cannot guess
.

As the platten turned into the street, Auraya was relieved to see that no crowd waited outside the hospice. Four guards stood beside the door, alert and ready to call for help from those that waited inside if there was trouble they could not handle on their own.

Extra guards had been employed after two had been overcome by street thugs a few nights ago, allowing a gang to break into the hospice. The intruders had smashed some of the furniture and stolen supplies, but had not damaged or taken anything that was irreplaceable. Nobody had seen the looters, but the mugs that had been hired to tackle the guards had been found. They claimed their employers were rich young men from the high end of the city.

A worker was touching up the paintwork, his movements hurried. Auraya read from his mind that someone had distracted the guards last night and painted à derogatory phrase about Dreamweavers on the wall. She smothered a sigh.

Resistance to the hospice was inevitable. People rarely gave up their prejudices overnight, even if it appeared the gods wanted them to. If they didn’t like what the gods decided, they reasoned that the decision was simply a foolish human’s misinterpretation of their will.

And they could be right
, she mused.
My orders came from Juran, not directly from any god
. Yet even if the idea of starting a hospice had been Juran’s alone, the gods would have put a stop to it if they disapproved.

The painter looked up. His eyes widened as he saw her. He made a few more jabs at the hospice façade with his brush, then hurried inside. As the platten pulled up before the door, the guards stood to attention and made the sign of the circle.

Auraya picked up the parcel lying on the seat beside her and stepped down to the pavement. She strode to the door of the hospice and pushed it open with magic. As she stepped into the hall inside, several faces turned toward her. She sensed the priests’ and priestesses’ relief that she had arrived and knew that they had been waiting in a tense silence. The cause of their awkwardness were five Dreamweavers standing calmly behind Raeli. Though these men and woman looked relaxed, Auraya detected anticipation, curiosity and fear.

She smiled at them all and, as always, was a little amazed at how the simple gesture could ease the tension in a room.

“Thank you for coming,” she began, meeting the gaze of each person. “What we begin today is a noble task, but one not without dangers. Recent events have convinced me that a public ceremony to celebrate the opening of this hospice would only invite trouble, and I know you all agree. Instead we will mark the occasion quietly and privately.

“Dreamweaver Adviser Raeli and High Priest Teelor, will you come forward.”

The two approached her, both serious, both dignified. Auraya unwrapped the parcel, revealing a wooden plaque inlaid with gold lettering:
For the benefit of all
. She sensed the Dreamweavers’ and healers’ approval.

The plaque had been Danjin’s idea, and he had come up with the words. To him it was suitably ironic, since the Dreamweaver policy of never refusing help was going to lead to their downfall. For Auraya it was a reminder of why she was doing this: to save souls that might turn away from the gods.

Raeli and Teelor glanced back at the entrance to the corridor, where two sets of steps had been placed. A pair of chains hung down from the top of the entrance, spaced at the same distance apart as the hooks set into the top of the plaque. Auraya held the plaque out to the pair. They took hold of either end, carried the plaque together to the corridor entrance, climbed the stairs and attached the chains. When the plaque hung in place, Auraya spread her hands in a suitably dramatic gesture.

“I declare the hospice open.”

The Dreamweavers and healers relaxed. Descending the steps, Raeli and Teelor turned to regard each other. A smile spread across Teelor’s face and the corner of Raeli’s lips curled upward slightly.

“Everything is in place,” Auraya said. “All we need now is someone to treat.”

The pair exchanged glances.

“Actually,” Teelor said. “We have already. They came in last night. A woman having difficulty giving birth and an old man with lung sickness.”

“The woman and babe are recovering,” Raeli added. “The old man…” She shrugged. “It is age as well as illness ailing him, I think. We have made him comfortable.”

Teelor’s eyebrows rose. “Turns out they can’t cure everything,” he murmured to Auraya.

Raeli’s mouth quirked into a crooked smile. “Age is not a disease,” she told him. “It is a natural process of life. After thousands of years of gathering knowledge, we have no delusions about what can or cannot be achieved.”

The high priest chuckled. “I would not be surprised if you used that excuse for all the cases you fail to cure,” he teased.

Auraya watched them both in surprise and amazement. These two appeared to have formed a bond of respect, perhaps even the beginnings of friendship. When had that happened? She looked closer and saw memories of a long night struggling together to save the mother and her child. It had been a learning experience for both of them.

She felt a stirring of hope, but it was stilled again by the recollection of what she was truly meaning to achieve here. Yet the nagging guilt was eased by the knowledge that, by learning from the Dreamweavers, the healer priests were going to be able to help many, many more people. Suddenly she saw the whole project in a different way. There was little in life that did not have bad as well as good effects. This hospice was one of them. All in all, the good outweighed the bad.

And that was a typically Dreamweaverish way to look at it.

“You’re getting a bit old for this,” Teiti said. “But I suppose it’s good for you to have friends outside the palace, too.”

Imi pulled a face. “Of course I’m not too old! There are children older than me here.”

Her aunt looked out toward the other side of the Children’s Pool and scowled disapprovingly. “I know.”

Following her gaze, Imi saw that the usual crowd of older children had garnered by the edge of the deeper section. Unlike the young boys and girls splashing about in the rest of the pool, these lounged around as if they were above childish games. There were plenty of boys and girls in pairs, too, some with arms linked.

Not too far away, some slightly younger children mimicked the older ones. But most had not quite grown beyond their dislike of the opposite gender and their attempts at serious talk often dissolved into childish romping.

It was this group that Imi headed for once she entered the water. There was a boy called Rissi among them who often boasted of his travels outside the city with his trader father, and of knowing secret ways to smuggle things out of the city, and she wanted to talk to him.

The children regarded her with wary interest as she swam up to them. They always let her join in their romping and listen to their conversations. She hoped this was because they liked her, not because they didn’t dare tell a princess to go away.

Rissi was among them. He grinned as she drew herself up onto the bank beside them.

“Hi, Princess,” he said.

“Hi,” she replied. “Been on any adventures lately?”

His nose wrinkled. “Father found out I skipped lessons. Won’t let me go with him on the next trip.”

She scowled in sympathy. “That’s no fun.”

“The king’s birthday is in three days,” one of the girls said to her. “Are you excited?”

Imi grinned. “Yes!”

“Decided who you’re taking with you yet?”

This was the third time the girl had asked this question in the last few weeks. Imi hadn’t understood why she might “take someone with her” at first, since she already lived at the palace. Then, last night, she had realized this girl wanted to come to the party, and hoped Imi would invite her.

“I haven’t had a chance to ask father,” Imi replied. She sighed. “He’s very busy. I haven’t seen him in a week.”

They made sympathetic noises. The conversation turned to other matters. Imi listened and occasionally asked questions. Some of the questions she’d asked .them in the past had been met with frowns or even smothered laughter, but the more she learned about their lives the easier it was to ask questions that made sense to them.

Teasing started, then the boys began wrestling. For once Rissi didn’t join in, though he watched their antics with a grin. Imi moved closer and called his name. He looked at her in surprise.

“If your father won’t take you out of the city, why don’t you go on your own?” she suggested.

He stared at her, then shook his head. “I’d get into trouble.”

“You’re already in trouble,” she pointed out.

He laughed. “You’re right. I may as well do what I want. But where would I go?”

“I can think of a place. I overheard someone talking about it weeks ago. A place where there’s treasure.”

From the way he looked at her, she knew she’d caught his interest.

“Where?”

She swam a little away from him. “It’s a secret.”

“I won’t tell.”

“No? What if you were seen swimming out the main tunnel? They’d want to find out why.”

“I wouldn’t tell them.”

“What if your father said he wouldn’t take you out ever again? I bet you’d tell then.”

He frowned and looked away. “Maybe. But I wouldn’t go that way.”

She feigned surprise. “What other way is there?”

“A secret way.”

“There’s another way into the city?”

He looked at her. “No. You can only go out that way ‘cause of the currents.”

She waded closer and lowered her voice. “If you show me the way out, I’ll show you where the secret treasure is.”

He paused and regarded her thoughtfully.

“It would be lots more fun than hanging around here all day,” she said.

“Do you promise to show me the treasure?” he asked.

“I promise.”

“On your father’s life?”

The vow was a common one among the children, but it still made her pause.

“I promise, on my father’s life, to show you the secret treasure if you show me the secret way out of the city.”

He nodded, then grinned. “Follow me.”

She blinked in surprise. “You want to go now?”

“Why not?”

She glanced back at Teiti, who was watching her closely.

“Wait. We’ll have to trick my aunt or she’ll stop me.”

“No need,” Rissi said. “You can get there from this pool. She’ll see you dive, and not know where you came up. By the time she realizes you’re not here any more, we’ll be gone.”

This was the opportunity she’d been waiting for, but still she hesitated. Teiti was going to be so angry.

Rissi’s eyebrows rose mockingly. “What? Afraid of getting into trouble?”

She swallowed, then shook her head. “No. Show me.”

He waded into deeper water, then dove under the surface. She took a deep breath, hoping that Teiti thought they were competing at how long they could hold their breath for, then followed.

Rissi headed for the deeper water near where the older children lounged. He swam quickly, forcing Imi to work hard to keep up. A tunnel entrance appeared, and she felt the current that kept the Children’s Pool fresh pull her in after Rissi.

She had never swum into this tunnel before, and could only trust that Rissi would not have come this way if the tunnel didn’t come out somewhere before they ran out of breath.

It was not long before she saw the rippled surface of the water above. Rissi swam up, took a breath, then dove down again. She followed suit, catching a glimpse of a poorer part of the city.

They swam through several more tunnels, the water and houses growing dirtier each time. She realized with distaste that they were in the outflow currents that bore waste out of the city, and made sure she didn’t swallow any of the water.

The current grew ever stronger. Surfacing near a crumbling wall of a house, they clung to rocks at the edge to prevent themselves being swept on. Rissi looked at her, his expression serious.

“This is the last part. When we come out we’ll be in the sea. The only way back in is through the main tunnel. Or we can climb out now and walk back.”

She looked in the direction the current was surging. It would pull them through whatever tunnel lay ahead. If there was a blockage or she got caught somehow, she might easily drown.

“How many times have you done this?”

He grinned. “Once.”

Her heart was racing. She realized she was terrified. “This is a bad idea.”

“We don’t have to go through,” he told her. “I won’t tell the others you didn’t go. I’ve shown you the way out, so you have to tell me where the treasure is.”

She looked at him and felt a surge of frustration and anger. He hadn’t said it would be so dangerous. But he had done it before and survived. How hard could it be? She just had to let the current take her through. She gathered her courage and forced herself to stare at him defiantly.

“Not until we get to the other side,” she said.

He laughed then gave a whoop. “Let’s do it! Try to keep in the middle of the flow. And take a really big breath. I’ll hold on to you as long as I can. Ready? On three. One, two…”

Her heart was in her mouth, but somehow she managed to suck in a breath.