Soul of the Fire (73 page)

It was possible Jagang had books of prophecy, or wizards with the talent, who gave him reason to believe the barrier would come down. After all, Nathan had told Ann that very thing.

If so, Jagang was not simply marching off for the purpose of exploration, exploitation, and conquest. From her experience watching him come to dominate the entirety of the Old World, she knew Jagang rarely rolled down a road he hadn’t first had widened and smoothed.

Ann paused in the darkness between groups of men. She squinted off in several directions. Hard as it was for her to believe, she hadn’t even seen Jagang’s tents yet. She wanted to find them because she hoped they might give her a valuable clue in finding her Sisters of the Light; he likely would keep them near.

She sighed in exasperation at not seeing anything but more fires and troops. In the darkness and confusion of the Order’s camp, she knew she could be close and still not see Jagang’s tents.

The worst of it, though, was not having the gift to aid her. With the gift she could easily have listened to distant conversations, cast small spells, and conjured discreet aid. Without the gift, she found the search a frustrating and fruitless experience.

She could hardly believe she could be this close to the Sisters of the Light and not find them. With the gift, she would have been able to sense them were she close enough.

Beyond the aid it would have provided, there was more to it. Being unable to use the gift was like being denied the Creator’s love. Her lifetime of devotion to doing the Creator’s work, coupled with the glory of touching her inner magic—her Han, the force of life—had always been supremely gratifying. Not that there hadn’t been frustrations, fears, and failures, but there always was the opening of herself to her Han to make up for every trial.

For over nine centuries her Han had been her constant companion through life. Her inability to touch her gift had on more than one occasion driven her to the verge of tears.

She felt little different, for the most part—as long as she didn’t think about it. But when her thoughts turned to touching that inner light, and she couldn’t, it felt like a slow suffocation of the mind.

As long as she didn’t try to use her gift, it seemed it was still there, waiting, like a comforting friend seen out of the corner of her eye. But when she reached for it, put the weight of thought against it, it felt as if the ground opened and she plummeted into a terrifying black abyss.

Without her gift, and no longer living under the protection of the spell that had been around the Palace of the Prophets, Ann was no different than anyone else. She was, in reality, little more than a beggar. She was simply an old woman, aging like anyone else, with no more strength than any other old woman. The insights, knowledge, and—she hoped—wisdom of having lived as long as she had were her only advantages.

Until Zedd banished the chimes, she would be, for the most part, helpless. Until Zedd banished the chimes. If Zedd banished the chimes …

Ann picked the wrong route—between wagons standing close together—and came to an impasse with someone going the other way. She excused herself and started to back up out of the way. Beggars were obeisant, even though it was insincere.

“
Prelate?”

Ann froze.

“
Prelate, is that you?”

Ann looked up into the startled face of Sister Georgia Cifaro. They had known each other for more than five hundred years. The woman’s mouth was working as she tried to find words.

Ann reached out and patted the hand holding a pail of steaming porridge. Sister Georgia flinched.

“
Sister Georgia, thank the Creator I’ve found one of you, at last.”

Sister Georgia cautiously reached out and touched Ann’s face, seemingly testing if it were real.

“
You’re dead,” Sister Georgia said. “I was at your funeral ceremony. I saw … you and Nathan … your bodies were sent into the Light on the funeral pyre. I saw it. We prayed all night as we watched you and Nathan burn.”

“
Really? How sweet of you. You always were such a considerate person, Sister Georgia. That would be just like you, standing guard through the darkness, praying for me. I’m so appreciative.

“
But, it wasn’t me.”

Sister Georgia flinched again. “But, but, Verna was named Prelate.”

“
Yes, I know. I wrote the orders, remember.” The woman nodded. Ann went on. “I had a reason. Nonetheless, I’m quite alive, as you can well see.”

At last, Sister Georgia set down the bucket and threw her arms around Ann.

“
Oh, Prelate! Oh, Prelate!”

That was all Sister Georgia could get out before she started bawling like a baby. Ann managed to get her calmed down in short order with some short words. They were in no place to risk being seen in such a way. Their lives were at stake, and Ann couldn’t have them lost for no more reason than a woman weeping out of control.

“
Prelate, what’s wrong with you? You smell like dung, and you look a mess!”

Ann chuckled. “I didn’t dare allow my beauty to be witnessed by all these men, or I would have more offers of marriage than I could turn down.”

Sister Georgia laughed, but it dissolved into tears again. “They’re beasts. All of them.”

Ann comforted her. “I know, Sister Georgia. I know.” She lifted the woman’s chin. “You are a Sister of the Light. Straighten yourself up, now. What is done to this body is not what matters. Our eternal souls are what concerns us. Beasts in this life can do what they will to your body, but they cannot touch your pure soul.

“
Now, act what you are: a Sister of the Light.”

Sister Georgia smiled through the tears. “Thank you, Prelate. I needed to hear your scolding to remember my calling. Sometimes it’s all too easy to forget.”

Ann went to her purpose. “Where are the others?”

Sister Georgia lifted a hand to point off to Ann’s right and a little behind. “Over there.”

“
Are you all together?”

“
No. Prelate, some of the Sisters have sworn themselves to the Nameless one.” She bit her lower lip and wrung her hands. “There are Sisters of the Dark in our order.”

“
Yes, I know.”

“
You do? Well, Jagang keeps them elsewhere. The Sisters of the Light are together, but I don’t know where the Sisters of the Dark are, nor do I care to.”

“
Praise the Creator,” Ann said with a sigh. “That was what I was hoping—that there wouldn’t be any of them among you.”

Sister Georgia glanced over her shoulders. “Prelate, you must get out of here or you will be killed or captured.” She started pushing Ann, trying to turn her around and get her to leave.

Ann seized Sister Georgia’s sleeve in an attempt to get the woman to listen.

“
I’m here to rescue the Sisters. Something has happened to give us the rare opportunity to help you escape.”

“
There is no way—”

“
Silence,” Ann growled in a whisper. “Listen to me. The chimes are loose.”

Sister Georgia gasped. “That’s not possible.”

“
Oh really? I’m telling you it is so. If you don’t believe me, then why do you think your power is gone?”

Sister Georgia stood mute as Ann listened to the raucous laughter of men gambling not far away. The Sister’s gaze kept searching the area beyond the wagons, fearing they would be caught.

“
Well?” Ann asked. “What did you think was the reason for your power being gone?”

Sister Georgia’s tongue darted out to wet her lips. “We aren’t allowed to open ourselves to our Han. Jagang only allows us to do so if he wants something. Otherwise, we mustn’t. He’s in our minds—he’s a dream walker, Prelate. He can tell if we touch our Han without permission. It’s something you don’t dare try twice.

“
He can control it. He can make you very sorry for anything you do which he doesn’t like.” The woman was dissolving into tears again. “Oh, Prelate …”

Ann pulled the woman’s head down to her shoulder. “There, there. Hush now. It’s all right now, Georgia. Hush now. I’m here to get you away from this madness.”

Sister Georgia pulled back. “Away? You can’t. The dream walker is in our minds. He could be watching us right this very minute. He can do that, you know.”

Ann shook her head. “No, he can’t. The chimes, remember? Your magic has failed, his magic has failed. He is no longer in your head. You are free of him.”

Sister Georgia began objecting. Ann gripped her arm and started her moving.

“
Take me to the other Sisters. I’ll have no argument, do you hear? We must get away while we have a chance.”

“
But Prelate, we can’t—”

Ann seized the ring through Sister Georgia’s lip. “Do you want to continue to be a slave of this beast? Do you want to continue to be used by him and his men?” She gave the ring a tug. “Do you?”

Tears welled in the woman’s eyes. “No, Prelate.”

“
Then get me to the tent with the other Sisters of the Light. I intend on getting you all away from Jagang this very night.”

“
But Prelate—”

“
Move! Before we’re caught here!”

Sister Georgia snatched up the pail of porridge and scurried off. Ann followed on her heels, with Georgia glancing back over her shoulder every few paces. The woman hurried along at a good clip, skirting every campfire and group of men by as wide a margin as she could without getting closer to men on the other side.

Even as she did, men still occasionally noticed her and reached out to snatch at her skirt. Most would laugh when she squeaked and scooted away.

When another man caught the Sister’s wrist, Ann put herself between them. She smiled at the man. He was so surprised he let go of Sister Georgia. The two of them made a quick escape.

“
You are going to get us killed,” Sister Georgia whispered as she hustled between wagons.

“
Well, I didn’t think you were in the mood for what the fellow had in mind.”

“
If a soldier insists, we have to. If we don’t … Jagang teaches us lessons if we don’t—”

Ann shoved her onward. “I know. But I’m going to get you out of here. Hurry up. We must get the Sisters and escape while we have the chance. By morning, we’ll be long gone and Jagang won’t know where to look.”

The woman opened her mouth to object, but Ann shoved her onward.

“
As the Creator is my witness, Sister Georgia, I’ve seen more shilly-shallying out of you in the last ten minutes than your first five hundred years in this world. Now, get me to the other Sisters, or I’ll make you wish for Jagang’s clutches instead of mine.”

Ann took a quick glance around as Sister Georgia lifted the tent flap. Satisfied that no one was paying any attention, Ann ducked inside.

A crowd of women huddled inside the dimly lit tent, some lying down, some sitting on the ground hugging their knees, some with arms around one another like frightened children. Not many even bothered to look up. Ann couldn’t recall seeing such a cowed looking bunch.

She reproved herself; these women had suffered unspeakable abuse.

“
Shoo,” Sister Rochelle, sitting near the tent opening, said, without meeting Ann’s eyes. “Out with you, beggar.”

“
Good for you, child,” Ann said. “Good for you, Sister Rochelle, for keeping beggars from your humble home.”

Half the women looked up at the sound of Ann’s voice. Wide eyes stared in the dim candlelight. Some of the women pushed at others who weren’t paying attention, or swatted an arm, or pulled on a sleeve.

Some were dressed in outfits Ann could scarcely believe. The clothes covered them from neck to ankle, but were so sheer as to leave the women, for all practical purposes, naked. Others had on their own dresses, but they were in a state of wretched disrepair. A few had on little more than rags.

Ann smiled. “Fionola, you look well, considering your ordeal. Sister Kerena. Sister Aubrey. Sister Cherna, you look to be getting some gray hair. It happens to us all, but you wear it well.”

Women all round blinked with disbelieving eyes.

“
It’s really her,” Sister Georgia said. “She’s really alive. She didn’t die, like we thought. Prelate Annalina Aldurren lives.”

“
Well,” Ann said, “Verna is the Prelate, now, but …”