City of Gods [Book 3 of the Teadai Prophecies] Read online

  City of Gods

  Book 3 of the Teadai Prophecies

  by

  Dana Davis

  Copyright 2009 by Dana Davis

  All Rights Reserved

  Published by SynergEbooks

  http://www.synergebooks.com

  Teadai Prophecies Trilogy

  Deadly Fate: Book One of the Teadai Prophecies

  Sage Truth: Book Two of the Teadai Prophecies

  City of Gods: Book Three of the Teadai Prophecies

  Another SynergEbooks Title by Dana Davis

  Breach of Worlds

  For my husband, Darryl

  Gypsy, noun:

  one who goes from place to place;

  nomadic;

  itinerate;

  plural, Gypsies

  Chapter 1

  The child born of Vedi flesh shall be acknowledged. The old ones will return from their banished sleep and the children of the Goddess will not recognize them. ~ Transcribed by Elder-Gypsy Siri Nebarin from the Teadai Prophesies, section II of The Book of the Goddess, Scroll of New Beginning, shelf VII, archive X.

  Two days passed before they had enough strength to travel, and there had been no sign of Croferituus since her escape. Somehow, the yellow-eyed woman managed to evade Taniras’s wolves. A constant prickle of tension came from those who harnessed the Energy, like the tapping of a hundred knifepoint against Cass’s skin.

  Croferituus’s partner, Mindona, sat in The Big Iron with the rest of the prisoners. Bankari sailors had affixed an iron cage around the wagon bed and secured a heavy lock on the door. They would need four of their largest horses to pull the thing. Several Gypsies with urging abilities had persuaded Mindona to talk. Croferituus couldn’t shade walk, so at least she wouldn’t be sneaking around camp unnoticed. Her strength lay in the Netherworld. And the yellow-eyed mountain cat was the only thing she could change into in the mundane world. Mindona claimed to have no idea what the other woman had done to control the Gypsy kin, but few believed her. The Elders suspected elemental magic, much stronger than what Sureyah had used to enslave the kin back in Tandiar Province.

  At least Elder Siri Nebarin still had the Azure Amulet in her control. Had Croferituus gotten her slimy hands on that, well, Cass didn’t want to think of such a horrific thing.

  The yellow-eyed woman was also responsible for the devastation along the Tandiar River. She’d been searching for someone and simply killed those she had no use for, including children. Mindona claimed Croferituus forced her and the others into servitude by using the forbidden ring. Deceptions pricked at Cass but she couldn’t tell what Mindona was hiding. She also couldn’t understand why Croferituus would harm children.

  They were simple middlings, for bloody sakes!

  Thad Macwinnough passed her on another errand. She offered a smile but he didn’t look in her direction. He had become withdrawn of late, and she wondered just what he planned to do when they found Croferituus. She recognized the look in his eyes. A look she’d seen in the mirror far too long.

  As she moved to the next fire and began dousing it, she glanced at The Big Iron. LaNar the Poisoner sat with the other prisoners in the wagon, huddled against the bars. She had stunned the Bankari with her confessions when Taniras threatened to loose the wolves on her. How the wolf singer knew LaNar had been the one to poison the treewalker Eletha Lavine, Cass still didn’t understand, but she would wager her boots the knowledge came from the wolves themselves.

  Jealous about LaWen’s upcoming marriage, LaNar had rubbed a mug with poison and placed it in the family cabinet, expecting one of Mistress Norine’s household to drink from it. The tavern mistress hadn’t anticipated so many customers that late in the season and had used those dishes when the Gypsy kin arrived in Bankar.

  LaNar locked eyes with Cass and made a strange gesture with her hands, something she did when anyone looked in her direction, and called out an apology. Cass simply shook her head and doused another fire. The Elders planned to hold tribunal once they got to a safe place, but she didn’t care if those who’d worked with Croferituus shriveled up and died right where they sat. She had experienced many awful things in her lifetime but starvation seemed the worst. Even her root father, the bloody son of a goat, had never denied her food for long.

  Her gaze drifted to six leather laces, each with a painted stone tied on the end, which hung from one of the wagons as a reminder of those they had lost. Two Bankari women, a Hunter, one man from Zarenia’s house, a young servant, and the one that really sank Cass’s hopes, Sureyah. The old errant never regained consciousness and died soon after her release. Her elemental magic knowledge went to the Netherworld with her.

  Granted, Cass didn’t agree with the way the old woman had done things, especially when it came to Pim, but the Vedi had ordered the kin to assist her in Cholqhuin’s raising. They needed Sureyah’s help and knowledge to bring the old god back in order to save the world. Quite a surprise from their initial beliefs that the old god would bring chaos. Gypsies didn’t know as much as they thought. A revelation that left Cass with an uneasy stomach.

  The air bit into her skin and she pulled her cloak tighter as she stepped quickly to the water. She cursed under her breath. Would nothing go right? This should be summer, for bloody sakes!

  “You all right?” Pim matched step with her.

  Cass eyed the girl. “Like a hornet in a rain storm.”

  Pim chuckled. “I know what you mean. That Croferituus. Give me the chicken skin, she does. That a bad one, that is. Worse than Sureyah.”

  She nodded and studied Taniras and Snowy as they passed. She had a new respect for the tall wolf singer. The entire Gypsy clan would have ended up on a funeral pyre if not for her and the wolf pack. Though the memory of wolves tearing at her binds still gave Cass spine chills.

  Once at the river, she shifted her cloak and long hair behind her and dipped her bucket into the frigid water. They still had this inane weather to contend with, not to mention the Energy void. Cass was certain it had retreated a bit. Everyone who touched the Energy could sense the void, though no one knew how or where it originated, not even the Vedi.

  Eletha ran past and jumped into the water in nothing but her skin, sprays just missing Cass. “Bloody blazes in the underworld!” the little treewalker shrieked. “This is bloody cold!”

  Pim laughed and Cass couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped. Eletha wasn’t one to go into water without at least her tunic and underbreeches, said it felt too much like bathing. Perhaps the recent tree deaths had knocked all sense from her. Cass caught movement in her corner vision.

  Brak, a large man even if he wasn’t Bankari, stopped short of the bank and scratched at a facial scar. “You mad, woman? Get yourself out of there before you catch a death.” He never said much to the others but always had an opinion where Eletha was concerned.

  The little, fiery-haired woman, who seemed to enjoy taunting him, laughed and splashed the shore in a flurry of arm and leg movements. “You big dolt! Gypsies don’t get ill!” A huge grin revealed a number of teeth.

  With that, Brak grunted and walked off, mumbling to himself.

  Eletha splashed around until he disappeared behind one of the supply wagons before she climbed out, shivering. She didn’t seem concerned with covering her nakedness.

  Pim eyed her up and down. “That a way to get attention. Not a man alive can keep eyes from a naked woman.” As if to prove her point, several men stood gawking, Bankari especially, many with stupid grins on their faces. “And most get a wooden man part just looking.”

  The treewalker had the sense to blush, at least, and Cass frowned at her. Even in the ta
verns, women took their clothes off behind doors. “Get some clothes on, Eletha. That’s not very Gypsy-like.”

  Eletha had taken her oaths, same as Cass. Gypsies had rules. And Brak had recently joined them as a servant. This was no way for a Gypsy, even a new-oathed, to behave with younglings about. Though Cass thought the whole incident quite amusing, she couldn’t let on.

  And Pim would certainly get a talking to for going along with Eletha. That one had begged to take oaths the previous day, insisting she had trained enough. In fact, she’d insisted quite obnoxiously and felt Haranda’s wrath for mouthing off just before her oathing ceremony.

  No errant could be denied the chance to take oaths but it was up to the Elders to choose when and where. They had decided to oath all errants as quickly as possible, with exception of the prisoners, and the Goddess accepted them just as She had accepted other errants throughout Gypsy history. Of course, Mindona probably wouldn’t get that chance for quite a while. They still had a lot of retraining to do with that one, if she survived the Elder’s penalty after her trial.

  Cass landed the task of helping Pim adjust. Any questions they both had went to Adsagwen Becumarhod, since she had been new-oathed for two years already. The tall, lanky woman eyed them now in fact, her face unreadable. Gwen wore her long, red hair in multiple braids like Elder Siri, except that she had silver bangles on the ends instead of gold. Cass always enjoyed talking to Gwen and looked forward to her tutelage.

  “Since when are you bothered with appearances?” Eletha’s challenging tone brought Cass’s thoughts back to the present situation. “The way you look at me now, I’d think you were one of those fancy girls, not a worldly woman.”

  Her hand rested on the hilt of her belt knife even before she realized it.

  “You going to gut me?” Eletha’s face stayed steady but blue eyes narrowed a bit.

  “No.” She moved her hand away. “Of course not.”

  Their conversation cut off when Haranda flew up with a cloak in her hands. She wrapped Eletha in it and began lecturing about modesty and Gypsy decorum. The treewalker looked amused as the Gypsy hauled her across the camp and toward one of the tents that hadn’t been taken down yet.

  Pim chuckled. “That a spitfire, that one is. I like her.”

  Cass fought the urge to laugh. Eletha was entertaining. She spotted Henny out of her corner vision. “You need to learn to hold your tongue around younglings, Pim. That’s one of the duties of new-oathed. Show a good example for them.” Henny huffed away.

  Pim, who still had trouble keeping her skirts clean, nodded. “That one of many rules.”

  “Yes. One of many.” Cass smiled and nudged her. “We have chores to finish.”

  After two more trips, all the fires were out and the remainder of the goods loaded onto the wagons. Cass thought it a relief to ride sitting up rather than flat on her face the way she and the others had been forced to do in Croferituus’s grasp. She climbed onto the thinly padded wagon seat built for only two backsides. At least the body-healers had recovered enough strength after the first day to heal cuts and bruises. Thin scars laced Cass’s wrists where her binds had eaten through flesh and had been healed. She envisioned herself strangling Croferituus and watching those yellow eyes pop right out of the fool woman’s head. The thought made her smile.

  Pim climbed in the back of the wagon with Taniras, Snowy, Birek, Maesa and Adelsik. Pim knew nothing of horses, since women of her root village were forbidden to ride, and the Maricari seemed to avoid sitting a saddle whenever they could. But every Gypsy learned to ride a horse, eventually.

  Taniras kept Maesa close and forced her to lie down on the straw and blankets she had arranged. The youngling, who was still weak, didn’t protest and closed her eyes immediately. Adelsik smiled as she sat on the trunk behind the driver’s seat and Cass nodded, glad her friend had come out in one piece. She wished Gwen had been assigned this wagon too.

  Thad scooted in beside her and took the reigns. The man looked more than ten years her senior, yet he was a year younger. He had no white in his hair like Snowy did, but his face held lines of a hard life. Something she understood.

  He eyed Maesa then smiled at Cass, the first she’d seen today. She smiled back. The wagon in front started to roll. “Here we go.” He clicked his tongue at the horses and the wagon lurched before getting a steady pace. Cass caught herself on the seatback.

  They traveled until midday meal, stopped briefly to eat, then got on their way again.

  “You stay put.”

  Cass turned to see Maesa sitting with hands on her knees. The youngling pushed out her lower lip at the wolf singer, something that looked out of place against her sharp, birdlike features. “I’m not a child.”

  Taniras’s dark fists went to her hips as she sat atop a folded blanket on one of the flat trunks. “You really don’t want to challenge me, Maesa. Now you lie down and rest.” She held eyes as harsh as Haranda’s on the youngling, who consequently was only two years younger.

  “You’re worse than Mother Predula,” Maesa protested, but she obeyed.

  The wolf singer tucked blankets around the girl’s shoulders. “I won’t have you tire yourself.” Cass barely heard over the noise of the wagons and horses. “We just might need you later.” Those black eyes gave an ominous gaze to the northwest and she pulled her cloak tight around her.

  “Yes, Taniras.” Maesa’s eyes moved to Birek but he showed nothing on his face. He simply gazed down at the girl. They would probably marry as soon as Maesa grew beyond her youngling stage.

  Adelsik gave the couple a sympathetic look then focused on Cass. “Got any meat sticks up there? I’m famished.”

  Cass rummaged through the bag at her feet. “No. But there are a few bread rolls.” She drew one out and handed it to her friend and sister under the Goddess. “Will that do?” Adelsik had become quite a strong slumberer from what Cass had heard, and she wondered whether that type of Energy could locate her root father. The son of a goat! She still wanted him dead. Wanted him to pay for what he’d done to her all those years ago. Wanted to make certain he couldn’t do it to another child.

  “Yes. Thank you, Cass. This weather makes me hungry.” Adelsik’s innocent eyes seemed to smile as she bit into the tough bread, and she pulled a large chunk from the roll with her teeth. A few crumbs dropped and she plucked them from her cloak. “How far is this village anyway? The one along Briar’s Pass?”

  “We’ll be there when we get there.” Taniras shifted her weight. “The youngling needs to sleep.” She pushed a water bladder in Adelsik’s hand. “You eat.”

  Cass hid a grin at Adelsik’s sour look and turned back to the front. A sudden breeze brushed against her. Something felt wrong. It was in the very air around them. She shivered, though not from the cold. Thad studied her and she offered a reassuring smile. This body-healer studied her often but she didn’t feel the need to reach for her knife the way she did with some men. In fact, she trusted all of her kin brothers now, to some extent anyway. The uneasy feeling left as suddenly as it has appeared and she relaxed.

  She must have fallen asleep to her thoughts because when she looked out again, the sun had moved halfway to the horizon. Dark figures came into view ahead of the procession. Buildings. Enough to be a village. Before they got much closer, something slammed against her senses and she nearly choked. Deceit. Ugly, dirty deceit ahead. More than what she felt from the prisoners, more than she had ever felt in one place before. Such a stench that she gagged on her own stomach juices.

  She realized the wagons had stopped and someone called out. A cool hand gripped her arm and she turned to Thad. His lips moved but she couldn’t hear. Roaring flooded her ears, like rapids over stones. She didn’t need to take in the Energy to sense evildoers, never had since the day she got the calling. However, she took in the Energy now to calm herself and her hearing slowly returned.

  “What is it?” Thad said. “You all right?”

  “No,” she heard herse
lf say as though she talked through a layer of blankets.

  Someone held her shoulders. Taniras. The wolf singer stood behind her now. “Tell us what’s wrong.”

  Eyes from all around focused on Cass. Gypsies, Sages, Bankari, Hunters. Body-healer Predula stood beside the wagon with Haranda. Elder Siri had moved her mount closer, her multiple braids tinkling with the movement. Through the awareness, Cass felt the multiple heats of every living thing in her group, including the animals. Distant heats tapped against her from the village ahead, as many as one hundred individuals, maybe more, middling adults and children and numerous animals. Very difficult to distinguish each separate heat at this distance. Anyone who harnessed the Energy could feel them, though. What her kin waited for was the evil she sensed. At least she’d stopped gagging on the stench, but her eyes filled with tears and she swiped one sleeve across them.

  Blazes, woman! You’re a Gypsy. Act one. Your kin depend on you. You’ve certainly been through worse than this. “The village.” Her hearing had completely returned, thank the Goddess. “Full of deceit. Murderers, rapists, thieves. I can’t tell which, perhaps all. Middlings, though. I don’t sense any errants or younglings.”

  She worried about confrontation. At the Elders’ last headcount, there had been one-hundred-seventy-six traveling kin and loyalists, including those who were still weak or ill from captivity. But was it enough to go against an entire village if they decided to fight? The wind picked up and she looked to the south. Massive clouds, these black with rain, were visible against the sky, some partially blocking the setting sun. The memory of the insect swarm that had sent them into Croferituus’s captivity touched panic in her and she fought to remain calm. As she relaxed, another stench, this one as familiar as her own skin, found her senses, and she turned back to the direction of the village.