Sage Truth [Book 2 of the Teadai Prophecies] Read online

  The Elder had removed her binding Energy last night while they slept, but this morning Thad was bound again. He could take in the Energy but not use it in any way. Visions could find him, Siri had explained that much, but his healing and sparking Energies were useless until the Elder decided to release him.

  Siri stepped close. She wore breeches, as usual, which made her legs look very long and sturdy. “You all right?” The gold bangles tied to a few of her braids tinkled as she moved.

  Siri looked like any other woman in her fifties. But she was a Gypsy long before my grandfada’s fada was born. She had lines around her eyes and mouth and some weathering to her skin, which looked appropriate against her graying hair. “I want whoever did this, Cousin Siri. That a fact.”

  “We’ll find them. But the texts are our first concern or nothing else we do will matter.” She moved back to the stove.

  Thad knew she spoke the truth. If the void continued, the Energy would be useless and Cholqhuin would rise without opposition. The ancient ones would rule the world in chaos, like they had long ago. Siri had filled him in on some of those obscure Prophecies last night. Prophecies that, until now, only a few choice Gypsies knew about.

  Cass came in from the main room and Thad eyed her. He couldn’t tell how much this whole business bothered the woman. Her face was usually unreadable but fire lit those brown eyes now. She wore her long russet hair tied back in a leather lace. His eyes drifted to the knife tucked in her bosom and shook his head. Despite all that had happened, or perhaps because of it, part of him wanted to grab Cass and plant a kiss on her perfect lips, but he would probably get that knife in his gut as a reward.

  Instead, he offered a weary smile. “Morning, lass. Sleep well?” He missed seeing the pink lion floating above her head. But new-oathed had strength and knowledge to hide their Gypsy footprints. At least, in the mundane world.

  “Yes, thank you.” Her eyes moved to the talisman in his hand and she held her own out for it. “May I?”

  He placed it in her open palm and let his hand linger there a heartbeat.

  Cass gave his fingers a slight caress with her own as she took the amulet. Or had that been his imagination? At least she hadn’t jerked away. That was a start. He watched her a heartbeat then gazed out the window again. No need to press his luck with her. Whatever awful things she kept secret made her jumpy on occasion. And after what he’d done with his sparking Energy, Thad didn’t blame anyone for caution around him. Scorch marks still covered the living area and main bedroom. He wondered just how he had managed to create so much sparking even in anger.

  He felt eyes on him and turned to see Siri studying them both. “I’ll fetch some water,” he said, anxious to get out from under the Elder’s gaze. He took up an empty jug from the table and headed toward the door.

  Much to his surprise, Cass said, “I’ll come too. I can use a walk.”

  She put the talisman on the table, scooped up another jug, and Thad opened the door for her. Once they were outside, he returned a nod from smirking Greges and kept stride with Cass. Though summer had arrived, the morning was cool along the Tandiar River and green life filled his nostrils. He glanced at Cass and his eyes fell briefly on her breast dagger.

  She cocked a brow at him. “You seem surprised I volunteered to come out here.”

  This time he took in her russet hair then focused on her eyes. Beautiful brown eyes. “After what happened yesterday, I thought you’d treat me like some kind of plague. That understandable, you know.”

  Cass chuckled, which surprised him, but he said nothing more. When they arrived at the well, he handed his jug to her and lowered the bucket down.

  “You could’ve used your Energy on one of us, Thad. But you didn’t. I know what it’s like to have that much anger inside. I also know how difficult it is to control the Energy when it escapes.”

  “I frightened everyone. That a fact.” The bucket came up heavy with water and he reeled it in with slow grasps.

  Cass placed a brief hand on his arm, which sent a thrill into his manhood. “You had more control than I did when that happened to me.”

  He cocked his head at her. The woman was a truth-seeker, her sparking Energy minimal. She must mean her transference Energy. “What happened? If you don’t mind telling me.” He let the bucket rest on the stone edge of the well and focused on her.

  She shrugged. “I was angry and afraid. I almost hurt Haranda and the other mothers when my transference Energy got away from me.” She clenched her jaw. “Anyway, I had no control, but I attacked them, not furniture like you did.”

  “You weren’t punished were you?” That wouldn’t have been right. When she shook her head he said, “Did someone bind you?”

  “No. Haranda threatened to have Gwen or Elder Siri bind me if I didn’t work to control my temper but, no, I never had to go through a binding. What’s that like? If you don’t mind me asking?” She smiled.

  She was so beautiful! And she spoke to him more and more with each passing sunrise. He grinned. “I can take in the Energy. But I can’t use it. Except for visions. Of course, I never had control of those.” No Gypsy could control visions. The talent was in the interpretation of them, which Thad had gotten better at over the years. “I feel like a sequestered lad, allowed to look out the window but not to go out and play.”

  “That would chafe.” Cass offered a pitcher and he filled it.

  He’d come this far, might as well see whether he would hang himself or not. “Cass?”

  “Mmm?”

  Before he filled the second pitcher, he studied her face. “I have a confession.”

  She cocked her head but said nothing.

  “I’ve been—” Breathe, just breathe. “I’ve been attracted to you since our first meeting. That a fact.” There, he said it. Why was that so difficult? He was a grown man, after all.

  She blushed, something he didn’t think possible, then placed the full pitcher on the well and studied him. “I’ve never sensed anything but truth from you, Thad Macwinnough. You’ve never tried to be deceitful with any of your kin. From my experience, that’s rare among men. Gypsies are more honorable than middlings, from what I’ve experienced, but everyone has secrets and everyone tells falsehoods on occasion. The restraint you showed here, with your root home scarred like it is—I’m impressed.”

  “Thank you.” She was impressed. With him. What a surprise. Cass never seemed impressed by anyone.

  She smirked. “You’re welcome.” She lowered her eyes and they came up hard. “I’ve kept secrets too. Things I don’t like to talk about.” The eyes softened. “But trust me when I tell you that some men are not as honorable as you, Thad. I trust you with my life.”

  A resounding clap of thunder filled the air and Cass jumped. Thad looked out over Tandiar River to the west. Dark clouds had gathered and the wind picked up. “Look like we’re in for an early storm.” He turned back to Cass. His anger would be tested if anything happened to her. “I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe, Cassbet Legrange. That the truth. And I’m honored you trust me because I trust you.” And he did. Cass smiled again and he reveled in her gaze. Could he be in love? If so, did she feel the same? She hadn’t said she was attracted to him. Just that she trusted him.

  “And I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe.” One hand went to her belt knife. “Even if I have to do that the middling way.” Her gaze hardened again as she looked up river toward the ruined farms. The smoke had cleared but they both knew what lay out there. Thunder crashed, closer this time, but Cass didn’t jump at the sound. “We’ll find whoever did this, Thad. I promise you. I can sense something evil. A stench of murderers perhaps. But the sensation is too far for me to get a solid hold. The stench comes and goes, like an acrid breeze.” Determined eyes turned to him. “We will find them.”

  Cass was comforting him, probably the only way she knew how, and that warmed him. “I know we will.” That feeling didn’t last, though. Gypsies could ta
ke care of themselves. Thad worried about his root uncle, wondered whether he was still alive. Middlings had no power, no Energy, to defend themselves with. Cass offered the second pitcher and he filled it, then they walked quickly back to the farmhouse as the storm blew in and rain began to pour down.

  * * * *

  After morning meal, there was nothing they could do but wait for the showers to abate. Thad knew from experience that these types of storms could hang around a while, though this was early in the season for them. The winds shifted, bringing rain from the south as well. Top soil would be washed away if the rain lasted. But that wasn’t his concern now. He no longer farmed along Tandiar River. The men fed the horses and got into dry clothes, while the women packed food and supplies from Dom’s cabinets to replenish what they had used up.

  The younglings, Kal and Bel’keive, stayed close to each other and assisted Siri. Neither seemed afraid of Thad, for which he was grateful. The last thing he wanted was for his own kin to fear him. The raiders were another tale all together. He longed to see the trepidation on those men’s faces.

  Roone kept her bow and quiver by the door but she stayed behind to watch over the women, while New-oathed Jin paced back and forth on the porch as though he waited for an attack. One dark hand wandered to his shaved head and rubbed. No one strayed too far—no one seemed to want to—and soon it was midday meal. The rains had lessened but water began to puddle all around the area. The river wouldn’t overflow her banks unless the rains continued for several days but all this wetness would hamper travel.

  “How long is it going to bloody rain?” Roone grumbled through a mouthful of food. The guard acted as though she had never seen such a thing. Her hair was braided to one side of her head, as usual, and laced with leather cord. She flipped it to her back in annoyance.

  Siri cocked a brow at the guard but said nothing.

  “As long as it bloody wants, I imagine,” Kal said. Her braid wrapped head turned from the window to Roone, and she fingered the tattoo that encircled her wrist. The green, wheat stalk above her head was faint and steady.

  “Guard your language, youngling,” Siri warned.

  Kal seemed amused. “Yes, Elder.”

  Greges chuckled and winked at Kal, and Thad studied the two. Greges Nee’horn always seemed to find something amusing about a situation. The Maricari man was tall and dark-skinned with black hair and eyes and had a perpetual smirk on his lips. Kal, whose skin held a slight tan, seemed very comfortable with him and the two had become fast friends in the Land of the Goddess. Especially after the listener’s exhibition atop one of the tables. Thad remembered the provocative dance she’d done for her kin and the kisses she threw toward the men. Of course, that had earned her and several other lasses, including Cass, a trip to the mothers’ huts. Thad couldn’t help but smile now at Kal, despite all that had happened in the last couple of days.

  Bel’keive snickered and Kal turned to her then blanched and stood.

  Thad moved to the tall lass’s side. “Kal? What’s wrong?” He harnessed the Energy and prepared to probe her for injuries then realized he was still bound. Kal began to laugh and he studied her. Even if Siri gave him permission to use the Energy, he was no mind-healer. What was wrong with the lass?

  She moved to Bel’keive’s chair and that tattooed arm waved over the other youngling’s head. “Bloody secretive of you.”

  Thad relaxed and released the Energy. Kal had simply moved out of her youngling stage. She saw what he saw above Bel’keive’s head now, a yellow silkworm. Which Thad thought fit nicely since Bel’keive also had binding Energy. Hers was much weaker than Siri’s but she could hold a single Gypsy who wasn’t too strong. Thad doubted she could bind him against his will without assistance.

  Bel’keive cocked her head up at Kal and fingered the gold ring in her nose. “Don’t tell me I have a purple, wheat stalk floating over my head too.”

  What? Both lassies—women—Bel’keive wasn’t much younger than Thad. Both moving up together?

  Kal cocked her head. “No. You have a yellow worm.”

  Bel’keive waved a hand above her own head but her fingers went through the footprint.

  Siri placed hands on her ample hips, those bangled braids tinkling. She moved closer as Bel’keive stood. Kal could look the Elder in the eyes but Bel’keive had to gaze up, and Siri looked down at her. “Just when were you going to tell me about Kal’s footprint? You need to take the oaths.”

  Bel’keive looked abashed. “I saw it only a short while ago. I thought perhaps I’d gone mad with everything that’s happened, so I kept my mouth shut.” Her footprint didn’t flicker. She told the truth.

  “Very well. But you’ll tell me anything unusual from now on. Understand?”

  “Yes, Elder. My apologies.”

  “Accepted. Now finish your meals. Then we’ll gather in the main room.” She flashed a look at her husband, LeChamb, as she took her seat.

  The large man grinned. “No more younglings to coddle.” His muscular arms and large build made him the perfect match for Siri’s sturdy frame. He wore his gray-streaked hair in a single braid down his back, and his dark, leathery skin accentuated the rugged look of a former sailor. He smoothed his graying beard. “You just got ousted from motherhood. Again.” At that, he threw his head back with laughter.

  Thad braced for Siri’s chastisement but the Elder laughed. LeChamb had never been that bold in front of others before. Thad found himself chuckling at the exchange.

  “You’re too old to be a mother anyway,” LeChamb added. “Never could get used to imagining you in a rocker with a babe at your breast.”

  Siri slapped his arm and laughed. Had they both gone mad?

  Anais beat a spoon against a pan and waited until the merriment died. “You two are frightening the younger kin.”

  Siri’s face lost all humor and her eyes moved from Thad to Kal to Bel’keive. “There are no younglings in our presence now.” Her voice had the intonation of a teacher. “Gypsies are allowed to make merry with other Gypsies.”

  No one seemed to care if there were middlings around to hear them speak in Gypsy terms. No one had dared come to this area since the raids. And they couldn’t sense anyone with the Energy. They were alone, for now.

  Kal slapped the table and shook her braid wrapped head. “Bloody heart failure, Elder. I thought my heart would stop for certain.”

  Bel’keive tapped LeChamb on the arm. “You’re from Bankar?” She grinned and twisted the gold hoop in her nose. He nodded. “My root father took me on log trades with him. Nice sea city.”

  “Ah, yes, it is.” LeChamb smiled.

  “Why didn’t you go with the quest to Bankar?” Cass said as she studied him.

  Thad had thought the very same thing. The couple would certainly fit right in if they were from there.

  “I still have root family there. They would drop at my feet if they saw their long-dead uncle looking like this.” He opened his large arms.

  Siri placed a hand on her husband’s shoulder. “LeChamb’s painting still hangs in the barrel maker’s shop. His family started that business and he worked there before taking his oaths. Someone would recognize him and get suspicious. After all, he should have been dead decades ago.”

  Thad nodded. LeChamb had been a servant a long while but looked young enough be Thad’s father. They finished midday meal and cleaned up then moved into the main room where their belongings had been stored. The servants dismissed themselves to other duties. After they were gone, Siri took out a white crystal from her bag and instructed Bel’keive and Kal to stand before her. Thad and the remaining Gypsies gathered around. Xiath stood next to Thad and Jin just behind. Xiath was quest leader but Siri outranked him as a Gypsy, which gave her rights to this ceremony.

  “Kneel.” The Elder focused on Bel’keive and held the crystal out in her right palm. “Place your right hand on the crystal. Listen carefully to what I’m about to say, Bel’keive, for you won’t get a second offer. A
re you ready?”

  “Yes, Elder Siri.”

  “Do you, Bel’keive of the Hunters, Gypsy-daughter of Haranda, agree to serve the Goddess? To bind yourself to Her work to the end of your days? To honor the Vedi, your Gypsy kin and servants? To protect the younglings and guide them as best you can, discipline them when necessary, and keep them from danger? To seek out others of our kin and teach them to harness the Energy safely, no matter what you may have to do to accomplish this? To honor the Goddess and give your life, if necessary, to protect Her children and Her land? To abide by the Gypsy codes you have learned and will continue to learn? If you agree to these oaths, then say, I do.”

  “I do.” Bel’keive sucked in an audible breath, and once her hand was free from the crystal, she rubbed her palm.

  “Don’t scratch,” Siri said, and she moved to Kal, who eyed her clan sister with interest. The Elder repeated the ritual oaths, word for word. “If you agree to these oaths, then say, I do.”

  “I do.” Kal didn’t make a sound at the pain of the Goddess Kiss to her palm, but her lips pressed together and she inspected her hand.

  “Rise, New-oathed.” Siri turned Bel’keive around to face Thad and the others. “I present to you, New-oathed Gypsy Bel’keive.” Everyone applauded. The Elder then turned Kal. “I present to you, New-oathed Gypsy Kal.” Again, there was applause. Neither had more than one name, at least not that Thad had ever known about.

  He and the others took turns hugging and kissing the two newly oathed women, and Siri informed them of the Goddess Kiss that bound them to their kin now and forever. Thad studied his own palm that had itched for sunrises after he had taken the oaths when awareness filled him and the Energy brought a vision. He turned toward the window and watched as a woman forced a scrawny man from a tavern at knifepoint and across the snowy ground. He saw the glimmer of a knife blade protrude from beneath the woman’s cloak while the hood kept her face from view. He couldn’t tell whether he knew her or not. The vision left, along with the Energy, and he stared at the window in the main room. Xiath stood at his side, waiting.