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the toothless man again.
He narrowed his eyes.  You be er invi e us, den, or you won be going frough.
 You don t need to come aboard, she told him firmly.
The toothless man puffed out his chest.  So you go Gifs. Ameri here has doo.
He gestured to one of the men, a thin, sour-faced young man. She nodded to him
with feigned politeness and turned back to the toothless man.
 How about you reduce the fee to ten canar and I leave the gate standing?
She realized she was hoping for a refusal. They probably did this to travellers all
the time. While she couldn t put a stop to it completely without delaying her
journey, it would be satisfying to ruin their little scheme for a while at least.
The man s eyes narrowed.  Ameri, he said, without taking his eyes from
Emerahl.  Make dem coopera e.
The thin man extended a hand toward her and made a dramatic and ridiculous-
looking gesture. Magic splattered off her shield. He was stronger than the
average man or woman and his attack would have hurt or even killed most
travellers. She glared at him, no longer amused by the situation.
When he stopped she blasted him and his companions with a force that slammed
them against the wall and held them there. She turned to the gate and sent a wave
of heat out. Soon it began to glow and warp. As bits of molten metal fell into the
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water, hot steam filled the tunnel. Her shield protected her boat, but the men
began to scream. Releasing them, she let them flee back down the tunnel.
As the last of the gate sank into the water, Emerahl moved the boat forward,
taking care not to bump it against the glowing walls of the tunnel. Only when it
had emerged from the other end did she relax and turn to regard her passengers.
They were staring at her in amazement.
She shrugged.  I told you: my Gifts are not inconsiderable. And I don t have
much sympathy for thieves.
Auraya moved from sling bed to sling bed, examining the Siyee yet again. Two
of the sick were fighting Hearteater effectively, the other two were struggling.
She did not want to use Mirar s healing Gift on them until she was sure they
wouldn t defeat the disease by themselves.
I m calling it  Mirar s healing Gift now, she thought. Not Leiard s. I suppose
Mirar has been using it for hundreds, even thousands, of years. It is his more
than Leiard s.
Tyve watched her, his thoughts full of curiosity and worry. She could not make
herself stop moving. She could only pace from bower to bower, trying to find a
distraction to stop her thinking about what she had done.
I disobeyed Huan. I disobeyed the gods I m sworn to serve.
The alternative had been to kill a man who did not deserve it. That should not
matter. I should trust the gods have reason to want him dead. Juran did, long
ago.
Instead of reassuring her, that thought only brought her more discomfort. I can t
believe Juran tried to kill Mirar without being sure it was justified. Though she
knew it was his duty to do as the gods wished, she found she thought less of him
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for doing so. I wonder if he knows what has happened&
One of the Siyee woke and asked for water. Tyve did not stir as she rushed to
take a bowl to the woman. As she held it to the woman s lips a terrible feeling of
dread welled up in her and she froze.
A familiar presence was moving toward her. Auraya let out a gasp of relief as
she recognized Chaia.
:Auraya, he said.
:Chaia!
:I can see I don t need to tell you that you re in trouble, he said. His words were
spoken lightly, but she sensed a deeper concern.
:No, she said.
A hand touched hers. She looked up, startled, to find Tyve taking the bowl away
from her. He waved her away from the patient. Auraya moved toward the bower
entrance.
:Why did I do it? she asked Chaia. Or why didn t I do it?
:You have a conscience, he told her. You need to know your actions are justified.
To you, being just and right is more important than obedience. It is a part of
your nature I like. Unfortunately my view is not shared by the others.
:By all of the others, or just Huan?
:We vary in our opinions, but are united in our decisions, Auraya. It is not for
you to know our individual views.
She stepped outside. The sunlight was too bright. She headed for the shade.
:You and the other gods must have known it was part of my nature. Why did you
choose me to be a White?
:Because the White cannot all be the same. You each have strengths and
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weaknesses. When you work together your weaknesses are lessened and your
strengths enhanced. Your own weakness your compassion is your strength. A
leader who can kill without question is unlikely to have the empathy and
compassion needed to negotiate mutually beneficial alliances and help other
people resolve their differences.
:Then why did Huan choose me for this task?
:I m afraid you are the wrong White in the wrong place at the wrong time. You
should not be the one executing Mirar and not just because you were once in
love with a part of him.
Auraya felt a spark of hope.
:Am I forgiven, then?
:Not quite, Chaia replied. Some of us believe that the White must be obedient, no
matter what is in their nature. If the White have different natures, then they are
bound to disagree at times. When conflict happens they must look to us for a
resolution. They must obey us, or their unity will be broken.
Auraya felt her stomach sink.
:Huan still wants me to murder Mirar.
:Execute, not murder.
As her hopes were smothered she was surprised to find anger stirring.
:And if I refuse again? she found herself asking.
:You will be punished. To what degree I cannot guess. It took me some time to
persuade the others to give you a second chance. I also insisted that you be
given a day to reflect on the task and the consequences of refusing or obeying.
While you do, consider this: sometimes we face a problem where all solutions
are unpleasant, where the least damaging option must be chosen. Consider
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which choice is the least damaging to the people you are sworn to protect.
Mirar has no intention of acting against us.
:No? He may not now, but that does not mean he won t try in the future. He is
powerful and clever you know that. He hates us you know that too. Can you
gamble that if the opportunity comes to cause trouble, he won t take it?
Auraya shook her head.
:Consider what might happen if he decides to reclaim his role as leader of the
Dreamweavers, he urged. He can influence and direct them from another land
through dreams.
Her stomach sank. Even exile wasn t a plausible alternative.
:And consider the possibility that you may still love Leiard.
:I don t, she told him. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]