When she woke again, in the morning, Beq was already up and about. Maya yawned and rolled out of bed. Her limbs ached fiercely but under the bandages her cuts only itched. Quickheal is wonderful stuff. After making sure she was alone, she pulled up her shirt to examine the Thing. The crystalline arcana looked the same as ever, but the ring of flesh around it was puffy and red, painful to the touch. That had never happened before.

I’ll tell Baselanthus when I get back to the Forge. Maya found her traveling clothes washed and neatly folded just inside the door. She dressed, with her panoply belt and haken in their accustomed places, and went downstairs. From the kitchen, she could hear an argument in progress, Tanax’s familiar arch tones mixing with the voice of a young woman she didn’t recognize.

Before she could see what that was about, she ran into Kaiura in the hall. The older woman touched her shoulder and drew her aside.

“I wanted to thank you,” she said. “On behalf of the village, and for myself. It could easily have been my girls down there.”

“Oh.” Maya rubbed the back of her neck, vaguely embarrassed. “I was lucky to find the place. You should thank Streza for taking such good care of her brother.”

“I will, believe me,” Kaiura said. “But I heard what your leader thought of your decision.” She smiled broadly. “I just thought you should know that not everyone thinks you made the wrong choice.”

“I’m glad,” Maya said. “And I’m sure you have nothing to worry about, whatever he says. The Order won’t punish people for having their children held hostage.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Who’s he talking to now? Some of your people?”

“Some of yours, I believe,” Kaiura said. “A messenger arrived not long ago.”

A messenger? That was unusual. “I’d better go and see.”

She nodded to Kaiura and pushed her way into the kitchen. Tanax, Varo, and Beq were already there, along with a young woman in the gray of a Forge servant. Tanax shot Maya a look as she came in, but his attention was on the newcomer.

“Our work here is still incomplete,” he said. “The Council has to know that.”

“I assume they do, Agathios,” the messenger said, returning his glare coolly. “But they did not give me any more details, only your instructions.”

“But—”

“What instructions?” Maya said. “What’s going on?”

“We’ve been reassigned,” Varo said. Maya thought she detected the tiniest hint of smugness in his tone.

“It doesn’t make sense,” Tanax said. “Why us?”

“As I said, Agathios—” the messenger began.

Tanax waved her away, thinking furiously. Maya caught her eye.

“What are the new instructions?”

“You’re to report to Deepfire immediately and deliver a message to Dux Raskos,” the messenger said. “Apparently, matters there are getting out of hand.”

Chapter 8

“She could be mad,” Lynnia said.

“It’s possible,” Gyre agreed. “But I’m willing to risk it.”