“As long as it’s necessary, and I am welcome. A few months, most likely.”

He nodded. “It is unlikely you will need my advice in that time now that the Somreyan alliance is signed.”

“Yes,” she agreed. “Though I will miss your company.”

He smiled, his eyes flashing. “And I yours.”

“How is your new student, Jayim?”

His expression was a mixture of remorse and determination as he replied. “Not used to working hard,” he said. “But he does have a natural fascination for cures and healing. I have a lot of work in front of me.”

“At least you’ll have more time for it, with me out of your way.”

“But no excuse to escape from my responsibilities,” he pointed out.

She chuckled, then a faint chime drew her attention to a timepiece on the side table. “Ah, I’m afraid I must send you back to them now. I have a lesson with Dyara next.”

She rose. He gently scooped Mischief up and set him aside, then stood and followed her to the door. As he wished her luck, she shook her head.

“I’m sure I’ll find time to talk to you again before I go.”

He nodded, then turned away and started down the stairs. Closing the door, Auraya felt a pang of sadness.

I’m going to miss him. I wonder if he’ll miss me. She strolled to the window and looked down at the people far below. From his thoughts she knew that Leiard regarded her as more than someone who could help his people. He felt affection. Admiration. Respect.

At that thought she felt a pang of guilt. The idea that had come to her in the garden of the Somreyan Temple came rushing back. She had struggled with it several times, unable to decide what she should or should not do. All reason told her that dissuading people from joining the Dreamweaver cult was the right thing to do. The gods did not preserve the souls of those who turned from them. By stopping people joining the Dreamweavers she would be preventing the death of many souls.

Yet she also felt that there was something wrong with causing the demise of the Dreamweavers. Those people chose to become Dreamweavers and knew what they sacrificed.

Furthering Circlian knowledge of healing was a good aim. Deliberately reading Dreamweavers’ minds in order to gain that knowledge was wrong, however. It was stealing. Although arranging for her own people to discover that knowledge for themselves was not.

If I think of it as merely increasing the priests’ healing knowledge, then I will be doing nothing wrong. How can I be blamed if it leads to the Dreamweavers’ demise?

Because I saw the consequences and continued anyway.

She sighed. It’s not my responsibility to save the Dreamweavers.