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Back Priestess of the White
Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. TRUDI CANAVAN
  3. Dedication
  4. Map
  5. PROLOGUE
  6. PART ONE
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. PART TWO
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. PART THREE
  41. 33
  42. 34
  43. 35
  44. 36
  45. 37
  46. 38
  47. 39
  48. 40
  49. 41
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. EPILOGUE
  58. GLOSSARY
  59. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  60. About the Author
  61. Other Books by Trudi Canavan
  62. About the Publisher

She scowled. “Do I? I haven’t spoken to Tryss for weeks. He hasn’t even tried to talk to me. I don’t even know if he wants to get married.”

“I could find out for you.”

Her heart skipped. “You’d do that?”

“Of course.” He smiled, then chuckled in a self-satisfied way. At once she felt a stab of suspicion. She stopped and crossed her arms.

“What’s in it for you, Sreil? Why help us?”

He turned to face her, still smiling. “Because…” He paused and began to chew his lip. “I shouldn’t say.”

She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Well…” He grimaced. “All right then. Your father is a tribal snob. It’s not just that he won’t even consider letting you marry someone whose invention might save our people and get him back his lands—though that just tops everything—it’s other things he’s said and done since coming here.” His expression changed from angry to apologetic. “Sorry.”

She nodded. What he’d said was fair, though she did feel a little offended that this was how her family was regarded. Surely after all they’d been through…

“Mother also thinks you probably contributed to Tryss’s success,” he added. “He might need you in some way, so it’s foolish to take you away from him.”

She blinked in surprise and was about to deny it when she remembered that she was the one who had shown him how to use blowpipes. He had come up with the idea of using them as part of the harness, but if she hadn’t been there…

“Ask him,” she said. “But don’t tell him why. I don’t want him to marry me just to save me from marrying someone else. He has to want to marry me because he wants to.”

Sreil grinned. “I’ll get back to you on that.”

28

Millo Baker was a quiet man. Leiard had come to understand that Jayim’s father knew the value of being content rather than happy. Millo might not be overjoyed with his life, but neither was he unhappy with it.

He rarely joined his wife, son and guest for the morning meal. Today, however, a bout of the usual winter head infection had forced him to rest. He had surprised Leiard by being unusually talkative, telling them of the news, official or speculation, that he had heard. But then the cure Leiard had given him sometimes had that effect on people.

“Have you been to the Temple?” he asked Leiard.

“Not since Auraya left.”

Millo shook his head. “I’ve never seen so many soldiers. Must be the whole army in there. Didn’t know it was so big. The lines of men—and women—looking to join are so long they go out the arch and two blocks down the main road.”

Tanara frowned and glanced at Jayim. “Just as well they don’t take Dreamweavers.”