then eat. Hopefully, he’d be so exhausted, he’d be able to sleep.
The bathing chamber was wreathed in steam, and the last few initiates left hurriedly when they saw who it was. Tobazim couldn’t decide if they were afraid of him, or showing deference. His gift surged and he saw the initiates at the base of the brotherhood pyramid; they were showing deference. This new aspect of his gift unsettled him.
He stripped and stepped into the bath, which was decidedly cool. All the better; it would sharpen his senses.
‘Go save us some food,’ Haromyr told Athlyn, who hurried away.
The causare’s gift was the ability to read people. Tobazim had always been able to judge stresses in the process of construction. It seemed her gift-infusion had roused a new aspect to his gift, making him something between a raedan and a builder. He’d only ever heard of new facets of a T’En’s gift arising after a life and death experience on the higher plane.
Tobazim rose from the bath, rubbed himself dry and dressed in breeches and undershirt. The three of them stepped out into the young adepts’ cabin where the others were eating, sitting cross-legged on their bedrolls.
‘Where’s Athlyn?’ Haromyr muttered. ‘I swear if I miss out on dinner, I’ll –’
The cabin door opened and Athlyn peered in. His gaze raked the gathering. As soon as he spotted Tobazim, he jerked his head, beckoning him.
Tobazim crossed the cabin.
Haromyr and Eryx followed, hands going to the hilts of their knives. The general chatter died down. All three of them went to the door, stepping out onto the passage and then onto the mid-deck, where Ionnyn waited with one of the gift-warriors from All-father Tamaron’s brotherhood.
The large sailor radiated gift aggression.
‘What’s wrong?’ Tobazim asked.
‘They’ve snatched Ardonyx,’ Ionnyn said. ‘We have to save him.’
Tobazim glanced to Athlyn. ‘Why did they take him?’
Athlyn glanced to Gift-warrior Norsasno.
The big adept from Tamaron’s brotherhood shrugged. ‘I don’t know if this has anything to do with it, but Kyredeon sent for Lysarna and Imokara. They say he interviewed them about the gift-benediction you and Ardonyx performed not long after you first arrived on the wharf.’
Haromyr swore softly.
‘It’s four days since Kyredeon arrived in port. I’m surprised it took so long.’ Tobazim bluffed. ‘Has he sent for me?’
‘No. He sent for the assassin –’
‘And his hand-of-force just grabbed Ardonyx from the rear-deck.’ Ionnyn bristled. ‘Even though the captain didn’t resist, Oriemn’s followers beat him.’
‘This can’t be about the gift-benediction,’ Tobazim said with as much conviction as he could muster. He caught Norsasno’s eye. ‘Scholar Hakonnyn hasn’t complained about our role in it, has he?’
‘No. Our Malaunje women approached you and you did our brotherhood a service. If anything, you’ve won stature for your brotherhood.’ Norsasno nodded. ‘Hakonnyn said you did what only high-ranking initiates could do.’
‘Then why did they beat Ardonyx and take him?’ Ionnyn countered.
‘Io is right,’ Haromyr said. ‘We need to defend Ardonyx.’
Norsasno caught Tobazim’s eye. ‘It doesn’t add up.’
Tobazim’s body tensed and his gift surfaced in anticipation of trouble. ‘They’re in the captain’s cabin?’ He refused to call it the all-father’s cabin. It should have been Ardonyx’s.
‘You want me to come with you, to put forward our brotherhood’s position?’ Norsasno asked.
Tobazim was surprised by the offer. ‘No, it’s all right. Kyredeon wouldn’t take kindly to having another brotherhood interfere. No offence meant.’
‘None taken.’
‘Do you want me to gather the sailors?’ Ionnyn asked.
‘You want me to get the others?’ Haromyr offered.
There were at least a dozen, maybe twenty young adepts and initiates who would spring to his call, but Tobazim didn’t want them risking their lives
The bathing chamber was wreathed in steam, and the last few initiates left hurriedly when they saw who it was. Tobazim couldn’t decide if they were afraid of him, or showing deference. His gift surged and he saw the initiates at the base of the brotherhood pyramid; they were showing deference. This new aspect of his gift unsettled him.
He stripped and stepped into the bath, which was decidedly cool. All the better; it would sharpen his senses.
‘Go save us some food,’ Haromyr told Athlyn, who hurried away.
The causare’s gift was the ability to read people. Tobazim had always been able to judge stresses in the process of construction. It seemed her gift-infusion had roused a new aspect to his gift, making him something between a raedan and a builder. He’d only ever heard of new facets of a T’En’s gift arising after a life and death experience on the higher plane.
Tobazim rose from the bath, rubbed himself dry and dressed in breeches and undershirt. The three of them stepped out into the young adepts’ cabin where the others were eating, sitting cross-legged on their bedrolls.
‘Where’s Athlyn?’ Haromyr muttered. ‘I swear if I miss out on dinner, I’ll –’
The cabin door opened and Athlyn peered in. His gaze raked the gathering. As soon as he spotted Tobazim, he jerked his head, beckoning him.
Tobazim crossed the cabin.
Haromyr and Eryx followed, hands going to the hilts of their knives. The general chatter died down. All three of them went to the door, stepping out onto the passage and then onto the mid-deck, where Ionnyn waited with one of the gift-warriors from All-father Tamaron’s brotherhood.
The large sailor radiated gift aggression.
‘What’s wrong?’ Tobazim asked.
‘They’ve snatched Ardonyx,’ Ionnyn said. ‘We have to save him.’
Tobazim glanced to Athlyn. ‘Why did they take him?’
Athlyn glanced to Gift-warrior Norsasno.
The big adept from Tamaron’s brotherhood shrugged. ‘I don’t know if this has anything to do with it, but Kyredeon sent for Lysarna and Imokara. They say he interviewed them about the gift-benediction you and Ardonyx performed not long after you first arrived on the wharf.’
Haromyr swore softly.
‘It’s four days since Kyredeon arrived in port. I’m surprised it took so long.’ Tobazim bluffed. ‘Has he sent for me?’
‘No. He sent for the assassin –’
‘And his hand-of-force just grabbed Ardonyx from the rear-deck.’ Ionnyn bristled. ‘Even though the captain didn’t resist, Oriemn’s followers beat him.’
‘This can’t be about the gift-benediction,’ Tobazim said with as much conviction as he could muster. He caught Norsasno’s eye. ‘Scholar Hakonnyn hasn’t complained about our role in it, has he?’
‘No. Our Malaunje women approached you and you did our brotherhood a service. If anything, you’ve won stature for your brotherhood.’ Norsasno nodded. ‘Hakonnyn said you did what only high-ranking initiates could do.’
‘Then why did they beat Ardonyx and take him?’ Ionnyn countered.
‘Io is right,’ Haromyr said. ‘We need to defend Ardonyx.’
Norsasno caught Tobazim’s eye. ‘It doesn’t add up.’
Tobazim’s body tensed and his gift surfaced in anticipation of trouble. ‘They’re in the captain’s cabin?’ He refused to call it the all-father’s cabin. It should have been Ardonyx’s.
‘You want me to come with you, to put forward our brotherhood’s position?’ Norsasno asked.
Tobazim was surprised by the offer. ‘No, it’s all right. Kyredeon wouldn’t take kindly to having another brotherhood interfere. No offence meant.’
‘None taken.’
‘Do you want me to gather the sailors?’ Ionnyn asked.
‘You want me to get the others?’ Haromyr offered.
There were at least a dozen, maybe twenty young adepts and initiates who would spring to his call, but Tobazim didn’t want them risking their lives
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