Scions by James Wolanyk

Author:James Wolanyk
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2019-01-09T20:57:17+00:00

Chapter 12

“I trust your visions over their pledges.” Konrad sat across the low table with his hands gathered in his lap, his stare roaming, restive. “Do you think it’s the true way?”

Anna remained silent, mired in contemplation that had not lessened since her afternoon in the ga’mir’s office. Now her quarter’s high windows were sills of blackness and rippling grit, impenetrably dark, a reflection of the maelstrom coursing through her mind. Three hours of speaking had strained her throat and tongue, but they had not been sufficient enough to explain what had really happened to her old mind, to Nuhra, to the stillness of the Apiary. An eternity could not convey it all. But she lacked the force to continue, to make Konrad comprehend such things beyond surface impressions. This new mind was not accustomed to exhaustion, she supposed.

Konrad displayed none of that fatigue. He had been frantic—predictably so—in the wake of Nahora’s arrival, even while relaying the tale to Anna, but that energy had sublimated in moments when he recognized his master’s attainments.

Now he was eager to know the truth of things, to know his course, to know what part he played in the cosmic dance. This was what he’d forsaken his old ways to uncover.

But Anna had not seen him.

“I know it’s the truth,” she said, pausing to sip her jasmine tea. “This is the crucial hour, Konrad. This is when I’m forced to demand faith from the brothers.”

“They’ll lend their faith to you, but Nahora’s a hard sell.”

“Not to me,” Anna corrected. “To the path.”

Konrad shifted on his cushion. “Of course.”

“How are their spirits?” she asked. Distantly she thought of Ashoral’s words—Kowak, Jenis, that slow rot from the bogs—and soon found herself scrutinizing every action of those in her company. Konrad began speaking, but she did not listen. She held Andriv’s face in her mind’s eye, wondering, ruminating….

“Anna?”

Her attention snapped back to beige walls, steaming teacups. “What tasks has Andriv overseen?”

“Tasks?” Konrad was at a sudden loss, stunned by something—though Anna did not know what—in her voice. His brow twitched. “What’s the matter?”

“Try to recall them.”

Confusion faded to grim deduction. “What did she tell you?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Anna whispered. “Where has he been, Konrad? What has he done beyond your sight?”

Konrad shook his head—was it in disbelief, in realization?

It was maddening how swiftly her mind had devolved. She was unable to decipher the subtle swells and dips of his chest, to discern lies from truths through the oscillation in his voice. She hadn’t expected her mind, like any blade, to hold its keen edge eternally, but her severance from the Apiary’s revelations was palpable. Painful, even.

“He was monitoring missives,” Konrad said after a moment. He sounded shy, almost wounded. “That’s all he did, Anna.”

Then she understood his beaten tone: It was her mistrust of the order. He had never heard her accuse a brother of anything, least of all on the word of an outsider. She herself had placed her faith, her life, in their ways. But in times of war, there were no sacred laws to uphold.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.