Besieged by Rowena Cory Daniells

Author:Rowena Cory Daniells [Daniells, Rowena Cory]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Solaris
Published: 2012-06-26T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-Three

Year 316

‘COME WITH US.’

Imoshen looked up to see Arodyti and Sarosune in their finery, eyes and lips painted, silks parting to reveal glimpses of pale skin, jewelled sandals flashing as they swept into her chamber. She could feel the overflow of their gifts from here.

‘Is it that time of year again?’ Imoshen teased.

‘You’ve never been and you promised us last time.’

Imoshen gestured to her bird breeding chart. ‘I’m working.’

Moving in a cloud of subtle scent, enhanced by her gift, Sarosune came over to see what she was doing. ‘Oh... Vittoryxe and her birds. She works you too hard.’

Imoshen looked down. Vittoryxe wasn’t to blame, although she would give the gift-tutor a copy of the charts. She’d created the charts for the Sagoras and was waiting to hear back from them as to whether her theories on inherited traits matched up with theirs. Venerable Felesoi had been most interested.

‘Reading about a festival and taking part in it are two different things.’ Arodyti rested her elbows on the desk. Imoshen’s gaze slid to the dip of her breasts, a delicate curving shadow. ‘You’ve never attended a spring cusp brotherhood display. You can help us pick our trysting partners for midsummer.’

Imoshen felt her face grow hot.

Arodyti laughed and kissed her cheek. ‘You’re priceless.’

Imoshen shrugged. ‘It’s just... it doesn’t seem decent, inspecting the men like wares in a shop.’

‘If we don’t go watch the displays, how will we know which ones we want?’ Sarosune countered. She wrinkled her nose. ‘We don’t want the all-mother wasting her time negotiating a tryst for us, only to discover we don’t fancy the man she picks.’

Imoshen laughed, put the chart away and came to her feet. ‘I’ll just tell my devotee.’

‘And wear something nice,’ Sarosune called as she walked out.

‘The men will be looking at us, too.’ Arodyti said. ‘They give their all-father a list and the all-mother compares it to our list.’ She laughed at Imoshen’s expression. ‘Each person’s stature and the nature of his or her gift must be taken into account.’

After eight years in the city, Imoshen had come to understand the workings of the sisterhood. Egrayne formed the link between the elders of the inner circle and the next generation. Of the younger sisters, Arodyti and Sarosune were her closest friends

She and the healer Reoden had fashioned a friendship that was too important to Imoshen to jeopardise. And she’d even overcome Vittoryxe’s hostility.

In her private chamber, Imoshen found Frayvia playing cards with Iraayel. He would turn thirteen this winter’s cusp, and then he would move his bedroll in with the rest of the lads training to take their place in the brotherhoods. She didn’t want to send him to live with the lads; didn’t want to send him to Chariode’s brotherhood, when he turned seventeen. The day they’d arrived in the city, it had all seemed so far away. Now...

‘I claim the sisterhood,’ Iraayel announced, placing his cards in a line one by one. ‘I have the all-mother, voice-of-reason, hand-of-force, an empowerer and even a wildcard raedan!’

‘That beats me.

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