Dawn Rising by A.F.E. Smith

Author:A.F.E. Smith
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: thought provoking, female friendships, strong female lead, portal fantasy, ya epic
Publisher: IronWright Books

Fourteen

Over the days that follow, we fall into a kind of routine. Luthan and Isidor already have their simple patterns in place – the rhythm of eating and sleeping, studying and household chores – and the rest of us fit around that without much difficulty. Fabithe performs the hardest of manual labour without comment or complaint, but otherwise keeps himself separate; I watch him carefully when he’s around Oriana, but his response to our conversation seems to be to avoid her whenever he can. Oriana herself spends a lot of time indoors, recovering, but she walks down to the lake and around the island every day, rebuilding her strength.

For my part, I find my days passing more easily than they ever did at Woodleigh. I help Luthan with whatever needs doing. I read Isidor’s books. And I talk to Oriana. A lot. Maybe more than I’ve ever talked before. It feels like it did with Peter, back in the days before our friendship fell apart, only less precarious. I could never quite believe he wanted to cross the invisible line between me and the rest of the world; maybe that’s why he never quite did. But Oriana is different. She doesn’t seem to realise the line is there at all.

Meanwhile, to my surprise, I stay in my own head. Luthan, Fabithe and Oriana are calm, their emotions stable; there’s nothing to pull me in. Save the odd flash of feeling or memory across our bonds, my thoughts remain my own. Even Toralé, my most elusive acquaintance, remains silent. Which is odd – it’s been ages since I went this long without seeing. Only a couple of weeks ago, it would have been a welcome respite from the turbulence of seeing through five different people’s eyes; yet now I’m down to one, I almost miss it. From time to time, I’m even tempted to take a deliberate peek … but I restrain myself. My ability to cross into their heads at will should be reserved for emergencies only.

Of course, when it comes to Toralé, I could class the need to find him as a very real emergency – yet the bond between us simply isn’t there yet. It was meeting the others that strengthened the silver threads in my mind. I’ve tried to feel my way into a vision, the way I did when we were looking for Luthan in the forest, but I don’t have enough details. I found Luthan by imagining myself in her place. With Toralé, I don’t even know where to start.

Where is he? The thought nags away at me, every morning when I wake up and every evening when I’m trying to fall asleep. I found the other three so rapidly, one after another, that I was sure Toralé couldn’t be far behind. Yet I haven’t so much as seen him since I arrived in Endarion.

Sunlight flashes at the corner of my eye, and I turn my head away from its distracting twinkle. Oriana and I are spending the morning ensconced in the armchairs by the window in our bedroom.

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