Page 38

MOTHER

C as was worried. Worried for his wife, worried for the implications to his marriage, to his nation. If the Empire were to come for Emryn, there would be war and Rodilla would be crushed under the foot of the armies of the Empire.

But they had time to figure that out. And it might be that the Empire would have no interest in Emryn, as they had never expressed an interest in Rodilla before.

He needed to deal with the issue at hand. Which, for the moment, was traversing the town close to his manor in order to get Emryn to the Mother’s House.

They were repeatedly stopped. Mostly so the townsfolk could thank Emryn for her actions the other day. Most of them inquired how she was feeling, and no small number wanted to know how she’d managed to heal everyone in one go.

Emryn just smiled, talked to each of the townsfolk as they approached and answered their questions as honestly as she could. For the last question, though, Cas could tell she was prevaricating when she only said “The Mother provides.”

Most of the people seemed to be content with that answer. There were a few that opened their mouths like they wanted to push the issue, but Emryn would just brush past them as though she hadn’t noticed.

It was remarkably effective in blocking the more intrusive questions. He was going to have to remember that method for the next time the courtiers came knocking about his marriage and the progress he’d made in securing an heir.

That was something he was going to have to research. Emryn had already talked to him about what the head healer had said, but he’d watched her entire back heal in a matter of moments, and he had to imagine that her entire body could do the same.

What would that mean for a baby?

That was a question for the future. Not something to worry about right now.

Right now he was going to focus on helping Emryn figure out everything that she was going through. Maybe she would be able to speak with the Mother: that would help.

But he had no idea how she was to speak to her own soul. He’d heard of soul searching, but this was on an entirely different level.

But if Asan was correct and her soul was actually a separate being, what did that mean?

Again, something to contemplate later.

They were stopped a half dozen more times before they made the threshold of the Mother’s House.

The doors were opened to them; they were always open during the daylight hours and usually long into the night. As long as the moon was in the sky, and the full moon was sitting right at its zenith at the moment.

It had to be a sign, and Cas was not one to search for signs.

They went in, bowing to the statue of the Mother that sat at the door to welcome her worshippers.

And they were met by the Mother’s priestesses before they were half a dozen steps into the house. “Highness, the oracle calls,” the head priestess said. “She will not calm until you are brought and we are worried she will do herself further harm.”

“I will go immediately.” Emryn nodded at the priestess and walked off. How she knew where to go was a mystery, but it seemed as though his wife had a map of the house in her head.

And he knew she had never been here before.

All of the Mother’s houses had at least one oracle. They served as the Mother’s mouth, repeating her words to the priestesses, and they were supposed to disseminate the words to her people.

At least that was the way it was supposed to work.

Most of the Oracles were silent these days. And Cas had to wonder what had happened to them. Or was it the Mother? Did she have no words for her people?

Emryn would be able to figure it out. He knew that for some reason, deep in his soul.

Emryn stopped at a plain, unassuming door deep in the hallways of the house and took a breath, squaring her shoulders before she knocked at the door.

It was flung open immediately, and the sounds spilling from the room were horrendous. A sort of song, if it had been sung through blood.

Emryn pushed past the harried looking attendant and vanished into the room. Cas and Asan hurried in her wake, only to see her drop to her knees at the side of the oracle. The oracle’s face was torn, her nails bloodied and there were frayed cords around her wrists as though she had been restrained.

“Sister, be calm.” Emryn took the bloodied hands in hers and pressed her forehead to the oracle’s. “Breathe, sister, I’m here.”

The sound cut out, and Cas realized it was the oracle who had been making that sound. “Sister,” the word was a sigh, and the oracle raised a bloody hand and touched Emryn’s face.

“I’m here,” Emryn’s voice sounded strange. “I heard you, sister, even if I didn’t know at first.”

“Will you help?” the attendant asked.

“If you would step out,” Asan said, slowly edging the attendant out of the room as Emryn started undoing the clasp on her cloak.

Asan closed the door in the protesting attendant’s face and turned back to Emryn.

Who had taken her cloak off and was stretching her wings out with a small pained sound.

“Your soul is beautiful, sister.” The oracle touched one of the feathers.

Emryn wrapped the oracle in her wings, concealing them both. There was a wash, a flash, the pressure of it was almost enough to take Cas off his feet. And there was a singing in the air, the same song that the oracle had been singing, but no longer sung through blood.

And when Emryn pulled her wings back, the oracle was healed. The wounds on her face were gone, her hands no longer streaked in blood. Her eyes were still blind, but that was the will of the Mother and Emryn would not be able to remove that.

“Why did you call, sister?”

“The Mother speaks,” the oracle said, clasping her hands in front of her. “Her Wings, Her Eyes, Her Child. Seek the Seeker, the Phoenix, the Flame. Their ways are open, but the doors are shut. Find the keys.”

The oracle blinked, reaching to rub her eyes. “The Mother’s words, sister.”

“Thank you, sister.” Emryn turned confused eyes on Cas, who shrugged slightly. “I will find them, I promise.”

“Beware the eyes in the dark,” the oracle said as Emryn helped her to her feet. “But the teeth are safe.”