SULIS’S GRANDMOTHER WAS no less aggravating in the days that followed. They didn’t leave the following morning like they had planned. They’d gained many additions to their small caravan thanks to Ava’s inspiring words. Suddenly, the devotees at the black temple felt the call to retrain, and everyone wanted to accompany the Loom and the three Shuttles.
Sulis was stuck meditating while other people were preparing to travel. Her grandmother made her meditate first at the base of the statue for the One, then at the feet of each of the stone deities, learning the feel of each deity’s essence. She saved Voras for last, forcing Sulis to sit at his feet, then to lean against his figure to get used to feeling his power while in a safe place.
When they finally set out two days later, Sulis was sagging and puffy-eyed, waking every few hours from nightmares. Ava gave her a sympathetic smile and tried to ride beside her but was quickly separated by devotees who were attempting to cram every minutia of desert lore into the poor girl’s head.
Sulis would have spared her some sympathy, but Grandmother’s and Master Anchee’s lessons continued on humpback, and her own head was starting to feel full. Every moment off the humpback, at the oasis in evening and morning, was spent learning the poses and movement that could create the dances of power. Before she could raise energy outside of herself, she first had to learn to activate the spiraling energy within her own body.
Sulis was beginning to wonder if they had the right woman, as she certainly didn’t see energy snaking up her spine through her energy points when she did poses. She didn’t feel energetic at all, just overwhelmed and tired.
“Ow,” she complained, as her grandmother toppled her ungrounded Warrior pose into the dirt, and Sulis flopped onto her hip.
“Pay more attention!” Grandmother ordered. “You won’t see the energy until you focus.”
“I just need more time,” Sulis growled. “You don’t give me time to feel the poses on my own, to get my own grounding. Maybe if you’d back off, I could actually feel something. I thought we were going to Kabandha to train. Let me practice on my own until then.”
Her grandmother glared at her. “There will be more distractions for you in Kabandha,” she said. “If you can’t learn to focus now, how will you dedicate yourself when you are tempted by other callings?”
“Has there ever been another calling for me?” Sulis asked, exasperated. “When have you known me to quit the path I’m following?”
Her grandmother threw up her hands. “Have it your way. But be ready to work under the Prophet’s discipline when we reach Kabandha. He will have no patience for your whining and complaining.”
Sulis glared after her grandmother, wondering why she constantly harried her so. “I’ve always stuck to my path,” she muttered to Djinn, who yowled and stretched out at her feet for a belly rub.
The Sands ended a day’s ride south of the Obsidian Temple, and semiarid savannah took over. Mindful of her grandmother’s looks, Sulis spent every spare moment mastering the poses and keeping her balance. Sometimes she felt like her own energy was finally rising, but the moment she grasped at it, it died.
But it was still a positive development, and she was feeling confident and a little cocky as their mages broke the great illusion around Kabandha. It was not a large city—more of a large barracks and training grounds. It was home only to the Chosen and the warriors and scholars dedicated to the One. They rode down the small dirt road past some long dormitories and into the courtyard of a large main stone hall with tall, regal columns.
A crowd gathered in the courtyard. To the left was a formation of soldiers, mixed male and female, all dressed in tan cloaks over trousers. Long, curved swords hung from the sashes of most of the warriors, and they gazed straight ahead, expressions neutral. The group that stepped forward to greet them had two main figures, a man and a woman, colorful in silk robes and flanked by a dozen or so people in the white cloaks that had marked acolytes at the Obsidian Temple.
As Sulis and her party dismounted, the woman stepped forward to greet Master Anchee and Grandmother.
“I am Yanil,” the woman said with a smile. “Tanon and I will show you to your rooms.” She gestured to the man beside her. “We have opened a guesthouse for the Chosen ones. The Prophet will meet with you tomorrow, and you will decide a course of training together. You must want to freshen up after your journey. Chosen, follow me. Warriors of the One, follow Tanon, and he will assign you a dormitory and work group.”
Sulis and Ava followed Grandmother and Master Anchee, glancing around as they entered the citadel and walked through the main hall. The vaulted ceiling was painted with a mural of the One smiting the deities. There was a balcony around the room that led to the second floor, and Sulis could see the doorways to more rooms. A spiral staircase to the right led up to a walkway.
“The main temple is to your right,” Yanil told them, as they walked through the building. “It is used for meditation and ceremonies. There are two smaller meditation centers beside it. On the second floor, there is a library and archival offices, along with reading rooms for study. We use this main hall for larger meetings.” There were no chairs, but sitting cushions were stacked along a main wall.
They walked out a back door and into a massive, sandy courtyard. Sulis admired some shirtless men fighting hand-to-hand in the front of the open space as trainers circled them, barking commands. Men and women with curved swords battled each other in the back of the space.
“This is used for training and exercise. The long hall to the right is the eating hall, and to the left is the armory and indoor training space. Dormitories are behind. The smaller houses back by the forest are private dwellings. We have reserved the farthest one for you. It is the quietest, and you will be least likely to be disturbed there.”
“Ashraf!” Ava yelled suddenly, and ran toward the combatants. Sulis realized Djinn was twining around the legs of a tall figure, who turned at Ava’s cry. Ashraf scooped Ava up and twirled her around once.
“What is he doing here?” Sulis murmured to Grandmother as she tried to silently order Djinn back to her side. Djinn ignored her summons, his eyes half-closed as Ashraf scratched his head.
“He was caught snooping, and they recruited him,” Grandmother said. “It seems he has the power to see through the illusions around this place.”
The training master yelled commands, and Ashraf bowed once in their direction, then turned back to his training. Sulis let her eyes linger on his chiseled muscles as Ava rejoined them, before catching Grandmother’s sharp glance on her.
“You’re not going to be like your mother, distracted by every pretty male here, are you?” Grandmother asked.
“I am not my mother,” Sulis said, turning her back and walking after the others. “I have focus.”
As they walked to the houses at the end of Kabandha, Sulis saw Ava’s eyes widen. They’d been traveling for days and watching as the Sands became short grass, then taller grasslands. Now, behind the buildings stood a tall, lush forest.
“You have trees here! I thought this was all grasslands and desert,” Ava blurted out.
Yanil smiled. “Not all. The southern coastline is all forest, with great rains that come through, and we are just two days’ ride from there. After the battle of the One, the desert took over the center of our lands. There was still forest at the edges, but we did not realize how fragile the soil was. Our ancestors tried to treat the land as it always had been used, chopping down trees at will, tilling the soil. But that created more desert. We had to learn to protect the trees, to value what the deep forest can give us.”
“Much of the meditation we do is in the forest,” Master Anchee said. “There is such a variety of life in those trees that it can help us begin to distinguish one life force from another in a peaceful environment.”
They came upon a small gray stone house at the edge of the forest. There was a large meditation garden in the front, with a small stream running through it. The inside smelled musty, as though it hadn’t been used in years.
“There are five bedrooms above,” Yanil said. “You may take your meals at the eating hall, but you can store some food supplies for the times the Prophet has you in seclusion. I will return at sundown to escort you to the courtyard for evening ceremony.”
Yanil left, and Ava slipped her hand in Sulis’s.
“Will you room with me?” she whispered. “I’ve never had to sleep in a room by myself. I don’t want to be alone.”
Sulis looked over at the younger girl. Ava had been brave all week, meeting every query, every bit of information with attention. But she was so young. Sulis remembered what her grandmother said, that her role was to support now instead of to lead. The Weaver would need the Loom to ground her, but who would support the Loom, who was just thirteen and had already experienced too much of the darker side of life?
Sulis grinned at Ava. “Let’s run up first to get the best room. Otherwise, Grandmother will steal the largest one.”
Ava laughed as they pushed past Anchee and Grandmother to run up the stairs. Sulis looked back to see Grandmother frowning, but Master Anchee grinned broadly in approval and winked at her. They tripped over the bedrolls stacked in the hallway at the top of the stairs and just managed to catch each other, still giggling.
They glanced into the north-facing rooms and quickly rejected them. Ava cooed as she entered a corner, southeastern-facing room. The windows on both the back and side walls showed a solid green canopy. There was a bench, and a small wooden clothespress.
“It reminds me of home,” Ava breathed. “Before Father died, and we moved to Illian. We had our own house, with trees on each side. I was just a little girl, but I still remember feeling like I was in a tree house.”
“Then this is the right room,” Sulis said. “We’ll see how the bedrolls fit in.”
“I wish we had a real bed,” Ava said wistfully. “With a feather mattress and wooden frame.”
Sulis patted her on the shoulder. “For the Loom, anything is possible,” she said lightly. “People have been trampling each other to talk to you. They can get you a real bed if that makes you happy. One knows they’re putting enough demands on you. You need to start demanding things back.”
“Do you think we’ll be here long?” Ava asked, staring out the window.
Sulis shook her head. “I don’t know. It seems like everyone but us has been training their entire lives for a prophecy I’d never heard of. I don’t know if this prophecy is coming true in a few months, a year, or a decade. I don’t know if anyone knows. But I’d think we’ll need at least several months to a year here, learning everything they want us to know.”
“And then what?” Ava asked. “Do you think a war will start?”
“Maybe,” Sulis said. “Or maybe we’ll do what Grandmother did—go back to our normal lives, start families, and wait until something happens if it ever does.”
Ava flopped onto the bench. “I don’t know if I’m the right person,” she whispered to Sulis. “I thought so, at that temple. I thought I heard the One. But what if it was just my imagination? What if it isn’t me?”
Sulis settled beside Ava. “And I thought I was the only one with doubts,” she said dryly. “I’m afraid this great Prophet is going to take one look at me and throw me out.”
“I almost wish he would,” Ava said. “I don’t want everyone to be looking at me again, whispering about me.”
Sulis snorted. “I’m the opposite. I like being the center of attention.” She grinned and nudged Ava with her shoulder until the girl looked up. “Tell you what, when you feel like you need everyone to leave you alone, send me a signal, and I’ll do something outrageous. That way you get left alone, and I get to be stared at. A win for both of us.”
A smile played around Ava’s mouth. “What would you do?” she asked.
Sulis laughed. “I don’t know. That’s half the fun. I’m sure Djinn and I will think of something.” She looked around, realizing the great cat hadn’t followed them to the house. He’d find her later, after he’d explored every crevice and every corner of the city. She could sense his curiosity and satisfaction even when he wasn’t with her.
“Here are your bedrolls, girls,” Grandmother interrupted, shoving the rolled mats into the room. “Get set up and come down for the meal. Your packs are down in the gathering area.”
That night, Sulis heard Ava toss and turn awhile before she went silent. Luckily, the girl didn’t snore. Sulis had difficulty sleeping as well, unaccustomed to the moist humidity in the air after the dryness of the deep desert. Having Djinn’s furry form pressed down the length of her body didn’t help with her stickiness, and he grumbled when she pushed his head off her stomach and rolled away from him. Unlike Ava, Sulis preferred the sparseness of the road, the stars overhead, the feeling that they were going somewhere. Traveling to change. Sulis sighed, realizing she really only liked change that she controlled. Change that was safe and exactly how she planned it. So much was changing that was out of her control now.
Sulis glanced over at Ava. Ava’s entire world had been one of unhappy change for a long time. One awful event after another, and now suddenly everyone was looking to her as a savior, the legendary Loom of the prophecy come to life. But in reality, she was a confused child, who’d been forced to become stronger than most.
Sulis wondered if that was true of all the heroes of legends. Were they heroes not because they were wise or superior, but because they didn’t break, because they became stronger when asked to go through terrible changes beyond their control?
Sulis must have fallen asleep because sun filtering through the eastern window woke her. Djinn was gone, and Ava still slept, so Sulis rose quietly and dressed, thinking she could get in a little more practice with her forms before meeting this new Prophet.
A glance into the other two rooms showed that Master Anchee and Grandmother were already up, but there was no one in the gathering room as Sulis passed through.
Sulis hesitated at the front door. There was a stranger in ragged green robes sitting beside the stream in the meditation garden. Djinn lay sunning in the grass beside the man, head touching his crossed legs. The man seemed deep in reverie, and Sulis started to back up, so as not to disturb him.
As though he heard her thoughts, he glanced around and beckoned to her. To her surprise, he was not one of the desert folk—he was deeply tanned with leathery skin and weather lines around his eyes and mouth, but he was definitely of Northern descent. Unlike the others of this community, he was thin and bony, not muscular. His shock of pure white hair was short and glistened in the sunlight. He smiled as she settled cross-legged beside him.
“You are wondering how this old, weak, man from the North became the Prophet,” he said, smiling and looking back at the water.
“You’re the Prophet?” Sulis blurted out, surprised. He looked more like a scrubby iterant wanderer.
He laughed. “Your desert folk need titles and labels,” he said. “I’m just an old wandering Vrishni who saw too much. The Northerners did not like my visions, so I went south. And the Southerners liked my visions too much, put me to work training their Chosen ones, and called me the Prophet. But I am just the dirt you trod on, stable and sure, and was named so as a child. I am Clay.”
“Master Clay,” Sulis began warily.
“Just Clay, love,” he interrupted. He picked up a stick and made circles in the little stream, creating ripples in a relatively still pool. “Master Clay is too long, and my attention is short.”
“Clay,” Sulis began again. “What type of training will we be doing?”
He glanced at her and cocked his head. “Much of what you’ve already done. You will have a Master of Weapons to teach you to protect yourself, a Master Archivist to teach you histories. And a Master of Languages will be assigned so that you get the words of the ritual perfect. And you’ll have me to confuse and baffle you to tears. And to be your best friend. And to expand your mind in ways you had not thought of.” He stood suddenly, unfolding his legs with a dexterity that surprised her in a man so old. “Do not worry about Ava. She will stand tall if you stay by her side.”
Sulis blinked at this sudden change of topic. Before she could stand, he strode off toward the dining hall. “And you will be her rock,” he called back over his shoulder. “Sausages for breakfast. You won’t want to miss them. Good day, Anchee!”
Sulis realized that Master Anchee had been standing by the side of the house, watching the scene. He chuckled and waved at Clay’s disappearing figure.
“Yes, he’s always like this,” Anchee said, answering Sulis before she asked her question. “And yes, it can be frustrating. I’m to fetch you and Ava to breakfast.”
There were indeed sausages and a grain porridge set up for them to help themselves to at breakfast, and various sliced Southern fruits that Sulis pointed out to Ava as being delicacies anywhere but here, where they were common. By the murmurs around her, Sulis understood that the honey to sweeten the porridge was a rare treat this far south of the greener lands. Grandmother was already at a long table, talking with an older man with deep laugh lines around his eyes. Sulis’s gaze was arrested by the contented look on her grandmother’s face and the way her hand was clasped in his.
Sulis looked away and realized Anchee was leading them to a long table where Clay sat, talking to Ashraf. She thought about resisting and sitting by herself but knew she’d have to face the Frubian sometime.
“Ashraf will be one of your protectors while you practice,” Clay announced. “He will train with the warriors but be a part of this group. You will learn to appreciate him.” The last sentence was directed at Sulis.
Sulis smiled at Ashraf, hoping it wasn’t too brittle. “I already appreciate Ashraf,” she said. “He has such a fine form; especially when the training master yells at him.”
The others laughed.
“I very much hope he will be a distraction for you,” Clay said cryptically, picking up his tray. Ashraf’s smile widened. “You need to enjoy life a little. I will teach you new dances this week before I leave.”
He carried his tray to the bin and walked out. Sulis looked at Anchee, who shook his head.
“Do we know where the Prophet is traveling to?” he asked Ashraf.
“He said he was needed somewhere else and would be gone awhile,” Ashraf said. “He told me to keep all of you safe.”
Anchee smiled. “We’re in a city of warriors. As a newcomer, you won’t have to bear that burden on your own.”
“I’m not certain how new they’d consider me,” Ashraf said. “I’ve been here training with them for months now.”
“How did you come here?” Ava asked. “I thought you were still in Illian, plotting with Farrah.”
Ashraf grinned fondly at the girl. Kadar had told Sulis this past summer that Ashraf was friends with Farrah’s family because he was helping Farrah lead some sort of Forsaken rebellion.
“It is good to see you here, Miss Ava. You look very desertlike in those beautiful blue robes,” he said, and the girl blushed and gave him a shy smile.
Sulis shook her head, remembering her own reaction to the flatterer.
“I was plotting with your sister,” Ashraf continued. “And part of that plot was to bring the Forsaken south, to this abandoned city I’d heard about as a child. Imagine my chagrin when I went scouting to find this city occupied by fierce warriors. They swarmed me, brought me into the city, and I haven’t been able to leave since though they allowed me to send word to my family and Farrah that I am alive and training with them.”
“You saw through the illusions?” Anchee asked sharply. Ashraf nodded, and Anchee explained. “There are illusions around the city to reinforce the notion that it is abandoned. And as with the Obsidian Temple, anyone who approaches feels a strong aversion, then fear, which causes even the bravest to turn away. Only those with strong talent can see through the illusions. I was not aware the heir of Nasirof had such talents.”
“Neither was he,” Ashraf said, dryly. “What is the Obsidian Temple?” he asked, glancing around at them. When no one spoke, he grinned broadly. “So I’m not the only one having adventures.”
“But now we get to adventure together,” Ava said, grinning with him. “It’s nice to see a face from home, Ashraf, even though I know you’re really from here.”
“Well, I am glad to see you, too,” Ashraf declared. Then he looked straight into Sulis’s eyes and smiled. “And you as well, now that you are no longer married to the Temple. I feared for you, Sulis.”
Sulis was unable to breathe, caught by his brown eyes. She looked down and fumbled with a piece of tang-fruit, hoping no one noticed her blushing.
“You can see she is fine,” Grandmother said from behind them, her words a warning.
Sulis smothered a yelp and turned. She’d been so focused on Ashraf, her Grandmother’s voice had surprised her. Two women were with Grandmother, and as attention turned toward them, they smiled at the group.
Grandmother gave Sulis a wicked grin, knowing she’d snuck up on her again. “You don’t need to concern yourself with Sulis, Ashraf,” she said. “You are wanted in the training hall. The Prophet says you are to be one of our protectors. Come to our house this afternoon when we train with him.”
Ashraf bowed slightly to her and rose. He put a hand on Ava’s shoulder and squeezed it once before leaving. Sulis managed not to watch him, turning her focus instead on the two women with her grandmother.
“This is our archivist, Master Ursa. She will set a schedule for your studies, and extra training for Sulis in speaking the sacred language. Master Tull will set up a schedule for your unarmed-protection training. Since the Prophet is leaving, we will train with him this week, and he will tell us what to study until he returns. There is much to do, and we don’t know how long we have, so every minute is precious.”
Sulis nodded and looked at Ava, whose face was tense as she studied their new teachers. She put her hand on Ava’s, and the girl smiled slightly, without turning her gaze to Sulis. “I think we can handle anything you choose to throw at us,” Sulis said, her attitude deliberately cocky to boost the other girl’s confidence. “Let’s get this training started.”
After they’d set the training schedule and were leaving to meet with Clay, Master Tull touched Sulis on the shoulder. Sulis let the others go ahead and stayed back with both of the masters. Her grandmother hesitated, and Sulis waved her on.
The masters studied Sulis a moment, their eyes sharp, as though looking for flaws. Sulis stood tall and returned their gaze.
“You seem to have an influence on the Loom,” Master Tull started.
“Ava and I are friends,” Sulis said. “I stand by her in the stead of her older sister.” She said the words as a warning, and the two glanced at each other. She wanted to make sure they understood that she would not influence Ava in whatever way they seemed to be thinking.
Tull seemed satisfied with that answer. “Then you will watch out for her?”
“She isn’t the Loom’s Guardian,” Ursa corrected sharply.
“No,” Tull conceded, “But I believe she is more important now as a protector and guide to lean on.”
Sulis shook her head impatiently. “What do you want?” she asked bluntly. “If you want something of Ava, ask her yourself.”
Tull grinned, seeming to like Sulis’s bluntness. “She is very young and not of our culture. We fear there are things she may want or need but will not come to us for. We would like you to let one of us know if there is anything she needs, even small things. Her path is hard, and Kabandha is not a comfortable place. We would soften her burdens if we could.”
Sulis grinned back. This was something she could do. Starting now. “Well, she didn’t sleep well last night. She mentioned wanting a bed.”
The masters looked at each other. Ursa’s brow drew in, puzzled.
“With a nice, soft topping,” Sulis added. “Knowing Northerners, she’d probably be happy to have some chairs with backs on them. They’re not much for floor sitting in Illian.”
“A bed?” Ursa asked.
“Yes, I’ve seen those,” Tull said. “They sit off the ground, with several thick layers of padding. I will confer with the merchants before they leave. They should know how to either create or import the frame. We can trade for the feather down we will need in one of the coastal cities.”
“Many of the wealthier families use backed chairs in Frubia,” Ursa ventured. “It would not be difficult to have a few tithed to us.”
Tull bowed slightly to Sulis. “Thank you for your contribution. This is exactly what we were hoping for. Let us know if the Loom has any future needs, and we will attempt to meet them.”
Sulis tried not to snicker as she left the eating hall. It seemed Ava would get her bed after all. It would be hard resisting asking for little luxuries that Sulis herself wanted. Well, if Ava also wanted them, what was the harm? The next few months were going to be steady, endless work. A few comforts were little enough payment.