The swift onset of darkness only heightened the anxiety emanating from those assembled in the hall. Hope compartmentalized her own emotions and locked them away. She couldn’t afford to be affected by them—not if she were to succeed.
She knew Dayamar believed she would cope admirably with task ahead. In his own words, she already surpassed him whenever immense mind-power was required. She felt no pride for that accomplishment, however, only relief that she could shoulder at least some of the burden he bore. Although he made light of it, his own task tonight was incredibly difficult. It would require remarkable skill to sift through the memories of each opened mind without causing lasting damage. Hope had brute force on her side, but not the fine control needed for a task such as this.
“Hush,” Dayamar told the restless gathering of people. “I need to verify the other settlements are ready.”
Hope lurked on the periphery of his mind, watching closely as he cast out his seer-senses and linked minds with each settlement’s appointed spokesperson.
“We will begin now.” Dayamar used each spokesperson as a mouthpiece to repeat his words. “I want you all to relax and think of something pleasant—your favorite dish, for example. Mine is hotcakes. Yes, hotcakes still warm from the grill. A mouthwatering stack, dripping with sweet syrup.”
As he waffled on about food, his voice worked its magic and Hope sensed a noticeable release of tension from those around her. This was her cue to begin.
Earlier, while attempting to formulate a step-by-step plan to accomplish her task, she’d floundered. And finally she’d decided to do what she always did: rely on her instincts.
First she sought the aureyas of the people she knew well—Dayamar, Blayne, Varaya, and the rest of her Dayamari friends. Their minds were relaxed and open, exuding confidence she would not harm them in any way. Hope visualized her own mind as a golden thread, gossamer-thin but incredibly resilient. She threaded her mind through each individual aureya, linking them one-by-one.
That task complete, she sought more aureyas, weaving each individual Usehani mind into the intricately beautiful tapestry she had wrought. Her weaving affected the participants barely at all. As each mind was brought into the link, its owner felt a barely perceptible tugging sensation, quickly forgotten.
Finally the Usehani linkage was complete and it was time for Hope to move on.
Exhilarated by her success, she soared upward like a tiny a spider riding the breeze on a parachute of silken thread. Ah… there! She sensed the people of the First Settlement.
More confident now, she threaded them together and linked them to her weaving, creating a massive tapestry of minds before moving on to the next settlement. And the next.
Now to visualize the scene she had been shown before Geramar had shoved her to safety. At first it was blurred and lacking color or detail. And then, frame by frame, it sharpened and sprang into vivid relief. A valley. A cave. Lights. Shadows. Shrouded figures. A skeleton clad in tattered remnants of clothing….
Interesting. Hope hadn’t remembered that particular detail. What other important details might she have missed? She set the scene in the forefront of her public mind and joined the linkage.
The Dayamari/Usehani mind-link besieged her. She weathered thousands of tiny pricks and prods as each mind accessed her memory before withdrawing to mull over the scene she had revealed. Some minds, unconsciously or perhaps intentionally, attempted to root about in her private thoughts. Hope threw up an impenetrable wall around her thoughts, and gently rebuked each errant mind before sending it on its way.
Just when she believed she might shriek aloud from the strain, it ceased. Her task was complete, and thank the gods for that. Right now she wanted nothing more than to sink into oblivion and think of absolutely nothing.
A soothing balm bathed her bruised mind.
Blayne.
Thank you, my love. Hope rested a moment, luxuriating in his mental embrace, before reluctantly disengaging.
Dayamar? It’s done. They’re all yours.
Don’t relinquish them yet, Hope. Hold them together while I search.
I understand.
She maintained the linkage but allowed a tiny portion of herself to disengage and observe, wanting to learn from Dayamar’s technique. His skill at delicately winnowing through the memories of each mind surpassed anything she might have been able to accomplish on her own.
Aha! A slight recognition of your memory there… there… and there! I have them. Let the others go now, Hope. Slowly, one by one. There will be resistance but you must persist. You know what to do. His presence faded from her mind.
Disengaging each individual mind from the link was a painstaking process. Each mind had to be enticed, encouraged to the limit of the link before Hope could carefully sever it and send it on its way. Children were the hardest to reintegrate. Their energetic young minds clung to hers, unwilling to relinquish the novelty of being part of what was almost a hive-mind.
An eternity later, it was done. Hope sank to the floor and curled up with her eyes closed. Her head throbbed in unison with each shallow breath. Right now the relief of swallowing a simple aspirin would have been heavenly.
Blayne’s voice intruded on her woeful attempt at peaceful oblivion. “What’s wrong, dearling?”
She forced her heavy eyelids open. “You have no idea how exhausting that was.”
He slipped an arm about her back and helped her to sit, and she sagged gratefully against him. “You don’t look too good,” he said.
“My head hurts. I have what my father used to call a ‘mother of a headache’.” A babble of voices snagged her attention but she couldn’t concentrate enough to pick up what they were saying. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing much. Everyone’s a bit dazed. Dayamar is still at it.”
“He’s still mind-linked with some of them I think.” A sharp pain stabbed her temples. “Ouch. Remind me not to think for a while. It hurts too much.”
“All finished, I presume?”
“Seems that way, Naytan,” Blayne told the healer.
“What now?”
“Tell Nerraya to send everyone home, but keep an eye on anyone who seems rooted to the spot. Best not disturb them because they might be mind-linked with Dayamar. And do you have anything handy to cope with a headache? A bad one. I don’t want to leave her to get a remedy from my pack.”
“I’ll see to it right away.” The healer hurried off.
“Do you think anyone’s informed the settlements we have what we needed?” Blayne asked. “They could send everyone else home.”
Hope groaned. “I should have thought of that. Is Dayamar finished yet?”
“From the way he’s standing? I don’t think so.”
“I’d better do it. If you can hold me upright for a bit? This won’t take long.” She gathered her rapidly waning strength and sent her seer-senses rocketing toward the settlements. Luckily the first person she recognized was an elder from the First Settlement, whose familiar mind was easily breached.
Greetings. It’s Hope, Second Sehan. We have what we need. Dayamar’s identified those who can help. You can send the rest home now. Tell the healers to keep an eye on anyone who seems non-responsive but don’t try to wake them. They might be mind-linked with Dayamar.
The next two messages would be more difficult as she’d not met anyone from the other two settlements, and couldn’t simply zero in on a familiar mind-signature. Hope cast about and latched onto a vibrant mind and extracted the man’s name from his thoughts.
Greetings, Keeton. I’m Second Sehan Hope.
His rather graphic expletive made her smile… and wonder whether it was possible for a human to do that. She accepted his hurried mental apology, and then repeated the same message she’d given the First Settlement elder.
Onward she flew, seeking a mind from the Third Settlement. She’d almost reached the limit of her strength when thankfully, she caught a faint glimmer of masculine energy. She cast out a thought-thread and latched on to him.
He was strong, and fought her intrusion. In a flash that left her reeling, her position was reversed and it was his mind who latched onto hers, holding her in thrall.
Who are you? What are you doing in my mind?
I’m Hope, Second Sehan. She struggled to extricate herself from the stranger’s powerful mind-grip.
I see. I sensed a new power abroad recently. You’ve overshot the Third Settlement by many, many miles, girl. You’re gifted indeed to have reached this far.
Hope felt herself caught in a vice-like grip. He opened up her mind and peeled back layer after layer like an onion. Not even her most private thoughts were safe from his velvet-gloved invasion.
Girl, you’ve an interesting past. I’d love you to stay and chat but you’ve over-extended yourself. I fear you won’t be able to return home on your own. Let me help you.
The massive mental boost sent her flying back along the now tenuous thought-thread she had created to her physical body. But as he tried to cut the connection she resisted. The Third Settlement… have to tell someone….
Don’t fret, girl. I’ll let them know. Back you go now. He’s waiting for you.
Who are you?
Stubborn little thing, aren’t you? I’m Chryss. Call me if you ever need help.
How?
Just holler.
And then he was gone.
Hope’s eyelids flew open. For a split second she was disoriented, and then she realized Blayne was still holding her tightly. “I’m finished now,” she whispered to him. And closed her eyes again for just a moment.
When she opened them again, her seer-senses told her it was late morning.
Blayne pressed a kiss to her brow. “Morning, sleepyhead.”
Hope stretched and yawned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. And as she blinked and awoke fully to the familiar black-on-black, a painful longing gripped her. Was being able to see the man you loved when you awoke too much to ask?
She fought despair and anger, but it was the anguish that broke her.
“Gods’ grief! Whatever’s wrong?” Blayne gathered her into his arms and held her tight.
“I-I want to see!” she sobbed against his chest. “I want to see you. I want to… to… wake up in the morning and see your face. It’s not fair.”
“Sshh. I know, I know. But you don’t need to see my face to know how much I love you. And what if you didn’t like the way I looked? What would you do then, hmm? Trade me in for someone better looking? Pinch Willem out from under Varaya’s nose, perhaps?”
She rewarded his attempt at humor with a watery smile and a half-hearted smack on his chest.
“That’s better.” He blotted her tears with the sleeve of his tunic. “What brought this on all of a sudden? You’ve never struck me as someone who rants against things that can’t be changed.”
“I don’t know. Hormones? Aren’t emotional outbursts standard fare for pregnant women?”
“That they are.”
Her stomach rumbled.
“What do you feel like for breakfast?” he asked.
“I don’t feel like eating.”
“That’s not what your stomach is saying. You need to eat, Hope.”
“People are dying.”
“I know, dear one. And we have to continue on as best we can.”
“I wish….”
He stroked her hair. “What do you wish?”
“That this was over and things could go back to the way they were. I can hardly bear to be in the same room as Daryon—or any of his people. Their despair shrouds me. Trying to counter it leaves me bone-weary.”
“Since becoming a healer I’ve learned there’s only one cure for the pain of losing loved ones.”
“What’s that?”
“Time.” Blayne chucked her beneath the chin and kissed the tip of her nose. “Get dressed and I’ll whip up some food.” He strode from the room.
Hope threw back the covers and realized she was clad in yesterday’s tunic. She made her way through to the bathing room and stripped off. It was a pleasant surprise to find warm water in the urn. Blayne must have heated some for her, bless him. And he’d laid out a drying cloth and a change of clothes. She was lucky to have such a thoughtful partner.
She ran a hand over her stomach, and cupped the slight bulge. Her breasts were fuller now, too. Standing sideways, she stuck out her stomach, imagining she was looking into a mirror. But of course it was only pretence.
When she was mostly sure her clothes were on straight, Hope cocked her head, listening for Blayne. He was outside, talking to the others.
“There you are!” Maya called the instant Hope showed her face. “We’ve all been waiting for you so we could start breakfast.”
“We set up an outside grill and cooked up a treat for you,” Varaya piped up. “Well, Blayne and Maya have, since I’m still not much of a cook. But Maya’s going to teach me.”
Hope wasn’t convinced by her friend’s cheerful tone. She sensed Varaya’s fear that she would not come through this alive, that Hope’s Seeing of her and Willem together would never be fulfilled.
Poor Varaya. Poor everyone. Gods save them all. “What’s all this in aid of, Maya?” she asked, wondering at the hustle and bustle she could hear around her.
“Blayne told us you were starving, and we thought you deserved something special.”
“Guess what we’re having,” Lukas said.
“Hotcakes and syrup?”
“Correct!”
Blayne handed Hope a plate laden with what he told her was a stack of hotcakes liberally doused in sweet syrup. She tucked in, savoring each bite. As she ate, she mentally ticked off each of her companions. “Where’s Taran?”
“Off on an errand,” Blayne said. “Ah, here he is now. Any luck?” he asked the Master Tracker.
“Helps to know the right people.”
Blayne slapped something into a pan. It sizzled and a familiar aroma made Hope’s mouth water.
“Oh, my goodness! Is that—?”
“Bacon,” Taran said. “Found it curing in the smokehouse.”
Maya patted Hope’s arm. “Are you ready for the next course?”
Her stomach rumbled again and Maya laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Cayl muffled a belch. “Thanks, Hope.”
“What are you thanking me for? I didn’t do any of the cooking.”
“It was your rumbling stomach that resulted in this feast. So any time it’s hungry again don’t hesitate to let it speak up.”
Her spirits lifted. Sharing a meal like this, with her friends—it all felt so normal. She’d just crammed another forkful of bacon into her mouth when she sensed Naytan approaching.
“Dayamar, Hope! We’ve discovered something important about the Valley of Lights.”
The food turned to ashes in her mouth.
~*~
“Where’s Dayamar?” Daryon asked the instant Hope and her companions were ushered inside.
“He’ll be along shortly,” Naytan told his leader. “He’s gone to fetch someone.”
“Did he tell you who?” Daryon asked.
Hope didn’t need to be Sehani to sense Daryon’s impatience. The muted sound she heard was probably him tapping his fingers on his biceps or knee. And then Dayamar entered the hall.
Hope heard indrawn breaths. Anger and dismay swirled around her. The tension skyrocketed. With so much at stake, now was not the time to worry about observing the niceties: She borrowed Naytan’s eyes. She’d practiced this over and over again with Blayne and her close friends, and the invasion was seamless with Naytan none the wiser.
Through the healer’s eyes, Hope watched Dayamar lead a pale, drooping figure by the hand. The woman’s features were obscured by her lank unwashed hair.
“What possessed you, Sehan Dayamar? She’s in no state to be here! Last night was hard enough on her.” Naytan strode toward the woman, hand outstretched. “Come with me, Breanna. I’ll take you home.”
Dayamar drew the woman forward. “Breanna assures me she is well enough to attend.”
Naytan halted, peering into the woman’s face. “Are you sure?” he asked her, his voice gentle. “You don’t have to do this.”
The woman raised her head. Her eyes burned with fanatical zeal. They were the only part of her that seemed alive. “Yes, Naytan, I do. Sehan Dayamar assures me I can be of help. So I will help.”
Hope recalled Daryon saying this woman was skilled in water-divination. Mere months ago Hope would have dismissed Breanna as a bit of a flake. Now she kept an open mind. In Dayamaria, land of seers and gods, anything was possible.
Before withdrawing from Naytan’s mind, Hope eased his guilt over not being able to save Breanna’s family. It was the least she could do.
“How can I help you, Sehan Dayamar?” Breanna asked. “I can’t imagine the Dayamari requiring new wells.”
“They don’t. During last evening’s meeting I accessed memories from a number of people who’d heard talk of a place that fits the description of a ‘Valley of Lights.’ Does that mean anything to you, Breanna?”
“I’m sorry, but no.”
Undeterred, Dayamar continued. “One of Naytan’s group of helpers knows of a place that fits the description. You may know it too, Breanna. And you have earth-sense as well as an affinity for water, is that not so?”
“Yes. There’s little point digging for water if it’s hidden deep beneath layers of impenetrable rock.”
“Exactly. Your skills may help us locate an underground cave in this valley.”
“I can’t promise anything but I will try my best.”
“What do we do once we find the cave?” Nerraya asked.
“First we narrow down the location of the Valley of Lights. Then we will decide what must be done. Naytan, will you tell us what you’ve discovered?”
“My trainee healer Kaylia remembers her grandfather telling of seeing strange lights at night in a barren valley a few weeks travel north of here. The whole area is dotted with caves.”
“The area was never settled because people were superstitious and preferred to avoid it,” Kaylia piped up.
“When I was a child,” Breanna said, “my father told me his grandfather told of a strange valley with eerie lights that danced about the place at night. We were told it was a dangerous place and never to go exploring there.”
“Taran,” Dayamar prompted. “I believe you have something to add.”
“I might have been there.” The Master Tracker’s careful statement drew everyone’s full attention. “A decade ago I found some strange tracks that drew me to such a place. It was near dusk so I remember deciding it would be foolish to explore further. And then I—” He expelled a sharp breath. “I lost track of time. I don’t know how else to explain it. Next thing I knew, I was halfway down the path leading into the valley with both hands outstretched toward the lights.”
“Go on,” Dayamar said, and although his tone was carefully neutral, Hope sensed his eagerness.
“Looking back on it, I feel like I was encouraged to explore despite my better judgment,” the Master Tracker said. “Eventually the trail disappeared into one of the many underground caves. By this time, it was completely dark, and you’d have to be an idiot to go exploring underground caves at night without a decent light-source. I’m no idiot, but it took all my will to walk away. The place wanted me. And if I’d been less stubborn, it would have had me. Never been back since.”
“In the past few years a small number of people from the settlement have gone missing,” Daryon said. “We sent out search parties but found no trace of them. Sehan Dayamar, do you think—?”
“I do.”
“We’ve found it!” Naytan crowed.
“I wouldn’t celebrate just yet, Healer,” Taran said. “There are many caves in that region. It’s rumored some lead to tunnels that run for miles underground. Could take months to locate the exact one we’re looking for.”
“Will you help us, Breanna?” Dayamar asked.
“What have I got to lose?”
Hope shivered at the fatalistic undertone in the woman’s words. Breanna no longer cared whether she lived or died.
Chilled to the depths of her soul, Hope rubbed her arms. She was hurtling headlong into the destiny Dayamar had foreseen… and she feared she wasn’t ready to meet it.
~*~