Chapter 49

Amanda stared at the receding island until it became a speck on the horizon, then until it could be no more than a phantom flicker from the bright sun, and then until she was uncertain that the place had ever existed. There was little more she could do. She had gone through the whole gamut of emotions until they were no longer adequate to convey her real feelings.

The wind was cold and raw against her nude body. Norlan had tried to dissuade her from standing at the railing, but he had not ordered her away. It was not even in any hidden defiance that she stood here. She was not sure why she remained.

Absently, she touched the collar around her neck. Her fingertips slid along the cool metal. She found no seams or breaks save for the eyelet where a chain could be attached. It was as unyielding and as permanent as it had been when the halves had been first joined about her neck in a tingling burst of magic.

She turned and let the briny breeze assault her fully, save for one strip of otherwise sensitive flesh that would remain numb to her until they again reached land. It was as if she wanted to emphasize her loss by bringing contrast to it.

A shadow passed over her. Her eyes flicked to it as it slid over the railing, but she otherwise ignored it. She was aware of the presence without having to look.

"You have been here much of the morning, Amanda," said Norlan.

"Yes, Master, I know," Amanda said in a neutral voice. She continued to stare at nothing on the distant horizon.

There was an awkward pause. Which of the two was making it awkward was not clear.

"I have spoken with the Captain," Norlan said. "He believes we will have unusually calm weather for this time of year. He may be able to shave a quarter moon from the voyage."

Amanda did little more than nod her head once in acknowledgment.

She heard a soft sigh escape his lips, then movement against clothing. "Amanda, look at me."

Amanda turned her head. Her lips parted as her eyes fell upon the pearl that Norlan held in his hand. Her gaze lingered before shifting back to his eyes. Now Norlan saw that tiny bit of challenge flash in her dark gaze. He had missed that. It was one of the things that made her so unique, despite having to be trained out of her eventually.

"I still have the pearl that you attempted to smuggle in your body."

Amanda said nothing. She played her role true. Yet her eyes intensified, as if daring him to do what she likely assumed he would do, which was to pitch it into the churning waters. Instead, his fingers slowly closed around it, and his hand dropped to his side. Her eyes turned inquisitive.

Norlan smiled. "Do you know I can tell exactly what you are thinking at all times merely from watching your eyes?"

"Yes, Master, I guess I did."

"Then you have been told this before?"

"Yes, Master. I am sorry if that displeases you."

Norlan could tell that the apology was nothing more than dutiful words. She was not at all sorry, but it was not something for which he felt he could punish her. "Slaves cannot have Farviewing pearls or magical artifacts of any kind. However, I will keep this pearl."

Amanda's eyes widened. She looked as if she wished to say something, but stopped herself at the last moment.

"You may speak freely, Amanda."

"Will you be allowing me to use it under your supervision, Master?"

"What did I say about slaves?" Norlan asked in a mildly admonishing tone.

Amanda tried not to look impatient and failed. "That they cannot have pearls or magical artifacts of any kind."

Norlan shook his head. "Try again."

Amanda was mystified. "I thought that was what you..."

"You used the wrong pronoun."

"The wrong ... oh..."

"Now say it again properly."

Amanda let out a small sigh disguised as her reply. "That we cannot have pearls or magical artifacts of any kind."

"Better. It is time you begin accepting what you are, Amanda. I do not believe myself a cruel slaveowner by any means. I like to think I treat my slaves well. But they are slaves, and you are a slave. This is not something I will take kindly to having to remind you many times."

"Yes, Master. But what about the pearl that..."

"You may no longer speak freely," said Norlan crisply. He held up the pearl again between thumb and forefinger. Amanda could not help but think how vulnerable it was. Someone bumping into Norlan could send it into the water. "I will keep this, but I will have it sealed in Mage-glass once we are back on land. Then I will display it prominently somewhere. You will then be able to see it, and know your former lover is safe and well."

Amanda's eyes shimmered. Former lover. It was as if he believed she could simply turn off that emotion at will like a spigot.

Sealing away the pearl but letting her look at it seemed to her to be a most cruel means of torture. It would have been better to drop it overboard. She was tempted to do it herself. Yet she was sure that he believed he was being nice to her. She had to accept it despite the taste of ashes it left in her mouth.

"Yes, Master, thank you," she said flatly.

Norlan himself was puzzled at what he saw in her eyes. It fascinated him as much as it had the capacity to frustrate him. He slipped the pearl into his pocket. "Come along, Amanda," he said, his voice dropping to a more businesslike tone. "I have promised you to the Captain just before the midday meal."

"Yes, Master," Amanda said in a soft voice. She turned away from the railing. Her heart lurched. It was as if she had not felt truly disconnected from her former life on Narlass until now. It was like leaving Earth all over again. She felt the same wrenching sensation in her gut, the same horrible sense of disorientation.

It was fortunate that Norlan allowed her to follow him rather than lead him. It gave her the chance to blink away a few final tears.

A fine mist had settled over the landscape, covering the railing with a sheen of cold moisture and gathering as fog that obscured the gardens. The sun had never quite penetrated the gray that morning, and only the temple had been visible to Jollis. He shivered despite the stillness of the air allowing the heat from his apartment to roll unchecked to his back.

Shella was gone, and he felt her absence greater than the chill of the winter air. There had been no acrimony whatsoever. She still cared for him, but Jollis' words had apparently made her reconsider her life path. It was no reflection on him, yet he still felt a twinge of guilt. It was, perhaps, a selfish guilt.

Faintly, the door chimed. Jollis did not turn. "Be welcome," he called out. "I am on the balcony."

Shortly, a robed Cohort appeared at his side. "The one called Sirinna has been safely transported from Oceanus, my Wanderer. I thought you should know."

Jollis nodded once, still staring out over the fog. "How is she coping?"

"Not well. She appears to believe that Amanda will contact her by Farview. That is not possible, is it?"

"No, it is not," said Jollis a bit sharply. "Not after I warned the Lord Ambassador that Amanda would be hiding a Farviewing pearl on her person."

"Ah, I see. Very wise of you, Master."

Jollis was not so sure, but he let it pass. "Have you more news?"

There was the sound of parchment sliding against cloth. Jollis turned and gave the Cohort a curious look.

"This scroll was found in the Oceanus Imperial archives, my Wanderer," said the Cohort as he handed it to Jollis. "Master Kyllos thought you would want to see it. He said it would help you understand."

Jollis smiled faintly as he accepted it. "Understanding is always a noble goal. Is that all?"

"Yes, Wanderer."

"You may go."

The Cohort bowed and left.

Jollis turned from the railing and unrolled the scroll. At first he did not see its relevance to anything. It was a receipt from the Mage Guild for services rendered, in this case for teaching a particular spell to Kenris V'haas, the brother of the former Oceanus Emperor and the man that Jollis had killed in such a distasteful way.

Jollis paused. The spell that had been taught was Shadow Hide, used to temporarily cloak an object or an image from view. It was not a very strong cloaking spell, good only for those things that were already in shadow or were not wholly substantial. This was supposed to make sense to Jollis, but he had to think carefully. His only contact with Kenris had been that day Jollis assassinated him.

The memory sprang unbidden into his head. It was still as vivid as if he had done the deed that morning. He recalled every detail, including where the Lord General had been standing when Jollis had confronted him. He had stood in a far corner of the room, just turning around. Jollis could not recall seeing anything of import in that corner. The only explanation was that Kenris had been taking a Farview audience that he had concluded just as Jollis arrived.

Or he had used the Shadow Hide spell to mask the presence of a Farview. And thus Jollis was enlightened.

His lips curled into a broad smile. It was the final missing piece. Now he understood exactly what had caused his original plans to go awry. It had not been his fault at all, simply a combination of circumstance, luck, and fate. Perhaps the Goddess had a hand in it. Perhaps she had allowed Z'haas to see Jollis as a final test of the Wanderer's resolve later.

Jollis let the scroll roll up. If that was the case, he had passed the test, and he could look forward only to better things.

Out of the corner of his eye, something gleamed on the railing. He looked up. A ghost of a sun glowed against the thinning gray as it started to burn through the canopy of clouds. It was going to be a good day after all.

The man had aged much since he had last stood here. The crumbling edifice towered over him as it had before, though it seemed far less majestic to him now. It once held the fascination of the past and the lessons of history. Now, as he gazed up at the tallest of the spires that faced the ocean, he failed to see anything more than a heap of weathered stone.