Beyond the Boundary Stones (The Chronicles of Tevenar Book 3) (39 page)

Vigorre pulled Nirel against him and stroked her hair. “You and I have been friends all our lives, Kevessa. We’re telling you this because we care about you. We don’t want you to get hurt.”

But she
was
hurt, stabbed to the heart, torn in half. She couldn’t believe those horrible things about Nina and the other familiars. But she couldn’t believe her friends were deliberately lying to her, either. The deep compassion in Vigorre’s eyes, the way Nirel leaned her forehead on his arm, seeking comfort in his touch—they believed what they were saying.

Maybe Nirel had seen something innocent and misinterpreted it? Kevessa desperately tried to come up with some scenario that would account for what Nirel had described, but her imagination failed her. Her friend’s descriptions were far too specific and detailed to be the products of dim light and confusion.

Like a drowning woman, Kevessa grabbed for anything she could. “Why haven’t you told everyone about this? Why didn’t you tell the Matriarch before she sent for the wizards?”

“I should have.” Nirel rubbed her eyes. “But Ozor made us all swear to keep it a secret. I was afraid of what he’d do to me if he found out I’d told. And the Matriarch wouldn’t have cared; she’s willing to work with demons as long as they give her an heir. Although now she’s pregnant maybe she’ll listen. Once Vigorre’s father and Keeper Yoran are out of the dungeon they can protect me from Ozor.”

Vigorre drew in his breath. “You can’t go to the Matriarch yet. Not while the demons are still free. It’s them you need protection from.”

This was all so surreal. “Really? You’re afraid of Tobi and Sar? And Nina?” The image of the sweet-natured squirrel threatening Nirel was so preposterous she had to laugh. “You’ve been working beside them all week. You know they’d never harm anyone.” She laughed again, though it sounded hollow in her ears, and held out her hands to invite them to share the joke.

Vigorre’s mouth didn’t even twitch. “All I
know
is that they wield something like the Mother’s power. And it can kill as easily as heal. The ancient records agree on that.”

“Not anymore! Animals can’t—” Kevessa broke off. She wasn’t going to convince them by reiterating what they already knew. They’d both read the Law and the first History. They knew everything about the wizards and familiars Kevessa did. Except for the one secret only the Mother could tell, that the familiars themselves, not the wizards, controlled the Mother’s power. And that, she realized with a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach, wouldn’t persuade them she wasn’t a demon’s slave. Quite the opposite. They’d say that when she’d chosen to surrender her will, she’d opened herself to the demon’s domination.

It wasn’t true. It couldn’t be. She
knew
Nina. She’d trust her with her life. It was impossible that Nina had kept such an enormous secret from her.

Yet she was keeping a secret from Nina right now. Would she confess to Nina what Vigorre and Nirel had told her, once they were reunited? If she did, Nina would expect her to tell Master Elkan. What would he do? He’d be hurt, and furious at them for their deception. At the very least he’d refuse any further help from them. He might even report them to the Matriarch and have her throw them in the dungeon with the others who opposed the wizards. She couldn’t let that happen to her friends, not when they were only trying to protect her.

And what if they were right? She didn’t want to consider it, but a horrible niggling thread of doubt forced her to. If Nina was a demon, and had been hiding that fact from Kevessa all along, telling the squirrel that Vigorre and Nirel knew the truth would almost certainly prove fatal for them. And maybe for Kevessa, too. A demon would act without qualm to protect itself and its goal.

She raised her eyes to find Vigorre watching her, quietly letting her work through her thoughts. She snarled, “I should go to Master Elkan right now and tell him everything.”

“Please don’t.” His voice was soft. “Please think about it. For one more day, that’s all I ask. Consider everything we’ve told you. If Firstday morning you decide you should tell him, we won’t try to stop you.” He inclined his head. Nirel confirmed his words with a nod.

Kevessa clenched her fists. “Go away. Just go and leave me alone. Unless you—no, I don’t want to hear it. Either you lied to me before or you’re lying to me now. But either way you’re both
liars
, and I don’t want to listen to anything else you have to say.”

Nirel opened her mouth, but Vigorre silenced her with a hand on her arm. “We’ll leave. Come, Nirel. I’ll take you home.”

Kevessa turned her back on them and stared into the fire. She listened to the rustle of Nirel’s skirts as she rose, then their footsteps, muffled at first as they crossed the luxurious Girodan carpet, sharper when they reached the richly polished wood of the floor. The door sighed open on its well-oiled hinges.

Vigorre’s voice was quiet, but it reached her clearly. “I’m sorry, Kevessa. I wish…”

Her head hurt, her stomach hurt, her heart hurt. She kept her voice coldly polite. “Good-night.”

He sighed. “Good-night.” The door closed.

Kevessa watched the flames dance. She wanted Nina. She wanted to cuddle the squirrel’s warm body against her chest, stroke her delicate head and feel her back arch into her scratching fingers, giggle as her silken tail tickled her nose. She wanted Nina’s cheerful voice in her mind, dismissing Nirel’s story for the ridiculous fabrication it surely must be. She wanted her baffled compassion when Kevessa poured out her grief over their friends’ betrayal. She wanted to know, with the certainty she’d felt only an hour ago, that she was doing the Mother’s will. That the Mother had chosen her and entrusted her with her power.

She couldn’t have any of those things. At least not tonight, and not tomorrow. She owed Vigorre and Nirel that much. She would do as she’d promised, and spend Restday pondering everything they’d told her.

By firstday morning she would have to reach a decision. If she decided they were lying, she would tell Nina and the other wizards everything and try to figure out why.

If she decided they were telling the truth, there was a way out. A wizard who no longer wanted to serve the Mother could ask their familiar to break their bond. She could conceal her knowledge from Nina and ask for her freedom. In order to keep up the charade, Nina would have to comply. Overwhelming pain and three days of unconsciousness would be a small price to pay to be free of a demon.

She swiped angrily at the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. If only there was someone she could talk to. Someone who would listen without judgement and help her sort out the evidence on both sides of the question without trying to influence her one way or the other. Someone who loved her and would support her no matter what she chose.

The door opened. Kevessa turned, opening her mouth to pour out her frustration on Vigorre. How dare he return after she’d sent him away? Why couldn’t he just leave her alone?

But it wasn’t Vigorre or Nirel. It was her father.

Gevan smiled wearily at her. “I hope your day was more productive than mine. We made a start on unraveling the riddle of diabetes, but it’s going to be a long, slow process.” For all the grumpiness of his words, she could tell he was delighted to have a new and challenging puzzle to attack. “Josiah’s got promise as a student, but he’s going to have to learn patience. He was crushed when Thanna ate sweetbreads and nothing happened. If it were that easy someone would have found the answer long since.” He broke into laughter. “You look so baffled. I promise, it all makes sense. But I doubt you’re interested in the explanation.”

“I am, Father.” She wanted to hear all the details of his research. She wanted to find a cure for diabetes just as much as the other wizards did. But that could wait. “But please, can I tell you about something else first? It’s important, and I really need someone to listen.”

“Of course, Kevessa,” he said, moving forward to put his arms around her. She leaned into his solid warm strength. “You can tell me anything.”

Even if Vigorre and Nirel were right, the demons had done at least one good thing. Their existence was responsible for bringing her and her father closer together. “Promise you won’t tell anyone about this until I decide what to do.”

Twenty-Four

A
s soon as Vigorre climbed into the carriage and closed the door, Nirel rounded on him. “What were you thinking? I told you I never wanted to tell anyone else about what I saw! Now Kevessa’s going to tell Elkan everything, your cover will be blown, I’ll be in trouble with Ozor, the demons will be warned and probably come after us, and—” She broke off before she could blurt out the worst part, the part he could never be allowed to discover.

He didn’t seem to notice her hesitation. “It was our only chance to save Kevessa. I spring the trap tonight, Nirel. Keeper Yoran has it all set up. I’m supposed to fetch a wizard from the palace by telling them Nathenarre’s in labor early. He wouldn’t tell me exactly what he planned, but his men are going to separate the wizard from his familiar and kill them both. Then I’m supposed to bring the others, one by one. Including Kevessa, except I made him promise to spare her if I could get her away.”

She stared at him, just able to make out his face in the dim light from the street lamps. “That’s why you were so insistent about her going home and leaving Nina behind.”

This was a disaster. If the wizards were killed, she’d lose her opportunity to provoke a conflict that would result in the Matriarch sending the Armada against Tevenar. She’d been so close this afternoon. Josiah had reacted to her taunts exactly the way she’d hoped. A few more minutes and he would have joined Kevessa in storming the dungeon to free the prisoners. The Matriarch would have exploded in fury against those who dared defy her power. War would have been inevitable.

Master Elkan had spoiled everything with his level-headed good sense. But she would figure out a way to break through his control eventually. The conflict simmering between him and the Matriarch was obvious. She just had to find a way to bring it to a boil.

But not if Yoran Lirolla killed him. Then the Matriarch’s fury would fall on the Purifiers. That would do the Faithful’s cause no good.

She fought to keep her reaction off her face. She couldn’t let Vigorre guess she didn’t want the wizards eliminated as much as he did. And she was still angry about the way he’d forced her to repeat her story to Kevessa. The more she had to talk about it, the greater chance someone would figure out she was lying.

She clenched her fists. “You didn’t have to bring me into it.”

Vigorre put an arm around her. She wanted to shrug it away, but she made herself be still. “I had to let her know the truth. Otherwise she would have been devastated when Nina was killed. This way—maybe she’ll be able to accept it’s for the best.” He swallowed. “If she believes us. I don’t think we convinced her.”

Nirel pulled away. “I knew she wouldn’t. Don’t you think I would have told her long since if I thought she would?”

“I guess so.” He rubbed his face. “I’m sorry. I had to try.” He reached for her hand, and she let him take it. His fingers were warm as he massaged her palm. “If Yoran succeeds in killing all the demons tonight, it should be safe for you to go public with your story. We’ll protect you from Ozor.”

Would that serve? Nirel made swift mental calculations, reviewing how the various parties might react. Yoran Lirolla would be as eager to believe as Vigorre had been. But he was obsessed with gaining power in Ramunna and would likely be content to let Tevenar be forgotten. Would the Matriarch be angry enough at having been deceived to go to war far across the sea? Not if this pregnancy was threatened the way her others had been. Then she’d be desperate to get the help of another wizard before it was too late. But maybe if her child remained healthy she could be persuaded…

She shrugged. “Just don’t tell anyone without asking me this time!”

“I won’t.” She let him pull her against his side and turned her face to accept his kiss. His touch stirred her as always, even through her anger. More than usual, in fact.

She pulled back and turned away, her heart racing. Vigorre was breathing hard. After a moment he cleared his throat, but his voice was still rough. “I was having second thoughts about what Keeper Yoran asked me to do. I wasn’t sure if I could betray Master Elkan and Josiah. But hearing again what the demons did to you—it made me remember why I have to.”

She nodded, not trusting her voice. Her mind raced. Was there something she could say that would shake his confidence enough to deter him from obeying Yoran’s orders without casting doubt on her story?

A thought occurred to her. She had only a moment to ponder the possible ramifications, but it seemed as if it might work and would at least do no harm. She kept her voice tentative, even a little shaky. “You know, I was only trying to come up with arguments that would persuade Kevessa, but I think I might have actually figured something out. Maybe the demons really do erase their wizards’ memories. It would explain so much. Maybe Master Elkan and Josiah truly have no idea that Tobi and Sar are demons.”

“I’m sure Kevessa’s not lying. She really doesn’t know.”

Encouraged, Nirel went on. “I’ve never caught either of them saying or doing anything even a tiny bit different from what you’d expect if the familiars were actually from the Mother. They must really believe it.”

Vigorre nodded, and his arm tightened around Nirel. “It’s certainly easier to believe they’re deceived than that they’re deceiving us. Master Elkan—I’ve never met anyone more devoted to the Mother.”

“He’s just like you, tempted because he wants the power to help people. He doesn’t know he’s being used.” She took a deep breath. “Does he deserve to die any more than Kevessa does?”

“Of course not.” Vigorre’s voice was strained. “But what choice do we have? Whether he knows it or not, the demons are using him to conquer Ramunna. They have to be stopped.”

“But there’s got to be a better way than murdering someone who’s only an unwitting tool. Can’t you persuade Keeper Yoran to kill just the demons, not the wizards?”