The Destroyer Goddess (27 page)

The sun blazed down upon the stark mountains, dry lowlands, and thirsty cities. Volcanic ash streaked and clouded the sky, and the nights were on fire with Dar's fury. She shook the ground with rage, Her tantrums coming ever more frequently and more violently as the season advanced. And while withering heat sucked life from the land, Sileria daily shed rivers of blood. 

Josarian's loyalists swept through the mountains like the enchanted fire they bore with them, torching the holdings of the waterlords, destroying their influence wherever they could, and urging people to pledge their lives to the Firebringer's cause. The visions at Dalishar, like the visions which blessed Mirabar, promised a proud future if Sileria had the courage to fight for it. Josarian's dream of freedom from the Valdani was meant to be a new beginning, not a new enslavement to the Society. Thousands had died in the rebellion, but not so that those they left behind could serve the waterlords the way they had once served the Valdani.

The Society splintered and quarreled, some blaming Baran for Wyldon's death, others blaming Kiloran. If weaker sorcerers like Geriden and Meriten were too afraid of the old man to speak up, then stronger ones like Gulstan and Verlon were willing to do it for them. Having foreseen this, having recognized what Tansen was trying to do, Kiloran sent emissaries, peace offerings, and even assistance to embattled waterlords. After some of Kiloran's own valued men died helping Gulstan repel an attack led by Tansen himself, Gulstan relented and reaffirmed his friendship with Kiloran. 

Other waterlords were harder to manage, though. Kiloran soon learned that Dulien had betrayed him and secretly sided with Tansen, foolishly believing the
shatai
would let him maintain his territory after Kiloran was dead and the war was over. Kiloran knew he must remind the rest of the Society how costly betrayal was, so he killed Dulien himself. Unfortunately, Baran had foreseen this and was waiting to spring a trap of his own. That demented
sriliah
drowned every man Kiloran had left behind to guard Dulien's territory after he'd killed him.

Searlon sought Tansen and the sea-born boy, but Tansen's camps were too well guarded for Searlon to approach Zarien there; and those loyal to Tansen died under interrogation rather than give away his plans, if they even knew them, so Searlon was unable to anticipate his movements. Meanwhile, Kiloran received word that some of Verlon's assassins had managed to locate and ambush Tansen. They failed to kill him, and Kiloran couldn't find out who had betrayed the
shatai
to Verlon, though he remained curious about this.

The great waterlord Kariman went on the attack, trying to reclaim the territory which Tansen had seized from the now-dead Ferolen. Kariman lost many men and his strength was depleted by the time he succeeded. It was estimated that dozens of Guardians died trying to stop him. Once in control, though, Kariman consolidated his power and struck out from his vast combined territory. It was now only a matter of time before Kariman brought Adalian to its knees. Although loyal to the Firebringer's memory, the city was suffering terribly. It was said that one out of every ten people there had died of thirst since the start of the dry season.

Cavasar remained mostly loyal to Kiloran, though its people were reluctant to leave their region and fight for him elsewhere. He convinced many of them to do so, though, by promising them a lifetime of lushly flowing water, and even a fair share in the mines of Alizar, if they helped him secure his power across Sileria. Sometimes though... Yes, sometimes it was necessary to inspire fear rather than love. The Cavasari had not forgotten Josarian, and a few of them were even brave enough to demand that others honor his legacy, too. Every so often, Kiloran ensured that a few of these upstarts' bodies decorated the city's main square, usually encased in a block of crystal-clear solidified water. An effective means of public execution; and an equally effective means of reminding the people that disobedience was not tolerated.

"The
toren
will stay with me," Zarien offered, as Tansen fretted about whom to leave behind with Zarien while the rest of their group attacked yet another's waterlord's stronghold.

"Yes, but while you're looking after Ronall," Tansen replied dryly, "who will look after you?"

"We'll be fine," Zarien assured him.

"We have
got
to get rid of him," Tansen said with an uncharacteristic flash of desperation.

"He seems very unhappy."

"That's a very generous interpretation of his character, son." Tansen shook his head. "For the first time ever, I think I pity Elelar. Living with that man for years..." After a moment, he added, "Of course, I pity him, too. Living with Elelar... I wonder if he always drank this much, or if marriage to her was what got him started?"

"Well,
toreni
are... different, aren't they?" Zarien said tactfully.

"We can't keep dragging him around Sileria with us." Tansen sighed and added, "I'm very tempted to let him just run away and get himself killed, but... it's not convenient now."

"Jalilar's baby," Zarien murmured.

"Yes. Jalilar's baby. And showing Ronall off in Britar," Tansen added, "did serve to stop the massacres there."

"Until all the fighting started, anyhow." 

Tansen's face clouded. Many had died, on all sides, during his battle against Gulstan, who ruled the waters all around Britar—and Tansen had failed there. He rarely failed at anything, and the defeat took him hard. Zarien could tell, and he was sorry he had brought it up.

He tried to change the subject, "If only we knew where
Torena
Elelar was."

"I think I may know," said his father.

"You do?"

"But let's focus on the problem at hand," Tansen suggested. 

"You don't need to leave anyone with me wh—"

"Yes, I do." 

"I can stay behind by myself."

"No." Tansen hesitated, then slowly said, "In fact, it's very important that you never go anywhere alone anymore. Not for any reason."

"There are some things I prefer to do alone," Zarien said  with a pointed look. Seeing how strangely distressed his bloodfather now seemed, he prodded, "What's bothering you?"

Tansen started pacing. Zarien watched with interest, wondering what could make Tansen, of all people... yes,
fidget
.

"All right," Tansen said at last, coming to a decision. "It's better if you know this. You're old enough to know this." He looked at Zarien and added, as if trying to convince himself, "It's dangerous for you
not
to know this."

"Are you going to get to the point?" Zarien inquired.

Tansen took a deep breath. "I've learned that Kiloran is looking for you."

"
Me?
"

Tansen's face darkened. "Because you're my son." 

"Oh." Zarien's heart started pounding.

Kiloran is looking for you.

He suddenly felt a little sick.

Tansen's expression twisted into something truly awful. "He wants you because... because he knows nothing would hurt me as much as his hurting
you
."

In truth, the news frightened Zarien terribly. But he could tell it frightened Tansen even more, so he said, "I'm always with you, so you can stop whoever comes for—"

"But you're
not
always with me. And since
Toren
Ronall is not an adequate protector—"

"Maybe I should come to your battles with you."

"No. That would be too dangerous—for both of us. And with Ealian gone now..." Tansen looked down, studying his dusty, worn boots. He had sent the elderly Guardian away to perform other duties. "I'll need to leave another Guardian with you from now on. Maybe two. Or three."

Zarien tried to think like a man, ashamed that Tansen found him such a liability. "They're needed more in battle."

"It's only temporary. Until..."

"Until what?" Zarien demanded, full of foreboding now.

"Maybe... we should separate," Tansen said slowly.

Zarien felt his stomach drop. "You want me to go?"

"I want to find some place safe for you."

"I don't want to—"

"Just for a while."

"No." Being on the dryland—now and forever—was difficult enough to adjust to. Being all alone, without Tansen... "
No."

"We need to think about it," Tansen insisted. 

"What makes you think I'd be harder to find just because I wouldn't be with you?" Zarien protested, his panic overwhelming his desire to stop being a burden to Tansen. "Kiloran can find me anywhere if he—"

"I've been considering Belitar," Tansen admitted. "Kiloran would probably find out where you were, but he couldn't reach you there."

"Belitar?" A haunted ruin inhabited by the
sirana
, her pet assassin, and her notoriously crazy husband. "No!"

"Sanctuary, then."

"I don't want to go to Sanctuary." He heard how querulous he sounded, but he was past caring.

"Then maybe if you went back to sea for a wh—"

"No!" Zarien hadn't meant to shout. He made an awkward gesture. "I'm never going to sea again."

"Zarien—"

"I want to stay with you," he said stubbornly.

Tansen took him by the shoulders. His lean face looked dark and restless as he said, "I'm afraid he'll find you and kill you if you stay with me."

"You can protect—"

"I couldn't protect Josarian from him." Tansen's voice was rough and full of self-condemnation.

Zarien would not show tears. He would
not
. "Don't make me go," he said, trying to control his voice. "Please, don't."

Attempting to appease him without promising anything, Tansen said, "We'll think of something."

"I won't go back to sea," Zarien warned him. "I
won't
."

"Someday," Tansen said gently, "you will."

"No!" Bitterness and a burning sense of betrayal flooded him with rage all over again.  "
No
. I am done with the sea! With Sharifar!"

"Zarien." Tansen brought the rare sternness into his tone which was a sign that he was insisting Zarien heed him. "Listen to me. I know what it is to be hunted by Kiloran. When I was your age..." Tansen's face changed and he stopped speaking.

"What?" Zarien prodded.

"Nothing."

"When you were my a—"

"Never mind."

Zarien wondered what the strange expression on Tansen's face meant, but he was more interested in his own problem. "Are you going to make me go away?" he demanded.

"I don't..." Tansen rubbed a hand across his face and admitted, "I don't know." 
      "You won't... trick me? Just leave me behind somewhere and not come back?"

Tansen's expression changed again, and this time Zarien understood what he saw there. "No." 

To his surprise, Tansen embraced him. Holding him in a grip so fierce it hurt, his bloodfather promised, "No, I won't just leave you. Not ever."

Zarien closed his eyes and let himself be hugged.

The
zanareen
gained new recruits faster than they ever had before, as religious fervor swept across the land. The rages of the destroyer goddess, the frequency of the violent earthquakes, the inexplicable displays of color and fury at the summit of Darshon... These were all portents that drove men as mad as their raging thirst. They abandoned their homes, their families, their livelihoods. They turned their backs on everything they owned, everyone they knew, everything they had once been. Some threw themselves into battle against the Society under such suicidal circumstances that they became legends upon their deaths. Others went to Darshon, like so many people these days, to praise Dar, seek Her favor, beg for Her mercy, and endure whatever She chose to inflict on Her people. 

Many of Sileria's abandoned women joined the Sisterhood and began tending the wounded, the thirsty, the dying. Sanctuary was safe for them in these chaotic times, and many Sanctuaries needed fresh recruits, having been drained of their women by Dar, who continued Calling Her worshippers to Darshon in a frenzy of divine hunger for praise, for worship, for sacrifice.