Apparently even he can’t shut our connection down that much anymore.Good.
Okay. I can do this.
But Teren swears.
I turn to him. “You thinkZancan’t handle himself?”
“I think he will sacrifice himself for us if he thinks he has to.”
That mirrors my own thoughts, but I say, “Zan trusted me. I will trust him. Now what in the hells is Nomi doing?”
Because I know she’s not helping Eraya on purpose, but it sure looks like it.
“I don’t know.” Teren frowns. “My guess is that Eraya wanted to talk to people and Nomi couldn’t refuse her outright, so instead she’s escorting her to make sure she doesn’t threaten anyone directly.”
But in practice that just gives Eraya space to work. After our training, Nomi can probably feel what Eraya is doing with magic, even if she can’t see it—that golden light is subtle. But Nomi can’t exactly tell people that they should be less compassionate or open to hearing other ideas, since they listened to our proposal.
I can see it, though.
And I can do something about it.
Some residents have already noticed us in the alley we entered through—I see some pointing and whispers. The priests were already standing at attention, but if I focus I can feel that their rage has intensified; they’ve noticed me, too.
With Crystal Hollow watching I can’t do anything big without revealing my own power, but clarity is among my strengths, especially after five hundred years.
And, always, wrath.
Wrath that the Order, that a sage, and a sage ofcompassionno less, would not let me have even this. Would not want people to haveice cream, let alone a means of sustaining themselves. That they could make people believe that they shouldn’t.
And that they would dare come here and try to subvertme.
I will teach them their error.
A few twists of my wrists, a turn that looks like nothing at all, and the glow around Eraya falters.
This is what makes her pause and turn to me as I stride confidently through the street toward her.
Ironic, that I cannot easily cross a street full of people on my own as a person, but as a sage it is nothing at all.
People watch Teren and I warily as we pass. Perhaps some are worried for us; more, I think, are worried about what I will do, and how it will affect them.
But I don’t know if they’re worried about whatErayacan do, and hasbeendoing.
Just because Eraya’s power is less than it could be, in the service of people who’ve made her smaller, doesn’t mean that she can do no damage with how misguided she is, with her perversion of compassion.
I should have prepared better. In an individual duel of power, I can prevail against her easily, but I should have known she would be crafty enough to choose her own stage.
I can still make this into a duel, evening the playing field, but that’s not the same as turning it to my advantage.
As I close in on Eraya, she turns to face me fully with a smile. “Well met again, Yora. You seem so wrathful at the thought of me simply talking to people. Would you try to keep people away from me?”
All at once I realize what I need to do.
I may have underestimated Eraya, but she has also underestimated me.
When we last met, I was trying to avoid confrontation; to placate and preserve the status quo. So she thinks our conversation will go as well for her as the last one did, systematically unraveling my goals.
But this time, my goals are different. Myresolveis different.
