Awri stands, closing the cabinet with a gentle sweep of her leg, and walks toward the steaming kettle with two small cups and a variety of teas in hand.
“When I was a child, I was often upset with my brother, and jealous of the favor he received because of his gift. One night, I entered his mind while he slept, convincing him that he had fallen asleep in the forest and risen in the midst of a wildfire.” A smile breaks upon her face as she recalls the memory. “It wasn’t until he threw a bucket of water onto a burning log that I released him from the vision. The log was my father,” she chuckles, “and he was furious.”
I’ve never imagined her when she was young but find it difficult to conjure the scene of the mischievous and jealous child she describes.
“Riesh never told our father. I’m not sure why.”
“Why don’t you ask him?” I suggest. Finding myself curious to understand his reason.
She shrugs, offering me a steaming cup of hot liquid. “I suppose I enjoy the memory as it is.”
I don’t tell her how much I understand exactly what she means. Memories are such fragile things. Marred not only by the passing of time but by every experience before and after they are made.
“Your gift is incredible,” I admit.
Even a gift like Toren’s ice would be useless if he could be convinced of a reality chosen by his opponent.
Awri smiles proudly at the compliment before dismissing it with a wave of her hand. “Itisa very powerful gift. Rendered completely useless against a feyn of greater power.”
Blowing across the surface of my tea, I stare at her quizzically as she explains. “Take Xeyvian, for example. I would be lucky to convince him that my rug is a different shade of green.”
I feel my eyebrows hit my hairline before I regain my composure and ask, “He is that much more powerful than you?”
She nods, pursing her lips to blow across the beverage in her hands.
“What if Riesh amplified your power?” I wonder. “Could you do it then?”
She nods again, somewhat more hesitantly.
“Though my brother’s gifts are far from secret, I hope you will understand if I don’t say much about them. Knowledge about our gifts and the strength of our bond toShivaycan be the difference between life and death.”
“I understand,” I say. How could I argue even if I wanted to? I doubt there are any in La’tari who know even this little about their gifts.
“Earlier you said a gift like Toren’s could harm any feyn,” I say, “You mean that physical gifts, as you call them, are not subject to the same laws of power?”
She hesitates a moment before answering, selecting her words carefully. “If a feyn grows a rose bush and walks away, the rose bush remains. If a child comes along and pricks their finger on a thorn from that same bush, the finger will bleed. A gift that takes on a physical form belongs to Terr once it leaves the body, and it is no longer tied to the power of the gift of theone who made it.”
I nod my understanding, though I’m not sure she’s convinced when she shrugs and puffs out a breath. “I’m not sure how else to explain it.”
“Thank you for trying,” I say with a smile before checking the dwindling light outside the window.
Sipping the last of my tea, I rise from my seat. Awri rises to meet me, taking the cup from my hands with a small smile that seems sincere. “Thank you for coming to see me. And for being curious.”
I dip my head, unsure of how to respond to the female. Tonight seems to have gone well, even if Kishek seems no better, despite her insistence that my questions would help him. I begin toward the door, stopping when my hand grasps the lever, and glance over my shoulder.
“Will you show me your gift?” I ask.
The small smile fades from her refined features and she shakes her head. I try not to let my disappointment show. Of course she won’t. She just told me how important their secrets are, then baited me into asking questions to which she only gives partial truths. I feel my back stiffen involuntarily at the rejection of my request and her face wilts.
“I hope you believe me when I say that if I could show you, I would,” she says.
I nod my understanding once again and slip out into the hall.
CHAPTER 34
THE A’KORI PALACE
Present Day
