Leehy looked older than the others by a substantial margin, even though she was younger than some of them. It was the look of someone who had given up. The spark was gone, and he wondered what made her come.
Was she doing it for Sullha? Or was there still life in her despite the deadened appearance?
She looked around as if she had no idea where she was supposed to go, and at first, she didn't see Sullha. The gathering was next to the back wall of the yard where there was shade from the mango trees, while Leehy was scanning the area where the children were playing on the equipment and the sandbox.
Perhaps she was looking for Tomek?
Burda saw her, raised a hand, and waved.
Leehy noticed and headed her way.
Sullha got up to greet her mother. "I'm glad you decided to come."
"I said I would."
"Come sit with us. Karina, can you make room?"
Karina shifted on the mat, clearing a little space. Leehy sat down beside her and arranged her skirt over her knees, not looking at anyone, let alone exchanging greetings as the other mothers had done.
It was rude, and it made the others uncomfortable, but Leehy didn't seem to notice.
Sullha shifted positions to sit facing the other women, and then she turned her head and looked directly at him as if she could see him.
She couldn't, not while still under the influence of the thrall, but she could sense him somehow.
Yaaf considered removing it just from her, but she was too close to the other women now, and he wasn't that precise. Removing the thrall selectively from one person in a tight cluster of others was difficult. He could accidentally expose his presence to someone he shouldn't.
Sullha looked at him, or rather in his direction, for another moment, gave a small nod of acknowledgment, and turned back to the women.
"Thank you for coming," she said. "I assume that most of you came because you were curious, and some of you came just because I asked and you were too nice to refuse."
The collective tightened the thrall, and the mothers and younger children began drifting toward the gate, responding to the collective's mental suggestion that it was time to go.
Sullha swept her gaze over the emptying playground, then back to him, and he realized that she needed to know he was there before starting the meeting.
She needed to know that he was keeping her safe.
17
SULLHA
Sullha couldn't see Yaaf. She sensed he was there, but she couldn't trust that subtle feeling. It could be just her imagination. She needed proof before she could begin because she needed the cover he provided.
She searched for the slight disturbance in the air that would tell her he was standing right next to her, but if he was there, he wasn't near enough for her to feel him.
He'd said he would come, but something unexpected could have made him late, or worse, prevented him from coming at all.
She checked to see if Tomek was looking her way.
If Yaaf's thrall was active, Tomek would ignore her and keep playing.
He was on the climbing structure with two much older boys, holding the top bar with both hands and looking down at the ground, not at her, but that didn't mean anything. He might be just ignoring the gathering of women because he was trying to impress the older boys with whatever he was doing. Hopefully, he didn't plan on doing anything dangerous.
Would Yaaf be fast enough to catch him if he did?
Sullha had a feeling that he would, and once again it struck her how much she'd grown to rely on him.
She needed a sign from him, but she couldn't wait any longer, and she also couldn't talk about the possible escape without reassurance that it was safe either. She had no choice but to speak about the teaching positions, and she had nothing prepared. She would have to wing it.
