present. At least he hadn’t lost that as he had lost his hair. “Now. We were discussing the commander’s request to press the attack.”
Eldridge leaned back in the chair as he tried to hide his surprise. The commander had changed the focus to press the attack in Jornas? Had Cheneth known?
Maybe Volth had known. The man was friends with the commander, close enough that he still called him by his name. Few enough risked his irritation or worse by doing so.
Deidre turned her attention to Eldridge again. “We have pressed the attack, Alistair. Why do you think there are so few of us at the table?”
Eldridge counted nine around the table, over half of them shapers. How many more would they normally have in such a council?
“Yes. There is no discussion about the request or your response. The discussion has been about what the order has experienced when they press.”
“Seeing as how the border now stretches some ten miles farther south than it once did, I think we’re doing well enough, don’t you? The commander has made it clear that we’re to work with Pa’shu to continue to press south, so that is what we have done. If we go too far south, we run into—”
“Draasin,” Eldridge said. He spoke when he hadn’t intended to. Volth had mentioned what he’d found in the heart of Rens. The draasin and the egg he’d discovered. Could that be the reason the commander wanted them to push? Did he know about the draasin eggs in the heart of Rens? If he did, how did he think to use them, if he found any at all?
“Yes. The draasin,” Deidre said. She leaned forward, her gray eyes narrowing and her lips pressed tightly together. “We haven’t seen an attack in Jornas in nearly three years, but deeper in Rens, where we press…”
Eldridge glanced to Alistair. Most scholars knew little about the elementals, but Alistair was not most scholars. The man had been chosen for this post because of his knowledge and the fact that he wouldn’t fear the threat of draasin attacks. Had he learned anything more?
“And now that the Wrecker has departed Rens, nothing really holds them back.”
He had lost track of the conversation but looked up at the comment. “Volth?”
“You know of him?” Deidre asked.
“There are stories about him,” Eldridge said carefully. “I have a hard time believing any are true.”
“True enough in Rens,” Deidre said. “True enough that those of Rens still fear him. That’s why they don’t send their draasin after us. Or didn’t. Now that he’s gone…”
Eldridge hadn’t thought of the impact Volth’s leaving would have. The stories about the man were almost too impossible to believe, but then, Eldridge had seen the way he’d healed a man who should have been dead. That was the first time he knew Volth shared a connection with the elementals.
He stood, pushing back his chair. Sitting in the Jornas council did nothing for what Cheneth needed from him and nothing for the reason he had come. He nodded to the young girl. “I would speak with you.”
“Bishop,” he heard from Alistair, but Eldridge shook his head, otherwise ignoring him.
Deidre placed a hand on the girl’s arm, but the girl whispered something to her and stood. “I will come with you, Bishop.” She spoke with a soft voice, accented in a way that told him she was not of Ter, at least not as a child.
The inflection to her words made Eldridge take another look at her. Not only was she not of Ter, but the dark skin and her dark eyes suddenly made more sense than they had before.
Rens. The girl was a warrior shaper. From Rens.
10
Oliver
I continue to struggle with how Tenebeth escaped. If we do not discover what happened, anything we do will be insufficient.
—Rolan al’Sand, Enlightened of Hyaln
O liver’s rooms no longer felt safe. Nothing about Atenas felt safe. The council had attacked him, but he didn’t know why.
At least here he had the protections he could place around his room. That,
Eldridge leaned back in the chair as he tried to hide his surprise. The commander had changed the focus to press the attack in Jornas? Had Cheneth known?
Maybe Volth had known. The man was friends with the commander, close enough that he still called him by his name. Few enough risked his irritation or worse by doing so.
Deidre turned her attention to Eldridge again. “We have pressed the attack, Alistair. Why do you think there are so few of us at the table?”
Eldridge counted nine around the table, over half of them shapers. How many more would they normally have in such a council?
“Yes. There is no discussion about the request or your response. The discussion has been about what the order has experienced when they press.”
“Seeing as how the border now stretches some ten miles farther south than it once did, I think we’re doing well enough, don’t you? The commander has made it clear that we’re to work with Pa’shu to continue to press south, so that is what we have done. If we go too far south, we run into—”
“Draasin,” Eldridge said. He spoke when he hadn’t intended to. Volth had mentioned what he’d found in the heart of Rens. The draasin and the egg he’d discovered. Could that be the reason the commander wanted them to push? Did he know about the draasin eggs in the heart of Rens? If he did, how did he think to use them, if he found any at all?
“Yes. The draasin,” Deidre said. She leaned forward, her gray eyes narrowing and her lips pressed tightly together. “We haven’t seen an attack in Jornas in nearly three years, but deeper in Rens, where we press…”
Eldridge glanced to Alistair. Most scholars knew little about the elementals, but Alistair was not most scholars. The man had been chosen for this post because of his knowledge and the fact that he wouldn’t fear the threat of draasin attacks. Had he learned anything more?
“And now that the Wrecker has departed Rens, nothing really holds them back.”
He had lost track of the conversation but looked up at the comment. “Volth?”
“You know of him?” Deidre asked.
“There are stories about him,” Eldridge said carefully. “I have a hard time believing any are true.”
“True enough in Rens,” Deidre said. “True enough that those of Rens still fear him. That’s why they don’t send their draasin after us. Or didn’t. Now that he’s gone…”
Eldridge hadn’t thought of the impact Volth’s leaving would have. The stories about the man were almost too impossible to believe, but then, Eldridge had seen the way he’d healed a man who should have been dead. That was the first time he knew Volth shared a connection with the elementals.
He stood, pushing back his chair. Sitting in the Jornas council did nothing for what Cheneth needed from him and nothing for the reason he had come. He nodded to the young girl. “I would speak with you.”
“Bishop,” he heard from Alistair, but Eldridge shook his head, otherwise ignoring him.
Deidre placed a hand on the girl’s arm, but the girl whispered something to her and stood. “I will come with you, Bishop.” She spoke with a soft voice, accented in a way that told him she was not of Ter, at least not as a child.
The inflection to her words made Eldridge take another look at her. Not only was she not of Ter, but the dark skin and her dark eyes suddenly made more sense than they had before.
Rens. The girl was a warrior shaper. From Rens.
10
Oliver
I continue to struggle with how Tenebeth escaped. If we do not discover what happened, anything we do will be insufficient.
—Rolan al’Sand, Enlightened of Hyaln
O liver’s rooms no longer felt safe. Nothing about Atenas felt safe. The council had attacked him, but he didn’t know why.
At least here he had the protections he could place around his room. That,
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