wall, and beyond it the yard and the shed and the mute, damaged na'kyrim within.
"We don't even know if she's got any secrets to reveal," Yvane muttered stubbornly.
"I need to find out." He could hear his voice rising, his frustration stretching it. "Inurian could reach inside anyone and tell truth from lie, read the temper of their heart. You can find another na'kyrim wherever they are, and speak with them. I've seen you do it. Eshenna can find minds in the Shared. She led us to K'rina in the first place. I don't believe there's nothing more we can know. I need you to help me find an answer, in the Shared, in K'rina. Anywhere. Somehow. Please."
Orisian felt guiltily as though he were accusing these two na'kyrim of something. That was not what he intended, but Yvane's intransigence bred a certain reckless desperation in him.
"You don't understand what you're asking," Yvane said. "The Shared's nothing but storm and misery and horror now. It's a darkness, haunted by beasts. By one beast in particular."
"As is the world. That's why it matters. I know you never wanted to be a part of this, not any of it. I know that. But you've got to choose sides, Yvane. I can't understand, but still I ask. Who are you trying to protect? K'rina? Yourself?"
"I will do it."
Orisian looked in surprise at Eshenna.
"Do what?" Yvane asked the other na'kyrim sharply.
"Reach out. Reach for her," Eshenna said quietly, without looking up. "I can't carry on like this. It's grinding me away, inside and out. When I wake, the first thing I feel is fear, as if it's been waiting there at the side of my bed while I slept. Like a black dog, waiting for me to come back to it. Hateful. I'm too tired to carry that weight all day, every day. I can hardly think straight; everything in my head that's mine is getting drowned out."
"I know," Yvane said. She looked as if she was about to say more, but pursed her lips. There was, Orisian recognised, a certain strain of sympathy and understanding that she could fall back upon--if she chose to--only when dealing with other na'kyrim . It remained, and she could still find it, even when her temper ran hot. It clouded her judgement too, he thought, when it came to K'rina.
"Perhaps I should never have left Highfast," Eshenna sighed, "but all of this would still have found me there. Perhaps worse. In any case, it won't stop." She glanced up at Yvane, seeking confirmation. "It's not going to stop, is it? Not unless Aeglyss chooses to stop it. Or someone kills him."
"I doubt he could choose to stop this," Yvane said. "I doubt he can control anything about it, really."
"Then someone has to kill him."
"If you reach into the Shared, if you let even the smallest part of it into you... you risk letting him in too." Yvane was sad rather than argumentative. "You know that? It's his territory now. His hunting ground. You might come apart."
"The first thing I feel when I wake up is fear," Eshenna repeated in a flat voice. "That is already breaking me apart."
The three of them went together to the shed at the end of the yard, each carrying a candle that they had to shield against the shifting of the cold dusk air. They entered in silence, and set the lights down, and gathered about K'rina. She did not respond to their presence. She just lay there, curled on her bed of straw; perhaps asleep, perhaps not.
Yvane gently roused K'rina and lifted her onto her knees.
"Can you hear me?" Yvane asked quietly.
K'rina remained blank. Silent. Yvane backed away and Eshenna took her place, kneeling in front of K'rina.
"Be careful," Yvane said. She was resigned now. "Go no further, no deeper, than you must."
"I know," Eshenna replied as she reached up and brushed K'rina's hair away from her eyes. She laid one hand on the na'kyrim 's cheek, the other on her hand where it rested in her lap. In another place, between other people, it could have been a loving contact, Orisian thought. A gesture of affection.
"I'm sorry," he said. The words
"We don't even know if she's got any secrets to reveal," Yvane muttered stubbornly.
"I need to find out." He could hear his voice rising, his frustration stretching it. "Inurian could reach inside anyone and tell truth from lie, read the temper of their heart. You can find another na'kyrim wherever they are, and speak with them. I've seen you do it. Eshenna can find minds in the Shared. She led us to K'rina in the first place. I don't believe there's nothing more we can know. I need you to help me find an answer, in the Shared, in K'rina. Anywhere. Somehow. Please."
Orisian felt guiltily as though he were accusing these two na'kyrim of something. That was not what he intended, but Yvane's intransigence bred a certain reckless desperation in him.
"You don't understand what you're asking," Yvane said. "The Shared's nothing but storm and misery and horror now. It's a darkness, haunted by beasts. By one beast in particular."
"As is the world. That's why it matters. I know you never wanted to be a part of this, not any of it. I know that. But you've got to choose sides, Yvane. I can't understand, but still I ask. Who are you trying to protect? K'rina? Yourself?"
"I will do it."
Orisian looked in surprise at Eshenna.
"Do what?" Yvane asked the other na'kyrim sharply.
"Reach out. Reach for her," Eshenna said quietly, without looking up. "I can't carry on like this. It's grinding me away, inside and out. When I wake, the first thing I feel is fear, as if it's been waiting there at the side of my bed while I slept. Like a black dog, waiting for me to come back to it. Hateful. I'm too tired to carry that weight all day, every day. I can hardly think straight; everything in my head that's mine is getting drowned out."
"I know," Yvane said. She looked as if she was about to say more, but pursed her lips. There was, Orisian recognised, a certain strain of sympathy and understanding that she could fall back upon--if she chose to--only when dealing with other na'kyrim . It remained, and she could still find it, even when her temper ran hot. It clouded her judgement too, he thought, when it came to K'rina.
"Perhaps I should never have left Highfast," Eshenna sighed, "but all of this would still have found me there. Perhaps worse. In any case, it won't stop." She glanced up at Yvane, seeking confirmation. "It's not going to stop, is it? Not unless Aeglyss chooses to stop it. Or someone kills him."
"I doubt he could choose to stop this," Yvane said. "I doubt he can control anything about it, really."
"Then someone has to kill him."
"If you reach into the Shared, if you let even the smallest part of it into you... you risk letting him in too." Yvane was sad rather than argumentative. "You know that? It's his territory now. His hunting ground. You might come apart."
"The first thing I feel when I wake up is fear," Eshenna repeated in a flat voice. "That is already breaking me apart."
The three of them went together to the shed at the end of the yard, each carrying a candle that they had to shield against the shifting of the cold dusk air. They entered in silence, and set the lights down, and gathered about K'rina. She did not respond to their presence. She just lay there, curled on her bed of straw; perhaps asleep, perhaps not.
Yvane gently roused K'rina and lifted her onto her knees.
"Can you hear me?" Yvane asked quietly.
K'rina remained blank. Silent. Yvane backed away and Eshenna took her place, kneeling in front of K'rina.
"Be careful," Yvane said. She was resigned now. "Go no further, no deeper, than you must."
"I know," Eshenna replied as she reached up and brushed K'rina's hair away from her eyes. She laid one hand on the na'kyrim 's cheek, the other on her hand where it rested in her lap. In another place, between other people, it could have been a loving contact, Orisian thought. A gesture of affection.
"I'm sorry," he said. The words
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