stopped. Looked at each other. Looked doubtfully ahead. Decided to go on.
The Sanctuary was a bit of a shambles in the wake of the earthquake, but still standing. After a moment, Mirabar pushed aside the jashar covering the door and stepped out alone into the sunlight. Tansen's heart started thudding hard.
She saw him and Najdan, and she said, "I cannot abide that woman!"
"Is she—"
"I suggested Sister Rahilar! I suggested Sister Basimar! But no, " she said. "No, he has to have Sister Velikar with him. Only that sour-tongued, bad-tempered, nasty old woman will do for my half-mad husband. And I— I am cursed to live in the moldy ruins of Belitar with an insane waterlord and a Sister with the manners of a wounded mountain cat!"
Najdan wisely held his silence.
Tansen foolishly ventured, "Are you all right?"
"No, I'm not all right!" she snapped. "I am going to be stuck with those two from now on!"
"I, um..." Tansen looked at Najdan.
Najdan looked down at his worn boots.
Mirabar looked at them both. "What?" she demanded. " What?"
"Nothing," Tansen said.
"Nothing," Najdan agreed.
She collected herself. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout at you."
" Sirana ," Najdan said, "shall I help them prepare for the journey?"
"No. They want to be alone." Mirabar shook her head. "I could almost swear Baran wasn't joking when he said she tempts him to be unfaithful to me."
Tansen choked.
Najdan asked, "Why do they want to be alone?"
Mirabar shrugged. "She's tending his hand. He doesn't want me to watch. Or something." She waved a hand in the air. " I don't know."
"Well," Najdan said, "you did cut him rather—"
"I know, I know," she replied impatiently.
Najdan told Tansen, "It bled quite a lot, even for a—"
"I know ," Mirabar repeated.
"I'm almost sorry I missed that," Tansen murmured.
Mirabar looked at him. Their gazes locked. Within moments, the air was thick with tension.
"Will you excuse us?" Tansen said to Najdan.
"I will wait at the edge of Sanctuary grounds with the others," Najdan said, turning away.
When they were alone, Mirabar said, in a very different tone of voice, "I'm fine."
"I, uh, I guess I can see that." He looked away and added, "I was worried."
"So was I, to be honest," she said. "But, um, there was no reason to be."
Tansen couldn't think of anything more awkward than talking with the woman he loved about her recent wedding night with another man. It actually made his chest hurt.
"So..." He cleared his throat and tried to think of the vaguest possible way of asking what he wanted to know. "He didn't hurt you?"
"He didn't hurt me. And, well, we talked some more this morning, and I believe he's not going to hurt me." Mirabar waited for him to look at her, then said, "I really believe that, Tansen."
He nodded. He hated this, but he would accept her judgment.
The pain in his chest wasn't going away. He asked her about something else that had been bothering him since yesterday. "How did Baran know? 'A child of fire, a child of water.' Where did he—"
"I don't know. He won't tell me. At least, not yet." She folded her hands. "There are things at Belitar which I think he means to share with me. My visions tell me that many answers are there."
"Belitar," he said without enthusiasm. You'd have to be as crazy as Baran to like that gloomy, damp place. Tansen's peasant blood assured him it was haunted, as legend said.
"I'll be safer there than..." Now her face clouded. "Than you will be."
"I'll be careful," he promised, feeling hollow as he looked at her. "I... Pyron told me about Tashinar. I'm so sorry." Mirabar's mentor had been captured and taken to Kiloran's underwater lair at Lake Kandahar.
Her face darkened with grief. "I make a fire every day to pray for her, pray that she's already dead, pray that Kiloran isn't... I pray that she's already dead."
"You can't tell?" he asked uncertainly.
She shook her head. "No. But that's not unusual."
"Oh."
Mirabar shrugged and added
The Sanctuary was a bit of a shambles in the wake of the earthquake, but still standing. After a moment, Mirabar pushed aside the jashar covering the door and stepped out alone into the sunlight. Tansen's heart started thudding hard.
She saw him and Najdan, and she said, "I cannot abide that woman!"
"Is she—"
"I suggested Sister Rahilar! I suggested Sister Basimar! But no, " she said. "No, he has to have Sister Velikar with him. Only that sour-tongued, bad-tempered, nasty old woman will do for my half-mad husband. And I— I am cursed to live in the moldy ruins of Belitar with an insane waterlord and a Sister with the manners of a wounded mountain cat!"
Najdan wisely held his silence.
Tansen foolishly ventured, "Are you all right?"
"No, I'm not all right!" she snapped. "I am going to be stuck with those two from now on!"
"I, um..." Tansen looked at Najdan.
Najdan looked down at his worn boots.
Mirabar looked at them both. "What?" she demanded. " What?"
"Nothing," Tansen said.
"Nothing," Najdan agreed.
She collected herself. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout at you."
" Sirana ," Najdan said, "shall I help them prepare for the journey?"
"No. They want to be alone." Mirabar shook her head. "I could almost swear Baran wasn't joking when he said she tempts him to be unfaithful to me."
Tansen choked.
Najdan asked, "Why do they want to be alone?"
Mirabar shrugged. "She's tending his hand. He doesn't want me to watch. Or something." She waved a hand in the air. " I don't know."
"Well," Najdan said, "you did cut him rather—"
"I know, I know," she replied impatiently.
Najdan told Tansen, "It bled quite a lot, even for a—"
"I know ," Mirabar repeated.
"I'm almost sorry I missed that," Tansen murmured.
Mirabar looked at him. Their gazes locked. Within moments, the air was thick with tension.
"Will you excuse us?" Tansen said to Najdan.
"I will wait at the edge of Sanctuary grounds with the others," Najdan said, turning away.
When they were alone, Mirabar said, in a very different tone of voice, "I'm fine."
"I, uh, I guess I can see that." He looked away and added, "I was worried."
"So was I, to be honest," she said. "But, um, there was no reason to be."
Tansen couldn't think of anything more awkward than talking with the woman he loved about her recent wedding night with another man. It actually made his chest hurt.
"So..." He cleared his throat and tried to think of the vaguest possible way of asking what he wanted to know. "He didn't hurt you?"
"He didn't hurt me. And, well, we talked some more this morning, and I believe he's not going to hurt me." Mirabar waited for him to look at her, then said, "I really believe that, Tansen."
He nodded. He hated this, but he would accept her judgment.
The pain in his chest wasn't going away. He asked her about something else that had been bothering him since yesterday. "How did Baran know? 'A child of fire, a child of water.' Where did he—"
"I don't know. He won't tell me. At least, not yet." She folded her hands. "There are things at Belitar which I think he means to share with me. My visions tell me that many answers are there."
"Belitar," he said without enthusiasm. You'd have to be as crazy as Baran to like that gloomy, damp place. Tansen's peasant blood assured him it was haunted, as legend said.
"I'll be safer there than..." Now her face clouded. "Than you will be."
"I'll be careful," he promised, feeling hollow as he looked at her. "I... Pyron told me about Tashinar. I'm so sorry." Mirabar's mentor had been captured and taken to Kiloran's underwater lair at Lake Kandahar.
Her face darkened with grief. "I make a fire every day to pray for her, pray that she's already dead, pray that Kiloran isn't... I pray that she's already dead."
"You can't tell?" he asked uncertainly.
She shook her head. "No. But that's not unusual."
"Oh."
Mirabar shrugged and added
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