tonight all I knew about Commanders was that they could heal people when no one else could. I thought " Commander " to be just a fancy title for those with more intelligence and skill than others. Indeed, I only knew the information you can find in books. And I thought that a samodiva was an invented forest creature from fairytales, not someone confined in a passage below Mierber, who somehow does the healers' job for them. Somehow!" Linden stifled a sudden urge to laugh. "What a convenient word! Don't people just love their convenient words! Do you know how exactly she does that? I want to know. I am so tired of being either cajoled or threatened into ignorance, be it for the sake of my safety or for someone's convenience, or for the supposed cleanliness of my quintessence! I want to know how the wretched healing—and everything else— works! "
"Besides, I want to know if she kills babies," she whispered at the same moment when the lord said, "So we both want the same things."
This was the last reply Linden had expected. Speechless, she stared at the young man. They had now halted at the crossing with the side tunnel, but this time no stones were falling, and the song seemed to be pushing away rather than luring. Young men usually laughed at her or ignored her in the rare cases she presented them with unorthodox opinions. Not such dangerous opinions, at that. He smiled and reached to remove a lock of hair from her cheek.
"You are an intriguing apprentice, Linde. Well, we are at a crossing—but you do realize that this might be a dangerous and foolhardy venture, don't you? We were warned to stay on the path if we were to stay safe. Any sensible person in my place would take you straight to Qynnsent."
"We were warned to stay on the path if all we wanted was to pass through here safe—and ignorant. Safe, even if ignorant, is what Dad wants, I am sure. The question is what we want." She smiled back at him. "I am sure you will take me to Qynnsent later, my lord."
He held her hand again, stepping into the side passage. "All right then. Continue to be careful with the stones and speak quietly. We do not want to announce our presence earlier than necessary, and we might decide to stay unobserved after all." He pointed at a pile of gravel at her feet, the candle in his hand spawning weird shadows. "And you may just call me Rianor if you want."
Linden hesitated, then leaned closer to him so that she would pass the pile safely. "I will do that—Rianor. Titles like ' my lord ' do not necessarily make me comfortable."
He smiled again, teasingly. "Is that so—my lady?"
She opened her mouth to reply just when the scream came, and for a long strange moment her mind thought that it was her who had cried out. Her body knew better. The mind immersed itself in the shrill desperate sound that came from their right, but the body sensed the danger and tried to leap away from it.
Rianor jumped just when she did. Later, she did not remember who of them landed first on the loose stones, or even if the stones had been loose before that. What she remembered was the ground giving away under her feet, and the realization that they had been walking on a raised level of ground. There was still a slight chance for Rianor to not fall with her, so she tried to push him back, but he locked her hands with his own. Then something hit her shoulders, forcing the air out of her lungs. In a moment her head was under the young lord's arm, and his body was entwined with hers, shielding her from most of the subsequent hits, as they rolled down the dark slope with the stones.
Linden
Night 77 of the Fourth Quarter, Year of the Master 705
Linden dared open her eyes only when she was certain that she had lain still for some minutes. She lay flat on her stomach, her legs unnaturally twisted, sharp stones poking at her flesh. Patches of light and darkness were swirling madly around her head, but faded a little as she dragged herself into a crawling
"Besides, I want to know if she kills babies," she whispered at the same moment when the lord said, "So we both want the same things."
This was the last reply Linden had expected. Speechless, she stared at the young man. They had now halted at the crossing with the side tunnel, but this time no stones were falling, and the song seemed to be pushing away rather than luring. Young men usually laughed at her or ignored her in the rare cases she presented them with unorthodox opinions. Not such dangerous opinions, at that. He smiled and reached to remove a lock of hair from her cheek.
"You are an intriguing apprentice, Linde. Well, we are at a crossing—but you do realize that this might be a dangerous and foolhardy venture, don't you? We were warned to stay on the path if we were to stay safe. Any sensible person in my place would take you straight to Qynnsent."
"We were warned to stay on the path if all we wanted was to pass through here safe—and ignorant. Safe, even if ignorant, is what Dad wants, I am sure. The question is what we want." She smiled back at him. "I am sure you will take me to Qynnsent later, my lord."
He held her hand again, stepping into the side passage. "All right then. Continue to be careful with the stones and speak quietly. We do not want to announce our presence earlier than necessary, and we might decide to stay unobserved after all." He pointed at a pile of gravel at her feet, the candle in his hand spawning weird shadows. "And you may just call me Rianor if you want."
Linden hesitated, then leaned closer to him so that she would pass the pile safely. "I will do that—Rianor. Titles like ' my lord ' do not necessarily make me comfortable."
He smiled again, teasingly. "Is that so—my lady?"
She opened her mouth to reply just when the scream came, and for a long strange moment her mind thought that it was her who had cried out. Her body knew better. The mind immersed itself in the shrill desperate sound that came from their right, but the body sensed the danger and tried to leap away from it.
Rianor jumped just when she did. Later, she did not remember who of them landed first on the loose stones, or even if the stones had been loose before that. What she remembered was the ground giving away under her feet, and the realization that they had been walking on a raised level of ground. There was still a slight chance for Rianor to not fall with her, so she tried to push him back, but he locked her hands with his own. Then something hit her shoulders, forcing the air out of her lungs. In a moment her head was under the young lord's arm, and his body was entwined with hers, shielding her from most of the subsequent hits, as they rolled down the dark slope with the stones.
Linden
Night 77 of the Fourth Quarter, Year of the Master 705
Linden dared open her eyes only when she was certain that she had lain still for some minutes. She lay flat on her stomach, her legs unnaturally twisted, sharp stones poking at her flesh. Patches of light and darkness were swirling madly around her head, but faded a little as she dragged herself into a crawling
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