Leslie Moore - Griffin's Shadow

Now, I can work uninterrupted, she thought. Her hand crept up to touch the place where the stone-the power focus linking her consciousness to his-lay hidden beneath her robe. It felt warm, beyond what ordinary body heat would make it, a sure sign that one of his creatures lurked nearby.

I don’t have much time until one of his infernal birds shows up…I must get in and out before then.

She prodded the weaver in the ribs with her toe. The woman lay unmoving. Sonoe nodded in satisfaction.

She climbed back into the bed, carefully maneuvering Jelena so the girl’s shoulders rested in her lap. She then laid her hands on either side of Jelena’s forehead and closed her eyes. With great care, she extended her consciousness down through the layers of Jelena’s mind.

Fresh memories of Hatora’s birth lingered at the surface. Sonoe flashed by, ignoring them. Deeper in, a memory of Ashinji Sakehera-fresh, and recorded in the part of Jelena’s mind that registered visual images-caught her attention.

How very strange, Sonoe thought. Jelena’s husband is dead. She can’t have seen him-not recently, anyway. Interesting puzzle, but I’ve no time to solve it just now. She plunged deeper, pushing toward the pulsing blue light lodged at the core of Jelena’s being.

She stopped short of the cunningly wrought barrier that had so painfully stymied her during her last deep probe of Jelena’s mind. This was what she had come to examine.

Delicately, she extended sensory tendrils along the surface of the barrier. It rippled a little, yet appeared unbreakable.

Damn you, Taya!

Sonoe’s rival had effectively sealed off the Key from all access.

I must find a way to break through the barrier; otherwise, I can’t directly examine the energy signature of the Key itself.

Sonoe’s plan to capture the Key for her own use depended on her gaining knowledge of its unique energy pattern.

The Nameless One obviously knows-he crafted it himself, after all. I must learn the pattern as well, and soon. His impatience continues to grow. I won’t be able to stall him much longer.

Sonoe hovered above the cool blue star in frustrated rage .

There must be a weakness in the barrier somewhere!

She dared not flail against it for fear of killing Jelena prematurely and releasing the Key.

Think, Sonoe, think! If there is no weakness already, then you must make one yourself. Drill a hole, so to speak…Yes, of course! That’s how, but I’ll need another practitioner.

Swiftly, she withdrew, a little too fast, for Jelena jerked and stopped breathing for a few moments. Sonoe stabilized her with a touch and returned her consciousness to normal sleep.

She slipped out of the bed again, rearranged Jelena’s pillows, and stood a few moments gazing down at the sleeping girl. She then looked at the baby, asleep in her cradle, and for a few heartbeats, tears stung her eyes.

If Keizo could marry me and make me his queen, would it all be enough?

Sonoe took a deep breath and banished the emotion that threatened to weaken her resolve.

No.

The wooden shutters covering the room’s only window rattled softly in their frames, followed by a sharp rap. The stone at Sonoe’s breast radiated a sudden flash of heat. She moved to the window and threw open the shutters.

A huge, disheveled raven hopped through on a blast of cold, moist air. It croaked and cocked its head to the side, fixing a black eye on the sorceress.

No, not quite all black. A tiny red spark flickered deep within its center.

The bitch has whelped.

Obviously.

And the pup could turn out to be more trouble than its dam.

She’s just a baby! How can she possibly be any threat to you?

The raven flapped its wings, then hopped onto the edge of the cradle and bent down over the sleeping child, its razor-sharp beak poised just above the tiny throat.

Sonoe held her breath.

Perhaps I should kill it now.

“Don’t!” Sonoe whispered.

The bird fastened its gaze back on her and Sonoe moaned in pain. Even across the vast distance that separated them, even through the filter of another creature’s mind, the strength of the Nameless One was daunting. What must he have been like at his peak? She had no wish to find out.

You dare to instruct me?

No! No, of course not, it’s just…this child can’t harm you in any way.

Not now. But if she is allowed to come into her full Talent, she will make a formidable adversary. She is an Onjara, after all, and therefore my sworn enemy. She will come after me because she will have no choice. It is her destiny.

How can you know that?

The Nameless One’s stormwrack voice fell silent in Sonoe’s head. She sensed him pondering her words.

I won’t kill the child…not yet, anyway. We can use it to insure the compliance of the girl. She will readily sacrifice her life in exchange for its life when the time comes. You will bring both of them to me.

A thread of sound from the hall outside the chamber impinged on Sonoe’s consciousness. She jumped up and ran to the bedchamber door, pressing her ear to the smooth wood.

She could just make out the voices of Amara’s young daughters engaged in soft conversation. They had come, no doubt, to see the baby, though why the girls had not gone to bed hours ago, Sonoe did not know. She hissed in irritation and whirled to face the raven, still perched on the rim of Hatora’s cradle.

Amara’s daughters are right outside! You must leave before they make up their minds to come in here. They are certain to see the bird!

The torturous sound of metal scraping against metal bounced around in her head, causing her to wince. Oh, how she hated his laugh!

That would be a difficult one for you to explain, wouldn’t it?

Please go!

Why haven’t you found the transportation portal yet?

Sendai Castle is a very big place, as well you know!

The door opened a crack.

You must go now!

Find the portal soon, or I’ll kill you and choose another to put in your place.

Sonoe did not doubt the threat for an instant.

The raven spread its wings and flapped clumsily across the room and out through the open window. Sonoe followed and leaned out over the sill to make sure the bird had gone before she closed the shutters. She then crossed back over to the door and pulled it open.

Lani stood, fist raised as if to knock, mouth agape in surprise. Her twin sisters crowded at her back, peering around her like pups behind their mother.

“What is it?” Sonoe queried in a clipped tone.

“We…uh…We’ve come to see the baby,” Lani answered, hesitant in the face of Sonoe’s impatience. The two little girls nodded in unison.

“Well, Jelena and the baby are asleep, as should the three of you be! Does your mother know you’re out roaming the halls so late at night?” Sonoe scowled and waved her hand in dismissal. “I thought not. Now, go away and come back in the morning!”

Lani drew herself up in a display of indignation. “You have no right to speak to me like that!” she said coldly.

Sonoe laughed. Eyes sparkling with equal parts amusement and irritation, she flicked her fingers and all three girls stiffened, then relaxed, blank-eyed.

“Now go back to bed, all of you. When you wake in the morning , you’ll have no memory of what just happened.” Like automatons, the girls turned around and shuffled off. Sonoe watched them go, then shut the bedroom door behind her.

A quick touch to the temples of the weaver and the maid restored each of them to natural sleep. As Sonoe lay back down beside Jelena, she checked the girl’s mind to assure herself that all was well. Despite the lingering disgust and unease she always felt after one of The Nameless One’s visits, she still managed to fall asleep.