D. MacHale - The Rivers of Zadaa

Loor started to answer, but realized we couldn’t hear each other. She waved for me to follow, and we left the crowd to find a quiet place where we could talk.

“I do not know,” Loor answered. “I suppose it depends on how much rain falls.”

“This is incredible!” I said, and stepped out of the doorway to feel the healing rain on my face. “Wouldn’t it be awesome if all it took to beat Saint Dane was for the weather to change?”

Loor didn’t look so optimistic. “Do not forget that Pelle a Zinj has been assassinated. By a Rokador. That will not help Batu-Rokador relations, even if the drought is over.”

“Right,” I said soberly. “Saint Dane could have set up that murder to make sure there would be a war even if the drought ended.”

“There is much we do not know,” Loor said. “I will go to the Ghee command to see what their thinking is.”

“I don’t suppose it would be cool if I went with you,” I said.

“No. Go to Alder. I will return as soon as I learn more.”

Before we split up, I took a long look at her. It didn’t matter that she was soaking wet, she still looked amazing. Maybe more so because the rain made her hair glisten and her eyes sparkle. I wanted to hold that image in my head.

“What is wrong?” Loor asked.

I almost said, “I think you’re beautiful.” I didn’t. It wasn’t the right time. Who knew if that time would ever come? “Nothing,” I answered. “Be careful.”

“And you,” Loor said.

She leaped out of the doorway and sprinted off through the rain. Her long strides took her away quickly as she splashed through the newly formed puddles. The sick thought suddenly hit me that I wasn’t sure if I could find my way back to the hospital. That would have been a totally stupid move. As it turned out, I only took a few wrong turns before getting there. I was also able to make my way down deep into the bowels of the building and easily find the room where Alder was recovering. When I arrived, I saw that he was still sleeping. Saangi was sitting by his side. When she saw me, her face lit up.

“Is it true?” she asked. “Is it raining?”

“You tell me,” I said, holding out my wet arms.

Saangi touched my wet sleeve as if it had been dipped in gold. She squeezed the material until water dribbled out, then touched her wet finger to her lips. She smiled. It was the bright, happy smile of a young girl, something I hadn’t seen in Saangi since I met her.

“Does this mean there will be no war?” she asked.

That was the big question. I hated to have to be the one to tell her the bad news about Pelle, but I had to. When I told her what had happened, her smile quickly fell. Her short moment of freedom from worry was over.

“The rain does not matter,” she said coldly. “Hatred cannot be washed away. I fear there will still be a war.”

“That’s what Loor’s trying to find out,” I said.

Ichecked on Alder and saw he was sleeping peacefully.

“Doctor Nazsha believes he will fully recover,” Saangi said. “What do we do now?”

Isat down on one of the hard, stone chairs and said, “We wait for Loor.”

Iclosed my eyes. Ididn’t want to talk anymore. If we had to wait, I figured I might as well take advantage and get some sleep. If there’s one thing that I learned as a Traveler, it was to steal naps when I could. It didn’t matter what time of the day it was, or how long I had. Even a few minutes helped. I closed my eyes and tried to shut down my mind. It worked. I have no idea how long I was out. It could have been a few minutes, or a couple of hours. It didn’t matter. However long I was out, my peaceful rest was instantly shattered when I opened my eyes to a sobering sight. Standing in the doorway was the answer to the question of whether or not the rainstorm was going to wash away the war. It was Loor. She didn’t have to say anything. She simply stood there. But seeing her, I knew.

She was back in her armor.

Gone was the beautiful red dress and open sandals. Gone too was her jewelry and decorative armbands. Her hair was tied back tight, and her wooden stave was lashed to her back. She was once again dressed to kill. Literally.

“Get ready,” she said to me, and held out a pile of black clothing. It was my Ghee armor. The party was officially over. I quickly dressed while we talked.

“What did you find out?” Saangi asked.

Loor looked troubled. “The rain has come from the north. Scouts have been tracking it for hours. It is a very big storm, big enough to begin the process of ending the drought.”

“Why do you say that like it’s bad news?” I asked.

“Because the water is disappearing,” Loor answered. “Yes, the troughs in the city are collecting a small amount, but that won’t last. There is still nothing coming from the rivers below. With all the rain that has fallen in the north, there should be some sign that the water is rising and the rivers are returning. There is not. They are as dry as they were yesterday.”

“So, you think that’s proof that the Rokador are holding it back?” I asked.

“It doesn’t matter what I think,” Loor said. “It is what the Ghee commanders are saying. This is the justification they were looking for. And now that Pelle a Zinj is dead, there is no one to stop them.”

“Whoa, wait,” I said. “It’s one rainstorm! That’s not enough proof.”

“There is more,” Loor said. “The Rokador ambassador to Xhaxhu has disappeared. He was last seen heading underground, along with his staff. Why would he leave? Especially now, when the Batu are saying the assassination was a Rokador plot. It would be his duty to defend the Rokador against those charges.”

Saangi said, “Unless he has no defense.”

I said, “Okay, I admit, that looks bad. But the Ghee have to cool off. This rain might keep coming and-“

“You do not have to convince me, Pendragon,” Loor said. “I am not the one preparing to march into the underground.”

My mouth went dry. Saangi shot Loor a look.

“Say that again?” I said.

“The rebels have taken control. Ghees who were loyal to Pelle now believe that war is the only answer. They are preparing to launch their attack.”

We all stood there, letting that ominous concept sink in.

Those who wanted war because they blamed the Rokador for the drought now had their proof. Those who stood behind the royal family now had their reason as well. Revenge. The two sides had come together. There was going to be a war. “How much time?” I asked.

“I do not know,” Loor said. “Maybe a few suns. They are smart. They will not launch this war until they are fully prepared.”

“What about you?” I asked. “Aren’t you supposed to be with the Ghee?”

“I am now a deserter,” Loor said with no emotion. “If found, they will hang me.”

I felt dizzy. Things were happening a little too fast.

“Do you still think we should go to Kidik?” I asked.

“Now more than ever,” Loor said. “We need to know what Bokka found.”

“Do you think he discovered that the Rokador are holding back the water?” I asked.

Loor thought for a moment, and then said, “Since the beginning of the drought, I have held out hope that the Rokador would not deliberately try to harm the Batu. I still believe they would never do something so foolish, unless there were other forces at work.”

“Other forces like…Saint Dane?” I asked.

Loor nodded and said, “If it is true and the Rokador have been holding back the water, I believe that Saint Dane has somehow convinced them to do so.”

It was so simple. If the Rokador had the power to hold back the water, then it made all sorts of sense that somehow, some way Saint Dane had wormed his way into their confidence and convinced them to do it. That’s how he operated. He tricked people of the territories into making bad decisions. And unless Bokka’s dying words referred to somebody else named Saint Dane, then the evil demon was down there. It was now more clear than ever that if we had any hope of stopping this war, we had to go to Kidik. “What about my stave?” I asked.