Angel of Storms (Millennium's Rule, #2)(103)

A chill crept over Tyen’s skin. He looked further, jumping from mind to mind. The old man’s thoughts had shifted away from the woman without revealing which direction she had been going. With too many minds around him to read effectively, Tyen concentrated on those in the direction Daam was poling the boat in. When their way was blocked and they had to wait until it cleared he was able to stretch further, sweeping around them in an arc.

He found her less than a hundred paces away, moving away from him and Daam.

“… just the sort of place they’d hide. Lots of people…” she was thinking. Her mind shifted to the other allies. “Fools. If the rebels come out all in one group they might be strong enough to kill one of us. Better to pick them off one by one.” She concentrated on reading the minds around her for a while. “Where are they? I know someone arrived in this city in the last few hours…”

A jolt went through the boat, bringing Tyen’s attention back to his near surroundings. Daam was squatting in the middle, holding the hull of another. It was occupied by three men and a woman: Frell and three strangers.

Tyen looked over the newcomers. A couple, newly married, and a man a few cycles younger than Tyen sat in the craft, all dressed in local garb. From Frell he learned that the young man was the one he wanted Tyen to meet.

“When did you arrive in this world?” Tyen asked, looking at each newcomer in turn.

The three glanced at Frell, who nodded to indicate they should reply.

“A few hours ago,” the young man said. “We travelled in together.”

“One of you was followed,” Tyen told them. He turned to Frell. “A single ally. A woman. Working alone. Take the newcomers and head east. And Daam…” The young rebel had turned pale. “Go back to the house, making sure you’re not followed, and warn them.”

“What will you do?” Frell asked.

“Lead her away from here.”

“I’ll go with you,” the young man offered.

Tyen opened his mouth to refuse, but the man was thinking that two strong sorcerers had a better chance against this woman than one. If she realises I’m the rebel leader she might try to capture me, as the Raen warned. But with another rebel by my side the chances of her succeeding are slimmer.

He held a hand out to the young man, who seized it in a firm grip. Tyen pushed into the place between worlds, but not so far that the market vanished from sight. He skimmed through the place between towards where the woman ought to be. Few people saw them, too caught up in the business of buying and selling. Deciding to change his strategy slightly, he surfaced again among diners sitting near a food stall at the end of a pier, then searched for and found her. Her name was Inekera, he read.

“She’s close,” he said. He let go of the newcomer’s hand and stepped up onto one of the seats.

“The Raen is back!” he shouted. “The Raen has returned! Who is he to tell us where we can go and what we can do? Join us! Together we can free the worlds from his rule!”

Heads turned. People stared. Minds registered surprise at his boldness, then fragmented into annoyance and admiration. Inekera caught the thought of someone cursing the rebels for causing unnecessary strife, and jumped from mind to mind until she saw the pier through the eyes of the people around him. She laughed at the unfortunate timing of a rebel seeking supporters unaware that one of the Raen’s allies was close by.

He had to move fast, before she tried to read his mind and failed.

“She’s seen us,” Tyen said. “Can you see her?”

The young man shook his head. He was growing worried now. If I can’t read her mind, he thought, she must be—

Tyen jumped down, grabbed the newcomer’s arm and pushed out of the world. He sent them skimming across the city at dizzying speed, and as he sensed a shadow following he felt a surge of triumph. She’d taken the bait.

The canals flashed beneath them. They passed through countless walls. Suddenly nothing lay before them but water occasionally punctuated by the old spire of an abandoned building, sunk below the sea long ago. Inekera was gaining on them. He sped up. She continued closing the gap so he moved faster and faster, delaying the point at which she caught up. Then, before he and the newcomer ran out of breath, he stopped and moved back into the world on a tiny crescent of glittering sand. The woman flashed past them.

Anticipating that the need to breathe would be strong, both he and the newcomer hauled in air as soon as it surrounded them. By the time the woman stopped and returned they were breathing deeply, but no longer gasping. She laughed as she appeared, exhilarated by the chase, but her smile froze and died as she looked from the newcomer to Tyen. One mind she could read, the other not.

Yet, to her relief, the stronger one did not attack. She wasn’t going to hang about to find out why. She narrowed her eyes and lifted her chin in defiance. Then she fled into the place between.

Alone, Tyen gave chase. The newcomer didn’t follow, smart enough to realise that if Tyen hadn’t taken him he didn’t need him. Inekera fled deep into the place between. He followed her past the midway point to the next world, then retreated. As he returned to the islet, the young man sighed with relief.

“I wasn’t sure what you wanted me to do. Did she leave?”

Tyen nodded. “She slipped out of this world before I could catch up, and I don’t have time to chase her across other worlds.”