Angel of Storms (Millennium's Rule, #2)(173)

You could rejoin the rebels. They don’t know you were a spy.

Baluka knows about you, he reminded her. Anybody who can read his mind can learn that I carry a book that contains the secret of agelessness.

Then share the knowledge. If it is no longer a secret there is no reason for them to covet me.

He considered that. I suppose the worlds aren’t in danger of being overrun by ageless, and with all the allies being killed the number of them is reducing. I could trade the secret of agelessness for help finding a way to restore you, too, once the rebels aren’t preoccupied with punishing their enemies.

That will take some time.

Yes. Perhaps more time than I’m willing to wait. Besides, there is still Rielle. She might be persuaded to help you.

Her reason for stopping the resurrection of the Raen will also apply to me.

Remembering the young woman who had defied Dahli and the Raen’s loyal friends, admiration stirred again. Strong, beautiful and admirably scrupulous, she had impressed him a great deal. Watching her refuse to kill another person in order to resurrect the Raen, he’d known he would make the same choice, even to restore Vella.

There has to be a way to do it without destroying another person’s mind. If only I’d had the chance to ask Rielle what she had been doing during the resurrection. All I saw from Dahli’s mind was the Raen’s memories–and they flowed so quickly it was impossible to grasp much.

Dahli would be a more useful ally than Rielle. If anyone knows where the Raen performed his experiments, he will. It is unlikely the Raen did not have plans in place in case the resurrection failed.

Dahli will want me to kill someone to resurrect the Raen. I won’t do that.

A movement in the corner of Tyen’s eye drew his attention away. A figure was materialising, and as it grew more distinct he smiled. Baluka had received his message and deciphered it.

The rebel leader sucked in a deep breath as he arrived. Giving his visitor time to recover, Tyen closed Vella, slipped her into her bag and tucked it under his shirt. Baluka moved over to the window and leaned against the smooth, mud-rendered sill. Behind him, the view of Doum shivered in the hot air.

“Tyen,” he said, “how have you been?”

“Well,” Tyen replied. “Keeping out of sight. Waiting for you.”

Baluka grimaced. “I’ve not been able to slip away, and you know how much I wanted to.”

“Yes.”

“So?” The rebel leader’s eyes were full of hope and fear.

“I found her,” Tyen told him. “She is–well, at the time she was alive and well.”

“Where is she? Is it safe to tell me?”

“I don’t know where she is,” Tyen admitted. “I was able to get her away from the Raen’s friends, but then she decided I wasn’t to be trusted either and continued on her own.”

“Have you looked for her since?”

“Looked out for her, but not looked for her.” Tyen shook his head. “The Raen’s friends want to find her, and I’d hate to be the cause of them succeeding.”

“Thank you.” Baluka sighed, then straightened his shoulders. “At least the Raen is gone. We have only the allies to deal with now.”

Tyen nodded. Which was the Raen’s intention all along. All the odd instructions the Raen had given him made sense now. He’d wanted the rebels to grow in strength so that, once they believed they’d defeated him, they’d then have the confidence and ability to hunt down all the allies afterwards.

We might have dealt with the allies first. Then he would never have needed to stage his death. But he knew a clever rebel leader would attack the greater target first, while plenty of supporters were eager to fight and were not yet discouraged by the death toll that would come from targeting allies.

“Do you think you can get rid of all the allies?” Tyen asked.

“Most of them,” Baluka replied. “We have even greater support now the news of the Raen’s death has spread. These recruits aren’t willing to wait in their worlds for a signal. There are so many at our new base that we outnumber the allies a thousandfold. The hard part is coordinating them all–keeping them from going off on their own to target an ally.” He grimaced. “I now have over a hundred generals. With Hapre returning to her world, and Volk and Frell dead, it is like starting afresh. It would be good to have a familiar face around.” Something shadowed Baluka’s thoughts and face. Bad news. Something he didn’t want to have to tell Tyen.

Tyen frowned. “What is it?”

Baluka’s eyebrows rose. “Have you not already read it from my mind?”

“Do you want me to?”

Pushing away from the wall, Baluka walked to the table and filled a mug from the water jug. “Perhaps it would be easier,” he said. Taking a sip, he grimaced. Even the water tasted of clay in this world of potters. “Yes. It is the only way to be sure what I tell you isn’t overheard.”

So Tyen looked closer, and his stomach sank.

Everyone thinks you were a spy for the Raen, Baluka was thinking. Nobody knows where the rumour started but it is too widespread to stop.

“What do you believe?” Tyen asked.

“I think it is the allies trying to weaken us.” Baluka shrugged. “But I have to consider all possibilities.”