Angel of Storms (Millennium's Rule, #2)(76)
“Perhaps…” Yira refilled the women’s glasses. “What have you seen her do with magic?”
Tyen watched as memories played out in the two women’s minds. They had seen Inekera do some impressive things, but most were showy rather than demanding. Yet he could feel Yira’s growing excitement.
“Does she stay in your world most of the time?”
“Yes.”
“And when she leaves, is it on a regular basis?”
“She comes here, on pilgrimage, three times a cycle.”
“When is the next visit?”
Domo considered. “Soon. I’d have to do the calculations, but in around twenty temple days.”
All three women wore chilling smiles, none of them needing to read each other’s mind to know what they were thinking. Neither did Tyen, but he looked anyway. The newcomers were excited, thinking that their world might be rid of a sorcerer who had sent away so many daughters to an unknown fate. Yira held her excitement in check, however, determined not to make any decisions until she was sure that what she was considering would work. They needed more information, both about Inekera and about other allies. And training. Much more training.
She rubbed her hands together. “So… what is the route from your world to this, and does Inekera trade with neighbouring worlds?”
Tyen remained silent as Yira extracted as much information as possible from the women, shaking his head when she asked if he had any questions for them. When he was alone with her again, she looked at him and laughed.
“Don’t worry, Tyen. I’m not going to take up my spear at the first opportunity. The rebels will guess what we’re contemplating from our questions, so we should show equal interest in all allies so that none can guess the target we choose.”
He nodded but didn’t bother trying to hide his discomfort. “But you are thinking of attacking one eventually.”
“Yes. Bring the group leaders here,” she said. “I want to discuss this.”
“They are only the strongest, not the smartest or best trained in strategy,” he reminded her.
“Yes, but I can’t risk consulting the weaker ones in case someone reads their mind, and I’ve got to discuss this with someone other than you.” She looked at him levelly. “I’m sorry. You’re smart, Tyen, and I trust you, but I need input of all kinds, even if a lot of it turns out to be reckless or impossible. Who knows? Maybe one of the leaders will have a brilliant idea.”
He shrugged. “So long as you keep listening to me, I’m happy.”
She grinned. “I’ll always listen to you, Tyen. You don’t say a lot, but when you speak it’s always worth paying attention.”
CHAPTER 10
Nearly a hundred men and women stood within an ancient auditorium. Gathered together, and having changed from the temple clothing into the clothes they normally wore, it was suddenly clear that the rebels were a mix of people from many, many different origins. They were of all heights, sizes and colouring. The one characteristic they had in common was the ability to use magic. And the determination to strike at the Raen.
Their voices filled the space. Scanning their minds, Tyen saw impatience, boredom and curiosity. Some of the newest rebels were considering the size of the crowd, and their assessment of whether this many sorcerers could challenge the Raen ranged from confident to dismissive.
Yira stepped out of the shadows of the auditorium entrance and up onto a broken column, balancing on the highest point.
“Fellow rebels,” she said, her voice rising above the chatter. Faces turned and those who hadn’t seen her arrive blinked in surprise. She had never appeared at one of the practice gatherings before, and at once the mood of the crowd changed. Excitement mixed with fear. Doubt combined with hope. The chatter dwindled to near silence.
“For many days now you’ve been gathering here and in other meeting places,” Yira continued. “In war, cooperation and communication is as important as strategy and fighting skills. So is secrecy. So is timing. I’m pleased to say that, apart from a few stragglers, we can now form an army quickly and efficiently.
“This is usually the moment where I or one of my four generals sends you back to your boarding house.”
She looked at Tyen and the other three rebels she’d picked as her closest advisers–her generals. He’d been surprised when she’d chosen Frell, another ex-lover, but the man was strong and had been trained in warfare. The others were Hapre, a woman with a sharp intellect who could sum up a situation or concept in a few words, and Volk, a man whose ability to see holes in their security measures had impressed Yira and Tyen.
Yira smiled and faced the crowd again.
“Today will be different. Today we strike back at our enemy.”
Tyen’s stomach sank. A few cheers rang out as the rebels recovered from their surprise, then more. He looked at Yira closely. When they’d left Aei she had not been sure whether she would go ahead with her plan, let alone which of the allies they would target. Three times already she had stood in this place and decided the rebels weren’t ready, or she didn’t have enough information about the allies yet.
“This we have not rehearsed,” she continued. “We are untested. But there has to be a first time. A first strike. An answering strike. Not the main strike. We are not confronting the Raen today. But if we succeed…” She paused, her gaze moving across the faces. “… we will make the allies pay for attacking us and weaken the Raen at the same time. We will gain in numbers and strength, as news of what we have done brings more fighters to our cause. Today we take the first step towards ridding the world of the Raen and his laws.”