Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky, #1)(54)

“Somewhere around two thousand, but that includes children and elders who could not fight.”

He mulled it over. Even five hundred might be enough, but… No. War was not the answer. “It doesn’t matter. It would take years to train them to take on the Knives, and it would be another slaughter along the way. And to what end? We bring down the priesthood and replace it with Odohaa?”

“It worries me that they came to you,” Esa said. “I’ve wondered when they’d make their move. Mother was too lenient with them.”

“What do you mean?”

“Their numbers have increased since you’ve been gone. It’s no secret that she indulged them. Let them do as they pleased even if it endangered us all.”

“And you mean to change that?” He asked it cautiously, careful not to give away any of his own feelings on the matter.

“When things quiet after the solstice, and I am officially invested as matron of the clan, I’ll have you use the Shield to bring them back in line, perhaps thin their numbers a bit. They’ve become too bold. You just said so yourself. Best we stop this nonsense before they do something that will land all of Odo’s heads on a chopping block. Again.”

An involuntary chill shuddered through his body. Surely that could never happen again. This time, the other Sky Made clans would rise in Carrion Crow’s defense. This time, the Watchers would not condone the slaughter of so many innocents to destroy a fanatical few.

But to use the Shield to restrain their own people, as Esa suggested? He didn’t condone that, either. It felt like the kind of betrayal that a body like Carrion Crow would not recover from.

They had reached the bridge to Sun Rock. Beyond it, he caught the dull glint of gold and blue, the soft gloss of green through the flurrying snow. The other clans were already there and in place. Which meant that at the center of the circle, beyond his sight, was the Sun Priest. She would be standing there now in her mask of hammered gold, her tsiyos—killers all—surrounding her.

“You didn’t paint your face?”

Esa’s face was coated with ash and thick red streaks ran below her eyes like tears.

“I didn’t have time.”

“Too busy brooding?” Her lips curled in affection.

“I…” He shrugged.

She sighed. “Come here, Brother.”

He stepped closer and she drew a finger through the red on her own face, glazing her fingertip. “Close your eyes.” He did, and she painted three lines on his face from forehead to cheek, over his eyelids, two on the left and one on the right.

He opened his eyes to find her studying him approvingly.

“Better?” he asked.

“Better.” Her smile turned grim. She squared her shoulders. “Now let’s go show them what it means to be a Crow.”





CHAPTER 19




CITY OF TOVA

YEAR 325 OF THE SUN

(13 DAYS BEFORE CONVERGENCE)

Above all things, the Sun Priest must unite what is above to what is below. He must mirror the perfect order of the heavens to contain the disorder of the earth. Only when these are aligned can there be balance, and without balance, surely the world will tip into chaos.

—The Manual of the Sun Priest



The air around Naranpa simmered even though the snow had been falling steadily for a while. What had started as morning flurries had become a true fall. It turned the world to white, as if the sky itself mourned the Crow matron. The noise of the crowd gathered on Sun Rock was dampened to an impatient rumble as those gathered waited for Carrion Crow to appear.

They were late, of course. But that was their prerogative, and it would have been unseemly for another clan to arrive after them. To avoid such a social transgression, they came late.

Naranpa didn’t mind. She had so much on her mind that the funeral was a welcome distraction, an embrace of her official duties that she relished. She was back in her yellow vestments, day cape, and sun mask. Slipping that mask on had felt like a warm wash of summer air even in the heart of a snowstorm. She felt her power close, the wonder of the universe and the wheel of the sky at her fingertips. It was almost enough to make her believe in the old ways and the old gods. If someone asked her now, she could divine their future from the lay of the stars as easily as she drew breath.

She wished that power allowed her to divine her own future, or the future of any of the priests. But it was forbidden, and that was one rule she would not break. Not because she respected the rules so much, although she did. But because she did not want to know.

Her gaze traveled to Abah. The seegi priest stood fidgeting beside her in her mask and vestments. She had said nothing to Naranpa these past days since her trickery at the matrons meeting, and Naranpa had returned the favor. No doubt the young woman was waiting for Naranpa to accuse her, call her out in Conclave or at the very least to the four societies. But Naranpa found that she preferred to let Abah squirm. Let her wait and wonder what I have planned for her, she thought. Perhaps that will keep her busy.

There was a risk in that. Abah could escalate. But Naranpa had not been entirely idle. She had left Abah to stew, but Eche she had demoted down to the lowliest of dedicants. He was no longer in line to succeed her, was not even here on the Rock with the rest of the celestial tower. Instead he had stayed behind to scribe records that Haisan had told her a while ago were decaying. It was difficult, hand-cramping work usually left for first-year dedicants, and now it was all Eche’s.