Outcast Chronicles - Sanctuary Part 24

*It'll be cold.'

*Not if we gather firewood.'

*How can we light...?'

But Ronnyn was already running back to the ruin, grabbing fallen dry branches as he went. He thought he'd spotted a flint in the deserted kitchen.

He had and, by the time, Sar returned with an armful of firewood, Ronnyn had a small flame going.

*We can shelter in here. We'll have a fire. We have a blanket and two more apples. We'll be a bit hungry.' He grinned. *But it'll be fun!'

*All-mother Reoden a"'

*She knows we're safe, and we're already in trouble, so we might as well make the most of it.'

Sar's expression lightened, just as Ronnyn hoped it would, and a mischievous smile lit her face.

*ON THE ISLAND?' Reoden repeated. *Why didn't your sailors bring them back?'

*The tide made it impossible,' the captain said. *I could send a boat back later when the currents have settled.'

*No... They've disobeyed me by sneaking off. Let them spend a night in the cold. I take it the island is safe?' The captain nodded. *Tomorrow morning will be soon enough to bring them back. By then, they should be suitably sorry.'

He nodded and left them.

Reoden turned to stare across at the island. It was only a dark smudge on a sea silvered by the twin moons' light.

As a child, Imoshen had roamed Lighthouse Isle, reporting to no one. *I imagine Ronnyn is used to coming and going as he pleases. He grew up wild on an island.'

*You won't convince me to forgive them, Imoshen. They could have drowned!'

*Very true.' She took the healer's arm. *But come inside now. It's growing cold. Perhaps this is all for the best. You can't keep Sardeon locked away forever. His gift will corrupt.'

*It can't corrupt if it isn't manifesting. Ceriane believes his gift has frozen, and that's why he hasn't aged.' She pressed trembling fingers to her mouth. *Oh, Imoshen, what am I going to do with him?'

*At least your inner circle won't insist you turn him out,' Imoshen said, thinking of her own choice-son, who was even now travelling across Chalcedonia, into the path of Mieren armies, to save a queen.

RONNYN LOOKED AWAY from the fire and waited for his eyes to adjust, before making his way to the edge of the ruins to relieve himself.

*Did you go camping on your island?' Sar asked, coming up behind him and making him jump.

Sar unlaced her breeches and...

Ronnyn glanced down. She was a he.

He felt like an idiot. *You're...' he was going to say a boy, then he remembered the odd creature the women referred to as a *geldr.' Did geldrs have any genitals? Perhaps Sar was a geldr and that was why... But then he remembered the causare's sisterhood didn't lock up their geldr.

Even more confused, Ronnyn laced up and went back to the fire. As he stared into the flames, Sar joined him and they shared the blanket.

After a while, Ronnyn couldn't bear it any longer. *Can I ask you a question?'

*Perhaps.'

*What's your full name?'

*Sardeon Choice-son Reoden, son of All-father Paragian. We're choice-brothers, you and I.'

Ronnyn frowned. *Why a"'

*We share the same choice-mother.'

*No. Why do they keep you in seclusion?'

The silence stretched and it seemed Sardeon would not answer, then he took a deep breath and began. *Five years ago come spring, several brotherhood warriors murdered the all-mother's sacrare daughter.' His voice caught but he forged on. *A sacrare is a T'En born of two T'En parents. They're very rare and have the potential for great gifts. She was my choice-sister. I saw it all. I couldn't save her and I... I haven't been the same since.'

That explained his sadness.

*The Mieren raped my mother and my sister. And there wasn't a thing I could do to stop them. It made me so angry a"'

*No one would talk about what happened that day. It was like they wanted me to forget it ever happened. But I'll never forget her.'

*Of course not.' Ronnyn understood. He would never forget his Malaunje kin.

*I'm glad we became stranded,' Sardeon said, and his stomach rumbled.

*Even if we have to go to bed hungry?'

He gave an elegant shrug. *What's a little hunger?'

Chapter Eighteen.

IMOSHEN CLEARED THE mid-deck of Malaunje, while Reoden lined up all the T'En children from both sisterhoods. Saffazi had wanted to be here, but she was an initiate now. Only the children, the two all-mothers and their voices-of-reason were present.

*These two boys could have drowned,' Reoden told the children, who watched her solemnly. *They were lucky they only had to spend a cold, miserable night on the island.'

*Let this be a lesson to you, not to disobey your choice-mothers,' Egrayne added.

Both of them came back to stand beside Imoshen.

*I'll have to punish them,' Reoden muttered. *But how?'

*You could send them with the Malaunje to find the missing rowboat,' Egrayne suggested. *They'd have to endure the insult of doing work beneath their stature.'

A moment later Ronnyn and Sardeon climbed over the ship's side and jumped down to the deck. They didn't look miserable. Instead, they looked rather pleased with themselves.

Ronnyn's two younger brothers would have run to him, but Nerazime restrained them.

As the two boys took in the children before them and the sisterhood leaders, Imoshen studied Sardeon. He was the same as he'd been the day Lyronyxe was murdered a" a boy so beautiful he could pa.s.s for a girl.

According to his birth date, he would turn seventeen three days before her choice-son, but there was no hint of the man in him. All-father Paragian would be expecting the delivery of his son, ready to take his place in the brotherhood.

They would have to speak with Paragian.

Ronnyn marched straight over to All-mother Reoden and dropped to one knee. *I beg your forgiveness, choice-mother. It is all my fault. I teased Sardeon until he came out with me. I lured him into the rowboat and a"'

*Not true,' Sardeon insisted. He knelt gracefully next to Ronnyn. *I went willingly. I went because I needed to see the sky and feel the wind on my face. I needed to be free.' He looked up at Reoden. *I am sorry I went without permission, choice-mother, but I am not sorry I went.'

Reoden looked down at Sardeon, and Imoshen read her. The healer struggled with the realisation that she had done wrong by Sardeon when she had shut him away.

*You boys must have had a cold night,' Imoshen said.

*Oh, we had the blanket,' Ronnyn said. *And a fire.'

*And we explored the ruin. It was fascinating. We discovered frescoes!' Sardeon announced. Imoshen glanced to Reoden, who was trying not to smile. The boy rushed on. *It used to belong to the T'En, and by their clothing, I'd say it predated the schism of the covenant. Do you think we could go back? I'd love to make drawings of the frescoes. I'm sure our sisterhood's historian will want to study it.'

*I'll send Alynar,' Reoden said, then added sternly, *But you will have to be punished.'

*Of course, choice-mother,' Sardeon said.

Ronnyn echoed him.

*You can go with the Malaunje to look for the missing rowboat. When you find it, you will have to row it all the way back on your own.'

*Really?' Ronnyn sprang to his feet, face bright and eager.

*Today?' Sardeon asked.

Egrayne muttered in surprise. Imoshen had to turn away to hide her laughter.

*I think the tide will be safe by mid-afternoon,' Reoden said. *The ship's master will tell you.'

*Can I go, too?' Vittor asked. *Please?'

As boys from both sisterhoods clamoured to go with them, Imoshen caught Reoden's eye and they shared a smile.

Egrayne gestured to Ronnyn and Sardeon. *Your hand-of-force should be drilling these two every day with the older lads. Then they won't have any energy left to get into trouble.'

*Could we?' Ronnyn pleaded.

Sardeon glanced from Ronnyn to his choice-mother, almost as if he couldn't bring himself to hope.

*I'm used to working hard all day,' Ronnyn said. *We'll both work hard. I promise you won't regret it.'

*Very well.' Reoden smiled. *Nerazime, time for the boys' lessons. As for you two, I imagine you're starving. Go have some breakfast, then report to the ship's master.'

Ronnyn grinned but Sardeon hesitated.

*Does this mean I don't have to be shut away anymore, choice-mother?' he asked.

Reoden nodded.

He hugged her. *Thank you!'

As he walked off with Ronnyn, the healer wiped her cheeks.

Ronnyn said something, and Sardeon laughed. Ronnyn slung an arm around his shoulder. Vittor and Tamaron ran back to hug their brother and ask about their adventure. And they were not the only ones. A sea of small boys surrounded Ronnyn and Sardeon. Imoshen's gift surged. Ronnyn, the son of runaways, was a natural leader.

*I think you have a potential all-father in Ronnyn,' Imoshen said.

Reoden nodded. *I had one in Sardeon, too. Now what will become of him?'

*Paragian needs to know. You can't hide his son's state any longer.'

*You're right.' The healer turned to Imoshen. *I'm not looking forward to it.'

THE NEXT DAY the sisterhood's hand-of-force stood Ronnyn and Sardeon in front of the empowered lads. The smallest was taller than them and the biggest was a head taller than her. *From now on, these two will be joining you for armed and unarmed combat practice.'

*But they're not empowered,' a lad with a gap between his front teeth protested.

*Are you telling a hand-of-force how to run her training sessions, Toryx?' Cerafeoni asked. *Perhaps you'd like to run today's cla.s.s?'

The rest of the lads laughed and he glowered.

She clapped her hands. *Now line up.'

The empowered lads fell into position, laughing and jostling, the hum of the male gift a constant undertone like distant music that could, at any moment, surge up to drown all sound.

*We're going to start with the warrior's exercises to promote balance in mind, gift and body,' Cerafeoni told Ronnyn and Sardeon. *Stand at the back, follow the moves. We begin with the same basic moves every time, so that when you are attacked, you won't have to think. Your body will take over without conscious thought.'

Ronnyn worked with total concentration, committing every move to memory. He looked over at Sardeon and saw him working with the same intensity.

The elegance that had made him think Sar was a girl expressed itself in the precise, fluid way he performed the exercises. Ronnyn realised he would have to work hard to keep up with his new choice-brother.

Cerafeoni kept them at it until they were sweating and trembling from exertion. Then she called them up in pairs, matching them by size and skill. Under her watchful eye, the lads went through sparring sequences, pulling their punches and kicks.

By the time the hand-of-force dismissed them, Ronnyn was happy, but exhausted. In the jostle to return to the cabin and use the bathing chamber, he and Sardeon held back.

*You might have gained stature by discovering the ruin,' Toryx said as he came up behind them. *You might be the all-mother's choice-sons and her favourites, but once you're in with the empowered lads, you have to earn your stature among us.' He let his gift rise with a hint of violence. *So watch out.'

IMOSHEN WATCHED THE sun set beyond the headlands, thinking that Sorne and Iraayel would be camped near the Celestial City soon: tonight or tomorrow at the latest. She understood why Iraayel had volunteered, even admired him for it, but she just wished he was not with Kyredeon's warriors. Almost any other brotherhood would have been preferable.

Yet if Tobazim were to become all-father, as she so fervently hoped, then he was the one her choice-son had to impress.