Cerulean. “Her magic will feed the tether and keep the City strong. Like all the rest of them. They are saving this City and I know they would agree with me if they were to know the truth.”
“But you fear they would not understand?”
“I know they would not. They were not there, Klymthe, nor were you. If you had seen it, the violence, the carnage . . .” Leela shuddered. “You would do as I have done, I am certain of it. All I have ever wanted is to protect this City. It is my one mission, my only purpose. It requires great sacrifice. But it must be done.”
Acolyte Klymthe bowed.
“Now,” Leela said, straightening. “Let us go and announce to the City that she has died.”
The vision spun and swirled and Leela felt her stomach lurch and for a moment she thought she might be sick. Then everything righted itself and she was beneath the City, among the Sky Gardens. It seemed to Leela that they were not quite as withered as they were now—and the frosted vines were much heavier with fruit.
She was kneeling on the cold ground, pushing at Estelle’s shoulders as her legs slid into an open stalactite. The young Cerulean’s eyes fluttered and for a second, Leela’s heart froze in her chest. But then she stilled and Leela exhaled and pushed the rest of her into the long cone of sunglass. It was filled with a viscous liquid that would help sustain her, suspending her in the sunglass. A fruit fell from the vines and she dropped it into the thick water. Then she passed one hand in a clockwise circle over the opening.
“For devotion,” she said. She passed her other hand counterclockwise. “For wisdom.” Finally, she passed both hands in a long line down the center of the circle. “For love. May your blood protect this City and keep it safe and whole for all time.”
Icy fingers spread across the circle like spiderwebs until the surface was completely covered and Estelle was a mere blur beneath it. Then Leela pressed a palm against it and markings appeared, writing Estelle’s name.
“So I shall never forget,” she murmured. She gazed out over all the circles, each one etched with a name, each Cerulean donating the power of her blood to keeping the tether healthy, to keeping the City alive. She knew every one of them, their vibrancy, their magic. She was doing the right thing, she knew it deep in her bones. Her faith was being tested, but it had been tested before.
Acolyte Klymthe’s words rang in her ears. The City must move at some point.
Yes, Leela thought wearily as she got to her feet. But not for at least another generation. She had time enough yet.
There was a sudden sucking feeling, as if Leela was being pulled up through a drain, and then she was standing in the novices’ dormitory in the friendly light of the afternoon and it was all so completely bewildering that she wasn’t entirely sure who or where she was.
She snatched the circlet off her head and tossed it onto the bed. Her magic thrummed with knowledge, and though it scared her, it comforted her as well. She felt strong.
She threw open the door and Elorin jumped at the sight of her.
“What happened?” she asked. “You look as if you have seen a ghost.”
“I . . .” Leela felt a shiver run through her chest. “I know what the High Priestess is doing with the Cerulean in the stalactites.”
22
LEELA GRABBED ELORIN’S HAND AND PULLED HER INSIDE the dormitory, shutting the door.
“She is using their magic to keep the tether strong and healthy,” Leela said. “She is powering this City with the blood of its own people.” She rubbed at the spot on her head where the moonstone had sat. “The stalactites feed the tether, which feeds the cone of moonstone, which creates the fruit—it’s all connected, a cycle of stolen magic. And the more Cerulean she imprisons, the more magic there is to be stolen.”
Elorin was shaking her head back and forth slowly, as if she could not believe it, but Leela could see in her eyes that she did. Elorin had been to the Sky Gardens, had seen the stalactites, and now the doors had spoken to her. Leela felt a sharp rush of gratitude that she did not have to bear this burden alone.
“And the circlet told you this?” Elorin asked.
“I don’t . . .” Leela was not sure where