we didn't need gold or information, just magic and swords; and those aren't something a merchant could help us with. He'll be back soon."
They climbed past the storefront and up the steep trail that led to the abandoned temple of the Path of the Five.
The temple burrowed deep into the heart of Redern Mountain, leaving only its head to mark where the bulk of it hid.
One door lay several feet from the temple, and the other was leaned neatly against a wall. It looked as though the troll had decided to investigate the temple, though when Seraph glanced around she saw no other sign of the creature. Then she remembered that Karadoc told her Ellevanal had used him to rip open the doors and was amazed he'd come out with no more than torn fingernails.
Seraph stopped just outside the entrance. "Would you check this to see if it is shadow-tainted, Lehr?"
"I already did. There's no shadowing I can sense."
"Jes?"
He didn't answer, and when Seraph looked for him, he was staring down at the roof of Willon's store which, because of the steepness of the mountain, jutted out of the ground only a few feet below where he stood.
"Jes?" Hennea reached out, but stopped just short of touching him. "Are you all right?"
He turned his face away from her and looked at Seraph. "There's nothing here," he said shortly. "Volis is dead. The forest king and Karadoc took care of the rest. Lehr says there is nothing here - why do you bother to ask me?"
Jes was usually cheerful unless the Guardian was present. He was very seldom sullen or moody.
"Hennea, take Rinnie and Lehr into the temple, Jes and I have some things to talk over," Seraph said, forgetting for a moment she wasn't just talking to one of her children. "Please," Seraph added hastily when Hennea stiffened. "We'll join you in a few minutes."
She waited while they filed in. Then she turned her attention to Jes, who had gone back to staring at Willon's roof.
She debated simply waiting until he was ready to talk - but this was Jes. It might be days before he was ready, and she didn't have Tier's patience.
"What's wrong, Jes?"
"Nothing is wrong." He didn't look at her, but she could see the stubborn set to his jaw.
Tier was better at this sort of thing than Seraph, but he wasn't here. She thought back over the climb up Redern and tried to pinpoint when Jes's discomfort at being surrounded by so many people had turned to anger.
"Hennea is entitled to her secrets," Seraph said tentatively.
"Of course." The words were clearly enunciated, but Seraph knew that the Guardian was still at rest because she felt none of the dread that came with his presence.
"I don't like it when she hides things that might be important," she tried. She couldn't tell if he was angry at her or Hennea.
"Sorry."
Seraph picked up a small rock and tossed it down the mountainside.
"You'll hit someone," Jes said. "Papa says don't."
"Tier's usually right."
"Papa's always right," said Jes bitterly.
Ah, thought Seraph. "Your father doesn't disapprove of Hennea, Jes. He talked to me about several things he'd noticed about her - remember, he doesn't know her as well as we do. One of the things was that he thought she was older than she admitted."
"Does that matter?"
"That depends upon a number of things," said Seraph.
"Don't tell me," said Jes, kicking a clod of dirt onto Willon's roof. "I'm too stupid. If it's important, tell Lehr or Hennea or Rinnie. Or you could wait for the Guardian, he's smart."
Hmm, she thought.
"I thought your father was mistaken about Hennea's age until I asked her about it just now. She didn't answer me, Jes. She could have lied, but she didn't want to."
"Why does it matter?" he asked again.
"The problem is that I know of only three ways that Hennea could be older than she appears. At least, enough older that it attracted your father's attention." Seraph sat on the ground beside Jes, and after a hesitation, he sat down, too. "The first is impossible, because Hennea is no Healer. The second is equally unlikely. The Shadowed can be very old and still seem young. But Hennea touches you all the time. You'd know if she were the Shadowed. The third isn't much better. Wizards - not Ravens - but solsenti wizards who are very powerful sometimes live longer than usual."
"Hinnum was centuries old when Colossae fell," Jes said.