thought. I should just admit to myself that I miss Leiard. Not just his company, but the… nights. Sometimes it is so tempting to let Chaia have his way.
She suddenly felt intensely uncomfortable. How could she feel desire for, of all things, a god! It was wrong.
:Don’t I get to decide what is right or wrong? Chaia asked.
She felt a tingling along the side of her face and caught her breath. It was a brief touch. She sensed his attention shift abruptly.
:I must go, he said.
The luminous presence flashed away. She had an impression of incredible speed, leaving her with no doubt that he could cross Ithania in a heartbeat.
“Auraya!”
She jumped and turned to look at Juran. To her surprise the others had gone. They had left, and she hadn’t even noticed.
Juran stared at her, clearly annoyed. She grimaced in apology and his expression softened.
“What is going on, Auraya?” he asked quietly. “Your attention has been straying of late, even during important meetings. It is not like you.”
She stared back at him, unsure what to say. I could make up some excuse. It would have to be a good one, though.
Only something important could justify how I’ve been lately. As the silence between them lengthened she realized she could not think of an excuse good enough—except the truth.
Still, she hesitated. Would Chaia want Juran to know he spoke to her all the time?
:Chaia?
As she expected, there was no answer. The god was nowhere near. Juran watched her expectantly.
He never said I should not tell Juran, she thought. She took a deep breath.
“It’s Chaia,” she murmured. “He talks to me. Sometimes at… inconvenient times.”
Juran’s eyebrows rose. “Since when? And how often?”
She thought back. “Two months, and at least once a day.”
“What about?”
He looked annoyed. She was not surprised. He was the leader of the White. If Chaia was going to favor anyone with daily visits, surely it ought to be Juran.
“Nothing important,” she said hastily. “Just… conversation.” As Juran frowned, she realized this had not helped. It sounded too evasive. “He advises me on the hospice,” she added.
Juran nodded slowly and she was relieved to see he was mollified by this. “I see. That would make sense. What else?”
She shrugged. “Just friendly conversation. I think… I think he’s trying to get to know me. He had over a hundred years to get to know you. Even Mairae’s been around for twenty-six. I’ve only been here a short time.”
“That’s true.” Juran nodded and his shoulders relaxed. “Well. That is a revelation. What you didn’t hear me say was that a trio of Siyee have been sighted flying toward the Tower. The others have gone up to the roof to greet them.”
Auraya felt her heartbeat quicken. “Siyee? They would not fly this far without good reason.”
He smiled. “Let’s go up and find out what it is.”
It was only a short climb up the stairs to the roof. The sun now hung just above the horizon. Auraya looked beyond the other White and scanned the sky. Three figures were gliding toward the Tower.
The White were silent as the winged trio drew near. Two of the Siyee were middle-aged, Auraya saw. The other was a little younger and wore a patch over one eye. The Siyee formed a line and landed in unison. The younger man stumbled, but caught his balance. They were clearly exhausted.
Three pairs of eyes fixed upon Auraya. She glanced at Juran, who nodded. Smiling, she stepped forward to greet the arrivals.
“Welcome, people of the sky. I am Auraya of the White.” She indicated each of her fellow White, introducing them. The Siyee with the eye patch made the sign of the circle.
“Thank you for your welcome, Chosen of the Gods,” the man replied. “I am Niril of the Sun Ridge tribe. My companions are Dyni and Ayliss of the Bald Mountain tribe. We have volunteered to remain here in Jarime as representatives of our people.”
“We will be honored to have you among us,” she replied. “You must be tired from your journey. I will escort you to rooms where you can rest, if you wish.”
Niril inclined his head. “We would be grateful for that. First I have news that the Speakers are anxious for me to deliver. Ten days ago a black ship was seen off the coast of southern Si. The Siyee who investigated sighted several groups of Pentadrian men and women disembark and travel inland. They saw the star pendant on some of the Pentadrians’ chests, and they saw