put it bluntly, she worries about you, worries whether you’ll continue to have a roof over your head, and worries whether you will have enough food on your table, and that constant anxiety is both a drain on her and a distraction from her studies. Augurs-in-training cannot afford to be distracted. They are too vital to the stability of Becar. Shalla in particular shows wonderful potential. We would hate to see that potential limited by—”
“Bullshit.”
Augur Clari blinked. “Pardon me? That kind of language is—”
“Accurate. You’ve wanted to take Shalla away from me since the day you met her. You’d take all the children away if you could. You’re just looking for an excuse.”
Augur Clari’s expression grew icy. Tamra wasn’t even sure how she did it, since her face didn’t appear to move, but suddenly her eyes seemed colder. “I do not need an ‘excuse’ to be concerned about the welfare of my students. It is nonsensical to allow a talented student such as Shalla to suffer nightly when she could be living in luxury.”
It was plain that Augur Clari believed every word she was saying. She believed she was acting in Shalla’s best interest, as well as on behalf of all Becar. “My daughter doesn’t suffer—”
“At the temple, children are given all they need. Far more than their birth parents can give them. We provide the best of everything. Food. Housing. Education. Intellectual stimulation and well-curated companionship. Your daughter would grow up with her peers, surrounded by the best of everything. She will want for nothing.”
“Except for love.”
“If you loved her, you’d see this is the best thing for her. Your insistence on keeping her is selfish. You aren’t thinking of her or her future—”
“I think only of her!”
“Then please, Mother of Shalla, do the right thing. Give Shalla to the temple. Give her her future. Give her a chance at greatness!”
“She is a child! And she belongs with her mother!” Tamra realized she was shouting, but she couldn’t seem to stop. She’d heard this speech before, though never this directly. It made her feel as if her veins were choked with fear and her throat was thick with anger. It made her feel as if she were a kehok, raging against an iron net.
Augur Clari, though she had raised her voice, remained the picture of serenity. Hands folded on her desk, she regarded Tamra as if she were a misbehaving dog. She radiated disapproval, but no other actual emotion. “Your next payment will be due upon your return in two days. If you fail to meet this highly reasonable extended deadline, then steps will be taken to transfer responsibility for Shalla’s welfare to the augur temple, for her own good. I am certain that when you reflect on this, you will see the wisdom—”
“You’ll have your payment,” Tamra snapped. “And I will have my daughter back.”
She then stalked out of the temple. Halfway across the city, her rage melted into tears. By the time she reached her training grounds, her tears had hardened back into rage.
They will never steal my daughter. Ever.
Back at the stable, Tamra and the other trainers loaded their kehoks into the racing transport carts. The black lion growled when he saw others being loaded into cages like his, and Raia laughed at him. “Don’t worry,” she said fondly. “They aren’t going into our desert.”
Tamra rolled her eyes. “Don’t befriend the monster.”
“Too late,” Raia chirped. She scampered around the cart, securing all the latches, making sure the rhino-croc was hooked up properly. By now, she knew it all better than Tamra did, so Tamra was happy to let her do the work. Standing back, Tamra studied her—three weeks hadn’t made Raia stronger on the outside, but maybe she shone a bit brighter on the inside. She can do this, Tamra thought, and was surprised at her lack of surprise at that thought.
Out of the corner of her eye, Tamra saw Osir come up beside her. “You’re really bringing that pair to the qualifiers? You know what happened last time they ran on a track. You were lucky to get her back! How has anything changed in the past few days?”
Out in the desert, she and Raia had sketched a track in the sand, an oval, and practiced running it—rather than across the dunes—nonstop for the past few days. They hadn’t had any fresh disasters. Of course, everything could be different on an official racetrack with other riders and racers all around her and with spectators cheering