Orthos heaved himself to his feet. “I’ll be glad when the Dreadgods are dead.”
“I never blamed the Dreadgods for what they do. Might as well blame an earthquake or a storm.” Ziel stood and wrapped his cloak around himself. “Now, I’m starting to hate them.”
Wei Shi Kelsa pressed her palms into her eyes and tried to keep herself awake.
Several members of the Twin Star Sect who practiced light or dream Paths had asked for guidance on the Path of the White Fox. Some of them wanted to follow the whole Path, while others were looking for pointers on their own techniques.
But everybody wanted guidance from the Sage’s sister.
A handful of others from the Wei clan had reached Lowgold, most of them old enough to be Kelsa’s grandparents. They had far more experience than she did, but they didn’t have a famous little brother.
Her tail lashed behind her, which only increased her irritation. She forcibly stopped it. The white-and-purple flaming tail was not the Goldsign she’d wanted, and it seemed to have a mind of its own.
This time, it reminded her that she wasn’t being fair, even in her own thoughts. She was blaming Lindon for her own inconvenience when he wasn’t even the only reason they wanted pointers.
Not only was she the youngest Wei clan Lowgold, she was also the strongest. Lindon was the reason for that; the Remnant he’d strengthened for her gave her madra that was far denser and better balanced than the rest.
But power was no substitute for experience, and she’d never guided anyone through their Path before. The only student she’d ever trained, however briefly, was Lindon himself.
Now she had books and scrolls and tablets all over her table. Records of the Path of the White Fox and a few other related techniques. She had to have this lesson ready by the morning, and if it wasn’t for her own self-control, she would have put her brush down and gone to bed hours ago.
Although…
Maybe you should go to bed, a voice whispered to her. Why not? You can wake up early and finish then.
She shook her head. No, she couldn’t do that. Students from the sect were counting on her.
They’ll wait a day, the voice reasoned. Who else will care if you’re a few hours late?
Kelsa was considering that when a jolt of attention and concentration brought her fully awake. It was like a tiny lightning bolt had run into her brain, and she realized it was coming from the place on her wrist where she’d tied Lindon’s dream construct against her skin.
She looked at it, amazed. Did it have a function that improved her concentration? Lindon’s Soulsmithing really was amazing; her mother kept swinging between giddy at all the things he was teaching her and despairing as she wondered if she’d wasted her entire career.
Kelsa picked up her brush, reinvigorated, and dipped it back into ink.
Then she felt something bobbing toward her. A strange mix of powers, but one she was familiar with.
She opened her front door as Fingerling, Jai Chen’s bound spirit, floated up to it. The dragon keened and bobbed in agitation, clearly trying to alert her to something. It started jerking its head in one direction, and Kelsa got the hint to follow.
The night was dark, though there seemed to be more people awake than usual at this time. White lights shone through windows here and there, and that itself was a little strange. Rune-lights were usually many different colors, but these seemed identical.
Even the dream aura, which was thick in any city, felt…odd, tonight. But not in any way she could put her finger on.
Kelsa’s tail lashed faster, and this time she didn’t stop it.
Fingerling led her down to another part of the Twin Star Sect’s land. A section she was well familiar with.
When she heard Jai Chen’s raised voice, Kelsa broke into a run.
“…calm down!” Jai Chen was shouting. “I’m getting help. Can you hear me?”
Jai Chen’s hair was unbound and messy, and she wore a loose robe, like she’d been awakened suddenly. She held her hands out to her brother, urging him to stay put, but she didn’t seem willing to touch him.
Jai Long knelt in the street outside the home he shared with his sister. His body shook unsteadily, and if it weren’t for the spear he held in his right hand, Kelsa thought he might topple over. Blue light spilled from his newly healed jaw, and the scripted cloth was missing from around his forehead.
In its place, he had Forged a circle that hovered over his head, shedding bright white light on the whole scene.
Sickness rose in Kelsa’s throat and she came to a stop. Her own hands were unsteady, and her tail quivered.