Never take a life unawares or out of revenge.
It was one of the five oaths she had taken to become an Oath Maiden. The Wizr Myrddin had warned her that she would be tempted to violate the oaths. Adhering to them had given her great power and access to the wellspring of the Fountain’s magic, but breaking them would bring grievous consequences.
“But I see that you have been treated fairly. There are no hovels or hunger in this place. You have truly made the desert bloom. It is a notable accomplishment. So far you have had a benevolent master. And you will have another in his stead. I give you my word.”
As he finished his speech, he turned around completely and now faced Trynne and Sureya. In the darkness, he squinted a bit, looking at her more closely, and her heart began to clench with dread.
“You look familiar,” he said. “You are not from these parts; your skin is too pale. You are from the West? Take off that veil. Have we met?”
Trynne didn’t know what to say. She bobbed a curtsy, feeling vulnerable.
“My lord, might I entreat you kindly to speak to the captain of the guard?” Samrao said in a diffident tone, deliberately interrupting the exchange. “Captain Ashok has orders from my master to defend the oasis, but I wish to avoid bloodshed.”
“Yes, bring him to me,” Gahalatine said, giving Samrao a stern look. “Let me judge his character before deciding to replace him or not. He was loyal to Sunilik?”
“We all were,” Samrao said with a humble bow.
Trynne took Sureya’s wrist and whispered the word of power that would make them invisible. She was wrapped up in the magic instantly and felt her supply of it start to slowly drain. The princess gripped her hand back, almost hard enough to hurt, and Trynne led the way around the columns and furniture. They needed to get around Gahalatine so she could access the ley line.
The servants who had crowded into the hall to hear the speech could not see them, and a few bumped into Trynne, only to stare in surprise at the seemingly blank space before them. Many of them were visibly relieved, their countenances changed by Gahalatine’s words. His magic had convinced them of his goodness and fairness, and now that the threat of destruction had passed, they were resigned to his victory.
“Who was that young woman?” she heard Gahalatine ask Samrao. “Where is she?”
“My . . . my lord?” Samrao asked in confusion.
“The one who was standing right there? Where did she go?”
“Whom do you speak of?” Samrao said. “The room is full of servants.”
Gahalatine started after her, pushing his way through the crowd. He was clearly drawn to her use of the magic, which he could no doubt sense in the cavernous room. Since he was Fountain-blessed, he could follow her. Sureya, whom she was still pulling along, bumped into her, but Trynne didn’t slow her pace.
When she finally glanced back, Gahalatine was looking in her direction, his eyes livid, his mouth pursed in a determined frown. She watched him lift the metal circle dangling from one of the leather cords around his neck. It was hollow in the middle, but the outside was covered in little spokes, like starbursts that went at odd angles from the round. The opening in the middle was the size of a forefinger and thumb connected into a circle. He picked up the medallion by some of the pointed ends and brought it up to his left eye as he walked.
Trynne felt the ley line just in front of her and tugged on Sureya’s arm to hurry them both.
“Stop!” Gahalatine commanded. “I know of you. Stop!” His magic blasted at her in a hot spurt, but it rolled off her effortlessly. She knew then that he was looking at her through the hole in his strange medallion. He could see her. His eyes blazed with blue fire, and his cheek muscle twitched with desperation. He tried to reach out his hand toward her, but he wasn’t close enough.
“Kennesayrim,” Trynne uttered, holding fast to Sureya’s arm as they both stepped onto the ley line and lurched away.
CHAPTER THREE
Zenana
Queen Genevieve listened intently to Trynne’s tale of the narrow escape from Chandleer Oasis. When Trynne finally finished, the queen patted her own heart and pulled Trynne into a relieved embrace.
“Thank the Fountain,” she murmured, stroking Trynne’s hair and arm. “I could have sent Morwenna, but I did not want her knowing about this new alliance quite yet. I’m so thankful you are safe, Trynne. I had not realized I would be sending you to such a dangerous place. This Gahalatine can strike anyone, anywhere, it seems.”
Trynne’s heart had calmed enough that she could now look back on the narrow escape with a certain amount of excitement. It had been close. Perhaps too close. She worried that Genny would be more cautious the next time before sending her away.