Soul of the Fire

But she did keep an eye to rulers, lest they interfere with the Creator's gift. Jagang, in recently committing himself to the elimination of magic, had overstepped matters of rule. His reign had become material to her. Now, he was moving into the New World, in his efforts to extinguish magic.

A

Some lands' discipline and defenses were so eviscerated from within that they threw out a welcoming carpet for Jagang rather than dare defy him. The foundations of some formerly strong lands became so riddled with the termites of diminished purpose, so decayed with the decadence of smug moderation, and so emaciated with the vacillating aims of appeasers, that even when they saw the enemy coming and did resist, they were easily toppled when the Imperial Order finally pushed.

With the unexpected direction the Order was taking to the west, A

It was possible Jagang had books of prophecy, or wizards with the talent, who gave him reason to believe the barrier would come down. After all, Nathan had told A

If so, Jagang was not simply marching off for the purpose of exploration, exploitation, and conquest. From her experience watching him come to dominate the entirety of the Old World, she knew Jagang rarely rolled down a road he hadn't first had widened and smoothed.

A

She sighed in exasperation at not seeing anything but more fires and troops. In the darkness and confusion of the Order's camp, she knew she could be close and still not see Jagang's tents.

The worst of it, though, was not having the gift to aid her. With the gift she could easily have listened to distant conversations, cast small spells, and conjured discreet aid. Without the gift, she found the search a frustrating and fruitless experience.

She could hardly believe she could be this close to the Sisters of the Light and not find them. With the gift, she would have been able to sense them were she close enough.

Beyond the aid it would have provided, there was more to it. Being unable to use the gift was like being denied the Creator's love. Her lifetime of devotion to doing the Creator's work, coupled with the glory of touching her i

For over nine centuries her Han had been her constant' companion through life. Her inability to touch her gift had on more than one occasion driven her to the verge of tears.

She felt little different, for the most part-as long as she didn't think about it. But when her thoughts turned to touching that i

As long as she didn't try to use her gift, it seemed it was still there, waiting, like a comforting friend seen out of the corner of her eye. But when she reached for it, put the weight of thought against it, it felt as if the ground opened and she plummeted into a terrifying black abyss.

Without her gift, and no longer living under the protection of the spell that had been around the Palace of the Prophets, A

Until Zedd banished the chimes, she would be, for the most part, helpless. Until Zedd banished the chimes. If Zedd banished the chimes….

A

"Prelate?"

A

"Prelate, is that you?"

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A

"Sister Georgia, thank the Creator I've found one of you, at last."

Sister Georgia cautiously reached out and touched A

"You're dead," Sister Georgia said. "I was at your funeral ceremony. I saw… you and Nathan… your bodies were sent into the Light on the funeral pyre. I saw it. We prayed all night as we watched you and Nathan burn."

"Really? How sweet of you. You always were such a considerate person, Sister Georgia. That would be just like you, standing guard through the darkness, praying for me. I'm so appreciative. "But, it wasn't me."

Sister Georgia flinched again. "But, but, Verna was named Prelate."

"Yes, I know. I wrote the orders, remember." The woman nodded. A

At last, Sister Georgia set down the bucket and threw her arms around A

"Oh, Prelate! Oh, Prelate!"

That was all Sister Georgia could get out before she started bawling like a baby. A

"Prelate, what's wrong with you? You smell like dung, and you look a mess!"

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Sister Georgia laughed, but it dissolved into tears again. "They're beasts. All of them."

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"Now, act what you are: a Sister of the Light."

Sister Georgia smiled through the tears. "Thank you, Prelate. I needed to hear your scolding to remember my calling. Sometimes it's all too easy to forget."

A

Sister Georgia lifted a hand to point off to A

"Are you all together?"

"No. Prelate, some of the Sisters have sworn themselves to the Nameless One." She bit her lower lip and wrung her hands. "There are Sisters of the Dark in our order."

"Yes, I know."

"You do? Well, Jagang keeps them elsewhere. The Sisters of the Light are together, but I don't know where the Sisters of the Dark are, nor do I care to."

"Praise the Creator," A