Страница 128 из 181
In her chains, A
Sister Alessandra lifted a spoonful of soup to A
"Here, have some of this. I made it myself."
"Why?"
"Because I thought you might like it."
"Getting bored, Sister, pulling the legs off ants?"
"My, my, Prelate, but don't you have the memory. I haven't done that since I was a child, first come to the Palace of the Prophets. As I recall, you were the one who convinced me to stop doing that, recognizing I was unhappy to leave my home.
"Here, now, have a taste. Please?"
A
"Not bad, Sister Alessandra. Not bad at all." Sister Alessandra smiled with what looked to be pride. "I told you so. Here, have some more."
A
Sister Alessandra's smile withered. "I did, Prelate." "Bah," A
A
In the day, when they prepared to move out, she was thrown in a rough wooden box latched with a hasp held tight with a pin or lock of some sort. She wasn't sure, since she was always inside the box when they put it on and took it off. The box, with her in it, was then loaded on an enclosed wagon without windows or ventilation. She knew because she peeked out the crack where the lid of her box didn't fit well.
After they stopped for the night, they eventually took her out and one of the Sisters escorted her to the latrine before they staked her to the ground and put up her tent. If need took her in the day, she had little choice as to what to do about it. It was either wait, or don't.
Occasionally they didn't bother with the tent, and simply left her chained to the stake, like a dog.
A
A
"No." Sister Alessandra sighed. "Just feed you. From what I gather, he hasn't decided what to do with you, but in the meantime he wants you kept alive so you might be of value to him one day."
A
Sister Alessandra looked up. "What makes you think that?"
"The chimes are loose."
The spoon stilled. "So I've heard." The spoon again started circling. "Rumors. That's all it is."
A
"I wish it were only rumors. Why do you think your magic doesn't work?"
"But it does."
"I mean your Additive Magic."
The woman's brown eyes turned down. "Well, I guess I've not really tried to use it, that's all. If I were to try, it would work, I've no doubt."
"Try, then. You'll see I'm right."
She shook her head. "His Excellency does not permit it, unless he specifically requests it. It is… unwise to do other than His Excellency says to do."
A
"Use your head, Alessandra. You're not stupid, don't act it."
If there was one thing about Alessandra, she wasn't stupid. How a smart woman could fall prey to the Keeper's promises, A
A
"Alessandra, Jagang can't get into your head. His power as a dream walker has failed, just the same as my power has failed."
Sister Alessandra watched without evident emotion.
"Perhaps his power works in conjunction with, or even through, ours, and he could still get into the minds of the Sisters of the Dark."
"Bah. Now you're thinking like a slave. Go away if you're going to think like a slave-like the Sisters of the Light, I'm ashamed to say."
The woman seemed reluctant either to leave or to end the discussion. "I don't believe you. Jagang is all-powerful. He must surely be watching now, through my eyes, as we speak, and I simply don't know it."
A
"You could come back to the Light, Alessandra."
"What!" The instantaneous flash of anger in the woman's eyes melted to amusement. "Prelate, you have gone loony."
"Have I?"
Sister Alessandra pressed another spoonful to A
Before A
"Alessandra, the Creator would forgive you. The Creator is all-loving and all-forgiving. He would take you back. You could come back to the light. Wouldn't you like to return to the Creator's loving embrace?"
Unexpectedly, Sister Alessandra backhanded her. A
'The Keeper is my master! You will not speak blasphemy! His Excellency is my master in this world. In the next, I am sworn to the Keeper. I will not listen to you profane my oath to my master. Do you hear?"
A
"I will not have you saying such things. Do you hear?"
A
Sister Alessandra picked up the bowl of soup. "There isn't much left, but you should finish it."