Sorceress of Dawpenel

By Ashley Abbiss

At the end of Goddess of Destiny, Tassi finally ‎made it to Falodirian and went through Transition, the ‎ceremony by which she came of age, only to be told that, ‎according to prophecy, she is to succeed Niari as the One ‎as soon as Niari marries Keladryn.‎

Furthermore, her task as the One is very specific. She ‎must face Othran, the ruthless and greatly feared leader ‎of the New Elithimites, and either kill him or die in the ‎attempt. No ifs, no buts, no maybes, and definitely no ‎choice; that is her destiny, according to the prophecies. ‎There is no way she can avoid it. And, as time goes on, ‎Keladryn’s agents learn that the New Elithimites have a ‎new “Lady”, who is supposed to be a sorceress, and who ‎is said to be able to make Othran as strong as Tassi, ‎whatever that means. Daunting stuff, indeed.‎

Sorceress of Dawpenel is an epic fantasy adventure ‎in the best tradition of sword and sorcery. Here you’ll ‎find, animals that talk with humans, a quest of the gods, ‎a whole lot of magic and mayhem, along with the story ‎of how one young woman copes with the news that her ‎unavoidable destiny is to kill or be killed, and what ‎happens when Tassi finally meets Othran.‎

Join Tassatina, champion of the gods, as she faces ‎the biggest challenge of her young life so far; maybe her ‎last challenge ever. ‎

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ashley Abbiss
• Release date: May 12, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463134726

Ashley Abbiss

Hello there. I’m Ashley Abbiss. ‎I live and write in beautiful New Zealand, where I live with one large dog, who looks nothing ‎like Friend from my Daughters of Destiny books. She is, however, almost as intelligent and definitely as ‎opinionated, and if she can’t quite speak in the way Friend does to Niari, that doesn’t really ‎hold her back much!‎I write fantasy, mostly of the epic variety. Let me say right up front that if you’re looking for a quick read, you’re in the wrong place. But if you like a substantial, ‎satisfying story that you can really get your teeth into, stick with me. I may have something ‎you’ll enjoy. There’s no graphic sex in my books. If that’s what you want, you’ll have to look ‎elsewhere. There is violence, and there is swearing, though mostly of the ‘s/he swore’ variety, ‎nothing overly graphic or offensive. I also write about strong, independent female characters, ‎so if your taste runs to something more macho, or something more frilly and helpless, this may ‎not be the place for you. ‎I’ve always loved wandering in different worlds, be they fantasy or science fiction, although ‎lately I tend to prefer fantasy. The only proviso is that they have to be believable worlds, ‎worlds that feel real, that have depth and scope – and they must, absolutely must be fun to ‎visit. I read for escape and entertainment, and I don’t really want to escape from this world ‎into one even grimmer. Trouble, tension, and danger I can deal with, what sort of story would ‎there be without them? Where would Pern be without Thread, Frodo without Sauron, Harry ‎Potter without Voldemort? But there has to be hope, and there has to be a light touch. Happy ‎ever after does have a lot going for it, even if initially it’s only a very small light at the end of ‎a long, dark tunnel. My personal favourites include Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, Anne ‎McCaffrey’s Pern series, and the fantasies of David Eddings, and lately, they’ve been joined ‎by J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and a few others. Of those, David Eddings was probably my ‎greatest inspiration.‎I began to wonder if I could create my own world, one just as believable and multi-layered as ‎theirs. Could I create a world with its own history, geography, social structure, deities, and all ‎the rest? One that hung together? That a reader could believe in? It became a challenge, one I ‎really wanted to see if I could meet. So I dusted off my writing skills, learned a few more, ‎cranked up the imagination, and got busy. I’d always been good at creative writing, but ‎though I’d made a few attempts to write after I left school, none of them came to anything. ‎That was until I started writing fantasy. Suddenly, I knew I’d come home. ‎I quickly discovered that I’m not the sort of writer who can plan a book (or a world!) before I ‎start. I just can’t do it. But I can create characters, and suddenly the characters took on a ‎reality of their own and took over the stories, often to the extent that they actually surprised ‎me. And the stories worked. Their world worked. Sometimes I had to go back and fix the ‎odd contradiction, but mostly it worked and was very natural and organic. Even though my ‎first attempts were pitiful, I knew I’d found where I belong. I persevered, I learned, I wrote. ‎I discovered that the characters are key for me. Once I get them right, they tell their own ‎story. I was away. There were dark days during which my stories became my refuge, my ‎characters my friends. And I kept writing. There were happy times when I didn’t need a ‎refuge, but my characters were still my friends, and they drew me inexorably back. I kept ‎writing. ‎And now, I hope my characters may become your friends too, my worlds ones where you also ‎like to walk; perhaps even your refuge from dark days. Come join me in a world where magic ‎is real and the gods are near, where beasts talk and men and women achieve things they never ‎dreamed they could. But most of all, come and have fun! ‎Happy reading.‎Ash.‎

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Warin, goddess of destiny, prophecy, and fortune, was feeling more than a little harassed. She waved a hand, produced a large glass of cool fruit juice, and went out to sit in her favourite spot on the back doorstep while she sipped it. Time to herself like this had become increasingly rare and precious of late. Warin laid her head wearily back against the jamb of the door, savouring the quiet and the soft touch of the sunlight on her face. She swore silently to herself that any creature who disturbed her in the next half hour was going to be very sorry indeed.

The sparrow who lived in the eaves and was her self-appointed herald popped out of his house, opened his beak importantly, took one look at Warin‎’‎s face, tried to swallow the sound he had started to make, and came out with a kind of strangled squeak. Warin opened her eyes and smiled up at him.

It‎’‎s all right, little friend. Tell them to come.

The sparrow immediately burst into joyous song, and a few moments later, animals began to appear, picking their way through the trees of the orchard or crossing the meadow from the other direction. There was something tentative about their advance. The animals seemed hesitant and reluctant to leave the shelter of the trees; a flight of butterflies swooped in but didn‎’‎t seem to want to settle; the birds chose perches in trees at some small distance, and there was a great deal of nervous fidgeting; even the dragon circled cautiously before folding her wings and coming in to land.

Warin winced. She knew she‎’‎d been a bit out of sorts lately, but she hadn‎’‎t been aware that she‎’‎d made her bad mood so widely known. It caused her an obscure kind of pain to know that her animals were wary of her, and even as she rose to greet them she resolved to do better from now on.

The cause of her indisposition wasn‎’‎t hard to find. Several months ago, her father and mother had left this world to go and work on an unformed world that was awaiting attention. Before leaving, her father had passed his Authority to her, and Warin had suddenly found herself head of the pantheon.

It hadn‎’‎t been a job she particularly wanted, but she hadn‎’‎t expected it to be too arduous. After all, her fellow gods and goddesses were perfectly competent to carry out their tasks without her intervention. There was the great Plan to be coordinated, of course, but she‎’‎d already been doing that for some time on her father‎’‎s behalf, and at the moment it was chugging along quite smoothly. For the rest, it was more or less a figurehead role.

At least that was what she had thought. But, suddenly, it seemed that not one of her relatives could do a thing without her advice and approval, not even those basic tasks involved in the turn of the seasons and the continuation of life that they had performed year after year and season after season for uncounted millennia. Warin had been at first surprised at their level of helplessness, then increasingly annoyed as it became more and more apparent that they couldn‎’‎t actually all be that useless.

Then, after struggling for a long time with a problem presented to her by her uncle Atrios, god of the sun, she had come up with what she thought was a very good solution. He had seemed delighted when she presented it to him. In fact, he‎’‎d told her it was much, much better than what he‎’‎d been able to come up with and had gone away promising to implement it immediately.

However, a short time later she had discovered that he hadn‎’‎t used it after all. Which would have been fine, except that she learned he‎’‎d actually started implementing his solution before she‎’‎d even given him hers, which of course meant that all her work had been a complete waste of time. Why had he even bothered asking her if he already knew what he was going to do? Warin had been absolutely furious, and she was still seething.

How much more of the problem-solving she‎’‎d done for her various relatives had been totally unnecessary and even unwanted? It wasn‎’‎t as though she had nothing better to do with her time! She had her own responsibilities to discharge, she had the Plan to oversee. Come to that, she had her own problems to work out. Well, perhaps not a problem as such, but certainly something she needed to adjust to and come to terms with. Because something very unusual had happened to Warin.

She was pregnant.

Overall, she was quite happy with the situation, but it was a bit of a two-edged sword even so. The gods and goddesses of the pantheon retained their sexuality for just such an eventuality, but the birth of a new deity was an extremely rare occurrence, because the number of deities to any one world, once that world was fully established, must remain constant.

A new deity was only conceived if a god or goddess left the world for good and a permanent replacement was needed. The only gods who had left recently were her parents. Therefore, the fact that she was pregnant could only mean that one of her parents wasn‎’‎t ever coming back to this world. So, there was sadness and anxiety mixed in with the joy and anticipation. She knew there was only one baby, so only one parent was leaving for good.

She also knew the baby was a girl, but that didn‎’‎t necessarily mean anything. Only the numbers mattered. There was no requirement that the gender balance of the deities had to remain the same. She was about to lose one of her parents, but there was no way of knowing which one until one of them returned without the other. Coupled with the sudden incompetence of her relatives, it was quite enough to make a girl a little touchy.

But still, that was no reason to take it out on her animals, and as she moved among them today she was a little more lavish with her caresses and treats by way of apology. As always, being among her creatures soothed Warin, and she felt the tensions of the day dropping away as the animals began to relax and respond to her attentions.

This was why she had chosen to populate her heaven with representatives of every species of creature. She loved them all dearly, and they loved her in return. Their presence cheered her when she was down, soothed her when she was irritable. They enriched her life immeasurably, and she hoped she enriched theirs. She moved among them, administering caresses and treats, addressing each one by name, and before long any lingering awkwardness had gone.

Birds perched on her shoulders and butterflies in her hair while their fellows circled her head like a halo and the young of a dozen species of animal gambolled about her feet as their elders rubbed against her, butting her hands in a silent plea for caresses. She took her time, enjoying the interaction with her animal friends, and it wasn‎’‎t until they finally began to drift off that she realised there was someone else there.

About time, Cazovania said wryly, standing up from where she had been leaning against a tree trunk. I was beginning to think you were going to be all week at that.

Mother! Warin smiled, hurrying forward, her hands outstretched. It‎’‎s so good to see you. I was hoping... I mean, I was wondering who... She stopped, blushing in confusion.

Wondering who what? Ah! Cazovania said, looking at Warin‎’‎s belly.

There was nothing for normal eyes to see yet, but of course, Cazovania was a goddess, so flesh was no barrier to her sight. Further, she was the goddess of fertility, so she was especially sensitive to such things.

Yes, your father has decided not to come back to this world. He‎’‎s enjoying making the new world immensely, and let‎’‎s face it, all things considered, it‎’‎s probably best if he stays away from this one. He hasn‎’‎t mentioned Elithim since we left. I‎’‎m hoping we can both eventually forget about her and make a fresh start.

Maras‎’‎ fatal attraction for Elithim, goddess of the moon, had almost wrecked his marriage to Cazovania and brought the world to the brink of disaster. Warin couldn‎’‎t help but agree that the further away her father was from Elithim, the better.

Who‎’‎s the father? Cazovania asked as they entered the house and Warin poured wine and put out a plate of sweetmeats. Ker?

Of course.

Ker, god of the oceans, had long been Warin‎’‎s lover.

And what does he think of that? Ker isn‎’‎t the most stable being in the universe, you know.

He‎’‎s thrilled, actually, Warin said. Then she added mischievously, But I‎’‎m not planning on asking him to babysit.

Cazovania snorted. Since the new goddess was unlikely to stay a baby long, that wasn‎’‎t likely to be a problem.

Your father will be glad it‎’‎s you. He was a bit afraid it was going to be Arnia.

What‎’‎s wrong with Aunt Arnia? I thought Father liked her.

He does. But he said the world has enough angular, bony goddesses with peculiar ways of speaking.

Warin stared at her mother and then burst out laughing.

Don‎’‎t tell me he‎’‎s getting his sense of humour back. I thought he‎’‎d lost it for good.

I told you this new world is good for him, Cazovania said. He‎’‎s full of enthusiasm and brimming over with ideas. He‎’‎s almost his old self again.

Impulsively, Warin embraced her mother.

Oh Mother, I‎’‎m so happy for you. No one deserves it more than you.

Well, I certainly waited long enough for it. How are things going here? How‎’‎s the Plan?

Pretty good, I think.

You think?

Warin only just stopped herself from wincing at the sharpness of her mother‎’‎s tone.

Things have been pretty busy here, she murmured. And we‎’‎re not in an active phase at the moment. Besides, I don‎’‎t believe in dictating everything my people do. They have lives, after all, and when we don‎’‎t need them they should be left alone to live them.

That‎’‎s no excuse for not keeping your finger on the pulse, Cazovania said sternly. Did you imagine that Elithim‎’‎s just hibernating while she waits for you to move to the next stage? She has a history of cheating. You should know that better than anyone. There‎’‎s nothing she loves more than to dip those long, elegant fingers of hers in places where they don‎’‎t belong, and she doesn‎’‎t care how much havoc she creates when she does. And even apart from her, humans are notoriously unreliable. They‎’‎re liable to go off the rails completely if there isn‎’‎t a god about to keep an eye on them. I thought you‎’‎d at least have enough sense to keep an eye on your main players. We‎’‎d better take a look.

She waved a hand, and the top of Warin‎’‎s kitchen table became suddenly transparent, exactly like a window. In fact, it was a window, a window which looked down on the world below, specifically on a bedroom in the royal palace in Atriosa, capital of Falodirian.

The light of early morning fell on the bed that filled the space beneath the window. Sprawled across the bed fully dressed, was a young woman. Her head and upper torso hung off the edge of the bed and on the floor underneath was a puddle of vomit. As the two goddesses watched, she stirred, groaned, lifted herself onto the bed, rolled over, pulled a rug over herself, and went back to sleep. There was vomit in her hair and staining the front of an expensive gown.

The face was pale, thinner and older-looking than Warin remembered it. Neither goddess said anything. Cazovania didn‎’‎t really need to, and Warin was too horrified and ashamed to think of anything. Cazovania flicked a finger and the scene on the tabletop changed. Now it showed a sitting room and two people sitting side by side on a couch.

**********

I don‎’‎t know what to do, Keladryn! Niari, sister to Aanek, king of Nebreth, sorceress, lately the One of the prophecies, and betrothed of Keladryn, high priest of Atrios, ran her hands through her hair and then began to braid her fingers, twisting and pulling at them in her agitation.

She‎’‎s home now?

Niari nodded. About half an hour ago. She just staggered in, mumbled something unintelligible, and collapsed on her bed.

Drunk?

Niari nodded.

More than drunk?

Niari raised a hand and let it fall in a gesture of helplessness.

I don‎’‎t know. She looked at him with an appeal in her eyes. I thought maybe if you talked to her...

Keladryn was shaking his head.

I don‎’‎t think that will work, Niari.

You‎’‎re going to be her stepfather, and you‎’‎re the high priest of her religion.

And that‎’‎s precisely why I‎’‎m fairly sure she wouldn‎’‎t listen to me. In fact, it would probably do more harm than good. Is she still sleeping around?

Yes, but what‎’‎s that got to do with anything?

Just about everything.

I don‎’‎t understand.

Keladryn looked at her with sympathy.

No, you probably don‎’‎t at that, he said. It‎’‎s always a little confusing for outsiders, I find. I‎’‎ll try to explain. Because Atrios is the god of love as well as the god of the sun, some of our religious observances, like Transition, have an overtly sexual character, and brothels are recognised by the church as places of worship. Because of those things, there‎’‎s a perception among non-Atriosines that we are permissive in sexual matters. The truth is almost exactly the opposite.

But...

You don‎’‎t know us very well yet, Niari, but when you do, you‎’‎ll realise that outside of religious observance, Atriosines are actually very strait-laced about sex. Making love is a sacrament, a religious experience, and it is not to be abused. The fact that Tassi is sleeping around tells me that she‎’‎s in open rebellion against her religion as much as anything else. She isn‎’‎t going to listen to me.

Niari looked at him with hopeless eyes.

Then what am I going to do? It was bad enough when she was depressed, not eating, not wanting to do anything, but now she‎’‎s actively destroying herself, and there doesn‎’‎t seem to be anything I can do about it except sit and watch!

Keladryn blew his breath out.

She‎’‎s your adopted daughter, Niari, but she‎’‎s sixteen, almost seventeen years old. She‎’‎s legally an adult. She‎’‎s also a noble, and as you know, Falodirian nobles do virtually as they please.

I wish King Bava hadn‎’‎t made her a countess.

I don‎’‎t think the step from baroness to countess made all that much difference, Niari.

Yes, it did! Because Tassi knows it wasn‎’‎t for anything she did to earn it. He did it to make a point to Aanek after that fiasco last year when Aanek condemned her to death without even a trial. Aanek made her a countess of Nebreth as part of her compensation package after that, so Bava made her a countess of Falodirian in response. Don‎’‎t you see? She‎’‎d just been told that she was to replace me as the One and that she had to try to kill Othran. How would you like to be just turned sixteen and told you have to go up against someone like Othran? You know his reputation. He even scares professional warriors. He‎’‎s a nasty piece of work; he‎’‎s tough, he‎’‎s ruthless, he‎’‎s experienced, and she has to kill him. And if she doesn‎’‎t, he‎’‎ll kill her. No ifs, buts or maybes; succeed or die. That‎’‎s what the prophecy says. That‎’‎s her destiny, and there‎’‎s no way she can avoid it. And then Bava makes her a countess just to make a point to Aanek. Don‎’‎t you see that it was just one more way she was being pushed around, one more way she was being used?

Yes, when you put it like that, I see.

The gods know I can‎’‎t blame her for falling apart. But we can‎’‎t just stand back and let her destroy herself, Keladryn. There must be something we can do!

She‎’‎s an adult, Niari, and there‎’‎s no law against drinking and partying.

But...

Not even against killing yourself with it, Keladryn went on as if she hadn‎’‎t spoken. Drugs are another thing, though. If we could prove that she‎’‎s using illicit drugs...

I‎’‎m pretty sure she is.

Pretty sure isn‎’‎t good enough. We have to have proof. But if we could prove it, it would give us grounds for action.

What sort of action?

That‎’‎s what we have to work out. Have you talked with Andan? He‎’‎s her natural father, after all, and he‎’‎s had problems with alcohol himself. He might have some ideas.

He says it‎’‎s not just stopping her drinking. He says we need to break the pattern, to get her away from the bad friends she‎’‎s made, or she‎’‎ll just go straight back into it. He suggests sending her away somewhere; right away, preferably out of the country so she can‎’‎t just throw her title in peoples‎’‎ faces and do as she pleases.

Send her to Queen Marriah in Nebreth City? She loves Tassi, and she‎’‎s a healer, so she‎’‎d know what to do to help her.

I don‎’‎t think so. There‎’‎s just as much scope to get in trouble in the palace there as there is here, and just as many wild young nobles to lead her astray.

Keladryn grunted his agreement. There was silence for several long moments as both of them thought hard. Then they both looked up.

Carlitha! they said together.

Niari‎’‎s sister Carlitha and her husband Boladan, Duke of Onnian, had an estate outside the town of Onnian in north-central Nebreth. It was isolated enough that keeping Tassi away from drugs, alcohol and undesirable companions shouldn‎’‎t be a problem. Another advantage was that Carlitha, like Niari and Tassi, was a sorceress, so she would be able to help keep Tassi in line by countering her power, always a problem when dealing with a sorceress.

Would she mind? Keladryn asked.

I don‎’‎t think so. She and Boladan are as worried as we are.

It would be perfect. That‎’‎s it then, Niari. You write to your sister right now, today, and ask if it‎’‎s all right to send Tassi there.

You said we needed proof.

Simplicity itself. If she‎’‎s using illicit drugs she must be buying them from somewhere. I‎’‎m head of the Atriosine church and commander-in-chief of the Atriosine Temple Guard, and that includes an intelligence service. I have a number of agents who can follow her day and night without her even knowing they‎’‎re there. It shouldn‎’‎t take us very long to get the proof. And once we have that, I have a whole army that I can call on to escort her where she‎’‎s going and make sure she stays there. In fact, we were intending to put her through an intensive training programme to get her ready for her encounter with Othran, weren‎’‎t we? We can use that as therapy now. We‎’‎ll just make sure the soldiers we send as her escort are competent trainers. They may as well be doing something useful while they‎’‎re sitting around at Carlitha‎’‎s, and the physical exercise will be good for Tassi.

Niari laughed with relief. It‎’‎s perfect! Oh, Keladryn, I love you!

I certainly hope so, he replied, folding her in his arms and kissing her soundly.

I wish we could just run away and get married right now, Niari sighed, leaning her head against Keladryn‎’‎s chest.

Nice idea, but they wouldn‎’‎t let us. I‎’‎m a high priest and you‎’‎re a princess. We‎’‎re supposed to put on a show to entertain everyone. The common people love an excuse to celebrate, and just imagine how sulky all those kings and queens and church leaders will get if we deprive them of the chance to dress up, show off, and eat and drink far too much.

Niari laughed. Keladryn?

Mm?

Why should it be just the kings and queens and other people, who already get too much to eat?

I‎’‎m not sure I follow you.

Our wedding feast. Why should it just be people who don‎’‎t need it who get the food? There are lots of people out there in the city; widows, orphans, beggars, just the poor in general, who actually need the food and would appreciate it far more. Couldn‎’‎t we share it with them, too?

Keladryn knew why she was talking like this. Just last year she, Tassi and Carlitha had spent several months living as beggars in Nebreth City after Tassi was accused of trying to murder Queen Marriah. She‎’‎d become well-acquainted with the conditions of life at the bottom of the social scale.

That would cost an awful lot, Niari, he said cautiously.

It doesn‎’‎t have to be the same food we serve to our official guests. If you give a beggar a loaf of fresh bread and a piece of sausage or cheese, and maybe a cup of ale, that‎’‎s a feast for him. Atriosa‎’‎s not that enormous a city. I‎’‎ll pay for it. If necessary I can get a loan from Aanek or King Bava. Can‎’‎t we at least find out what it would cost?

All right. I‎’‎ll put some of my clerks on it. Actually, if it‎’‎s viable, and it quietly becomes known that it was your idea, especially if it‎’‎s also your expense, that should go a long way towards getting the common people to accept you. That‎’‎d be worth the expense, right there.

Niari looked at him sadly. Does it really have to get all mixed up with politics?

Sadly, yes. You‎’‎re going to be my wife, Niari, and nothing‎’‎s going to prevent that. But people are still coming to terms with the fact that things have changed after so many centuries of priests being celibate. We‎’‎re going to have to fight to get you accepted, and if you have to become the people‎’‎s heroine to achieve that, I‎’‎m afraid you‎’‎ll just have to learn to live with it. Now, off you go and write that letter to Carlitha while I set a few spies on young Countess Tassatina. Oh, and request an audience with King Bava. We‎’‎d better explain to him why we plan to kidnap one of his nobles and ship her off to Nebreth.

He‎’‎s coming to tea with me this afternoon. You‎’‎d better come too, and we can talk to him in private. I‎’‎m so glad we thought of Carlitha. It‎’‎s the perfect answer. I feel so much better.

Oh, I just thought. If we move to arrest Tassi, are we going to have to contend with her power? She is a sorceress, after all.

Niari laughed. What power? Sorcery requires concentration and focus. The state she‎’‎s in at present, I doubt she could focus enough power to swat a fly.

CHAPTER TWO

Very convenient, Cazovania said. Did you nudge them?

It seemed appropriate, Warin murmured.

Hm. Well, better late than never, I suppose. And Carlitha is the perfect answer. Although how you could let that girl get into that state in the first place... You saw how she reacted three months ago when she learned about her destiny, and you know about her father‎’‎s weakness, so you might expect something to happen. I thought you‎’‎d at least have sense enough to keep an eye on her.

I did, but Rozvin seemed to have her in hand, Warin said.

Well, she doesn‎’‎t seem to have her in hand now, does she? Cazovania retorted.

She‎’‎s in the Northland at the moment, Warin explained. She had to take her sister Sparrow‎’‎s body home to rest among her own people. This has only happened since she‎’‎s been gone, and I imagine she‎’‎ll sort Tassi out pretty smartly when she gets back.

This is your responsibility, Warin. You‎’‎re supposed to stay on top of these things, not leave them for others to take care of.

Well, when have I had time? Warin cried. You and Father might have warned me what you were letting me in for! I haven‎’‎t had a moment‎’‎s peace since you left. I don‎’‎t know how Father managed, I really don‎’‎t!

Warin, what on earth are you blathering about?

Father‎’‎s Authority and being head of the pantheon. I can‎’‎t cope, Mother. They‎’‎re driving me mad!

It shouldn‎’‎t be that difficult, Warin, Cazovania said, frowning. You‎’‎re really just there to provide a sense of cohesion and identity, and a bit of leadership if necessary. They all know what they have to do. All you have to do is let them get on with it.

Then why was Aunt Arnia here just before you arrived, taking up half my morning discussing the spring floods on the Falodirian Plains? None of them will take a deep breath without coming here and driving me mad with the whys and the wherefores. And it‎’‎s not even as though they want advice or approval or anything. Most of the time it‎’‎s perfectly clear that they already know exactly what they‎’‎re going to do, so why come and waste my time? And Uncle Atrios – Uncle Atrios...

What about Uncle Atrios? Cazovania said, her eyes narrowing.

Warin explained about the unneeded and apparently unwanted solution. And now I keep wondering how many more of the ‎’‎problems‎’‎ I solved for them never existed in the first place. I could strangle him! she finished.

Too quick, Cazovania said. He deserves something much more lingering.

She drained her wine glass, popped a sweetmeat in her mouth and got to her feet.

Why don‎’‎t you think about lunch? she said, stretching languorously. Since I‎’‎m here, I suppose I should pay a few visits. Salmon salad, I think, don‎’‎t you? And don‎’‎t forget the peaches. I like peaches.

How could I ever forget? Warin laughed. It‎’‎s so good to see you, Mother.

That‎’‎s nice, Cazovania smiled. I won‎’‎t be long. And she vanished.

Warin poured herself another glass of fruit juice and did a couple of little dance steps around the table. Obviously, her new job as head of the pantheon wasn‎’‎t supposed to be this arduous, and just as obviously her mother had gone to sort things out. Suddenly, Warin felt as light and free as the clouds chasing each other across the sky outside her window.

After another few moments to savour her deliverance, Warin began to think about lunch. She rather thought her mother would bend time a little, and she really wanted everything to be waiting and perfect when she returned. A wave of her hand covered the table with a snowy white cloth on which reposed gleaming plates, glasses, and cutlery, and a second wave filled those plates with food.

Then she set about tweaking things, making the peaches just that little bit fatter and juicier, the salmon a touch more succulent, the salad greens crisper and tangier. Potatoes fried to a golden crispness and a creamy dressing completed the main course. A light and delicate soup preceded it, and strawberries and cream followed. She had just filled a bowl with six different varieties of sweetmeat and created a crisp, fruity white wine to complement the meal when her mother strolled in through the door.

That looks divine, Warin, she said warmly, and without further ado seated herself and began to eat.

Warin knew she would get nothing out of her mother until she was quite ready to tell her, so she possessed her impatience as best she could and also applied herself to the food. Not until she had pushed away her empty strawberry bowl and selected a fat peach did Cazovania lean back in her chair and finally deign to speak.

Well, you should find life a bit quieter from now on, she remarked.

What happened?

I had a little chat with Arnia, Cazovania said, toying absently with the stem of her wineglass. It seems your relatives thought they were helping you.

Helping me?

Mm. Cazovania was now sorting through the bowl of sweetmeats. She selected one and popped it into her mouth. Then she picked up her peach and began to peel it with a small silver knife. It seems that someone told them you weren‎’‎t quite sure of your acceptance as the new head of the pantheon and suggested that they all work hard to make you feel needed and included.

What?

And of course they all wanted you to feel comfortable in your new role and not think they resented you.

But who...?

Atrios.

Uncle Atrios? But why?

Well, I don‎’‎t think it was out of the goodness of his heart. He‎’‎s still miffed that we beat him over the Keladryn and Niari affair. This was his way of getting back at you.

Why that slimy little...

Worm? Eel? Personally, I‎’‎ve always thought he bears a striking resemblance to a cockroach.

Warin laughed.

I‎’‎ll get him for this! she vowed.

Cazovania waved the knife. Waste of energy. Besides, my darling brother has trouble enough for right now.

Oh?

Do you remember that there was something he desperately didn‎’‎t want Arnia to know about?

Yes.

Well, it seems some rotten, unscrupulous person let it slip.

Mother, you didn‎’‎t!

Of course I did. I warned him over and over what would happen if he didn‎’‎t behave, and the moment my back‎’‎s turned he goes and attacks my daughter? I don‎’‎t think so.

What was it he did? Warin asked curiously.

He tried to convince Ker that he should take over some of Arnia‎’‎s responsibilities.

What? Why would he do that?

Who knows why Atrios does anything? Fortunately, Ker has a sense of honour even if his father doesn‎’‎t, and he refused to even consider it. He‎’‎s not really interested in the inland waters anyway. It‎’‎s the open ocean he loves.

What did Aunt Arnia say when you told her?

Not very much, actually. She was pretty much incoherent. Not to mention incandescent. Have you ever seen Arnia in a real rage?

I don‎’‎t think so.

Believe me, if you had, you‎’‎d remember. And if you had, you‎’‎d have no trouble understanding how she could have been the mother of the god of storms. When she really gets going she leaves Morv for dead. Your uncle‎’‎s going to be much too busy watching his own tail feathers to bother you for quite some time.

**********

It took precisely two days to find the proof that Tassi was buying illicit drugs, but of course, Niari‎’‎s letter to Carlitha was still on its way. King Bava had been sympathetic. He was fond of Tassi and just as concerned for her as Niari and Keladryn were. He had provided an order of detainment so their arrest of Tassi would have some smirch of legality about it. There was some doubt whether it would stand up to scrutiny in a court of law since Falodirian nobles were notoriously independent of the crown and could really only be arrested for treason. However, it should be sufficient to get them past a casual inspection. He had also provided a royal messenger to carry Niari‎’‎s letter. But even a royal messenger would take at least a week to get there and at least another week to get back. What did they do in the meantime? Niari was all for grabbing Tassi there and then and locking her up out of harm‎’‎s way while they waited for Carlitha‎’‎s reply. Cooler heads prevailed, however.

A couple of weeks won‎’‎t hurt, Niari, Keladryn said. And there are some very good reasons for leaving her alone for now.

I‎’‎d like to hear them, Niari said stiffly.

All right. First of all, the people I‎’‎ve selected to go with her need time to work out a programme for her. Also, we know at least one of the things she‎’‎s been taking now, and I want to get some medical advice about how to deal with getting her off it. With some of these things, you can‎’‎t just stop. Also, King Bava‎’‎s been concerned for some time about the amount of drugs available in the city. We know that Tassi‎’‎s in contact with at least the edges of that underworld. If we leave her alone and continue to follow her, she may lead us to other people and give Bava‎’‎s agents some useful information. And finally, we don‎’‎t actually want her recovering enough to be able to use her power until she‎’‎s safe with Carlitha. I don‎’‎t particularly want my soldiers subjected to an attack by an enraged, strung-out sorceress. It‎’‎s not something they‎’‎re trained to deal with.

Niari threw a quick look at Keladryn, and her lips twitched. A moment later she was laughing. All right. I guess it won‎’‎t hurt. And I agree it will be safer.

Two weeks and three days from the time he had left Atriosa, an exhausted royal messenger rode back in with Carlitha‎’‎s reply. It was quite short, saying merely that they were pleased to help, that everything would be ready for Tassi by the time the letter arrived, and that they suggested sending her as soon as possible. The medical advice Keladryn had sought was favourable. The drugs Tassi had been taking weren‎’‎t the really pernicious ones. She wouldn‎’‎t be very happy for a few days, but there would be no real problem getting her off them. Her escort was ready to move at a moment‎’‎s notice. There didn‎’‎t seem to be any reason to wait.

What‎’‎s wrong? Keladryn asked when he told Niari that they could pack her off that very day. A fortnight ago you were all for arresting her right then. Not having second thoughts, are you?

Not really. It‎’‎s just... She‎’‎s going to hate us, isn‎’‎t she?

Probably. For a while, anyway. But even if she never speaks to us again, isn‎’‎t it worth it to get her well?

Of course it is. I‎’‎m sorry.

It‎’‎s about an hour after noon now, and it‎’‎s summer so it won‎’‎t be dark until late. If they get off fairly soon they can be halfway to the border by nightfall. Where‎’‎s Tassi now?

Still asleep. She staggered in sometime after dawn again.

I‎’‎ll send some soldiers to get her, then, while the rest of the troop gets ready to leave. It‎’‎s probably best if you stay out of it. You can‎’‎t help and all you‎’‎ll do is provide her with a target. Go shopping or something for an hour or two. Let her scream abuse at the soldiers. They won‎’‎t take it personally.

Niari nodded soberly.

**********

Cazovania waved a hand and closed the window in Warin‎’‎s kitchen table. It all seems to be going to plan, she observed.

I‎’‎m keeping a close eye on things, Warin said.

Did you do anything about the runiac?

It‎’‎s not really necessary. Friend went to the Northland with Sparrow‎’‎s body as a mark of honour. You know how the Eriathites revere runiacs.

Oh, yes. That was one of your father‎’‎s wiser decisions. Appointing an animal as his messenger to the Eriathites was an excellent foil to their arrogance. That‎’‎s always been the besetting fault of the Northlanders.

Well, that party‎’‎s about to leave for home, and once Friend finds out what his son‎’‎s been up to, I doubt that I‎’‎ll need to prod him at all. And knowing Friend and his sense of honour, I‎’‎m quite sure the pup will get the message.

Good. Well, since everything‎’‎s under control here, I suppose I should go back and see how your father‎’‎s doing. I don‎’‎t like to leave him alone for too long just yet. Thank you for a very pleasant visit.

You‎’‎re welcome. And thank you for sorting things out for me.

Look after yourself, Warin. I‎’‎ll be back before my granddaughter‎’‎s born. I wouldn‎’‎t miss that for the world. Perhaps your father will come back for a short visit. After all, he‎’‎s never had a grandchild before, either.

Give him my love and tell him he‎’‎ll be more than welcome.

I will. And don‎’‎t forget to keep an eye on those humans.

Now that you‎’‎ve sorted out Uncle Atrios, it shouldn‎’‎t be a problem.

Cazovania smiled. It wasn‎’‎t a very nice smile. There was something in it rather reminiscent of a cat with a mouse.

I wonder what my dear brother‎’‎s doing right now? she said.

Warin smiled too. The more she thought about what her mother had done, the more right it seemed. Atrios deserved whatever he got. Besides, her aunt had a right to know what her husband had planned. If someone was trying to undermine Warin‎’‎s position by stealing some of her areas of responsibility, she‎’‎d certainly want to know about it.

Cazovania walked around the table to the kitchen door. Goodbye, Daughter. And Granddaughter. She lifted a hand, then stepped through the door, and as she did so, vanished.

I like her, said a small voice emphatically from the general region of Warin‎’‎s belly-button.

She has her points, Warin conceded. You‎’‎re growing up very fast.

Well, who wants to hang about in here forever? Not that it isn‎’‎t quite nice in here, of course.

"You‎’‎re not growing very fast though," Warin frowned, putting a hand on her still very flat belly.

I thought it might be uncomfortable for you.

I imagine so. But don‎’‎t you think you‎’‎re going to need a body?

There‎’‎s plenty of time. Besides, it‎’‎s the mind that‎’‎s important.

You‎’‎re going to be just like your grandmother, I see.

Oh?

Opinionated.

The baby goddess chuckled. I love you, Mother.

And I love you, my daughter.

**********

The first intimation Tassi had that her life was about to change was when a rather hard hand landed on her shoulder and roughly shook her out of sleep. She mumbled for it to leave her alone and tried to shake it off, but it just shook her harder.

Hey! she said, sitting up and pushing it away none too gently.

Time to get up, my Lady, a voice said crisply.

It wasn‎’‎t a voice she recognised. She blinked through the sleep and the pounding in her head and finally brought the room into focus, only to realise that it was full of businesslike women dressed in the uniform of the Atriosine Temple Guard.

What? she said blearily.

You‎’‎re going on a trip, my Lady, the woman who had spoken before said brightly.

Behind her, a line of servants was carrying in buckets of steaming water.

I‎’‎m not going anywhere.

Oh, yes, you are. First, you‎’‎re going to clean up and get dressed, and then we‎’‎re all going across to the temple compound where we‎’‎ll pick up the rest of the troop and get started.

Tassi stared at her. She wished her head would stop pounding so she could think. She staggered across to the sideboard and grabbed the decanter that stood there, not bothering with a glass. But before she had taken more than a couple of swallows, it was firmly wrenched from her grasp by one of the other soldiers.

I don‎’‎t believe I said anything about drinking, the first woman said. Let‎’‎s get this quite clear, shall we? From now on, I‎’‎m giving the orders. When I tell you to do something, you say, yes, Ma‎’‎am, and then you do it. And that‎’‎s all you do.

Tassi‎’‎s brain had finally cranked itself into gear.

You must be joking, she said flatly.

No, actually I‎’‎m not.

There was no way Tassi was taking that lying down, of course. She argued, she fought, she screamed, she threw things. But faced with five determined, well-trained women armed with the authority of the church and a natural disdain for drunken courtiers, and hampered by the grandfather of a hangover, she had little chance. Scarcely an hour since she had awoken, she accompanied the soldiers out of the palace. In that time she had bathed and dressed in the uniform of a Temple Guard trainee, her newly-washed hair falling in a neat braid down her back.

True, she wasn‎’‎t the only one sporting a few bruises and abrasions, but this round of the battle, at least, was over, and the victory was not hers. Sullen and subdued, she walked with her captors through the halls of the palace. The leader had at least allowed her the mercy of wearing her cloak, and she kept the hood pulled up and her head down as she walked. Temple and palace in Atriosa occupied either end of a long ridge above the city, so it was a relatively short walk to the temple compound.

The trip to Nebreth was ghastly for Tassi. At first, anger kept her going. Her resentment of the way she was being treated was all-consuming. She was an adult and a noble. What was happening to her was technically abduction, but she soon discovered that her protests cut absolutely no ice with the implacable and determined group of men and women whose job it was to escort her.

But anger could only sustain her for so long. Slowly, the discomfort of her hangover became more insistent, and just when she‎’‎d got over that, her body began to react to the removal of those chemicals she had been feeding it. The journey receded into a nightmare of discomfort and self-pity, and through it all, she got little sympathy from her escort.

During the day she rode surrounded by grim armed people, and at night she had her own tent in the middle of the encampment, and there were guards stationed all around it. She knew that because after she tried going out the door, she also tried cutting a slit in the canvas and wriggling out the back. The soldiers who caught her were models of politeness as they escorted her back inside and presented her with a large needle, a canvas patch, and some strong thread, but the message was crystal clear.

She had absolutely no intention of making use of the needle and thread, of course, but after the first night spent with the wind whistling in through the slit, she abruptly changed her mind. And just to make her defeat complete, she had abused herself so badly in just a few short months that her power as a sorceress was virtually non-existent. There had been a time in the not too distant past when she would have given anything to be able to wake up one morning and not be a sorceress any more. But wishes were one thing. The reality was quite something else. It was as though she‎’‎d lost part of herself. Her failure was so devastating that she didn‎’‎t make the attempt again.

Things only got worse when they arrived at Carlitha‎’‎s and her training began. Someone had neglected to ask her opinion about that, too, and she picked up a fair crop of bruises and minor cuts before she finally realised that her trainers weren‎’‎t actually interested in what she thought, and that refusing to cooperate only meant failing to defend herself.

So, with little choice in the matter, she finally knuckled down, only to discover that the excesses of her former lifestyle had done absolutely nothing to enhance her physical condition. She was, to put it bluntly, horribly unfit and unhealthy. The first couple of weeks of training were sheer torture. She was always tired, she was short of breath, and her sword seemed twice as heavy as she remembered.

She was on a strict diet. She had to eat everything on her plate, but that was all she was allowed. There were no cakes or pastries, no sweetmeats, and wine was strictly forbidden. She was routed out of bed at dawn and banished back there at dusk, and the time in between was filled with exercises and swordplay and long cross-country runs, but she wasn‎’‎t allowed anywhere near her beloved horse. Life was unmitigated misery, and she began to seriously wonder if it was actually worth the effort.

But Tassi had youth on her side, and it wasn‎’‎t nearly as long as it seemed to her before her body began to recover, she was back to a healthy weight, her muscles began to firm, and her stamina increased. Before she knew it, she was actually enjoying the training, taking pleasure in her achievements, and gaining satisfaction from surmounting the challenges her trainers set for her.

The strength was back in her body, the sparkle was back in her eyes. The hard times were behind her. It was time for the next challenge. As her body had recovered, so had her power, and now that she wasn‎’‎t falling asleep almost the moment her trainers released her, Carlitha took her in hand. Combat training and physical fitness were all very well, but the other weapon in Tassi‎’‎s arsenal was the power of sorcery.

CHAPTER THREE

Magic of various kinds was reasonably common, but sorcery was rare. It consisted of the ability to do magic by just willing it, with no need for the spells and incantations required by other forms. It was not only quicker and simpler than other magic, it was generally much more powerful. The power was inborn, but like any other natural ability it needed training and refining in order to reach its full potential, and that was where Carlitha came in. While the soldiers honed Tassi‎’‎s body, Carlitha worked on her mind.

Carlitha was pregnant with her first child, and as that pregnancy progressed, the crippled princess found her mobility sharply curtailed. Carlitha walked with two sticks, and her expanding belly made that increasingly difficult. The need to train Tassi, therefore, came as a welcome diversion. Tassi was morbidly convinced that Carlitha did nothing all day except dream up new tortures for her.

She probably wasn‎’‎t far wrong, although Carlitha wouldn‎’‎t have referred to them as tortures. In fact, they were exercises designed to assess the exact extent of Tassi‎’‎s talent, then to sharpen her concentration, and finally to teach her to make the best possible use of her power by exploiting her strengths and minimising her weaknesses.

At first, Tassi found it horribly tedious. Carlitha insisted on treating her like a rank beginner, going right back to the most basic of basics and building from there. When Tassi tried to protest she was curtly informed that if she didn‎’‎t have a good grasp of the basics there wasn‎’‎t any point in trying to learn anything harder. Carlitha was quite immovable, so there was nothing for Tassi to do but sigh deeply and do as she was told.

And then, when Tassi had been at Carlitha‎’‎s house for two months, Carlitha called her one day and told her they would be leaving in three days‎’‎ time to attend Niari‎’‎s wedding. Tassi blinked in surprise. Her life here had been so full she had almost forgotten there was a world outside the estate.

Carlitha, in the last weeks of her pregnancy and now virtually bedridden, came under pressure from Boladan to stay home and not risk travelling. It might have been the wisest course, but he was wasting his breath, and he almost certainly knew it. Niari and Keladryn had been in love for years, but Keladryn was the high priest of Atrios. Peculiarly, although as the god of love Atrios was served by prostitutes, the priests of Atrios as the god of the sun were celibate.

Even when Atrios had changed the law, specifically so Keladryn and Niari could marry as required by the great Plan of the gods, Keladryn had felt unable to act counter to the beliefs in which he had been raised, and Niari had respected his position. Carlitha had endured long years of watching Niari suffer in silence, and she wasn‎’‎t about to be cheated of seeing her sister finally happy, no matter how sensible staying home might be.

The wedding passed off as those things usually do. Since the leading actors were a princess and a high priest, it was sumptuous of course. The Queen of Nebreth, who delighted in such things, had taken over the planning and no expense had been spared. Queen Marriah was renowned for her extravagant tastes, and she had given them full rein.

Tassi thought Niari must have put her foot down about her dress, though, because it showed definite signs of compromise. Atriosine brides wore yellow in honour of the sun,