Given Read online

  Yenni’s eyebrows rose. Well this was new. What was so important it needed to be shielded so? There was little chance of Creshens being able to read their discourse in Yirba, so what were her parents trying to hide? She unrolled the scroll and found a message in her mother’s tight handwriting. Yenni devoured the letter with her eyes.

  Oh, my brave and precious child,

  It was a day of joy to rival the awakening of the sun when you were placed in my arms. Because of your counsel, your n’baba has regained his strength. You were right to go abroad, my daughter. This concept of divine ach’e leading to sickness is not something we Yirba could have fathomed.

  On your advisory, I gently suggested to the men of the Healers’ Guild that drawing on ach’e could be contributing to the chieftain’s fatigue, and through their testing they discovered something quite alarming. It is not ach’e that causes this illness, but a spirit that feeds on it.

  Yenni paused at that. “A spirit?” she whispered.

  The more ach’e runs through the body, the more this spirit feeds and grows, but it is never sated. When the host is not pulling on runes, this evil spirit will simply turn to the body’s network for ach’e, weakening it, so that by instinct the body turns to muscle, breaking it down to bolster the body’s waning magical system. We have not yet discovered a way to destroy the spirit, only to lure it to another host.

  “Oh, Iyaya, no,” said Yenni aloud, gazing sadly at her mother’s faded rune. She sighed and continued to read.

  By the time this message reaches you, you may have noticed that the rune of linking from me has faded. Be not afraid, my sweet child. I have simply taken on your n’baba’s burden, to give him time to heal and rest. He has been pulling runes for many moonturns, fighting a threat we have been forced to hide. Even shielded as this missive is, I dare not say too much. I will simply leave you with the wisdom of our ancestors, who say to be wary of encountering malicious spirits, for where there is one there are four more.

  Oh, my Yenni. My heart cries out to have you home again, but you may well be safer in Cresh. If nothing else, you have pledged a year abroad to the Sha, and you must complete your Orire N’jem. But we will see each other again soon. Your n’baba sends his love as well.

  May the Sha smile in your direction.

  Your iyaya,

  Jadesola Iyunde-ola ka Yirba

  “What?” Yenni whispered to herself. What was her mother talking about? What threat? Why would she be safer away from home? She dove back into the papua rolls. Perhaps one of the other messages, from her father or maybe Dayo, would provide some answers.

  The next letter she picked up was in fact from her brother Dayo, and it did nothing to ease her distress.

  Kebi, he wrote.

  I have missed you. You have done well, and I’d expect nothing less. The Sha have blessed us with Father’s recovery, but still I urge you to be careful. With Father’s health improved, those who were counting on the chaos of his death to make their move may now turn their attention to you. Yes, we have cordial relations with the other tribes, for the most part, but if history has proven anything it’s that there are always those in each tribe who lurk unfulfilled, imagining themselves revolutionaries and hungry for power. And for such opportunists a princess of the Yirba would make for valuable bargaining stock. Though I have faith in the Almighty Mothers and Fathers, and faith in you, my strong and stubborn kebi, please proceed with caution.

  The rest of the letter was an update on life in the palace compound and on the main Island. He ended the letter by saying he hoped to see her very soon. It mentioned nothing about this threat her mother had mentioned. Perhaps he wasn’t aware of it.

  I miss you dearly, Kebi, wrote her sister Ifeh in the next letter. We are already planning a huge feast in your honor upon your return.

  Natahi ka Gunzu has been by to pay his respects to N’baba, wrote Jayeh. He seems quite taken with you. I think you will receive a special present from him soon.

  Yenni’s breath caught in her throat at that, for what else could her sister mean but marriage beads? It was the custom among the Northern Sha Islands for a man to send a beaded necklace to his intended. An acceptance of the necklace would be a tacit acceptance of the engagement. To reject the proposal she would have to snap the necklace and send back the scattered beads.

  Time was running out. Yenni cradled her head in her hand, sighing. If only she knew more about this threat her mother referenced. How could she put her family and her tribe in further danger by rejecting a prince of the Gunzu? And what would it look like, her engaged to a common Creshen? What would people think?

  Who cares what people think?

  She did. She shouldn’t, but she did. The comparisons to her sisters, the comments that she was unladylike, that she should grow up and settle down, they infuriated her.

  And shamed her.

  Wearily, Yenni reached for the last unopened roll.

  Agbi, wrote Jumi, addressing her as “big sister.” I want to visit but Iyaya and N’baba won’t let me. By the way, I have been flying with Ofa every day since you are not here to stop me. I am sure he likes me more than you now. He will not want to fly with you once you come back. Ha! Ofa is mine!

  To Yenni’s surprise, instead of irritating her, Jumi’s teasing helped relieve the aching tension between her eyes, and left her with a sharp longing for home. She gathered up her letters and took them to her writing desk, where she took out a sheet of heavy paper and a pencil and began her letter back. She wrote to her mother.

  Iyaya, she began. She wanted to keep the letter informal, a daughter pleading to her mother. You are right, I was quite scared to see that your rune had faded, and your news of a threat to our Islands alarms me. Please take care, both you and N’baba. If there is anything you can tell me, anything at all, please let me know. Perhaps there is something I can learn here that will help. The Sha are not done with me yet.

  Tell Dayo not to be too concerned for my safety. I have met

  She paused. Now would be the time to mention Weysh, but how could she even begin to explain him to them, when she wasn’t even sure what he was to her?

  I have met a dragon and we are Given, and we will eventually marry.

  No, no, they would not take kindly to that at all.

  I have met the world’s only Island dragon, and we must rethink my engagement to Natahi ka Gunzu. It may be more prudent to align ourselves with dragonkind.

  Too mercenary, and they had been working to build relations with the Gunzu for far too long to simply switch alliances for something unknown.

  I have met the world’s only Island dragon, and we are bonded as Given. I believe this may be the reason I was compelled to undertake Orire N’jem.

  But then what of her father’s illness?

  Not one of those statements felt right. Yenni grunted in frustration—clearly she wasn’t yet ready to tell her family about him.

  I have met strong friends here, dragons. And as always I am able to protect myself. I learn more about Creshen magic and battle every day. Tell Ifeh and Jayeh I look forward to their feast, and tell Jumi that no matter how much he flies with Ofa, my field sphinx will never forget me.

  Yenni sighed and scanned her letters again. There was a folded note on cream-colored paper she hadn’t noticed in her haste. She flicked it open.

  Lovely,

  Meet me in the library, our usual table under the split birch tree. I have a surprise for you.

  Weysh

  Speak and the spoken appear, as the Creshens said. Strange, he usually came to get her from Riverbank Chambers. But it was just as well—she could certainly use a surprise. Leaving the unfinished letter on her desk, Yenni went to change into her riding clothes.

  She found Weysh just where he said he would be, absorbed in a book. Normally he would glance up when he smelled her coming, but now he didn’t even
notice her until she called to him, poor thing.

  “Weh-sheh.”

  He looked up, smiling, then stood and bowed to her.

  Kalele meyen, he said. In Yirba. Good evening, my princess—or at least that’s what he’d tried to say. Mother Shu, he could be adorable when he wasn’t being exasperating. She put a hand to his cheek, and he leaned down so she could kiss him.

  “Where did you learn that?” she asked.

  “Partially from this,” he said. He held a book in one large hand. “You’ve been learning so much about Cresh, I figured it’s time I start learning about your culture. Did I say it right?”

  “Not really.”

  “Byen, Yenni, can’t you let me have this?”

  She laughed. “Well, you said you wanted to learn my culture.”

  Weysh took her hand. “Come, I want to borrow this book. It’s an encyclopedia of kingdoms on the Moonrise Isles, pretty much the only book I could find with anything useful.”

  Once he’d checked out the book and stuffed it into his hip-satchel, they strolled aimlessly from the library, neither concerned where they were going as long as they were together.

  “Now, lovely, tell me where I went wrong.”

  “Well, you pushed the words together, to form two words, when really it should be four or five.”

  “Four or five?”

  “Yes. You said, kalele meyen, but it should be kale’le mm’e’yen.”

  “Kale-le meyen, like this?”

  “Almost, but you need to draw out the mmm—this is how you say my in our language.”

  “How?”

  “Like this. Mmm.”

  “I’m so sorry, sweet, I need one more demonstration.”

  “Mmm—” She stopped when she realized what he was doing and slapped his arm. “Weh-sheh!”

  He chuckled. “I do like how you make that sound, lovely.”

  “Why must I be constantly subjected to your perversions?”

  Weysh took her hand and kissed her palm. “Yenni,” he murmured, rubbing his thumb over the area he had kissed. When he flicked his eyes up to her they twinkled with mischief. “This is nothing.”

  Her cheeks burned. Weysh affected her like no other man had, and every day it became harder and harder to picture a life with Prince Natahi, or any prince for that matter. But how could she make a life with Weysh, especially given today’s revelations? They had so much to discuss, and it was time to stop running.

  “Weh-sheh, we have much to talk about. My parents—”

  “Oh!”

  They made the turn onto the path that led to the lecture halls and Yenni found herself caught in Carmenna’s dismayed gaze.

  “Weysh, Yenni Ajani, excuse me.” She gave them a small, awkward bow, her hair falling forward to obscure her face, and began to hurry away.

  “Ah! Carmenna, just a moment,” said Weysh hastily. “Have you seen Noriago recently?”

  “Not since that day in West Castle West.”

  “Do you know what that Noriago did?” said Yenni. “He attacked Weh-sheh with some kind of powder and now he cannot smell. If you know something you must tell us!”

  Carmenna glanced down at their joined hands, and guilt pooled in the pit of Yenni’s stomach. She let Weysh’s hand go.

  “I heard,” Carmenna admitted. “Everyone is talking about it. I’m so sorry, Weysh. That’s just horrible.”

  Yenni saw Weysh sniff the air instinctively, trying and failing to read Carmenna’s scent. “You truly don’t know anything?”

  She glanced once more between the two of them. “No, I’m sorry,” she said softly.

  “I see,” said Weysh. “Well, please be careful, Carmenna. Noriago is clearly unhinged. Academy security have him on a watch list, and every dragon on campus has their nostrils open, so to speak, but off campus try not to be alone, en?”

  She nodded. “I’ll be cautious. Thank you for your concern.” She paused and glanced between their two faces again before she said at last, “Congratulations.”

  “Erm, thank you,” said Weysh. He cleared his throat. “So, I don’t suppose you’ve learned of a way to heal pimentel damage in any of your classes, en?” He said it jokingly, but Yenni could sense the desperation underneath.

  The look Carmenna gave him was full of sincere pity. “Nerve damage is some of the most difficult to heal, Weysh,” she said sadly.

  “Weh-sheh will be just fine,” said Yenni confidently. “He’s going to his stepfather’s healer and—ah!” The mention of Weysh’s sick stepfather reminded her of her own, and of the wither-rot. “I have some news! My tribe has discovered the cause of the wither-rot!”

  “What?” cried both Weysh and Carmenna. Without going into too much detail, Yenni explained that her mother had relayed Mainard’s information to the healers back home, and what they had deduced.

  “So it is this spirit that is making people sick,” Yenni finished. She watched Weysh and Carmenna expectantly, but they were both giving her a familiar look—the same uncomfortable shifting of the eyes some did at the sight or mention of runes.

  “What is it now?” Yenni cried.

  “A spirit is causing this illness? You mean, like a demon?” asked Carmenna.

  “Yes! A demon.”

  Weysh blew out a breath, and Yenni rounded on him. “You do not believe me?”

  “No, no! It’s not that, lovely. It’s just, well, it’s hard to believe in general, en?”

  “But why is that?”

  “Well, no one has encountered a demon for over a thousand years, if records are to be believed,” said Carmenna. “If demons have returned to the realm of folk, well, we have much bigger problems than the wither-rot.”

  “Nevertheless, that is the cause,” said Yenni with utter finality.

  “Yenni, my heart, perhaps it’s best we keep this to ourselves for now, at least until your people have had more time to investigate and gather more information—”

  “There’s no time for that!” said Yenni, throwing up her hands. She pointed accusingly at Weysh. “Your own stepfather is ill! In fact, I think I will go to see Professor Mainard right now.”

  “No!” yelled Carmenna and Weysh together.

  “Yenni Ajani, you and I both know what Mainard is like,” said Carmenna. “He’ll want hard proof before . . .”

  She trailed off at Yenni’s dismissive hand waving. “He can gather all the proof he needs. I’m simply letting him know what our healers have discovered. It’s the right thing to do—many lives could be saved. We haven’t yet discovered how to kill the parasitic spirit; we merely lure it from one body to the next, but perhaps with Cresh working toward the same goal, a solution will be found faster. Come, Weh-sheh, it shouldn’t take long. Good-bye, Carmenna, thank you again for everything.” Yenni put her fingertips under her chin and bowed to Carmenna before taking off for the administrative tower, consumed with her new mission.

  “Be well, Carmenna!” she heard Weysh call behind her.

  “Good luck?” Carmenna called back uncertainly.

  30

  Yenni asked Weysh to wait at the bottom of the administrative tower. It would be hard enough dealing with Mainard without an audience. Still, she held out hope from her last encounter with the taciturn professor. He’d given her more information about the wither-rot, after all, and perhaps he still held some goodwill toward her after she had, well, saved his life.

  Despite her nerves, she was able to work the lift up to Mainard’s office, and was soon standing in his open doorway, once more confronted with all of his glorious clutter. She spotted him pondering a shelf crammed with books, his back turned to her.

  Yenni knocked on the open door. “Professor Mainard, I would like to speak with you.”

  He jumped and spun from the shelf. “Mam’selle Kayerba?” He frowned. “Oh, you would, would
you? Hmph, have a seat, I suppose.”

  Yenni settled on the sofa across from his desk, perched between a pile of books and the armrest. One would think a man so obsessed with rules and order would be more organized, but apparently not. Mainard took up his seat behind his desk, watching her impatiently over his tented fingers. The less time Yenni spent in close quarters with Mainard the better, so she got right to the point.

  “Professor Mainard, I know what is causing the wither-rot.”

  Oh, but his face! Mainard fixed her with the most incredulous glare she had ever seen. He didn’t speak—it seemed he was so shocked he couldn’t, so Yenni went on.

  “The illness is the result of a parasitic demon. It feeds on the body’s magical system, weakening it, and pulls strength from the muscles and flesh of the body.”

  Mainard rubbed at the bridge of his nose and let out a long-suffering sigh. “Not this claptrap again. Mam’selle Kayerba,” he said patiently. “If demons had returned, surely I, a Magus Grande and member of the magical council, would know about it. This illness has a perfectly scientific explanation that, I will admit, eludes us, but we will find the answer soon enough.”

  “It’s true,” Yenni insisted. “My father has made a recovery thanks to the work of our Healers’ Guild, but they haven’t yet discovered how to destroy the spirit—they have only lured it to another host. But with Creshen healers and Island healers working toward a solution we can figure out how to defeat it, and many lives can be saved!”

  Mainard’s mouth puckered in disgust. “If your papa has seen a recovery, then he wasn’t afflicted with the wither-rot in the first place. I’ve no doubt he was afflicted with some sort of Island parasite, but a demon? Laughable.”

  Yenni took a deep breath through her nose, desperate to soothe her rising temper. She needed her wits about her to do battle with Mainard. “You said, ‘Not this again.’ What did you mean by that? Did someone else come to the same conclusion?”