“I can get it,” Aradin offered, seeing her tenuous hold on the magics she had raised, and nearly lost at the interruption.
At her curt nod, he hurried across the patchwork ground, sticking mostly to the moss and stepping over the sap-slick flagstones. Their earlier efforts to clear the greenery from the ground had simply let the overflowing sap slowly seep out and coat everything. If his flash of insight was correct, they would be able to stop that overflow in short order, but it would first require figuring out how to do what needed to be done.
Tapping the mirror, he activated it with a touch of will and his favorite activation word. “Shauhan.”
The silvered glass flickered blue, then resolved into the image of a brown-haired man. He wore a plain but fine-spun brown tunic fastened down the front with the cloth buttons favored by the eastern kingdoms of Shattered Aiar. It almost blended into the image of book-laden shelves at his back, but not quite. The stranger narrowed his gray eyes. “You are not the Guardian of the Grove. Who are you, and what are you doing with this mirror?”
“You must be Guardian Kerric Vo Mos of the Tower,” Aradin stated quietly, making an educated guess. He kept his voice low and smooth, not wanting to disrupt his partner’s concentration. “I am Aradin Teral, assistant to Keeper Saleria—Guardian Shon Tastra can confirm my assignment. Guardian Saleria is currently busy at the moment with her midafternoon prayers. If you need to speak with her directly, I would suggest rescrying in . . . a quarter hour?” He glanced over at Saleria, who nodded but didn’t open her eyes. “Yes, in a quarter hour. Otherwise, if your query is simple, perhaps I might be able to handle it.”
“. . . I’ll call back.” A flick of Guardian Kerric’s hand ended the link.
Aradin returned to his workbench. He rechecked the notes on the crystal tablet, waiting for Saleria to finish. Teral returned before she did.
(Confirmed,) his Guide said. (The Keeper of the Grove is not fully attuned to all three rifts.)
(Why do I sense a hint of foreboding news in your tone?) Aradin asked.
(Because there is one,) Teral returned grimly. (The original Keeper, Patia, was strong enough to control and blend all three rifts at their full strength. None of us can do so. However . . . each of us is more than strong enough to control one of the rifts. Saleria, you . . . and me. And it would be a very good thing to attune each one of us to a specific locus tree, then blend our magics. But that draws up a host of other problems.)
(Such as our ongoing presence here, versus our duties to the Church back home,) Aradin agreed. (Teral, I can tell you right now that there is an entire lifetime’s worth of Hortimancy work here in the Grove, and I feel very much compelled to stay and help fix it . . . but I am also a Witch of Darkhana. Not just you, but me. We would have to obtain permission to stay. Not just from the Church elders, but from our God and Goddess, and from the God and Goddess of this land.)
Teral agreed. (True. But we don’t have to wait for the Convocation to do so.)
(I know we can petition Darkhan and Dark Ana directly, but we don’t have that kind of connection with Jinga and Kata,) Aradin pointed out.
(No, but she does.) Teral didn’t have to nudge Aradin into glancing at their companion. Aradin was already staring at Saleria, if with a somewhat unfocused gaze.
Sharpening his attention, Aradin studied her. (How do you . . . ? Oh! The prayer petitions!)
Teral clasped him on the shoulder, soul to soul. Warmth flowed between the two men, until the older Guide patted and released him. (I will go speak with our Patron Deities. You find pen and paper to write her a petition. And do hurry; it looks like she’s down to her last sheet.)
(Last but one.) Letting Teral step off into the Dark, Aradin tugged a sheet out of his notebook and, grasping his translation pendant for surety, carefully wrote his request on the page. He stepped away from the table and crouched in front of the quietly praying woman, waiting for her to finish.
This close to the Katani priestess, Aradin felt the magic of her efforts against his skin like a warm, prickly breeze. The moment she sighed and moved to set the sheet in her hands aside, opening her eyes, he placed his quickly written page before her, turned so she could easily read it. Saleria’s brows rose, then drew down together . . . then rose again. She looked between him and the page, and recited what he had written.
“Unto Most Noble Jinga and Most Gracious Kata, does the Darkhanan Witch Aradin Teral send greetings, honorings, and this most fervent request: Please grant Your permission, provided that Your Siblings Holy Darkhan and Holy Dark Ana agree, for Aradin Teral to be assigned permanently to Your Sacred Marital Grove as a Hortimancy assistant to Keeper Saleria, for the purpose of re-taming, healing, and rendering the Sacred Grove safe once more for Your many worshippers to visit and experience directly.