Page 129 of The Seeker
An old woman sat on a cushioned stool near a trickling fountain as a child with flushed round cheeks chased a pair of peacocks around a flower-strewn garden. The little girl ran after the birds only to turn and let the birds chase her. There were peals of laughter, and the old woman sang a soft song.
Guide them with your mind,the woman sang in the Old Language.Let them play and dance. Teach them to follow you and they won’t stand a chance.
It was a game. Meera’s mind was joined with his. He could feel her utter joy as the birds chased her around the garden. He could also feel a shadow in the magic the little girl didn’t sense.
It was more than a game, it was training.
Let them play and dance.
Teach them to follow you.
They won’t stand a chance.
Rhys didn’t hear the old woman’s thoughts, but he knew she was Anamitra,somasikaraof the Eastern Irina, keeper of memories and Sage of Udaipur. And Anamitra was teaching the little girl to control the minds of the birds with her song.
He didn’t just see or hear the memory. He felt like he was there. It was hot, far hotter than his cottage in Havre Hélène. The air wasn’t misty and soft, it was dry and tinged with the earthy smell of baking bread. He could feel the sun toasting his skin. He wasn’t just seeing or hearing the memory. He was living it.
I have brought your mind with me.
What does this mean?
Meera’s lips broke from his and Rhys blinked slowly. The dawn was still breaking and Meera straddled his lap, her soft hands playing with the fine hair at the back of his neck. A gentle smile played across her lips.
“What does it mean?” he asked.
Meera whispered, “This is what I can do. With my magic and your blood—”
“We can be in a memory together.”
“Yes.”
Rhys’s mind went wild with the possibilities. “And after we’re mated?”
Meera’s gaze turned inward. “Anamitra once told me that Firoz walked with her through memories that were too painful for her to bear alone. Perhaps he had Chamuel’s blood too.”
“The Tomir are Uriel’s children.”
“So…” Meera shrugged. “I don’t know, Rhys. We’ll only find out after we mate.”
Would Rhys be able to see the treasury of Irina memory as Meera did? Experiencing that memory with her was like touching the edge of the sea. He knew a vast depth stretched beyond her, but he could only see ripples on the surface.
Meera climbed off Rhys’s lap, straightening the gown he’d shoved up to the juncture of her thighs. Rhys watched with displeasure as her legs were hidden behind the thin cotton fabric.
“I haven’t had you in days,” he said bluntly. “It’s been too long since your taste was in my mouth.”
“You’ll have me tonight,” she said. “And the next night. And the next.”
Their mating feast was tonight. After that, Rhys and Meera would be left in solitude to perform their mating ritual, tattoo their magic, and cement their bond while her parents’ guests continued to celebrate without them.
Rhys was profoundly ready to have Meera to himself.
“Is it wise,” she asked, “to continue with this while Bozidar approaches?”
“We’re stronger together.”
“But not at first.”
“That’s the common wisdom. Judging by what I just saw, I’m not certain the common wisdom holds for us.”
