Page 21 of Dark Shaman: Love Found
"I also missed our Latin language practice."
His eyes widened. "Of course," he answered in Latin. "How have you been?"
"I miss you. Terribly."
His eyes softened. "I miss you, too. Sleeping with Tony is no fun."
She chuckled. "Does he snore?"
"A little. But that's not why I don't like being his roommate. I miss you."
She nodded, holding back tears. "Tula misses Tony. I wish he could come visit. Is there a way you can ask Lord Navuh to allow it?"
He shook his head. "I'm not in a position to ask anything of him."
She didn't ask why because he couldn't answer; instead, she decided to switch to safer topics. "I've been thinking about the flood," she said, watching a gardener move closer to their position, probably baffled by the foreign language they were speaking. Still, on the remote chance that some of the gardeners or staff knew Latin, she and Elias needed to be careful about what they said. "It was such a strange occurrence. In all my years in the harem, we've never experienced anything like it."
"Natural disasters are unpredictable by definition," Elias said. "Though I suppose that after enough time, even the unpredictable becomes likely."
"Indeed." She traced a finger along the fountain's edge, feeling the sun-warmed stone. "It's remarkable how quickly the evacuation proceeded. Almost as if Lord Navuh had practiced for such an event."
Something flickered in Elias's eyes—agreement, perhaps, or recognition of what she wasn't quite saying. "He values preparedness. The guards certainly seemed to know their priorities."
"Yes." She was unable to keep the bitterness from her voice. "Their priorities were quite clear."
The image of those guards emerging with the heavy chests while people were still fleeing for their lives remained etched in her memory. Whatever was in those containershad been deemed more valuable than the humans who served in the harem.
"The fountain provides excellent ambient noise," Elias said suddenly, his voice dropping just low enough that someone watching from a distance couldn't read his lips. "Almost like the one in your garden in the harem. Together with the language we are speaking, we should be fine."
Her pulse quickened. He was right—the rushing water would mask their conversation from distant listeners, but they still needed to be careful of their body language.
"I've missed our garden talks," she murmured, tilting her head down as if studying her book. "Among other things."
"As have I." His hand moved to rest on the stone between them, close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from his skin. "The lord suspects that the flood was a sabotage."
"Was it?"
"I don't believe so. But you know how he is. He sees conspiracies everywhere." Elias paused, and she could feel him choosing his words. "He's growing more paranoid. The vision I shared with him suggested betrayal from within his ranks."
"A vision?" She kept her voice neutral, but inside, her mind raced. So that was the service Elias provided. He was some sort of oracle. It explained Navuh's intense interest in keeping him close.
He was obviously forbidden to talk about it, and she wondered how he'd managed to break through Navuh's compulsion to share this with her.
"Do your visions always come true?"
"Visions show possibilities, not certainties." His finger moved slightly, barely brushing hers. "Though some futures seem more fixed than others."
She wanted to press for details, but a movement caught her eye. One of the gardeners had abandoned all pretense of working, standing openly watching them. She straightened, pulling her hand back to her lap.
"The heat grows unbearable," she said in English, which was the language she and Elias mostly used. "Perhaps we should move to the shade."
There was precious little shade in this stark garden, but a few sculptural trees created small pools of shadow. They relocated to one near the back wall, settling on the decorative boulders that served as informal seating. It was marginally cooler, and more importantly, it put the fountain between them and the nearest gardener.
"Better," she said, though the rock was uncomfortable and hot against her legs through the thin dress. "Now, tell me truthfully. How are you? These summonses must be draining if you are expected to provide visions every time you see him."
"I manage," he said, but she heard the weariness beneath the words. "He wants assurances that his power is secure. I give him what I can."
"And what if you can't give him what he wants?"
