Soul of the Fire

"You have a wife who loves you. Cherish her."

"And your wife?"

Dalton shrugged. "Ah well, I'm afraid she isn't going to make it."

Richard frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"There is a nasty illness going around among the prostitutes in Fairfield. Somehow, my wife, the Sovereign, his wife, and I have acquired it. We are already coming ill. Very unfortunate. It's an unpleasant death, I'm told.

"The poor Sovereign is weeping and inconsolable. Considering it was the one thing he feared above all else, one would think he would have been more careful in choosing his partners.

"The Dominie Dirtch, too, I've heard, have crumbled to dust. All our work seems to be coming undone. I expect that Emperor Jagang, when he arrives, is going to be quite displeased."

"We can hope," Richard said.

Dalton smiled. "Well, I've things to do, unless, of course, you wish to kill me."

Richard smiled at the man.

"A wise woman told me that the people are the willing accomplices of tyranny. They make those like you possible.

"I'm going to do the worst possible thing I could do to you and your people-what my grandfather would have done to you.

"I'm going to leave you all to suffer the consequences of your own actions."

Ann was so cramped she feared she would be crippled for life, never to walk again. The box she was in was bouncing around in the wagon something awful as it rattled over cobblestones, adding to her misery. She felt as if someone had beaten her with a club.

If she wasn't let out soon, she was sure she would go mad.

As if in answer to the prayer, the wagon finally slowed, and then stopped. Ann sagged with blessed relief. She was near tears from the pain of hitting the sides and bottom, being unable to use her hands and feet to brace herself.

She heard the hasp being worked, and then the top opened, letting cool night air in. Ann took a thankful lungful, savoring it like a sweet perfume.

The front of the box dropped onto the bed of the wagon. Sister Alessandra was standing there, looking in. Ann peered around, but didn't see anyone else. They were in a narrow side street that looked deserted, for-the most part. One old woman walked past, but didn't even glance their way.

Ann frowned. "Alessandra, what's going on?"

Sister Alessandra folded her hands in a prayerful pose. "Prelate, please, I want to return to the Light."

Ann blinked. "Where are we?"

"The city the emperor has been traveling to. It's called Fairfield. I encouraged your driver to let me drive the wagon."

"Encouraged him? How?"

"With a club."

Ann's eyebrows rose. "I see."

"And then, I'm so bad with directions, we became separated from the rest of the line, and well, I guess now we're lost."

"How unfortunate for us."

"I guess that leaves looking for some of Jagang's troops and surrendering, or else returning to the Light."

"Alessandra, are you serious?"

The woman looked ready to burst into tears. The banter was over. "Please, Prelate, help me?"

"Alessandra, you don't need me. The path to the Light is through your own heart."

Sister Alessandra knelt down behind the wagon as Ann still sat in her box, her hands and feet in chains.

"Please, dear Creator," Alessandra began.

Ann listened as the woman poured her heart out. At the end, she kissed her ring finger. Ann held her breath, waiting for a bolt of lightning to strike Alessandra dead for betraying the Keeper of the underworld.

Nothing happened. Alessandra smiled up at Ann.

"Prelate, I can feel it. I can-"

Her words were cut off with a choking sound. Her eyes bulged.

Ann scooted toward her. "Alessandra! Is it Jagang? Is it Jagang in you mind?"

Alessandra nodded as best she could.

"Swear loyalty to Richard! Swear it in your heart! It's the only thing to keep the dream walker from your mind!"

Falling to the ground, Sister Alessandra twitched in convulsions of pain, at the same time mumbling words Ann couldn't understand.

At last, the woman went slack, panting in relief. She sat up and peered up into the wagon.

"It worked! Prelate, it worked." She put her hands to her head. "Jagang is gone from my mind. Oh, praise the Creator. Praise the Creator."

"How about getting these things off me, and doing your praying later?"

Sister Alessandra scurried to help. Before long, Ann had her shackles off, and she had been healed. For the first time in what seemed ages, she could again touch her own gift.

The two of them unhitched the horses and saddled them with tack from the wagon. Ann hadn't felt so joyous in years. They both wanted to get far away from the Imperial Order army.

As they made their way through the city, heading north, they came across a square filling with thousands of people all carrying candles.

Ann bent over on her horse to ask one of the young women what was going on.

"It's a candlelight vigil for peace," the woman said.

Ann was dumbfounded. "A what?"

"A candlelight vigil for peace. We are all gathering to show the soldiers coming into the city a better way, to show them the people are going to insist on peace."