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“What about you? Wasn’t there something you wanted to do today?”
“It can wait until you feel safe again.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. There are ten guards littering the house and the lawn. I feel safe.”
“Still. After yesterday—”
Madeleine pointed a finger at her. “After yesterday, youdeservea day off. I insist. I order you. Go do something fun—and take that darling Cody with you.”
Jayla laughed. “I’ll tell him you called him that.”
“I really do like him.”
“But he’s already gone. He has work to do.”
“He’ll be back tonight?”
Jayla felt her cheeks prickle with heat. It was annoying; she never used to blush. “He’ll be back.”
“So it’s settled. You’ll take the day off. I’ll hide in my house.”
“Thank you, dona.”
“Everything will be fine.”
It had been too long since Jayla had headed east to the islander district and checked with the guardian of Zessaya’s temple. In her defense, life had been complicated. But Madeleine wasn’t the only person under Jayla’s personal protection, and her obligation to Aussen weighed on her almost as heavily.
Accordingly, she spent the morning playing with Aussen before heading out to the Zessin temple shortly after lunch. During the whole long chugger ride across town, she stared unseeingly out the window. In her mind, she replayed yesterday’s events over and over—the closed latch, the nervous wait, the scream, the fight, the broken door, the remorseless dagger strike. It always ended the same way. She reviewed it again.
It was a relief to climb off in the Zessin district and force herself to focus on something else. As always, there were people everywhere, and some of them might not be friendly. She needed to keep her keep her wits about her. Be ready for anything.
She headed directly to the temple. Stepping inside the small, plain space, she found the candles lit and the fountain splashing, but no guardian in sight. This was not uncommon, but she had to hold back a sigh anyway. She took a seat on one of the worn wooden benches and studied the embroidered wall hangings one by one, just to pass the time. She was deep in contemplation of the fourth tapestry when the guardian stepped in and headed for the fountain to speak the words of her regular ritual. Jayla managed to sit patiently until the guardian stepped back from the fountain and shook the water off her hands.
The woman came straight over to Jayla and spoke without preamble. “I have news about Tezzel. Aussen’s mother.”
Jayla practically catapulted to her feet. “You do? Is she here?”
“She has been in the city ten days, and hoping for news of her daughter that entire time,” the guardian said severely.
“I’m sorry—there have been so many demands on my time. But she’shere?Can I see her?” Jayla felt a ballooning sense of lightness in her chest; it was so powerful she thought it might tug her off her feet and send her bouncing gently along the ceiling trusses.
“I will send someone for her. She has started a job in the warehouse district, so it might take a little time to find her.”
Jayla weighed her choices. She would prefer to return to the house as soon as possible, but she didn’t know if she would be able to get away tomorrow. And how wonderful if she could reunite Aussen with her family before nightfall! “I’ll wait,” she said. “It seems best for everyone.”
The guardian nodded. “There is a room in back if you would like someplace to stay.”
“Thank you. But I’ll stroll around for a bit and come back in an hour.”
She returned to the main road and browsed the market and the small shops. She should buy Aussen a present, something to remember her by. It would be so odd not to have the little girl chattering in her ear at night, dancing around her during breakfast, making herself at home in Cody’s ramshackle house. But maybe Tezzel would let her know where they were living in the city. Jayla could visit from time to time. She was sure Cody would come with her.
She was in a shop, tossing through a pile of colorful knitted gloves, when she felt the first faint tremor under her feet. She looked up, wondering if it might just be the effect of a massive transport rumbling by, but then it came again, more of a jolt than a roll. Someone in the back of the building cried out in alarm; an older Zessin woman staggered and fell to the floor. Jayla raced over to help her up and guided her outside while the ground continued to shake beneath them.
In the street, the whole community had gathered in anxious clusters, groaning and shouting each time a new wave sent them careening back and forth. Behind her, Jayla heard flimsy market booths come crashing down; flower pots and metal stands flew across the walkways. Not five yards from where she stood, the road seemed to briefly fold in half, and a narrow crack opened up right down its center. She pulled the old woman back, but in truth there was no way of knowing where the most danger lay.
Suddenly the motion stopped; the world seemed solid again. The people standing in the street looked cautiously around, wondering if it was safe to breathe. Several took a few steps forward, testing the ground with one foot before lifting the other one. A few laughed. The crowd dispersed a little more. A middle-aged man came rushing up to pull the old woman from Jayla’s hands. She thought he saidthank youin Zessin before he hurried them both away.
Jayla took a deep breath. She had been hoping for a calmer day than yesterday. So far, the gods were not cooperating.
