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still alone.
 It s not every day that a temple collapses, Alibek said.
I glanced at the djinn, still fanning us. The women and men of the household
might have forgotten us, but we weren t alone
 not alone enough to speak freely. I picked up a piece of fruit.  They said
the gate made the temple collapse. I glanced at both Janiya and Alibek.
Janiya raised an eyebrow. Alibek was sitting on the couch, but when he saw my
face, he pulled his legs up and leaned forward, his eyes intent.
Back when I had been Sophos s slave, we d had a way of talking, in the harem,
that let us speak a little more freely even if we were overheard. We would say
the opposite of what we meant, and then touch our lips as if to say, don t
believe my lying mouth.
Surely Kyros s slaves did something similar. Surely Janiya had done something
like this, when she was a slave.
 I don t have any idea what they re talking about, I said, and brushed my
lips.
 That s too bad, Janiya said.  Right now, I feel like I m standing
blindfolded in a city I don t know. She turned away with a sigh.
I wanted to shout at her to pay attention. I bit my lip, frustrated. Alibek
understood. He got up, caught Janiya s arm, and spun her around to face him.
 Well, we may not be blindfolded, but we are in a city you don t know.
He brushed his lips.  Aren t we?
Her eyes went to him, then to me, then back to him.  Sure, she said, and
tentatively mimicked the gesture.
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 Yes.
Now that she was paying attention&  I think by  gate they meant a person. I d
like to meet her.
She doesn t sound like anyone I know.

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Freedom sSisters
 Certainly not like anyone in your family,  Janiya said, catching on.
 Nor our sisterhood, back with the Alashi, I said.
 If this person were to join the Alashi, Alibek said,  do you think the
Alashi would want them?
 Yes, I said.  They d never let a person like that go.

Nods.
So now we all knew that Lauria was in Penelopeia or at least had been, a few
hours ago.  From what the djinn said, it sounded like she got away. They don t
know where she is.
 Do you know where she is? Janiya asked.
 No. I shook my head and clasped my hands.  No.
 Your own sister, now, Janiya said.  Heard from her lately?
We were still talking about Lauria. Janiya wanted to know if we d met in the
borderland.  Hmmm. Yes. Very recently.
 After all this time?
 It has been a while, hasn t it?
Turns out there wasn t any particular reason. She just didn t think about
trying to meet me.

 Some shaman she is, Alibek murmured.
 Ha! What can you do? Zhanna would be shocked.
 Did you tell her your own news?
 Yes, of course.
No, of course not.
 She wanted to hear everything. We had a really long chat, got all caught up.
I had told her about Zivar how to bring that up?  An old friend of ours was
going to visit her part of the steppe, so I told her about that.
 Old friend? Janiya was lost again.
 We ve known her hmm.
All our lives.
 Alibek was nodding. He knew who I meant.
 Think they ll meet up? Alibek asked.
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Freedom sSisters
 Oh yes, I said.  If they manage to find each other. It s a big steppe. Who
knows, maybe they already have. I
had a plum untasted in my hand, and I rested it lightly on the table.
 Speaking of family&  I looked at Janiya.
 That most trustworthy person&  Xanthe? Why shouldn t we trust Xanthe? Hearing
that Lauria had gotten away should have made me feel better, but was Xanthe
with her? Could I do anything about it if she was?
Janiya coughed, poured herself a drink, and sat down.  I m not sure I can
quite explain myself, she said. She glanced around the room, at the djinn
that fanned us.  Perhaps I can just speak plainly. There are four magias;
they take the office in turns, so that power can be held by someone who is not
fully in the grip of either melancholia or the cold fever. Naturally, they do
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not always agree on the best course of action. There are alliances that form.
This was true thirteen years ago. I believe it s still true now.
I didn t see what difference that made.
 I believe this person misleads many people about her loyalties. I believe
that she was trying to mislead me, when we talked. Janiya swallowed hard,
then drummed her fingers on her cup.  So. I think I do 
not
  trust Rhea.
 I feel the same way, I said. Alibek nodded.
 I m glad we re agreed, Janiya said. She swirled her juice for a moment.  I m
not sure what we re going to do about it.
We heard footsteps and fell silent. Rhea came in. She looked us over, and I
thought that if she d been listening, she hadn t been fooled.  Let me speak
plainly, Rhea said.  We are quite interested in your offer. We believe that
this might indeed be mutually beneficial.
I tensed, fearful that some demand would follow, but she dismissed my concern
with a wave of her hand.  It s late, she said.  I have always found it
uncomfortable to sleep in a palanquin, and I m sure you re less fond of it [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]