Mistress of the Night - Don Bassingthwaite [41]
"Bolan forbade him from attending. An initiate comes before Shar without support." She said it so bluntly that Keph flushed again. Variance must have seen his shame. "It was Jarull's error," she said. "He shouldn't have offered to be here."
She turned away slightly, giving him some privacy while staying close. Keph set Quick and the clean shirt aside, stripped off his ruined garment, and began to sponge his body clean.
After a moment, Variance said, "You saw through Bolan's illusion."
Keph flinched so violently water splashed the stone around him. Variance glanced over her shoulder at him, then away again.
"Your secret's safe," she murmured, just barely loud enough for him to hear. "Bolan's a coward. Shar demands a sacrifice, but Bolan's too afraid to kidnap real people for fear of the local Sehinites uncovering his cell. He resorts to illusion too easily."
"With whatever was in the Elixir of the Void to help the illusion along?" Keph asked.
He brushed water from his arms and chest, then pulled the clean shirt on over still damp skin. Variance turned back around and looked at him with dark, emotionless eyes.
"The Elixir of the Void is a part of every Sharran's initiation. It's a poison. The Dark Goddess's blessing purges it. An initiate who can't prove his dedication to her deserves death."
"It's too late to back out now," Jarull had said. It was truer, even, than he'd probably thought!
Keph swallowed uncomfortably and asked, "Does Bolan know I saw through the illusion?"
Variance shook her head. "No. He was too busy waiting for the moment of sacrifice. I was the only one watching you." She moved a little closer. Her voice was intense. "Not many people could have seen through the illusion while fighting the effects of the elixir."
The aura of power that Variance commanded was palpable. Keph could feel it radiating off of her.
"Everyone in my family is a wizard," he said. "When you grow up in a house like that, you learn a thing or two about illusions."
"Jarull told me about your family-and your feelings toward them," Variance commented. "But he also told me how you dealt with Bolan yesterday."
Keph winced. Jarull had been talking about him a lot. How often did the big man see Variance anyway?
Between his talking to her and her gift of the amethyst ring to him… Keph began to wonder if Jarull had more than just a special trust for Variance. The nervousness he felt around the woman receded a little bit.
"I just figured out what Bolan was up to," he told her. "He wasn't very subtle."
"You didn't just figure out what Bolan was up to," she said. "You made him uncomfortable. You have remarkable strength of will, Keph. Your penetration of the illusion confirms it." Variance gave him a long, measuring look as if peering deep inside him, then she nodded, almost as though to herself. "You may have potential," she murmured as she started to turn away.
"Potential?"
Without thinking, Keph grabbed for her. Variance's arm was shockingly cool. She stiffened and glared down at his hand. He snatched it away.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, "but… but you said 'potential'?"
No one had used the word describe him for years-not since his father had given up hope for him. Variance raised her eyebrows and nodded.
"What do you mean?" Keph blurted. "What kind of potential?"
She gave him another long look, then pulled him a little farther into the nearest shadows.
"Jarull told me that your family ignores you because you're not a wizard," she said.
Keph nodded slowly. "My parents tested me. I have all the talent of a potato when it comes to the Art."
Variance frowned at him. "Your parents have denied you a tremendous gift, Keph." She touched his forehead. Her finger was cold. "The Art-the magic of the arcane-comes from here." Her finger moved to his chest, lingering over his heart. "The power of divine magic comes from here. Wizards often fail to realize that." Her voice was slow and dark. "If your faith is as strong as your will, Keph, you could