Reign of Shadows - Deborah Chester [114]
The woman pulled her up one shallow step, then along a smooth floor of cut stone. Only five steps; then the woman turned around to face her and pushed her shoulders until Elandra sat down.
Even the stone felt warm when she sat on it. The heat was intense, radiating into her from all sides. Wiping her face again, Elandra lifted her head, tilting it to catch any nuance of sound that might help her understand where she was and what was happening.
She smelled burning wood, and heard a low crackle of fire. There were many other scents she could not identify.
The woman circled her and left the way they’d come.
When the faint patter of her footfalls faded and there was only silence, Elandra frowned. She extended her arms and touched only air. For an instant she thought she heard a faint rustle, but she decided it was her imagination.
Still, she had the growing suspicion she was not alone. Was she being observed? It was unpleasant to think she might be entertaining some watcher with her gropings and explorations.
Frowning more deeply, she folded her hands in her lap and waited.
Nothing changed.
At last she rose to her feet, paused until she had her balance, and slid one foot forward.
The stone ended abruptly half a stride away. She swept her toes back and forth along the edge of the pavement, then made a quarter turn and slid her foot forward. Almost immediately she felt the edge.
She made another quarter turn and found no end to the stone. That had been the way she’d entered.
Another quarter turn, and she found a nearby edge.
Another quarter turn, and she was once again facing the direction in which the attendant had left her.
Elandra did not intend to step off blindly into thin air. She turned around and started back the way she’d come.
“Stop.”
The voice seemed to come out of nowhere.
Startled, Elandra froze in place.
“You are not permitted to leave.”
She looked up, placing the voice as coming from high above her. Elandra turned around to face it. Inside, she felt overwhelming relief. At last someone was talking to her.
“Who are you?” she asked.
The woman chuckled.
“Why have I been brought to you?” Elandra asked. “Can anything be done for my blindness? I have heard the Penestricans possess many powers, but I know nothing about your order. Forgive my ignorance and tell me please if you can help me.”
“So many questions,” the woman said. Her voice sounded old yet vigorous. “You have been dealt many tests, yet your spirit is not broken. That is good.”
Angrily Elandra gritted her teeth. She had no patience for this sort of nonsense. “Why should I be tested?” she asked. “For what purpose, unless it is for your amusement?”
“You are impertinent. You were sent here by your father for training, and that is what you have received.”
“There’s been no training!” Elandra cried impatiently. “No one has even spoken to me, until now. Besides, I cannot be married if I am blind. What good—”
“The platform ahead of you ends two strides from where you are standing now,” the woman said. “Walk forward slowly and step off the platform onto the sand. It is not a high distance. You do not have to jump, but take care not to fall.”
Bewildered, Elandra responded to the clear, simple directions in spite of herself. She felt her way forward, then crouched to hold onto the edge of the stone while she slid one leg down. The platform was perhaps no more than knee height above the sand.
Her feet sank into the grainy substance. The sand was almost too hot for comfort, as though the sun had shone on it. She winced and hopped a little, turning back to the platform.
“No,” said the woman. “Sit on the sand.”
“It’s too hot.”
“Walk forward. You will find a pillow. Sit on that.”
Gingerly, Elandra minced across the hot sand and stumbled over the pillow. It was a wide square cushion, big enough for