The Gathering of Masters: The Bond Once Severed Book 1

4. A Thief

Raja crept into the dim, fire-lit room. Vague impressions of the bookshelves that lined the walls beside the fireplace were visible when the flicker of fire broke the darkness. Above the hearth, a tapestry moved in the slight breeze created by the open window. His dark silhouette should have been invisible, but Rosemund had been expecting him.

"You have arrived later than we anticipated." The Fire Priestess' husky voice broke the silence, and the flame flared in response. The Priestess Superior smiled at the would-be thief in her private library.

"Rosemund," Raja said casually as he folded his black-swathed body into the chair across from her. "I am sorry to have made you wait; the Queen has increased her patrols." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I took a convoluted path here to avoid capture. Is she here?"

"Natalia rests in my room." The priestess poured a drink for the slender man. "She has slept for more than two days now. Her strength is dangerously low."

In the silence that followed her words, she inspected the man. He had changed much since their last meeting. He had not been much more than a boy then, and though he was still slender and leanly muscled, his definition had slipped from boyish to manly. His dark face angled more and possessed new lines with deeper texture than before.

Raja turned his beautiful brown eyes at her curiously; all the innocence had been lost long before she had met him, but now there was something more. There was a softer edge to them; his cold distrust in the world used to shine through those eyes. Now, she almost saw compassion, love, or at least concern.

Rosemund handed him the drink she had prepared and leaned back to observe him more. Raja was no longer fully part of the Tribe; even his way of speaking had changed, though a hint of his childhood on the plains still affected the rhythm of his speech. Until a few days ago, he had been the second in command of the most successful rebellion to struggle against the tyrant Queen. Now, he would be so much more.

"Rosemund, you have always been clever, but how did you know I would come for her?" Raja asked as he accepted the amber liquid. "How did you even know who she is or that she lived?"

"As to the last question, she came here with other Earth novices right before she took her vows." She felt the anger form in her chest at the horrible rite the Earth Superior had to have performed to force this bond. It was one no Priest or Priestess Superior had performed in decades. Those who chose the priesthood usually bonded voluntarily, often to save themselves from losing their powers or becoming assassins, but sometimes out of faith in the Elemental Gods. Her hand found the necklace on her chest, the symbol of her office, and stroked it lightly, cooling the rage bubbling in her chest. She would have made a different choice than Earth Superior.

"But how did you know she was Lukas' Natalia, and why weren't we informed?" The slight edge that crept into his voice alerted the priestess to his anger despite his casual demeanor.

Rosemund stood and walked to the fireplace. Being close to any fire made the priestess immediately feel more comfortable; the warmth called to the bond she held. Part of her thought that the girl's survival was punishment for the choice Rosemund made so long ago. Her current role had been her life for so long; she had allowed herself to forget her earlier decisions and her place in the plan. But the Master's presence reminded her that what the Council had conceived had shifted into motion. She now had her part to play. Rosemund could no longer watch from her position of safety. Raja would feel the movement soon; he would be swept up in their powerful tide before he knew why. Knowing him, he would take issue with being kept ignorant.

"Her face seared into my memory that night," Rosemund answered more quietly than she had intended. Knowing the painful words she would need to utter, she gathered her strength but let the silence settle before speaking again.