Holder of Lightning

"Aye," she answered. "He is." She dropped a morceint in the juggler's hat; the boy grinned at her and tossed the torch high, letting it spin several times as he struck the ax head deep into a small log standing end up to his right, jabbed the dagger point first into the wood alongside the quiver-ing ax, then caught the torch before it hit the ground and blew it out. He bowed extravagantly. Jenna and Ennis applauded, as did the small crowd that had gathered around to watch.

"You make that look easy. What's the hardest thing about juggling?" Ennis asked the juggler as he laid the smoking torch atop the log.

The boy chuckled and reached down into a large cloth bag behind him. He brought out three leather balls, juggling them high and slowly so that they could easily see the pattern. "There's just one ball in the air and two in your hands," he said as he juggled. "It's that simple." He stopped and handed the balls to Ennis. "Try it," he said with a grin.

"Start with two in your right hand and toss one of them high over to your left hand."

Ennis shook his head and started to hand the balls back, but Jenna laughed. "No, no, no," she told him. "You asked the question. Now you have to try."

Ennis grimaced. Standing spread-legged, he tossed the balls up in the air-right, left, right-and they all plopped immediately to the ground. Jenna and several of the people watching applauded laughingly. The juggler grinned. "You just have to remember that the ground always wins, Tiarna, Bantiarna." He reached down, flipped the torch up and caught it. The Mother-Creator designed our world so that when you toss some-thing up, it comes back down. That makes juggling possible, but it also Cleans that no matter how good you are, eventually you’ll make a mis-take.". He pulled ax, dagger, and unlit torch from the log and started the cascade again: ax, dagger, torch, ax, dagger, torch, ax-but this time they saw the dagger spin a little faster, so that it turned over one and half time starting to come down into the juggler’s hand blade first. With a comic’ expression of horror, he snatched his hand back at the last instant. The dagger clattered on the cobblestones of the street. "You just have to know when something’s about to cut you and remember to let it go," he said

The boy adroitly slipped his toes under the blade near the hilt and kicked the dagger back into the air-and suddenly he was juggling again Jenna and Ennis applauded once more, watching for a bit before tossing another coin in the boy’s hat and walking on. "I think you missed a career as a street performer," Jenna told Ennis.

"I think you just enjoy seeing me make a fool of myself."

Jenna laughed and pulled him close, hugging him. "I love being with you," she said. "I enjoy not having to think about anything for a few hours." She felt Ennis’ muscles tense under her hand. "What?" she asked.

They stopped. Ennis pretended to look at the cloth hung at a weaver’s stall. "I can tell you want to say something," Jenna said. "What?"

"I spoke to Moister Cleurach this morning, before we left."

"And?"

"He feels very strongly that you should come back to Inishfeirm. He believes that the more of the cloudmage discipline you can learn before the invasion comes-and we all know it’s coming-the better chance we’ll all have."

"And what does he think of the Banrion’s plan?"

A shoulder lifted his cloca. "He understands her position but doesn’t agree. No army’s ever come to Inish Thuaidh and conquered it. And no Inish army has ever left here to invade the Tuatha."

"No army’s ever had this many Cloch Mor with them," Jenna answered. "And no Rl Ard has ever put together an alliance of all the Tuatha, and if this one has… "

Another shrug. They moved away from the weaver's stall to the next, a potter's booth, bright with glazed mugs and bowls. Ennis picked up a bowl: golden brown swirled with blue. "So you agree with the Banrion. strike first before they strike us."

Jenna sighed. "I don't know who I agree with," she said.

"Attack first, or wait. You don't have any other options. At least none that I can see."

There's Thall Coill… she thought, but didn't voice it, forcing the thought away. The day was bright and warm, and the festival atmosphere filled Dun Kiil, and she wanted nothing more than to forget for a few stripes the decision ahead of her and just enjoy herself. Her hand brushed Ennis', and she tangled her fingers in his. "Shut up," she said.

He looked at her, startled, and saw her smile gentle the words. "We don't have to talk about this now," she said. "Tomorrow is soon enough."

"gut-" he began, then stopped himself. He took her hand and put it behind his back, pulling her close and kissing her. Jenna leaned into him, reveling in his presence, in the affection that radiated from him. He had, all unexpected, become her sanity in this. When she was with him, she felt complete, as if he been designed to sustain a part of her, as Lamh Shabhala had fulfilled another part.