Stone of Tears

She remembered her visit to Nathan, and her vow never to reveal how she had learned what that statue was. “Never you mind. That is not for you to know.”

“Margaret, how could you…”

She cut him off. “I said I’m not telling you. And it isn’t important anyway. What is important is what the statue is, not how I found out about it. It’s a man holding up a crystal. The crystal is quillion.”

“What’s quillion?”

“It’s an exceedingly rare magic crystal. It has the power to bleed the magic from a wizard.”

The surprise of that left him speechless for a moment. “How do you know it’s quillion, if it’s so rare? How would you be able to recognize it? Maybe it is just some other crystal that looks similar.”

That might be true if it hadn’t been used. When quillion is used to bleed the magic from a wizard, it glows orange with the power of his gift, his Han. For just a brief second as I left her office, I saw that statue, all clean, hiding behind that book. The quillion was glowing orange. But that was before I knew what it was. After I found out, I went back, to take it to the Prelate, as proof, but it no longer was glowing.”

“What could that mean?” he whispered in a fearful voice.

“It means that the wizard’s power had passed out of the crystal, into somebody. A host. Quillion is just a vessel for the gift until it can be placed into someone else. Jedidiah, I think the Sisters are killing those with the gift, and stealing it for themselves. I think they are absorbing the power into themselves.”

His voice trembled. “On top of what they already are? They now have the power of a wizard’s gift?”

She nodded. “Yes. That makes them more dangerous than we could even believe, more powerful than we can imagine. That’s what scares me the most, not being put to death for making the accusation, but being found out by these Sisters. If they really are taking the power into themselves, I don’t know how we can stop them. None of us can match them.

“I need proof, so the Prelate will believe me. Maybe she will know what to do. I certainly don’t.

“What I can’t understand is how the Sisters are absorbing the gift from the quillion. The gift of a wizard, his Han, is male. The sisters are female. A female can’t just absorb the male Han. It’s not that simple; otherwise they would simply have bled the Han into themselves when they killed him. If they are really taking the Han from the males into themselves, I don’t know how they’re doing it.”

“So what are you doing out here?”

She folded her arms against an inner chill, even though the air was warm. “do you remember the other day, when Sam Weber and Neville Ranson had completed all the tests and were to have their collars off and leave the palace?”

He nodded in the dark. “Yes. I was really disappointed because Sam had promised to come say good-bye, and show me he had his Rada’Han off. I wanted to wish him well after he was a true wizard. He never came. They told me he left in the night, because he didn’t want any tearful good-byes; but Sam was my friend, he was a gentle person, a healer, and it just wasn’t like him to leave in that fashion, without telling me good-bye. It just wasn’t. I was hurt he didn’t come by. I really wanted to wish him well.”

“They killed him.”

“What?” He sagged down a little. “Oh, dear Creator, no.” His voice broke with tears. “Are you sure? How do you know?”

She put a comforting hand on his shoulder. The day after he supposedly left in such a strange manner, I suspected something terrible had happened. I went to see if the quillion was glowing again, but the door was shielded.”

“That doesn’t prove anything. Sisters shield their rooms or offices sometimes. You do it yourself when you don’t want to be disturbed, like when we are together.”

“I know. But I wanted to see the quillion, so I waited around a corner, until the Sister came to her office. I came out from where I waited, timing it so that as I walked past, she would be entering. As I went by, and just before she closed the door behind herself, I saw into her dark office. I saw the statue on the shelf behind the book. It was glowing orange. I’m sorry, Jedidiah.”

His voice lowered with anger. “Who was it? Which Sister?”

“I’m not going to tell you, Jedidiah. Not until I can take proof to the Prelate. It’s too dangerous.”

He thought a moment. “If this crystal really is quillion, and it would prove what she is, why wouldn’t she hide it better?”

“Maybe because she didn’t think there was a chance of anyone knowing what it was. Maybe because she isn’t afraid and doesn’t take the time to be any more careful than she thinks necessary.”

“Then let’s go back, break the shield, get the cursed thing and take it to the Prelate. I can break the shield, I know I can.”

“I was going to do that myself. I went back to do it tonight, but the room wasn’t shielded anymore. I snuck in to take the statue, but it was gone. That was when I saw her leaving the palace, and I saw others leaving too. I followed them out here.