Temple of the Winds

Verna barked a laugh. "General, you have not come to know us at all. The Sisters of the Light are many things, but gentle is not one of them." She flicked her wrist. Her dacra sprang into her hand. A dacra resembled a knife but had a sharpened rod instead of a blade.

Verna twirled the dacra. "I have had to kill men before." Reflected flashes of firelight sparkled and danced as she spur the weapon with graceful ease, walking it over her knuckles and back. "I can assure you, general, I was anything but gentle."

He lifted an eyebrow. "A knife in talented hands, such as yours, is trouble, but it's hardly a match for the weapons of war."

She smiled politely. "This is a weapon possessing deadly magic. If you see one of these coming for you, run. It only must penetrate your flesh-even if it's your little finger-and you will be dead before you can blink."

He straightened, and his chest grew with a deep breath. "Thanks for the warning. And thanks for your help. Prelate. I'm glad to have you on our side."

"I regret that Jagang has some of our Sisters of the Light under his control. They can do the same as I, maybe more." She gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder when she saw that his face had paled. "Good night, General Reibisch. Sleep well-the red moons are gone."

Verna watched the general make a zigzag course through his officers, speaking with them, checking on his men, and issuing orders. After he had disappeared into the darkness, she turned to her tent.

Deep in thought, she idly cast her Han and lit the candles inside the small field tent the men had provided for her use. With the moon up, Annalina-the real Prelate-would be waiting.

Verna pried the little journey book from its secret pouch in her belt. Journey books had magic that allowed a message written in one to appear simultaneously in its twin. Prelate Annalina had the twin to Verna's. She sat cross-legged on her blankets and opened the book in her lap.

There was a message waiting. Verna pulled a candle closer and bent in the dim light to better see the writing in the journey book.

Verna, we have trouble here. We finally caught up with Nathan, at least who we thought was Nathan. The man we had been pursuing turned out not to be Nathan. Nathan tricked us. He is gone, and we don't know where he went.

Verna sighed. She had thought it had sounded too good to be true when Ann told her that they were closing in on the prophet.

Nathan left us a message. The message is more trouble than the thought of Nathan being on the loose. He said that he had important business-that one of "our Sisters" was going to do something very stupid, and that he must stop her if he could. We have no idea where he went. He also confirmed what you told me Warren said, that the red moon means Jagang has invoked a bound fork prophecy. Nathan said that Zedd and I must go to the Jocopo treasure, and that if we wasted time going after him instead, we would all die.

I believe him. Verna, we must talk. If you are there, reply. I will be waiting. Verna pulled the stylus from the spine of the journey book. Moonrise was the time they had agreed upon to communicate through the journey books if they needed to. She bent closer and wrote in her book: / am here, Ann. What happened? Are you all right? In a moment, words began appearing in the book.

It's a long story, and I don't have time for it now, but Sister Roslyn was hunting Nathan, too. She was killed, along with at least eighteen innocent people. We can't be sure of the true number consumed in the light spell.

Verna's eyes widened at hearing that people were killed so. She wanted to ask what they were doing casting such a dangerous web, but decided not to ask as she read on.

First of all, Verna, we need to know if you have any idea what the "Jocopo treasure ' is. Nathan didn't explain.

Verna put a finger to her lips as she squeezed her eyes closed, trying to remember. She had heard the name before. She had been on her journey to the New World for twenty years, and she had heard of it there.

Ann, I think I recall hearing that the Jocopo were a people living somewhere in the wilds. If I recall correctly, they are all dead-exterminated in a war. I believe all traces of them were destroyed.

The wilds, you say. Verna, are you sure it was the wilds? Yes. Wait a moment while I tell Zedd this news.

The minutes dragged by as Verna watched the blank place at the end of the writing. At last, words began to appear.

Zedd has succumbed to a bout of loud cursing and arm flailing. He is swearing oaths about what he intends to do to Nathan. I am quite sure that he will find most of his intentions to be physically impossible. The Creator is humbling me for complaining to him that Nathan was incorrigible. I think I am being taught a lesson as to the true meaning of incorrigible.