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Authors: Caitlin Sweet
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young—four or five, I think.”
And how old are
you
?
I thought, then flushed, as if I had spoken aloud. He looked young, except for the lines around his eyes and in his forehead—though these could have been from Otherseeing, not age.
Chenn
, I reminded myself, and tried to imagine the child, and the tall, windy castle.
“She was the daughter of a wealthy family, pampered and strong-willed, but as her schooling progressed she grew in skill and character. There was always a gleam in her eye, though, no matter how weighty her visions or how difficult her lessons. Her fellow students adored her. As did one of her teachers, a seer named Master Prandel.” He frowned, squinted up at the leaves, which were just a dark green now, untouched by sun. “Here is my first shame—for I should have acted. I saw his desire, and she was just twelve, and I should have spoken to him, at least, or gone to Master Teldaru with what I knew . . . but I did not. I imagined that Prandel’s infatuation would pass, or I hoped that someone else would confront him, or some such cowardly thing.” Orlo shook his head, dragged a hand roughly through his hair, which stood on end afterward.
“I’m not sure when he acted on his desire. All I know is that she changed. She stopped laughing, grew quiet and pale and afraid of her own visions. And then, this past winter, she disappeared.”
He was staring at the bottom of the tree.
Maybe Yigranzi’s already told him that that was where we found her
, I thought, and the pain I saw on his face and in the slump of his shoulders made my own stir and sharpen.
“Prandel was not distraught, as the rest of us were—he was furious. Which made me furious. I faced him, though too late. He is a small, plump, weak man, and I admit that I did him some harm. Before I left him I took a lock of her hair, which he had hung next to his bed on a yellow ribbon. I had another student speak the Otherseeing words and I used Chenn’s hair to find her Pattern.”
“Really?” Yigranzi’s voice made me start, because its edges were no longer blunt. “You saw her using only a lock of her hair? That’s a thing that takes a great and practiced grasp of the Othersight.”
Orlo gave a slight shrug. “My gift has always been considerable, and my training was rigorous. Though the visions I saw that night were weak, of course, as they always are without the person in front of you. Weak, but enough. I saw faint images of naked limbs and small, dark rooms; girls and men . . .” He glanced at me, cleared his throat. “Enough to show me that her Path would lead her to a place like this one. But although the visions I saw were unpleasant, there was no danger in them. No”—another vehement shake of his head—“no danger, or I would have begun my search then. But I did not, and this is my other shame. I, of all people, should know that the Othersight is not always a complete view—just a glimpse, there and gone in a blink. But I chose not to think of this. I thought: Chenn is safely away from here, where she might have come to great harm. Prandel has been punished and is a changed man. Only I was wrong about this, too.” He gave a short, breathless laugh. “Because Prandel disappeared a few months after Chenn did. And he found her. Somehow he found her.”
“Small and plump?” It was the first time I had spoken to him, and I was pleased with my voice, which was firm and older-sounding. “I think that’s what he looked like—the man in my vision.”
“Your vision?” His night-dark eyes shimmered and this time I could not look away. “You have seen him? How?”
Yigranzi opened her mouth and I said, quickly, “Yigranzi and I used the mirror when Chenn’s body was still here. Right here.” I gestured at the place where Orlo was standing and he flinched, stared at the tree’s roots as if she were there again, her throat gaping. Then he stared at me.
“You looked into the Otherworld when she was
And how old are
you
?
I thought, then flushed, as if I had spoken aloud. He looked young, except for the lines around his eyes and in his forehead—though these could have been from Otherseeing, not age.
Chenn
, I reminded myself, and tried to imagine the child, and the tall, windy castle.
“She was the daughter of a wealthy family, pampered and strong-willed, but as her schooling progressed she grew in skill and character. There was always a gleam in her eye, though, no matter how weighty her visions or how difficult her lessons. Her fellow students adored her. As did one of her teachers, a seer named Master Prandel.” He frowned, squinted up at the leaves, which were just a dark green now, untouched by sun. “Here is my first shame—for I should have acted. I saw his desire, and she was just twelve, and I should have spoken to him, at least, or gone to Master Teldaru with what I knew . . . but I did not. I imagined that Prandel’s infatuation would pass, or I hoped that someone else would confront him, or some such cowardly thing.” Orlo shook his head, dragged a hand roughly through his hair, which stood on end afterward.
“I’m not sure when he acted on his desire. All I know is that she changed. She stopped laughing, grew quiet and pale and afraid of her own visions. And then, this past winter, she disappeared.”
He was staring at the bottom of the tree.
Maybe Yigranzi’s already told him that that was where we found her
, I thought, and the pain I saw on his face and in the slump of his shoulders made my own stir and sharpen.
“Prandel was not distraught, as the rest of us were—he was furious. Which made me furious. I faced him, though too late. He is a small, plump, weak man, and I admit that I did him some harm. Before I left him I took a lock of her hair, which he had hung next to his bed on a yellow ribbon. I had another student speak the Otherseeing words and I used Chenn’s hair to find her Pattern.”
“Really?” Yigranzi’s voice made me start, because its edges were no longer blunt. “You saw her using only a lock of her hair? That’s a thing that takes a great and practiced grasp of the Othersight.”
Orlo gave a slight shrug. “My gift has always been considerable, and my training was rigorous. Though the visions I saw that night were weak, of course, as they always are without the person in front of you. Weak, but enough. I saw faint images of naked limbs and small, dark rooms; girls and men . . .” He glanced at me, cleared his throat. “Enough to show me that her Path would lead her to a place like this one. But although the visions I saw were unpleasant, there was no danger in them. No”—another vehement shake of his head—“no danger, or I would have begun my search then. But I did not, and this is my other shame. I, of all people, should know that the Othersight is not always a complete view—just a glimpse, there and gone in a blink. But I chose not to think of this. I thought: Chenn is safely away from here, where she might have come to great harm. Prandel has been punished and is a changed man. Only I was wrong about this, too.” He gave a short, breathless laugh. “Because Prandel disappeared a few months after Chenn did. And he found her. Somehow he found her.”
“Small and plump?” It was the first time I had spoken to him, and I was pleased with my voice, which was firm and older-sounding. “I think that’s what he looked like—the man in my vision.”
“Your vision?” His night-dark eyes shimmered and this time I could not look away. “You have seen him? How?”
Yigranzi opened her mouth and I said, quickly, “Yigranzi and I used the mirror when Chenn’s body was still here. Right here.” I gestured at the place where Orlo was standing and he flinched, stared at the tree’s roots as if she were there again, her throat gaping. Then he stared at me.
“You looked into the Otherworld when she was
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