“We can’t tell her,” Jirana said in a poorly managed whisper.
“Tell her what?” Jefric asked. He looked down at Jirana and then knelt before her. “Tell her what, little one?”
Jirana squirmed under his gaze, but said nothing.
“My lady, we must ask—is there still Plague?” Xhinna asked, driven by some nagging memory.
“It’s been nearly two Turns since any succumbed,” Jefric growled. “And still the gates of Crom are closed against us.”
“Fenril’s drunk most of the cellar and spends every night whimpering in fear,” Xhinna said.
Nerra’s head whipped up. “Who told you that?”
Jirana gasped and pulled on Xhinna’s hands, dragging the taller girl down so she could whisper in her ear. “Two Turns!”
“Yes,” Xhinna said, smiling at Jirana, “I had the same thought.” She stood and, with her hand, pulled Jirana once more to her side. “My Lady Nerra, would you like to be restored to your Hold?”
“Hah!” Jefric barked a laugh. “And how do you propose to do that? Are you going to scale the heights or—”
“Jefric,” Nerra said in a calm, commanding voice. The guard stopped and looked at her. When she had his attention, she said, “She rides a blue.”
“Come nightfall,” Xhinna said, “Tazith could carry four at a time.” She glanced toward Jefric. “If the gates were open, could your men take the Hold?”
Jefric’s face slowly cracked into a grin. “Of course, my lady.”
“Wingleader,” Nerra said, pointing to Xhinna’s shoulder knots.
Xhinna blushed. “How many would you need to open the gates?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“Four, Xhinna,” Jirana piped up in exasperation, “don’t you—”
“Jirana! Time!” Xhinna reminded her tersely. The little girl closed her mouth with a snap and then, with exaggerated motions, pantomimed that she was sewing it shut. Xhinna turned her attention back to Nerra. “If we could wait until darkness …”
“That would give us time to prepare,” Nerra agreed. She cocked her head at Xhinna. “And what would you want in return?”
“I ride in Search,” Xhinna reminded her.
Nerra started to shake her head. “Most of my people are sick, and the men will be needed in the fields—”
“We’re not looking for men,” Jirana piped up.
“My friend speaks the truth,” Xhinna said.
“There’s a queen on the sands?” Nerra asked, surprised.
“Not yet,” Jirana chirped. “But—”
“Jirana!” Xhinna told her quellingly. Jirana’s shoulders slumped and she looked chagrined. Xhinna turned back to Nerra. “If things go as we hope, we might be able to take more later.”
“I see,” Nerra said, her brows creasing. She moved toward the fabric-covered chair that had stood empty all this time, gestured for Xhinna and Jirana to take seats nearby, and then sat. She turned toward Jefric, saying, “Do you know what to do?”
“With the gates open, we’ll have no problems,” Jefric affirmed.
“You won’t—,” Jirana began but bit her words off before Xhinna said anything.
Nerra glanced at Xhinna, then back to Jefric. “Why don’t you get the others ready, then?”
Jefric hesitated until Nerra told him, “I’ll be fine.”
“Very well, my lady,” Jefric said, giving her a full bow before smartly turning on his heel and moving toward the entrance. The others fell in behind him, and soon the tent was empty except for Nerra, Xhinna, and Jirana.
“So … we are alone,” Nerra said in the silence.
“We still need to be careful what we say,” Xhinna told her apologetically.
“ ‘You can’t break time,’ ” Jirana quoted in agreement.
Nerra’s eyes widened. “You’re from the future?”
“The less you know, my lady, the better it is for everyone,” Xhinna said.
“I’m not so sure,” Nerra said after a moment. She caught Xhinna’s look and added, “Oh, I agree with you in general, but, for example, you mentioned that you might be back again. Riding on Search?”
“Perhaps.”
“So it would help if I could have an idea as to when you’d come and how many Candidates you might need,” Nerra said. She saw that her comment had struck home and added, “And it would help if I could know how many to expect back.”
“I see,” Xhinna said, her lips pursed thoughtfully. A moment later she answered, “We don’t really know at the moment.”
“Thousands, if we’re lucky,” Jirana piped up.
“Thousands?” Nerra repeated, eyes going wide.
“Jirana!”
This time the little girl was unrepentant. “She has to know. If this is going to work, they’re going to have to come from somewhere.”
“Somewhen,” Nerra said, a smile playing across her lips as she saw the surprise in Xhinna’s eyes. Her smile faded and she asked, “Is it very bad, where you come from?”
“It will get better when we get those thousands,” Xhinna said.
Nerra nodded absently; her gaze had settled on Jirana and she was searching the girl’s features questioningly. “You look familiar.”
“We haven’t met,” Jirana said.
“You’re trader stock, you said as much,” Nerra said almost to herself. Her eyes lost focus as she delved into her memory, and then they widened as she looked again at the girl sitting before her. “Are you related to Tenniz?”
“You can’t say anything, my lady!” Jirana said pleadingly. “He doesn’t know, please don’t tell him!” She paused a moment, then said in a lower voice, “Your word as Lady Holder.”
“But I’m not a Lady Holder.”
“Yet,” Xhinna said.
Nerra turned to her, mouth agape, and sat back in her chair. “The Conclave would never—”
Xhinna said nothing, nor did Jirana. The look on their faces alone was enough.
“But D’gan—” Nerra started again, and then closed her mouth once more as new thoughts stifled her. She was silent for a long while. Finally, she turned to Xhinna and asked in a whisper, “Thousands?”
Xhinna nodded. She told Tazith, You should land and get some rest. We’ll be flying again at nightfall. Aloud, she said, “I’ve told Tazith to get some rest.”
Nerra nodded, still distracted by her wild thoughts. A moment later, with a decisive sweep of her hand, as if pushing her thoughts aside, she sat up and said, “What’s it like, riding a dragon?”
“You’ll find out tonight, my lady,” Xhinna replied.
“Until then, perhaps you’d like to rest,” Nerra said, rising from her chair and beckoning them toward the exit.
“That’s a good idea,” Jirana agreed with a wide yawn. “We’ve been timing it.”
“Jirana!”
Xhinna woke and it was a moment before she recalled that she was in the tent that Nerra had assigned them. In the cot beside her, Jirana snored softly.
Tazith? Xhinna asked, stretching her senses toward him.
Night has fallen, the blue dragon replied easily.
We’ll be going soon, Xhinna assured him.
Voices outside the tent caught her ear.
“They could be spies,” a man said in protest.
“If they are spies, then the dragon would have given us away already,” a woman—Nerra—said in reply.
“Four won’t be near enough if there’s treachery,” Jefric—Xhinna now placed his voice—said.
“I’ll have my crossbow,” Nerra said. “If there’s treachery, she’ll die.”
Xhinna made a loud noise, leapt from the cot, and stormed out to face them.
“There won’t be any treachery,” she declared, glancing angrily at the lady holder. “You won’t need a crossbow.”