Shanji. Part 8

am eager to meet this child, and you are familiar to her. Would you have breakfast with me here at seven tomorrow? Her interview will begin after that."

"I will be here," said Mengyao.

That night, in his living quarters on the fourth floor of the Hall of Ministers, Mengmoshu slept a troubled sleep.

He was awakened three times with a feeling of sorrow, flas.h.i.+ng visions of dead bodies, the face of a woman that vaguely disturbed him. The third time he was left wide awake, and suddenly there was a voice.

Mengmoshu, I cannot sleep with this racket. Is this the child brought back from the Tumatsin?

It was Juimoshu.

Yes. I've never felt such power from a young one, but her grief is terrible and we must handle her carefully. We have the support of the Emperor in treating her well.Then there is something you must know, said Juimoshu.They spoke without words for an hour, and formed a plan for the coming day.

CHAPTER SIX.

MENGNU.

When the guard came, Kati was instantly awake.

Her head ached and she felt as if she'd not slept at all, yet apparently she had, for she was on the cot, a light blanket over her. The guard came in with a tray of food and put it on the table when he saw she was awake. "Someone is coming for you," he said, then left the room and closed the door again.

She was ravenous. There was bread and cheese, a hot, grainy cereal with milk added to it, a small pot of tea. She wolfed it down greedily, drank all the tea, then relieved herself on the fancy toilet in the corner.

She waited on the cot only a few minutes before there was a soft knock on the door and it opened slightly. A small face peered around the edge of it. A woman. An old woman.

"Kati?"

She nodded, and the woman came in, and instantly there was a presence in Kati's mind. She is a Searcher, thought Kati, amazed.

You are surprised, I see. The woman was tiny, dressed in black. There was no bulge on her forehead, or prominent veins, yet the forehead was unusual, not flat but domed, extending to the temples.

It's possible for a woman to be a Searcher, Kati, but there have been few of us. I am Juimoshu. Some people would like to talk to you, and I will take you to them.

I have nothing to say to them.The old woman walked forward, knelt before her, their eyes meeting. But you will. They are like us, Kati. You have much in common with them.

I am not a Searcher. I am Tumatsin, and I want to be with my people.

Juimoshu reached out to take Kati's hands and Kati balled them into fists in her lap. Juimoshu took them anyway, and her touch was warm, her eyes soft. Kati felt calmness, a sense of protection in those eyes.

You have a gift, Kati, and we want to find out about it. We want to know how you received it, for no other Tumatsin has received such a gift before. We think First Mother has blessed you.

"You mean the lady with the green eyes?" said Kati.

Juimoshu smiled, and squeezed Kati's hands. Her voice was husky, yet somehow melodic. "Yes, Kati, the lady who spoke to you from very far away. She is our ancestor and yours, too. She wants us to take care of you for Her. You've been in those clothes all night. Let's get you bathed, and then I'll find a nice robe for you to wear when we meet the people. Will you do that for me?"

She could detect no threat and nodded, even let the old woman take her hand to lead her out of the room and back to the barred gate. The short bow of the guard did not escape her, nor did the blankness of his mind. The woman leading her was someone he feared, a person with authority over him.

They climbed three flights of interior stairs to a hallway in white, and went in the first door there. The room was a marvel in porcelain, brightly lit. There was a row of fancy toilets, cubicles with transparent doors, and a huge, sunken tub, filled with steaming water. There was room for several people in that tub, and the water smelled like herbs. Juimoshu handed her a bar of soap, fragrant and smooth, not like the coa.r.s.e soap of the Tumatsin, and said, "Bathe yourself, and I will wait outside."

Kati climbed into the tub, wearing only her pendants, and it was the most wonderful bath she'd ever had. The odors of herbs and flowers filled her, anxiety draining away with the heat. She rubbed the soap all over her body and into her hair, again and again, until finally Juimoshu called, "Hurry, now. Dry yourself with the towel by the tub and I will bring in your robe."

The towel was thick, and soft. Kati rubbed herself until her skin tingled, then held the towel in front of her as Juimoshu entered with a black robe and a pair of matching slippers.

How different you look. Lovely.

Kati put on the robe, felt Juimoshu's hands, then a brush, on her hair. The woman brushed her hair down slowly, gently, her tiny hands occasionally smoothing it. "We'll let it fall naturally, so it will dry faster," she murmured.

Kati felt relaxed, nearly sleepy from the heat of the bath, but it was not for long. Her anxiety grew as they climbed another flight of stairs to walk a long hallway surrounded by transparent material like clear ice with a view to the outside: cl.u.s.tered buildings to the right, to the left a panorama of the city sprawling below, down to the valley and the mountains beyond, and before them, a great, golden dome dazzling in the light of Tengri-Khan. They came out into another hallway in white, with closed, numbered doors on either side.

Kati's heart was pounding again. She felt a gentle squeeze on her hand. Juimoshu knocked softly on a door, opened it slightly. "I have Kati here," she said.

"Come, dear. These men are your friends."

They entered a room all in white except for a large, ebony table with matching chairs. The walls were barren of decorations, and light came from the ceiling. In one corner were a couch, a low, small ebony table before it, and two chairs. Two men had been sitting there and they stood as she entered. Both were Searchers, but now dressed in white, not their usual military garb. Older men, but not so old as Juimoshu, looking similar to each other, like brothers, one slightly larger. The smaller one she recognized as the man who had brought her back from the ordu.

Greetings, Kati. I am Mengyao, and the man beside me is Mengmoshu, my superior. Please sit here, and let us get to know you. Juimoshu will also join us.

Juimoshu led Kati to the couch, and sat down next to her, facing the men. Kati was enveloped by soft fabric, feeling small. She twisted her fingers together, and looked at Mengyao.

I know you from yesterday. Why am I here? My mother! You killed her! Kati's cheeks were suddenly flushed with anger.

The men stiffened, seeming startled.

Gently, child. We, the Moshuguang, tried to prevent that, but there was an error by the military people. Our Emperor sends his regrets to you for what happened, but we cannot undo it. We're sorry about your loss, and intend to devote ourselves to your care.

I WANT TO GO HOME! It was the other man who'd spoken to her, not Mengyao.

Both men blinked hard, and Kati felt Juimoshu flinch beside her.

"I think we will speak with words," said the man Mengmoshu. "It will be easier for all of us, and less painful."

"I want to go home," said Kati sorrowfully.

"I know. I know," said Mengmoshu, "but you are with us, now. You are with people like you."

"I'm not like you! The Searchers are evil! They go into people's minds, and steal their private thoughts. You are the Emperor's spies. Ma has told me this." Kati clenched her hands, and felt sudden hatred for these people who held her captive.

Kati felt Juimoshu's hand brush her cheek. "We are not evil, dear, but we do serve the Emperor in searching for lies people tell him. Tell me, Kati, did your mother know you could speak without words?"

"Yes, she knew, and it frightened her. She was always afraid for me after she found out."

She was careful of what she thought when I was near. Oh, you heard that!

Both men smiled.

"In time you will learn how to mask the things you wish hidden," said Mengmoshu. "Tell me, Kati, what am I thinking about?"

It was as clear as if he'd held up a painting for her to see: a waterfall splas.h.i.+ng over smooth, moss-covered rocks into a little pool, and there were colorful fish swimming there. Kati told him what she saw, and he smiled, but his vision had triggered a torrent of memories that flashed through her in an instant: the waterfall at Festival, the Eye of Tengri, Ma on her horse, the sword in her hand.

All gone. All gone.

"I know the place of wors.h.i.+p for the Tumatsin," said Mengmoshu, frowning. "I have been there, and felt the heat from what you call 'The Eye.' Your memories will always be with you, Kati. At first they will be painful, but later you will see they relate to only a part of your life. Now you are moving on to something else. That woman was your mother?"

"Yes," said Kati, her voice cracking.

"You must always hold your mother dear in your heart, and honor her memory. She has made an exceptional child. How would you best remember her, Kati? Show me."

The quiet time, the moments before sleep, Ma leaning over her in dim light, stroking her cheek. Kati felt a tear run down her own cheek, and blinked, but the vision did not go away. She looked at Mengmoshu, and the vision was suddenly stronger. The vision was no longer only in her mind, but in his, and she was seeing it there.

"I miss her voice, her touch. She was my mother!" she sobbed, and the vision was gone. Mengmoshu scowled, s.h.i.+fted uneasily in his chair, and Mengyao glanced at him. His mind was now dark as a cave. Hiding something from her. Kati sobbed again, and felt Juimoshu's arm go around her shoulders. Mengmoshu seemed deep in thought, saying nothing. Mengyao glanced at him again, then at Juimoshu, raising an eyebrow.

"I will continue," said Juimoshu, "with a question for Kati." She hugged Kati gently, and spoke close to her ear.

"Have you ever seen the colors of people, dear, the kind of glow that surrounds them? I know that Tumatsin women can do this, and it's an ability we do not share with them."

Kati breathed deeply, calming herself, and wiped her face dry with one hand. Mengmoshu was still a darkness to her, his eyes focused at a point above her head without expression. Why had he suddenly become so quiet?

"I'm too young for that. Ma said I would see the life auras of people when I was ready to be a woman. She could do it, but I don't know what she saw. Ma could tell what people were feeling, though, and whether or not they were dangerous to us. She said it took practice."

"And how did she practice this?" asked Juimoshu.

Kati told them about her mother's shrine, her meditation with a flickering candle. Talking about Ma made her feel better. "I tried what Ma did, but it only put me to sleep," she said.

Even Mengmoshu smiled slightly. Kati's eyes hadn't moved from him. What are you hiding?

Mengyao suddenly leaned forward and said, "Kati, we'd like you to play a little candle game with us. It's important that you be relaxed when you play, and you might even learn something new about yourself. Would you like to try it?"

Kati shrugged her shoulders, but looked at him, away from the other man.

Mengyao got up, went to the big table, and returned with a stub of white candle, placing it on the table before her. He held out a metal tube, there was a click, and flame shot out of the tube, lighting the candle. He leaned over the table, looked closely at her, smiling.

"You see how steady the flame of the candle is because the air in this room isn't moving? See the tiny blue flame? So tiny. It's very hot there, and then there's yellow and orange. Watch the flame, Kati. Try to see the blue flame."

She saw only yellow and orange, but her eyes were now focused on the flame. Juimoshu's hand rubbed her shoulder gently, then rested warmly there.

"Watch the flame, Kati, and relax. Relax. Do you feel its heat?"

"No. It's too far away," Kati murmured.

"Then put out your hand, but not too close or too fast. We want the flame to be quiet. Sneak up to it, slowly."

Kati struggled briefly to escape the soft embrace of the couch, and sat on its edge, leaning forward so her fingers were a hand's length from the flame when Mengyao stopped her.

"Close enough. Now do you feel the heat?"

"No."

"Good. Now we will play the game, Kati. I want you to imagine that little points of light, like stars, are coming out of your fingertips. There are only a few at first, then many more, and the stars are making a bridge between your fingers and the flame, a little curved bridge that's reaching out to find the heat. Imagine it, Kati. See it in your mind, not your eyes. Reach for the flame without moving your hand."

Kati stared at the flame, relaxed again, and her eyes seemed to lose their focus. She still saw the flame, but her fingers were a blur. She tried to slowly s.h.i.+ft focus to her fingers, but as she did so it seemed that a piece of the flame moved with her, a tiny, yellow tongue snaking out and fluttering there, seeking a direction. Come here, she thought, and the yellow tongue moved, growing longer. Suddenly there was an orange glow at the ends of her blurred fingers, and the yellow tongue moved with blinding speed, attaching itself there.

And Kati felt heat.

Surprised, she jerked her hand, and the yellow tongue snapped off, wavering wildly, but seeking her again, reattaching itself, and this time she held still. Warmth flowed into her fingers.

"Draw heat from the candle, Kati. Let it flow to your hand, and through your whole body, warming you all over. And look for the blue flame. Make it bigger. As you draw heat from the candle, the blue flame will grow."

And there was a blue flame now, a tiny thing the size of the candle's wick. Kati imagined heat flowing like liquid, issuing from the burning wax and pulling the blue flame with it. And it grew.

Her fingertips were now warm, and she could feel heat in her hand, moving slowly. But the blue flame grew rapidly, and with it the heat, and the heat was not moving fast enough beyond her fingers. Her fingertips were growing hotter and hotter, and she wanted to move her hand.

"It's hurting," she whispered. "It's burning me."

The candle flame wavered for an instant as her hand shook once, then again. Her arm was tired and her fingertips fiery hot. It was her imagination, the flame not touching her, and yet there was pain. She willed her hand to be still, but it wouldn't obey. She started to jerk it away- And Mengyao grabbed her hand, putting her fingers briefly on his cheek, then pus.h.i.+ng her hand back to her. "Place your fingertips on your lips, and see what you have done," he said quietly.

She did so, and her fingertips were hot! She placed them on her lips, her cheeks, and felt the heat drain into her. Very quickly, they were cool again. She looked up at Juimoshu, but the woman was looking at the men, smiling. Mengyao leaned back, grinning, but Mengmoshu had a stony look, his fingers steepled before his face.

"You have not imagined it, Kati," Mengyao said. "You feel the energy that came to you from the candle, crossing a s.p.a.ce to reach your fingers. You did that, Kati. You did it with your mind."

"How?" she asked, rubbing her fingers together.

"Perhaps we'll discover that during your training," said Mengyao. "This will be your first exercise, Kati, to work with the candle each night before sleep. We do not want you hurt, so if it gets too hot, you should increase the distance between your fingers and the flame. We will work with you."

Finally, Mengmoshu spoke again. "All of us will work with you. Kati, you are a special child with great gifts from First Mother. We will discover those gifts, and develop them with you. First Mother has commanded this of us, and we obey Her will."

Kati felt sudden concern coming from this man, a keen interest in her welfare, yet he showed her no visions of thoughts he had. There was only a warm feeling that hadn't been there when she'd first met him only minutes ago. All three people seemed to genuinely care about her, yet they had taken her mother away in death, and brought her to this foreign place. She was suddenly confused.

"I think we've done enough for now," said Mengmoshu. "Juimoshu will take you to your quarters. You'll be living right here in the palace, Kati. Life will not be as harsh as it was in the mountains, and you will live like a child of n.o.bility here."

"I cannot go outside?" Kati asked.

"Oh, yes. That will come, in time. A flower needs the light of Tengri-Khan. We will not let you wither."