Free Exile by Rowena Cory Daniells

way: she would have been a gift-wright, like All-mother Ceriane.’
    ‘Gift-wrights are good,’ Iraayel insisted. ‘They can heal a T’En when their gift corrupts.’
    Imoshen chose her words carefully. ‘A healer like Ree can use her gift to repair broken bones or knit torn flesh. If she can do that, she can take the living heart inside your body and squeeze it until it stops.’
    He went pale. ‘I never thought... but yes, that makes sense.’ He frowned. ‘You’re saying a gift-wright–’
    ‘A sacrare gift-wright,’ she reminded him. ‘Very powerful.’
    ‘Could reach into a T’En’s gift and turn it against them?’
    Imoshen nodded.
    ‘You think All-father Kyredeon had Lyronyxe killed so she would never grow up to threaten the brotherhoods. What kind of person does something like that?’
    ‘A ruthless one.’
    ‘But...’ His voice shook and she could see he was close to tears. He turned and walked to the edge of the roof, where he gripped the stone balustrade.
    She joined him, wanted to touch him, yet hesitated. Her gift surged, but she hadn’t been able to read Iraayel since the day Lyronyxe was murdered.
    He turned to face her. ‘Why won’t they let me see Sardeon?’
    ‘He loved her. When she died, he went looking for her essence on the higher plane.’ She saw Iraayel wince. ‘Sardeon had no training. When I realised he had been sucked onto the empyrean plane, I went after him, found him and brought him back.’ She took Iraayel’s hand. ‘At first Reoden said he was all right. But I haven’t seen him since. All I know is that Gift-wright Ceriane has tried to help him.’
    Iraayel swallowed. Tears clung to his lashes. ‘All-mother Reoden is so kind. Yet she lost two children that day.’
    Imoshen hugged him, and then pulled back to find Egrayne approaching.
    The gift-empowerer looked grim.
    ‘I’ll go,’ Iraayel said. He slipped away as Imoshen went to meet Egrayne.
    ‘You spend too much time with him, Imoshen. It’ll make it harder on you when he has to join his brotherhood.’
    She didn’t want to send Iraayel away, didn’t see why she should, but she contained her rebelliousness and asked, ‘Is there bad news?’
    ‘Very bad,’ Egrayne said as they left the roof top garden. ‘Reoden’s waiting downstairs with a Malaunje lad from one of her estates. He stole a Mieren boat and went to All-father Tamaron’s palace. They let him in, demanded answers, then sent him up here.’ Egrayne led her along a corridor to an open door. ‘They know. All the brotherhoods know.’
    ‘Know what?’ Imoshen asked.
    ‘That King Charald hasn’t kept his word,’ Reoden said, when they reached her. She was pale and angry, her gift close to the surface. A lad of about fifteen stood at her side. ‘Tell the causare what you told me.’
    Imoshen’s gift surged and she saw him as a bowstring pulled taut, ready to snap. ‘Charald attacked his home.’
    He nodded and gulped a breath. ‘It was late, everyone had gone to bed. There was no warning. They must have poisoned the dogs. First we knew was the shouting, and Mieren running through the big house. I looked out the window and saw the barn on fire. The adults tried to stop them. I tried to get to my’ – his mouth worked and he swallowed twice – ‘...my sisters, but I couldn’t. The cook told all us kitchen hands to go out the back and run away. They were waiting for us. They came after us, hacked at us as we ran. They–’
    ‘Enough.’ Anger made Imoshen’s gift rise.
    ‘I ran away,’ the lad whispered. ‘I hid. I didn’t go back. I–’
    ‘Listen to me.’ Imoshen took his hand in hers, letting her gift bring him comfort. ‘You came here. You warned us. We needed to know. Thank you.’
    And he dissolved into tears, as great wracking sobs shook his body. Reoden pulled him into her arms.
     
     
    I MOSHEN AND E GRAYNE stepped out into the hall and looked at each other.
    ‘The brotherhoods know,’ Egrayne said. ‘They’re