Eye of the Ocean Book 3 Ji'jin Station

Eye of the Ocean – Book 3: Ji’Jin Station
The gate squeaked shut then open as fast and he looked up. A heavyset older
woman was inside the yard, Kori following, opening the gate that had been closed
against her. A close neighbor, he recognized her from the spins but as he did
each time, he tried to find Eunni in the woman.
“You leave her alone,” she shouted, and in the same breath: “I told you it
would come to this, you don't have the sense of a goose. Do you know he's from
Temple?”
Ulanda backed away, her eyes going to where his jacket sleeve covered his
wrist. “Temple?”
From his pocket, Rit took a paper wrapped package and held it out. “This
belongs to you.” When she didn't come nearer, put it on the stoop where he had
been sitting and walked past the older woman to wait with Kori at the gate.
Ignoring the running commentary of her neighbor, Ulanda picked up the
package. The wrapping paper dropped to the stoop, forgotten as soon as it was
taken off. The silver spoon. It rested in her hands, both hands as though balanced
there, not held. He couldn't sense anything from her now.
Dark eyes looked at him and the birds, the other woman's constant talk, the
wind - all were a distant buzz. “I heard you before...” she said.
“Will you come with me?” he asked. “To talk... I'm not making any claim on
you, you'll be free to leave whenever you wish.”
The talk from the older woman wasn't a constant after all. “She's not going
anywhere,” Mother Pasbal said and closed her mouth firmly as though nothing
more needed to be said.
When they reached the gate into Intil Capital, Rit released the City Net lead as
he switched to the Temple link. Kori stayed in both, he was too tired, finding
himself getting sloppy with even the one. They picked up an escort, foot only, not
mounted, a compromise apparently. Kori's eyes were full black. Yuin sight in the
middle of a blazingly bright day, the white city must be a sheet of silver fire in her
mind. This was turning into exactly what he hadn't wanted, a parade that would
feed every rumor current in the city and breed more. The trouble with the local
Zimmer that had started with the merchant ship had quieted after other ships
brought only merchandise, not word about the Lady. It wouldn't stay down now
and would certainly spread outside the Lady Cult Speakerhouses. The skin on his
back crawled.
Curious eyes had followed the three of them from the Guesthouse, even with
Net blocks in effect. He had known that their way back would be even more
visible but he hadn't figured on this. A flitter would make more sense, Cayse had
argued, looking for support from the Overpriest. It might now but hadn't earlier
and events shouldn't have been allowed to develop to the point where it made
sense at all.
Laurel Hickey www.2morrow.bc.ca