The Second God by Pauline M. Ross Page A

arrangements were changed, and our traders are not allowed to stay overnight in the town. They go in, sell their goods and leave again, watched constantly by armoured soldiers. No talking to the dealers, no relaxing in taverns, no strolling round the streets. They report that the dealers are wary of the soldiers, but not terrified of them.”
    “Can the residents come and go as they please? Could they leave Greenstone Ford altogether if they wished?”
    I shook my head. “No one leaves, except work parties for the new bridge.” And that included our spies, trapped inside the town. No word had been heard from them in moons, and we had no idea whether they were alive or dead. But that was still a great secret, and I couldn’t mention it, even to my own family. “Yannassia has made several approaches to the authorities there, but messages are unanswered and even an official envoy was turned away. They don’t want to have any dealings with us. It makes it impossible to find out any more about this whirlwind.”
    “Kyra has been trying to generate whirlwinds – well, all the mages have been trying it – but without much success,” Cal said.
    “It’s not hard to make air move about,” Mother said. “I can make a little whirlwind, but it would barely ruffle an eagle’s feathers, let alone knock one out of the sky.”
    “It was this big,” Cal said, smiling, holding a hand about half a man’s height from the floor. “Pretty, but not terribly useful. I couldn’t even manage that. Krant got something going, higher than Kyra’s but not as powerful.”
    “It was not much,” Krant said. He was an odd-looking man, with yellowed skin which made him look sickly, and a high forehead on which his mage mark looked tiny. He seemed pleasant enough, though, and fond of Sallorna. “Personally, I would much rather find a way to make the eagles carry a non-mage passenger. Now that would really be a helpful trick. But a whirlwind has limited application.”
    “So whatever created the whirlwind, it was not another natural mage like you, Mother?”
    “No. I can’t imagine anyone with so much power over the wind.”
    “Well, someone has,” I said.
    “Not necessarily,” Cal said. “It could be some automated arrangement left behind by the pre-Catastrophe mages. The Imperial City is full of oddities like that, which are invisible until something sets them off. Or that plant – what is it called?”
    “Oh, the one with the exploding seedhead?” I said.
    “Yes. You trip over the roots, the seedpods all burst and you get hit by all these tiny stinging seeds. Not lethal to us, but a lot of rodents fall foul of the things.”
    “And then it wraps the carcase up in some kind of web. I remember reading about it, but I’ve never seen one.”
    “We call it the poisonous star plant,” Ly said quietly. “The seeds are white, so they look like little stars.”
    “Ah! Starfall,” Cal said triumphantly. “That’s what it’s called.”
    “Nasty!” Sallorna said. “Plants should sit quietly, and not hunt down prey like that.”
    Ly was the only one who didn’t laugh. “It is very useful,” he said, his face serious. “The seeds can be cooked to make a cleansing drink, and the webs, stems and leaves all have healing properties. All plants are a gift from the gods.”
    “Of course they are, dear,” Mother said, reaching across to pat his hand, then, remembering Ly’s magic, drawing back again. “Would someone pass the pie? I should like a little more.”
    “What I should like,” Krant said, “is to learn something of this ceremony you are to attend.”
    “It’s all very secret,” I said. “I’m not sure how much outsiders are allowed to know.”
    “Nothing at all,” Ly said. “I am so sorry, but it is forbidden to speak of the ceremony itself. The candidates try to open the door, that is all I can say about it.”
    “We know that much,” Cal said. “There are books that mention it. Although I don’t