The Fire Seer and Her Quradum Read online

  “How are you feeling?” asked Mandir.

  “Awful,” said Gadatas. “No thanks to you.”

  Mandir shrugged. He did not regret throwing the nepenthe in the river, and he suspected the reason Gadatas had been late was that he’d been tearing Tufan’s house apart searching for more of the drug. “You’ll feel better in a few days. Much better once you’ve spent some time with Neshi. Someday, maybe you’ll thank me.”

  “I hope you’re right that I can get over this,” said Gadatas. “Among other things, it would be nice to be with a woman again.”

  Mandir glanced at him sidelong, uncertain what being with a woman had to do with nepenthe. “I suppose that wasn’t possible at Tufan’s. No women around except for Shala.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” said Gadatas. “I’m talking about nepenthe’s side effects.”

  Mandir blinked. “What side effects? I know it relieves pain. And it kills you if you take too much of it.”

  “Nepenthe also makes you unable to be with a woman,” said Gadatas. “I think the effect is temporary. I’ve heard that once you stop taking it—”

  “Hold on a moment,” said Mandir. “Nepenthe makes you unable to be with a woman? How so?”

  “Well, you know.” Gadatas’s neck flushed pink. “You just can’t do it.”

  Mandir stared at him. “Are you telling me that nepenthe causes impotence?”

  “Yes,” said Gadatas. “Temporarily, I hope.”

  “Flood and fire.” Mandir laughed out loud and called ahead. “Taya, did you hear that?”

  She looked back over her shoulder. “What?”

  “Nepenthe causes impotence.” He turned back to Gadatas. “Did Tufan know?”

  “I never talked to him about it,” said Gadatas.

  Taya called back over her shoulder. “Are you saying that every night Tufan drank gold dust for the purpose of enhancing his bedroom performance, and in that very same drink he mixed in the drug that was causing his performance to fail?”

  Mandir grinned. “He must not have known.” Great Mothers, the irony. Tufan had been frustrated by his bedroom problems to the point of violence for as long as Mandir had known him. Now the terrible man had gone to Isatis without ever learning that his problem was self-inflicted. It had been fixable all along, but no one had told him. Tufan wasn’t the sort of man one willingly talked to.

  For years, Mandir had worried that he might have the same problem when he reached Tufan’s age. Now he could ease his mind and stop worrying.

  He glanced back at Tufan’s compound. “Keep riding,” he told Gadatas. “I’ll catch up.” He peeled the blood bay off from the group. When he was well away, he halted his horse and dropped the reins on the animal’s neck. Since he was never coming back to this place, he wanted one last look.

  Tufan’s compound seemed oddly small. Of course, that was partly because of the distance. Even so, from here it was nothing more than a sprawling house, a few outbuildings, a stable, and a kennel. Dusty mud-brick buildings on a dry scrub plain. For nine years, this sad compound had been his entire world. Just thinking about it made his chest ache.

  Neshi had been right. Forgiving others—Bel-Sumai, Ilinos, and to some extent Gadatas—had softened his heart, allowing him to begin the process of forgiving himself. He looked on that compound, and for the first time in his life, he did not hate the boy he had been. He pitied that boy.

  Taya spoke softly beside him. “We could burn it, if you want.”

  He turned and saw that she’d ridden quietly to his side. “Burn it?”

  “I could summon the cleansing fires of Isatis,” she said. “You need only say the word.”

  Mandir shook his head. “Leave it be. That place is nothing now—a dried-up husk. A wasp’s nest, dead and fallen from its tree.”

  She reached across the horses and took his hand. “Will you be all right?”

  He squeezed her hand. “I’m feeling better than I have in a long while. Let’s go back—we’ve a long road ahead of us.”

  He turned his horse and they galloped, side by side, to catch up with the others.

  Thank You

  Thank you for reading The Fire Seer and Her Quradum! I hope you enjoyed it. This is the second book of the Coalition of Mages series, which follows the adventures of Taya and Mandir in the river valley as they solve mysteries, negotiate their relationship, and struggle with the troublesome Coalition. The first book of this series is The Fire Seer, and the third book is expected in late 2015.

  Reviews help readers find books, and I would appreciate it if you’d post an honest review on Amazon or your favorite retailer. Or you can send me your feedback directly at [email protected].

  My other series, Hearts and Thrones, is set in a different fantasy world. It features strong heroines, sweet heroes, political intrigue, and magic. It includes the novels Assassin’s Gambit, Spy’s Honor, Prince’s Fire, Healer’s Touch, and the novella “Archer’s Sin.”

  If you’d like to know when my next book is available, you can subscribe to my newsletter at http://www.amyraby.com, or follow me on Twitter at @amyraby, or like my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Amy.Raby.Author.

  Acknowledgements

  My effusive thanks to:

  Copyeditor Kim Runciman of Night Vision Editing and cover designer Ravven for their perfect blend of artistry and professionalism.

  Jessi Gage and Julie Brannagh of the Cupcake Crew, for their insightful critique as well as their friendship.

  The talented people at Writer’s Cramp, who never let me get away with anything: Barbara Stoner, Steven Gurr, Tim McDaniel, Amy Stewart, Thom Marrion, Janka Hobbs, Michael Croteau, and Courtland Shafer.

  And my readers, who make this all worth it.

  About the Author

  Amy Raby is literally a product of the U.S. space program, since her parents met working for NASA on the Apollo missions. After earning her Bachelor's in Computer Science from the University of Washington, Amy settled with her family in the Pacific Northwest. She is an animal lover who keeps a small menagerie consisting of two Golden Retrievers, two snakes, and an Andalusian horse.

  Amy is the USA Today Bestselling author of the Hearts and Thrones series as well as the Coalition of Mages series. She is a 2011 Golden Heart® finalist for Assassin’s Gambit, a 2012 Daphne du Maurier winner for The Fire Seer, and a 2013 PRISM winner for Spy’s Honor.