the Flow. And while she was not conscious of drawing on the great river of energy, she could feel ripples in the power, a swift undercurrent, like water flowing over shards of rock. The disturbance was growing stronger, as if she were trying to walk against the wind.
Carina felt a presence touch her mind. As quickly as it came it was gone.
"M'lady?"
Carina blinked. The vision was gone. "I must be working too hard. I could swear I felt someone reach out for me. Whoever it was wanted to tell me something."
"I don't understand."
Carina shook her head. "Neither do I.I don't think it-whoever it was-was dangerous. Curious. Like it was looking for something."
"You really should rest."
"Have you seen the line of people out there? I'll rest later. Have I told you how glad I am to have your help?"
Lisette returned her smile. "Thank you, m'lady."
They cared for two more patients before Carina signaled for a few minutes' rest. "You know, before I came here, I couldn't have imagined something like that last patient, the old woman with the sore back. That young man with her-the vayasb moru. That was her husband, wasn't it?"
Lisette nodded. "He was brought across forty years ago."
"They've stayed together all that time," Carina said admiringly. "Openly. I used to think Isencroft was a welcoming place for the vayash moru because no one's gone hunting for them in generations. But I've never seen the living, the dead, and the undead go on together like this. I realize now how low my expectations were."
"In the farmlands of the other kingdoms, many families provide sanctuary for loved ones who've been brought across. It works so long as their neighbors don't notice, or don't care. That doesn't usually last."
"Then why don't all the vayash moru come to Dark Haven, if it's safe for them here to exist openly?"
"They stay for all the reasons mortals stay. Because those places have always been their home. Because their family is there, and they don't wish to leave them, even if they can only watch over them from a distance. Because it's familiar. After a lifetime or two, 'home' changes so much that it's no longer what you remember. That makes the leaving easier."
"I think I understand, a little," Carina said, washing blood from her hands. "My brother and I were forced to leave our home, our family, when we were young. We were twins, but I had magic. Being twins was a scandal; having magic was unforgivable."
"Not too different," Lisette said. "To be driven out for what you are, what you had no choice about being. And in places like Nargi, mages and vayash moru often suffer a common fate."