Wolfsbane Winter by Jane Fletcher Page B

started shutting everyone else out when she was still a baby. An instinctive response. She probably never knew what she was doing.”
    “You said she had to leave Ellaye. Why? Surely she can rebuild her barriers.”
    “Maybe, given time.” This was not the way Orrin’s hopes were leaning, of that, Alana was certain. “But it won’t happen quickly, and she’ll need the right environment.”
    “What sort of environment?”
    “Peace and as few people around as possible. That’s why she has to get away from Ellaye.” This was what Orrin was so happy about. “The farther she can be from towns, the better it will be for her.”
    “You want her to go live in the wastelands?” Fear shot through Reyna’s outrage.
    “Oh no. It needn’t be than extreme. A small hamlet, on the edges of Galvonia, but still under the protection of the King’s Marshals. I am sure somewhere suitable can be found.”
    “Would somewhere like that be able to support a proper household for her?”
    “Alana won’t be able to have a household.”
    “She’ll need bodyguards and servants.”
    “Anyone who can project emotions will put a strain on her, and even the dullest of commoners can do that. Maybe she could have one companion, but anything more she would not be able to bear.”
    “But she can’t go on her own. Her life will be in danger. We all know how the commoners view us.”
    “Does it matter? Sounds like there won’t be enough people around to form a lynch mob.” Her mother was bitterly cynical.
    Orrin’s voice was a plea for calm. “The local inhabitants need not know of her heritage. She can pass among them as one of their own. She need not be at risk.”
    The irony was not lost on Alana. Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it.
    For the first time, Alana’s father spoke. “Commoners! You expect my daughter to go and live among the commoners, in some impoverished farming village, without a single servant or any of the trappings she’s used to? You’re suggesting she can live in squalor, like a peasant?”
    “I’m afraid there’s no other option. If she stays here, she’ll be driven mad.”
    “The life of a peasant is not fitting for my daughter.”
    “It needn’t be forever. With just a few people around, Alana might be able to regain control of her talent. If she could learn to manipulate the new barriers, so she can be selective in whose emotions she taps, why…” Orrin paused dramatically, as if a new idea had just struck him. “Can you see how valuable she could be to the king? She would be able to return to the court as one of his most senior advisers. It would be a great day, for Galvonia and the Quintanilla family.”
    Alana did not need to feel the sudden spark of excitement to know, with that one sentence, the argument was won. Her parents’ ambition was so easy to ignite. Fighting it was not worth the effort. She closed her eyes and let drowsiness reclaim her.

    *

    When Alana next awoke, night had fallen. Moonlight poured through the open window. The city was silent, its inhabitants asleep. The absence of emotional clamor was enough for Alana to think clearly, or as clearly as Orrin’s drugs would allow. Alana was sure that she had been given more of whatever the second potion had been. Her body was numb and would not obey her. When she tried to move, her head fell to one side. She saw Reyna, slumped in a chair beside her bed.
    “Uhh.” Alana’s throat was too dry for talking, even if she could control her tongue.
    Reyna shook herself and sat up. “How are you, darling?”
    “Wa’er.” Alana pointed weakly at the jug on the dresser.
    Reyna poured a glass and then helped Alana into a sitting position. The cold liquid was a blessed relief, although much of the water spilled from her slack lips and trickled down her chin. What was Orrin dosing her with?
    “Thangs. What waz…” Wheezing stopped Alana from saying more.
    “Don’t try to speak. Orrin has got you pretty