by Lexy Wolfe
Wrapping its hand around Ash’s throat, it lifted the mage. The man’s feet dangled above the rock. “You mated with her. Killing you will bring her to Mahg.” The mage’s futile struggles slowed and eventually stopped. The monster’s attention did not waver even as Etienne’s wind battered it.
Mahg howled as a crossbow bolt appeared through its wrist, forcing it to drop Ash. Jaison managed to get his hands under the man’s head as he collapsed into a limp heap. Two more bolts impaled the beast, driving it several steps away from the two.
He looked back to see Izkynder hiding behind Etienne’s pillar, Bella reloading her weapon and Mureln pulling out his flute. He squinted as a shrill off-tune whistle filled the air when the bard began to play. Other monsters, smaller and not as physically warped that had followed the first, uttered yowls at the dissonant music focused on them.
Mahg snarled, ripping one of the bolts from its shoulder, rheumy eyes fixing on Mureln. It flung the crossbow bolt at the bard. The man moved in time only to prevent a lethal blow, crying out in pain as the shaft lodged in his upper back. With the music effectively stopped, the remaining beasts swarmed toward the group.
A deafening, tortured sound akin to metal being torn split the air and a pale avian form dove through with a shriek. The monsters could only utter screams of fright, raising their arms in an attempt to cover their heads from outstretched talons. A familiar battle cry drew the beleaguered group’s eyes.
Twin swords flashed in the minimal moonlight as Seeker leapt from the portal, slicing the grotesque creatures. The piercing voices of Petal and Nim stabbed eardrums, as if the pair competed for who was the most noisy. If the Githalin Swordanzen was as horrified as the others that his attacks only slowed the monstrosities, he did not show it as he continued a relentless shower of damage to keep them at bay.
Nolyn ran to the fallen men. The warrior waved at the fallen mage. “Get him. I can manage myself.” His expression betrayed the agony he refused to yield to as he lurched to his feet and toward Bella. The Vodani woman put her good arm around his waist, guiding him away from the carnage.
“Ash!” A cold knot of fear clenched Nolyn’s gut when he saw the unmoving form of his brother. Much as his brother had done in First Home when Nolyn was chained to the pillars, he got under the other man’s shoulders. The sight of deep wrinkles, white streaks in his black hair, and sunken eyes did little to comfort him. “Don’t you dare die on me.” The man’s head rolled onto his shoulder, but there was no response. “Ash!” he begged before hauling him up and dragging him to the group.
Near the pillar, Mureln and Izkynder looked up at the fourth figure to emerge from the unexpected portal and stared. “Terrence?” the boy asked with uncertainty.
The Illaini Githalin’s eyes, one now a deep blue, the other a lighter green-gold, stood out against darker hued skin with a distinctive copper hue. He managed a small, reassuring grin, brushing a shock of dark hair streaked with the metallic coloration of the na’Zhekali. “Sorry I took so long to get here.” His smile faded as he looked over the bard, gaze falling on the dreadful wound around the crossbow bolt. “Mureln, can you walk at all?” The bard shook his head, jaw clenched tightly.
Lips pressed together a moment. “Nachalya!” Terrence called over his shoulder. He focused his attention on the pillar as the strange, four-winged avian swooped toward them. A white glow enveloped her body as she returned to her humanoid form.
Her bird-like wings folded across her back as she knelt by father and son. She glanced up at Bella and Jaison. “Take the boy to the portal. I will aid this one.” When they did not move, Nachalya added with growing exasperation, “The land is about to burn. You do not want to be here.”
“Burn?” The two traded a frown.
“Dzee and Anibu reached out to me and Seeker,” Terrence stated mechanically as he stood with his palms against the rust-colored stone, head bowed. “The Raging One intends to purge the corruption that has seeped into the Blighted Lands. He did not know until we got here how bad it had gotten since the massacre. To say he is furious to learn what now dwells here diminishes his anger.”
The pillar began to tremble, cracks racing up and down the column. Chunks of rock fell in a cloud of dust as the ground under their feet bucked without warning. From the heart of it, Etienne stumbled into Terrence’s arms. He looked up in bleary confusion. “Tristan?” He touched the Dusvet Guardian marks on his cheek. “You…live? You serve…the betrayers?”
He smiled faintly. “It’s complicated.” He frowned when his portal abruptly slammed shut. A heartbeat later, another one yawned open, Totani flooding out and lighting into the monstrosities. Seeker turned and ran toward the new exit without hesitation while the divine servants distracted the twisted creatures. He stopped by Nolyn, helping him with Ash. “Go! The Raging One is here!” In the distance behind him, a column of molten rock spewed skyward and took the shape the dragon god.
Glowing cracks spread across the ground, racing into the distance as far as the eye could see and chasing them into the portal. Just as the last of them entered, the sound of a volcanic explosion and searing heat pushed them through the rest of the way. They tumbled out into a remote region of the Rumblelands where Dzee and Anibu awaited them.
The pair of Totani sealed the passageway, the echoes of enraged draconic roars going silent. Izkynder cried out, reaching towards the empty place. “No more die!”
“Our brothers and sisters will be fine,” Anibu assured the fretful boy. “Portals are for mortals or those Totani too weak to cross between realms. They do not need them to return home.”
“Good.” Bella knelt with a gentle smile holding her arm toward Izkynder. The boy threw his arms around her neck, sobbing from the turmoil of emotions that overwhelmed him. Jaison stayed by them both, leaning on his quarterstaff for support.
“We’re back?” Nolyn asked, keeping his hold on his unconscious brother tight. “In the Rumblelands?”
“We are,” Terrence replied. He sighed, closing his eyes as he leaned on a boulder with Etienne. Nachalya dropped the crossbow bolt she removed from Mureln’s shoulder after finishing healing him. With nervous uncertainty, she moved nearer to the young man, gaze lowered subserviently and shied away from the two Totani. He put a comforting arm around her. “I hope no one expects me to write a report on all this. There is not enough paper in all Forenta.” A small smile played at the corners of Terrence’s lips as he watched Nolyn from the corner of his eye.
The other mage stared at him for so long, the others began to laugh. After a few moments, he finally joined them.
Nolyn startled awake at a touch on his shoulder, cracking his head against the rock wall he propped himself against. His swearing caught in his throat when he met Storm’s eyes. With a surge of hope, he looked past her. The brief moment of hopefulness died when he saw Ash laying unmoving on the sleeping palette by hers still. He fought back grief and guilt. “I’m surprised there isn’t someone hovering over you. Where are the others?”
“Father is holding court to decide what to do about Thandar, the Trisari, and their daughter.” He looked up to see the crooked, wan smile she had as she gazed toward the cavern exit. “And Terrence and Mosir. There must be repercussions for what they have done.”
“’Repercussions?’ Why?” He frowned, affronted at the idea. “Would they rather you both have died? And Star? Star told me she would have-have died if she lost me.” He fell silent when she put her fingers over his lips.
Storm smiled. “Of course not. But if you can show me a dragon who doesn’t mind someone telling him what to do or forcing him to alter his perceptions, I will grant Father is being more difficult than he needs be.” Her smile faded. “He has waited so long for things to change. Now that they are, I think He is not ready.”
Nolyn grunted, rubbing the sore place on the back of his head. “Your father should learn to make exceptions now and then.”
“But if one exception is made, how could denying another be
justified? There can be no favorites. Father is a god. The Totani are divine servants. We…they have responsibilities that mortals cannot fathom.” Both looked over when Laurel started making sounds of waking up where she napped by Keaira and Aiden. “Your daughter is hungry. I promised Star I would see her fed.”
The moment he noticed Storm struggling to get to her feet, he jumped up to offer his assistance. He refrained from commenting on how cold her touch was. She noticed his consideration and smiled her appreciation. “Thank you. Taylin won’t say, but I think it will be many years before I regain my strength.”
“How close were you to—” Nolyn bit his tongue. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up what happened.”
“Too close. Citali held me while I stood on the knife’s edge.” Storm’s low voice hinted at her emotions. “I fought him, but I was already too weak from what I had done to myself. Otherwise, I may have slipped from his grasp. Even Father cannot reverse death without risking imbalance, and He had done too much already for me.”
The mage settled beside her, watching as she shifted the girl to nurse. Eyes fixed on his daughter, he caressed her hair in silence. “This is the first time Laurel and I have been separated from Kiya. I mean Star. It is, ah, more daunting than I thought it would be.”
Storm smiled faintly. “Your first day in Desantiva was less than welcoming. Anyone who faults you for having reservations about being alone is lacking wisdom.”
Nolyn squinted at her. “You know some of the Totani have been rather critical of my nervousness.”
“They are not wise in all things, either. No one is.” She smiled more at his chuckle. “It is good to hear you laugh again. Citali says your lifemate worries after you.”
“I know. Sharing the lifemate bond with her, I understand so much more about why Ash…” his voice drifted off. He clenched his right hand. Storm covered it, squeezing in comfort. Her quiet, uncharacteristically gentle tones made him flinch outwardly.
“He won’t die.”
Nolyn averted his eyes in shame. “I know.” He winced when he felt her touch his cheek.
“Hide your heart from the world if you must, but don’t lie to yourself. I feared I would lose him, too. He will live. Longer than I will if he stops trying to act like me.”
“Are you sure? You aren’t just saying that to make me feel better, are you?” Under the false sarcasm, his desperation bubbled up. He looked up when she took his right hand, rested the back on her knee, and pushed his fingers flat. She began rubbing the star-shaped scar with a rhythmic motion. His eyes closed as calm seeped through him.
Weak, but undeniable, he felt the flicker of Ash’s soul. His eyes popped open with a gasp. He stared at Storm. “How did you…”
“You were thinking too much to feel him. It is an old family trick to calm one too caught up in their mind or heart.” She sighed, averting her eyes but not hiding her resigned anguish. “I will have to learn to live without him near as you had.” She explained to his puzzlement. “He won’t be able to return to Forenta. He overextended himself, like Almek had. He must go back to the Timeless One to recover.”
He tilted his head. “It will not be forever.”
She turned a sad smile to him. “For a Guardian of Time? No. But he will not be there to see Aiden and Keaira grow up. If not for my responsibility to teach your people about mine and our children’s need to be where they can learn how to use magic, we would go with him.”
“Actually, I don’t think he’ll need to,” Nolyn began slowly, rubbing the tender spot on his head. She frowned at him. “Funny thing happened in Forenta while you were in Fortress…”
THE DRAGON GOD lounged on His side in the sandy pit where He had once been chained, drumming the claws of one forefoot, the tip of His tail lashing. His eyes rested on the group standing before him with the rest of the Totani and the humans sitting in the half circle behind them. “I do not know where to begin.”
Thandar averted his gaze. His feathers no longer gleamed gold, still tattered and dull from the ordeal of his impaired bond. “Please give any punishment You intend for Nachalya or Thesrial to me, my lord. Neither are at fault for what happened. Thesrial never broached Your borders and Nachalya did not choose her birthright. I alone am responsible for everything that happened.”
Both looked at him in horror, each taking one of his hands. “Father, no! You are too weak still.”
“Thandar, I can endure any punishment,” Thesrial began, speaking at the same time as their daughter. Everyone cringed when the dragon roared His impatience.
Desantiva snorted, baring His teeth. “Perhaps you have been Aelia’s Githalin too long. You are picking up some of her more aggravating traits, such as wanting to take all the burden of others onto yourself to spare them.”
Standing on Terrence’s other side from the other three divine servants facing the god’s judgment, Mosir made a sound of disgusted annoyance. “You say this like it is a bad thing, lord father,” He looked away with childish petulance.
The dragon god focused His attention on the drizar Totani, His brow lowering with a scowl. “I have forgiven you for not returning to Me when you awakened because you have ensured Aelia remained safe despite herself. But that does not change the fact you are a divine servant. You cannot remain in the mortal world indefinitely.”
“Then I will stay with her until she chooses to return as Zhekali.” Everyone cringed at the dragon’s irritation, though Mosir remained defiant.
Steam rose from Desantiva’s nostrils. “You know very well that is very nearly the same thing! Aelia has no intention of choosing to be immortal again.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Lord Desantiva!” Terrence interrupted, surprising all those present. “I believe there is some leverage that can be wielded to convince the ancient trinity to concede to allow some…flexibility in the divine laws.”
All eyes focused on the young Illaini Githalin mage. The dragon’s tail thumped the ground as it lashed with more energy. “Speak quickly. My patience is thin, Tristan.”
“Terrence,” he corrected.
“It is obvious you reclaimed your birthright through your Forentan magic by embracing your past life’s memories,” Kailee rumbled in her chest. “You look exactly like him. Even to the unmatched eyes.”
“To free the A’tyrna Ulan, I needed to have the physical traits of one. I looked back into his memories with Nachalya’s help so I could alter my body to mimic that of Tristan’s, but my mind is still my own.” He glanced at the six others. “Tristan’s siblings could not help me because the original spell had altered them and I needed a pattern to guide them back.” He leveled a steady look on the feline Totani. “Just because I can access a past life does not change who I am now.”
“It makes him more,” Dzee stated, her pride evident.
He smiled at her then lifted one of the necklaces from his neck, holding the pendant in his palm. “But that is unimportant. Ending this web of torment and deceit is, and that requires You hearing what Thandar had hidden from all of you to suffer alone.” He met the dragon god’s eyes without flinching. “Each time Zhekali’s reborn soul neared the time of her death, he would leave the Rumblelands to grieve in private.”
The dragon bared His teeth. “Then why did he not return when your tribe broke that cycle?”
“Ask him.” Terrence did not flinch at the god’s growl of irritation.
Thandar did not speak for some time, his shame unmistakable. “I was told if I did not seek Aelia out, she would choose to return to her place as Zhekali. That it would have been…better to let it end.”
“You would have died if the Githalin bond remained as it was, regardless of Aelia’s choice.” Citali crossed his arms. “Possibly been unable to be reborn at all, if your soul survived. The weave of souls is not so simply separated. We lose part of ourselves when our human partners pass as it is.”
“Tell me.” The dragon’s head lowered, a snarl curling his lip. “Who told
you to do that?” The god’s voice was low and dangerous. “Who dared endanger My daughter and risk oblivion for one of My servants?” When he did not answer, the dragon bellowed, “Who?!”
“The Changing One!” Thandar could not raise his eyes when rock crushed under the dragon’s clenching claws. The Totani traded expressions of shock, dismay, and growing outrage. “Aelia suffered for thousands of years. She fought rebirth so hard every time Avarian returned so he might live a normal life. Right before the end, she would remember…everything. She knew, and she faulted herself as weak.” He exhaled. “I thought it would be best because all the years of her suffering were my fault.”
Desantiva’s head drew back, his anger turning to confusion. “Your fault? I ordered you to be her Githalin and share her lives. And deaths.”
“To protect her! But I did nothing that would have ended her torment. I refused to admit only the outlander mortal Zhekali loved could heal her soul.”
Thandar shook his mate and daughter’s hands from his arms. “And when I finally accepted that, I still did nothing! I never stood up to You and said she had to find Avarian reborn, or suggested to her about going to the outlands, knowing she would have been brazen enough to argue with You. I never dared confront You. How many times did she in this life alone, believing herself to be a normal human?”
Thandar dropped to his knees. “As a Githalin, I am a disgrace, my lord.”
The silence lengthened until the dragon god lowered his head, bumping his nose against the avian Totani. “I would be the disgrace if I did not accept responsibility for My part in her torment.” His demeanor hardened. “But the ancient trinity has much to answer for. For Their hands in your unnecessary suffering and Aelia’s.”
“Indeed.” Terrence knelt, placing the necklace on the ground. It began to glow, three orbs of light appearing. “Mistress. Order. Chaos. I have discovered several sources of harm to the great balance.”
See, Sister? Time was right to entrust this task to him. He is truly Zhekali’s heir, the Changing One stated. The Unchanging One’s response was a reluctant grunt.