by Kyrja
She found herself eventually drawn to the piles of rubble that had been the gigantic shields used to send energy to Sov. She found herself torn looking at the millions of tiny pieces. She was glad they were gone, so they could never be used to hurt anyone again, but she also found herself surprisingly sad, because the people could have used them to speak directly with Denit, and she was all alone now. Nieva didn’t think Denit would like being alone.
“What is what?” Vray asked, smiling at her.
“That thing on your arm. It wasn’t there before,” she told him. She had already known that she was right, but the expression on his face when he said it confirmed that it was new, and that he hadn’t known it was there. He held his arm away from himself as soon as he saw it, looking frightened, then he looked angry for a moment, as if he was mad it was there, and finally, a long moment later, he drew a deep breath, putting his lips together. Nieva knew the expression meant that he had accepted it was there, as well as the meaning behind it.
“It looks like a green vine,” she volunteered. “Like a tattoo that isn’t a tattoo,” she added.
Vray’s mouth formed a half-smile, then he shook his head saying, “You see everything, don’t you?”
“A lot,” she agreed, “but not everything. Did Denit give it to you when she used magic to destroy the shields?”
“I think you may be right,” Vray agreed. “What do you think it means?”
She was quiet a moment, while she was thinking, putting pieces together. She knew he had his own thoughts in the matter, and was asking to see if she could figure it out without being told. “You’ve been a Fire Tender your whole life, always taking life away from people, because that’s the way you were made. But since Denit is the Sun Goddess now, she wants everyone to have better lives, so she has changed you so that you give life to others, instead of taking it away. And,” she continued, “I think she put it on your left arm because it is closest to your heart, so you will remember to use your heart in your work.”
“Ha!” Vray barked a note of laughter out loud, giving her a real smile. “You do see everything!”
“Do you know what else I think?” she asked him.
“I can’t imagine,” he chuckled.
“I think that instead of calling yourselves Fire Tenders you could call yourselves Megami,” Nieva told him. “It’s a very old word that means …”
“Hands,” he supplied, making a smile race across her face. “I listen too,” he nodded at her with a wink. “Maybe even Megami no te,” he suggested, thinking out loud.
“Hands of the Goddess?” she asked, then smiled again. “I like it!”
“Will you be staying here, in Nohoyo?” he asked. “We could use someone smart like you.”
“No,” she shook her head. “My Grandmother the Goddess will be lonely. I need to visit her, and my grandfather, too. But not at the same time.” She paused then, looking down with a thoughtful look on her face. “I hope my mother will come back so I can see her too, but I’m not sure if she will.”
“Who is your mother?” Vray asked, looking around, realizing he automatically assumed such a young child would be accompanied by her parents.
“Her name is Hadia. She is really my grandmother, but she raised me, so she is my mother too. She was with Giya when Denit changed into the Firebird, but then she changed into a hawk and went to save her from Sov and Lumas, and she hasn’t come back, so she might have gotten hurt or died.”
“Oh,” Vray said, blinking rapidly. It was disconcerting to have a child talk of her mother’s probable death with such calm fortitude. “Let’s go find your grandfather. His name is Oculis, yes? Perhaps he will know.” He held his hand out to her, grateful to have something purposeful to do, and genuinely concerned for his new, young friend.
* * * * * * * *
Finally, it was beginning to get dark out. The sun was “setting,” and soon her brother would rise for the first time as Raito, his light shining for all to see. It would be the first sunset and moon rise Siri Ventus had seen in hundreds of years through her own eyes.
Chapter Twenty-Four – Epilogue
Hadia turned the flatbread over on the griddle, stirred the beans, then reached for the pitcher of sun tea she’d made yesterday. It was good to be home. Her husband, Moyo was still outside, but would be in to wash his hands shortly before joining her for dinner. Later, they would walk under the moonlight as they often did these days, their fingers entwined as they made their way through the village, talking of small things. They would have time now. And so they took great pleasure in spending as much of their days and nights together as they could. Before long, the moon would wane and Raito would call upon her again, to be his eyes. He didn’t like the dark time, when the moon seemed to be hidden from this part of the world. Even though he shone with brilliance at all times, this, he’d told her, was his favorite part of their world. And he didn’t like being alone then.
It was during those two or three nights each moon cycle that she knew he would be there, with her, watching the world through her eyes. It was a small price to pay in thanks for his having saved her when she was exhausted beyond measure when she’d been left alone in the skies above the planet when he had taken Lumas’ place. No matter that he had been the one to abandon her there, she had been responsible for her own actions. Nor did she mind flying through the night in her hawk form. Siri would be waiting for her to arrive, of course, somehow feeling as though she was closer to her brother because she was there.
And she’d seen that Nieva was thriving under Siri’s care. Hadia smiled to herself, still surprised her granddaughter was such an amazing young woman. She still called her “mother” though, because her “Grandmother the Goddess” didn’t like it when she called her “grandmother.” Clever girl. She hoped Aidena would join them before too much longer, even though she knew it was a foolish wish. She was helping to re-establish Rhian’s rule in Bila, and likely wouldn’t return for a long time.
“There you are,” she smiled at Moyo when he kissed her cheek, then turned the flatbread over again, making sure it didn’t burn.
* * * * * * * *
Transforming his hand into a claw, Kani cracked open the nut he’d found growing earlier, curious as to whether it would be bitter or sweet. As he crushed the nut, he remembered he had wanted to talk to Borja about bringing in some scallops and a few other things he missed from the sea, here to Nohoyo. The work on the water tunnel leading to two of the seas was progressing rapidly, now that Savaar had been convinced to help them. Kani was pleased to find that he’d been right. He could easily live out of the sea in human form, as long as he was able to return to the water from time to time. Fresh water wasn’t as bad as he’d thought it might be, but once the tunnel under the sands was completed, he thought he might return to the sea for a while. More Bahari were beginning to make their way to Nohoyo, and some who had stayed after Denit became the Sun Goddess were leaving. He would miss Umi the most, but it was good to have choices, so he couldn’t begrudge her decision to leave.
Borja was still quiet and what he would call “secretive,” not to mention far too vague as to what she was planning, but she didn’t answer to him, so there really wasn’t much he could say about it. Still, he would have preferred if they could have established a closer friendship, but that might still come in time. He was amused to find that as a human, he craved more interaction with others than when he’d been a crab. He had mostly wanted to be left alone while in his crustation form. He chuckled to himself, happy to find that he was actually beginning to enjoy people. He sobered when he thought of Shio though. She had become very quiet after Denit had transformed into the Sun Goddess. After a bitter argument with Savaar, she had left, walking off into the desert. He often wondered where she was, and hoped she would come back before long.
Spitting the pieces of the nut out, he decided it was too bitter after all. Shrugging, he transformed his claw back into a hand, knowing he would have the chance to find so
mething new tomorrow.
* * * * * * * *
The woman walked along the beach, delighting in the waves washing over the tops of her feet, and sometimes as high as halfway to her knees. Her long hair was alternating between whipping in her face and flying behind her, depending on how the breeze moved. It was nearing sunset, so anyone watching her probably would have assumed she wouldn’t be there much longer, even though she was obviously enjoying herself, by herself, perhaps lost in her own thoughts.
The woman in question purposefully avoided looking over her shoulder at the city by the sea, remembering the last time she’d stood here, on this beach. Of course, it was a simple matter to determine she was exactly where she’d been that last time, given that the wound in the earth left by Denit was still an obvious scar on the land. At least it had stopped vomiting sand, and the people from the city had begun cleanup efforts. The beach would never be the same again, though. Too much sand had spilled from the wound, raising the sand level to an alarming level. She wondered what Giya would do about it, or if she would leave it alone for the sea to eventually reclaim. The Earth Goddess was a difficult one to predict with any certainty, she knew. Especially these days.
And her apprentice/heir had his hands full. She doubted poor Eruitt would be making his way to the city by sea any time in the next couple of years, while he mastered his new role the hard way. Giya had left him untrained, uneducated, and unready for the most part, she knew. But he had been quite willing, so perhaps that would make enough of a difference. Perhaps, when he’d had more time and experience, she would offer her own services in helping him. But it was too soon for that. He would be both suspicious and frightened.
Amphedia turned herself back towards the sea, walking deeper and deeper into the water until she disappeared from anyone who might be watching from the city. There was a quaint little underwater cove she knew of that might serve her purpose for a time. Unless Jarles had decided to make his home there. If so, she would leave him alone and find another place to rest and heal. Giya really should have given control of the seas to him, she thought for the hundredth time. With her buried somewhere recovering from the loss of Lumas and Jarles hiding himself somewhere from the rest of the world, it was quite possible something unexpected might happen. She smiled to herself as she allowed her human-like body to dissolve into water.
* * * * * * * *
“You know who that was, don’t you?” Easif nudged her companion.
“I know who I think it was,” Ishtar replied.
“Why do you suppose Amphedia would be here?” she asked. “Everyone thinks she left the planet after defeating with Sov.”
“Maybe she was homesick?” he suggested.
“Or maybe she’s here to cause trouble again,” Easif countered.
“But she doesn’t control the seas anymore,” Ishtar pointed out, “so maybe it doesn’t matter. Besides,” he added, “maybe she already had a talk with Giya or Eruitt or something, and so she has permission to be here.”
“Permission?” Easif scoffed “Do you honestly think someone like her – a goddess like her – is going to ask permission to do something? To do anything? Not likely.”
“Well, what are we going to do about it?”
“I think we should tell someone,” she replied, “I just don’t know who. Maybe the high priest or something?”
“Okay,” Ishtar agreed, shrugging. “If you think it will do any good, go ahead.”
“Tomorrow morning,” Easif decided. “We’re going to be late for dinner if we don’t get over there soon, so it can wait until morning.”
“I really like Yeni, but I think he’s pretty scared,” Ishtar told her, as they started to walk back into the city.
“They’re always scared when they first arrive; that’s why we’re here,” Easif reminded him. “I wish they would stop coming in from the desert though,” she sighed.
“Me too,” Ishtar agreed. “Jarles was already named as the “Savior,” so they should stop soon.”
“I know,” Easif agreed, “but he was more than twenty years old when Amphedia named him as her heir, and there were a lot of boys born between the time he was born and the time Amphedia accepted him, so there are still going to be a lot of them coming for years to come.”
“At least they’re not alone when they get here now,” Ishtar smiled. “And most of them are pretty helpful in getting all this sand out of the city!” he chuckled.
“Come on,” Easif smiled in return. “Let’s get moving. We still need to decide whose roommate Yeni is going to be.”
* * * * * * * *
It was dark in the vast cavernous-like space once known as the Shield Room, and utterly devoid of all human occupation for the first time in a very long time. Even those who had been removing the debris of the most-incredible devices ever created were absent, now that night had fallen. The suggestion had been raised that the building itself should be destroyed, because no one could possibly look upon it without the memory of what it had been used for affecting them in way that caused distress. Hundreds of thousands of lives, perhaps more, had been cruelly snuffed out inside its walls. Another suggestion had been made to transform it into a place where children’s laughter would ring out, in an effort to transform the vile memories into new ones. Let a new beginning rise from the ashes of the old, one enthusiastic observer had suggested.
Very little time had passed, though, since the Sun Child had risen to take her place above them. One day, the new leaders would decide what to do with the building one way or another, but today was not that day. This evening, as Raito, the Moon God began his silvery ascent, trailing in the glorious, fiery wake of the Sun Goddess, new life stirred outside of the temple which housed the Shield Room.
When she was falling to the planet, Denit had fumbled with the crystal while in her Firebird form, her talons scraping three small slivers from the body of the crystal. Like her, they had been wrapped in the “blanket” of magic Honsa and his fellow Mezhdu had created. Unlike Denit, these three tiny pieces had gone unnoticed amid the chaos accompanying her return, falling, unchecked, onto the ground. Landing separately, each had bounced in different directions. With dozens of people gathered together, each had been stepped on, kicked, and otherwise moved many times, unseen by the men and women who had caused their movements. When each had finally come to rest, they lay inert, unobserved, and unlooked for.
Until now.
Two of the shards began to quiver, as if taking on lives of their own. The third remained unmoving. By the time the full moon had reached its pinnacle in the night sky, the shards had grown into human-sized pieces. Before the sun rose again, the crystalline casings had cracked and splintered, releasing their precious cargo.
There are times when those among us cling so fiercely to the past it seems as though their memories walk with them. Rarely does one possess the means to cross the barrier between what is and what was in order to reanimate that which has been lost to time. Denit, though, with the crystal which held all the memories of every man, woman, and child who had ever lived upon the planet, had been determined to bring back her son, even while she was transforming into the Sun Goddess. And so did Jonath hold out his hand to Drena as she emerged from the remains of her crystal shard, a look of bewilderment and disbelief on her face. A short time later, no one saw them as they walked hand-in-hand into the desert together, leaving behind nothing but the crystal shards and their footprints.
* * * * * * * *
“I like these new chairs you got,” Tyran told Honsa, sharing a smile with him. For his part, he was pleased to see her smiling more often these days, no matter that she was still prone to be argumentative.
“It’s nice to be able to have all four of us sit down instead of only two at a time,” Ceirat agreed to quiet chuckles all around.
“Is there any more soup left?” Honsa asked Ordan.
“It’s wonderful. I want to make sure to get every last drop,” Tyran said, reaching for another chun
k of bread.
“Thank you,” Ordan smiled, getting up to check the pot. A moment later he said, “Just enough for one more bowl. Who wants it, or should I share it out?” he asked, just as an unexpected knock came at the door. Looking at each other, as if to ask if anyone was expecting another visitor, Honsa got up from the table to answer the knock, as they each shook their heads negatively.
“Do you have enough for me?” Denit asked, letting herself into the house. She laughed, delighted at their stunned expressions. “I told you I would come when I understood how,” she explained. “I was just waiting until you made more of your wonderful soup.”
Glossary
Ahadi – “Promise” in an ancient language. Eternal beings Lumas has used to keep Giya safe.
Alqamar – “Moon” in an old language; most commonly used to describe a type of flower which only blooms at night.
Arak – An alcoholic beverage.
Bahari – Race of individuals who live in the sea. May be part human and part sea creature.
Baraka - Blessing
Bila – Empire south of the desert.
Campania – A group of desert people traveling together who may or may not be related.
Candentis Vine – A rare fruit-bearing vine which grows only in arid/desert regions only propagated by those cuttings which give off illumination after harvesting of the fruit is completed.
Fire Tender - People of Nohoyo who are born with the ability to suck the life out of one thing to transfer it to another living thing. The term is a bastardization of an ancient title for those who were to tend fires through the night so that the others of their clan or family would be safe and warm.
Havah – A type of plant which can be used as an intoxicant. Often used for ceremonial and/or religious purposes.