Wilith had been instructed to return with her answer. A bad idea since he has recently been appointed the next Premier of Idronatti. She affixed her seal to the envelope. Picking it up, she leaned her elbow on the table, stared at it, and contemplated her next move. If I send Wilith back to Idronatti, he’ll be one more tool in the hands of the rebels . She set her reply aside. I’ll get the message there by other means.
Voer had also spoken with her. She must send the information he and Mondago had gleaned from Nissasa’s soldier to Shu Chenaro immediately.
Elcaro’s Eye had shown her WoNa in Sebborr hands and Allynae… She shuddered. The picture of him on the water’s surface had chilled her to the bone. I wish I had kept him here until after the fountain was reestablished.
She flipped over the envelope and stared at the seal, a raven in flight. How I wish you were here, Karrew. Your practical advice always helps me sort out the most difficult parts of a puzzle. Life has certainly become that—too many riddles to unravel, too many pieces that don’t fit together.
She reviewed her conversation with Wilith. His true motive for coming to Myrrh to find her had been the most vexing and totally unexpected. Nissasa makes Seyes Nomed look like a saint. I cannot afford to underestimate his hunger for power or the means by which he intends to achieve his goals.
Zugo loved Veersuni. the window with its expansive view of this sector of the Inner Universe always filled him with awe. His thoughts as he watched a shooting star streak across the sky, however, were mixed. Esán, Torgin, and the twins are in danger in another dimension—on another planet. I really want to help, to be there with my friends. Instead, here I am trapped, incarcerated in Veersuni.
Elae joined him, her different-colored eyes glowing in the faint light. “DerTah is no place for a DeoNyte, Zugo. The heat would destroy you within hours. You can help the most by staying alive and healthy. There are things we can do here.”
“I know. It’s just…” He shook his head. “I feel helpless, useless.”
“We aren’t useless or helpless. We can monitor Elcaro’s Eye and report to Almiralyn. We can even ask questions and see if it will give us some answers.”
Water bubbling made them hurry to the fountain’s side. A haze floated above its turbulent surface. As it cleared and the image of a face began to float upward from the bottom of the bowl, Elae pulled Zugo back into the muted light in front of the velvet curtains. The evil face—the dark hair and square cut beard, the eyes filled with a lust for power, and the cruel sneer that twisted the mouth—made him cringe. Beside him, Elae whispered a series of words and clapped softly. The image dissolved. Water dripped from the carved statue’s upturned palms, its sound in counterpoint to his throbbing fear.
Elae’s serious expression made the hair on his neck rise. “Go warn, Almiralyn. She’ll know who the face belongs to; she’ll know what to do.”
He needed no urging. Yanking the door open, he dashed through the Reading Room and down the Hall of Priestesses. In the Cave of Canedari, he paused for a moment to catch his breath before the long trek up the Stairway of Retu Erath. Sure wish I could shape shift like Esán. When he reached the landing, he glanced back. The stairway seemed shorter than usual, but then it’s never the same . Trotting down the tunnel, he thought about the image…the cruelty and malice. I sure wish Father had allowed me to stay and listen to Voer’s report. More than anything though, I wish I were with my friends.
The great horned owl swooped from the Nervac Portal and landed in Human form in the Dojanack Caverns. Nomed swung around, his attention riveted to the whirling vortex. Where’s Gerolyn? She should have been right behind me.
A DeoNyte male stepped from the shadows. “You are Seyes Nomed?”
“I am. And you are?”
“I am Sitrio. I understood the Guardian’s emissary was coming with you.”
Nomed paced back to the vortex. “She was right behind me. If she doesn’t—”
A raven shot over his head and landed. Gerolyn appeared, her green eyes flashing. “The soldiers at the portal are Nissasa’s. A short distance from their camp, four of Lorsedi’s men were staked out in the sun to die. I couldn’t leave them there.”
Nomed’s eyebrow shot up. “How do you know they were the Largeen Joram’s?”
Her chin lifted. “Lorsedi would never leave anyone to die in that fashion.”
“Tell us what happened. I’m sure Sitrio would like to know, as well.”
“I created a small sand storm and released Lorsedi’s men. Fortunately, only one of them was unconscious. Nissasa’s soldiers were running around like scared rabbits. You’d think they’d never been in a sand storm before.” She gave a disdainful laugh and grew serious. “I left Lorsedi’s men hidden near the portal and came here. They are outnumbered, so I doubt they can take over the gateway, but they might manage to get back to Shu Chenaro.”
Nomed shook his head. “You are quite a woman, Gerolyn.” He gave her a mock bow. “We’d better find Almiralyn and make our report.”
“Allow me to escort you to Yookotay.” Sitrio prepared to take the lead.
“What about the portal?” She peered at the faint spin of the vortex. “It shouldn’t be left unattended.”
Two DeoNytes stepped from the darkness.
“As you can see, the gateway is well guarded.” Sitrio nodded to his men and led the way down the tunnel, across the Central Square, and through double doors into the anteroom of the council chamber. “Wait here. I’ll inform Yookotay and Almiralyn of your arrival.” He disappeared beyond the door.
Nomed looked at Gerolyn. “You are a woman of many surprises. I was preparing to return for you.”
“I know. The time differential between DerTah and Myrrh is a good thing. Otherwise, we might have collided in the vortex. I couldn’t leave them, Seyes. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
He was about to answer when Sitrio appeared with Yookotay. The ReDael acknowledged Gerolyn with a smile before his penetrating gaze came to rest on Nomed’s countenance. “When last we met, Seyes Nomed, we were fighting as enemies. I am honored now to fight at your side. Welcome to Meos.” He offered his right hand palm up, his left on his heart.
A rush of feelings left Nomed speechless. Placing his palm on Yookotay’s, he touched his heart and bowed his head. When he raised it, he saw only respect and welcome in the ReDael’s light blue eyes.
Yookotay indicated the door. “I’ll stay here with Gerolyn. Almiralyn awaits you in the room to the left of the council chamber.”
As the door closed softly behind him, Nomed crossed to the round table at the center of the large cave and rested his hands on the smooth wood. He counted twelve gemstone markers equally placed around the table’s circumference. A sapphire that matched the one Yookotay wore on a gold chain around his neck gleamed between his hands. A pang of guilt made color warm his face. He had stolen Zugo’s Pendant of Ascendance, the sapphire that matched his father’s, during the battle to destroy Myrrh and Almiralyn. In his pocket, the weight of the pendant pressed against his leg. I must find an opportunity to return it.
A door opposite him opened. The Guardian of Myrrh, backed by the light in the cave beyond, watched him from eyes hidden in shadow. His hands fisted and then flattened against the table. A knot in his throat forced him to swallow. The heartbeat pounding in his ears made him exhale the breath he had drawn with the opening of the door.
She crossed to the table and stopped opposite him. “There is no way I can undo the damage my unjust banishment caused you, Davin. I can only express my gratitude that you are here today.”
The quiet of the room following her statement filled him with a sense of peace. He had no words to express what her apology meant to him…to Davin, the small, abused boy within who had begged so long for relief from his pain. His rage cooled. It would take time to extinguish it completely, but today the flames died to embers, leaving him lighter and freer than he could ever remember.
He walked around the table. She sol
emnly placed her palm on his and touched her heart and then his. “I pledge to fight by your side, Seyes Nomed, and to honor you as my ally and friend.”
The word friend sounded strange from this woman. It rolled around his mind and settled in the void in his heart. Warmth radiated throughout his body. He took a breath and touched his scarred cheek. “I pledge to fight at your side, Almiralyn, Guardian of Myrrh. I honor you as my ally and…friend.” It was said. He smiled.
She blinked away tears. “Thank you, Seyes. I suggest we call the others. We have much news to share and much to do.”
She slipped into the antechamber, leaving him time to collect his thoughts. It crossed his mind that confronting her sooner would have made his life simpler. It would also have made it different…him different. He caressed the scar and remembered when he had cut his cheek with a shard from the portal mirror. He had done it out of anger and hurt. That turning he had gone numb. Today, the feelings that had begun emerging with Esán’s appearance in his life surfaced fully and settled. Again he touched his cheek. Henceforth, this scar will remind me to embrace my life and my emotions…to be true to myself .
He gave Almiralyn a slight nod as she reappeared with Yookotay and Gerolyn and walked briskly to the table. Behind them trouped Sparrow; the Theran major, Jordett; Pentharian Yuin and Voer; Esán’s Aunt Merrilea; and Sitrio. A dark-skinned man he did not know was the last to enter. He had expected Somay and Allynae, but there was no sign of them.
Almiralyn moved to the side of the stranger. “I’d like to introduce a recent member of our company. This is Wilith Whalend, Torgin’s father. He has information for us. Yookotay has offered his council table. I suggest we sit and share our knowledge.”
Nomed joined the others. Opposite him, Torgin’s father cast an anxious look around the table. Nomed felt a flash of sympathy. He’s definitely out of his element. Bet he hasn’t left Idronatti since he visited Myrrh as a child. Nomed fingered the ruby marking his place. Well, Wilith Whalend, you’re not alone. The Unfolding is shaking the foundation of all our lives . He noted with a small smile that not long ago those gathered around the table had been his enemies.
Jeet’s carnelian scales glowed in the late afternoon sun, a beacon for the Nyti Matrés. Kieel carried a message from Tinpaca Mondago. One of the men on guard duty was a traitor.
Skirting the Demrach Gateway, he landed on a branch by Jeet’s head. The Pentharian’s eyes narrowed. “Trouble?”
“The man to the right of the portal is one of Nissasa’s. Stay alert.”
Mumshu and Ashor zipped into view. Kieel waved them forward and introduced them. “If you need help, send one of them to the Tinpaca with a message. I’m off. Take care.”
He darted away through the trees. The tension hanging over the woods rubbed his nerves raw. When the trees were this quiet and the birds stopped their constant chirping, he knew something was amiss. Tinpaca Mondago had already imprisoned Cantruto and his two cohorts. Five rebels were missing. The one at the gateway would be apprehended when his watch ended. Kieel felt certain that would be too late.
Skimming just above the level of a tall Human, he searched the forest near the gateway. His sharp eyes caught a subtle movement in a gully between two hills. Zipping to a maple branch, he hid under a large leaf. Five men in full battle gear huddled below. At their leader’s signal they spread out, flanking the gateway on both sides.
Kieel shot through the trees, warned Jeet, and headed for the RewFaaran camp. With one traitor at the portal already, Lorsedi’s man didn’t have a chance. He flew straight to the tent, where Mondago and Stee were discussing battle tactics, and hovered by the table.
The Tinpaca held out his hand. “You look harried. What’s happening?”
Kieel landed on his palm. “Your five missing men are on the move. They’re headed for the portal. Jeet is keeping an eye on your loyal soldier, but he can’t hope to handle six men—the five and the one on guard duty.” He fluttered to the tabletop.
Mondago strode to the entrance, talked quietly to a young soldier posted there, and returned to the table. Within minutes Grantese Tesilend strode into the tent and saluted. His gaze flicked to Stee and back to the Tinpaca.
“You need me, sir.”
“Take some men and secure the gateway.” He provided him with the details. “Do what you have to do, Tesilend. We can’t afford to let any of Nissasa’s rebels use that portal.”
“Yes, sir.” He did an about face and departed.
Stee flipped his braids over his shoulder and stood up. “I think Jeet might need some help.” He shifted to a dragonfly and shot out the entryway.
Mondago shook his head. “What a strange time.”
Kieel lifted into the air. “I’ll go as well. I’ll send one of the Nyti to you if anything goes awry.”
He darted through the open and streaked toward the trees, hoping it would not be too late for Lorsedi’s soldier.
From the branch of a tall oak tree, he watched Mondago’s men moving with cat-like stealth, covering ground much faster than he had expected. Demrach Gateway was a good distance from the camp. He zipped ahead.
At the vortex, Jeet remained hidden. One Pentharian against six men would be suicide. Kieel shot down and informed him of the Tinpaca’s plan. A dragonfly hovered and shifted.
Stee knelt beside his comrade. “I’ll keep to this side of the gateway. You take the other one. Use serum to numb the traitors. I’m sure Mondago will want to question them.”
“And if I have to use venom?”
“Do what you have to do to protect the portal, Jeet. Good hunting.”
“Good hunting, my comrade.”
Jeet shifted and shot away on iridescent wings.
Kieel followed Stee’s panther form. Like a forest shadow, the big cat slipped from tree to tree. A muffled cough brought it to a halt. Couching low, it waited, its ears swiveling, its nostrils wide.
A man broke cover, zigzagged his way to a large stump, and squatted behind it. The panther vanished. A small brown bat shot after him. Tiny teeth sunk into the tender flesh at the base of the man’s neck. He sank to the ground in a silent heap.
Stee shifted to his natural form, hefted the man over his shoulder, and carried him deeper into the trees. After concealing his weapons, he left him hidden in tall ferns and underbrush.
Again, the bat appeared and flew soundlessly through the woods. A second soldier dropped to one knee and drew his weapon. He gave a soft whistle. An answering whistle made him adjust his course. Creeping forward, he crouched low and strained to see through the dense forest growth. He flinched, grabbed his neck, and folded to the ground. Stee materialized and stuffed the weapon in a hollow beneath a log before he gripped the man by the armpits and dragged him deeper into the woods.
With a hummingbird’s speed, Kieel dodged between trees searching to see how many of Nissasa’s traitors remained. He spotted three clustered together, camouflaged by a group of short needled pines. He flew closer.
“I’m telling you, something in these woods is hunting us,” one of the men murmured.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” their leader said sharply.
The first man scanned the trees. “Where are the others? We made it on time. Why didn’t they?”
“Shut up, Stich, they gotta be close by. Let’s move.”
The three separated. The one called Stich to the right, the other two to the left of the vortex. They were closing in fast.
On the camp side of the clearing around the gateway, Mondago’s men had made good time. Their orders had been clear. Nissasa’s men must not use the portal. If it meant killing them, so be it.
Kieel shuddered at the thought. Life in the Terces Wood has become far too dangerous .
51
ConDra’s Fire
DerTah
A t Eissua Oasis, dusk leached the landscape of color as One Man and Corvus followed Narrtep along a trail that crawled up the side of the outcropping. They had left Nichi behind with WoNa’
s recuperating snake. Danger stalked them, and they stalked it. She would be safer hidden in her tent.
Narrtep hunkered down behind a ridge of sand and rock. Corvus crouched next to him. One Man held back, his senses searching like a bloodhound after a scent. He discovered men up ahead. Frenzied-anger buzzing around them warned him emotions blurred their judgment. He knelt beside his companions. “Trouble up the trail.”
Corvus nodded. “Sebborr or RewFaaran?”
“Can’t tell.”
Narrtep motioned for silence, stole up the trail, and ducked beneath an overhang. Edging his way forward, he peered around a large rock. His quick retreat and silent descent back in their direction held a warning. Apprehension formed a lump in One Man’s throat. The expression on Corvus’ face told him he shared his heightened concern.
Narrtep knelt and whispered. “On the far side of the ridge is a sacred site, one used for celebrating the desert spirits. Your friend is there. The men holding him are from the LaTiru, a nomadic tribe who believe in blood sacrifice. They worship WoNa and the Oracle Stone and will do anything to find them. She is one of their deities.”
The lump plummeted to One Man’s stomach. “You think they plan to sacrifice Allynae?”
He nodded.
One Man looked at Corvus. “Options?”
Corvus whispered, “Shift and see what we can learn.”
One Man motioned up the trail. “I’ll go. If I call, come running.” He crept to the overhang, shifted to a desert lizard, and scurried from one clump of dried desert vegetation to the next until he reached the outer edge of a circled-throng of unkempt and ragged men and women. The scene turned the lump in his gut to ice. His telepathic message to Corvus held a warning and summons.
The UnFolding Collection Two Page 42