“Better than that, I will escort you to her coach. I believe your servants await you there.”
She placed a hand on his arm and glanced at the smooth side of his face. “You were a handsome man before…” Acerbic sympathy dripped from her words.
He limped beside her down the hallway. “I have learned to live with my differences, Roween.” Guiding her out the front door, he handed her into the coach, where Tissent waited with a patient smile and an aura of tranquility. “I will see what is keeping the Dreelas. Take care of yourselves and stay safe.” A quick bow and he withdrew into the house.
The door to TheLise’s rooms stood ajar. He stuck his head inside. “TheLise?”
She appeared at her bedroom door, sent her serving woman out to the coach, and smiled a sardonic smile. “That RewFaaran woman is going to drive me insane. She is the most hateful, spiteful, self-serving—”
“You, on the other hand, my dearest TheLise, are the most wonderful woman on DerTah.” Wolloh took her hand and pressed it to his lips.
“Oh, Wolloh, you are…” She shook her head. “There are no words to describe you. Is the hornet in the coach?”
“She is. Listen closely. I will be setting wards as soon as you cross the border into Trinuge. Keep Roween focused on anything but Shu Chenaro. Tissent will help. Take care of yourself, TheLise. Roween Rattori is, as you so aptly noted, a hornet. She will do her best to destroy you if she catches even a hint of your true intent.”
“I’ll be careful. I will not underestimate her as I did her son. Be in touch when you can. Tell Seyes he’d better come and rescue me. See me to the coach?”
He took her arm and drew it through the crook of his elbow. “I am in your debt, TheLise. I know you would prefer to be here.”
They reached the front door. “You take care of yourself, Wolloh.” She swept out into the courtyard, checked to make sure her luggage was arranged to her specifications, and allowed her footman to hand her into the coach. After seating herself across from Roween, she leaned out the window and waved.
Wolloh watched the coach pull away, his heavy sigh of relief obscured behind a wall of mental shields.
Torgin wanted to curl up in a corner and cry. The news about his mother had left him feeling empty, alone, and more frightened than he could ever remember. Yaro had been wonderful. His friends had listened to the news with shocked expressions and sworn to help. Now the small, private study, hidden and protected by wards, was filled with too many people. Wolloh explained that it was always shielded and the only place at the ranch where they could talk safely.
He glanced around the room and counted thirteen people, including himself. The only one missing was Corvus. One Man had told them he was on the way to rescue Nichi. When she was safe, he would return to Shu Chenaro. Torgin thought about his arrival in Nesune ruins and how he had helped to save Yaro. If I needed rescuing and Yaro could not come, Corvus would be my first choice.
A dull headache made him rub his temples. He sighed, dropped his hands to his lap, and looked at Esán talking quietly with his father. Ira and Brie sat on either side of Allynae, their faces animated and happy. Allynae said something. Brie laughed and leaned her head on his shoulder. What would it be like to have my father with me? He couldn’t image Wilith Whalend being comfortable in this room. But then he couldn’t imagine him in Myrrh either. I’m so glad I have Yaro.
Wolloh tapped his cane on the floor. The buzz of conversation in the room ceased. All eyes turned toward the High DiMensioner. “Gathered here are some of the best minds in this solar system.” His good eye roamed the room. “I have some decisions to share, and we have decisions to make.” He paused.
Torgin’s hyperactive mind wandered. How am I going to rescue my mother? We don’t even know where she is?
Ira elbowed him in the ribs. “Listen up, Torg.”
Shooting him a dirty look, he returned his attention to Wolloh.
“One Man and Allynae have offered to find the Oracle Stone and return it to WoNa.” He nodded their direction and continued. “Lorsedi has already dispatched a guerilla troop to secure the desert portal, a step vital to our success. Voer brought word that Jordett and Mondago would deal with the situation at the Five Towers in Myrrh, which takes that situation off our already full plates.”
A murmur of relief traveled the room. Somehow, nothing so far made Torgin feel better.
The crystal knob on Wolloh’s cane glowed. The High DiMensioner glanced down. When he looked up, his expression was grim. “Coala Renn Whalend is being kept on an island off the shore of Geran. It is only accessible by water. From what we can determine, there is a small contingent of the Geranian Guard stationed there. She will be safe as long as Nissasa believes we are unaware of her presence in DerTah. The minute we turn our interest in that direction or Lorsedi dispatches troops to Geran, he will do one of two things…”
Torgin swallowed.
“Move her…or kill her. We have to act with extreme caution. Coupled with that, we have five things in this room that he wants—the Compass of Ostradio, the knife Efillaeh, Brielle, Esán, and Desirol.”
The panel in the wall slid open. Tinpaca Granier stepped through and hurried to Lorsedi’s side. The Largeen Joram’s face hardened. A commander’s authority filled his voice. “Nissasa’s soldiers are closing in on the border. I suggest we conclude our meeting and prepare to defend ourselves.” He put a hand on Desirol’s shoulder. “I need you to do whatever Wolloh believes is best. Don’t fail me, son.”
Desirol’s posture took on a military stance as his father followed the Tinpaca into the passage behind the wall.
Corvus hid at the outskirts of the LaTiru encampment. A mental search had shown the Dansgirl, Nichi, imprisoned in a tent not far from its center. He carried an orange stone, a sign to the tribe that the Atrilaasu Oracle was safe. Unsure what his welcome would be, he reviewed his options. Prepared for all contingencies, he pushed his hood back and walked into camp. LaTiru tribesmen appeared from all sides and forced him to remain within their ranks. A messenger darted ahead to warn the LaTiru leader.
The man who had spit in Allynae’s face waited for him in front of a shabby tent, his arms folded across his chest, his knife sheathed at his waist. “Release him,” he barked. “You bring news of WoNadahem Mardree?”
“I bring you a sign and a message. She is safe with her people.” He held up the orange stone. “She sends this as proof of her freedom, and she asks that you release Nichook into my care.”
The leader cradled the stone in his hands. His tongue poked in and out through the gap created by two missing teeth. He sucked in a breath and placed the stone on his heart. Eyes closed, he began to hum. Tribesmen joined him, crowding closer. The humming intensified and grew louder. The heavily hooded eyes snapped opened. Silence weighted with anticipation filled the camp. He slipped the stone into a pocket beneath his filthy kcalo and withdrew the knife from its sheath. Resting the tip against Corvus’ chest, he bared blackened teeth. “You are a man of much courage.” He raised the knife above his head. “The man speaks the truth. Bring the girl to me.”
Corvus kept his face blank. A threat in the man’s stance shouted a warning. The knife, still unsheathed, caught the sunlight and gleamed. The crowd parted. A man pushed Nichi ahead of him. Keeping his distance from Corvus, he passed her to the leader.
“A sacrifice to the Oracle Stone must be made in gratitude for the rescue of WoNadahem Mardree.”
“Sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice” chorused the crowd.
Fear flooded Nichi’s eyes. Corvus moved an unobtrusive step in her direction. The crowd shouted louder. The leader slashed the air with his knife. “Who will pay the debt?”
“Sacrifice, sacrifice,” the tribesmen chanted. A frenzied edge crept into their voices. “Sac-ri-fice.”
The leader grabbed Nichi by the arm and pulled her to him. “Sacrifice to the Oracle Stone!” He raised the knife higher.
Nichi yanked away from her captor and th
rew herself at Corvus. The crowd howled as he caught her and flashed out of sight.
By the overhang at the top of the outcropping at Eissua Oasis, Corvus held Nichi while she buried her face in his kcalo and sobbed. When she raised her head, he motioned for silence. A brief scan of the area had informed him a small group of Sebborr hid near WoNa’s cave.
He leaned close to her ear. “Is there another way into the caverns?”
She dried her tears and smothered a hiccupped sob. “I show.” Creeping around the overhang, she sprinted past the sacred site where the LaTiru had held Allynae and dropped to her knee behind a stocky taccus tree. Corvus knelt beside her. She pointed to a group of tall, angular oragasu some distance away. “We go there. Stay low. Move fast.”
She darted away, dodged around rough patches in the terrain, and vanished into the small, prickly forest. Corvus arrived to find Narrtep and no Nichook. “Thank you for bringing Nichi home. I have sent her to her family. WoNa says you are needed elsewhere. Come to her when time allows.”
Corvus shook the man’s hand. “Sebborr hide near WoNa’s cave. Stay safe.” He shifted and flew east, hoping to make the ranch before dusk.
With Lorsedi’s departure to oversee his troops, everyone’s attention returned to the High DiMensioner. Wolloh could see the questions in their faces and hear them pounding against his brain. He ran the palm of his uninjured hand over the head of his cane and viewed the room from beneath lowered lids. Two things need to be accomplished immediately—Nissasa’s soldiers must be prevented from overrunning Shu Chenaro, and the children must be removed from harm’s way. Nissasa knows exactly where they are. His fingers caressed the crystal’s smooth roundness. Whatever we choose to do next must not only push the enemy back, but must also obscure the departure of the children from the ranch.
He leveraged his tired body to standing. The anticipation in the study deepened. “I’ve come to a decision that will entail the assistance of everyone in this room, as well as Corvus. It is vital that we put up wards around the ranch. By combining our power, Nissasa will find it difficult to break through. Once the wards are in place around the arena, we will widen their breadth to include the entirety of Shu Chenaro’s land. I know we can’t sustain them for long, but they will buy us some time.” He paused a moment to allow the import of his words to sink in. “Removing the children to safety, or at least away from here, is tantamount. This will occur after the wards have reached their expanded level. The children will teleport, their energy trail erased by the breadth of the wards. I will also shield Efillaeh and the Compass of Ostradio, making it next to impossible to track them.”
A wave of fatigue made him clasp his cane with unsteady hands. “It is time to take a brief break. Omudi and Thaer have put their tails between their legs and stolen away with their retinues, and TheLise has departed with Tissent and Roween.” He smiled at his Major Domo. “Stebben has arranged for a meal to be served in the conference chamber and will take you there. Esán, please remain with me.”
When the room had emptied, he eased his aching bones onto a chair and leaned his forehead on the knob of his cane. He straightened and flexed his clawed hand. “Pull up a seat, boy. We have much to accomplish.”
Esán rubbed the new growth of fuzzy hair on his head. Somber blue eyes narrowed. “Are you alright, sir?”
Wolloh forced a smile. “Merely feeling my age.”
Esán positioned a chair opposite him. “I need to return to Myrrh and teleport Evolsefil back to the Cave of Canedari. How can I do that and help Torgin to find his mother?”
“Almiralyn sent word that, for the time being, Evolsefil is safe. CheeTrann and Paisley will take care of it. Rescuing Coala Renn Whalend is vital. You will find her. Then you will take her to Myrrh.”
Esán sat back and stared straight ahead. Again his eyes narrowed. “So much to accomplish, and time pushes hard at our heals.”
With a touch of nostalgia, Wolloh observed Nomed’s nephew. He remembered Seyes when he first arrived at Shu Chenaro…his talent, his anger, and his desire to achieve. Esán resembles him in many ways. Fortunately, being angry is not one of them. And he carries dual Seeds of Carsilem. He is young for the task at hand, but he has the talent to carry it off. If he fails… Wolloh clutched the crystal knob. Failure could not even be considered. He locked his good eye on the boy’s face. “I have a vital job for you, Esán. Listen closely.”
57
ConDra’s Fire
DerTah
B rie glanced up as Esán preceded Stebben into the Conference Chamber. Stebben paused by the door, his eyes on her. The Star of Truth tingled. Finishing her last bite, she excused herself from the table and followed him down the hall.
Stebben opened a door and ushered her through with a slight bow. Two leather chairs sat side by side in front of a fireplace. Wolloh’s dark head leaned against the back of one.
“Join me, Brielle. We have much to discuss and very little time.”
She hurried to the chair next to him and studied his smooth profile. Happy to be seated on his ‘good’ side, she noted the intensity of his gaze and felt the seriousness of his expression even before he faced her.
“You, my dear, are about to embark on another journey in pursuit of your destiny. Your skills will be honed and your abilities challenged. It is time to awaken your gifts fully. I don’t have time to explain them all. You will discover them as you need them. However, two things you must remember. The power of a DiMensioner is increased with practice and use. Never forget that the desire to serve magnifies that power.”
Her heart beat hard in her chest. “Are you suggesting that I’m a DiMensioner?”
“I am telling you that you have the gifts. When The Unfolding’s cycle is complete, you will become my apprentice along with Esán.”
The throne of ReNin RepPosu flashed into her memory. Wolloh’s face…
He nodded. “I see you remember. Good. Kneel in front of me, and we will awaken your power. Almiralyn gave you the Stone of Remembering. I will need it.”
Brie touched the Star of Truth. It responded with a warm flow of energy down her spine. Kneeling in front of the High DiMensioner, she removed the blue stone from its velvet pouch and placed it in his hand.
“You must trust me without question, Brielle. Close your eyes and clear your thoughts.”
For a brief moment, she kept her eyes on his face. Her lids lowered. His fingertips rested briefly on her temples. The coolness of Almiralyn’s gift touched her forehead. She became aware of each tiny particle composing her body, each synapse in her brain, and each molecule of air as it traveled into her lungs. WoNa’s face appeared and faded. Her mother and father…Ari…Almiralyn…Gerolyn…Lorsedi…her heritage surged through her veins until she thought she would drown.
Soft words called to her. “Brielle, open your eyes.”
Heavy lids lifted. Her eyes rebelled against the light. A touch on her forehead awakened her fully to Wolloh’s serious face.
“Please stand.”
Using the chair arms to steady her trembling, she pushed herself to her feet.
“How do you feel?”
She swallowed. “Shaky.”
“Sit down and rest.” When she was seated, he returned the Stone of Remembering and handed her a goblet of water. “Sip it slowly, and pay close attention while I explain what happens next.”
When Brielle returned to the conference room, Ira noted a flush in her cheeks and a brightness in her eyes he had not seen earlier. She had gone straight to Gerolyn, and the two of them had left together. He wished they had invited him. Instead, he sat tracing infinity signs on the conference table. A tap on the shoulder interrupted him.
Stebben stood by his chair. “Wolloh would like to see you. If you’ll come with me.”
Scrambling to his feet, he followed the Major Domo into the hall. “At least someone wants me around,” he muttered.
“I beg your pardon, Ira?”
“Ah…nothing, Stebben. Just tal
king to myself.”
“I see.” He opened a door. “Wolloh awaits you here.”
Ira entered and glanced around the room. Its comfort welcomed him.
A voice from one of the chairs by the fire invited him to have a seat. He rounded the chair and stared at the distorted side of Wolloh’s face.
“Please sit, Ira. We have little time.”
Curiosity won over his inclination to disobey, and he plopped down in the chair.
Wolloh’s opaque eye seemed to drill a hole in him before his good eye caught the gleam of the dying fire. He lifted his cane and tapped the crystal.
Ira yawned and leaned back in his chair. When he opened his eyes, fragments of strange dreams clung to his memory. “What did you do?” he demanded.
“I put a shield around Efillaeh and placed important information in your subconscious.”
“What kind of information?”
“You will know when you need it.”
Ira contemplated pushing for an answer, but the look on Wolloh’s face stopped him.
“Go join your friends and be ready to help Esán later today.”
“Yes, sir.” He rose from his chair.
“Take care of yourself, Ira.” Wolloh’s serious expression made him pause.
“And you, sir.” Troubled thoughts tumbled through his mind as he left the room.
Torgin poked at the food on his plate. His appetite had vanished with the news of his mother’s abduction. Only the assurance that others would take responsibility for the Five Fathers kept him from fretting about them, as well. The people involved in this are smart and powerful. I have to trust them to do what must be done . A few cycles ago, he had known none of them. Now they were the most important people in his life, after his parents, of course. My parents…my poor father must be so worried about Mother. A shudder of dismay squeezed his throat tight. How am I going to rescue her?
The UnFolding Collection Two Page 48