The door swung open.
"What's happening today?" Amelia straightened and wiped her brow, forcing herself to sound cheerier than she did.
"Heading out to Dekaulb to pick up half a side of beef for the chest freezer." Uncle Joe strode inside. The years had been fairly kind to him here. He'd gone almost entirely silver-white by this point, but he was still in relatively good shape with the same quiet presence. "Figured I'd bring you back some if you wanted. Maybe some pork as well." He nodded toward the slowly rotating heavy bag. "Still training?"
"What else would I be doing?" Amelia opened the cabinet and pulled out a couple glasses. "Want anything to drink?"
"Not unless you've started stocking sugar again."
Amelia shook a small black canister and smiled. "Just for you."
Uncle Joe's smile broadened. "All right then." But that smile faded as he looked around the room. "You haven't changed this place much since you moved in, have you?"
Amelia opened the fridge. The soft light shone on all the different options. She had mixed up a tomato, kale, spinach, and cucumber smoothie that morning. She poured that for herself but knew better than to offer it to Uncle Joe. For him, she pulled out the pitcher of unsweetened tea, poured a glass, and passed it to him with the sugar bowl. "I don't need much. This suits my needs just fine."
"Actually, I don't think it does," Uncle Joe said. "Thanks." He added two spoons of sugar into the tea and stirred it, occasionally scraping the bottom. "I was just thinking today about how long it's been."
Amelia's chest tightened. "Me too."
"And this is your life, hon. You need to start living it more. All you do is train and work and sometimes sleep. At least I hope you're sleeping. But you've got to stop acting like the Tue-Rah could take you any second."
"It could though." Amelia took a sip from her glass. The rich blend of flavors quenched her thirst, but it soured in her stomach. The knot was back in her throat too. "I…" If she said too much, she'd probably cry. Swallowing, she set the glass down and started again. "This isn't my home. I don't know when I'm going back, but I have to believe I will."
"Amelia, I don't know what to tell you. It's been far longer than I ever thought it would be. And with the Tue-Rah, you just never know how time will pass. Sometimes it takes you and time passes the way you think it will, and then other times, no time has passed at all. It's all a big confusing muddle. I don't know how you can anticipate which way it's going to be. The one thing I do know is…well, Amelia, this is your life. I don't want you to spend it all waiting."
A heaviness fell over the room. His words only splintered her heart further. "Do you think He's forgotten me?" she asked softly.
"Elonumato?" Joseph frowned.
Amelia nodded. "Or maybe replaced me?"
"I'd think He'd tell you if He did. But that doesn't mean you aren't supposed to make the most of what time you've got here. It might be time for you to start thinking of this as your home."
They had talked about this in part before, but right now those words burned. The conversation drifted to other topics when the awkwardness made it too heavy to bear. And when at last Uncle Joe left to run his errands, Amelia realized how afraid she was that he might be right, and she might spend the rest of her life in this place.
But how could she let go now? It was a cruel joke. If she wasn't ready and she was taken, her lack of preparation might make others suffer. But to be prepared meant not really settling in here, and…
Amelia covered her face. Cold shudders passed through her. "I'm too far in to give up now," she murmured.
The sun had already disappeared and night had come before she finished showering off. She began her nightly ritual, stretching and getting dressed so that if she was taken in her sleep, she'd be ready. Clean black jeans, black fingerless gloves, a soft red camisole, clean socks, and hiking boots. All her holsters for her throwing knives and her handgun as well as a boot knife and a dagger. Not to mention a few other essentials.
She brushed her hair back and covered her forehead with a thick hairband. Since it was night, she didn't put on any makeup, but she tucked her eyeliner into her bra as usual and then fastened her Neyeb necklace about her neck. The stone still gleamed as bright beneath the light as it did when she had left Libysha, but she had had to replace the ties several times over the years.
She reached for her black leather jacket but stopped. The bite marks from Claudius were still there in the sleeve. She couldn't sleep in it tonight.
Crossing to her closet, she pulled out a slim black duster. It wasn't as protective, and if she got taken tonight, she'd probably regret it, but after all that had happened, she wanted to think of Claudius as little as possible.
"Maybe I'll take a walk," she murmured. Not a run. She was too worn for that. She picked up her satchel from the banister and headed out the door.
A full harvest moon hung in the sky. Moths fluttered around the porch light, their taupe wings sometimes blurring they moved so fast. Her hand started throbbing again. Not much, just a small reminder of her stupidity with the scorpion. She couldn't even see it when she held it up to the dull gold light.
As she continued down the path, she veered off into the nearby woods. The oaks, maples, elms, and ash cast their shadows along the leaf-strewn ground. The crisp air smelled faintly like a distant bonfire and fresh apples hanging heavy on the branches of the Woolf's orchard. Amelia sometimes came out here to train and practice climbing. Tonight though, she just wanted to walk.
"Amelia, where have you been?" A voice came from behind her, startling but soft.
Amelia turned, but she saw no one. It sounded like the voice of a man. There was something soothing about it, unlike the voice in her nightmares. And she knew the speaker. Somehow. "Hello? Who's there?"
"When you left Libysha, you were not old enough to receive your Ayamin band though the mark was cast. The one that holds the symbol of the Third Nalenth." The voice came from within a deeper portion of the woods.
Amelia looked around. "Who are you?" Her heart beat faster as excitement built within her. If she knew this person, it was from a long time ago. "How do you know about Libysha?"
"I am Leonas."
Leonas! Elonumato's Ambassador. She had heard of him when she was in Libysha, and Uncle Joe had mentioned him as well. He carried all of Elonumato's powers but having an appearance most similar to an Awdawm. It was him. No one could mimic his form.
Amelia turned, excited and frightened at the same time. "Did you bring me my bracelet then?" she asked. "Is it time for me to go back? Elonumato hasn't replaced me?"
"Your band is not needed, but be cautious of the Neyeb necklace. Understand that if Naatos sees that necklace, he will know who you are. Do not let him know until you understand what he is and what all this entails. And do not doubt. You fear you are not ready. You are ready for what must be done. But things will not go as you anticipate. This time, when you go through the Tue-Rah, keep your eyes open. Listen to it. It has much to reveal to you."
Amelia looked around. The voice seemed to be coming from behind her now. "Leonas, wait. Talk to me!" But as she spoke, a light appeared down by her feet. It swirled up, expanding like a growing candle flame. The Tue-Rah! It was beautiful and unlike any other light she had seen. She didn't remember this from the first time, but perhaps her fear had blinded her. The Tue-Rah engulfed her like a purifying flame. She closed her eyes as the light intensified, not out of pain but out of instinct.
No, she thought. She forced herself to open her eyes. The light continued to swirl around her like water flowing through a river. Despite this movement, she remained motionless. It hummed so softly she could scarcely hear. What was the Tue-Rah going to tell her?
She looked out and around, seeing movement beyond the light. Peering through, she saw darkness, silky darkness like ink flowing across a page. And then she saw it. The beginning of time. Somehow she just knew it was the beginning.
The Tue-Rah, ever moving, eve
r present, flowing through the dimensions like time itself now flowed through her. With her eyes open and her ears listening, she understood as the Tue-Rah spoke in pictures and representations.
All around her images streamed past. Cities carved from mountains, layered in bricks. Double suns hanging over a yellow and grey wilderness. A speckled moon rising above a churning vermilion sea. A beautiful jungle with waterfalls bursting through granite and onyx. Then there was a man kneeling over a woman, his face pressed into her bloodied shoulder. Battalions of warriors lined up, shapeshifters, elementalists, stone masters, and more. They charged and attacked on a flat plain between thirteen mountains and a river so deep it had layers of currents. Children in little caps played with a blue-banded snake in a dirt path. More and more images streamed past her as if she was in a river, relaxed and watching. Then, all at once, it faded to outward blackness and inner light once more.
Amelia blinked, and when she opened her eyes, she stood in a large empty room, the strong scent of dragon scales, blood, sesame oil, smoke, and burning wool striking her.
9
The Palace
Amelia stood still, heart racing and mind twisting with terror and hope. She was back! Back in the palace. How long had she been gone?
Her feelings collided within her ranging from joy to terror to amazement, each one demanding attention.
A deep roar cut through the night. Crashes and cracks resounded. Running to the window, Amelia peeled back the thick purple curtains to peer out. Across the way she saw the Hall of Memorials. Not a single window remained intact. Grey and white smoke spiraled up. Water rushed and gurgled inside. Roars and crashes sounded from the Hall of Memorials.
Amelia stared out in shock. She glimpsed a green dragon tail. Everything was as it had been on the night she had left. The bodies in the courtyard, the shattered Hall, the scorched stone. Naatos and his brothers were here, and they were tearing apart the fountains. Looking for her. Looking for Inale. No time had passed at all.
Footsteps sounded nearby. Amelia hid behind a couch, her sleeve and glove snagging on the frame and tearing off. She kept her attention focused outward, tugged her arm free, and put her hand on her gun. Three mercenaries passed the open doorway on the far side of the hallway, hauling out more bodies. The fresh stench of blood struck Amelia hard. Her chest tightened. Covering her mouth, she struggled to push back the tears. But there was no time for that. She was finally back. But where should she start?
The vibrant tapestry on the far wall moved. It was a slight movement at first, as if someone was testing the strength.
Amelia froze, her eyes locked on it. Surely Naatos's mercenaries wouldn't be coming through the secret passages.
The tapestry slid back with a soft swoosh. Shon and Matthu stepped out from behind the sapphire and gold fabric, weapons in hand, expressions guarded. If she had needed any more confirmation, there it was. This was almost precisely when she had left.
"Where is she?" Matthu asked.
"The Machat said she'd be here." Shon held his tomarang at the ready, but as he emerged, he dashed his other hand across his forehead, lingering on a red mark.
"Too bad he had to say it with that rock," Matthu muttered. "I still don't know why he hit you with it."
Amelia's breath caught in her throat. Though she recognized them at once, it was so strange to see Shon and Matthu once again. Matthu was much shorter than she had remembered, only a few inches taller than she. But she knew either or both could kill her if she startled them.
Sliding out from the shadows, she spoke in hushed tones. "Shon, Matthu, don't shoot. I need to talk to you."
Both turned, their javelin and tomarang pointed at her. "Who are you?" Shon demanded.
"My name is Amelia—I mean, it's Amelia now. But it was Inale." Amelia lifted her hands and emerged into the narrow path of light that escaped the curtains.
Matthu's mouth fell open. Disbelief shone in his light-brown eyes. He smiled slowly. "That Machat was right." Despite his words, he kept his javelin raised.
"They usually are." Shon lowered his tomarang.
Amelia opened her mouth to speak, but she looked into Shon's eyes and became rooted in place. Something clicked inside her, and a rushing sensation filled her, pulsing in her elmis and sending an intense realization. Only then did she realize that her headband had come loose and her left glove was still on the floor, leaving two of her elmis exposed.
Darting back, she snatched the glove up. She then adjusted her headband to protect the elmis on her forehead and slipped her glove back onto her hand. Though the familiar pressure returned, the emotional awareness remained.
It was as if she had known Shon all her life and always loved him. All of him was laid out before her, complete with strengths and flaws but taken in all at once and incapable of discernment or sifting.
Stop, stop, she thought. She hadn't spent decades on Earth to come back and get a crush. She'd never let herself develop deep romantic feelings for anyone on Earth. What was happening now? The heat crept into her cheeks.
Shon cleared his throat, his face similarly flushed. Small beads of sweat lined his forehead. "That Machat said the Tue-Rah would bring you back here and that you'd be older. Strange…"
His voice, a pleasant low tenor, sent shivers down her spine. Amelia closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head. What is happening to me, she wondered. "Yes, it is strange," she said. The intensity lessened as she opened her eyes once more. "I'm surprised you aren't asking me to prove who I am."
Shon laughed a little. It sounded more nervous than relaxed. "The Machat told us where you'd be and what you would be wearing. Even what your new name would be. Seems if a prophet gets that much right, we can assume he'll get the rest of it right too."
Matthu nudged Shon with his elbow. "You all right?"
"Absolutely." Shon hadn't stopped looking at her yet.
Matthu frowned, his brow creasing.
"So I'm going to assume that you weren't able to get to Plaohi since you're here." Amelia forced herself to get back to the more important matters. How well Shon filled out his green and brown uniform was irrelevant. As were his beautiful stormy sea-blue eyes with flecks of silver and green, and his close-cut beard and golden-brown hair that curled ever so slightly about his ears. She folded her arms over her chest. "Has Naatos taken over the palace or did the Machat you met reroute you?"
"You've got a pretty good memory after being gone so long," Matthu said with surprise.
"It's one of the only things I think about," Amelia said, as much to herself as to them.
"The more you remember the easier it'll be for you to get back involved." Shon closed the passage door as Matthu slipped to the main entrance and closed it too. They all moved to the center of the room as Shon continued. "As far as Plaohi, we don't know if anyone got there. No one got to the beacons. The lower tunnels are all cut off. These Paras are smart. Somehow they seem to know most of our secrets."
"Unfortunately for us," Matthu added.
Shon nodded in agreement. "The passage to Plaohi is completely cut off, and they're pouring water into the underground tunnels. The upper ones aren't going to be in much better condition. We barely got through, and I don't think we can go back that way. Supposedly Naatos wants to release a few dozen hook-fanged spiders in there."
Amelia shuddered. That was more than enough to ensure her thoughts were in the right place. Hook-fanged spiders were about the size of wolves and significantly more aggressive. Their size alone was enough to make them terrifying, but they were also venomous and inclined to attack anything that moved. "Let's avoid those if we can." She rubbed her arm to push away the creeping tingling sensation under her skin. "What about—"
"Before you ask about your family, I'm afraid they didn't escape," Shon said. "I don't think anyone has actually gotten out of the palace, and we were the last of the Ayamin out on maneuvers to report in."
"Too bad we didn't listen to Perez." Matthu folded his arms, t
hen let them fall to his sides before he drew his hand over his mouth. "He said something was wrong. A few of us might have gotten through to Plaohi or the other outposts."
"There's no sense in thinking about what we could have done," Shon said, his tone grim. His expression became more somber though, and wrinkles formed around his eyes and across his forehead. "We could have done a lot of things differently."
"Has anyone seen my parents and Josiah though?" Amelia asked. Her heart clenched. It had been so long since she had seen them. And now…all those hours she'd prayed for them…She hoped Elonumato had listened. Her voice was tight as she spoke again. "Do you at least know if they're safe?"
"No." Shon reached out to place his hand on her shoulder, then hesitated as if rethinking it. "But that doesn't mean…Naatos needs your father alive. He's the First Nalenth. So Naatos will probably keep the queen and prince alive as leverage. And there's no reason to torture them."
Matthu peered out the window, lifting the curtains slightly. His jaw tightened. Reaching up, he pulled the cord of the next layer of curtains and dropped them down. Darkness swathed the room. "They've ki—"
"We can't think about that now," Shon said sternly. "Now obviously, Ina—I mean, Amelia was brought here because we're supposed to stop Naatos. Even kill him and his brothers. Maybe we're going to do it tonight. I don't know, but the fact that the Tue-Rah sent you here right now means something important needs to be done. Matthu, we need some light. Crack the curtains. Don't look down."
Matthu did as Shon instructed. In the broad swath of silver moonlight, his face was pale, the muscles in his face, shoulders, and hands tight. He intentionally kept his gaze averted.
Amelia guessed what he saw. The bloody executions of those in the courtyard. A flash of guilt stabbed through her. These had been her people. Good men and women. People she should have saved. She had managed to put it aside after many long and painful nights. Yet now she only cared for her own parents and Josiah. It struck her then that Matthu was probably looking for Linufe, his and Shon's father.
Identity Revealed: The Tue-Rah Chronicles Page 9