The World of Samar Box Set 3

by M. L. Hamilton

  “No, when there’s danger it gets hot and you must remember how it glows. This is a vibration that I’ve only felt around other gems.”

  Jarrett studied the rock formation. “I don’t see any glow.”

  “I know.”

  “In fact, I keep hoping to see the glittering dirt that Jax told you about. A few times, when we were on the other side of the mountain, I thought I caught something, but when I looked directly at it, nothing was there.”

  “I thought the same thing, but Jax was clear. He got it on his hands and clothing. His clothing shimmered he said.”

  Jarrett gave her a reassuring look and tucked a curl behind her ear. “Maybe he came up a different trail than we did. We just haven’t been in the right location yet. And we haven’t started to look for the plant he drew. One of them might recognize it.” He nodded ahead to where the white skinned creatures had reappeared, watching them from the edge of the rock formation.

  The one farthest to the left turned and pointed into the distance. Tyla noticed for the first time that none of them had a strand of hair on their heads. In fact, she couldn’t tell them apart. Their facial features, their overly large eyes, all appeared identical.

  “I’ve never seen anything like them in my life,” she whispered.

  “Can you still hear them?”

  “Yes, they talk almost incessantly. Can you?”

  “It sounds like buzzing to me, as if insects were zipping through the trees above our head. As long as they keep their distance, it doesn’t hurt as bad, but it’s annoying. Do you actually discern words?”

  “Think of a language you don’t know. You can’t understand the words, the meanings of the sounds, but you recognize the regularity of it, the pattern. You don’t mistake it for anything but language, right?”

  “Right.”

  “This is the same. I can’t understand the words, but I know it’s language.”

  “How much farther do you think we should follow them?”

  She rubbed her hand across the back of her neck. Her skin felt hot and tight to the touch. “I think we’re in too deep to think of backing away now. We follow them until they stop.”

  “All right,” he answered, hoisting both of their packs on his shoulder, then he reached for her hand.

  She didn’t pull away. His touch in hers was oddly comforting. She linked her fingers with his and followed after him, trying to ignore the way her legs ached or the pain in her back that radiated from the base of her neck all the way down her spine.

  They crossed around the rock formation and entered a densely wooded expanse of land following the base of the mountains. A straight trail cut through the wood, paved on either side with stones. The wood crept up to the edge of the trail and then stopped. The trees grew together over their heads, creating a tunnel of green. Ahead of them glided the tall, black robed figures.

  Peering around them, Tyla could just make out the curve of the dome they’d seen from the top of the mountain. Its pale green sides reflected the light and shimmered. The black robed figures passed through the tunnel of foliage and emerged into the bottom of the valley.

  Tyla and Jarrett followed them, stepping out of the coolness of the forest into the brilliant light of the day. Her legs trembled and her spine ached, but she was captivated by the sight that spread before them.

  Across a field filled with rock formations rose a doomed city. What had looked like an amorphous mound of green was actually individual domes, connected to one another by narrow, enclosed walkways. One massive structure dominated the lower end of the valley, as wide across as ten wagon teams and as tall as the soaring pines behind them. Its curved walls glowed in the sunlight, looking like bottle-green glass; however, it was opaque. To the left was a vast arrangement of smaller domes, some no larger than a room in a Temerian house and others big enough to hold an entire stable.

  The white creatures continued on to the dome city, but Tyla and Jarrett came to a halt. The sight was more than Tyla could absorb at once and for a moment, she forgot how tired she was, how badly she felt.

  “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” said Jarrett in a voice that thrummed with awe.

  Tyla couldn’t answer.

  As the four black robed forms moved toward the city, a door opened in the cylinder-shaped walkways and a number of smaller creatures stepped out. They bowed low to the black robes, then moved aside so the black robes could enter the dome.

  Once they disappeared from view, Tyla felt their consciousness slide away. Jarrett shook his head and breathed a sigh of relief.

  One of the new creatures approached. Tyla guessed he was male by his body build and the hard angles of his face. He wore loose fitting trousers and a tunic in a green that nearly matched the color of the domes. His skin was also a pale green, luminescent, and he had the largest black eyes she’d ever seen. There was no distinction between the pupil and the iris, and while similar to the eyes of the black robes, his were round spheres, not oval. Running from the scalp-line to the back of his neck was a band of white hair, so ethereal it almost resembled feathers.

  He stopped a few feet away from them and bowed low, his hands pressed together. “Dem-vinto ao Delure,” he said, straightening.

  Tyla marked that Jarrett’s hand was on his sword hilt. “I think he’s greeting us,” she offered.

  “That’s all good and well, but I don’t know what the hell he just said.”

  “At least he’s speaking. No more bleeding eyes.”

  Jarrett gave her a grim look.

  The creature followed their conversation, then bowed the same way again. “Dem-vinto ao Delure.”

  “Wait,” said Jarrett. “Didn’t Brodie call the island Delure?”

  “Yes. I’m sure he’s welcoming us.”

  “Or telling us to get off his island.”

  “I don’t think the bowing or the clasped hands indicate aggression, Jarrett.” She pressed her hands together and bowed. “Thank you.”

  The creature cocked its head, then motioned to the dome. When they didn’t immediately respond, he took a few steps toward the dome and pantomimed them following him.

  The sun was punishing against Tyla’s feverish skin and every part of her hurt, even the roots of her hair. She feared any deep breath, any unnecessary word, would set her off on a coughing fit. She wasn’t sure what they should do, but she knew she couldn’t just keep standing out here.

  “We need to make a decision.”

  Jarrett regarded her without speaking for a moment, then he looked back at the dome. “I think you and I are a match for anything we might encounter.” He paused. “Besides, I’m curious to see what’s in there.”

  She gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

  He reached for her hand. “You don’t have to thank me for following you, Tyla,” he said.

  They moved toward the creature and he motioned happily for them to hurry. As they neared the dome, the rest of the creatures fanned out around them, studying them intently as they passed.

  They came to the opening in the dome. A multi-hinged door bisected the center of the tube connector. Tyla reached out and touched the surface. She expected glass, but the material actually flexed under her touch like a rubber membrane. She pulled her hand back, startled by the warmth and the foreign elasticity of it.

  She marked that Jarrett did the same on his side. When he yanked his hand away, she wanted to laugh, but the green-skinned creature kept motioning them inside. His insistence gave Tyla her first pause. Why did he want them inside the dome so badly and where were the black robes?

  Jarrett placed his hand in the middle of her back. “We’ve come too far to balk now.”

  She nodded, then stepped inside. The connecting cylinder was so narrow, she felt sure Jarrett could not only touch the ceiling, but if he extended his arms to the side, he’d be able to press his palms flat on the curved surface. The glow of the material cast a strange green hue on everything, including their skin and
at her throat, the emerald hummed with psychic energy. She couldn’t understand what it could be reacting to.

  Their guide moved into the cylinder. They could see to either end of it. Toward the right, the tunnel ended at an ornate green door. Suns and moons had been carved into the membrane’s surface, leaving white scars behind. To the left, the tunnel appeared to open into a larger dome.

  Their guide motioned for them to follow him to the left. They entered the larger dome. Other green-skinned creatures meandered through this room, some carrying trays with bowls on them, others polishing the walls with shimmering green cloths. Some merely moved toward the cylinder that Tyla and Jarrett had just left. All stopped what they were doing and stared.

  Their guide paused at the end of the dome and waited. Tyla marked that there was no furniture in this dome, nothing but the creatures passing through it. The sunlight shining through the roof illuminated everything so brightly that there was no need for lamps, but the temperature was relatively cool. Certainly a good deal cooler than outside.

  They moved toward their guide and he stepped into another connecting corridor, but there was no door to separate the dome from the corridors on either end. Tyla and Jarrett followed. Their guide continued to lead them through room after room. Some of them were furnished with flat benches arranged along the walls, others had no furnishings inside. Each one was occupied by other green-skinned creatures like their guide. Tyla marked that about half of them appeared to be female, and she could discern an age difference in them that wasn’t present in their white skinned counterparts.

  Finally their guide made an abrupt right turn and stopped. Before them lay a small domed room. To either side branched a corridor, barely tall enough for Jarrett to pass through. The guide stepped into the dome and motioned for them to follow him. They did so and found themselves in a round room with two flat shelves, one along the back wall and one on the wall directly to the right. Against the left wall was a short legged table with two stools placed under it.

  More of the shimmering green cloth was pooled on the shelves. Tyla moved to the shelf and ran her hand over the cloth. It was soft as butter, but when she lifted it, it glimmered in the muted sunlight shifting through the dome’s curved walls.

  She looked up at the creature. “What is this place?”

  He motioned at their packs and then pantomimed placing them on the shelf. Crossing his arms over his chest, he closed his eyes and took a few deep, regular breaths. “Cam par domir.”

  “I think they’re beds,” said Jarrett. “This is our room.”

  Tyla looked to the open doorway and corridor beyond. “They want us to sleep here?”

  Jarrett crossed his own arms over his chest. “I think this means sleep.”

  “Without a door?”

  Jarrett simply shrugged.

  The creature was looking at them with such expectation, Tyla didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t going to put her pack down on the shelf. After a tense moment, their guide moved backward, ducking into the corridor. He motioned for them to follow him.

  Tyla sighed. She was so tired. “Now what?”

  “I’m not sure, but we might as well see what other wonders he has for us.”

  Tyla followed their guide into the corridor. He immediately turned to the left and followed the narrow passageway to its culmination. They stepped over a raised threshold and into another small, circular chamber.

  Their guide scampered to a low-slung chair and lifted a lid. He made a squatting motion, then reached up and pulled a handle above his head. The sound of rushing water filled the room, causing Tyla to start back and bump into Jarrett. Their guide gave an excited dance and motioned them closer.

  Tyla and Jarrett took a few steps forward and stretched to look inside the bowl of the chair. Their guide pulled the handle again and water rushed into the bowl, swirling around the interior.

  Tyla felt her heart pounding. She’d never seen anything like it before and she couldn’t figure out what it was.

  The guide squatted again. “Par ir ao baheiro.”

  “It’s for…” Jarrett hesitated. “For…”

  Tyla frowned at him, then it struck her. She should have known what it was just by their guide’s pantomime. Her brain must be muddled from fever. “Where does the…uh, waste go?”

  Jarrett peered into the bowl again. “Down, I guess.”

  “Well, then.” She forced a smile for their guide. “Thank you. It’s very, um, nice. Wish there was a door though.”

  His enormous eyes widened and he made a rapid, bird-like nodding motion. Then he squeezed past them and scuttled around a half wall in the chamber. Tyla noticed for the first time that there was a spigot sticking out of the wall. Below that were two round knobs. On a shelf attached to the wall below the spigot was a dish filled with a green substance. Their guide picked up the dish and held it out to them, then replaced it. He reached for the knobs and turned them.

  Tyla jumped again when water came gushing out of the spigot. Their guide was unconcerned as it sprayed him. He continued to fumble with the dials until he was happy, then he pointed at the green substance and made a washing motion with his hands over his body.

  “Par rega,” he said. The smile he beamed at them was infectious.

  Tyla stepped forward and held out her hand, letting the water flow over it. Warmth met her touch. A laugh escaped her and she held out her other hand, cupping the blessedly warm water in it.

  “Jarrett, it’s hot.”

  He reached over her shoulder and felt it as well. “I’ll be damned.”

  She looked up at him and laughed again. “Now this may be worth the entire journey.

  He smiled at her, then smoothed back a wayward curl. “You might be right,” he said.

  CHAPTER 16

  Kalas studied the Nazarien with narrowed eyes. He was trussed up in the chair with Attis on one side, Parish on the other, but there were still soldiers blocking both entrances and the windows.

  “Did you search him?” he asked Dolan.

  Dolan held a strange vial in the palm of his hand.

  Kalas didn’t reach for it. “Are you sure you should be touching it?”

  “Apparently he was holding it when they captured him, ready to place it in his mouth. I think I’m all right as long as I don’t suddenly pop it on my tongue.”

  Kalas blinked at his second. Was that humor? When Dolan gave him a bland look in return, Kalas dismissed the notion. Of course it wasn’t. “Has he said anything?”

  “Beyond a string of colorful profanity and some curses on you and your future progeny, no.”

  “It does make you wonder what I did to garner such profound hate.”

  “I don’t wonder that at all, Your Majesty.”

  Kalas gave him a second surprised look, but Dolan’s expression didn’t indicate any irony. Parish, however, made a snort of amusement. Stepping into the Nazarien’s line of sight, Kalas looked him over again.

  The captive reared back and spat at the King.

  Attis reacted at once, cuffing him and rocking his head to the side. “Do that again and I’ll cut your bloody tongue out.”

  Kalas lifted a hand to still him. “Easy, Moose,” he said. “I want him to answer my questions and he won’t be able to if you knock his brain loose.”

  “I want him to have some respect, Your Majesty, and if knocking his brain loose is the only way, I say let’s do it.”

  “A true diplomat,” Kalas remarked, then he turned his attention on the captive. “Don’t spit at me again or I will let him cut your tongue out.”

  “Do whatever you want. You may damage my body, but you will never have my mind.”

  Kalas sighed. “I know of someone who can have that as well. My sister can probe every part of your mind and give me any information I want.”

  “Your sister is not here.”

  Kalas felt the muscles in his jaw tense. “Where is she?”

  “Somewhere you won’t be able to find.”
>
  “Tell us what you know,” demanded Parish.

  The smile grew more cunning. “Just think. Without the Nazar, the Nazarien are without a leader. They’re just ripe for someone to come in and take over, leading them in a whole new direction.” He leaned forward toward Kalas. “Imagine fighting an enemy that you can’t find, an enemy you can’t see. One that has powers you can’t combat and skills you don’t understand. War with the Nazarien would be unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. We would lurk like shadows in your bedrooms at night, we would sneak into your barracks and slit your throats, and you wouldn’t hear us, see us, know that we were there.”

  Kalas started forward, grabbing his throat. “Where is my sister?”

  “Dead.”

  * * *

  Jarrett stood guard outside the bathing chamber as Tyla bathed. Their guide hovered anxiously at the entrance, but Jarrett wouldn’t let him past. Finally, the strange creature disappeared, only to reappear a few minutes later with a pile of shimmering green cloth that he thrust at Jarrett.

  “Par muliar.”

  Jarrett shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

  The guide pantomimed drying himself, then putting on clothing. Jarrett gave a nod of understanding. They were going to have to do something about communication. With an enthusiastic motion toward the bathing chamber, the guide scuttled back the way he’d come. Jarrett set the pile on the ground and hunkered beside it. He found two large rectangular pieces to be used as towels, a small pair of loose trousers and a tunic, and a larger pair.

  “Tyla,” he called in to her.

  She didn’t immediately answer. Concern rose inside of him and he grabbed the smaller clothes and a towel, stepping into the room. The water was spilling from the spigot and a cloud of warm, moist air rolled from the bathing area, but he couldn’t see her. He hurried around the half-wall and found her huddled against it, her knees drawn up and her head resting on them.

  “Tyla?” He placed the clothes on the half-wall and reached over to turn off the water, then he shook out the towel and draped it over her shoulders, kneeling in front of her. She lifted her head and he brushed the hair back from her face. “What happened?”