Second Skin Omnibus

by M Damon Baker

  Saibra smiled at me when I came back to myself, and I kissed her on the forehead as I tucked the blankets under her chin. It was a simple gesture, but one that was full of meaning between us. The process of healing Saibra’s inner scars had brought us closer together than I’d ever imagined, and I was only just beginning to get to know the real Saibra as she slowly emerged from the chaos Insleí had left behind.

  “You’re much better now; we don’t have to do this every night anymore,” I brushed Saibra’s hair aside so I could look into her soft blue eyes.

  “No, we don’t need to,” she agreed. “But I still want to have my time with you.”

  “You won’t get rid of me that easily, Saibra,” I teased her. “We’re going to be spending a lot of time together still, just not every evening like we have been.”

  “I understand,” she glanced away as she spoke.

  “This is part of your healing, Saibra,” I gently tilted her chin back towards me. “I will be here if you ever need me, but you have to be able to function without me as well.”

  Saibra simply nodded as she held my gaze, and I got up to leave before I lost my nerve. I’d been sleeping in my own quarters with Bane almost every night, but I usually only left Saibra long after I’d finished our healing. She was becoming far too accustomed to falling asleep beside me, as I was in return, and we both needed to break ourselves of that habit.

  This late in the evening, the only people I passed as I walked through Talína’s offices and into my own suite were the guards who were on duty. The red outlines of my traps surrounded the windows and doors they watched over, yet they remained vigilant, knowing full well that the enemy we faced might very easily overcome those barriers. Truthfully, we had no idea of the full extent of the powers the Deathless we faced could bring against us, but it seemed only prudent to assume the worst, so we did.

  I stopped only briefly in my own chambers to change into my sleeping outfit before joining Bane for the night. When I entered Bane’s chamber, he was coiled up on his bed of pillows, with one wing oddly draped over himself. The strange position made me wonder if he’d been hurt somehow, but before I could even inquire about it, Bane’s huge claw flashed out and snatched me up and deposited me in a bundle of blankets that he’d hidden beneath that very wing. Bane’s sudden action startled me, but not quite as much as when I realized I was not alone in the little nest where he’d dropped me.

  “Not very fun, is it?” Líann quipped sarcastically.

  I stared at her in surprise as she lay there nestled in a bundle of blankets, looking very pleased with herself. Líann had snuck into my quarters, I realized, despite the fact that I’d told her I wasn’t ready for her to share them with me. My shock began to give way to frustration and then anger as she lay there, staring at me smugly until Bane’s voice echoed inside my head.

  This is my room, and she is my guest, Sintári.

  What?!? My head whipped around to glare at his golden eyes as he peered down at me.

  You were taking too long to invite Líann to share your quarters, so I have brought her here, he explained.

  Traitor. I had no idea how the two of them had worked this out, but I wasn’t happy with either of them.

  “Wait,” I said aloud as realized what Bane had said. “What do you mean you brought her here?”

  “Bane flew me up, Empress,” Líann taunted. “Not only does no one know that I’m here, but I never actually had to step foot in your chambers uninvited.”

  Considering just how terrifying it was to fly on Bane’s back, I was quite impressed with how bold she’d been, but then again, Líann was never was one for half measures. Somehow, the two of them had successfully conspired against me—a rather frightening thought, as the three of us were bound together for life.

  “You’ve managed to find a way to work around me,” Líann preened at my observation. “But it won’t make me ready for you any sooner.”

  Líann wasn’t bothered in the least by what I’d said; in fact, she flashed me a look that seemed to say, ‘we’ll see’, as she wrapped herself up and snuggled beside Bane. As I reluctantly lay down, the two accomplices shared a satisfied glance with each other, apparently happy with the results of their conspiracy.

  Just like when we were alone, Bane coiled himself up, but he somehow managed to push us together as he did. While there should have been more than enough room, Bane’s subtle jostling left Líann and me right next to each other.

  “Mmmm, this is better,” Líann laid her head on my chest and wrapped her arms around me.

  I was tempted to send her a tendril of something she wouldn’t find ‘better,’ but Líann’s warm body pressed against mine robbed me of my final shred of resistance. Instead of fighting what the two of them had arranged, I embraced Líann in return, pulling her even closer into me while Bane’s purr echoed loudly throughout the chamber as we drifted off to sleep.

  I woke the next morning somewhat surprised to find Líann still curled up next to me. My movement must have woken her as well because her eyes opened while I was staring at her. Líann smiled and stretched slowly, working the kinks free from her body as I watched her in utter silence.

  I’d been so preoccupied with everything—war, the Deathless, and healing Saibra, that I hadn’t realized just how much I had missed Líann. During our journey home, she’d spent several nights with me, just as my other Tári had, but I suddenly felt her absence more keenly than ever before. My Táriel’s hold on me had grown stronger, much stronger, and something about sharing this night with her changed everything, and I knew that there was no going back. The time had come for me to make good on my promise to Líann and bring her into my life more completely.

  “We need to tell our Tári first,” I whispered as she laid her head back down on my chest.

  “Tell them what?” She sat up and looked at me in confusion.

  “It’s time, Líann,” I looked into the depths of her pale blue eyes as I spoke. “It’s time for my Táriel to join me.”

  It took a moment for Líann to snap out of her state of shock, but when she did, she gripped me in a fierce hug. Her grasp was far stronger than I’d anticipated, letting me know not only how happy she was, but also just how hard she’d been training. My pampered queen was gone, and in her place was a powerful Warden, a force to be reckoned with in her own right. I saw Bane’s face as I looked over Líann’s shoulder, and his golden eyes held an amused expression as the corner of his mouth turned upwards.

  Had I known it would only take one night, I would have brought her to you sooner, Sintári.

  That hadn’t been it, at least not the entirety of it. I’d missed Líann tremendously, to be sure, but I think it was the fact that I’d finally reached the end of Saibra’s healing that had been the truly pivotal event. Once she no longer needed my attention every evening, something inside me knew that it was time to bring my Táriel home; the night we’d spent together had only been the trigger for my conscious realization of that fact.

  ‘It was more than that, Bane,’ I sent back to him. ‘But thank you for bringing her to me. It was exactly what I needed, even if I didn’t know it at the time.’

  Sometimes, Sintári, we know better than you do what it is that you need, he replied cryptically.

  Okay, well, not quite so cryptically. As much as I hated to admit it, Bane and my Tári were all too good at predicting me at times.

  Bane unraveled the coils surrounding us as Líann and I got up, and she followed me silently as I traced the steps back to my closet to change into my armor. Líann smiled at me slyly as she pulled her own gear from one of the cabinets where she’d hidden it the night before. I gave her a playful nudge in response before we got dressed and ventured out into the antechamber together.

  To say that the guards stationed there were surprised to see Líann walk out by my side would have been something of an understatement—the eyes practically popped out of Rhia and Tana’s heads.

  “There is a very speci
fic sequence I have in mind for letting news of this out,” Although I spoke to both of them, I glared at Rhia as I did. “If this does not unfold as I intend, I won’t be very happy with you.”

  Rhia swallowed hard, fully aware of her tendency to simply blurt things out at the most inopportune moments.

  “I want Chief Minister Venna, Commander Ella, and Captain Saibra to join me for breakfast this morning,” I continued. “And I need the two of you to arrange that without letting anyone else know what’s going on.”

  “Keep Rhia here with you, Empress,” Tana glanced at her fellow sergeant sideways. “I’ll take care of everything for you.”

  I nodded for Tana to go, and she left immediately to carry out my commands, leaving Rhia behind.

  “You’re good at your job, Rhia,” I sighed in frustration. “And I know that I can trust you with my life. But I need to be able to trust you with my secrets as well. In fact, your position demands as much.”

  Rhia stared at the stone floor beneath her feet for a moment before looking up and meeting my gaze again. In the short while that she’d averted her eyes, something in them had changed, and Rhia stared back at me with a look of grim determination.

  “You brought me back from the dead, and I owe the life I now live to you, Empress,” her eyes burned with resolve. “I will never betray your trust.”

  “Good,” I held her intense stare. “Then you can save Tana some time and go get some breakfast for the five of us.”

  “Do you think that was wise?” Líann asked when Rhia left the room.

  “I’m willing to give her the chance to prove herself,” I responded as I took a seat in preparation for what I knew would be an awkward discussion with my Tári.

  Venna knew well enough that she would not be the one who eventually came to share my quarters with me, but Ella and Saibra both had probably imagined themselves in that position. But even if she hadn’t been my Táriel, Líann’s connection to me through the shadows we shared was simply too powerful for me to make any other choice. I only hoped that they would understand my decision without me having to reveal the unique bond that had formed between Líann and myself. Knowing that she was Táriel and that we shared a connection even more powerful than the Tári link might cause friction between us—something that I could not allow.

  Rhia returned first, bearing a heavy tray laden with food that she placed on the table before Líann and me. When she hesitated, standing idly beside the table, I simply glared at the door and Rhia quickly took the hint and stepped outside again. While we waited for the others to arrive, I busied myself making a plate of food while Líann poured the tea.

  Venna, Ella, and Saibra walked in together, and Tana had the good sense not to follow them as they did, waiting outside with Rhia and the other guards in Talína’s office. The three of them did not know that Líann had spent the night, so her presence provoked no special reaction as they took their places around the table.

  “Tana said that you wanted to speak with us,” Venna remarked as she picked at the tray of food.

  “Yes… Well, you see,” I hesitated as I fumbled for the right words.

  I glimpsed at Líann for support but saw that she was staring away, avoiding not only my gaze but theirs as well. For all her urging, now that the time had finally come, Líann seemed no more eager than I was to relay the news to our Tári.

  Venna and Ella began giggling as I searched for some way to tell them what had happened, and even the corners of Saibra’s mouth turned up in a slight smile at my discomfort. I wasn’t sure just what they found so amusing, but it seemed to only make things even more difficult for me.

  “I, that is we…” I tried again before Ella and Venna began laughing even louder.

  “No, I’m sorry,” Venna barely restrained her amusement. “Please, go on.”

  “You’ve finally allowed Líann to take her rightful place,” Saibra declared as I hesitated once more.

  I stared at Saibra, dumbfounded that she’d seen through everything, and obviously not for the first time. She’d clearly known this was coming, and by the way Ella and Venna glared at her, Saibra wasn’t the only one who’d figured things out.

  “Did you have to let her off that easy?” Ella chided Saibra.

  “How long?” I eked out. “How long have you known?”

  “We are your Tári, Empress,” Saibra spoke up once more. “And more importantly, you are our Sintári. Your thoughts on this have been obvious to us for quite some time.”

  “You could have at least told me that you knew,” Líann complained bitterly.

  The four of them had been meeting together from time to time, and it was surprising to me that none of them had let her know that they were aware of how close we’d become.

  “You’re special to her, Líann,” Venna soothed. “We didn’t want to do anything that might change that.”

  I’d been fighting so hard not to let any of them feel that Líann meant more to me than they did, yet they’d sensed it all along. I loved my Tári deeply, but Líann was something even more; she was my Táriel, and they simply could not compete with that bond.

  “I told you before that we all have our place by your side, Dreya,” Venna turned to me as she noted my conflicted state. “We’ve accepted our various roles as your Tári; only you seem to have trouble understanding this.”

  I hadn’t given them the credit they were obviously due; truly, they were no longer elves or humans, but Tári—fully aware of what that meant, and embracing it completely.

  “As impossible as it sounds,” I reached across the table to grasp Ella and Saibra’s hands in mine. “You both mean everything to me.”

  I fed them each a thin tendril of their V’Ríels as I held onto their hands, not enough to provoke a response, but just enough to let them feel our connection. Ella smiled as the warm thread flowed into her, and Saibra flushed slightly but did not pull away or avert her eyes from my gaze.

  “I don’t think that I need to remind you of anything,” I turned to Venna as I let go of Ella and Saibra.

  “No, Dreya, you don’t,” Venna stared back at me.

  “Then please help me with what comes next,” I sighed as I slumped back into my chair, already worn out from the effort of this one short discussion. “I need to tell the rest of our companions and advisors, not to mention my guards as well.”

  “Saibra and I can tell them for you,” Ella volunteered, to Saibra’s obvious discomfort. “You just focus on your Cabinet.”

  “I’ll call a meeting,” Venna stood as she spoke. “We can talk about how you want to break this to them when I return.”

  Without waiting for any response from me, the three of them simply walked out to do as they’d offered. While it was a relief to have Ella and Saibra handle at least part of the burden for me, I was still unsure of how I was going to deal with the rest of it.

  “Those three are far too devious,” Líann complained, still irked by the secret they’d withheld from her.

  “You do recall that this all started with you and Bane plotting against me, right?”

  “That’s different,” she protested.

  Líann let out an indignant huff as my brow arched in amusement, but I caught the guilty smile on her face as she turned away and innocently sipped her tea.

  “I’m so glad you finally came to your senses, Daughter,” Líann nearly choked as Nentai’s words came to us.

  “Hello, Mother,” I called to the Goddess as I turned to face her. Nentai had an annoying habit of appearing behind me at times, I think, just to try and startle me. But I’d felt her materialize and so I wasn’t caught quite as off-guard as Líann had been.

  Nentai looked much better than when I’d last seen her. The tired, somewhat haggard appearance that had caused me so much worry was gone, and she seemed like her old self once more. Mother didn’t miss my quick evaluation of her and smiled as she noted my concern.

  “I’m fine,” she spoke softly. “In fact, the gift I was work
ing on is finished, and I’ve come to give it to you.”

  This time there was no magic chest I had to open. Nentai only extended her arm, opening her hand as she did so. Resting in her palm was the framework of a small geometric object, comprised of tiny, bright strands, nearly identical in their appearance to the indescribable colors of one of my own orbs of light.

  “What is it?” I stared at the strange thing in her hand.

  “Honestly, I don’t really know,” Nentai confessed with a certain sense of exasperation. “It’s called a Godheart; we’ve always been able to create these objects, but have never been able to discover their purpose. All that any of us knows is that they are meant for our people.”

  “We have to siphon off a great deal of our own power to create one of these, so at first, we only gave them to our greatest champions and allies. We’d hoped that they would discover the powers that are hidden inside them, but none were ever able to unlock their secrets. After an endless series of failures, we stopped creating them entirely; it simply wasn’t worth the tremendous effort that is required to make them—until now. I’m hoping that you will succeed where all the others have failed before.”

  Yeah, thanks; no pressure there, right? I thought as Líann peered over my shoulder at the luminescent object.

  “How do I use it, Mother?”

  “You don’t,” Nentai smiled as she stepped closer. “It uses you.”

  With a quick motion, Nentai pressed the palm of her hand against my chest, and her softly glowing angular creation passed right through my Armor before melting into my flesh. I felt a warm rush of energy followed by the odd sensation of the strange object unfolding inside me. Then, I had the distinct impression of it changing somehow, and knew that something about me had triggered a transformation. Some portion of the object’s power had been unlocked, but not completely; I still needed to do more for that to happen.

  Even though the Godheart had not fully revealed its secrets to me, the slight opening of it overwhelmed my senses. The soft glow radiated throughout my being, and I slipped to the floor as a surge of energy coursed through my veins.