Turin placed a hand on Idril’s arm and held it there until she lowered herself back into her seat. When he addressed his visitors, Turin’s voice was soft, yet nearly as angry as Idril’s.
“You say your efforts to heal the forest have failed? And yet you admit that you were unaware she needed healing until last week? What exactly has been attempted by your people?”
"I was unaware of the problem, sir, but Valasa–the Gadonu–was not. He assures me he has attempted numerous treatments that normally work to cure the trees of any ailments, but he's had no success this time."
“Our efforts have also failed. It’s becoming more difficult to convince myself that your unnatural adornments are not the cause of this…decay. You must remove them, or risk killing the forest that sustains us all. We are finished here.”
He stood and ushered Idril out of the room before him, leaving Aibek and Serik in stunned silence. Aylen waved for them to follow and led them out of the cavern and through the village. He rushed them along the path until they reentered the trail that led back to Nivaka and left them without a word.
Aibek swung his pack to the ground and pulled out the water skins. Handing one to Serik, he rinsed his mouth of the foul taste the air below had given him. Once he'd drunk his fill, he pulled the jerky out and started toward the village.
Deep in thought, Aibek finished the walk in silence. He waited until Serik was safely inside the village before he dropped to the lowest step and cradled his head in his hands. The queen was right. How had he managed to remain ignorant of the forest’s plight for so long? Had this really been going on for a year?
He pushed up against the rough grain of the stairs until he stood on the packed earthen trail. There had to be an answer to this dilemma. His uncle had always taught him to think it through, and that's what he would do.
Idril had said the illness began a month after the battle. Well, it had been a bloody battle, and they’d burned thousands of carcasses on the lake in the days following their victory. Perhaps the smoke had been toxic to the trees, or the blood that had stained the snow scarlet for weeks could have been detrimental to the roots just below the ground. Either way, what could he do about that now?
Pacing the leaf-covered path beneath the village, Aibek agonized over the problem. He wasn't getting anywhere on his own; perhaps the forest would give him some answers. Leaning against a tree, he closed his eyes and tried to ignore the fact that a dozen angry elves and dwarves likely watched him. He took a deep breath, held it, and released it through pursed lips. He repeated the process at least ten times until his mind settled. The trees would have the answer, but he needed to be able to hear their advice.
“How can I help you?” He spoke the words aloud once he was certain he would hear the response.
Another deep breath in. Out. In. Out.
“The sister fruit can heal.”
Aibek's eyes popped open. Gooseflesh erupted along his arms and legs, and the small hairs on his neck stood on end. Would he ever get used to hearing the forest speak? He worked to control his breathing again, suppressing the questions that sprouted in his mind. In. Out. In. Out.
“Valasa holds the key.”
His eyes darted from side to side, searching for the source of the whispered words. He fought the urge to run from the unfamiliar presence and forced another deep breath. He held it until his head spun and exhaled in a rush.
He missed the fresh, earthy scent of the forest. It had been the first thing he had noticed when he stepped into the woods that humid summer day, but he hadn’t given it much thought since then. However, he missed it. It smelled of summer rain, of hot days spent swimming in the river with his friends, of black earth turned under by an ox-pulled plow. Fresh and clean, that scent had been a balm to his soul.
“You can heal me.”
That voice sounded wrong. It’s raspy, grating sound didn’t belong in the peace of the forest. It stood out from the whisper of the wind and was stronger than ever.
“Please,” he shouted, “can you tell me what caused this? How do I fix it? How can I heal you?”
"Not your fault." The voice faded away, and he was alone.
“Wait! Don’t go!” He ran deeper into the forest, chasing the drifting breeze. He stopped in a clearing and shouted into the treetops. “You didn’t tell me how to make you better! How can I help you? Please?”
He held his breath until a wave of dizziness darkened his vision and exhaled slowly through pursed lips. That had helped before, right? He focused on his breathing once again. In. Out. In. Out.
Nothing.
Dejected, he gave up and headed back toward the village. The shadows deepened, sunset would soon be upon the forest. He couldn’t be caught on the ground after dark, especially with the groundfolk’s current anger.
He re-entered the village and secured the stairs. He made his way to Valasa’s house. He would surely know what the voice had meant when it said Valasa held the key. What key? And what was the sister fruit? He should have paid more attention when Valasa had tried to teach him the history and religion of the forest, but it had seemed like a lot of hokey mythology at the time. Maybe there was more to it than he had realized.
6
Decisions
Eddrick clung to Kiri as they floated through Hiraeth with the river of spirits. It took too long, and every building resembled every other one. How would they ever find Ghindamia Hall? He had tried to ask directions of their neighbors, but none of them had responded to his inquiries. Could they even hear him?
His ears rang in the unnatural silence as the lack of noise caught his attention.
What is happening here?
How were so many traveling together in utter quiet? Were they all certain of their destination, or were some of them as lost as he—a macabre metaphor for life: everyone drifted along, absorbed in their own problems, without noticing the plight of those around them. A few travelers glanced around at the others but didn’t attempt to communicate. They stared in silence and turned their attention back to their own journeys.
Now what?
His mind reeled with the potential consequences of missing their meeting with the ancients. The last time he and Kiri had gone against their decree, the ancients had confined them to their home for forty-two days. What terrible punishment would the ancestors contrive for them this time? Surely something even worse, unthinkable in its terror and agony.
The sun bore down from directly overhead, and the buildings’ shadows vanished. The appointed time had arrived, and they still floated in the river of spirits, lost in an unfamiliar city.
Desperate, Eddrick closed his eyes and concentrated all his energy on feeling out his father's location. It was the same technique he employed to travel by thought, but that wasn't working. Maybe, though, he could find Ghindamia Hall that way. He strained his mind outward, feeling for the telltale signal that normally transported him to Agommi. Nothing happened. He tried once more, determined to find his father and the hearing.
There!
A tiny prickle shot through his mind, weaker than normal but unmistakable. He tugged Kiri out of the throng, ignoring her confused glare.
“It’s right over here! I’m certain of it.” He pulled her into a sprint, clinging to the spark of intuition that showed him the way.
They raced along the crowded streets, dodging spirits and lamps along the way until Eddrick stopped in front of a plain brown door.
“This is it.” He took a deep breath and grabbed the handle, but Kiri stopped him.
“Are you sure? I mean, how do you know? It looks just like every other building.”
“Not exactly. Look.” He pointed to the symbols over the door. “Those are the same as the markings on the summons. This is the place.”
Kiri pulled the letter out of a pocket and compared it to the building.
It matched. He pulled the door open with a hard yank, and they rushed into an abandoned entry hall. The door slammed shut behind them with a l
oud clack, the noise echoing through the space. Doors lined the room, set less than an arm's length apart. Between and above the doors, dozens of carvings and paintings depicted spirits in long robes presiding over large groups of supplicants on their knees.
Which door was theirs? Eddrick focused again on the prickle that alerted him to his father’s presence. It was stronger now; they were getting close. He concentrated harder, trying to pin down its direction. It came from his left. There were six doors along that wall. Closing his eyes, he drifted forward, following his intuition as it led him to the door one from the end on the right.
Without pausing, he jerked the door handle, and it swung open with a whisper. Hundreds of spirits filled the room. At the front of the space, three translucent ancients hovered above a kneeling man, whose face twisted in a grimace of agony and fear. What had they walked into? The spirits near the door glanced at them, but Agommi ushered them back out of the hall before the door could close.
“You’re late!”
Eddrick shrank away from his father’s furious glare.
“We couldn’t find the place. Have we missed it, then?”
“Yes, you missed it, and you’ve angered the ancients. They’re convinced you skipped out and are spying on Helak despite their explicit orders to stop.”
Kiri’s fair skin flushed red, and she dropped her gaze to the floor. “We had no idea it would be so hard to find. We should have left sooner. I hope we didn’t cause you too much trouble.”
Agommi placed a hand on Kiri's shoulder, and his voice eased when he spoke. "We'll get this straightened out. For now, you need to check in with the clerks, so they know you didn't completely skip the hearing. They'll likely grant you another appointment, hopefully, this week."
Eddrick turned in a slow circle and threw his hands up. "Where are the clerks? And why do they make this so difficult? Shouldn't it be easier to find this city and the hall within it?"
“Believe it or not, there are those who despise the ancients and all they stand for. The challenges keep away those who would attempt to overthrow their wise and everlasting rule. Follow me.”
He marched to a door in the center of the rear wall, pulled it open, and strode into the room beyond.
Eddrick and Kiri followed, entering a room with several tables lined up against the wall. Behind each desk sat a spirit as transparent as the ones in the hall, though they each wore a welcoming smile. Agommi approached a table near the door and whispered to a woman there.
“My companions are filled with regret for their tardiness. They would be most grateful for a new hearing, and perhaps a suite of rooms where they can wait.”
“Indeed, the weight of our regret is heavy.” Eddrick mimicked his father’s formal manner. “We would be extremely grateful for both a hearing and a place to stay.”
The woman stared at Eddrick and Kiri. The silence stretched, and Eddrick shifted. Should he say something more or had he overstepped? Was she waiting for Kiri to speak?
The woman spoke, her voice paper-thin, a breath on the wind. Eddrick had to strain to make out her words. "It is done. They will hear your case one week from tomorrow. Until that time, you will be assigned a suite in this building. Please do not leave Hiraeth before your hearing."
She dismissed them with a wave, and they exited back into the main entrance. A door opened, leading into a narrow corridor. In the middle of the hall, another door opened into a plush bedroom decorated in shades of yellow. A small sitting area surrounded a fireplace. Eddrick, Kiri, and Agommi sank into the soft chairs to wait for their hearing.
* * *
The orange light of the sunset filtered through the trees as Aibek hurried up the stairs and into the village. The savory scents of dinner made his stomach grumble, but he couldn’t stop to eat. He had to talk to Valasa. That had been the most information he had ever gotten from the forest, and he needed help determining what it meant.
He pulled his cloak tighter as he rushed along the empty boardwalks. A wintry wind ruffled his hair, and he ducked his head against the chill.
Warm light emanated from the Gadonu’s home, and Aibek tapped on the heavy door. Another cold gust of wind caught the end of his cloak, whipping it up toward his head. He shivered. The housekeeper ushered him inside and vanished into the interior of the house without a word.
Alone in the room, Aibek swung his pack off his shoulders and drank deeply from one of the water skins. When he'd quenched his thirst, he examined a new wolf carving on the mantle; it sat easily in his palm, exquisite in detail. It looked like it could come to life under the full moons, like in the stories Ira used to tell. Ahren had practiced her carving skills, and it showed. This piece was considerably better than her previous work.
"Did you need some company for dinner?" Valasa's booming voice startled him. "It must be quiet over at your place now that the visitors have left."
“No, I’ll have dinner at home shortly.” He set the wolf figure back on the mantle. “My aunt and uncle are still there, so I won’t be lonely. I’m here because the forest finally spoke to me, but I have no idea what it means.”
Frowning, Valasa gestured for Aibek to follow him into his study. He closed the door behind them and waved Aibek into the nearest chair.
The room had always made Aibek uncomfortable, though he had never been able to explain why. He glanced around the unconventional space. It had the shape of a corridor, long and narrow; it took up the entire west side of the house. Bookshelves overflowing with books, bottles, and jars lined one wall. The outside wall had several tall windows and tables scattered haphazardly along the space. An oil lamp sat on each table, all lit against the coming night. Valasa always kept those burning as far as Aibek knew, even during the day. Faded blue curtains covered the windows, blocking out most of the evening light and providing privacy for the room's occupants.
Aibek turned back to a staring host.
“You say the forest spoke to you? What exactly did you hear?”
“Well, first it said, ‘the sister fruit can heal,’ whatever that means. Then it said you hold the key.” Aibek cocked his head to the side. “What key? And what is the sister fruit?”
“Hmm. I’ll have to look into that. I’ve never heard that term before. But at least we have a direction to look now. What else did you hear?”
“It said it’s not my fault.”
At Valasa’s confused frown, Aibek launched into a short explanation of his trip to Kasanto and the accusations. By the time he finished, Valasa leaned across the table, his upper body supported by massive forearms braced against the creaking wood. His face turned a deeper red with every word Aibek spoke.
“They cannot seriously believe we would poison the forest that protects us! I’ve never been so insulted!”
"You have to go to their village. The destruction there is so much worse than it is here. I could hardly believe what I was seeing–and smelling. It's horrible. The King and Queen are looking for someone to blame, and we make an easy target. I wouldn't take it personally."
“How could we not take it personally?” Valasa stood and paced. “It is my life’s work to protect this forest, to heal every wound on every tree within our boundaries. For Idril to insinuate that I would poison the trees is unthinkable.” His voice trailed off.
The Gadonu paced over to the bookshelves, searching the titles as he grumbled to himself. He pulled an ancient tome from the shelf and carried it back to the table. He blew a layer of dust from the cover and opened the volume to a page in the middle of the book. Flowing script formed words foreign to Aibek as he tried to read it upside down.
After he’d flipped the page a few times, Valasa let out a quiet “Aha!” and ran his finger over the writings as he read.
Shifting in his seat, Aibek waited for Valasa to find what he searched for. Reading the handwritten pages from his vantage point had been difficult before, but the page the healer had settled on had words and phrases Aibek couldn’t translate. He didn’t recognize the
language. The light behind the curtains faded to darkness while he waited, and soon his stomach snarled once again.
Valasa looked up at the noise and laughed. “I’m keeping you from your dinner. Why don’t you come back in the morning, and we’ll talk more about your trip to Kasanto and the words of the forest. I think I’ll need more time to decipher this.”
Nodding his assent, Aibek scraped the chair back and stretched his arms up over his head. How long had they been there? He stood and followed Valasa out into the den and grabbed his cloak to head out into the cold darkness, grateful that his house wasn’t far away.
Back at home, Aibek grabbed a plate of cold food from the kitchen, leaving his pack for the kitchen staff to empty, and made his way to his meditation room. He needed to talk to his parents. Maybe they could help him figure out what the forest had been trying to tell him if they were here. It had been nearly three weeks since he'd seen them.
Carrying his plate in one hand and a lamp in the other, he backed through the door into the dark room. He sat the plate and lamp on the table and lit the rest of the lanterns.
He had seated himself at the table when the door swung open and Noral strolled into the room.
“I hope you don’t mind. I saw the light under the door.”
Aibek shook his head, but a mouthful of food kept him from speaking.
“Good.” Noral turned in a slow circle, taking in the changes.
It was a simple space, with heavy blue curtains at the windows and cushioned benches along the walls. A simple wooden table with four chairs sat on the left, and four light blue chairs encircled the fireplace. A painting of fairies dancing around a fire hung over the mantle, and several other portraits adorned the walls. They had all hung in his parents' chambers before their deaths.
"I like what you've done with this room. It was my parents' room before Eddrick moved into it, and I rather thought you'd take it as the master suite. I like this, though. It's a peaceful place to sit and think or meditate on life." He pointed to the painting above the fireplace. "I remember that picture from my childhood. It always felt like a window to another time to me, though my father assured me it was just an artist's fancy."
The Nivaka Chronicles Boxed Set Page 35