Between Starfalls

by S Kaeth

  Ra’ael frowned, trying to think of something to say. Frustratingly, the perfect words did not come, leaving her to just hold her friend.

  A wrestling contest started and was won before finally a young man approached. “The Council is ready for you.”

  The Elder’s messenger led them to the large tent near the Seeker Tree. The flaps making up the door of the tent were swept back for them by two young men who remained outside. Before them, seated on mats, were the Elders.

  Ra’ael bowed her head in respect and greeting, as did the other three did. She offered brief, tight smiles to the Elders from Heartwood, who were most likely to be sympathetic. Kaemada gripped the ends of that shawl she’d taken to wearing until her knuckles turned white, and Ra’ael winced. She should have made sure she removed that before entering—it made her stand out.

  “Ah, thank you for coming,” one of the Elders said as he rose. “I’m Teryn, of the kaetal of Elyra in the region Mountainhold. We wish to discuss, with you, the Darks. Of all Rinaryn, you Siersos, in particular, have perhaps had the most experience with them.”

  Teryn of Mountainhold. The messenger six moons ago, the one who was so hostile to Galod and his students, had been from Tseril in Dragonmoor. Dragonmoor kaetaln often supported Mountainhold kaetaln in disputes and vice versa. But why by all the spirits were they wondering about the Darks? Odd as it was, she hadn’t thought of the Darks in moons.

  “How can I help?” Kaemada asked.

  One of the Elders frowned. “Kaemada Sierso, you will please use the Traveller’s Tongue so we can all focus on your story.”

  “Saiameyitum. I have lost my ability to speak Traveller’s.”

  “How is this possible?” asked another.

  Ra’ael watched the faces of the Elders. This breach of protocol—not speaking Traveller’s—would be a mark against them.

  “It’s true,” Taunos stepped in. “My sister has been through much in the last few moons.”

  “Speak Rinaryn, then, but enunciate please! You of Heartwood tend to sing your words a little too much, making them muddy and hard for old ears to understand,” admonished the Elder.

  “We have waited to have this conversation for six moons,” grumbled one Elder.

  “We thought we might never speak of this at all when they disappeared,” replied another Elder.

  Ra’ael hid a wince. Hopefully, they didn’t dwell on that.

  Teryn motioned to the other Elders for patience. “Please, tell us of the events of the night six moons ago, when the Darks attacked Torkae.”

  Holding herself still, Ra’ael searched the faces of the Elders as the Council asked question after question, drawing forth the story together with Kaemada. It was refreshing to be back in such a cooperative justice system with its continual back and forth in its search for truth, rather than the Kamalti Justices and their long-winded speeches.

  It was also disturbing. As the Elders questioned, a pattern developed, a set up for some strategy. They spent far too long dwelling on Tikatae and Galod. So much had happened since then. As Kaemada described the attack on the Torkae and Tikatae’s death, the Elders inquired why they did not expect Tikatae to be behind the attack from the beginning. Ra’ael’s skin prickled.

  Taunos stepped forward. “Elders, please, if I may interrupt.”

  “No, no, Taunos Sierso. You’re not interrupting. We have questions for you as well. Where did you train to hone your ranging skills?”

  Suspicion lined Taunos’s face. “In Heartwood, in the forest outside my kaetal of Torkae, with Galod.”

  “Like your sister?”

  “And many others.”

  Ra’ael tapped her fingers on her leg, the sense of danger strengthening. They were being targeted for some reason, and it seemed to be wrapped up in the Dark attack and Galod.

  “You’re widely considered to be the most capable ranger of our time,” Teryn said.

  Taunos did not reply, letting the flattery, or compliment, whatever it may be, fall flat.

  Teryn leaned forward. “Why is it, when his home continues to be struck by attack after attack, that the finest ranger in all of Rinara cannot be found to protect his own kaetal?”

  Ra’ael darted a look at Taunos. She’d asked the same, accusing him so many times in the past. There was a hint of something—was that pleading?—in his eyes as he looked at the Heartwood Elders. She blinked. Was it was her imagination, or had several of the Heartwood Elders given him a firm but subtle shake of the head? What was going on there?

  Taunos raised his chin. “I have chosen offense as the best defense for my home. As you’re aware, I have travelled the realms these past summers, disrupting plans of the Darks and thwarting them where I may.”

  “But some attacks get through, regardless.”

  Taunos spread his arms. “I’m merely a man, like you.”

  Ra’ael narrowed her eyes. Was he challenging the Elders? Dark attacks. Galod’s students. They were implying Taunos was in league with the Darks. That thought went far beyond skepticism for his chosen task. It hit Ra’ael like a fist in the gut, and she eyed the Elders. What had happened while they were away?

  Teryn tilted his head. “Given what Kaemada described, would you have been caught as unaware during this latest attack on your kaetal, had your places been switched?”

  Taunos’s expression grew stormy. “I may as easily ask that of one of you. No man knows what he may or may not know, do, or think until he’s in that very same position.”

  “The answer is a simple yes or no. Do you think you would have been caught as unaware?”

  Taunos narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw, crossing his arms over his chest. Ra’ael chewed on the inside of her lip. Please, please let his irreverence not bring down more trouble on their heads!

  The Elders directed further questions to Kaemada. “Why is it, after so many atrocities, that you did not end the life of Tikatae? You battled him many times, and it wouldn’t have been held against you in the heat of battle.”

  Kaemada shook her head. “There was no need for his life. This last attack was the only time it was him or me. He targeted Eian. Every other time, there was another way out, and if there’s a way out without killing, I prefer that way.”

  “Even at the cost of your kaetal suffering repeated attacks?”

  “As I have said, I do what I can to help and protect my kaetal and all Rinaryn. The consequences for Tikatae’s choices rest on his own head.” Kaemada’s voice quavered. Her certainty in basic truths had eroded over the last six moons.

  “Why are we talking of Dark attacks when we have much more pressing matters to discuss?” Taunos interrupted. “We must speak to you about the Kamalti.”

  The Elders ignored him. “And yet your choice to allow a man to live whom you know continually chooses violence, that choice is on your own head, yes?”

  Kaemada clenched her jaw, choosing her brother’s former silence.

  “That choice is on your own heads, Elders,” Taunos spat.

  The Elders alone could decide upon a sentence of death, but he was taking a terrible risk, confronting the Elders in this way. Taunos’s rage frightened her.

  One of the Elders leaned forward. “Kaemada Sierso. How did you feel about Tikatae? Did you hate him?”

  She hesitated. “I was angry. Afraid, too. But I also knew he was in great pain after so much loss. I pitied him. How could I hate him?”

  Ra’ael reeled. She wanted to stop the flow of time, roll it backward, and keep Kaemada from saying those words. She surely had no idea she was fueling this vendetta. Taunos, accused of working with the Darks, and now Kaemada, not hating the man she most should. She and Takiyah would be next, accused of being Dark-touched. Accused of betraying their people. She’d expected punishment for breaking the laws, but the direction the Elders were going chilled her. How could these wise men even think they were Dark-touched?

  “And Taunos, do you share this view?”

  “No. I hated him.” T
aunos considered Kaemada for a moment. “But then, my heart leans more toward my father’s, while Kaemada, I think, has always had my mother’s heart.”

  Ra’ael’s stomach twisted. Taunos had done too little, too late, she feared, though she didn’t know what else he could have done but bring up their mother. It was a desperate bid for honor. He had to know it wasn’t likely to work.

  Strangling the shawl, Kaemada broke in. “Whatever you may think of my actions, good can come of the events of the last six moons. This could be the beginning of a new friendship with the Kamalti!”

  “This obsession with the Kamalti is really quite unusual!” objected another of the Elders.

  A different Elder spoke up. “The Sierso family in Torkae once boasted ten children. Now, the only surviving Siersos are a ranger who cannot be found to defend his home, a psion overwhelmingly incompetent in her ability to think ahead and perceive dangers, and a dragonbonded who hasn’t been seen or heard from for ten summers!”

  The siblings’ expressions became remarkably similar through the Elder’s rant, their eyes fiery and features set in stubborn silence. Even their fists were clenched at their sides in the same way. Ra’ael didn’t blame them. Their entire family was under attack, and there was nothing they could do about it.

  “You know I love my people. I have only ever wanted to help,” Kaemada said.

  “If you’re going to accuse me of something, accuse me straight on,” growled Taunos at the same time.

  Zeroun rose. “When Kaemada was injured, she refused healing for herself until all others in our kaetal were healed.”

  “Storyteller Zeroun, you may be too close to see clearly.”

  “It is indeed convenient. If she had been healed, there would have been no cause for her to take this ill-conceived pegasus ride and then disappear for six moons,” observed an Elder.

  Ra’ael winced. How could they think this was evidence?

  “Even if you doubt my heart, the people should not suffer for it!” Kaemada broke in. “We have an opportunity to discuss with you, about the Kamalti!”

  “So you keep prattling on about, distracting from the real, serious matters at hand.” An Elder fixed them with a stern look.

  Another Elder flapped his hand at her as if to make her words disappear. “Potential smokescreens and matters of loyalty aside, it’s still clear to me that there’s a sickness in the Sierso line. Wasn’t their mother a friend to the Darks?”

  “She made herself an ambassador to them, believing that with communication, peace was possible!” Taunos growled.

  “And they killed her for her efforts.”

  Kaemada clutched her brother’s arm as if ready to hold him back. Ra’ael clenched her fists. It would do no good to attack an Elder, much less the entire Council. Taunos had to see that. But this wrath he was showing… it seemed clear there was more going on than she could see.

  “She died believing she was doing Eloí’s work. You cannot fault her for that,” Taunos shouted.

  Silence filled the tent briefly, and when the next Elder spoke, the tone became a little calmer. “So it is. You may believe that, yet I cannot help but wonder if some small seed of Darkness did not make its way in and destroy your family. Why was your family hit harder than anyone else? And again, and again, with Tikatae turning on you and coming at you repeatedly. These events are unprecedented. For the only three Siersos surviving to all lead lives so radically different from normal kaetal life… I must say, I find it hard to believe this is a coincidence.”

  “It may not be coincidence, but that does not mean there is anything nefarious going on,” Taunos said.

  “Your influence is. I cannot tell you how many young people I have heard speaking of their desire to travel to other lands and communicate with outsiders. And your unnatural preoccupation with the Kamalti cannot be allowed to endanger the lives of our young Rinaryn who might also become so… curious. Look, now we have four from Torkae overly interested in the Kamalti, when before we had only one.”

  Here it was. Ra’ael straightened her shoulders, preparing for the attack.

  “If you would only listen, we could have a relationship with the Kamalti,” Kaemada cried.

  Another Elder spoke with an accusing tone. “This curiosity might be acceptable if it weren’t so dangerous. Only last summer, several young people of Dragonmoor formed an elite band of rangers, modeling these four before us. They even call themselves the Siersan. Five have already lost their lives to their stunts and dreams. It’s folly to allow this to continue. We have lost enough young people to this… influence!”

  “Not to mention this so-called coincidence, whereby four of Galod’s greatest students are all now standing before us! Perhaps, to root out this Darkness, we should be looking at him,” argued one of the Elders.

  “He’s not one of us,” remarked Storyteller Taān. “He’s not Rinaryn.”

  “Why are we talking about Darks?” Taunos exploded.

  Storyteller Zeroun spoke up. “We must discuss this issue of the Kamalti.”

  “Storyteller Zeroun, you are too close. If this Dark seed has perpetuated, it has infected the entire family. Regardless of if that is so or not, this family is without the normal healthy structure of a Rinaryn family.”

  Another Elder waved the words away. “Who is to say they even saw Kamalti? Everyone knows the Kamalti are a myth. But six moons alone, without the watchful eye of Elders? That would have given them plenty of time.”

  “Time for what?” Ra’ael objected.

  “It’s clear to me that these tragedies were a warning.” Storyteller Taān’s booming voice drowned her words. “If Eloí had been pleased with those who stand before us, would they not have protected them in all their power? For the boy to be lost at all is a clear sign of his displeasure toward the Sierso family.”

  “If you look at the larger picture,” another Elder spoke, “you can see that the decimation of Torkae and the repeated attacks are further signs of Eloí’s grace leaving the kaetal. The most reasonable explanation is the actions of this family.”

  Ra’ael’s lip curled before she could stop herself. Looking at events as signs of the spirits’ grace was faulty; it was impossible to tell the difference between a punishment and a test. Such theological nonsense drove a rift between her and the head priest, Teros.

  “If they’re infected with Darkness, Dark would call to Dark and explain why their kaetal continually is attacked while these before us manage to survive. Indeed, they could arrange it so they look like heroes.”

  “We haven’t arranged anything! What is this?” Ra’ael asked, her fists clenched at her sides.

  “Storyteller Zeroun has been able to lead the rest of the kaetalyn in light and grace, but for those who will not be led, doom falls on their own heads.”

  Storyteller Zeroun spoke up. “How do we know the trials faced by Torkae are not simply tests? This is all interpretation.”

  “The spirits allow for true interpretation of events!”

  Ra’ael glanced at the others. All were trembling, but at least they were holding themselves together. Takiyah’s jaw was clenched, her gaze steady on her father’s face. That would make it very difficult for Storyteller Zeroun to do his job.

  The other Elders paused in their arguments, and then Teryn gestured to them dismissively. “Continue with your story.”

  They spoke of their time under the mountain, and Kaemada spoke of the horrors of the City of the Lost, pleading with them that a new system of punishment must be found and getting somewhat off-topic before Ra’ael got them back on track. They spoke of the wonders they had seen, the crystals and the machines, and the way the Kamalti grew food without the light of the sun. They spoke of what they had endured and how their fortunes had changed. Finally, they discussed the possibility of a new alliance with the Kamalti.

  “I do not have to tell you how this could change our way of life for the better. In the old days, when the Kamalti were our close friends, both pe
oples thrived,” Taunos said.

  “That was also the time when we lived in cities and fought one another in bloody, needless wars. Surely you do not propose a return to those times.”

  “A friendship with the Kamalti does not mean a return to those times. It could mean less danger going to and from Feasts, and help in times of need,” Kaemada said. “They could help against the Darks.”

  “They have much knowledge to offer us as well,” Ra’ael said.

  “They could help the Darks against us,” one of the Elders said.

  Another demanded, “What is the meaning of this, the loosing of the Fallen from the City of the Lost? Who gave you the authority to make such a decision, with drastic effects for all Rinaryn?”

  Kaemada hung her head. “This was my doing if it was the doing of any of us. But Elders, please understand, many of those condemned to the City of the Lost were innocent of wrongdoing. They were born there or brought there by the Kamalti.”

  “You have spun a tale in which actions that seemed small took on a life of their own, and the effects were far greater than you could imagine.”

  “Are you responsible for the Dark attacks recently on kaetaln in Mountainhold?” asked Teryn.

  “What attacks?” Kaemada stared.

  “While you lived in Torkae, that kaetal was attacked more than any others. Then you left and they had rest! But in the last moon, while you were in the mountains unseen, the kaetaln closest to the mountains have been attacked repeatedly. Is this mere chance?”

  Ra’ael exchanged glances with the others, but they looked just as puzzled and outraged as she felt.

  “For a Rinaryn to orchestrate an attack on a Rinaryn kaetal is appalling! This family has been touched by Darkness. It’s like a plague, spreading wildly, and must be cut out,” growled an Elder.

  “Following in the footsteps of a man she just admitted to understanding and sympathizing with,” shouted another Elder.