The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Two: Beyond the Veil

by Melissa Collins

  To see him seated at her side was a great burden lifted from her shoulders. No longer did she care what these people did to her. Callum was safe. He was awake. Even if something happened to her, he would be able to seek a means of reaching Luquarr to assist in rescuing Shaelyn. She relaxed into the table. The woman’s voice washed over her in their strange tones, hypnotic and soothing. Discussion wouldn’t be possible until she had completed whatever ritual she performed. Aiva hoped by then she would have more control over her vocal cords to address Callum the way she desired.

  When the chant came to an end, Aiva found herself somewhat disappointed to hear it stop. It was intriguing. Mysterious the way these people practiced medicine. If she thought the woman would understand her words, she might have questioned her about her worok, but she knew it would be impossible. Uttae had mentioned that very few would grasp the meaning of anything Aiva said.

  “Enokih,” Uttae’s voice sounded loudly from somewhere in the room. The woman turned to face him, speaking in a hushed, garbled mess of language in response. Uttae nodded to her, a sharp wave of his hand motioning for the woman to come away from the table. She did as instructed, gathering the familiar lapis figurine from atop Aiva’s chest, her long fingers placing it on a chain around her neck before rising to follow Uttae from the room.

  Alone in the silence Aiva let her head turn to face Callum, lips parted to speak, met by Callum’s index finger lightly pressing against them, preventing her from saying anything. “Hush,” he said quietly. “You should rest more.”

  The gentleness of his touch sent a shiver through her spine. He was being so soft. Careful. As if afraid he might hurt her if he applied too much pressure. Their conversation in the Captain’s cabin felt so long ago now. Still, she could recall the bitterness his tone held toward her then. It was gone now. Replaced by some unknown emotion which left her unsure of what he was actually feeling inside. “Callum,” she breathed, her lips brushing the skin of his finger despite his effort to keep her quiet. “There is too much I want to say for me to be silent.”

  “We don’t need to talk, Aiva. Whatever issues we had before, they aren’t important anymore,” he lowered his eyes a moment, inhaling deeply. “I was being foolish. Your explanations are unnecessary.”

  “There is nothing between me and Gadiel,” she stated softly. It had to be said. Regardless of his statements against an explanation, she wanted him to hear the words.

  With a grimace Callum nodded, squeezing her hand tightly. “I know,” he replied, his tone low. “I think I knew the moment Lorand spoke of it. I was just confused by my own feelings and it was easier for me to believe you had found happiness in someone else than it was to convince myself that…” Callum paused, thinking over his words carefully before continuing. “To think that you had given your heart to someone else made it easier for me to accept our separation. As long as you remain unattached to anyone, I cannot help but hope you may one day find it in you to care about me. What I don’t understand is why you are here. I told you to go with Gadiel. Why did you not?”

  “Because Gadiel is not my husband,” she sighed. “Don’t you see, Callum? I do care about you. You are and always have been my best friend. I wasn’t going to let you die out there.”

  “You could have been killed, Aiva.”

  “And you would have if I did not come.”

  “I was prepared for death. You are the Princess. Your safety is more important than mine.”

  Shaking her head Aiva frowned, wishing she could make him understand. Title had nothing to do with her reasons for doing what she did. In these lands she was of no importance. She was just a Vor’shai that happened to wear a pretty ring. “Forget my heritage, Callum,” she stated calmly. “While my safety may be important to some, it doesn’t mean I have to let my friends die. Your life means the world to me. Even a princess is allowed to demonstrate the same valor as her soldiers. To protect her people. Her friends…” Aiva paused, the tone of her voice softening. “Her Prince.”

  His eyes brightened slightly at her words. Hopeful. Happy. “I haven’t decided if you are the most courageous woman I have ever met, or the craziest,” he chuckled to himself. “How did you get off the ship? I find it difficult to believe Gadiel and Edric willingly allowed you to come for me.”

  “I waited until Gadiel had gone to get Edric. When I was certain he wouldn’t see me, I went to look for you. By the time I reached the side of the ship, you were already in the water. There was no time to think. Edric and Gadiel were coming – so I jumped.” Exhaling, Aiva stared up at the ceiling, recalling the details of that night. It had been chaotic. Impossible for any rational thought. Though her actions had been crazy and rash, she knew she wouldn’t change anything even if given a chance. “I saw you fighting that creature, Callum. You were amazing.”

  “You are insane,” he clucked his tongue disapprovingly. “That water is beyond freezing. I don’t know how you survived it. By now, you must realize that the others have every reason to believe you and I to be dead. They wouldn’t think to look for us here.”

  It pained her to think of Edric on that little lifeboat, floating in the middle of the Vai’ld Sea. Callum was right. He had nothing to console him in thinking she might be alive. The last he saw of her, she was diving into the water only a short distance from the divastru. If the water hadn’t killed her, they would assume the beast had. And what would he tell their father upon reaching Luquarr? Her father and the General would both be informed of their loss. It would devastate them. “We have to go to them, then,” she stated quietly. “Do you have any idea what it will do to our fathers when they’re told of our suspected fate?”

  “I’ve been trying not to think about it,” he frowned. “Having another child may not have been my father’s plan, but he has never missed an opportunity to let me know he is proud to call me his son. I hate to think what the news will do to him. And if we don’t reach them before they return to Tanispa, my sister will receive not only the word of Kaemin’s death, but her brother’s as well, and it kills me to think how she will fare under the loss.”

  “We have to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Aiva returned the pressure of Callum’s hand. “Fortune smiles upon us, it would seem. The man who monitors our care currently is none other than General Uttae. He might be persuaded to assist us in acquiring a boat.”

  “Uttae?” Callum blinked. “Are you certain?”

  “I spoke with him before they… drugged me. He spoke of my resemblance to the Vor’shai captain. When my thoughts became more coherent, I questioned him as to his name, and he confirmed the identity I believed to be his.”

  “The Tunirons will not want to voyage all the way to Luquarr. If they can at least provide transportation to the islands north of here, I could then arrange passage on one of the trade ships.” Callum’s features softened into a thoughtful expression, contemplating the idea. “We could disguise ourselves as commoners. No one would suspect us to be of any import. Our arrival on the mainland of Luquarr would be of little note. Ireni will have no knowledge of our passage into the city of Dackdyn, which gives us an advantage. Our path will be clear to seek our fathers and rejoin the men.”

  Excitedly Aiva sat up, ignoring Callum’s wide-eyed expression, his hands moving to try and keep her down. She pushed them away, spinning her legs around on the table in attempts to stand. “We should see about speaking with Uttae quickly,” she stated calmly. Callum’s hands tugged at her shoulders, urging her to lie back down.

  “You’re not supposed to be sitting up,” he hissed, glancing toward the door nervously. “I was given direct orders to keep you from moving.”

  “I’m fine, Callum. They’re overreacting about my condition.” Rising to her feet Aiva felt the room start to spin, twirling in a dizzying circle across her vision despite her efforts to make it cease. She swayed unsteadily, hand outstretched to support her balance against the table. “It should have been out of my system by now…”

  Call
um was at her side, arms wrapped around her waist to keep her from falling. “We can’t say for sure what effect anything here will have on us, or for how long,” he said quietly. “Our systems aren’t used to this place. While we are strong in our own land, we are unfortunately vulnerable here in the jungle. You should listen to General Uttae and stay off your feet until he feels you are healthy enough to resume activity.”

  Frustrated by her inability to stand unassisted she struggled to manage her own weight, not wanting to place too much strain on Callum without having knowledge of his physical condition. He was badly beaten. If he suffered internal injuries, her foolishness would only cause him more pain. “We don’t have a lot of time,” she grimaced. “It has been days already since we washed up on this shore. The others will be in Luquarr soon and the distance between us will be too great to think of reaching them.”

  “The others are currently crossing the Vai’ld Sea in nothing more than lifeboats. It will increase the length of their journey by at least twice that of a larger vessel. The sea is vast, Aiva. Rowing it will be tedious.” Callum stumbled slightly, muscles trembling under the slight weight of Aiva’s thin, malnutritioned figure. He was having difficulty holding her up, weakened from his injuries and lack of diet over the weeks of their journey. “Neither of us are in any shape to make the trip to Luquarr. We’re not invincible. We must accept the fact that the odds are severely against us in our condition. Our ship was destroyed by a divastru. It is only by the grace of the gods we are alive now to have this discussion. We would be foolish to press on without allowing for recovery.”

  Aiva’s heart leapt in her chest at the sound of Uttae’s voice coming from the doorway. “I thought I told you to keep her lying down.”

  “Were it so easy, I would have done so,” Callum sighed, gratefully accepting Uttae’s assistance in lifting Aiva, placing her back onto the table. “This woman is the most tenacious creature you will ever lay eyes upon. Her stubbornness knows no bounds. If I tell her sit, she will stand. Perhaps you can argue her into submission.”

  From where she lay, Aiva could feel a soft touch upon her forehead. The mysterious woman had returned to her side, leaning over to peer into her eyes. “You must lie,” she stated evenly. “Movement aggravates the fever. You are not yet healed.”

  Confused by the clarity of the woman’s words, Aiva glanced to Uttae. He had said the others were unfamiliar with the human language. How was it that this woman was able to communicate? “General, I thought you said the others would not speak a known language to my ears.”

  “Others, yes,” Uttae chuckled, maintaining a sturdy hold over Aiva’s chest while the woman worked to examine the marks on her neck and shoulder. “Enokih is not just any warrior. She is my daughter. The spirit healer of our tribe. While her grasp of the language is not complete in fluency, she knows enough. I recommend you listen to what she tells you. It is she who will determine when you are well enough to take to your feet again.” With a snap of his fingers Uttae motioned for Callum to sit on the stool at Aiva’s side, directing his attention away from Aiva. “You are not recovered enough to exert your body. If you insist on being at her side, I suggest you do so off your feet. Learn to be more persuasive with your wife to avoid injury to you both.”

  Callum did as he was told, a half-smile curling the edges of his mouth at Uttae’s words. Aiva couldn’t help but laugh silently to herself. Uttae knew nothing about them. While Callum argued her stubbornness, he ignored the truth of his own. They were both hardheaded. Inexorable. A terrible pair to be stranded together. If they made it to Luquarr without pulling each other’s hair out, it would be nothing short of a miracle. “That is easier said than done, Sir,” Callum nodded, taking Aiva’s hand in his once again. “Though honestly, her strong will is part of her beauty. I would not venture to change it.”

  “Then you will endure far more bumps to your head before your time has ended,” Uttae stated flatly. He let his long fingers trace over Callum’s bandages, checking their tightness. Satisfied, he nodded to Enokih, making his way around the table toward the door. “Observe her for a while before you come to dinner,” he stated, stern in his mannerisms. “If the fever returns, we will have to take more severe measures.”

  Aiva watched Uttae exit the room, suddenly uncomfortable around the woman who had been at her side since being brought there. It was different when she believed her unable to understand the words spoken between her and Callum. She would have to be more on guard. Cautious to discuss anything too personal while in her presence.

  “Is there anything I can do to assist?” Callum asked, gazing hopefully at Enokih from his seat.

  Enokih looked thoughtful. Pondering his request. At her silence, Aiva began to worry that Enokih hadn’t understood Callum’s question. “I am not sure,” she replied distractedly. “Your people… her energy fights the magic bestowed upon me by the spirits. This makes it… difficult. I cannot grasp the poison as with my people. It lingers. Her body holds it firm.”

  An expression of understanding flashed in Callum’s eyes to hear Enokih’s concerns. “I can help,” he smiled, lightly resting his hand on Aiva’s forehead. “The internal energy of a Vor’shai is not used to being manipulated by forces outside of those among our people, or those familiar and possessing similar skill. If you wish to try your medicine again, I can assist in coaxing her body to work with you, rather than against you. I need only know what your intentions are, and I can determine the best means of doing so.”

  Removing the talisman figurine from around her neck, Enokih placed it over Aiva’s chest, nodding to Callum, seeming to recognize what he was saying. “When I call to the spirits, they reach into her veins to draw forth the venom. It is there that she must… cooperate.” She visibly struggled to find her words in the unfamiliar language. “The… magic cannot work if she does not let it. It is not only her mind that is… stubborn. Her spirit is strong. It fights my own. I cannot help her this way.”

  “I don’t understand,” Aiva whispered to Callum, uneasy by the discussion. What was it Enokih spoke of? She didn’t feel comfortable thinking of any spirit reaching into her veins. It sounded frightening. Unsafe. Why did Callum so willingly offer to help with such a thing? “What is it she intends to do?”

  “Something similar to our own ability in flushing poisons,” he nodded to her comfortingly. “It seems their people have acquired a means of manipulating the energy of nature, though I cannot say how. I was unaware anyone outside of a Vor’shai or Ovatai lineage could do so. But when she attempts to draw the venom out through the wounds you sustained, your energy counteracts hers. A natural defense mechanism, I’m sure. Your body instinctively tries to keep itself in tune, and therefore is not allowing the poison out of your system. If I can link myself to your energy, I can guide its flow along with Enokih to help push the poison to the surface and cleanse your veins.”

  “Could you not simply rid me of the substance yourself?”

  “I’m not strong enough to undertake the entire process on my own,” Callum frowned. “Guidance of the energy is all I can offer until my body begins to recover itself.”

  Reluctantly she conceded. If she wanted to get better, there was no other option. At least Callum would be there. He would have the ability to stop things if anything went wrong. Her concern was in the process utilized by the Tunirons. How did they control the energy? It was not something easily done by those outside of a race so inclined to the ability. Humans weren’t known for being adept with any form of magic beyond simple tricks. The energy was too complex. Beyond their usual knowledge and comprehension. It frightened Aiva to think of allowing one of them to have such control over her body while she was powerless to do anything.

  “I will get herbs,” Enokih nodded, rising to her feet fluidly. “She should sleep.”

  “No,” Aiva said, her tone louder than she intended. She didn’t care. She was adamant not to let them put her to sleep again. “I want to know everything that is done to
me. Tell her, Callum. Tell her not to make me sleep.”

  “Aiva, maybe you should listen to her…”

  “I will not drink the herbs. It is my body. I have a right to know what is done to it.” Aiva let her chin jut out defiantly. She refused to back down. Her body had slept enough over the past few days. If she was awake, it would help promote the flow of energy through her system. “You know as well as I that it will be easier with me awake,” she stated, holding Callum’s gaze steadily. “I will endure whatever is required.”

  With a sigh Callum nodded. He didn’t have the heart to fight with her. “Very well,” he said quietly. “We shall keep her awake until such a time when she realizes it best to do what we ask of her.”

  “It will be painful. Agarul venom will burn when dispersed through the veins in this way, much like when it first struck.” Enokih’s expression was solemn. Serious. She gave no indication of her words being a mere presumption. She had seen this ritual completed successfully in the past. There was no doubt in her eyes in regards to her warnings. “You must tell your wife sleep is best.”

  “I will not listen to him if he tells me,” Aiva looked to Callum apologetically. “I’m sorry. This is one decision I must insist upon. If it is successful, and the venom is removed, then I will recover quickly. We don’t have time to wait for the herbs to wear off again to rouse me.”

  Nodding her head, Enokih gave no further argument. It mattered little to her whether Aiva agreed. She’d given her warning. Whatever happened to Aiva because of her unwillingness to listen would not be on Enokih’s head.

  Her hands reached to something atop a small table at the far side of the room. In a graceful motion she lifted a dagger, pulling it from its sheath to examine the blade, torchlight reflected in the sharpened metal. “We must make sure the venom is able to exit the body. The original wound has begun to heal. It must be reopened.”

  At her side Aiva felt Callum tense. “Are you sure that is necessary?” he asked. “I’m sure the wound is open enough for what needs to be done.”