by Orr, Krystal
"She needs to be avenged," Sed'dya said, behind her.
Bela'luin jerked and stopped suddenly. "What?"
Sed'dya, her intense green eyes holding Bela's innocently, elaborated. "Arizira. She needs to be avenged. I care little for which Esu struck the killing arrow, but they shall all pay their debt to our loss in blood."
Bela'luin held Sed'dya's gaze with a haunted expression for several moments. Like many of the tribe, Sed'dya was not aware that it had been she who had killed Arizira. Whether by accident or with true intent would be irrelevant to her sisters. All they knew was that Arizira Ahmanae, Child of Whispers, was dead in their greatest trial and time of need.
"You do not believe so?" Sed'dya asked frowning at the look in Bela's eyes.
Bela'luin shook her head and turned back around. "I think our focus at present should be on finding the woman Arizira loved." Sed'dya hesitated for a moment, noticing Bela's evasive answer, before continuing behind her once again.
"Do you believe it to be true?" she asked.
Bela'luin did not stop as she asked, "Believe what?"
"That Arizira was in love with an Esu woman?"
Eyes looking straight ahead, Bela'luin answered without hesitation "I know it to be true." The two of them walked without conversation for a long while afterward. Neither were accustomed to moving during the reign of the sun, but Talyn had informed Bela that her chances of finding Arizira's love would be higher during the day, rather than at night.
As Bela'luin stepped between two towering oak trees, a sound came suddenly to her keen ears. She paused, noticing that Sed'dya had also heard the sound. The two women shared a look. Bela'luin pulled a long sword from a scabbard at her hip and quietly moved in the direction she had heard the noise. Sed'dya removed the short bow from her back and followed.
The sound became more pronounced. Bela'luin and Sed'dya moved still closer.
Trees passed them in a haze as they made their way toward a small clearing. In the center of the area was a large boulder, likely having fallen some time ago in a rock slide from the mountains surrounding the forest. A short distance from the rock stood a tall and muscular figure. Tattoos crossed over his shoulder blades and disappeared into the leather vest he wore. His hair was black and pulled back into a small braid and his skin was dark.
Bela'luin moved her hand in an elaborate display, signaling Sed'dya behind her. The word she signed was simple: Esu. Sed'dya stiffened, but nodded. Pulling an arrow from the quiver over her back, she quickly notched it and awaited Bela'luin's command.
Bela continued to watch the man in the clearing. He appeared alone, but she could not know that for certain without venturing closer. As she studied him, she came to realize that he almost looked...disconcerted. His shoulders were hunched and his back was slightly stooped. A closer inspection of his face showed traces of dried tears.
Bela'luin held up a hand and signaled Sed'dya to hold her fire.
The man was upset over some matter. Bela'luin did not know if she should attack him or greet him. She doubted they would be able to understand each other, but she and Sed'dya needed to pass through the clearing to get to Li'nas Dei. That was their ultimate goal because that had been the direction Arizira had been taken. Enough time had been lost evading Esu patrols thus far. Bela'luin did not wish to detour again.
She stood up fully, sword still firmly held in her hand, and was about to go out to the man when he suddenly slammed his fist into a nearby tree along the rim of the clearing. Bark and leaves fell to the ground. Bela'luin made her decision. He was just one man and there were two of them. She did not desire to kill him, but she would disable him if the need arose. Her mission was too important to prolong any further.
She signaled Sed'dya to cover her and stepped out from behind the trees she was using as cover. The man jumped and moved into a defensive position. Bela'luin placed her sword on the ground next to her feet and approached him. He held up a hand that began to glow with a yellowish light.
"I am not your enemy," Bela said, her arms raising above her head and crossing at her wrists. She was nearly certain that he would not understand that the gesture was one of peace, but she felt it needed to be honored in any regard. The man took a step back and kept his hand held out in front of him. His eyes were rimmed red and his face appeared ashen.
"Do you understand me?" Bela'luin asked. She did not kneel in front of the man, as was her people's custom, but she kept her arms above her head. Markahn licked his lips nervously and looked back behind him for any sign of the others. The woman before him was Arnira. She was tall and lean with green eyes and fair skin. The words she spoke, he was stricken to learn, could not be understood by him. He had understood the language when Cynra or Arizira spoke it. Why could he now not understand this woman?
He realized there was nothing he could say to let the woman know that he was on her side. That he was not her enemy, nor did he desire to bring her any harm. He could not relate to the woman that two of her own traveled with him or that he was part of a group seeking peace.
If he turned and tried to run to get one of the others, the woman would likely shoot him in the back, thinking his retreat one to seek aid from his own people. Yet if he stayed and tried to communicate, there was no promise of success and others of his clan could come upon them. The situation was hopeless.
Unless...
Markahn knew what he had to do. He despised having to do it, but it was the only way he could see to get back to the others and hopefully continue their trek. Quickly, he raised his hand. The woman watched him closely with her shimmering eyes and Markahn noticed how taut her body was. She was waiting for him to make a move.
So he did.
His hand thrust forward and a bolt of bright light shot toward the woman. It was not his intent to kill her, only to incapacitate her so he could get away. The woman dodged out of the way of his attack nimbly. As she rolled across the grass, her hand picked up the long sword she’d placed near her feet earlier. She came up and began to circle him.
Markahn did likewise. He noticed her twisting her sword in her hand with deft skill and knew he had to disarm her before any harm came to him. He increased the light in his hand until its glow caused the Arniran to turn her head away in pain. Markahn rushed her and knocked her to the ground.
The sword flew across the dirt and out of reach. The Arniran yelled something over her shoulder in her native tongue before punching Markahn across the lower jaw. The blow stung and caused him to bite his tongue. The next thing he knew, he was on his back and the woman was circling him again with a crazed glee in her eyes.
Markahn stood up and winced when he moved his jaw. The woman feigned to the right but turned on her heel quickly and kicked at his right knee. Catching the crippling blow, Markahn yanked with his superior strength until the woman was forced to slide onto the ground. As he was about to disable her, a sound from behind him caught his attention.
He turned around and was greeted with the sharp tip of an arrowhead. His eyes followed the shaft and fell upon a second Arniran warrior. This one had darker skin. She said something to him in her language that he could not understand. The first woman kicked her leg free of his grasp and moved to stand up. Before he could determine his next move, the taller warrior slammed him into a tree while the second kept her bow trained on him.
"I mean you no harm. I travel with two of your kind. I can lead you to them, but you must--" His words were cut off as the first woman gripped his sore jaw and pushed his head roughly against the bark of the tree. Words were exchanged between the two women and as Markahn scanned the forest in front of him, he thought he caught a glimpse of something, or someone, moving through the trees.
"Someone comes hither!" he said heatedly, hoping the women would notice the figures he was seeing. There were two for certain that he had noticed.
The women ignored him. The first began to search him for any hidden weapons. He did not have time for this! Talliea and the others could be in
danger! He summoned every ounce of strength Esuval had granted him and practically threw the tall woman away from him as he attempted to put space between himself and his would-be captors. The vivid sound of a bow string being released sounded loudly in his ears and he realized he was not going to be fast enough to dodge the arrow.
He was going to die. "No!" he yelled in frustration. Then, everything changed. A figure stepped out of the trees to the far side of the clearing and Markahn saw that it was Talliea! Another figure stood behind her, eyes wide.
D'jiira.
The arrow that was near inches from his head suddenly vanished in a heap of wood shavings. Markahn noticed how slow his thought processes were and how electrified his skin felt. It was akin to being struck by lightning, a bolt that lived inside his flesh and shot through his nerve endings.
Talliea's face was one of absolute calm. She held everything in the grip of her power and it was terrifying to Markahn. The taller Arniran woman who he had pushed away from him was currently adrift in mid-air. The second was frozen in her stance not far from him. He opened his mouth to speak his thanks, but realized he could not move. At all. His eyes widened in fear.
Talliea began to walk toward them. Her eyes were completely jet-black and a shimmering silver-yellow halo danced across her body. She thrummed with power, the sound of such which could almost be heard in the silence. Behind Talliea walked D'jiira. Her eyes viewed Talliea with something Markahn could not place.
When Talliea got to the taller Arniran, whose face was covered by her hair, she waved her hand in a gesture. Hair was cleared from her an ivory face and Talliea looked down into a frightened countenance. Recognition colored Talliea's eyes. Her face went from one of utter serenity to one of unmitigated rage.
"You," she rasped.
Markahn watched in disbelief as Talliea tossed her hand out in a wave in front of her. The body of the woman was thrown onto the ground while leaves and grass and rock were blasted up away from the earth in a horrific arc. The woman stood up, Talliea obviously allowing her to do so, and held her hands out in front of her.
"I am here in peace," she said in her own language. Markahn did not understand, but he did notice the dark look that colored Talliea's face.
"Peace?" Talliea scoffed, also in the Arniran tongue. Somehow, Markahn understood the word.
Bela'luin nodded. "Yes. My Nai'iris wishes to speak with you. She does not seek conflict." Talliea silenced Bela'luin before lifting her body and slamming her into the tree next to Markahn. A grunt left the Arniran's mouth as her eyes tried to regain their focus. She coughed and spit up blood where she had bitten her lip upon impact.
D'jiira moved next to Talliea and placed an arm on her bicep. "Talliea, this is not why we are here. Please, stop this."
Talliea did not acknowledge D'jiira's words. Her eyes were an intense black and the energy around her, appearing like a glowing and hazy smoke, only grew more striking. She walked up to Bela'luin, her anger and fury evident in the way she moved, and noticed the second Arniran to her right. "You, I shall spare," she said.
Sed'dya could do nothing but stare at Talliea. The woman caused the entire area to feel as though it were on fire. Her insides churned. Her skin tingled. The air felt singed and acrid and her lungs burned. The closer Talliea was to her, the more intense the sensations. Sed'dya looked beyond Talliea, where she had spun up and disturbed the earth, and was stunned to notice that the debris still floated in the air.
Talliea returned her attention to Bela'luin. "You tried to separate us," she said in Arniran.
Bela'luin struggled to reply. Her back hurt. Her head hurt. She could not move, yet she knew what Talliea spoke of. She knew who Talliea spoke of. "I am sorry," she admitted honestly.
"Sorry?" Talliea snapped. "Sorry?" Bela swallowed and forced her mouth to cooperate. Talliea's fury was a palpable and tangible thing. She could feel it against her skin. "Yes. I erred. If you would allow...my name is--"
Talliea held up a hand. The action caused Bela'luin's words to die in her throat. "I am aware of who you are and who you were to her, Bela'luin."
Both Sed'dya and Bela appeared at a loss for words. Talliea tilted her head toward Markahn and he was released from her power. He staggered over to D'jiira, whose eyes were still watching Talliea with some uncertainty.
Bela'luin gasped and tried to speak. "Y-you know who--"
"Yes," Talliea said as she studied Bela's face. "I know you as if I were her myself."
Swallowing nervously, Bela'luin tried to move any part of her body. She needed to get through to this woman. To Arizira's love. But, how? "W-what are you...to do...with me?" she asked.
Without sparing a moment to contemplate, Talliea leaned closer and replied, "The same thing you thought to do with me." The words were without inflection. Without remorse. Without question.
D'jiira stepped forward, every movement feeling is though she walked through ice and fire and lightning all at once. "Talliea. You need to stop. Now. We have Markahn and can return to the others."
Talliea turned her head slightly, her right ear moving to face D'jiira. "You know not of who this woman is." The words, like D'jiira's, were spoken in Esulan and Sed'dya and Bela'luin could not understand them.
"It does not matter. You are hurting her. All of us. Stop this. This is not our way."
Talliea turned to focus her attention back on Bela'luin. Her features were darker than before and her face harder. She held up a hand by Bela's neck and squeezed it into a fist. Though her fingers did not actually touch skin, Bela'luin gasped as though she were being choked.
"Talliea!" D'jiira screamed and attempted to move forward. Talliea turned and held out her free hand toward D'jiira. The action stopped the older woman in her tracks.
"No! She is the one who shot Arizira!"
Silence met her words. Thick. Heavy. Silence.
"I will stop the spread of this disease," Talliea forced through her teeth, her eyes finding Bela's once again.
"She would not want this!" D'jiira tried again. "Please!"
"No," Talliea whispered, her sense of right and wrong being overshadowed by the horrible violence she felt coursing through her blood. She squeezed her hand again and Bela'luin struggled to breathe. Sed'dya managed to jerk her head, the only sign of her turmoil over what was transpiring. Behind Talliea, both Markahn and D'jiira continued, in vain, to try and get her to release Bela'luin from her grasp.
Talliea ignored them all. She ignored everything. She only had a singular thought. Bela's eyes began to water. She fought for a breath. For air. For movement.
Talliea watched every minute of it, lost to everything but her need for revenge. Suddenly...a presence. A comforting, soothing, and welcome presence. Talliea felt something shift within her before...
"Tah-li?"
Talliea lost her focus and started. Bela'luin gasped for air and breathed deeply several times. The voice. It was so familiar. Yet, it could not be...
"Tah-li! Stop!"
Talliea's eyes cleared. Instead of the intense jet-black from before, they returned to their normal brown. The wispy like tendrils of power around her lessened, but did not fade. She was still inside her power, but the rage from before was fading. It was being replaced by peace. She glanced up at Bela'luin and noticed her green eyes were wide, shocked, lined with tears, and full of disbelief. She looked beyond Talliea and into the face of another.
Talliea, keeping Bela pressed against the tree's trunk, turned around and her gaze fell upon her love. "Ahmanae," she whispered brokenly.
Chapter 29: Battle of Blood
After Talliea and D'jiira left, Arizira sighed heavily and sat down on a fallen tree behind her. She dropped her head into her hands and struggled to keep her emotions under control.
'I forbid it.'
The voice of her mother resounded inside her mind and mingled with the cool afternoon air. She had never been expressly forbidden to do anything in her life. There had been times, in the recent past, when she
and the rest of her tribe had been forbidden to wander or leave the safety of the village, but she herself had never been told a course of action was not available to her. Another had never looked her in the eyes and informed her she could not do something she felt was right in her heart.
Di'jiira, however, had done just that. There had been no room for argument in her tone, no small amount of possible discussion in the stern set of her face. As Arizira had stood in shock at her mother's strong words, she'd found herself unable to say or do anything. Her mind had become blank, wrapped in a stunned and mute inability to express itself.
She had felt divided in that single moment and torn between doing what she felt was best for everyone else and respecting the wishes of her mother. All Arniran children held great respect for their elders, but no other sense of courtesy or deference was given a higher regard than to one's mothers. Having lead the life she had, and not knowing either of her parents, Arizira had never been placed in a situation where her desires clashed with one of her mothers‘.
Until now.
D'jiira's demand had been borne out of fear for her and her unborn child. While she could respect and understand that, it was still difficult for her to deny certain impulses she had. One such impulse was the need to keep her loved ones safe.
So Arizira had found herself only able to stare at D'jiira as the two of them had stood off against one another. Everything in her had desired to press the issue and get her mother to understand her reasoning, but something else had stopped her. Something she had never felt before: Respect and esteem for one of the women responsible for giving her life.
"She only seeks to protect you."
Arizira looked up into Cynra's wrinkled face. The older woman smiled at her before sitting down to her left. "I know," she replied in a dejected tone.
"Try to understand, Arizira. A choice she made twenty seven winters past has cost her dearly. Now, she has a chance to know you and her grandchild. She does not wish to make another poor decision. Besides, your own desire to protect your new life must be gaining strength."