Failira, the Tahlet Vahllah (The Beautiful Whisper of the Goddess Saga)

by Orr, Krystal

  Bela'luin brought her sword down and attempted to disarm her opponent. The man lifted his arms and used the handle of his weapon to block the attack. He slammed his elbow into Bela'luin's stomach and knocked her to the ground. Turning around and seeing Sed'dya, he raised his hand at her and sent a blinding flash of light into her eyes.

  She staggered and fell.

  Cynra threw her mace at him and the weapon connected with the side of his skull. "Talliea!" she yelled. "We need your help!"

  Talliea barely heard the call. She had to protect Arizira. Her senses were unable to do anything else and she did not trust herself after her encounter with Bela'luin. She could not risk bringing harm to one of her friends if the darkness from before took her over.

  "No," she whispered, though only Arizira heard her. "No, no."

  Arizira struggled out of Talliea's embrace. Everything had happened so quickly that she had not had time to protest anyone's actions. When her eyes scanned the forest, she was overcome with sorrow. Sed'dya was lying on the ground some distance from her, unconscious. Bela'luin was fighting a relentless man with an arrow protruding from his back. Cynra was attempting to get Sed'dya's bow and arrows.

  Arizira looked around again and noticed Taetylona also on the ground. Blood seeped from a wound on the side of her head. Markahn was fighting two men in a struggle for survival while the rest of the men, four in all, were attacking D'jiira.

  D'jiira was barely able to gain any ground. The men were surrounding her. She used the powers of Esuval when she could and she managed to cut the men several times with her daggers, but her strength was waning. Arizira knew it. The men knew it. They were only waiting.

  "No!" Arizira yelled and pushed out of Talliea's embrace. She knew her love was hesitant. She could feel it, but she could not sit by and do nothing. If Talliea could not bring herself to protect the others, then she would.

  "Ari!" Talliea screamed after her, but Arizira did not hear the plea. She unhooked her sabres and ran into the circle of men attacking her mother. The blade in her right hand cut down one man before he even had time to mount a defense. The sabre sliced him open from just underneath his arm to the front of his stomach.

  The man nearest to him noticed Arizira and raised a double-edged sword in her direction. She blocked the attack by him with both of her sabres while kicking at a third man who had thought to overwhelm her. "Run!" Arizira yelled to D'jiira. Her mother's face was covered in blood and several bruises colored her skin.

  Arizira used all of her strength to press against the second man's sword. The action caused her own sabres, which had blocked the attack, to slice down his front in a wide arc. Blood spilled onto Arizira's white blouse. She allowed the man to fall to the ground before focusing her attention on the remaining two men.

  The man she had kicked earlier rushed her, but he was not prepared for how quick she was. She allowed the man to move as close as she dared, before turning and slamming the butt of her sabre into the base of his neck. The man dropped like a stone.

  D'jiira stood on shaky legs and stumbled to where Arizira stood. The wild look in her daughter’s eyes was unsettling. She had known Arizira was skilled from their first encounter, but she'd had no idea just how skilled.

  Until now.

  The last man looked upon Arizira with hesitation. Behind Arizira, Bela'luin had finally dispatched the man she'd been attacking. Both she and Cynra were seeing to Sed'dya. Markahn got the upper hand briefly with the two men he'd been struggling with, but instead of attacking him again, they pressed in on Arizira.

  She was the biggest threat.

  Markahn moved to stop them, but one man sent a bolt of light into his face and temporarily blinded him. That left Arizira alone, expect for D'jiira, who was in far than perfect shape.

  Arizira lowered herself to the ground in a crouch. She twisted her arms behind her until her blades where resting against her back. She hissed at the men as she moved to put herself in front of her mother.

  "Arizira! No!" D'jiira yelled, but her strength was failing her. She knew she could not take on all three men and survive, but she also knew she could not allow Arizira to do so either.

  Why wasn't Talliea aiding them?! She could put a stop to this! D'jiira looked over her shoulder and noticed Talliea viewing the scene with clouded eyes. She was lost to a fear of herself. The most powerful among them, and she was too afraid of herself to aid them.

  "Stay back, lana." Arizira said. Her eyes watched the men with the sharpness of a dagger. All grew quiet. Blood covered Arizira in various places and it's coppery stench clung to the air.

  Suddenly, the men attacked as one. All three of them yelled battle cries and rushed at Arizira. The movement had been so quick, none had seen it coming. Arizira twisted her blades around to strike at the men, but they were suddenly flying back away from her. They each slammed into earth, tree, and rock. Where they fell, they did not get up.

  Arizira turned around and looked over her shoulder. Talliea stood with a hand raised in her direction. Her face was calm and there was no indication of the turmoil that had gripped her earlier. She looked around at the dead bodies of the men. Eight men. All dead. With a gesture of her hands, the vines and grass grew up around those bodies. They covered the men, wrapping around their corpses and returning them to the earth. After a moment, there was no evidence of the recent battle, except for the blood that covered the ground in places.

  "Tah-li?" Arizira asked.

  Talliea turned her head and nodded at her. "I am okay, love. Forgive me. I was too frightened to see."

  Arizira smiled at her and allowed the adrenaline in her body to fade away. She slumped to the ground and sighed. D'jiira placed a hand on her shoulder and moved to check on Taetylona. Cynra, Sed'dya, and Bela'luin moved closer and soon the whole of the party was near to one another.

  "Is everyone well?" Taetylona asked.

  "Yes," Bela'luin responded, not realizing she had just understand Esulan. Sed'dya, who was leaning against Bela'luin for support, looked around curiously. "How did we understand your words?" she asked.

  A wolf emerged from the forest and stood before the group. Its fur was pure white, its eyes an icy blue. It focused its gaze on the group as if scrutinizing their appearance. Before anyone could ask any further questions or check on the status of how everyone was after the battle, the wolf's eyes found D'jiira’s and a silence settled around the clearing.

  It was no natural silence. "I am responsible for your communication." The voice seemed to be coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. It was ethereal and rich and musical and it echoed off of the very trees.

  D'jiira recognized it at once and a sound like a cry and a plea left her throat. She stepped away from the others. Of the group, she had received the most injury. Cuts and scrapes marred her chest and neck and face. Blood seeped from several wounds and bruises dotted her skin. The injuries were all superficial. A lot of the blood had come from the Esu men instead of her. Still, she was in a delicate state.

  Everyone kept their attention focused on the mysterious wolf. Except for Sed'dya and Bela'luin and Markahn, everyone knew who the wolf was. D'jiira took an unsteady step toward the wolf. Tears were falling down her face and washing away the blood that had dried there. Before she could take another step, a silvery flash of light converged on the wolf. The light was so bright that all present had to shield their eyes. When they turned back toward the wolf, it was gone.

  In its place stood a woman. An Arniran with long silver hair and startling purple eyes. D'jiira fell to her knees and a cry whimpered past her lips. "Io..." she whispered brokenly.

  Chapter 30: Farewell, My Love

  Iolirthas smiled in D'jiira's direction, the gesture showing in the set of her eyes. Her long silver hair fell down her back and over her shoulders. The strands shimmered in the daytime sun as though they were touched by the moon.

  Iolirthas wore the same outfit she had been adorning the night of Arizira's birth. Treated leather
pants were light in color and tall curved boots completed the look of a hunter. A magnificent silver cloak, long and flowing, was draped over a green cloth shirt with a dark-stained leather vest. Like her hair, the cloak appeared ethereal the way it glowed with radiance.

  "You look different," D'jiira's voice broke the silence. "Older than my memory recalls."

  Iolirthas looked down at herself and smiled again. "Aitla has chosen to show me as I could have been had I lived."

  Cynra, who had been nursing the gash on Taetylona's head, took a step toward her daughter. Heavy tears lined her eyes. Communing with Iolirthas as a wolf had been a great difference to seeing her now. It had been so very long since she had glimpsed her daughter this way.

  "Mother," Iolirthas said in greeting.

  Breaking off a cry that wished to escape, Cynra swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded her head. "My child." Behind D'jiira, Markahn, Talliea, Arizira, Sed'dya, and Bela'luin were all getting to their feet and turning to get a better view of what was transpiring. Arizira's eyes were watery and she could almost feel D'jiira's emotions over this particular encounter.

  "Io...how?" D'jiira asked in an unsteady tone.

  Iolirthas reached out a hand to D'jiira. "This is Aitla's blessing," was all she said.

  Walking slowly, tears slipping down her cheeks, D'jiira finally closed the distance between herself and Iolirthas. She tentatively took Io's hand in her own and a cry sounded in the clearing at the contact. "My dear love," Io said and her voice was like music on the wind.

  Arizira felt Talliea behind her. Hands landed on her shoulders and held her close. Arizira stood with a small smile on her face as she watched her parents. The way they looked at one another was beautiful to her. These women were responsible for giving her life, these parents she so previously thought lost in her life. They had found one another long before either of their peoples were aware of the other. They had overcome prejudices and fallen in love.

  Watching them now, Arizira found herself wondering how her life would have been had Iolirthas not passed to Aitla on the night of her birth. Would she have grown up in the forest with the both of them? Would they have tried to bridge the gap between their peoples to offer her a more social childhood? Would she now know what it was to be both Arnira and Esu?

  When Arizira's eyes focused again, she was pleasantly stunned to notice that D'jiira's wounds had been healed. Blood still covered her clothing, but her face was clean and there was no evidence that she had recently fought to protect the rest of them.

  "Oh, by Esuval, you are here," D'jiira was saying, not taking notice of her own changed state. Her hand in Io's moved and grasped her shoulder in a need for further confirmation. Fingers moved up an ivory neck before slipping into soft silver hair. "What miracle is this?"

  Iolirthas closed her eyes at D'jiira's touch. It had been so long since she had enjoyed anything so physical. Her time as a wolf had opened her to different senses, different sensations. This last gift of Aitla was the most sweet, the most tender, but also the most painful and sorrowful. It could not last, despite her wishing that matters were different. Her time was short and she found herself lamenting all the things she desired to say, but would not have a chance to. The blessing of her physical manifestation was also to be a precious curse.

  D'jiira stepped closer and leaned her head against Io's. Her hand cradled her love's neck while her shoulders shook from the force of her emotions. For several moments no one spoke, though a question or two burned on everyone's tongue. Sed'dya and Bela'luin, lost to the reunion before them, could do little else but watch with wide eyes and mouths agape. Their minds were refusing to believe that Arizira was half Esu, even with D'jiira's presence having already spoken of such.

  Taetylona stood, her weight resting heavily on her walking stick, and watched with tears in her own smoky eyes. Next to her Markahn was silent, his mind trying in vain to understand everything going on around him.

  Talliea and Arizira stood closely and watched the reunion, each holding the other as near to them as possible.

  "I love you. I have always loved you," D'jiira cried.

  Iolirthas nodded, her hands holding D'jiira's body close to her own. "I know, my love, I know. I have watched over you for a time. I know of your new love. She brings you happiness and for this I am gladdened. My heart was forever yours, just as it shall always be, but my time grows short and I have so much I wish to say."

  D'jiira cried harder upon hearing the words. Iolirthas moved closer and took her into her arms. The two of them hugged one another as the minutes passed. Finally, D'jiira pulled away and attempted to regain her composure. She turned her head and caught Arizira's gaze. "Io, I found her," she said with a small laugh. "I found our Arizira."

  Iolirthas smiled and sought out Arizira's eyes. "I know, my love, for it was I that started you upon your long journey to seek her."

  D'jiira turned back around. "You? You are responsible for the dreams?"

  "Yes," Io responded. "I knew important events were on the horizon and that my time on this plane was to be brief. I knew our daughter would need guidance, the type of guidance only a mother can provide. I knew also that you needed Arizira, but your fear of what transpired in the past kept you from ever attempting to find her."

  D'jiira's eyes turned back to Arizira. "You brought us together."

  Again, Io's answer was simple. "Yes."

  Arizira stepped away from Talliea and toward her parents. Much of what they had spoken was confusing to her, just as much of it was clarifying. She wondered about the other love of D'jiira's that Iolirthas had mentioned. Yet despite her confusion, only a single word formed on her lips when she thought to speak.

  "Lana'vira."

  Lana'vira translated as 'mother who nurtured.' It was reserved for the woman who carried a child.

  Iolirthas turned her head and smiled at Arizira. She took a step away from D'jiira and regarded her daughter. Though the two of them had met, in a sense, this meeting somehow felt much more tangible. "My beloved Arizira," Iolirthas said in a voice that was heavy, yet beautiful.

  Arizira found herself moving toward her mother, the woman who had carried her and nurtured her until bringing her into life. Talliea did not attempt to stop her in any way. She let her fingers run down Arizira's forearm until they were no longer within reach of one another.

  D'jiira watched Arizira walk on shaky legs toward herself and Iolirthas. This reunion was one she never thought possible, yet here the three of them stood. Together. Iolirthas cried when Arizira fell into her arms without reservation. The emotion was nearly too painful. She wrapped her arms around Arizira's back and pressed her against her body in a warm and tight embrace. Tears against her cheek and neck signaled Arizira's own tears.

  "My beautiful, beautiful Arizira," Iolirthas cried.

  D'jiira stepped closer to the both of them and joined in their hug. It was to be a last, an embrace that could never again be experienced. D'jiira tried to commit every breath to memory, ever sensation to heart, and every caress to her soul. Around them, the rest of their unconventional company watched in silence. For several minutes, nothing moved and no one spoke.

  Cynra was the first to change that. She moved toward the family that had been taken from her and joined them in their embrace. Whispers of love were spoken and kisses were placed on cheeks and foreheads. Finally, the group separated. Arizira remained close to Iolirthas, her body hugging one side while D'jiira claimed the other. Cynra, tears lining her light purple eyes, stepped away and looked toward the rest of the group.

  "My daughter, you know already of the others, do you not?" Iolirthas smiled and nodded. Her eyes traveled from Taetylona's, whom she had met before as a wolf, to Markahn. The man remained a mystery to her. She had encountered him before, though not directly. Her gaze shifted from Markahn's to Bela'luin's. The woman's green eyes were wide and unfocused. She appeared to look past the reunion taking place before her.

  "I have met you before," Iolir
thas said. Bela'luin jumped at being addressed before focusing her attention on Iolirthas. The two of them regarded one another for several moments until a dawning of comprehension colored Bela's face.

  "You were the wolf I encountered before, yes?"

  "Yes."

  "You did nothing to stop the events you knew were imminent. Why?"

  Iolirthas looked down at Arizira briefly before returning her attention to Bela'luin. "My task was to protect my daughter. She hid in the trees above that night. I could not allow her to be brought to harm. You still had a part in the grand story to be told. I protected my child."

  Bela'luin shook her head. "Part? What part?"

  Iolirthas did not respond, but Bela knew of what she spoke. What other action had she taken that was so monumental, other than when she had unintentionally pierced Arizira through the heart with an arrow from her bow? That was supposed to have happened? Arizira was meant to nearly die? Was that the part she had played?

  Instead of addressing Iolirthas, Bela'luin looked to Arizira. "Why did you do nothing that night? Why did you hold your tongue instead of offering me your insight? I could have helped you, helped our sisters. I could have followed a path that did not lead to such sorrow."

  Arizira contemplated her response for a moment. She cut her gaze to Talliea's and found the stability she needed. "My eyes were blind to which side was just. To me, only Tah-li could I trust. I was ill without her. I could not risk myself on a whim because I nurtured something far more precious than you or I. My mind held no understanding of what was soon to come to pass that night."

  Bela'luin was silent. She narrowed her eyes at Arizira's words. Risk herself? Bela had seen Arizira fighting just moments before Iolirthas had made her presence known! She had been risking herself for the Esu woman, D'jiira. Her...mother. Why could she not risk herself before? What was different? Unless...

  'I nurtured something far more precious.'

  All color drained from Bela'luin's face. Arizira had been acting on instinct when she had jumped to D'jiira's rescue. There had been no real thought involved in her decision to leap into battle. Adrenaline had flooded her system, where before fear had. Fear not for herself, but for--