The ache in his heart was too thick to ignore. He wanted to go home to Avristar and find Kaliel’s shimmering white hair under the soft sun. He wanted to run his fingers through it, pull her closer to him, protect her from all the darkness plaguing the lands. He wanted her death to be a dream and reality to be nothing but a nightmare. He drifted back to sleep, explosions ringing in his ears, and he snapped awake. He fought against his stiff limbs. His legs were entwined with the man he had killed and he gasped. His stomach heaved and he vomited on the sand. He shakily brought himself to his feet and stumbled towards the horse. He hadn’t forgotten about the lantern.
As he braced himself on the side of the horse he lifted the flap of the knapsack. The orb rested inside the lantern. It was dim. Krishani frowned and his logic failed him. Kaliel had been adamant Tiki was in a lantern. She knew the Flame didn’t have a body. Krishani couldn’t understand what that meant, but staring into the orb he was reminded of Kaliel’s Avristar Birthstone. Tiki was like that, conscious, but non-physical.
He stared at it for what seemed like forever. It stirred, its glow moving from dim to faint and he jumped.
“Who are you?”
Krishani thought he heard the orb whispering, but he shook his head and blotted out the words. Her voice was like chimes shimmering on the wind, words slurred together in commotion.
“Who are you?”
Chimes attacked Krishani’s ears and he staggered from the horse, his head sick with vertigo. He glanced at the lake, a shimmering silver sheet in the bright afternoon sun. After moments of disorientation he straightened and looked at the little thing. He picked up the lantern and gazed at the Flame.
“I’m . . . Krishani . . .” he said, caution lacing his tone. He thought of the rest of that sentence—of Amersil—but that wasn’t true anymore. He was a Tavesin, but it sounded all wrong. For now he was just Krishani, from nowhere, belonging to no one.
The Flame responded by glowing a brilliant orange and Krishani was both alarmed and confused. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open.
“She told me about you.”
Stabs attacked his heart. There was no doubt in his mind this was Tiki. She was both unique and important. All of his menace abated as he moved to the cabin. He sat on the bed and put her on the nightstand.
“Is your name Tiki?” he asked.
The Flame beamed. “Yes!”
“Where is Kaliel?”
Tiki went dark again, as though she had retreated within herself. All that remained was a coppery orange light like rust. Krishani’s stomach churned. He ran his hands through his hair and buried his head in his lap.
“Something bad happened to her, but something worse happened to the others.”
Krishani lifted his head. She burned a faint deep orange, barely visible.
“Ro tulten lle,” Krishani said. He meant to say it in another way, but the words came out flat and monotone. He rubbed his hands along his breeches, wincing at the aching pain in his thighs. He glanced at Tiki, who shone a bit brighter.
“I have been waiting for him,” she whispered.
Krishani gave her a half-smile. Crestaos could never hurt her the way he hurt the others. There was nothing about her he could torture. All he could do was imprison her and fight to learn her secrets.
Just like Kaliel, Tiki could evade Crestaos.
The thought made him hopeful for the first time in days.
19
The Blossoming
Beltane festivals were different, less formal. More of the kinfolk came from Amersil, Evennses and Araraema. Games were set up in the courtyard, prizes to be won. Lady Atara and Lord Istar spent conversed with the kinfolk, sharing grand stories of the old days in Avristar.
And there were the shee and the centaurs.
The two tribes came from Nandaro. Neither of the tribes made the journey to the Samhain festival, but they couldn’t resist the royal city in springtime.
“I trust your lessons are going well?” Adoron asked.
Krishani and Adoron stood in the Grand Hall near the archway, both of them surveying the organized chaos. Krishani glanced at him. He was hardly paying attention to his former mentor from Amersil. His eyes idly trailed over the decorated tables inside the Grand Hall. “Aye, Istar is a fantastic teacher,” he said. He gave Adoron a fake smile. Krishani knew it was customary for kinfolk to sit with others from their province, but he wanted to sit next to Kaliel.
“Aye, that he is. You will have to try the seed again you know,” Adoron said. It was no secret the Brotherhood of Amersil practiced a slightly different tradition. Making a seed grow was one of their earlier tests, meant to show the student how to shape the land with their thoughts.
Krishani groaned. Any time he had for practice he spent with Kaliel. He turned away and gazed at the courtyard. Kinfolk dueled with wooden swords, while some huddled in groups listening to the elders tell stories. Others sang, while more were lost in thought, attempting to solve riddles.
“Aye,” he said in response to Adoron’s scrutiny.
Adoron clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a withering look before leaving his side. Krishani thought he heard him say something, but it was muffled by the crowd. After watching the festivities for awhile longer, he was interrupted by a giggle. He turned from the courtyard and his gaze fell on Kaliel as she descended the stairs. The soft rose-colored dress she wore was probably the most stunning thing he had ever seen on her. It was short like her ivory dresses and tied around her neck. Krishani took her hand in his. He kissed her soft knuckles as he led her away from the stairs and into the Grand Hall. He had no words to describe the way she looked—it was incredible.
Kaliel nudged him in the ribs and he dropped her hand and tried to look like he wasn’t more than a friend to her. “You look so sad for spring,” she whispered.
Krishani looked down at his clothes. Sure enough he had thrown on a black tunic and breeches and was stuck in the heavy shin-high boots he always wore. He leaned in to her as they wound around the other kinfolk. He was unsure where she was leading him. “I was too busy dreaming about what you’d be wearing.”
She giggled as they neared the tables at the far back corner of the hall. From that angle they could see the bards gathered at the fountain, fiddles, cellos, harps and flutes ready to play tunes until dawn. The tables were rather empty. Kaliel took a seat and Krishani sat next to her.
“You know I can’t stay,” he said.
“No, but you can meet my friends from Evennses.” Kaliel smiled.
Nerves crept into his gut. He remembered the last time they traveled from Evennses and what had happened on the dance floor. He wanted to believe they would accept him, but everything told him Kaliel was important to them. They would protect her from being hurt by anyone. He gave her a crooked smile and took her hands in his. “I would be honored.”
They sat in silence as the bards tuned their instruments and played a few warm-up notes. Krishani kept her hands in his and stole glances at her every few seconds.
“Why do you shy away from the games?” Kaliel asked.
Krishani broke out of his stupor. “What?”
She glared. “You never play the games in the courtyard.”
He shrugged. “I never found sparring any fun.”
“Are you afraid of losing?”
He laughed and turned in his seat. “We used to spar in Amersil.”
“And so why not here?”
He took a deep breath. He focused on the soft cream-colored tablecloth and shiny plates and cutlery. He had difficulty finding the words to explain why he wouldn’t fight. It was a long story, one he kept hidden from everyone. Moments slipped by without an answer and she put her hand on his arm, encouraging him. He hung his head.
“I hurt someone once,” he said. He wasn’t only thinking of Wraynas in Hawklin, but Remy, another Brother from Amersil. He didn’t even know what happened to Wraynas after the match. Istar never talked about it. His words came out in a wa
y that sounded sadder than he meant it.
“Oh,” Kaliel said, her hand sliding off his arm as she sat back.
“It was nothing, really. I missed most of the time, but, there was one time when I focused all the energy I had on the sword, and . . .” He stopped, not wanting to tell her the rest of the story. It was almost too painful to remember.
“What?”
“The blade never touched him, I made sure of it, but the gash in his arm . . .” He shrugged, remembering the blood.
Kaliel pressed her lips together and said nothing as Pux and Luenelle approached. Pux was flouncing around in a way that made Krishani think he was fool. He flopped onto the chair next to Kaliel and extended his hand over her to Krishani.
“You’re Krishani,” Pux said devilishly. He smiled wide as Kaliel shot him a perturbed glance. Luenelle gingerly sat down next to Pux and watchfully eyed Krishani. He glanced at the two of them, unsure what to say.
“I’m Luenelle.”
“Krishani.”
Kaliel exhaled loudly. She rose from the chair and looked at them. “And I’m sorry, but I need the lavatory.” She retreated across the floor towards the lower west wing.
Krishani frowned and turned to Pux and Luenelle, who were still staring at him. He was unsure how to start or keep a conversation going with them.
“You look like you’re from Amersil,” Luenelle said. She smiled as Pux continued to trace the contours of his face like he was trying to memorize every last part of him should he ever need to track him down.
“I live in Orlondir now, though,” Krishani said.
“Which means you get to be with Kaliel all the time and we don’t,” Pux said.
Krishani met his gaze. “Aye, but since my Brothers from Amersil are here, I’ll sit with them.”
Pux looked like he wanted to beam, but his face remained expressionless. “Did you know Kaliel talks to trees?”
Krishani blinked. He didn’t know where the question came from and since he had known Kaliel, he hadn’t known her to speak to trees. Knots formed in his stomach as he wondered what else he didn’t know about her.
“And she likes to swim in the lake with merfolk,” Luenelle added.
Krishani smiled and let out the breath he had been holding in. “I know.” He tried not to let on about the trees. His eyes moved to the doors as more kinfolk shuffled into the hall. It looked like dinner would be served soon. Krishani rose from the table.
“It was nice to meet you,” he said. He passed the bards and saw his brethren. They looked regal and well-groomed as usual. Krishani silently took a seat next to Benir, his old friend.
The brethren weren’t known for many words and between the long silences they talked about the seasons and their affairs in the Lands of Men. Krishani had heard most of it before; he was anxious for this part of the night to end.
Food came, along with the customary blessing of the lands, and when the bards struck up their tunes, he bid farewell to the brethren and went to find Kaliel. She sat with Pux, Luenelle and many others. Her eyes lit up as he approached. She pushed away from the table.
“Nobody is dancing yet,” he said.
“They will after the feast.”
“Do you want to stay?”
She shook her head. “I want to watch the blossoming.”
Krishani smiled and took her hand. He led her through the Grand Hall and out to the courtyard where the games had stopped. Everyone was inside eating. He looked back, a few of the kinfolk started up a jig. Krishani ignored them as he pulled Kaliel to the big doors and over the bridge to the moat. He took a right and they were covered in apple trees, stretching as far as the eye could see to the west and south of Orlondir. Kaliel dropped his hand as they wound through the perfectly aligned rows of trees, walked on the fresh blades of grass and smelled the sweetness of the air. Krishani began stepping backwards as he traced the outline of her features. Snow-white hair fell in curls around her shoulders. Her eyes focused on the ground, pinkish eyelids with white lashes hiding their greenness.
“Can you talk to trees?” he asked.
Kaliel looked at him, questions in her eyes. “Who told you about that?”
“Pux,” he said immediately.
“Oh. In Evennses the trees were my friends.”
“I thought it was only the Great Oak that could speak.”
Kaliel stepped carefully around the patches of mud and grass and neared him. She put her hand on the trunk of an apple tree. “Most believe that.” She slid her hand off its bark and continued into the depths of the orchard, moving farther and farther away from the Elmare Castle. Krishani traced the curve of her lips. “These trees don’t talk,” she said. She sounded disappointed.
Krishani stopped in his tracks. “Is that why you never come to the orchards?”
Kaliel shrugged. “There isn’t any comfort in a quiet land. I feel alone when the land refuses to speak to me.”
“At least I’m here,” he said. He took a step towards her and pulled her into his embrace. He began shuffling in circles and realized they were dancing.
She pressed her head into his shoulder as they wound around and around in circles, getting lost in the dizzy trance of her presence. “The music is so far away,” she whispered.
Krishani continued turning in circles, one arm wrapped tightly around her waist, his hand entwined in hers. He closed his eyes and let the faint sounds of music take him away. “I can still hear it.” They continued to turn in their reverie until a fanfare sounded in the distance. He paused and she looked at him, eyes wide.
“The blossoming!” she said, panic in her voice.
Krishani pulled her towards him. “We’re too far away for them to find us.” He ran a hand through her hair and delicately pulled her towards another row in the patch. Once he was satisfied he dropped his arms and stepped away, glancing at the trees. Kaliel followed his gaze to the tops of the apple trees and like a crescendo, the flowers and leaves burst open. Kaliel beamed and laughed. Tiny light green leaves erupted from buds as white flowers sprang to life. She turned and turned, taking in every last breathtaking flower.
Her face glowed as she faced Krishani. It looked like she was about to say something, but he moved forward and pressed his lips to hers. She smiled against him and shamelessly sunk into him, letting him run his hands through her hair, his fingers splaying out across the small of her back. He loved the feeling of being with her, of seeing her happy and alive.
“That is a vivid memory,” Tiki said.
20
Carnelian Secrets
Krishani flinched at the sound of Tiki’s voice and snapped to attention. He fell asleep in the cabin hours ago and got lost in another dream about Kaliel. He felt the familiar stab of pain as the essence of her faded. He met with the startling realizing he was on Terra. Nothing magical would ever happen on Terra. It was so unlike Avristar it made the ache in his chest even worse.
“Your love for her was deep,” Tiki said.
Krishani swung his legs over the bed. He hadn’t bothered to remove his boots or his garments and armor; they were still soiled from the battle with the man and the Vultures. He stared at the glowing orb in the lantern, the only light in the cabin since the sun had set again. He had slept the day away. He heaved in a deep breath, feeling nostalgia and melancholy.
“She was . . .”
“Everything.”
“And I’ll never be with her again.” The stabbing pain hit his heart as he recalled Tulsen’s words. Ten thousand years. The truth reverberated in his ears as he moved to the window. He pulled back the cloth and looked down. The horse was still there, whinnying and hungry.
“She was so brave,” Tiki continued.
“I was too late.” He stumbled onto the bed and held his head in his hands. It was no different than a Vulture coming to steal a soul. He had been too late to do anything for Kaliel and the guilt washed over him like poison.
“She was brilliant,” Tiki said. She shone a faint
tinge of orange. Krishani mustered a smile he thought felt more like a frown. Being with Tiki felt almost like home.
“I worry about what happened to her,” he said.
“Is that why you found me?” Tiki asked.
Krishani shook his head. “No.” He stopped. There was noise outside the cabin. He gave Tiki a cautioning look and opened the door. He descended the wooden stairs and went to the horse. Sunset was ending behind the mountains and the wind picked up. To the east clouds were rolling in. They looked ominous. He untied the reins and pulled the impatient horse to the lake. He stood there awhile, staring at the water, avoiding the body stretched out on the beach. It was hardly what it used to be earlier; birds and forest animals had picked at it, making it unrecognizable. Krishani thought about what he said to Tiki. He was too late. Tulsen warned him what would happen if he was too late and a person died without his protection. Maybe it was better he never laid eyes on the foe. He would never know what was worse than a Vulture, and he never wanted to. If Crestaos was twice as frightening, Krishani was unsure what he would do. He knew the horse was starved so he pulled it towards the hills. He stole a careful glance in the direction of the path he’d traveled—it was deserted. Mallorn and Pux hadn’t come looking for him. He sighed. He never wanted either of them to be hurt by him, and yet they refused to let him go alone. Istar had taught him how to listen to the land, how to survive, and those skills aided him well. He idly looked at the clouds and thought about how unfortunate it would be if it began to rain. They would be stuck inside all night. Krishani had to ask Tiki the question she feared the most. He didn’t know if he could bring himself to do it.
JUSTICE (The Ferryman + The Flame #2) Page 15