by Lexy Wolfe
The mermaid was silent as she considered the pair. "In the past, she made the greatest of sacrifices for one who meant more to her than life itself, but it left her soul to bleed ceaselessly. She and the one who could mend her died before she could be healed." Selina looked at the woman with great sadness. "Her soul has bled for thousands of years. Whenever she has returned, she has never lived longer than the number of years she lived between the sacrifice and her death. And now, in this mortal shell, she suffers the Desanti flaw as well."
"Desanti flaw?" Ash looked at Storm.
"Yes. The immortal soul is not unlike mortal bodies. Many energies combine to become one whole being, but they are as distinctive as other organs of your physical bodies. Souls can only grow and change on the physical plane. Mortals are limited in what they can do not by forms of their bodies but the form of their souls.
"The cursed spell your ancestors used in the Great War was not the morelmi that severs the conduit between the soul and physical world for magic energy. Even that can heal over many lifetimes, hopefully the person having learned better. That evil spell was far worse. It tore nearly all the magic from the Desanti's souls completely. Were it not for the Desanti Guardians who were shielded here in Her domain, and the efforts of the A'tyrna Ulan to counter the spell, the warrior folk would have been utterly destroyed. And with their destruction, the great balance would have collapsed soon afterwards."
"I thought the A'tyrna Ulan had stopped the spell," Ash said slowly.
"The A'tyrna Ulan stopped the spell by anchoring life to Desantiva's lands and those living beings within it using their own bodies and souls. The Desanti Guardians were half of what remained of Desantiva's children. But still, the land was dying. Until the Change Winds storm swept the land and all things were mutated to what they are today so they could survive the wastelands." Selina blinked slowly as she let the words sink in. "Over time, all those descended from Desantiva's children have suffered from this… flaw to one degree or another."
"This flaw," Ash asked slowly. "What exactly is it? Can it be mended?"
Selina frowned, trying to find the words to explain. "The capacity to understand time was impaired. In some, more severely than others. Because Desantiva's children were born of Guardians, they have great effect on the flow of time around them. The effects are endemic, and without Her blessing… well. You have witnessed the physical effects."
"They are born earlier. Age at different rates. Their natural cycles are unlike that of other races." Ash caressed Storm's cheek. "They had always embraced the chaotic energies over order. This flaw... it tears them apart from within?"
The mermaid nodded. "Some have more capacity than others and live longer. But as years pass, the more past there is to remember and future there is to think upon, the heavier the burden. Hope sustains your people. The lack of it crushes theirs. Some endure longer than others, but with the flaw as it is now, the insanity is inevitable for all of Desanti blood."
"They keep each other sane," Ash whispered, agonized. "Skyfire said..." Swallowing against the lump in his throat, he choked back a sob. "She said I help keep her sane, too. But it is not... enough." He looked away. "It will never be enough."
After a moment of silence, Selina beckoned to him. "Bring her to me."
Carefully getting up, Ash gathered Storm into his arms. Lowering himself to one knee, he rested Storm on the grass next to the mermaid. Selina touched Storm's brow, her fingers tracing a damp line across, then along each cheek. After a moment, Storm sighed softly, relaxing finally.
"Thank you," Ash said fervently. "Just say what you need of me to repay your kindness. I will do it."
Selina tilted her head in puzzlement at his words. As she comprehended, she shook her head. "You owe me nothing, for I did not mend her. I have only blocked the memories of the past that torture her now. What I have done will not last, because she always seeks to remember... everyone she has loved and lost, to honor them." Looking away, Selina stated softly, "I am sorry. I would do more if it were in my power to do so."
"It is the Desanti flaw that will kill her again," Ash said bleakly.
"It is a factor, but no. To remember the past is to look to the future, and the future is what threatens to kill her. You have witnessed her reliving a trauma from this lifetime. The wound her soul bleeds from she alone suffers from. Only a Guardian can mend this wound that crosses the temporal barriers." Touching Ash's chin, she turned his face up until their eyes met. "And that Guardian must be you. If you fail, she will not survive beyond the winter solstice."
Ash frowned slightly. "To save Storm, I must become a Guardian?" He shrugged one shoulder. "That should be easy enough. I have mastered everything they have taught us. I only need to hear the call of the Kings and Queens."
"If only it were so easy." Selina shook her head as she slipped back into the water. "Do not underestimate the tests you will face, Avarian." She turned around in the water to face him. "Her life depends on you. And yours, on hers. And the world, on both of you."
Ash stood up when the mermaid disappeared underwater, looking into the depths, but there was no sign of her.
"Ash?" Storm asked tiredly, rubbing her eyes as she sat up. "What happened? Where are we?" She looked at her hand quizzically. "Why is my face wet?"
Ash offered her his hand, helping her to her feet. He looked into her eyes quizzically. "You do not remember?"
Storm frowned slightly, then shook her head trying to clear it. "Yes. No. Dimly? It is difficult to remember."
He caught her hand and pulled her into a tight embrace, as much to distract her from trying to remember as to express his relief she was back to normal. "It is not important, beloved," Ash assured her, kissing her brow. "Come, I am... exhausted."
Storm took his hand, lacing her fingers through his. "Then you should sleep. I will watch over you, my love. I will let nothing happen to you." Ash flinched inwardly, closing his eyes, Selina's words echoing in his mind.
Chapter 25
Bella sat heavily on the large flat rock outside of the water of the moonstone pool chamber, gazing at the shimmering surface despondently. She closed her eyes at the sound of familiar footsteps behind her. "You have an uncanny knack for locating people, don't you?" she asked in Vodani.
"It is a skill Storm taught me and I have never been more grateful for it. We worried when you disappeared before breakfast," Mureln responded, sitting beside her. Studying Bella's profile in silence, he reached out to put a comforting hand on hers. "What happened during the execution, Bella. It wasn't your fault."
The woman sighed, looking down shamefully. "In my head, I know it wasn't me who tried to kill the Dulain. I would never do such a thing to one of my own faction!" She held up her good hand, looking at it. "But I was careless, and became the tool that very nearly did. That is a mistake I cannot forgive myself for."
"It isn't just the attack on Tyrsan that is bothering you," Mureln observed, keeping his voice neutral and soothing.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she whispered, "What else did they do to me, Mureln? So much is a blank, what little I can remember are foggy pieces. I feel so violated, but not knowing--""
Mureln put his hand on her back, looking sad when she flinched from his touch. "Aside from the injury that Lyra's arrow and the aggravation the poisons in your system caused, Taylin said she could sense nothing else. It was the ha'shadow that acted through you. There was no other violation." He meet her eyes unflinchingly as he murmured, "They did not touch you."
Bella managed a weak smile. "Thank you. It helps knowing that they didn't... I just wish..." The smile faded as she looked out towards the water. "Lyra should have killed me. I did not deserve mercy. I don't deserve it now. The na'Zhekali are too kind towards the likes of me."
"Yes, you did and you do deserve mercy." Mureln reached up to turn her face back towards him. "You were not a willing pawn in this. Most likely, you were targeted because you are the best archer in Sanctuary. The only way to get close
enough to us na'Zhekali would be to use someone we trusted implicitly."
"I am not the best any longer," Bella stated, looking into his eyes. After a moment, she asked uncertainly, "You all still trust me? You consider me one of you? Still? Even after I refused the ritual to become one of you?"
The bard laughed quietly. "Of course we do. You should know that Storm said Lyra's instincts to spare you were correct, and if she were more familiar with archery and with your style, she would have recognized there was something wrong. You realize," he pointed out mildly, "once you are healed, you'll have to endure Storm and Skyfire's demands to train with you. They are insatiable seeking new weapon skills."
Bella looked away. "There will be no need. My wandering days are done. I cannot protect Fortress without my bow, and I can never use it again." She touched the arm in the sling. "Taylin cannot heal it."
"Terrence's forest sprite companion says it takes a long time for the poisons that were used on you to leave the body completely. And then there is the bug venom that counteracted it on top of that." He took her good hand in his, squeezing it soothingly. "Have faith, Bella. Everything will be set to rights again."
"But should I be healed?" she asked rhetorically. "I was used once. I could be used again. I don't want... I do not want to hurt anyone else, Mureln. This way, I will be... useless to the Dulain's enemies."
Caressing her cheek, he murmured, "If you had been part of the tribe, we would have known the moment you had been violated. We cannot always protect each other, but we can always do what we can to help each other." Mureln considered her for a moment, then stood up without a word, stripping off his clothing and setting it aside. "Come. It has been many years since you have communed with Vodanya." He drew Bella to her feet and gently helped her remove her clothing. Taking her by the hand, he stepped into the water.
Before her foot touched the water, she balked. "I-I cannot," Bella said, weakly trying to pull her hand free of the bard's strong, calloused grip. "I do not deserve--"
"Vodanya never judges, Bella," the bard said quietly. "No matter your mistakes, your flaws, She always welcomes Her Vodani children into Her embrace." Mureln did not move, but neither did he release her. "Let Her ease the pain in your heart, Bella."
Hesitating, Bella finally stepped in, following Mureln until the warm water lapped their shoulders. "I was a girl when I left my pod to come to Fortress and never went home. I thought... She must have hated me. Child from a long line of bards who could not hear Her voice."
"She never hated you. And you never lost Her, Bella," Mureln murmured, watching her eyes close against the tears that threatened to fall. "She is always there for us, waiting patiently for us to come home to Her." The Guardian started to turn away, choking back a sob. Mureln put his arms around her, holding her gently as she cried.
Chapter 26
As the late autumn season waned and the bite of winter made itself felt in the air, the days passed uneventfully, though an undercurrent of tension remained unspoken among the na'Zhekali as they continued their training.
The slowly rousing students emerged from their rooms, sunstone lamps brightening with their presence. Taylin smiled down at her son as he held her hand, rubbing his eyes with a small fist while he yawned hugely. Her turquoise eyes were drawn to the glass doors that looked out over the valley towards the World Spine. "What a perfectly miserable day," she lamented. "Cold and rainy both."
"The dampness in the air and the altitude are making me ache. I would never imagine I would have yearned for Desantiva's burning sands," Mureln added. He shook his head. "I hope that whenever we finally are called to test by the Kings and Queens, the days are at least dry."
"I jus' hope it be soon," Emil grumbled as he dropped in his chair at the long table. "We done learned everythin'. Now they jus' be given us busywork t' keep us occupied. Serves us right mimicking yer over-achievin' tendencies, Mureln."
"Practice helps expand your capacity," Jaison stated as he came in from the tunnel, idly smacking Emil's feet off the table. "Don't think when you earn your colors that you are finished training."
"Psh. I ain't daft," the wiry gypsy replied. "But I be gypsy-born, whether 'r not I be a Guardian. This be th' longest I been stuck in one place an' it be drivin' me crazy." Before Mureln could add a teasing comment about already being crazy, Emil turned to wag a finger at his friend. "Don't even say it, Mureln. An' don't think anyone believes yer innocent, neither," he added when the bard affected faux innocence.
"Speaking of Desantiva's burning sands, where are the Desanti?" Bella asked as she emerged, struggling to fasten the lacing on her tunic with her single good hand. She was equally grateful for Taylin's quiet assistance as she was upset with her inability. "They wouldn't be out training in this weather, would they?"
"Oh, they would," Ash replied drolly as he and Lyra walked out of the room they shared with Storm and Skyfire. "Unless the weather is 'raging,' as they call it when the winds are high, they will train in it." He gazed out the window, his expression impassive. "And no doubt, they will return stiff and blue from the temperature."
Mureln joined the mage, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It is no sin to let your worry show on your face, my friend," he pointed out gently. "We all can feel what you do through the bayuli-volsha we all share now."
"It is reflexive habit." The corner of Ash's mouth twitched into a rueful smile. "I do not know that I will ever be used to this sense of community." He looked at the scar in his palm. "Or being able to trust more than a scant handful of people." Closing his eyes, he murmured, "I fear it is only a dream I will wake up from. Or it is not a dream but it will turn into a nightmare."
The bard shook his head. "What happened to the first na'Zhekali tribe will not happen again. Not while we live."
Ash shook his head. "I am too much of a realist. As much as I want to ensure that everything is under control so our tribe is never at risk, I know no matter how much control there is, there is always that spark of chaos that would slip through."
"And no matter how much chaos there is, there is a splinter of order that stands strong against it," Terrence stated as he joined the two men. He returned the welcoming smile they gave him. "I gather Storm has been getting impatient about finding a justifiable reason to go after Dremmen?"
Rolling his eyes, Ash replied drolly, "There is no word that fits her impatience. The last time their paths crossed in public, I swear a few of the elder guardians standing near us looked as though they wanted to cry. I will credit the man for being able to keep up a fascade of disdain. Though I barely kept her from attacking him."
"You should have done so yourself," Storm stated as she walked in from outside with Skyfire, both soaked to the bone. "He insulted your bloodline."
He took one of the blankets, wrapping it around her and holding her close as she leaned into his embrace. "They were mere words that are empty and meaningless unless I allowed him to give them meaning. There is nothing in the world that would let me risk you being sent away in disgrace." He kissed her temple. "Not this close to the end of our journey." He ignored the questioning expressions of Mureln and Terrence at the sense of urgency from the mage.
Though inaudible, a sense of cold dread washed over the group. Storm's eyes snapped open, eyes dilating before her expression turned hard and cold. The abrupt shift in her mood rippled through the bond to her new clansmen, adding to their growing alarm. Even Izkynder hugged his mother's leg tightly, hiding his face in fear. Ash caught her by the arm when she drew her twin single-edged blades, heading towards the tunnel entrance. "Aelia, wait," he began.
"Stay here to guard the tribe," Storm stated, narrowing her eyes on her lifemate. "I sensed this darkness before, and it is Dremmen who is protecting it. I will die before I let the na'Zhekali come to harm again."
Terrence interposed himself between the angry woman and the tunnel. "And we na'Zhekali don't want to lose the heart of our tribe," he stated. "Don't go alone! It is not worth the risk."
"It is worth every risk! My tribe died because I was a Cursed child." She turned fierce, inhuman eyes on the young man. "I will end the curse on the na'Zhekali tribe once and for all. Either through my death or the darkness that hides in the shadows, I do not care, so long as you live."
"I will hunt with you, th'yala," Skyfire stated flatly. "To avenge those na'Zhekali before us who died."
"We will go wi' ye," Emil stated as he and Emaris put on their own swordbelts. He offered Mureln a lopsided smile. "Clan protects its own. Ye protect yer family, Mureln. We ken take care o' this business, no problem."
Mureln looked torn, startling when he felt Terrence's hand on his shoulder. "I will remain as well." Terrence leveled a look on Storm after flicking a meaningful look to Ash. "Focus on your prey. None will come to harm while we are here."
When Storm's distracted agitation eased, solidifying into a cold, predatory focus, Ash understood. "No distractions," he said more to himself. Terrence nodded once in answer. He grabbed Terrence's arm briefly. "Thank you." Releasing him, he simply looked to his lifemate. No words were needed to release her from her stationary position; she bolted into the tunnels leading into the heart of the Timeless One's mountain home trailed by Ash, Jaison and the gypsy brothers.
"The hells," Emil swore under his breath as Skyfire outpaced them. "Ain't natural fer anyone t' be as fast as them." The four men trailing the two Githalin Swordanzen skidded to a stop at an intersection of four tunnels far from the inhabited area they had left well behind.
Ash closed his eyes partly. "This way," he began when they heard a terrible cry of pain from the tunnel the mage had turned towards. The men ran with their hearts in their throats, skidding to a stop when they saw a body lying along the tunnel wall. Half expecting to see a horrific sword wound, what they saw was worse when they turned the man onto his back.