by Lexy Wolfe
"What did we open?" Terrence wondered.
"We're not sure," Kendle confessed. "Neither of you returned." Holding up a hand, the ragewinds died, exposing the torn and twisted land of Desantiva. "The Raging One's grief hid the ripples. But somehow, your sacrifice saved Desantiva." He waved into the distance where a herd of drizzen shook off sand they had been buried under. "Through your mother, you were tied to the land. The mutations that swept the land forever changed the nature of life in Desantiva, allowed it to survive when it would have eventually died altogether. But it cost you your lives." He smiled wryly. "It cannot really be considered a mistake. You were A'tyrna Ulan and every one of you sacrificed for Desantiva."
"What? This was... my fault?" Terrence asked despairingly as he took a few steps forward. "I corrupted the life in Desantiva?"
"Corrupt implies the changes were for ill. The Timeless Ones sent the Desanti-blood Guardians back to Desantiva to preserve the few humans who were left. Any sentient being conscious of time can affect it, and the Desanti who live now are descended from a stock who were always strong in temporal strength. Even without the blessings of the Timeless One, they altered themselves so they could survive these wastes. You have recognized these traits in how they eat and sleep, how quickly they are born and mature. And die," Kendle stated, putting a hand on Terrence's shoulder. "But the plants and animals that sustained them could not survive the desolation. They had to change quickly to adapt, but that is not the nature of plants and beasts. Not at the pace needed for the humans who remained."
Ophilia turned Terrence's face to look at her. "We stepped out of this part of the time river and we saw... what was going to happen. We saw Desantiva's death." The young man closed his eyes tightly, but it did not stop a tear from escaping. "Don't you remember? We only had enough strength to either get back or help Desantiva."
Terrence opened his eyes. "We crossed the blade to where the dead rest before returning. There were so many new souls there because of the Great War. And so many more doomed to follow." He closed his eyes again, shoulders sagging. "I could have gotten us back, but I had to protect the land, even though it caused the Raging One pain to lose me."
Ophilia took Terrence's hand in hers and looked at Kendle. "If the Kings aren't going to test us, what about the Queens?"
Kendle quirked a smile. "We are going to have to watch you, aren't we?" He waved a hand again, a dark portal opening. "There is one more task ahead. The most important one of all." He waved them away. "Go."
Chapter 35
Ash and the others sat against a great tree, all exhausted but laughing. "Good gods, I forgot how much of a test surviving Desantiva was," the mage said. "I do not remember ever having that much of a clean challenge in Forenta." He held his hands up, looking at them. Over the course of their travel, Ash had aged, looking more like he had as Avarian than his current youthful self. "Goddess, it feels good."
"It does make you feel alive, doesn't it?" Mureln asked as he caught his breath. Eyes on the branches above, he sat up abruptly, putting a protective hand on Taylin, when something moved out of sight quickly. "There's something watching us."
"Stay here," Ash whispered, his eyes on the branches as he carefully got to his feet. Taking several steps away, the mage called, "Come out. We mean no harm to you."
The others got to their feet as a slight woman dropped out of the branches easily, bright green-gold eyes fixed on Ash.
"Mistress Storm?" Lyra whispered. She would have jumped to her feet but for Taylin and Mureln each grabbing an arm to restrain her. "But--"
"That isn't Storm, Lyra." Mureln murmured. "Look at her. She is part of this... test."
Dressed minimally, the feral woman studied the mage warily, half crouched, tensed to flee or attack in a second. Her wildly colored hair was a much more vividly red streaked with browns and shimmering gold, looking almost feather-like. The skin over her shoulders, down her back, arms and legs, had the same coloration as her hair, all looking as if she were covered with feathers. Wisps of flame danced along her hair. "I am Totani Zhekali, the Firebird! Who are you? Why are you here, North Born?" she demanded in heavily accented Forentan.
"My name is Avarian," Ash responded, taking a half step closer, eyes only for the strange woman. "I wished only to come see your lands for myself. To see how the Desanti people live."
Zhekali narrowed her eyes. She raised a hand, flames dancing in her palm as she prepared to attack him. "Thieving North Born! You wish to break the land's spirit, take it for your own."
"No! No, of course not." Ash tilted his head slightly. "Noble Zhekali, please, I wish no harm to the Desanti nation. I only wish to learn more about them so I may understand them. Would you help me?"
The colorful woman took several steps back. "You know me?"
"I know of you. Zhekali, the firebird Totani. Cousin to my people's divine servants the Trisari." Despite the hateful look that darkened her expression, Ash took a step closer, holding his hand out to her. "I am old and dying. Please. I just wish to understand the Desanti so perhaps there can be peace between the warriors and mages." He held his hand out to her, forestalling her from fleeing. "Please?"
Mureln crouched to touch the ground, eyes half closed as he listened to something only he could hear. His eyes flew open in shock. "Dear gods... Storm isn't just a descendant of Zhekali. Storm was Zhekali!"
Lyra and Taylin stared between Mureln and the slight woman confronting the Forentan Illaini Magus. "Storm was a Totani? But she..."
"She was immortal. But she fell in love with... him."
"What?" Taylin and Lyra asked together, eyes wide as they stared at the mage and Totani. "But Totani are god servants," Taylin added. "Isn't it... forbidden? For the Divine to become too involved with... mortals?"
Zhekali's eyes never left Ash's. Eventually, she took a step towards him, putting her hand in his slowly. "I will take you to my people so they can teach you how to live like one of us."
The world around them all melted to become that of a dark jungle. Trees larger, undergrowth thicker, the sheer amount of life in this tropical jungle was overwhelming. Scents and sounds nearly overpowered them as Zhekali vanished, her body melting into that of a colorful bird of prey, fire licking her body. "Zhekali!" Ash called, taking a step forward, looking around wildly for her.
Skyfire, Emil and Emaris appeared, all three looking surprised to see the others. Emil and Emaris moved towards Mureln, their eyes on Skyfire. "Are you looking for Zhekali, too?" Emil wondered.
"We had found her," Taylin stated in a low voice. "I think. She just... left before you showed up."
The mage approached Skyfire, the two studying each other for a time before they took each other's forearms in greeting. "Avarian. I remember now when you first came to Desantiva," Skyfire stated. "You were one of the few North Born who accepted my people's traditions. Learned to live as one of us."
"I was happy," Ash said, his gaze looking to the settlement nestled within the roots of the massive trees. "For the first time in my life, I was at peace. Zhekali would visit me often, listening to my stories as much as I listened to hers. I think I had been in love with her from the moment I first saw her." His pleasure faded as his expression grew troubled. The landscape shifted, the trees not as thick as it neared the northern borders of Desantiva, the distinctive peak of Fortress visible in the distance. "Something happened... Something terrible--"
Without warning, attackers swarmed out of the trees. The group responded instinctively. "Emaris!" Emil yelled as a large attacker got behind Emaris with a garrote, trying to strangle him. Emil drove a knife into the attacker's skull, killing him, but not before the damage was done. "Healer!" the smaller man called.
Taylin looked stricken as she looked into Emaris' eyes. "They used... forbidden magic. I couldn't... I couldn't heal you so you could speak again." She choked back a sob. "The injury... It-it keeps returning with you?! Emaris... I'm so sorry!" Emaris shook his head, holding the woman tightly, his own eyes
closed to keep back his own tears.
Three attackers swarmed Ash, restraining him. One put his hands on Ash's head. Skyfire and Mureln were too slow to bring them down. The mage cried out in agony, collapsing.
"Ash!" Mureln said as he jerked his knife out of the third man's back and shoved him aside. He threw himself over the fallen mage, helpless to defend against the new attacker. His eyes widened at the sigil on the man's tunic. "You are one of Oberlain's men!" The attacker sneered, raising a wicked axe. Suddenly, an avian shriek split the air and the remaining men suddenly burst into flames.
Zhekali dropped out of the air, her body melting from that of a firebird to her humanoid shape, kneeling by Ash. "No," she whispered. "No, this is wrong. This cannot be..."
Mureln put his hand on Zhekali's shoulder. "I'm sorry. There is nothing to be done. He is gone."
Green-gold eyes flashed furiously when Zhekali looked up at Mureln. "No! He understood. He gave me hope! I will not allow him to be destroyed." Everyone stared as she gathered him up. Behind her, a yawning portal opened into the dimly lit cavern of the Timeless One's domain. She looked up at them with tears streaking her face. "Come!"
The portal closed after the last of the group came through. Zhekali carried Ash's body to the edge of the wide pool, looking up to the marble statue catching water that cascaded over the its body. "Timeless One! Hear me! You must help me save this man's soul!"
The marble surface of the statue softened and dark eyes turned to regard the pair. "He is a mortal. Mortals die. It is the way of things." The mermaid regarded Zhekali in puzzlement. "You, of all divine servants, should know this."
"This is different!" Zhekali touched Ash's cheek. "His soul has been mutilated. If he dies, he can never be reborn. He would never be able to seek me out again." She raised her green-gold eyes to the Timeless One's inky black ones. "Please, I beg you. I do not care if he is merely a mortal! He cannot be left like this. The hope he rekindled in me cannot be left to wither away again. Help me heal him!"
The Timeless One tilted her head, a frown marring her visage. "To heal a soul comes with a price, Zhekali. You know this."
"I am willing to pay any price to save his soul," Zhekali stated emphatically. "Take mine to mend his! I care not, so long as I know he will not be lost to the world."
"I could not do that, Zhekali. The Raging One cherishes you. He would be heartbroken to lose one of his beloved Totani, and that would be devastating to his land." The Timeless One said, "You need not give up so much. A fraction of your soul would mend his. Even if he should die, as mortals do, it would continue to mend."
Zhekali shook her head. "No. He would be a shadow of himself. His heart broken by his brother's betrayal and left impotent to protect those he cares about." She raised green-gold eyes to the goddess. "Give him all of my magic so he can be restored."
The Timeless One looked at Avarian, then back to Zhekali. "It means giving up your divinity and becoming mortal, never to know the shape of the firebird."
Zhekali hissed, "I do not care! I have watched countless generations of my father's children. They love each other with a completeness of spirit in a way only mortals can." She bowed her head. "Please, sister of my father. I love him. Help me. I want... to be with him. For at least one lifetime."
The silence stretched out until the goddess finally nodded once. "Very well." She put one hand over Avarian's heart, and the other over Zhekali's.
The observers cringed, but could not look away as Zhekali jerked spasmodically, taut as a bowstring. The vivid colors that covered her seeped away as Avarian's skin became less corpselike. Abruptly released from the thrall of the goddess's touch, Zhekali collapsed to her hands and knees. She sobbed with relief as she hugged the bewildered man.
"Zhekali?" Avarian asked, looking at her in confusion as he touched her cheek. "What happened to you? Are you all right?" Blinking, he held up his hand to stare, realizing it no longer was knotted with age. He touched his face before he finally looked up to see the Timeless One. He lowered his eyes to the goddess respectfully.
"I do not matter," Zhekali said happily, leaning into his arms. "We can be together now, my love."
"Zhekali has given up her immortality to heal the wounds caused by the dark magic used on you," the Timeless One stated calmly. "The only reason I could was because your hearts are already one, bound in such devoted, selfless love, it exists beyond this mortal realm." Her expression became more serious as she looked at Avarian. "It will take many decades for the piece of her soul she has given you to fully restore that part of you that had been destroyed. You must return what was given before this mortal life expires of old age."
"I understand, Goddess," Avarian said, his voice filled with immeasurable gratitude to her, tightening his arm around Zhekali.
"Zhekali is as mortal as you are now." Both Zhekali and Avarian looked up at the goddess as she spoke. "Her soul is torn so yours may be complete. When you are fully healed, you must complete the circle and return to her what she has sacrificed for you."
"I have studied how the Desanti touch magic," Avarian said, raising his eyes to meet the goddess's. "Would her soul not restore itself over time?" There was only honest puzzlement in his voice.
The goddess shook her head. "The soul is not merely a substance as simple as water. It is much like your mortal shells, possessed of different... energies that function together to make the whole. Desanti magic draws on all parts equally. She could have given a fraction, but it would have taken the rest of your remaining life for your soul to be restored. Perhaps many lifetimes." She looked at Zhekali with sadness. "She did not wish you to be crippled."
"I wanted you to have the rest of your life whole." Zhekali squeezed Avarian's hand. "I can live without what I have given you, because it dwells within you. And you are young again. We will have many years together."
For a moment, the man looked stricken as he looked at the slight woman he held. "You cannot restore what is not there." Avarian nodded once, kissing Zhekali's brow tenderly. "Of course I will do this, Goddess. For her, I would do anything." He looked up. "How may we serve you for this blessing you have given us?"
The Timeless One's expression softened, looking at them both with a maternal expression. "Serve me and all those who live on this world, as you have served your own gods. Help bring the balance back to the world."
Ash stood with Zhekali. "Of course, mistress, I--" The scene faded, along with Zhekali, leaving the group in silent darkness. Ash held up a hand, a small ball of magelight offering some light from the nearly tangible blackness around them. His voice was hushed as he remembered. "We had years together," Ash murmured. "We loved... we shared so much. We had... six children. The A'tyrna Ulan." He grimaced, clutching his chest in pain. Mureln and Emil caught him, keeping him on his feet.
Mureln's eyes widened as he watched Ash's face go drawn and pale. "The Great War... The spell had been turned on the divine servants, not the mortals!" The bard looked up to Emil in horror. "Even though Zhekali was mortal, she was still one of them."
"I have to find her," Ash finally managed to say. "Why? Why did she run away to the World Spine?" He turned his wounded gaze to Mureln. "Did she hate me so much because my people turned on hers that she wanted to die alone?"
"No, Ash," Terrence said softly as he appeared, hand in hand with Ophilia. "She sought help to save her child. Your child."
Ash looked up at Terrence with a scowl, pushing himself to his feet. "All of our children died! All the A'tyrna Ulan. They sacrificed themselves to keep Desantiva alive!" As he stumbled away from Emil and Mureln, the darkness became light. They found themselves in a natural embrasure protected from the winds that howled above. He fell to his knees by Zhekali's crumpled form half covered by fallen leaves. "My love," he whispered, gathering her slight body into his arms.
Hearing a muffled noise, Mureln went to the hollow in the tree. "Oh, gods." He reached in and pulled a small, snuggly wrapped bundle out. Uncovering it partly, he revea
led a newborn child with thick, bronze hair streaked with red and gold, and copper colored skin. The baby opened vivid, green-gold eyes to gaze up at the bard. "Ash, look."
Breath rasping, Zhekali opened her eyes to gaze into Ash's. Fumbling for his hand, she whispered with what little strength she had left, "Our son... I had to save... our son. His name... is Tristan."
When Ash suddenly put a hand to his chest, Mureln quickly handed the child to Skyfire, kneeling by Ash. "Ash! What--?"
Ash clung to his friend's hand. "She gave up... immortality for me. She gave up everything... for me." He closed his eyes in pain. "We... I cannot live... without her." He shuddered as Zhekali breathed her last in his arms, the infant screaming in pain as the bayuli-volsha was shattered.
Ash grabbed Skyfire's arm and rasped, "Take our son... raise him strong. Protect... Desantiva." Abruptly, the vision ended, the scene evaporating along with Zhekali and the infant. Skyfire uttered a cry when the child he held vanished.
Released from the thrall of the reliving, Ash gasped, disoriented. He looked up at Terrence as the younger Illaini spoke with a voice thick with emotion. "All my life, I knew I had been searching for something. When we went to Desantiva... I knew I had found it when you and Storm were together. Until now, I did not understand why it felt right until I learned... you were my... Tristan's... parents."
"Terrence." Ash couldn't find the words, pulling the younger mage into a fierce embrace. Without warning, the older mage staggered suddenly, clutching his chest as he uttered a strangled sound. Terrence and Mureln caught him, keeping him on his feet. "Storm," he rasped. "It is the solstice...! She is dying. I must find her before it is too late!"
"Ash, we don't know where she-" Mureln began, trading worried looks with the others. He looked startled when the mage grabbed the front of his tunic fiercely.
"Storm is dying! I have to finish what I couldn't before." Ash lurched forward a step. "I have to--" He grimaced, struggling just to draw a breath. "I can't fail her again. I must find her!"