Deadly Fate [Book 1 of the Teadai Prophecies]
Page 10
“Let me go!” the fiery girl screamed. “You soft-bellied son of a goat! I’ll beat you!” She glared and kicked, catching Haranda in the shin. Thankfully, she didn’t have her boots on.
Haranda, realizing the girl was in the calling’s thrall, pushed a blue spark into her hand and gave one thin calf a hard smack. Eletha squealed and offered a look with daggers in it. She kicked and Haranda smacked the girl again then used the urging to keep those legs still.
No kicking, she sent along her Energy strand. Eletha was too violent for her to try more. Urging someone in such distress could prove hazardous to both subject and harnesser. The way Eletha thrashed around, more Energy was certain to aggravate the calling process.
The girl suddenly threw her head back with a scream and her face turned to shock when she contacted Thad’s chest. He merely grunted. “Bloody Gypsies!” the girl cried. “Get off me!”
“Hold her, Thad. The calling is on her. Don’t let her go.”
“I have her.” His voice sounded strained.
“Bloody son of a goat! Get off me!” Eletha’s will suddenly seemed to drain away and she lost consciousness.
Haranda released the Energy and Thad scooped up the unconscious girl. They headed back to the cave and made Eletha comfortable on her blankets.
Thad placed one hand on her forehead and another on her small wrist, and Haranda noticed a bruise just below his right hand. He concentrated a heartbeat and his snake footprint spun as he took in the Energy. Haranda wouldn’t call him down for using Energy without permission, not yet, but she would keep her eye on him. He looked up at her and she saw a scratch on his cheek. The poor boy had only tried to help. No matter. Haranda would allow him to heal his own wounds once they got Eletha settled.
“She’ll be all right,” Thad said. “A few bruises.” He offered a sly smile. “That a strong woman for one so little.”
Haranda chuckled. “I should have seen this coming.” She gazed down at Eletha’s sweaty face. The girl had been even more disagreeable than the previous day, a sign that the calling was near.
“What happened?” Saldia stood close.
“Will she be all right?” Maesa said. Which seemed out of character for her, since she never had a nice word to say about Eletha. She stood nearby with an arm around Henny’s shoulders. The youngest girl had stopped crying but her face was blotchy and her eyes red.
Zarenia and Nym simply watched. Since they’d been through the calling like Thad, Haranda guessed they were putting this little puzzle together.
Adelsik pointed out the obvious. “She’s coming around.” Those innocent eyes widened. “Is that going to happen to us?”
“Quiet,” Haranda said. She leaned into Eletha’s view and waited for the girl to look at her. “You’re all right, youngling. Just relax.” When she was certain Eletha had regained her wits, she asked the question every Gypsy was taught to ask. “Tell me what pulled at you?”
Though she was certain she knew, especially with a red leaf footprint already taking shape above Eletha’s head. Younglings couldn’t see footprints until they were ready to be oathed, and Gypsies were forbidden to reveal that knowledge unless it was necessary. Goddess law forbad it. Slumberers were an exception but they were instructed about Netherworld prints, not told that they existed in the mundane world too.
“What?”
“The pull, Eletha. You fought Thad, desperate to get away. Where would you have gone?”
“Trees. I wanted the trees. Made me angry I couldn’t get to them. So bloody angry.” She sat with Thad’s help and her gaze drifted to Henny, who now stood against the wall with her arms crossed. “Oh, gods. Henny, I’m bloody sorry.”
Haranda placed a hand on Eletha’s shoulder, a bit startled the girl had apologized to anyone without being forced. “Henny will be all right. Eletha, the Goddess called you. You’re a treewalker.” She smiled. In the entire Gypsy written history, there were only five others with the ability to see through the trees and three had died over a century ago.
“A treewalker? What does that bloody mean?”
Haranda ignored her cursing. For now, anyway. “It means you’re a Gypsy-child. You’re connected to the Goddess through the trees. That’s why you became so angry when you couldn’t get to them. I don’t know everything about treewalkers, youngling, since there are few among Gypsies, but I’ll help you any way I can.”
“Me too.” Nym squatted next to Eletha. “I wanna help. That okay?”
The boy seemed desperate for attention and Eletha smiled. “Thank you, Nym. I can use your help.” Eletha had been nice to him ever since they’d arrived. The boy seemed to like her as well. Especially when she played the game of pebbles he loved so much.
Eletha tried to stand but Haranda placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’ll be weak for a while, but I can teach you how to hold the Energy so it won’t drain you like this.” Thad and Zarenia already had that talent, and Thad had taught Nym a bit about the Energy, so Eletha would be Haranda’s first green youngling. Her first as a clan mother. She glanced at her little brood. First of many. Though the boys would be assigned to a clan father once they got to the Land of the Goddess, all Gypsies were responsible for younglings.
“And I’ll bloody well learn,” the treewalker said.
Eletha thought weakness a fault, but Haranda wouldn’t abide cursing just for the sake of it, especially in front of a child as young as Nym. And Eletha would push until Haranda slapped her down.
She raised a brow and flicked her eyes toward Nym. “Your language leaves a lot to be desired right now, youngling.” She narrowed eyes on the girl, knowing full well her gaze would intimidate. Wren had made Haranda feel naked on many occasions during her youngling days.
Eletha’s freckled cheeks grew pink. “Sorry, Nym. You too, Henny.” A good start.
Nym smiled. “That all right. I bloody well heard it before.”
Haranda turned toward Nym but Thad beat her to him and took the boy’s arm. “Guard your tongue, lad,” he said, as though it wasn’t the first time they’d had that discussion.
“Yes, Thad. I’m learnin’ better.”
“Yes you are.” Thad flashed a frown at Eletha. “Thought women knew how to hold their tongues better than that. ‘Specially in front of children.”
Eletha’s face grew crimson again and Haranda quelled a smile. Perhaps Thad reminded the girl of one of her brothers. Eletha’s parents had been dead a long while and her eldest brother had taken on the responsibility of raising the family.
“Come along, Nym,” Adelsik said. That innocent face gave Eletha a look of pure snobbery.
Haranda prepared to yank the two apart if Eletha got it into her head to thrash another youngling today. But before anything happened, Adelsik took Nym’s hand and led him outside.
“I hope you’re close when I get the calling.” Henny’s blonde hair looked unkempt and she had her thin arms folded as she scowled down at Eletha with reddened eyes. “I’ll whip you good.”
“Henny Iven Jesik.” Haranda stood and faced the youngest girl, towering over her. Henny’s eyes widened and she took a step back. Good. “You remember you’re not marriage age yet. Eletha was in the thrall of the Goddess. The calling held her. Other than a sore backside, she didn’t harm you.” Henny’s face reddened with embarrassment but she needed to learn her place. Eletha would always be above her in Gypsy rank. “She had no control over what she did and she apologized. Speak to her like that again and you’ll be doing chores until your hands are raw. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, Haranda.” The girl pouted.
“Good. Now go play with Nym and maybe I’ll give you a treat later.”
Henny’s hands went to her slight hips and she craned her neck to glare up at Haranda. “I may not be old enough to marry, but I’m not a child to be given treats.”
“You are if I say you are, youngling. There are more years between you and me than between you and Nym.” She leveled a gaze at the girl.
“Something to think about. Now go.” Haranda pointed toward the cave entrance. Henny pouted, stomped her foot, which she wouldn’t have done except for Thad’s healing, and stormed outside. “She’s next,” Haranda said.
Thad simply nodded and followed Henny out with Maesa on his heels.
“Henny’s got the calling?” Eletha sniffed and rubbed her nose with her arm.
“She’s close. Probably by tomorrow from the way she’s acting.”
“Maybe I should keep my hide handy for her. So she can get off a few smacks.” She offered Haranda a guilty look and wrapped arms around her knees.
“I’m sure she’d appreciate that.” The two chuckled and Haranda thought perhaps Eletha would grow into a fine woman after all. “All right, Gypsy-child Eletha.” She sat and crossed her legs. “Now you learn to respect the Energy. When you take it in, you must go slowly at first, until your body has a chance to get used to the strain. When the calling comes, the Energy forces its way inside, assaulting your senses. That intensity is what caused you to faint.”
The others slowly got back to their chores but stayed within earshot, and Haranda decided to let them listen. The rest would get the calling soon enough, and as a teacher and clan mother, she needed every advantage she could get out here alone with so many younglings to protect.
Eletha frowned when Haranda mentioned fainting then she nodded. “At first it felt good, pushed my anger away. I sensed things around me, especially the trees. They called to me.”
Haranda smiled. “That’ll happen each time you harness the Energy. Awareness like that gives us an advantage over middlings. We can use the Energy to locate kin. A Gypsy’s strength reveals how far she can sense her surroundings in that way. The stronger the Gypsy, the farther the awareness.” Her own awareness could encompass an entire town but getting an exact location was a problem. A common one with most Gypsies, even those of Haranda’s strength.
“I don’t remember how far I sensed the trees. It all happened so fast and I—fainted.” Her face twisted into disgust.
Haranda gave her a sympathetic smile. “Trust me when I tell you that few Gypsies, men included, can withstand the calling and remain conscious.”
A relieved look crossed Eletha’s face. “If you teach me how not to faint like a fancy girl, I’ll take another bath tonight.” Her footprint was steady with the truth but her face twisted in disgust.
Haranda studied the red leaf above Eletha’s head. Communication and connection, that’s what a leaf meant. The red coloring represented the girl’s hot temper, something she would need to control. The Goddess’s special challenge to her. Perhaps this one needed a wager to motivate her. That would change once they reached home but Haranda would take every advantage she could get right now.
“I accept your offer, youngling. Find a comfortable position. You can sit or lie down. I don’t recommend standing just yet.”
Eletha crossed her legs the way Haranda sat and placed hands on her knees. “I’m ready.”
“All right. Listen to all my instructions before you attempt anything. Do you understand?”
“Of course I understand. I’m not daft.”
Haranda raised a brow and drew the Energy in. “One thing you’ll learn, youngling, is when a Gypsy tells you to do something, you’re expected to obey. If you refuse or put up a fuss—” She raised an open palm and sent a blue spark to Eletha’s thigh, causing the girl to yelp.
Eletha could see the sparking Energy now that she’d been through the calling, but the ones who hadn’t would only see the treewalker’s reaction. Orbs were the only kind of sparking Energy everyone, middlings included, could see, so Gypsies had to be careful when and where they created them.
Eletha rubbed and focused on Haranda. “I saw that.” The little treewalker’s eyes lit up. “You’ll teach me that?”
“You’ll learn sparking. Every Gypsy can harness a tiny amount, enough to create an orb or give a sound smack, but you’ll never be as strong as I am. Sparking is my second most powerful Energy, Eletha.” Only slightly less than her urging strength. “What you’ve witnessed is miniscule compared to what the Goddess has blessed me with.” She wouldn’t offer more explanation of her powers. Not yet.
“Yes, I’ll definitely learn sparking.”
Haranda didn’t like the glint in Eletha’s eyes. “Treewalkers never harness more than the slightest amount of sparking Energy, youngling. The two don’t compliment each other. Now, listen carefully. When I tell you, concentrate on the earth below us, envision the Goddess Energy, the Light you saw during your calling, and draw it slowly into your body until awareness fills you. Hold the Energy inside but don’t take in any more than that. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“Try it.”
Eletha swallowed and closed her eyes. After several heartbeats, she opened her eyes. “Nothing.”
“Patience, youngling. Breathe deeply and clear your mind then try again. Envision the Goddess Light as it travels from the earth, through your feet and into your body.”
The small girl did as instructed. This time, the red leaf spun above her head but quickly sputtered to a halt. Eletha opened her eyes and Haranda could tell she bit back a curse. The girl probably learned quickly with nine older brothers and this frustrated her beyond measure.
“Again,” Haranda instructed.
Eletha took in the Energy and lost it almost immediately. Her angry face burned nearly as red as her footprint.
“You’ll have more success if you calm your mind. Anger won’t help.” Eletha mumbled a curse and Haranda narrowed eyes on her. “Guard your language and try again.”
The girl closed her eyes and seemed to calm a bit. Her footprint spun with the Energy and soon a blissful look appeared her face. The leaf continued to spin and Eletha’s face contorted with effort of keeping control.
“Enough,” Haranda said, but the girl didn’t seem to hear her. “Enough Energy.” Eletha nodded and Haranda relaxed. “Hold it inside but don’t take any more.” She doubted the girl could hold on more than a few heartbeats. Eletha was too new.
Strain at trying to keep the Energy from escaping was apparent on the treewalker’s face and her footprint sputtered to a halt again. She cursed and opened her eyes. “I had it. I had the Energy, Haranda, but I couldn’t bloody hold it.”
“Not many can the first few tries, youngling. It takes practice. And guard your tongue. If you can’t manage your mouth, how do you expect to control your Energy?”
The little treewalker’s face turned from surprise to acceptance and she nodded. “Yes, Haranda. Why did you instruct me to hold the Energy when you knew I couldn’t?”
Haranda sighed and placed her hands on her hips, which felt a bit awkward since she was sitting on the ground, but she held the pose. “If I told you holding the Energy might be impossible, I would place limits on your ability before either of us knew what the Goddess had blessed you with. Words have power, Eletha, even if we don’t believe them. I won’t have my younglings doubting themselves.”
The little treewalker gave her a look of understanding.
Haranda moved her hands back to her knees. “And don’t think you can master everything immediately. You’ll excel in certain aspects of the Energy and have no talent in others. Don’t confuse arrogance with confidence. Overtaxing yourself will leave you as weak as a babe and vulnerable.” Something they couldn’t afford out here in the middling world.
Eletha screwed her face in thought. Despite her small stature, she was no child. She understood danger as well as any other adult. And no Agnarian liked to feel weak, not even a woman. Hopefully, that threat alone would keep Eletha from overtaxing herself.
Haranda had the treewalker harness the Energy several times until she began to tire. She still couldn’t hold it very long but she did manage to quell her curses. The g
irl had more luck building an Energy wall to keep listeners like Kal out of her thoughts. Though Kal wouldn’t pry. It took a good amount of convincing to get her to listen to anyone after what she’d been through. Eletha managed to put her wall into place but complained about it crumbling as soon as her mind wandered.
“It’ll eventually become second nature but it will take a while.” Younglings are so impatient! “You can’t rush the Goddess.”
Frustration filled Eletha’s stature. “I want to go for a walk.” She stood.
Haranda nodded. They could both use the respite. “Tomorrow, I’ll teach you how to create an orb. And you definitely need to learn how to keep your essence from attacking others.” She chuckled and stood. Before Eletha could ask about that, Haranda called Zarenia over. “Free your essence and touch Eletha’s arm.”
Eletha gasped at the contact and rubbed her nose. The treewalker had just experienced the intense giddiness and an overwhelming smell of flowers that accompanied a female Gypsy’s unguarded touch.
“Enough, Zarenia, thank you.” Zarenia’s sparking Energy would someday match Haranda’s and she smiled at the girl. “You can go back to your chores.” Eletha gaped at her. “That was the essence of a female Gypsy. And you must learn to keep yours from assaulting others of your kin.”
Eletha’s face registered understanding. “You feel my essence when I touch you?” Her eyes drifted to Zarenia again, who was shaking out the bedding. “You feel that?”
Haranda nodded. No need to explain that Eletha’s essence wasn’t as strong as Zarenia’s. She would learn. “Luckily I know how to block it.”
“Blazes! No wonder you scowled at me every time I touched you.”
Haranda smacked Eletha’s arm with her hand but used no Energy. “Guard your tongue, youngling.”
The little treewalker didn’t react, if she even felt much. “Will I be able to start fires with my sparking Energy, like you do?” She seemed excited about that prospect.
“I doubt it. Remember, I told you treewalkers don’t harness much sparking Energy. The Goddess doesn’t put certain aspects of the Energy together in one Gypsy.”