Serpent of Fire

by D. K. Holmberg

  “Who was that?” Tan asked.

  Cianna laughed. “For all that you know, you can still be stupid.”

  “Inform me,” he said.

  “That is Tolstan Vreth, Supreme Leader of Chenir,” Ferran answered.

  Tan hadn’t realized that the Chenir leader had come to the kingdoms. Roine had mentioned ambassadors only. “Why would he need so many shapers with him?” Tan asked.

  “Protection. When King Althem lived,” Ferran said, and Tan noted how he still gave the honorific. “He would never travel without a shaper escort. Many times, he had Theondar with him, though he was known as Roine then and few knew that he was a warrior shaper. I suspect the Supreme Leader feels much the same as King Althem,” Ferran finished.

  Tan snorted. “And much like with Althem, protection isn’t really needed, is it?”

  “Why would you say that?” Ferran asked.

  “You didn’t recognize what he did?” Tan asked.

  Cianna shook her head. Ferran frowned and scratched at his chin. “You think that he shapes as well?”

  “Not just shapes. He’s a warrior shaper,” Tan said.

  Ferran’s eyes widened slightly. “You must inform Theondar.”

  Tan nodded. “It’s possible that he already knows. That might be why Theondar welcomed them to the city.”

  The timing troubled Tan even more now that he knew. Why would Chenir visit at the same time Par-shon, through kaas, attacked? It was possible that the reason was simply tied to a desire to meet Theondar now that he had assumed the title of king regent, but Par-shon had attacked Doma, Incendin, and the kingdoms. Why would Chenir be any different?

  “Did you sense how their earth shaper called to golud?” Tan asked.

  Ferran’s frown deepened. “I sensed… something. I could not place what it was and golud would not explain.”

  Tan wondered if the tapping had been unintentional or if they had known what they were doing. Likely they had known. “Did golud still respond when they were here?” Tan asked.

  Ferran nodded. “The connection remains.” There was still relief in his voice as he said it.

  Tan shifted to look at Cianna. “And you. Did you see anything from their fire shaper?”

  Cianna titled her head. “They claimed they didn’t have a fire shaper.”

  Why would they keep that secret from them? Did they think that the kingdoms feared fire shaping? Or were they trying to keep a secret their way of reaching fire?

  “Inferin,” Tan said. “The elemental was wrapped around the man with the pointed nose.”

  Cianna’s eyes widened.

  “What will you do with this, Athan?” Ferran asked.

  “Nothing, for now. Keep your eyes open. We will need to learn why Chenir came. And we need to know how they speak to the elementals.” That might be useful to other shapers in facing Par-shon.

  Cianna glanced toward the street. “You think they work with Par-shon?”

  “Anything is possible,” he said, but he’d seen no signs of the forced bond from them. That didn’t mean they didn’t help Par-shon, only that the bond was not clear. “If they do, and with their shapers within Ethea, we need to be prepared.”

  “And you?” Ferran asked.

  “I’ll do what I can to learn why they’re here. The elementals will remain vigilant for us.”

  25

  Water and Fire

  Tan followed the sense of fire shaping, letting it pull him through the streets. Night had fallen, and with it, the sounds of the city changed, coming alive again in ways that it hadn’t in so many months. If he let himself—and were Amia with him—Tan thought that he could simply enjoy the sounds around him. He wanted the chance to simply wander, to enjoy the minstrels playing at street corners, or pause and eat from one of the meat vendors or bakers with carts pushed out near the gathering squares. A part of him wanted to return to how it had been before he knew about shaping and the elementals, but he couldn’t. His responsibilities precluded taking that time for himself.

  A soft tinkling of bells caught his attention, drawing him away from the sense of fire shaping. Tan turned to it, recognizing the sound of the Aeta bells. Had one of the families finally come into the city to trade? After the Par-shon attack that had claimed several of their wagons, they had come into the city briefly, but departed again as soon as it was deemed safe.

  He made his way toward the sound. Mixed with it was the steady, rhythmic sense that he’d come to recognize as the Chenir shaping with the elementals, but he saw no sign of Chenir shapers. The crowd around him thickened, and he pushed through slowly. He could leap to the wagons on a shaping of wind, but that would do nothing but scare off the traders. When he finally reached the wagons, he saw the splashes of color marking them, though dark curtains covered one. Something about the wagons was off, though he couldn’t quite place what that might be.

  Tan stopped at the opening in the circle. A line of people waited for access, and Tan didn’t force through here. He had no need. Most saw his sword and parted, giving him clearance. Some nodded as he passed, almost as if recognizing him.

  When he reached the front of the wagons, two men stood screening the potential traders. It reminded Tan of when Amia had come to the Aeta in Ethea, before she’d been captured and brought from the city. One of the men spoke softly with a man dressed in dark leathers.

  Tan used a shaping of wind to listen.

  “We have cannot risk much longer here,” the leather-clad man said.

  “The others grow restless. It’s dangerous this close to the city. How much longer will the drawing require?”

  “I don’t know. The songs are complicated and we can’t risk leaving before we know—”

  “And we can’t risk staying. Not with this many of their…” He paused and glanced around, noting Tan watching him. With a shake of his head, he waved the other man off.

  As Tan approached, the men studied him. “No weapons,” one of the men said.

  “I could leave it behind, if it would please the Mother,” he said. Tan wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving his warrior sword behind, but he needed to learn what about these wagons made him uncomfortable. If not for him, then for Amia.

  He made a point of reaching for his connection to her, letting the spirit bond draw her into his consciousness. She was never far from him, the connection never that distant. He had a sense of her sitting near the Great Fire and shaping. Teaching. Mixed with it was a sense of contentment. Tan hated that he would disturb that.

  “No weapons,” the man said again.

  “How long will you trade?” Tan asked. There was something about the conversation he’d overheard that he felt was important. If he could only get past and speak to them more, he might understand why.

  “We leave in the morning,” the man said, not meeting Tan’s eyes.

  “To join the other families?” he asked.

  The man looked past Tan, only increasing his anxiety.

  “You have seen the First Mother?” Tan pressed. “They’re camped outside the city. The Great Fire welcomes all families.” He made a point of using a phrase he’d heard from other Aeta.

  The man didn’t respond to him, instead nodding to the next person in line. He made a point of ignoring Tan, looking past him. The other Aeta would not look at him either.

  Rather than forcing the issue, Tan turned away. There is something amiss, he sent to Amia.

  I will come.

  No. Follow this wagon as it departs, Tan suggested. Be prepared.

  He sensed amusement from her. If they are of the People, I can manage them.

  Standing in the street, he focused again on the sense of fire shaping that had drawn him initially, listening for the Chenir shaping. At first he heard nothing, as if Chenir was aware that he listened and had stopped whatever shaping they attempted. Distantly, he heard it. The sound was there, somewhere in the city. Mixed within the fire shaping was the strange Chenir call to the elementals.

  Tan
followed the sense of the shaping, trailing after it. It drew him through the streets, pulling him away from the crowds and into parts of the city where the rebuilding took longer. Homes still showed signs of the damage done to them by the draasin and the attack from the lisincend. Some had crumbled completely, falling into disrepair, leaving piles of ash and fallen stone littered along the street. Efforts had been made to move the piles back away from the main thoroughfare, but much still encroached, spilling out and onto the roadway.

  How had the rest of the city been rebuilt, but this part left untouched?

  There weren’t any people moving in the streets at this time of night, at least not in this part of the city. Tan made his way slowly, letting the sense of the fire shaping draw him. Maybe there would be nothing.

  He reached a section of the city where even the sounds of the minstrels had faded away. Tan paused, wondering if he should keep going. A part of him felt uncomfortable, and he hated that he should feel that way in the city.

  Fire surged again, this time closer. Tan continued, turning at an intersecting corner, always feeling like the sense of fire was a few steps ahead of him.

  Then the street widened again, letting back out into the crowds, where street noise and music reached him again. Here the sense of fire faded, disappearing as if he’d never sensed anything at all.

  He stopped, turning around and trying to get his bearings. Nearby was a well-developed part of Ethea. The homes here were massive and sprawling, and some had walls built around them, setting them apart from the rest of the street. The damage from the attacks months ago didn’t seem to have reached here, or if it had, the people living here had the means to promptly make repairs.

  Where had the fire shaping gone?

  Tan listened, focusing as he had learned to do to the fire bond, but came up with nothing.

  It was time for him to return to his home. As much as he hated it without Amia, he needed rest.

  Heading back to the main thoroughfare winding through Ethea, he began to have the sense that someone trailed him. Tan continued, uncertain what he detected and resisting the urge to shape his way back home.

  Instead, he paused and stretched out with a spirit sensing that he pulled through his sword.

  The sense of spirit gave him awareness of everything around him. Most of the people wandering through the streets moved with purpose, enjoying the night, the sounds of music, the festival-like mood the city had taken on, and the return of something almost like normalcy.

  Tan pushed beyond that connection, reaching to find the vague sense that he was being followed. As he did, he recognized what bothered him.

  He spun. Now that he knew what he was looking for, he added water sensing to the touch of spirit.

  He found her standing at an intersection, pressed up against the buildings, hiding from the light streaming from the lanterns. The Chenir water shaper watched him, her eyes not showing any sign of fear. From spirit sensing, Tan recognized that she was more curious than afraid.

  “Are you following me?” he asked.

  She took a step toward him and tipped her head. One hand patted her chest as she did. Tan recognized the way the movement called to the nymid.

  “Not following. I saw you and wanted to know how you shape water.”

  Tan frowned. She seemed to want to know more than that, but he didn’t say it. “What do you do when you tap your chest like that?” he asked.

  This close to her, he could smell her, a mixture of salt water and fresh rain, an interesting combination. The tapping she did over her chest hesitated. As it did, the nymid sank back and away from her, drifting back into the bones of the city.

  “It is nothing more than a habit,” she said.

  “A habit you use to summon water elementals?” he asked.

  She tensed and started to turn. He touched her shoulder and pulled her back to face him.

  “Does it work with all water elementals, or is the rhythm different?”

  “What do you know of the elementals?” she asked.

  Tan considered denying his connection, but doing so would keep him from learning what he needed. If there was anything the Chenir shapers could teach him about reaching the elementals, then he needed to take it. “You call to the nymid with your tapping,” Tan said.

  He thought she might deny it, but she turned back to him and nodded. “How is it you know this? Have you studied in Chenir?”

  “Not in Chenir.”

  “Then how?”

  “Because I speak to the elementals. And I can feel what you do when you summon them. It’s the same with the drumming and golud.”

  Her eyes widened. “You’re a warrior.”

  “I am.”

  She backed away from him, starting to turn down the street. “I should not be here with you.”

  “Why? What are you afraid of?”

  “Afraid? Not afraid of anything. Only that I risked too much coming here alone.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  The woman hurried away from him, leaving Tan staring after her with more questions than he had before, and still uncertain if Chenir worked with Par-shon.

  26

  Speaking to Earth

  The tunnels beneath the city carried a musty odor, one that was different than the last time Tan had come. He paused, not sure what he smelled. The air was different, but maybe that had more to do with what had happened with ara.

  After leaving the Chenir shaper, he had nothing but questions, and he knew of no way to reach answers other than finding the elementals. That was why he had come to the tunnels.

  Tan still didn’t know what really had happened to the wind elemental. Was ara hurt, or destroyed? If only injured, how long would it be before the elemental recovered?

  The farther he went into the tunnels, the musty odor faded. Now there was only the familiar scent of damp earth and heat, nothing that would make him think there was anything different here than there ever had been.

  He reached the pool of water where the nymid were drawn and settled to the ground next to it. Tan reached out with water sensing, letting himself connect to the nymid. He needed to understand what the Chenir shapers had been able to do. If there was another way to reach the elementals, he needed to know about it.

  Water swirled around his feet, cool and soothing. He dipped his hand into the water as well, trailing it around as he reached for the nymid. The bond was different to the nymid than to Asboel or even Honl. With the nymid, though he might be bonded, he didn’t have the ever-present sense of them within his mind.

  Nymid. What does Chenir do when they summon you?

  The water swirled for a moment, darker green shimmering closer to the surface. He who is Tan.

  The Chenir shaper. What do they do when they summon the nymid?

  He sensed amusement from the water elemental. You speak easily with the nymid, but you must ask this question?

  I don’t know what she did.

  You felt the connection.

  I did.

  Then you know what it is, the nymid told him.

  Only that it seemed to draw the nymid to it. I don’t understand anything more than that.

  There are more ways to speak than how we communicate.

  Explain, please.

  You have felt the rhythm of the rain, that of water along the shores, even the mist coming off the draasin as you soar with the Eldest. You understand those forms of water. You should understand this.

  What the nymid said reminded him somewhat of the draasin and the fire bond, though different in some ways. I have felt these, Tan agreed. You’re saying that the shapers of Chenir have learned to use these rhythms?

  There are other ways of calling the elementals, He Who is Tan. Not all have forgotten.

  He hesitated. The nymid weren’t afraid of Chenir shapers. That alone told Tan more than he’d learned already, but it still didn’t explain why they had come to Ethea. Does it make their shaping more powerful?

  Do
es it make yours when you speak with the nymid?

  Tan sat, letting the water swirl around him as he thought about what he’d learned. And the other elementals. Does it work the same with them?

  Everything has a rhythm of its own, He Who is Tan. That is the gift of the Mother.

  Tan recognized that he already knew that. When he’d been first learning to shape, hadn’t his mother worked with him to point out how to reach the wind, to let it play across his skin, to listen to it blowing in and out of his lungs? With earth, wasn’t it much the same, the way the connection to earth pulled on him, the sense of everything around him that he could reach for?

  Why should it be any different? The rhythm that the nymid mentioned matched his experience. He recognized the same sense, had even heard it when first seeing the Chenir drummers. Now that he understood what they did, it made even more sense.

  Do you know about this elemental of fire? he asked.

  The nymid were young when it was last here. The land has changed. It is different than it was.

  Kaas seeks to destroy the elementals, he said.

  The Mother would not allow that to happen.

  Did the Mother not allow for its creation?

  The nymid seemed to become even more agitated, swirling in the water and streaming up his arm with a dark, brackish tint. Kaas is not the creation of the Mother. Fire and earth are not meant to join, much like fire and water would not join. The Mother allows such things, but they are rare.

  Wait. How is kaas not a creation of the Mother?

  It could not be, He Who is Tan. Much like Twisted Fire, it comes about unnaturally. You know the elementals. Speak to golud. Understand.

  * * *

  Tan pulled his hand from the water and leaned back. Had Asboel known that kaas was not a natural elemental? It seemed unlikely that he wouldn’t have known. But what was it, then, if not a naturally occurring elemental?

  Near the massive door leading to the draasin den, Tan paused, considering entering and speaking to Asgar. The hatchling was there, alone, with Sashari out somewhere hunting. The hatchling sensed him, and Tan knew Asgar sensed him. He didn’t know why he should sense Asgar so clearly, unless Tan had grown much more competent with the fire bond.