Giahem's Talons

by Katharine Wibell

  Rare exceptions can occur if a mortal rises to become a hero or is selected to commune with the banished deity, for whom no High Priestess is ever chosen…

  Allowing the scroll to roll back up, Lluava leaned back and stretched as she considered the importance of what she had just read. Most of this she had surmised already. Yena, serving as Crocotta’s high priestess, communicated only with the Queen of the Gods and none other. And it was very obvious that Crocotta, the Goddess of Prophecy, could and did choose to show her high priestess glimpses of future events.

  Yet, what was so important about the scene Crocotta kept showing Yena? It had become an evening ritual for Lluava to convene with the high priestess and discuss the vision. But nothing more had been gleaned. Neither could discern a reason for the presentation of the same image night after night.

  And what was Hyrax’s interest in this specific scroll? According to Lluava’s understanding of him, the Guardian never did anything without a reason. Was he trying to help Yena decipher the message? That would mean she had told him about the vision. Lluava doubted she had. What, then? Why else would he research communing with the gods? What had he to say to the Twelve that they did not already know? What did he want to ask?

  With a rumbling stomach, Lluava left the confines of the library to grab a quick meal before hurrying off to meet with her friends. Talos, ever cautious, never left the knotted rope dangling for long. If one were late to a session, one had to make an appropriate noise, usually pertaining to the sound one made in dual form. In Lluava’s case, that would have been too dangerous. Luckily, she arrived just as Talos was preparing to pull up the rope.

  “Quickly, now,” he called down as Lluava shimmied to the top and into the hidden room. Sliding the trapdoor into its original position, she looked about to see who was attending today’s lesson.

  There were seven others. Some faces she had come to recognize, and a few were new to her. Lluava had attended the past three sessions; the fourth had had to be quickly canceled because it was rumored that the Guardians were about. After changing the meeting times and waiting two days, the training had resumed.

  As usual, Talos distributed a bundle of sticks that were kept in the room. Their various lengths simulated those of swords and daggers. A rope ladder had also been affixed to the ledge of the narrow window so they could take turns at the lookout position. Before assisting Talos with the day’s lesson, Lluava always took a moment to peer toward the south, ever watchful for a glimpse or a sign that Varren was on his way.

  “One more time!” the Elysian soldier called out. The students would realign and attempt the respectably complicated footwork that Talos and Lluava had just demonstrated. As the pair of instructors watched, Talos leaned over and spoke into Lluava’s ear. “What do you think?”

  “The short one over there is a bit slow.” She gestured to a man on the right. “Gregory, isn’t it?” She nodded at another man on the end. “Well, he picks up the steps quickly, though he needs better form with his sword.”

  “No. I meant overall.” Talos’s eyes had not left his students. “Again!” he ordered, once they had stopped. Returning to his conversation with Lluava, he asked, “What do you think of the training so far?”

  “Well, I can see the effort each man and woman is giving to this cause. But these are commoners. They have known nothing of warfare. Their chances…I don’t like the odds,” she finished in a whisper.

  “I know,” Talos acknowledged. “What they need is more time. A lot of it. I just wish I knew how much time we had.”

  Looking over the sweaty brows of those before them, Talos finally relented. “That is all for today. Each of you will be informed individually of your next session. If you can, practice that new footwork in the safety of your household. Until next time.”

  One by one, they slid down the rope and dispersed throughout the city. As usual, Rosalyn met Lluava and Talos in the lower room to help reset the trapdoor in her dual form. Lluava could not help hide her sheepish smile when she observed them kiss. Talos always leaned in to whisper something sweet into his wife’s ear, and Rosalyn always blushed. Then he knelt to press his lips to his wife’s belly.

  “Have you thought about a name yet?” Lluava inquired, once the trio was far enough away from the Burnt Wing to feel comfortable with normal talk.

  Rosalyn beamed. “We have discussed many possibilities. One of which is to name her after you—that is, if the baby turns out to be a she.”

  “Ah…I don’t know what to say. I’m flattered,” admitted Lluava joyously. Then she gently placed her hand over Rosalyn’s belly. “Hello, little one,” she crooned. “You have the most remarkable parents.”

  The three smiled at each other, knowing it was time to part. “See you around,” Talos said before he offered his arm to his wife, and they made their way back to their jobs in the city.

  Evening was always the most stressful time of day for Lluava. As usual, she met Yena at the foot of the temple, but this time she was invited to join the high priestess during her scrying session. Nothing had changed since her last observance, no matter how hard Lluava searched for any hitherto unnoticed differences or details.

  Walking back through the oppressive darkness, she realized that there were many tunnels and corridors leading away from the one they were in. “How big is all of this?” she asked, gesturing to three entryways leading to unknown places.

  “Rhadamanthus?” Yena’s eyes sparkled like the fragments of the diamonds Selene adored. “It has a vast sprawl, reaching farther than the humans would have led you to believe.”

  “Do some of these paths extend beyond Cronus’s—” Lluava quickly corrected herself. “I mean, New Rhadamanthus’s walls, then?”

  Yena was not upset by her slip. “The walls were a human-designed boundary. The original city had no need of them. It was open for all to enter. It was only when the humans overpowered the city that they decided to create a physical barrier.”

  “But are you saying that there are tunnels that extend beyond the gates?” Lluava was excited at this new discovery.

  “Yes,” Yena almost purred. “And, yes, we have been working to extend them far enough that an opening would not be detected by the Ocean Men. Soon, I will be able to send word to our awaiting army.”

  Lluava was impressed. The high priestess had plans. Logical ones. Exciting ones. As they turned a corner and entered another cavernous space, she inquired, “You have more men? Another army? Why not bring them all at once? Your army, I mean. Two waves arrived while I was here—the land travelers and those that fly; one came while I was gone, and now there is another. Why?”

  “The final wave is waiting for the rest to arrive.”

  “Rest?”

  “Those from the other Theriomorph cities. Leucrocotta is not the only one.”

  Had she been told this? Had it slipped by her? Lluava’s mind was a whirl of excitement. “Have there been signs of Incarn in the other cities? Hendren’s? Valcum’s?”

  Yena gave Lluava the sincerest of looks. “I know not. As high priestess of Crocotta, I was born, raised, and one day hope to die in my city. Only if my goddess commands would I choose to explore elsewhere.”

  The pair walked on a little farther before Lluava questioned her again. “You want to die in Leucrocotta? But what about ruling? What about this place, New Rhadamanthus?”

  They were back inside the marbled walls of Cronus’s former church. Gesturing to the vacant pedestal that had once held a god’s statue, Yena explained, “This is not my temple. I serve Crocotta alone, and her city is not this one. I am only here to fulfill the will of the gods. Nothing more. Once the war is won and this temple restored, new priestesses will be trained. I will remain long enough to ensure that the high priestess of Giahem is discovered and consecrated. Then I will return to the temple at Leucrocotta and live out the rest of my days serving the will of my goddess.”

  “I thought…I assumed you wanted to rule. I thought that’s why you
did all this.” Lluava followed Yena to the entrance of the temple and then turned her gaze upon the sleepy city. “I thought that’s why you conquered the capital.”

  “I am only a servant of the gods, as we all are. One of the many who serve the few. I am here only to reestablish order in our world.”

  Lluava began to see Yena in a new light, one that made her far more difficult to understand. “When you return to your duties as high priestess for Leucrocotta, what will happen to the Guardians? I assumed they were to serve as the new governing body.”

  Taking a deep breath of the cool, damp air, the priestess said, “They will do as they have always done. Serve the gods in their own way.”

  “So,” Lluava wanted to verify what she was hearing. “They will willingly step down from their current seats of power?”

  “Yes.”

  Lluava wondered how true that would prove to be.

  ***

  And so the weeks passed.

  Lluava kept to her routine. Reading, training, questioning. Occasionally, she would catch sight of Selene and Luka, arm in arm, gossiping in the halls. Though Selene would offer a smile and Luka a friendly grin, Lluava always found a reason to head to a different area of the castle.

  From time to time, Luka would show up at her quarters. At those moments, Lluava felt that she could relax enough to resume whatever sort of bizarre relationship she had had with her fellow Incarn. Aquila was always indifferent toward Luka, although for some strange reason he seemed to enjoy Yamir’s company.

  Luka wasn’t her only visitor. Relaxing on Lluava’s overly cushioned furniture, her old friends brought word of the many trivial happenings around the city.

  The most disturbing news was that Derrick’s injuries had still not healed. Yena had refused to allot any Idun to an unknown Theriomorph, even after Lluava’s many requests. Yet the fierce soldier refused to give up and somehow continued to survive.

  Another soldier of a different sort also took up residence in her thoughts. Maruny’s presence was felt, even though Lluava rarely caught a glimpse of the young woman. Waking to the ever-changing song of a mockingbird, her heart would give a start. Once, Onyx harassed one of the gray-plumed birds in the air. Lluava could not help but hope it was the spiteful Theriomorph, even though she knew it was not.

  One evening after leaving the library, as Lluava moved through the network of corridors and stairwells in the castle, her nose picked up a familiar scent. Following the trail of musk, she soon turned the corner to face Hyrax.

  “Hello, Theri,” he said first. He seemed to think a conversation was overdue. “How is your re-acclimation to the city coming?

  “Well, since it has been a month, swimmingly.” Lluava tried to keep the note of irony out of her voice. Instead, she moved the conversation in a direction of her liking. She decided it was time to confront the former councilman about his dealings with the other Guardians. “Now that the Theriomorphs rule the city, and the knowledge of the Incarn is no longer a private matter, I want to know why you felt the need to drug me last fall and display me in front of your fellow Guardians. You once said you doubted my legitimacy. Did others?”

  Hyrax gave her a look of surprise before he gained control of his emotions. “There was doubt about your legitimacy. Once I verified that Issaura’s Claws were the true relics, I wanted to eradicate all other doubt before anything went further.”

  “How so?” Lluava asked. “Like me meeting Apex? Or did you need validation to steer the pair of us into the Outlands to find Yena?”

  “I have always tried to respect the pantheon. Gods have their reasons for everything, Lluava, for creating you and setting you on your appointed path. Everything they do has meaning.”

  Lluava was unaware that her jaw had dropped in amazement.

  Clearly worried, Hyrax inquired, “What’s the matter?”

  “I just realized what the gods have been trying to tell us.” Realizing that Hyrax had no knowledge of what she was referring to, Lluava continued. “They weren’t sending us a warning about monsters. They were trying to point us in the right direction.”

  Turning on her heel, she ran to find Yena and shouted in elation, “We are meant to rescue Ambassador Alcove!”

  GIAHEM’S TALONS

  PART II

  Chapter 23

  The Water Source

  Yena and the other Incarn met with Lluava in the Judgment Hall. After dismissing the Guardians to ensure privacy, the high priestess took her seat upon the throne and waited.

  “Crocotta has been trying to tell you something through the images you have seen,” Lluava began. “She wants us to save the one called Alcove—the prisoner shown in your visions.”

  Instead of questioning why they should save an Ocean Man, Yena remained silent as she listened to Lluava’s explanation.

  Lluava continued. “When the first boatload of Raiders arrived in Elysia, they were led by Ambassador Alcove. We assumed that he was their military commander, but we were mistaken. During the autumn, Alcove led an attack in the North, but he was recalled by someone else, someone with higher authority over the Raiders’ armies.

  “I suspect the seated figure in your vision is the actual leader. The red-bearded Berserker is Sweyn; I believe he is the second-in-command. Together, they must have stripped Alcove of his status.

  “I think that Crocotta has shown you this particular scene because she wants us to rescue Alcove and use him to our advantage. He could provide us with their plans. He knows their chain of command, and with that information, we would know the most beneficial targets to kill or capture. His knowledge could turn the outcome of this war in our favor.”

  “What then?” Yena questioned. “Why should we believe any of the information this human offers? If the war is won, then what of the prisoner? Do we keep him at our mercy? Allow this ambassador to lead his men back across the great water with no further conflict? What you are advising me is to trust the lesser of two evils. How can I know that we can trust such a man?”

  Lluava expected no less from the priestess. She pointed out, “The Raiders’ military commanders have not only revoked Alcove’s authority but also undermined and abused him. I am sure bad blood has been building between Alcove and those other two men. Moreover, the ambassador has helped me several times in the past. During the winter, I infiltrated their camp to release captives. I believe he tried to warn me to flee before I was captured.”

  “What reason does that man have to save a Theriomorph?”

  “I have no idea. But I believe that if there is any chance to defeat the Raiders, it is with Alcove on our side. Be it willingly or by force.”

  Yena leaned back against the throne. “As I see it, your suggested strategy has three objectives. First, capture the ambassador. Second, slay their militant leaders. Third, force this ambassador to order the remainder of his army back to their homeland or have them submit to us in defeat. Am I correct so far?”

  “More or less, yes.”

  “What if we go straight to the second objective and eradicate their leaders? All three of them.”

  Lluava ran her tongue over her incisors as she considered this proposition. “If we killed all three, what would happen to the army left on our shores? They might flee on their own, but that is doubtful. More likely, they will continue to attack and kill our people. We would have to slay huge numbers of Raiders before they would consider leaving. And then there are the Berserkers. Although it’s possible that someone else would assume command, we do not know who. No. Unless their commanding leader orders them to return to their homeland or commands them to surrender, I think the bloodshed will continue.”

  Yena looked skeptical.

  “Why,” Lluava asked, “do you think the goddess has repeatedly sent that specific image to you? If the focus was on the so-called monsters, why not show them to you? Then we would at least know what we’re up against.”

  During this entire time, the other three Incarn had remained silent. Lluava was u
ncertain whether they fully understood what was being discussed. Resolutely, they focused on the high priestess. Yena seemed to be running through all viable options in her mind. At the base of the dais, Lluava was also considering possibilities. Hers, though, were centered on ways to rescue Alcove.

  Finally, Yena spoke. “I will not have my people combat the Ocean Men in open battle, not after our last encounter. This enemy is far stronger than I had ever imagined. Their intelligence adds to their lethal nature. I underestimated them once, and I will not do so again.”

  “Does she know?” Although Apex’s voice was husky and slow, it held a subtle strength.

  Lluava glanced at the huntsman in surprise. Did he understand?

  She turned her attention back to the priestess, who explained, “As I think you know, I had troops positioned northwest of here. Once New Rhadamanthus was ours, I sent a messenger to summon them to the city and strike the enemy unawares. Yet I was the one unaware of what was to come. Unable to scry anything beyond that same repetitive scene, I could not foresee my mistake.

  “The enemy allowed my messenger to fly out of the city and then followed him straight to our unprepared troops. They were ambushed. Our losses were substantial. Barely any warriors made it here to safety. I will not permit any action that would lead to the slaughter of our people. I learn from my mistakes.”

  Something did not add up. Lluava spoke out testily, “I have heard conflicting information. I was told that only two messengers were sent out, and that neither survived to get help. Now you tell me that a messenger did contact troops but with dire results. And what of the remainder of your army? What is the truth? What other information are you keeping from me?”

  Yena gathered her thoughts. “Our army was organized into two divisions. Each division was further divided into two strategic forces, or waves. The initial attack on New Rhadamanthus utilized both waves of the first division. The second division was held in reserve. The larger force was posted at the border to await the aid sent by the other Theriomorph cities. The smaller force, located nearer the capital, was contacted by our initial messenger. They attempted to provide aid shortly after the city was seized. As a result of the Ocean Men’s trickery, this smaller force was all but decimated at the city’s walls. Since then, we have sent two other messengers to contact our forces at the border. Both were aerial in form to evade the Ocean Men. Their bodies were returned to us in pieces.”