Reflection: Harbinger of the Phoenix (Records of the Ohanzee Book 2)

by Rachel R. Smith

  Eventually, they had come to a point where the trees were too dense to drive the coach any farther. They were following the Ohanzee carriage route back to Darnal, so reaching this point was not unanticipated and coincided with where the path intersected with a small river. Instead of continuing on to the other side, the remainder of the way was actually upriver. All of the Ohanzee’s coaches were made so they could be converted into a flat-bottomed boat specifically for this part of the journey. The group had quickly completed the necessary modifications and proceeded on their way, guiding the pair of horses as they slowly pulled the floating coach uphill, against the flow of the water.

  Now, they stood in front of a sheer cliff. The rock face extended for miles in both directions, so there was no way to go around. The only opening in the stone was a small cave that the river flowed through. Here, the current of the river was so swift that the horses struggled to hold the floating coach in place. A small ledge along the water’s edge was just wide enough to allow entrance to the cave, one person at a time. Nerissa and Raysel grabbed glow lamps from their supplies and followed Cole and Eloc inside. Leal and Jarold remained behind to pull the coach ashore and reattach the wheels in preparation for the last leg of the trip.

  The damp air inside the cave felt blissfully cool on Nerissa’s skin. All sound was washed away by the rushing of the river. The noise, combined with the humidity, made the impression of water so palpable that Nerissa instinctively held her breath.

  A tunnel continued deeper into the cave but was completely filled by the river. Its narrow width restricted the flow of the water, creating a torrent that was so fast it made wading or swimming impossible. It was a dead end. At least, Nerissa would have believed it to be a dead end—if she didn’t already know better.

  Raysel walked toward the wall, holding out his lamp. He turned back, and Nerissa could see that his mouth was moving, but the din of the water drowned his words. After a moment, he seemed to realize that she couldn’t hear him and gestured for her to stand between him and one of the twins. The other twin, Nerissa wasn’t sure whether it was Cole or Eloc, walked along the wall, which was covered in numerous naturally occurring stone nodules. He ran his fingers across the nodules, counting until he found the right one. With some effort, he pulled the stone out of the wall and reached into the hole with his free hand. His arm moved twice in short, jerking motions, paused, shook back and forth in one constant motion and then jerked once more. Though Nerissa couldn’t see it, she knew that the stone concealed a cable which was connected to a bell on the other side of the cave. The movements were a passcode to open the entrance to Darnal.

  When Nerissa had first arrived in Darnal, Ildiko had told her that the entrance to the city was blocked by a force of nature. She hadn’t been able to imagine how that was possible. Now, having seen the mechanism for herself, she knew the entrance was both well protected and well hidden. No barrier was truly impregnable, but she thought that this arrangement came close.

  Though there had been no discernable response, a few minutes later the water level within the cave began to drop. The steady rush of the river gradually diminished to a gentle flow. Leal and Jarold entered the cave, guiding the horses and coach as they sloshed through the now calf-deep water.

  “It’s good to be home,” one of the twins said. He hopped into the water with both feet, splashing his brother and Leal in the process.

  “We’re not home yet,” his brother answered. “And stop that! You’re getting us all wet.”

  As she watched their exchange, Nerissa suddenly realized which twin was which. Though it was nearly impossible to distinguish between the twins based only on their appearance, their behavior was a giveaway to their identities.

  Cole swung his foot, kicking more water in Eloc’s direction. “Like it matters. We’re walking in a river bed. You’re going to get wet anyway.”

  “Oh, I see. You’re homesick,” Eloc teased in a singsong voice as he headed deeper into the tunnel.

  Cole stomped along behind him, swinging his glow lamp in wide arcs with each step. “I am not homesick.” His voice bounced off the walls as he rounded the first bend in the tunnel.

  Nerissa stepped down from the ledge and into the water. That’s kind of sweet, she thought, but she kept the sentiment to herself. She was slowly learning to fit in with the men, and that wasn’t the sort of thing that “Caeneus” would say.

  “There’s nothing wrong with missing your family while you’re away,” Jarold said. He gently tugged on the reins of the horse he was leading. “I can’t wait to see my wife and daughter, even though we’ve only been gone four days.”

  Beside him, Leal nodded enthusiastically in agreement. “I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed. The ones at the inn were nice enough, but it’s not the same.” The coach creaked into motion again, and they disappeared around the bend as well.

  “I can understand how Cole feels,” Nerissa said wistfully, now that only Raysel was near enough to hear her.

  Raysel dropped into the water behind her with barely a splash. He reached out and tucked a stray lock of hair behind Nerissa’s ear, brushing his thumb down her cheek as he pulled away. “I think you have more reason than anyone to feel that way. But if you’re right about the owner of the second book, we’ll be back in Niamh soon.”

  “It will never be the same, though,” Nerissa said. “Still, even if I can’t let any of the people I care about know I’m alive, it would be nice just to have one of Pan’s pastries again. It would be like a little taste of home. I suppose I will have to wait for that, too.”

  Raysel studied her expression carefully and was relieved to see that it was one of determination rather than sadness. He turned back toward the opening of the cave and whistled a series of melodic notes. Somewhere outside, a bird chirped back a similar tune in response.

  “Did that bird answer you?” Nerissa asked, surprised.

  “That was an answer but not from a bird,” Raysel said as they started walking farther into the tunnel. “There are always guards hiding in the trees outside. Since this place is so remote, it doesn’t happen very often, but the guards keep an eye out to make sure that there isn’t anyone else nearby when we come and go. We don’t want anyone to notice sudden changes in the water levels. You wouldn’t have heard it before since Cole and Eloc were scouting ahead, but they also signaled the guards as we approached.”

  “The Ohanzee really do seem to have a fondness for ‘hanging out’ in trees,” Nerissa quipped.

  “Ha, ha.” Raysel said it tonelessly, but the corners of his mouth turned up.

  They followed the tunnel as it veered to the left, and they could hear the splashing of the others in front of them. The light from the cave opening rapidly faded away, plunging them into darkness so deep that they were wholly dependent on the illumination provided by their glow lamps. The bluish-white light only penetrated the blackness enough to see a few feet ahead. As they walked, they reached numerous points where the tunnel forked. Raysel navigated the forks without hesitation, having walked this path many times before. Every drip and slosh of water echoed around them like a gong in the stillness.

  “Where do the other tunnels lead?” Nerissa asked. The oppressive darkness, combined with the closeness of the narrow cave walls, made her feel like she should whisper, but she consciously resisted the instinct.

  “Some are dead ends, but most are branches that meet back up with the main tunnel elsewhere,” he answered.

  “It seems like you could get lost down here forever,” Nerissa said. She had thought the exact same thing when they passed through this tunnel as they left Darnal days ago, but she hadn’t said it out loud then.

  “That’s an advantage. It provides one more layer of protection to the entrance of the city. Fortunately, this path is just wide enough for a coach to fit. Some of the other tunnels have points that are too tight for even one person to pass through.”

  Nerissa laughed nervously. “I certainly wouldn’t have be
en brave enough to be one of the first people to come down here. I don’t see how they were even able to explore this cave since the river usually blocks it.”

  “The river wasn’t always as big as it is now,” Raysel answered. “Hundreds of years ago, when Darnal was settled, we redirected the flow of another river to join with this one. That’s also how we created the reservoir, which allows us to maintain the river at a constant water level, even during a drought.”

  “I wouldn’t want to be caught down here when the water comes back,” Nerissa said with a shudder.

  “Nor would I,” Raysel agreed.

  As they rounded the next curve, their surroundings gradually grew brighter. Nerissa shifted the strap of the leather bag that was slung across her body. Shae’s book wasn’t heavy to carry, but after several hours it was becoming uncomfortable. They made one final turn, and she could see the back of the coach just before it exited the cave. A moment later Nerissa and Raysel stepped into the sunshine, blinking. In front of them stood a tall dam, currently closed to allow only a minimal amount of water to pass through. They followed the coach up a ramp that ran from the center of the river bed to the bank several feet above.

  “We’re the last two.” Raysel shielded his eyes with one hand as he spoke to the guard at the top of the ramp.

  “I hope you had a successful mission,” the guard replied. He turned away and signaled to another man at the top of the dam. The man waved back and entered a small building where the mechanism to control the sluice gates was located. There was a metallic grinding sound as the two gates rose up on their tracks, and water gushed forth into the river bed once again.

  Chapter 6

  Merchants on a Mission

  “I guess we won’t be going home yet,” Nerissa said as she and Raysel walked down the shady cobblestone path. Hania had left a message with one of the entrance guards, instructing the two of them to go directly to the Chiefs’ meeting place for a debriefing.

  Raysel shook his head. “I would have been surprised if there hadn’t been a summons waiting for us,” he said. “The Chiefs want a report immediately even after routine missions, so I’m sure they are particularly eager to hear how this one went.”

  The wind stirred the tree branches overhead, and yellow leaves drifted down to join the few others that had already fallen. Even though the air was pleasantly warm, it carried the crisp, autumnal scent that hinted at the change to come. Here, the ambient roar of the waterfall was so soothing that Nerissa slowed her pace without thinking about it. It occurred to her that the water tumbling over this cliff was also the very same water that flowed through the cave and down the mountain to Niamh. The realization made it seem like home was not quite so far away anymore.

  Nerissa and Raysel went directly to the small, wooden building at the base of the cliffs near Hania’s home. Haku, Hania, and Einar, along with Ildiko, Ebba, and Jin were waiting outside as they approached.

  “Well, off I go to make the usual rounds,” Jin said glumly, once the pair reached them.

  “I will fill you in on the details of our discussion later,” Hania said consolingly.

  Jin grinned and waved as he jogged away. “I’ll look forward to it.”

  “Welcome home, dear,” Ebba said. She gave Raysel a quick hug then set off to make her rounds as well.

  Ildiko remained seated in the chair near the door. Nerissa reached out and squeezed her hand as she followed Raysel and the three Chiefs into the building. She dropped onto one of the pillows in the center of the room and gratefully stretched her legs. It was bliss to finally sit after spending most of the morning walking.

  Hania folded his gnarled hands in his lap. He wasted no time in getting straight to the point. “Were you able to ascertain Shae’s intentions or what book she was searching for?” he asked.

  “We were successful on both accounts,” Raysel replied. He recounted to them the events of the previous evening in detail, up to the point when Desta dropped the crystal. “Then, something extraordinary happened.”

  Haku uncrossed his arms and leaned forward on his pillow. “What was that?”

  “Nerissa can show you,” Raysel answered.

  Nerissa reached into the leather bag on the floor beside her and pulled out Shae’s book. She turned the book so that the spine faced Raysel. He removed the crystal then held it up, turning it in all directions so that Hania, Haku, and Einar could see there was nothing unusual about its appearance.

  “This is the extraordinary thing that happened,” Nerissa said, holding out her hand. Raysel took her cue and laid the crystal on her open palm. It sprang to life as soon as it contacted her skin, radiating a brilliant white light.

  Each of the three Chiefs reacted differently. Haku’s brow creased as he scrutinized the crystal from where he sat. Hania said hmm and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Einar’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

  “How are you making it glow?” Einar blurted out. “I know Ildiko sometimes uses crystals as part of her treatments, but none of them has ever glowed.”

  Nerissa returned the stone to Raysel, and the light disappeared. “Once Shae and Desta saw the crystal’s response to my touch, they showed us this book,” she said as she passed Shae’s book across the circle to Hania. “It has been a keepsake in Shae’s family for generations.”

  Hania examined the cover of the book, then quickly fanned through the pages. “Aside from its age and having a crystal in its spine, there doesn’t seem to be anything special about it.”

  “Peel back the fabric on the inner cover,” Nerissa instructed.

  As Hania did so, Einar and Haku leaned in on either side of him to get a better view. Their expressions evolved almost simultaneously from disbelief to wonder.

  “So Shae already owned this book and went to the Library hoping to find one of the other five?” Haku asked.

  “Yes, that pretty much sums it up,” Raysel answered, twirling the end of his ponytail between his fingers as he spoke. “Although the book was handed down through Shae’s family for years, she had no idea that it was anything more than an heirloom until the day Echidna came to her house.”

  Hania looked alarmed. “Was this book the reason why Echidna visited her this past spring?”

  “That would mean Casimer is already aware of its existence,” Haku added grimly.

  “As far as we know, Casimer has no knowledge of it,” Raysel said. He related Shae’s explanation of Echidna’s surprise visit and how the prophecy in the book had been discovered shortly afterward.

  “That’s a relief, at least,” Hania said. His shoulders visibly relaxed.

  “Yes,” Raysel concurred. “Shae and Desta are loyal subjects of Chiyo. Shae thought one of the other books might have more clues about the identity of the One. Of any place in Chiyo, she thought the University Library was most likely to have one or more of the remaining five books.”

  “That is a logical conclusion,” Haku said. Einar and Hania nodded in agreement.

  “Although it is a logical conclusion, it is also an incorrect one,” Nerissa interjected. “I am quite familiar with the books in the Special Collection and there aren’t any that have crystals with them. Since this book was passed down through Shae’s family, it is likely that the other books were also treated the same way.”

  Haku nodded thoughtfully as Nerissa spoke. “That’s a distinct possibility. However, if they date from the time of King Gared, then these books are hundreds of years old. Even if all six were treated as heirlooms, there are numerous things that could happen to a book over a period of time that long.”

  “So we will need to keep an open mind about where the others may be,” Nerissa concluded.

  “Exactly,” Haku agreed.

  Einar leaned forward and held his hand out to Raysel. “I would like to take a closer look at that crystal.”

  Raysel obliged, and Einar began examining it by twisting it side to side in a shaft of light from the window. “There’s nothing at all unusual about its
appearance,” he said. He held the crystal under his nose and sniffed it, then tapped it against the end of his tongue experimentally.

  Nerissa cocked her head to one side and stared at him with furrowed brows. “What are you doing?”

  Einar glanced up at the four puzzled faces around him. “I was checking to see if it had an unusual taste,” he said slowly, shifting his gaze from one person to the next.

  Haku’s eyes narrowed. “Do you taste rocks often?” he asked. A wry smirk spread across his lips.

  “We don’t know what it is about this crystal that makes it react to Nerissa’s touch. I thought it best to examine it in every way possible,” Einar explained. “It’s something that I’ve seen Ildiko do to check ingredients for her medicines,” he added defensively.

  “Fair enough,” Haku said. His eyes still twinkled with amusement. “Does it have an unusual taste?”

  “I’m not sure,” Einar replied with a sheepish look. “I haven’t tasted any other crystals, so I don’t have anything to compare it to.” He offered the stone to Haku, but he refused to take it.

  “I’ll trust the judgement of those with more expertise. Raysel knows far more about gems and minerals than I do anyway,” Haku said.

  The wrinkles around Hania’s mouth deepened as he suppressed a smile. He accepted the crystal from Einar and scratched at one of the edges with his fingernail. “It certainly appears to be no different from an ordinary stone. Has it glowed for anyone other than you, Nerissa?” he asked.

  “Not that I’ve seen,” she replied. “According to the prophecy it will only glow for the One.”

  “I understand that,” Hania said. “However, we must be sure that this is not some kind of hoax or an elaborate trap set by Casimer and the Senka. It is critical that we establish its authenticity as best we can before moving forward.”