“You’re not going to try, my dear, you’re going to succeed.” Lassadar gave a nod to Lor and the collar sprung open. Energy flowed into me. I could finally breathe normally again. The world suddenly looked a lot brighter. I glanced at the man carrying Oisín; he was now holding a knife to the peryton’s throat. I wondered if Lassadar had planned this all from the beginning. But how would he have known that the peryton would bind to me?
“Get started,” Lor grumbled behind me. I closed my eyes and felt for my magic. My reservoir was no longer frozen, but it had so little energy in it that it resembled a puddle rather than a lake. This would suit my purpose.
“I’m going to weave the blanket now,” I warned the two sorcerers. I didn’t want them to think I did something that might make them hurt Oisín. I took thick strands of energy and began to weave them together. In the past, I had used strands as thin as possible as not to deplete my energy to quickly. Today I wanted the opposite to happen. When I had finished the blanket only a few drops of energy were left inside of me. Perfect. I carefully moved the blanket towards Lassadar. I didn’t want to startle him. He was too dangerous for that. When I had wrapped it around him, I sped up his time slightly, just enough that he would feel that I was doing something. Pushing my final bits of energy towards the blanket, I began to sway.
“I cannot hold it,” I shouted, hoping that it sounded genuine. At least I didn’t have to fake the waver in my voice. The final drop left my reservoir. I collapsed to the floor. The blackness came to take me into her arms like an old friend.
The last thing I heard was a whisper in my ear.
“Your mother would have been disappointed.”
15
In the beginning, there were the Great Trees. Their branches spanned the world and their trunks reached the clouds. Their roots worked the Earth so that other plants may grow.
- Extract from “The Beginning” by Win-ta-hun
It had been at least a week since either of us had last been taken from our cell. We were brought water every day, and a piece of bread most days. If we were lucky, they emptied our bucket when they brought us water. When they didn’t, we left it in one corner, close to the bars, and sat as far away from it against the wall opposite. It wasn’t a large cell, but there was enough space to give us some respite from the smell.
I had got to know Lia well. Spending all day together in a prison cell does that to you. She had listened to my sob story and I had heard about her life in Nythea, the land of the K’tuin. She lived with her brother and two friends. All four of them were part of the Nythean defence force - the country didn’t have a large military force and mainly trained their people in defence rather than offence. The K’tuin were a peaceful and secluded folk and had no enemies as such. But since the Fifth War, when an equally peaceful country had been conquered without warning by invaders no one had ever heard about before, the K’tuin council had decided that they needed to be able to defend themselves if the need ever arose.
Lia specialised in reconnaissance. One of her skills was the ability to partially change her facial features, including shrinking her ears down to human size. This made her ideal to infiltrate human settlements to gather information.
Her brother Lu-an was a forest mage like many of the magically gifted K’tuin. He drew his power from the woods around him, but unlike during my first tries with magic, he had complete control over how much energy he took. When he used his magic for the good of the forest, he never even killed a single blade of grass in the process. He took only as much as he needed, and gave back much more in return. He spent his time wandering, listening to the stories that the trees were telling him. As thanks for the tales and the food the forest provided him, he served it in any way he could. From time to time, the older, more aware trees sent him to help a wounded animal, to bring water to new shoots that were still too feeble to extend their roots deep enough during the hot summer months, or to spread the seeds of a dying tree so that his offspring would prosper in the best places. Besides that, his job was to choose young trees to become the next Eldertrees. Those he tended to with extreme care until it was time for them to be brought to Roundstone, where the council gathered in the shade of the oldest trees in Nythea.
Lu-an spent a lot of time in the woods and often didn’t come home at night, preferring to sleep in the forest. While all K’tuin had a strong connection to nature, Lia said that her brother excelled in communicating with the plants and animals of the forest. The council regularly asked him for advice and despite his age - he was only a year older than Lia - he was well respected.
This couldn’t be said for Aspen, their warlock friend, who was known to be moody and something of a troublemaker. “But in reality, he’s just one big cuddly wombat,” Lia laughed when she told me about him. “A hot wombat, if you ask the girls in town. You should see them drooling when he walks past with his sword on his back and leather straps crossing his chest…”
The fourth of the group was Eldor, the human who had given Lia the plans of Gynt’s Keep showing the secret corridor. She didn’t say much about him and changed the topic whenever he was mentioned. All I knew was that he had fled Fer and been taken in by the K’tuin a few years ago. Now he was training the K’tuin warriors in how best to counter human attacks. He had been in the Fer’an military himself so knew exactly how they fought and what their weaknesses were. Without even knowing him I felt intrigued by this human living amongst elves. Why go to the K’tuin to escape from Fer? Why not settle in the Free Cities or somewhere in the vast Plains? Again, Lia seemed reluctant to tell me.
All four of them were living together in a cottage close to the woods - for Lu-an’s sake, who needed to be close to the forest. Lia said he became rather grumpy whenever he spent too much time away from his trees.
After a while, I just had to ask, "Are you in a relationship with the men?"
She looked at me, then laughed. "What a strange idea! No, they're not my type." I frowned, until she clarified, "I prefer women."
Why did that make me happy? I had never- "Have you ever been with a women?"
I blushed and shook my head. It wasn't something I had ever really thought about. Sure, in the Free Cities I had seen a lot of female couples, but in the Plains, it was frowned upon. And I had never met anyone that would have made me consider being with a woman. But now... those summer-meadow-eyes and that tiny dimple on her left cheek...
"Have you ever been with a man?"
My cheeks were burning by now. "Yes, I’m not a child.”
“I never said you were.” Lia smiled. Not condescendingly, just a friendly, comfortable smile. "Do your people not speak about such things openly?”
“They do, but not the women, at least, not most women.”
“That’s strange. How will you find out if someone is a potential mate if you don’t ask them questions about their experience?”
I didn't think my face could get any hotter. Sure, the travellers had told their share of lustful tales; stories of their exploits and dreams of their perfect sexual encounters. But Luca had always tried to shield me from that. Just like the swearing. He didn't mind me drinking, but wouldn't tolerate any kind of cursing. "Just because you live with travellers doesn't mean you have to behave like the stereotype, Eona," he used to say.
Right now though, I wished I was more experienced. Compared to Lia I felt far too innocent. I was twenty-five, after all. Most other women of my age were long married with children. Maybe I had stayed with the Ghorres for too long. It had been a safe, familiar place; one where I didn't have to worry about hiding my magic or pretending to be someone I was not.
“Is it true humans only take one person as their mate?” Lia smiled, ignoring the fact that I had been vacantly staring into space for a while.
“Yes, and usually it’s a man and a woman. I’ve heard it’s very different with the K’tuin.”
Lia laughed, and the cell brightened for a moment.
“We love, that’s all, it does
n’t matter who we love, or how many. There are as many different relationships as there are stars in the sky. My mother has three male mates, one of which has fallen in love with another female. Now all five are living in the same house, together with two of my siblings. K’tuin see relationships as fluid, but sacred at the same time. No one should judge someone else for having a different taste in love. In the end, it’s all about fulfilment.”
“What about the children? Do you know which of your mother’s husbands is your father?”
“Children are brought up together by all the adults in a household. No one cares who your parents are. I’m not quite sure about my father, but I don’t really want to know anyway. I have three fathers, one mother and an auntie. What else could I need?”
She left me speechless. I hadn’t realised the K’tuin were that different from humans. I found their ways rather strange. And that said a lot; after all, I had grown up with travellers who didn’t always follow convention. But at the same time, I saw the opportunity in the ways of the K’tuin. Not having to bow to rules and expectations, just loving who you fall in love with. It sounded great – with the slight downside that you first had to find someone to love. I sighed. So far I had been very unlucky with that.
Lia and I were talking quietly when a shout echoed through the corridors. There was the sound of metal; swords? More shouts, loud and panicked, then it was quiet. Instinctively, we moved closer to each other until our shoulders touched. Someone was running towards the cells. None of the other cells in this section were occupied. They were coming for us.
Lia took my hand and squeezed it hard. I could feel her tremble. Pretending to be braver than I felt, I squeezed it back, shooting her a weak smile.
Then, a shout. “SA-LIA! Lia! Where are you?”
Lia jumped up and pressed herself against the bars.
“I’m here,” she cried, waving into the darkness. A tree trunk ran into the light, stopping in front of the iron bars. Well, if I say tree trunk, I mean a man as broad as a tree, and just as brown and green. He was dressed in simple earth coloured clothes which were covered in vines. It looked as if the plants were still living or had only recently been taken from the forest. They hugged his legs and arms and even wound themselves around his chest. The leaves attached to the vines moved gently with every breath he took. I had never seen anything like it. It was as if he was part of the forest. He had the pointy ears typical of the K’tuin which stood out against his short black hair. He was gorgeous in a soft, wild sort of way. His intense green eyes were fixed on Lia, not wanting to let her out of his sight for a second.
With a simple flick of his wrist, a vine detached from his arm and slithered through the air until it reached the lock. A moment later, the lock clicked. Apparently moving plants didn’t count as magic and weren’t stopped by the force bubble that had been preventing Lia and me from escaping.
“I was wondering when you were going to show up,” Lia laughed and threw herself into the big guy’s arms. He bent down to hug her back, stroking her hair with one hand. Despite all the fear, surprise and elation coursing through me, I noticed a tiny strand of jealousy touching my heart.
“Eona, meet Lu-an, my brother.” Finally, he looked at me and his emerald eyes widened ever so slightly. “Lu-an, this is…”
I screamed. Pain hit me from all sides. I curled up into a ball, willing the pain to go away. Of course it didn’t. When was life ever easy.
There were voices around me but I didn’t have the strength to listen. I was pain and it was eternal.
Strong arms picked me up from the floor.
The last thing I heard was Oisín shouting my name in my head.
I was torn apart. My mind and my body were moving in different directions.
My eyes opened and my mouth spoke. But it wasn't me. There was a blackness inside me that had taken over my body. All I could do was wait as my face contorted into a mask of disdain.
“Don’t leave yet, darlings. I’ve only just started having fun with you.”
Even though it was my mouth speaking, I recognised the voice. Lassadar.
Lia and Lu-an started at me in shock.
I - no, Lassadar - cackled at their confusion. “You didn’t think I’d just let you escape, did you. She’s mine, and with a bit of work, she’ll finally fulfil her purpose. I’ve not spent all these months preparing her for you to take her from me!”
Lassadar-me got up from the floor and raised his hands.
"I'm sorry, Eona," Lu-an said quietly. Before I knew what was going on, I felt a sharp pain at the back of my head and everything went black.
"She's so cold. Look, she's shivering. What's going on?"
Slowly I opened my eyes. Except that I didn't. I could see my eyes were still closed. My pallid face was staring - well, at me. I was hovering above my body, looking down. I blinked. And blinked again. I was blinking without my eyes. Hysterical laughter forced its way up my non-existent throat. I took – floated – a step back. We were no longer in the dungeons. My body was lying on a mossy forest floor, surrounded by Lia and her brother. But I wasn’t in my body. I was on my own. Whatever that meant. My mind - my soul, maybe? - was looking down at the scene. I had no shape. It wasn’t like I had a nebulous copy of my body, no, I seemed to be without any kind of substance. My head was close to exploding at the thought that I was nothing. Then I remembered I had no head. Lia put her hands on both sides of my face and closed her eyes. A tingle ran through me, giving me hope that I wasn’t entirely disconnected from my body. Yet.
"When you broke the collar she was still connected to Lassadar. I can feel her energy, but it's feeble, blinking in and out as if she's not quite here. We need to get her home, fast. The Elders will know what to do."
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Lia? We don't know anything about her. For all I know, she could be a spy for Lassadar, pretending to be a captive with you just to get information.”
Lia huffed. “That would make it rather easy for you, wouldn’t it. Leave her as collateral damage, then take me home, being the hero who managed to save his sister from the clutches of Lassadar. No, Lu, it’s time to man up and not just think of yourself!”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know that, Lia. What’s going on with you?”
“I’m sorry. It’s just… I really like her. There’s something about her, something special. We can’t leave her here. If you want to go, then go, but I’ll stay.”
“I would never leave you behind, and you know that. We have to move though, we’re still too close to the Keep.”
He got up and walked to one of the trees at the edge of the clearing. I followed him, leaving my body with Lia. It was safe with her. Lu-an put his hands on the thick bark of the tree and closed his eyes. His lips moved, but there were no words spoken. The tree groaned, and slowly one of the thick branches lowered itself to the ground. It moved and contorted and twisted until the branch had morphed into a sort of large basket. With a clonk, the basket detached from the branch. Lu-an gently stroked the bark and whispered a thank you. He carried the basket over to Lia and my body. Neither of them had moved, although Lia was now holding my hand. I wished I was able to feel it.
The basket turned out to be a carrying backpack for my body. There were holes for my legs, and straps that fit around Lu-an’s shoulders like a backpack. My head lolled from side to side. I had never felt so weak and helpless in all my life.
They set off, walking at a brisk pace through the forest. They walked in a straight line, not hindered by brush and branches. All of nature seemed to step out of Lu-an’s way - reverently, not frightened. I could see now why he was one of the K’tuins’ strongest forest mages. He was one with the forest and was accepted by nature as one of them. His hands would stroke the ferns reaching up to touch him. Flowers turned their faces into his direction, and the moss he stepped on immediately sprang back to its previous height. It was an impressive sight.
I floated beside them, listening as Lia reto
ld the story of how she was captured. I cringed a little when she started telling her brother about me. She didn’t reveal all of what I had told her about my previous life, just enough to prove to him that I was no threat, and was as much a victim of Lassadar’s as Lia was. Listening to her voice was soothing, and almost made me forget that I was not listening to her with my ears, but with whatever I was now.
It was night and we were camping in another clearing. Lu-an had lit a fire but had then disappeared into the forest. I followed him for a bit, watching as he walked among the trees, laying his hands on their bark. It seemed like he was listening to them. I felt like an intruder in a world I did not understand.
Returning to the clearing I found Lia wrapped around my body, protecting it from the outside world. For the first time in days, I could feel my body again. Not enough to move, but enough to feel her warmth. Her hand played with my hair, her fingers running through the white locks, and her cheek was pressed against my own. Her skin was so soft; I wanted to turn my head and press my lips against it, taste her. I strained against the emptiness around me that kept me from returning to my body. If Lassadar could possess my body, why couldn’t I? I was locked out from my home, without a key and all the windows barred. I could look in but I had no way to break the glass. Lassadar was the one with the key. I needed to find him.
Her lips moved to my ear and I could feel her hot breath on my skin. “Come back to me, Eona,” she whispered. “I need you.” Then those lips went in for the kill. She kissed my cheek. “I love you.”
16
K’tuin society is governed by the Council of Elders, made up of twenty men and women. Requirements to become an Elder include: services to the community, being of sound mind, not having committed any crime, being vouched for by five members of the community (not relatives). Whenever an Elder retires, the remaining members of the Council select a new person to join them from a pool of applicants. While these decisions are rarely unanimous, at least three-quarters of the Elders have to approve for a candidate to become an Elder.
Heart of Time (Ruined Heart Series Book 1) Page 21