Thread Skein (Golden Threads Trilogy Book 3)

by Leeland Artra

  Like her, he was covered from head to toe against the intense, burning sun. They’d learned their lesson painfully the first day in the desert. Even with Lebuin’s miraculous incantations providing constant cleaning and cooling shields, the sun still caused harm. They’d all ended the first day with every bit of exposed skin badly sunburnt.

  Lebuin had been able to apply a little healing magic, but not specifically for burns, and it was only moderately effective. There was a wonderful salve in Magus Vestul’s pack that Lebuin carried. It was based on a plant called aloe, which they knew grew in Karakia. Lebuin had spent a mark digging through the pack, saying, “Aloe. It has to be in here,” repeatedly. When he found it, he practically danced as he rushed to give large amounts of it to everyone. There were a number of bottles of the salve in the pack.

  Actually, now that I think about it, why would Magus Vestul have nearly a dozen large bottles of a burn cream in his pack? I doubt he suffered any kind of burn that often.

  No one used the salve until Ditani identified it as a medicinal treatment, effective for many skin ailments. The Karakians didn’t call it aloe. It was called dilotha, after the flower dilothalai, or commonly called Lothia’s Light. Ditani said that many Karakians, mostly women, also used the cream regularly to keep their skin soft and youthful. Illa had taken a bottle of it and put it in her pack. She knew Lebuin saw it, and his hidden smirk made her even angrier.

  Sharing a skin cream won’t win me back, Lord. You’ll have to do a lot more than that.

  Nigan, the only Dagger treating Lebuin like he wasn’t a snake, asked how he’d known about the aloe. When he answered that he’d read about it in so many of the books that he was sure it was a real treatment, Illa almost laughed aloud.

  He didn’t intentionally try to imply that all that reading was useful.

  The other Daggers recognized it, too, and that small fact had helped with some of them.

  After applying the cooling cream and having the burns rapidly become tolerable, many thanked him. The top priority that evening was shredding blankets and shirts to stitch together desert robes for everyone.

  Even though desert travel was normally done in the twilight marks of morning and evening, the team had decided time was more important. With Lebuin’s incantations being able to keep everyone safe from the heat, they decided to travel as much as possible through the day. On the second day, a few team members complained they were having a hard time seeing clearly, which was all the warning they needed to avoid sun blindness. The sands of Elraci included a substantial amount of finely ground crystals that reflected the light as much as snow did. That had almost changed their plan. A simple solution was discovered, when Ditani suggested narrowing the gap in their head wraps.

  After that, they’d been marching for five days, mostly in a straight line, for the installation Lebuin thought was important to visit. They got up in the twilight marks of morning, ate a light meal, and then walked steadily all day. They all sweated, but not nearly as much as they should have. The environment protection incantations Lebuin provided allowed them to almost act normally.

  The only limiting things were food and drink. There was practically no game, and there seemed to be no water at all. They were all carrying their own water, and they had just enough to make it to the other location. Both Ticca and Lebuin were assuming there would be more water there.

  I can see why he liked having these incantations running all the time. I’m not sticky, dirty, or uncomfortably hot.

  Glancing at what Nigan was holding out for her, she decided it wouldn’t be dangerous, or else he wouldn’t be offering it to her. Besides, she had gloves on. It wasn’t safe to touch anything there with bare hands. If it didn’t sear your skin right off, it was likely to be poisonous. She took the object and brought it in front of her eye slits.

  Amazingly enough, it was a dried leaf. It was oddly elongated on one side, and had silvery edges along the other. Turning it around, she noted that the silvery edge looked suspiciously like a knife edge, and the opposite edge was prickly.

  “Lovely specimen. I wouldn’t push through a bush with these leaves. If the silver edges don’t cut like sharp knives, I’d be surprised.”

  Nigan chucked and held up a glove that had a number of slicing cuts. “I really should consult you before I reach for something interesting. You’re right, of course.”

  “Thank you, but I fail to see how this makes me wrong about my pronouncement, as you called it.”

  “Water. The plant was nearly dead and dried out, but it was just down there.” He pointed over the edge of the escarpment. She stepped over, and saw what he was suggesting. The area below held a number of twisted plants that grew along and through what was obviously a flood water wash bed. There was something wrong. She could sense it.

  Turning back around, she noticed Nigan was examining something else that must have been in his pouch. Moving closer, she saw it and didn’t like what it was. It was half of a skull.

  Ticca pulled herself up and, seeing what Nigan was holding, stepped over. “Where did you get that?”

  Nigan pointed ahead at the gully.

  Illa sensed power washing over them, making her feel like she was caught in a large wave. Her head spun, and she felt dizzy, grabbing Ticca’s arm for support.

  Ticca held her hand for a moment, as Illa finished bowing to her.

  “I’m pleased you were able to come down from Lebuin’s temple in Pentegull.”

  “I would not miss this for all the treasures in the world, Your Royal Highness.”

  A smile blossomed on the princess’s face. Ticca motioned, and a young girl appeared, wearing a silk dress decorated in the Imperial red and silver pattern of a household servant. She held a small, beautifully carved, wooden box. Ticca took the box from the girl, who curtsied, and then backed away.

  “A small gift for you, Your Excellency. From me to our high priestess.”

  Illa took the time to examine the box, which was likely to be every bit a treasure as that which it contained. Any gift from the heir to the throne of the Duianna Empire should also be accepted with the greatest of attention. It was hand-carved, with a seamless set of scenes that wrapped around the entire box, depicting the local Elracian elves in various endeavors like hunting, craft working, and research. The top of the box was carved with the Imperial seal. The box had no seams she could detect, although it felt far lighter than a solid piece of wood.

  “Lady, this is an amazing treasure,” she said, genuinely appreciative.

  “Thank you. Your reputation of having an expert eye for art is well-deserved. That was made by Amia-Hon as a favor.”

  Illa almost dropped the precious box.

  A hand carving from the patriarch of the Amia family. Lords, this is priceless.

  She puzzled over it for a time, and Ticca seemed content to wait. She couldn’t find a means to open it, though she was sure the top released or came off somehow. She looked up, and Ticca motioned as a mischievous smirk replaced her smile. “I’ll let you figure out how to open it at your leisure. It’s a surprise I am willing to wait for.”

  “Your Highness, I....”

  Illa’s memory of who she was, and where she and Ticca were, flooded back in. She glanced around at the royal greeting room. Aside from Ticca and Illa, there was the serving girl, and two Imperial elite guards. She turned back, and Ticca was regarding her with glazed eyes, that looked around at the room uncertainly.

  “Illa, do you remember a...different place?” Ticca asked pensively.

  Am I losing my mind? What is happening?

  Her eyes fell to the box she was holding. It was solid.

  Ticca is here. But where is here?

  She recalled she was in Imridu-Nam, and she’d arrived a few marks before by shuttle.

  She shook her head, and r
emembered she was trekking through the Elracian desert with Ticca, Lebuin, and a group of Daggers. There was no craft like the flying shuttle she remembered riding on. Elraci was a devastated land. Still, she recalled the lakes, flowing grasslands, and forests she’d flown over, coming to visit her God, Lord Lebuin, to help him with some matter involving the emperor and his daughter Ticca, who was a long-time friend and confidant.

  I need to be careful. This might just be me. I need to find Lebuin.

  She felt Lebuin’s presence. ‘Illa! I’m coming, so try to hold onto this moment. We must know what is happening.’

  ‘I don’t serve you right now. I’m still mad,’ she thought at Lebuin irritably. Illa staggered backwards. Why did I say that? How can I not do as Lebuin commands?

  Her mind was split. She recalled he’d abandoned her to go read adventure stories. She laughed out loud at the ridiculousness of that idea. Ticca focused on her and raised an eyebrow.

  Lebuin has never abandoned anyone ever!

  Something inside her told her he had, just not there.

  The royal guards sensed something was wrong, and moved with a speed she admired. One stepped between Ticca and her, drawing his odassi blades. The other caught her, giving her a steadying hand, but also holding her with the obvious intent of detaining her if she became a threat to the princess. She noticed they’d tapped their odassi blades, enhancing all of their senses, speed, and strength.

  She considered knocking them away, as she had far more power through Lebuin than they could cope with alone. But they were just doing their duty to protect the princess.

  Ticca also seemed to be confused.

  “Perhaps you were recalling the desert?” Illa hoped that was cautious enough to avoid trouble if it turned out she was wrong.

  Ticca’s eyes had shifted to look at her guards’ swords. She reached up, and held her head a second before replying. “It was a bit hotter than it is now.”

  She does remember it, too. I’m not under attack. So what is this?

  The doors slammed open, and Ticca stumbled backwards, her mouth dropping open.

  Illa recognized the intruder instantly, and her legs wobbled under her, going numb. Amia-Dharo! How can he be here?

  Her mind split again as she wondered at her silly questions.

  Something must truly be wrong with me. Of course Amia-Dharo is here. He’s been the captain of the emperor’s Elracian Imperial Royal Guards for thousands of years. She felt dizzy trying to reconcile her dual memories. She was sure he was a hunted traitor who had betrayed the Nhia-Samri. She also knew that Ticca and her father, the emperor, considered him an Imperial cousin, due to his unusual connection to the royal family via his prototype odassi blades and imperial nanobots. He’d protected the Imperial family from all dangers for over five thousand years. His blades and special nanobots were the first of their kind, the genesis of the five thousand year Elracian research project about to be completed.

  Amia-Dharo’s lips were drawn in a flat line, and his brows were so far down, his eyes looked like slits. He held his longer odassi blades in his hands. The silver surfaces of his blades reflected and bent the light around them, making them shimmer. His eyes first went to Ticca. “Your Highness, are you okay? I felt a strange shift in....” His eyes landed on Illa. “Runa-Illa? Your Excellency, you....”

  Illa felt that strange wave coming again. Her mind felt the weight, and she grasped the guard who was holding her for more support. Power flowed through her from an unknown source. The guard looked around, as if he could sense some of what she was feeling and was seeking the cause. He pulled power from his odassi, and used it to ground himself harder. Illa knew exactly what he was doing, even though she’d never held an odassi. She shook her head, trying to clear the sensations racing through her.

  I got my odassi when I turned seventeen, two years early. Father was so proud that his eyes teared.

  Still shaking her head, she twisted her arm up and out with all her might, breaking the guard’s hold on her. In a swift move she put the box into her pouch as her other hand came down. With her free hands she drew both his odassi blades while simultaneously kicking him so hard that he flew backwards two feet before falling back, smacking his head on the smooth marble floor, and sliding three more feet, coming to a complete stop. Using the raw power flooding her, which she assumed was from Lebuin, she bent the odassi to her will. Their bands shone as they became hers to command. She pulled their power and used them to anchor her against the coming wave. With a crack of thunder, she shifted her stance, rooting her feet to the marble floor, bracing against the force that was washing past her.

  Ticca grabbed her for stability; Illa wasn’t sure how she managed to hang on, but her grip was like a steel band pulling on Illa.

  “Use your legs. Root!”

  Why would I say that to the princess? She hasn’t been trained in those kind of martial arts.

  Ticca understood, and shifted her feet to match Illa’s stance. She also opened herself to allow Illa to feed power from both Lebuin and the odassi blades to her. Ticca’s feet made the same thunderclap as the powers reacted, and she stood, bracing against the force.

  Light shimmered around Amia-Dharo, and his eyebrows shot up as if they were launched by a pair of ballistae. A kind of terror swept across his face. Sheathing one sword, he used both hands and his weight to thrust the other blade into the stone floor. Sparks flew, and the marble floor trembled as the sword sank almost two feet into the stone as he dropped to his knees. He shifted into a tight one-handed grip, pulling out leather strapping from his pouch with his free hand. He wrapped the leather around his hand, binding it tightly to the sword’s hilt. He fought the same powerful force, which wasn’t affecting the guards or the serving girl.

  All the while, he was yelling at them, “I wasn’t here! I don’t know what happened! I suspected treason, but I can’t find the proof! Elraci is too unstable. Every time I’ve tried to enter it, I’m practically ripped apart by the instabilities.”

  The invisible force hit them all harder. Amia-Dharo was lifted off the floor, only held in place by the sword he was bound to. One hand shot towards them as tears came to his eyes.

  “I ordered searches, but they just found some of the lost technology. Ticca, please, I beg you to leave! Don’t stay! There’s more that can kill you than you can see! I can’t protect you here! You need help from the Gods, but they won’t give it....”

  The wave hit with so much power, it whipped Illa around. She tried to hold herself in place. Ticca screamed as she was thrown into the air and out through a wall, taking a portion of Illa’s sleeves with her. She tried to hold onto the place, but the force was too great. The odassi blades disintegrated into dust, which flew away as if taken in gale-force winds. She lost contact with the floor as the world spun around her. She wrapped herself in protective shielding, pulling on Lebuin’s powers freely. Then she slammed into something, and blackness enveloped her.

  Ticca, Nigan, Ditani, and Lebuin were all calling her name when she opened her eyes. Nigan was holding her; she smiled and nuzzled closer to him. His strong arms felt good around her, and she liked the feel of his muscled chest against her cheek.

  She wanted to ignore everything else and stay there in his embrace. It was so comfortable. She knew she could trust him, and that she was in a safe place. Her mind slowly started moving again, and she recalled who and where she was.

  Opening her eyes, she saw that Lebuin was kneeling next to her. Ticca was standing a bit wobbly, bracing herself with Ditani and Risy’s help. She looked up and found Nigan’s warm brown eyes and smiling face. He’d thrown off his head wrap, and was staring at her critically.

  Illa made a shooing motion at Lebuin. “Still mad at you.”

  “Fair enough,” he said. “Were you there? Did you see the blue palace? I felt you were there this time,
inside somewhere. But something more happened. I didn’t get to you in time.”

  She smiled and snuggled tighter into Nigan’s grasp. “Yes, I was there with the princess. She gave me this.” She reached into her pouch and pulled out the wooden box.

  As she held it up for everyone to inspect, her mind snapped into place fully. She stared at the amazing carved wooden box. How can I have this? That was a dream, wasn’t it?

  Hiri-Rula

  The sky was blue, and the green field spread out, rolling down to a vast lake. The songs of hundreds of birds played in her ears. Hiri-Rula turned around, looking at the beautiful city that blended with the forest. She stood on a wide stone path that meandered down to the water’s edge, where it continued across the lake over a stone bridge, straight and level, with rising stone arches and black hanging lanterns that would light it at night.

  She breathed in the fresh, clean air; it was moist, cool, and smelled of the late summer flowers she loved so much. They only grew there, and they defied her every attempt to take the seedlings to her northern home in Yalthum. The climates were almost the same, yet something about Elraci was special.

  She saw some elven workers moving across the path below and laughed as a thought occurred. Perhaps the flowers need something more than good soil, water, and sun to grow.

  She shifted to mage sight, and the golden mana lines in the streets emanated soft magic like a warm candle shed its light. Elraci’s uniquely filtered magic bathed everything here; the void system collector generators provided a lot of energy.

  Maybe when these lines are installed in Yalthum, the flowers will grow there, too.

  A bright beacon of power ran around the palace corner and headed towards the main gateway. She shifted back to normal sight, weaving her magic into a vision-enhancement incantation. Her sight focused in on a running man, whom she recognized instantly.