Betrayal

by Lara Morgan

  Tallis let out a breath and turned away. ‘We’ll see,’ he said, and left the room, walking out into the rainy afternoon. He had too much to think about: Shaan as assistant to the Guardian, Balkis seeking to make her his heart mate, this power inside him and a return to Clan. It all felt overwhelming and he longed for the counsel of his earth brother again. Jared had a way of seeing things, a clarity of thought, that he had never had. How could he return to Jalwalah lands without him?

  In his mind’s eye he saw Karnit staring at him through the steam of the hot springs. I know what you are, he had hissed.

  So do I, Tallis thought, remembering the power coursing through his veins.

  Chapter 10

  The Alhanti lay naked on the cool stone floor of the temple, surrounded by a pool of viscous liquid. Above him the sac from which he’d come disintegrated while the Birthstone hummed quietly above, suspended on invisible bonds. He opened one eye and prisms of soft light penetrated his pupil, distorted by the thin layer of birthing fluid that covered it. He blinked. He could hear something: the rhythm of breath drawn harshly in and out. And he could feel another’s life force somewhere nearby. He flexed heavy, unfamiliar muscles and pushed himself to his knees. Strange thoughts swirled through his mind in a confused muddle of sensation and memory; a city under siege, fire and stone tumbling to the ground, dark jungle and water flowing and the Four who sought to betray his master. A sound of fury escaped him. Where was his master? He spun around.

  In the corner one of his brethren watched silent and still and in another a smaller one huddled against the wall — a slave, a female of the jungles. She stared at him with wide eyes and the fury drained away. On all fours he glared across the expanse of stone and between breaths for a moment everything stilled. Questions came, something other inside broke through and then a vivid memory of desert sand and hot sun seared him and the man who had been Jared began to scream.

  ***

  Alterin flinched as the Alhanti’s howls echoed through the vastness of the temple. She was chained and could not go to him, but even if she could, she knew he might rip her apart. Madness hovered in his screams. He had come from the sac not one being, but two. She felt the splitting as she’d once felt Tallis’s strange power. The ancient black serpent Jared had merged with had surrendered itself willingly, cleaving to its new creation, but deep within the man who had been Jared was still there. Had she done this? Had her prayers to his gods, his Guides, caused them to intervene?

  She reached a shaking hand to the carving of the luna bird at her throat and prayed to its strong spirit. When she had asked the Guides for their help she had not thought they would do this: preserve a part of him, but leave the black serpent still strong. Why? So he would suffer? She wept as he writhed on the floor, the birthing fluid spread around him in a gelatinous pool.

  The Alhanti standing guard stared ahead as if he didn’t see while Jared beat at the floor and then at himself. He smashed the silvery blue crest against the stone again and again. It was smaller than the guard’s, extending only along his neck to the base of his skull, but it was still unmistakably serpentine, as was the silvery blue skin that spread across the top of his shoulders.

  ‘He fights it.’ Azoth stepped forward. He didn’t look at her but watched Jared writhe on the floor.

  ‘He fights you,’ she said. ‘He will never be like the others.’

  The god ignored her, stepping forward so he was just at the edge of the spill of fluid. Crouching down, he said in a soft whisper, ‘Come to me, come to your master.’ He said nothing more, but gradually Jared’s thrashing quietened until he lay still. Then slowly, slowly, he rolled to his knees and crawled toward Azoth, his head hung low.

  ‘Look at me,’ Azoth said once he was before him, and Jared the Alhanti lifted his head. Alterin heard the frown in Azoth’s voice as he said, ‘You still have the clansman’s eyes.’ He studied Jared a moment longer then stood and turned to Alterin. His gaze seemed to touch her skin and she shuddered.

  ‘All seers, all slaves are the same,’ he said. ‘Always this belief that you can defy, and always you have been wrong.’

  ‘Amora was not wrong,’ she said.

  He laughed softly. ‘Uriel. You think your naming means you will live to witness all, but remember I am a god, I would find a way without you if you became too difficult.’

  The menace in his eye was more than a threat, but she did not believe he would kill her — yet. ‘I will not help you,’ she said.

  ‘No?’ He flicked a glance at the waiting Alhanti. ‘Take him to be cleaned up then bring him to me. And send someone for her.’ He looked back at Alterin. ‘I am feeling … restless.’

  Fear stroked her as if it were his hands running across her skin and coldness settled inside as she guessed what he planned.

  ‘Yes.’ His eyes were bleak as he gazed at her. ‘Perhaps this is what you need — a lesson in submission.’ He turned and strode away across the black floor.

  ***

  Alterin was unchained and led through the city to Azoth’s palace. The complex of buildings clustered around a central courtyard which housed an enormous statue of the god, shining in obsidian blackness. Alterin walked past its feet in silence and was taken to a bathing room where slave women waited to wash her. They undressed and sponged her with blossom-scented water then rubbed warmed oil into her skin before dressing her in nothing more than a loose white robe. The women were not from her village and too afraid of Azoth to say much to her so Alterin suffered it all in silence. She sought instead to separate her mind from her body, to find a path to a cleaving that would save her from what was to come. Perhaps she would be able to enter the Void. But her hopes faded as she was brought into Azoth’s chamber.

  He stood by a large low bed, naked except for a swathe of black fabric about his waist. He was tall and broad shouldered, his skin the pale brown of opalnut flesh. The Alhanti escorting her did not leave the room but simply shoved her forward then stood at the door and turned his back to them. Her toes dug into the rugs and she sought to look anywhere but at him. She gazed at the stone wall opposite the entrance, at the friezes carved into it of scenes of Azoth’s former reign. She murmured to the spirits of the trees and tried to reach into her dreaming ways, to withdraw from herself, but could not.

  Azoth uttered a low laugh as she felt the power of his shielding wrap through her mind, holding her to this room, this reality.

  ‘If you could escape me, I would not be able to use your mind as I wished, would I?’ He walked toward her and took her chin in his hand, his dark, power-filled eyes gazing into hers so she trembled and was disgusted at herself for her terror.

  ‘Do not fear me,’ he whispered, ‘but fear what I can do.’ He blinked and she saw the destruction of her village in her mind’s eye. The small houses blasted apart by forces unseen. Then it was gone and he was standing close to her.

  ‘Come.’ He pulled gently on her chin so she walked with him to the bed. With a twitch of his hand her robe was undone and pulled from her shoulders and he pushed her down, then dropped his own covering and knelt above her. ‘You will learn,’ he whispered.

  Despite her revulsion her body warmed to his touch as if it were separate from her. His hands traced across her breasts, his lips and tongue roaming over her skin as gentle as wings, and when he entered her he thrust deep, watching her as he did so, cool triumph in his gaze as he thrust again and again. Tears of fury ran from her eyes and she wondered if the spirits had deserted her. She could not feel them; the carving of the luna bird lay cold on her skin as she tried to close her mind, to think of nothing.

  ‘I am a spirit,’ she whispered.

  ‘You are my whore,’ Azoth said in her ear, and his hand went around her neck like a collar as he wrapped his mind through hers and made her body feel pleasure while her soul screamed.

  When it was over he gazed into her eyes and she struggled not to show him how his violation had devastated her. But he was a god and she only a
mortal — he saw through her. He did not smile; he only watched her for a moment before rolling off, clicking his fingers at the Alhanti standing by the door to bring him a robe.

  ‘Perhaps next time you shall not require so much persuasion,’ he said as he shrugged the fabric over his broad shoulders and tied it about his waist. ‘You will learn to submit willingly. Many others before you have.’

  She turned away from him and curled in on herself, but he put a knee on the bed and leaned toward her curved back. ‘He saw what you did,’ he whispered. ‘He heard you cry out in pleasure. He is watching.’

  She turned to see him indicate the wall opposite the bed. The wall she had thought made of solid carvings was not solid at all, but instead made of a waffle-weaved pattern of stone so that narrow gaps showed through. As she stared she saw movement and a brown eye.

  ‘He watches still,’ Azoth said, and the pressure of his weight left the bed, his bare feet making little noise on the smooth stone as he walked away.

  Alterin stared back at the unblinking brown eye. She saw now what Azoth intended. Her throat closed up and a sob escaped her lips as she ran across the room.

  Jared the Alhanti glared balefully back at her, his familiar face still handsome but wider now, the jaw stronger and his eyes slightly slanted — but she saw no glint of the clansman she loved in them. Struggling against her fury and sorrow she put her fingers through one of the small gaps.

  ‘Jared?’ she whispered, but his lip curled in a snarl and with sudden ferocious speed his fist slammed into the wall, making it shudder. Alterin snatched back her hand but did not move away as the dust of the grazed stone plumed across her skin. He snarled and growled at her like a caged beast, his fingers probing through the gaps in the stone, seeking to reach her. Unable to touch he roared and beat at the stone again. Afraid he would hurt himself, Alterin backed away to sit on the bed. Pulling the silk sheet about herself she began to shake. ‘Mother spirit, help me now,’ she whispered, and closed her eyes as Jared howled.

  ***

  It was close to dusk when Paretim and Fortuse entered the village at the foot of the mountain. It was a small settlement, dirty and ill kept. The single main street was deserted and the doors of the houses lining it were firmly bolted. Few sounds came from behind the thick wood, as if all inside were listening at their doors and windows.

  It had been hard work getting down from the higher passes. The land surrounding the village was steep and rough, covered with coarse spindle bushes and the tough vass pine which spread its tentacle-like roots among the dirt and rock, clinging to the high cliffs. Three nights they had camped in the wild under the black sky, staring up at the constellations, trying to remember the names. So much forgotten, so much to reclaim.

  Paretim looked about at the muddy street and neglected flowerbeds. There was a time he could remember when humans had more pride in what they produced, were more thankful to those who had provided for them. How many now knew his name? He became angry and narrowed his eyes at the bolted doors.

  A thin yellow dog, its fur half worn away by mange, watched them warily from behind an abandoned wine barrel. Seeing it Fortuse immediately smiled and went toward it, cooing in a throaty whisper. With a yelp the dog turned and fled and Paretim laughed at the pout on his sister’s face.

  ‘Never have they been good enough for you, my love.’ He put an arm around her shoulders. She tossed back her hair and pulled away, walking ahead. Paretim smiled and let her go, turning his attention instead to the closed doors, searching for traces of those he sought; sightings, remembered glimpses, anything. There was a pall of fear hanging in the air, greasy and thick with human worries.

  Epherin had been here. He could taste it in the wind that gusted down from the mountains and sent the drizzle of rain to fall on their faces. He was brilliant, beautiful, but always the humans had been afraid of him and with good reason — he was volatile with his love.

  ‘Brother!’ Fortuse had stopped still ahead of him, her face lifted to the sky and her arms spread wide, fingers searching the air. She was alert, listening. ‘I feel him,’ she whispered.

  ‘Where?’

  Her eyelids fluttered open and he saw the colours swirling. ‘Ahead.’ She smiled. ‘The humans here saw him, saw his light.’

  That would certainly account for the bolted doors. Paretim touched her gently.

  ‘Where is he now?’

  Fortuse’s gaze was fond. ‘Sleeping.’

  ‘Let us wake him then.’ Paretim took her hand. ‘We have all been slumbering too long.’

  ‘No, wait.’ Fortuse turned hungry eyes to him. ‘He already started here; shouldn’t we finish, for their own good?’

  Paretim paused, looking at the closed doors with some distaste. Did he really want the devotion of humans such as these? But what she said did make some sense.

  ‘Perhaps, but quickly.’ He caressed her feverish, smiling face.

  ‘Yes, here!’ She ran to the closest house and he could feel those behind its walls flinching back, aware of but yet not comprehending exactly what was coming. She stared back at him, aroused now, her face luminous with want. He had never been able to resist her when she was like this. Walking to the door he put his hand on the cracked and peeling wood, then pushed. The door flew open, exposing the three terrified faces inside. They stood in the middle of the small room, a man, woman and young girl. He could see already the vestiges of Epherin’s hand, the carving of his name on their souls, but his younger brother had always needed Paretim’s steadying hand to make that stain complete. He had left them half taken, bent with fear and love but unaware of how to ease it. They were such fragile creatures. How had any survived in this world without them?

  ‘Poor darlings!’ Fortuse, giddy with desire, was already reaching for the man, her fingers stroking his face as he gazed at her in awe and terror. Beside him the woman held on to the little girl but did not move away, trapped by the glamour Epherin had left.

  Paretim ached at that moment for the Stone. How much simpler it would be if he had it now, if the four of them were together. The humans’ transition would not be as painful and would be over so much faster. He reached behind him and closed the door as the man began to scream.

  Chapter 11

  The cart lurched to one side to avoid a pothole and Shaan clutched at the seat to stop herself from sliding off. It had been raining most of the night and the city was sodden. Guards set up narrow planked walkways to allow passage over the streaming drains and people huddled in groups under awnings, mud splattered and miserable. Most appeared foreign to her, their clothes a different cut, the looks on their faces desperate or lost.

  ‘More refugees,’ she said to Tallis sitting beside her.

  ‘More every day,’ he agreed, but his voice was distant and she knew he was thinking of what had happened at Hilltown.

  He had come to see her the previous evening just as she was about to leave the temple, and she’d known immediately that some intrinsic part of him was changed. It worried her. What happened out there at that village — what he had done — had made him harder, quieter. She saw it in his eyes, felt it in the silence that deepened inside him as his power grew. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him smile. And now Rorc wanted him to go back to the Clans, to unite them. How was he going to cope with that?

  ‘Are you sure being in the palace is better than being in the temple?’

  She studied his eyes. Indigo dark, depthless. ‘I didn’t have much choice. You don’t say no to the Guardian, but at least there’s an orchard behind my room with a gate so I can escape if I need to.’

  ‘If it’s that easy.’

  She shrugged and scratched at her scalp. Salt residue from their swim was making her itchy.

  ‘At least the Sisters in the temple won’t be able to question me about my healing,’ she said.

  ‘Rorc said he’s going to have Balkis ask you to keep an eye on things there for him, let him know what the council is doing.�
�

  ‘Really?’ An uncomfortable beat started in her throat at the mention of Balkis.

  He turned back to her, sensing her tension. ‘You’ve seen him since you’ve been better?’

  ‘It wasn’t planned.’ She shifted in her seat.

  ‘Rorc tells me he’s a good man.’

  ‘But you’re not certain.’

  ‘I don’t know.’ His look was considered. ‘He’s very … different.’

  Shaan took in a long breath; she didn’t want to talk about Balkis.

  ‘I still want to go with you to the Clans,’ she said, and immediately reluctance stiffened his body. They had talked of this last night and he had kept changing his mind on it.

  ‘I’m Outcast, Shaan, and you’re supposed to be dead. I don’t know how Karnit will react.’

  ‘I’m not afraid.’

  ‘I know, but it’s not just my decision. Rorc is the Commander.’

  ‘That’s an excuse.’ She leaned toward him and put her hand over his. ‘I want to go with you, Tallis. You can’t do this alone, you can’t face them alone … without Jared. You’ll have to explain.’ She stopped, hating the pain she saw in his eyes.

  ‘I’ve been thinking about this,’ she pressed him, ‘most of the night.’

  He looked at her then, searching her face. ‘You’re not sleeping. Is it the dreams?’

  She hesitated. She’d told him some, but not all of what came with the darkness. But maybe he’d guessed. ‘They’re … different from before,’ she said.

  ‘Stronger?’

  She didn’t know how to answer that.

  ‘Sometimes I think I can feel him watching,’ Tallis said, and her heart suddenly thudded hard.

  An idea came to her. ‘The desert, Tallis,’ she said. ‘Remember what the serpents told us, and Morfessa? Azoth and the Guides are enemies of some kind. He can’t go into the desert.’

  His face changed, a subtle shifting of hope. ‘I’d forgotten.’