Zap Zap shook his head sadly. ‘No… Harsh Wave clan will take him, they feared he would not survive. He has been so strange and unwell. I keep some secrets from them. It would upset and confuse them.’
Adila nodded. ‘I am truly sorry.’
Zap Zap turned to Vann, ‘I go with Harsh Wave clan, say goodbye to Strong Swimmer. Then I return.’
‘I’m sorry, Zap Zap.’
He merely nodded. And then the fish people turned and swam out to sea, taking Strong Swimmer’s body with them.
‘Master?’ a lonely voice spoke.
Vann looked towards Karesh, who now had Riley’s attention.
‘Yes, Karesh?’
‘Are you well now?’
Riley rubbed her face. ‘Better. I’ll be even better once Aerlid is dealt with. What are you all doing here anyway?’
Vann shook his head fervently at Karesh. Riley clearly didn’t know what had happened, and now was not the time to tell her.
Karesh saw him. ‘Later, Master. I think there is enough to deal with now.’
‘Fine.’
‘Can you speak to the gemengs with me? They are worried.’
‘Of course. Where are my swords? And my clothes? Do you have them?’
‘I will bring you new weapons and clothes from the city.’ Adila spoke up. ‘Whatever you need.’
‘Why would I need that? Surely not all my clothes have been lost? Did the monster really lose my weapons?’
‘Do not concern yourself, Riley, I will bring you things.’ Adila replied hurriedly, realizing as well that the collapse of the mountain was to be kept from Riley for now.
Riley shot a look over her shoulder at Adila. Presents will not make me forget this, the look seemed to say. But she turned back to Karesh and let him lead her to the cave.
Vann looked over at Adila. ‘Can you fix my nose?’ he mumbled.
‘Oh!’ Adila seemed to have forgotten him. ‘Aerlid would do it better. But if you prefer, I can try.’
‘Let me,’ Aerlid said from where he had gone, further up the beach. He approached them now that Riley had left. ‘You’ll fix it wonky.’
Vann watched him approach, suspicion in his eyes.
‘I am here.’ Adila said. ‘You may not trust him, and that is fair. But I am here.’
Vann remained silent. The pain was intense. He let Aerlid do what he could. After a few moments, Aerlid leant back.
Vann sighed in relief. He felt his nose, it was right again. He went to wash his face in the ocean.
And then he waited out on the beach, mostly alone. Riley was with the gemengs, Zap Zap was gone. Aerlid and Adila were further away.
He didn’t mind. Riley was alive, and that was enough.
Chapter 16
Everyone else had gone now, they were alone.
Adila gazed at Aerlid with pity. ‘You used something to carry Seta and Onsa around between hosts. Where is it?’
‘Just Seta, Adila. I only meant to save Seta.’ But he pulled something from the neck of his shirt. It was a necklace with a clear sphere hanging from it.
Adila took it. She gazed at it for a moment. Then she sung one word. It disappeared, faded away into the sunlight. ‘Those other children, Aerlid, did you try this with them as well?’
Aerlid nodded. A flash of despair passed across his face. ‘I tried so many times. Babies, pregnant women, it never worked.’
‘What happened to them?’
‘I thought someone young would be better, then she wouldn’t have to fight with the original owner of the body. But Seta was so angry at being in a body that could barely move. And I couldn’t explain to her in between. They all went mad, none lived past a year.’ He spoke almost calmly, as if eager to explain himself and prove that he had been right. Only a trembling of his voice, the shaking of his hands, indicated anything was wrong.
‘And the Queen’s daughter? When you offered to look after her, take her somewhere she would not be an outcast? When is it you did this to her?’
‘I waited, Adila. I waited til she was about six. I thought that would be old enough, and she was part valkar, none of the others had any valkar in them. She was very calm, I hoped her mind would be a peaceful place for Seta to recover. She never suffered, never showed any sign there was anyone but herself there.’
‘She suffers now. And who knows what damage could have been done, damage you never noticed?’
‘Seta, Onsa, both, have been dormant, sleeping. They never harmed her. No, if she had not been so gravely injured, or perhaps dying, when the mountain fell, they might never have surfaced. They saved her life, Adila. Seta kept her body alive, got her out of the mountain.’
Adila’s eyes narrowed. ‘That does not redeem you.’
‘I know I have done wrong, I know that. But I had to save Seta first, bring her back. I didn’t kill her, Adila, I didn’t.’ he was starting to sound panicky. He stopped talking for a moment, calmed himself down. ‘I had to fix that first. I don’t care what Seta does now, as long as she lives, as long as I have undone what I did. I can fix everything else… later.’ He wiped his hands over his eyes. ‘But my first debt is to her.’
Adila shook her head. The other children were long dead now, for centuries. That could never be fixed. ‘Rose will judge you.’ she said.
‘You know, I am not the only one at fault here.’ his voice hardened. ‘Everyone was so eager to get rid of Riley. You all knew where I was, but not once did anyone come to check up on her. To make sure she was happy, or even alive! Rilodana doesn’t even know her! She could have come visited, Adila. And so could you. How can you claim to care about her now?’
‘You cannot put the blame for this on Rilodana. She barely knows her own name.’ Anger flashed in Adila’s eyes. ‘You took advantage of our discomfort around humans, around mixed. You took advantage of my trust of you, Aerlid. I must bear the blame for that. I never judged you after Seta died. Perhaps I should have but…’ she closed her eyes, ‘you were so upset, I didn’t think I would find anything, and you were my friend besides. Not even in my darkest nightmares did I imagine you could do something so…’ she opened her eyes, fixed them on him. ‘I was wrong, terribly so. And now Rose will judge you.’
When Rose arrived on the beach, they all came to watch; Riley, Vann, Karesh and the other nine gemengs.
Riley still wore the clothes of sunlight. Adila assured her new clothes were coming.
Rose faced Aerlid as the others formed a semicircle around them. Adila stood behind Rose, not quite a part of the observers or the participants.
Rose’s expression was no different than usual. But then, her usual expression was a frown.
‘Aerlid,’ she snapped, ‘along with everything else, your actions have caused great divisions among the valkar. People wonder if Moonsingers are somehow damaged. Kalkaluna’s name, not heard for centuries, is once again spoken. If there is another split in our people, this will also be on your shoulders.’
Aerlid frowned. ‘You can’t keep the valkar together, Judgement Master? Kalkaluna committed her crime millennia ago, during one of the earliest Ehlkrid incursions, before the Sunsingers were able to reach the sun.’
‘She was a Moonsinger, you are a Moonsinger and you have both killed. Her crimes caused the valkar to split. I’m afraid yours may do the same.’
‘I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking of that at the time. I’m glad to know what your biggest concern is though.’ he bit out acidly. ‘Though perhaps such a split would please you. Only those related to and close friends of Kalkaluna exiled themselves from the valkar. Perhaps Adila will now do the same?’
‘Your levity does you no service now.’
‘I’m being quite serious, Rose. That this is your greatest concern worries me more than the thought of the valkar splitting again. I am here to be judged, not talked to.’
‘Hold out your hand, Moonsinger.’
And the judgement began. It took much longer than her judgement of Riley, or Adila’s of Vann.
She only used one seed, but it grew slowly and wrapped Aerlid tightly. The rose petals were thick, and vividly red. As before, the thorns did not pierce his skin, though as he was a valkar, that did not mean they weren’t hurting him.
And then it was done.
Rose stepped back. She spoke her judgement in a terrible voice, ‘your name will be stricken from the valkar. You will be bound in sunlight, forever awake. The moon will never again shine on you, and you shall never be able to imagine it again. Song will be taken from you. You will be alone, lost and forsaken by all. And when you fade away, your lady moon will reject you. Though that is not in my power to ensure, my judgement has assured me it will be so.’
Neither Adila nor Aerlid looked surprised. Aerlid looked terribly ashen, lost and alone.
Riley turned to Adila. ‘Is that a bad thing?’ she asked.
A great pain visible in her eyes, softly she sighed, ‘Nothing more terrible could happen to a Moonsinger.’
Chapter 17
The valkar were gone. Rose had at least brought some clothes for Riley, though she hadn’t seemed happy to be a delivery girl.
The clothes were of the rich, deep black, like her previous valkar made clothes. The cut was also similar. Riley seemed very relieved to be out of the clothes of sunlight.
She and Vann were on the beach, Karesh was also nearby.
‘We need to get you back to Coastside.’ Riley was saying to Vann. They had not spoken much since her body had returned.
‘No.’ Vann responded. ‘I’m staying with you.’
Her brows rose in surprise. ‘Vann-’
‘It’s not up for discussion.’ he said firmly.
‘And your Commander is ok with this?’
‘It doesn’t matter.’
‘I’m not starting a war over this!’
‘I don’t think you have to worry about that, Riley.’
Riley’s face clouded. ‘I think I do.’ She said, her voice suddenly icy. ‘And I cannot trust your word alone. I need a reason.’
Vann could understand that. ‘I’ll tell you.’ he sighed, suddenly he felt ill. ‘But… there’s something else you need to know first.’
Vann looked at Karesh. Then he looked back to Riley. Riley had caught the look and now looked from one to the other.
‘Master,’ Karesh began hesitantly, ‘we are all that is left.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘The mountain collapsed, Master. Everyone else is dead.’
Riley’s face went slack. She stared at him blankly. Then she simply said, ‘what?’
Karesh gestured to her to follow. He led her up the beach and pointed towards the mountain. So close, yet they had kept her away from this sight til now.
Riley followed his gaze to the mountain range visible in the distance. One peak was missing.
For a long while Riley said nothing. Then she looked at them both. ‘This can’t be true.’
‘I’m sorry, Master, it is. It happened while we were out scouting. The mountain came down. Everything was buried. We could not stay and try to find anyone, we needed to protect ourselves from the ehlkrid.’
‘My sword is in there.’ she said slowly, thickly. ‘Isn’t it?’
Karesh nodded.
‘So I need a new one.’
He nodded again.
She looked between them again. Then suddenly she walked off into the desert, towards the mountain. Karesh did not follow, but Vann did. She walked very fast. Vann had no chance of keeping up. Soon he stopped, he had no water or supplies. He headed back to the beach to wait.
Riley was not thinking, not feeling. The desert sun did not bother her. She did not feel her dry mouth, her burning skin.
She walked across the desert. She came to the mountain, climbed it. The path was different than she remembered. It was like climbing a different mountain.
She reached the top that was not much of a top anymore. Now it was more of a round hill. She saw the Plains before her. She looked down at the rubble.
This could not possibly be real. How could a mountain just fall down? How could everyone be dead?
Faces flashed through her mind, snatches of conversation.
Gakra? He couldn’t be dead.
But no, he had to be. Karesh and nine others she did not really know. They were all that was left.
Names, she counted them off. Names of people that had to be alive. But they were not part of the ten gemengs left.
How could so many people just be gone?
She thought of Adlak then, the games he had organized. Children playing that ball game in a big cave. Grief hit her hard. Things had been changing. Fear had faded from the gemengs. There was still fear of the ehlkrid, of her. But not of each other.
She thought of the cave the children played in. In her minds eye she saw the roof collapsing, children screaming, dying.
Her stomach knotted. She felt sick.
She stayed up on the mountain for a long time.
It took her a long time to realize what exactly she was feeling. She was appalled, devastated, sickened and disbelieving. But though the names were of people she knew, though she had brought them to this place, there was a distance. As if she had felt this pain years ago and come to terms with it, or as if it was another person’s pain. Being trapped in her own body, and then losing it, Aerlid’s betrayal, forced a distance between herself and this. It was a distance she wasn’t sure she liked. A distance she wasn’t sure was fair to those she had led and let down.
She had brought them to this place.
How did mountains just collapse?
I was here, she realised. Onsa’s statement made sense now. She didn’t remember, but she knew that monster must have saved her life.
She stood, looked around one last time. Then left. Everything was gone. Everything she had worked for… buried beneath what had once been a mountain.
Failure clung heavily to her as she walked down the mountain, back to the desert. It lodged inside her like a knife, curled up with the grief and gave another layer to her despair.
Everyone was gone. Months had passed, any chance for a rescue was long gone. Those she had not led were likely dead as well, eaten by the ehlkrid.
The world was an empty place now. She was not a lord of anyone or anything anymore. But she did not think she had the stomach to try again anyway, even if there had been anyone left.
So she did not think of that now. She just thought of putting one foot ahead of the other. And she made her way back to the beach.
Night had fallen by the time Riley returned. Vann got to his feet as soon as he saw her. She walked slowly down the slope towards the beach, her head down.
Now was not a good time to talk to her, but he needed to. They were alone on the beach and he could not keep this from her.
‘Riley!’ he called and walked over to her. She looked up dully. Her eyes were red but dry.
‘Riley, I need to tell you what happened.’
Riley put her hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. Then she nodded. ‘Fine.’ her voice was thick. ‘Surely things can’t get any worse?’
‘It was the humans, Riley. They blew up the mountain. They laid charges when they came to visit.’
Her eyes snapped open. Then with a sharp scream she slammed her hand against the cliff side. ‘I just can’t pick who to trust, can I!’
‘I’m so sorry.’
She leant against the cliff. Vann didn’t know if she was crying or not.
‘I’m sorry, Riley.’ he said quietly. ‘I didn’t know, neither did Messenger. But I… had to tell you. Coastside wasn’t involved, but… you mustn’t trust Astar or Coastside again.’
Riley shook her head, all he could see was her hair.
‘This isn’t your fault. They betrayed you. I let you down.’
Riley pushed herself from the cliff wall. ‘I don’t want to talk about this anymore.’ and she strode back out to the desert.
Vann saw she didn’t go far, just
stood and paced.
Chapter 18
The next morning Riley gathered everyone out on the beach to talk.
She looked around at the eleven people arrayed before her, Karesh, nine other gemengs, and Vann.
‘Zap Zap said he would come back here?’ she asked Vann. Her tone was businesslike, her face grim.
Vann nodded.
‘Then I must stay until he comes. I intend to head to the forests. Vann do you want me to take you back to Coastside?’
‘No.’ he said firmly.
‘I don’t know what you expect from me.’
‘I don’t care what you’re doing, Riley, or where you’re going. But I’m going with you. I can’t stay in Coastside anymore.’
They locked gazes for a moment.
‘Fine.’ she relented. ‘But I have no plans other than to go somewhere I like. Which is a forest. Karesh, what will you and your warriors do?’
Karesh looked surprised. ‘Come with you, Master.’
‘I’m not your Master, Karesh. I’m not anyone’s Master.’
The gemengs all shared looks. Karesh spoke for them again, ‘you are. We will come with you.’
Riley frowned. ‘Karesh, what I was trying to do… I can’t anymore. Everyone is gone, and I failed them.’
‘You can.’ he insisted in that cautious way he had. ‘We will follow you.’
Riley looked irritated, but clearly she didn’t know what to say to him. ‘Fine, travel with me for now. But you must call me Riley, and you are free to leave whenever you choose.’
Karesh nodded. ‘Yes, Master Riley.’
‘Karesh!’
A fleeting smile lit his features. Then he said, ‘Yes, Riley.’
Somewhat mollified, Riley went on. ‘Fine. We wait here for Zap Zap and Adila to return. Then we leave.’
Riley turned then and left the beach. Her parting words involved something about hunting.
When she was gone Karesh turned to Vann. ‘I still understand you.’
‘Whatever Adila did is still here.’ he replied.
Karesh shrugged. ‘It’s very useful.’ he looked back towards the desert. ‘I am glad the Master is better now.’
The Broken Kingdom Page 7