Karma frowned at the last line, wondering why he’d said the same thing twice, then set the question aside for later.
“Cadusar Zabeth, I do not know this word, fudaso,” Zakiel said. “Can you tell us what it means?”
“When one chooses the path of darkness in a world of light, an anchor is required to bind them, otherwise they will, by nature’s law, be drawn to the darkness they chose to become part of,” Zabeth explained. “The anchor must be one who belongs in the light, though he, or she, need not be aware of it.”
“A fudaso is the anchor,” Zakiel guessed. Zabeth nodded.
“How is such a thing done without the...anchor...being aware of it?” Karma asked.
“There is one act which two people can engage in that combines their bodies into one and, at one critical point, opens their souls to one another,” Zabeth said.
“That is a perversion of something that is meant to be done in love and trust,” Karma said with a grimace of disgust.
“True,” Zabeth agreed. “Did you never wonder why it is advised to engage in the act of joining only with someone you love and trust?”
“Of course,” Karma replied. “I just never realized there was such an evil reason for it, or that it left one’s soul vulnerable.”
“Any time you are unguarded, you are vulnerable,” Zakiel said. “What leaves you more unguarded than ecstasy?”
Karma nodded reluctantly. She wished she didn’t have to know what she had just learned. Her heart ached for Kapia.
“Cadusar Zabeth,” Nikura said after a moment of silence. “Are we to trust Sir Bredon? Or is he now a minion of Marene’s?”
“He is not a minion,” Zabeth said. “As to trust, that is not mine to say. Now, I have but a bit of time left to me and more to say, so please attend.” She turned her eyes on Zakiel and frowned sternly. “Your current plans to leave the Hidden Sister in two days must be changed, Highness. She who is Maiden of the Heart is traveling toward you now as quickly as she can, but it will be several days yet before she arrives. You must await her coming.”
“Of course, Cadusar Zabeth,” Zakiel agreed with a deep nod. “Be assured that your advice will be followed.”
“Very good,” Zabeth said, satisfied. Then she smiled. “Before I leave, I must tell you how pleased I am to see that the two people I last joined in marriage are soon to be blessed. I congratulate you both.”
“Thank you, Cadusar Zabeth,” Karma said. “We just learned today that it is to be twins.”
“Do you wish to know more?” Zabeth asked with a teasing smile.
“Yes,” Karma said at once, before Zakiel had worked out what the question meant.
“It will be as you desire, Lady Techu,” Zabeth said with a wink. Karma laughed with delight.
“Thank you, Cadusar Zabeth,” she said. “As always, we are grateful for all of your help and advice.”
Zabeth nodded regally, then quickly faded away.
“What was all that about?” Zakiel asked. “That last part, I mean?”
“If you will excuse me,” Nikura said, standing up and stretching before walking toward the door. “I believe we can safely save a discussion of the deeper meanings of Zabeth’s message for morning.”
“Agreed,” Zakiel said. “Goodnight Nikura.”
“Goodnight, Highness,” Nikura said as he walked through the open door. “Goodnight, Lady Techu.”
Zakiel got up to close the door after Nikura, then turned to Karma. “Now, tell me, please, what has brightened the stars in your eyes?”
Karma grinned, then told her husband what he wanted to know.
Epilogue
Tahzel approached the rokkeli outside of ShaiTyan’s private chamber with more than a little trepidation. And almost as much curiosity.
ShaiTyan’s rage at Myrkur Ma-Rene’s betrayal had been a fearsome thing to behold, even for the Fire Djinn. Noriq-Qu and all of the lands surrounding it had burned for days. Then, silence. While the lands of the Fire Djinn cooled and hardened back to their normal state, all wondered what ShaiTyan was planning to do next.
When Tahzel received the summons to Noriq-Qu, he was both wary and eager. Wary of ShaiTyan. Eager to be the first with the coveted knowledge of what was to come. The rokkeli performed their mysterious inspection and passed him into ShaiTyan’s chamber, where he instantly fell to his knees, and pressed his forehead against the floor.
“Rise, Tahzel,” ShaiTyan said.
Tahzel hid his shock and rose to his feet. ShaiTyan sounded almost...calm.
“How may I be of service, Master?” he asked, suddenly nervous. A calm ShaiTyan must be more deadly than a lava spewing ShaiTyan. It had never happened before, so he couldn’t be certain.
“Call together the High Djinn of the Water, Stone, and Sky,” ShaiTyan said casually, as though commenting on the weather.
Tahzel swallowed hard. “Master?” he asked, uncertain how such a thing was to be done. It had been many centuries since a gathering of that sort.
“Send a messenger to each, with orders to follow every protocol,” ShaiTyan said. “Tell them that Zatroa is forever lost. The Djinn require a rebirth of the sacred scepter.”
Tahzel was so stunned that his mouth fell open, allowing several drops of venom to land on the stone floor where they hissed softly. He closed is mouth and resisted the urge to ask questions. “As you command, so shall I obey, Master,” he said. “When shall I request their presence?”
“I shall begin my journey tomorrow,” ShaiTyan said. “As Fire Djinn land is furthest from the Isle of Gathering, I expect they will not keep me waiting longer than it takes them to reach it once they receive the summons.”
“The messengers will leave within the hour,” Tahzel promised.
“Good,” ShaiTyan replied.
Tahzel bowed once more, then left, barely noticing the rokkeli on his way out. As he hurried through the long passages of Noriq-Qu, he considered ShaiTyan’s plan. It was brilliant, but very risky. A single Zatroa was an instrument of such deadly power that it had taken three centuries for the previous High Djinn to agree on its creation. But two Zatroa? Tahzel shivered as he paced through the burning tunnels. Such power would be enough to crack the universe itself.
.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Laura Jo lives in the Arizona desert with her loving husband, their two children, one very large dog and two interesting cats. Laura Jo loves to hear from her readers. Visit her website at www.laurajophillips.com to see when the next installment in the Orbs of Rathira series is coming, and sign her guestbook. Or, email her directly at [email protected]
While you are there, take a peek at the ever growing Handbook of the Thousand Worlds which details lots of interesting information about the people, technology, governments, and other interstellar information about the worlds the Soul-Linked Saga takes place in.
Quest for the Sun Orb Page 37