The UnFolding Collection Three

by S. K. Randolph

  Shyllee pressed her cold nose into his hand and made a sound in her throat. Her tail wagged. She trotted from the alley down the dirt road, cutting two men from the crowd on the main dock. The shorter of the two was solidly built with shoulders broad enough for a much taller man and shoulder-length white hair tied back in a queue. A mustache and beard outlined a full-lipped mouth that curved into a delighted smile as he greeted Shyllee. His companion, taller with the same breadth of shoulder, had longish silver-gray hair tucked behind his ears and a mustache and goatee that were neatly trimmed. His eyes flashed green as he bent to scratch Shyllee behind the ears. After a fuss had been made, the shorter man murmured something that sent his companion hurrying back the way they had come.

  Ambling at a casual, not-a-care-in-the-world pace, the shorter man followed Shyllee in the direction of the alley. Esán nudged Torgin and Desirol into the shelter of a doorway. He stayed in the open, a flutter of anticipation pulsing in his throat.

  Shyllee plopped on her haunches in front of him. The man rounded the corner and ran a blue-eyed gaze from him to the doorway.

  “Gregos Senndi. Tell your friends to come out. I’ve been waitin’ for ya. Wolloh sent word he’d be sending ya here.” He gave Torgin and Desirol a cursory examination. “Thought there were five.”

  Esán shared a brief explanation of their reduced number.

  A wagon rattled down the alley behind them and came to a stop. Shyllee jumped in and curled up in the back.

  “We’ll talk once we’ve got ya off the streets. Climb aboard and hide under the tarp. I’ll let ya know when ya’re safe to come out.”

  Esán didn’t move. “And your friend is called?”

  The man grinned. “He’s my brother Tamosh.”

  “Thanks.” Esán scrambled into the back of the wagon. “Come on, you two.”

  Torgin gave the men a sharp glance, tossed his pack aboard, and climbed on. For once, Desirol followed without arguing. They lay down side by side and covered themselves with the tarp. The wagon rumbled along. One man or the other answered a yell of recognition or called out the name of a friend. Finally, only the sound of hooves hitting the dirt could be heard. Esán imagined the two men riding along in an easy silence and fought to stay awake. Nothing about either man had unnerved him. Shyllee was relaxed. Either Torgin or Desirol gave a quiet snore. Esán yawned and slept.

  Shyllee’s bark woke him. Gregos flipped the tarp back. “You’re safe, boys.”

  Esán yawned, clambered down from the wagon bed, and scanned the landscape. The village, off in the distance, looked like a model in an Education Center lab. To his left, a tidy cottage set back in the trees faced a small bay, where the elegant lines of a sailboat glowed in the light of the late-turning sun.

  Torgin and Desirol jumped down beside them. “Where are we?” Torgin glanced around.

  “Thought it would be safer to leave from here rather than from the docks in Atkis.” Gregos looked up at the cloudless sky. “Weather feels like it’ll hold, so we’ll have a bite ta eat, then slip away. We’ll sleep on the boat and leave ’fore the sun’s up. Come in and meet our sister, Marji.”

  Tamosh smacked the reins and made a clicking noise with his tongue. The horse pulled the wagon toward the back of the house with Shyllee bounding around it. The scent of food cooking met them as Gregos ushered them into the cottage.

  Torgin grinned. “It smells wonderful in here.”

  A rosy-cheeked woman came forward, wiping her hands on a flowered apron. She smiled broadly. “Guessed right. Thought you would arrive today. Made a good dinner that oughta hold you ’til tomorrow.”

  Gregos shot her a questioning look.

  A nod and a wink. “Elf loaded the supplies on the boat. Says she’s ready to go.” Marji seemed to listen. “Anxious to be off, as it were.” She smoothed her apron and pointed an arthritic finger at Torgin. “You’re a talented boy, Torgin. Never doubt that. Esán. Welcome carrier of the Seeds of Carsilem.” When she got to Desirol, she studied him from head to toe. “Desirol. It only snatched a very small part of you. If it finds you again—” She shook her head, pulled a small pouch from her pocket, and pressed it into his hand. “Keep this with you all the time. It will diffuse your signature. Take care, young man. Careless ego will get you in more trouble than you can handle.”

  Shyllee dashed into the room, sending Marji one way and Desirol dodging the other. Tamosh ambled in from the back of the cottage, laughing at the antics of dog and woman as his sister threw her hands in the air and tossed Shyllee a treat. A boy hesitated in the doorway.

  Tamosh waved him into the room. “This is Elf. Helps around the place.” He stopped and inhaled a deep breath. “Marji, it smells like the Dreelas’ kitchen in here. I’m starved.”

  She laughed. “Wash up and get yourselves seated.”

  Evening meal was as merry as it was delicious. Roasted stag surrounded by a variety of root vegetables, fresh baked bread, and fruit braised with butter and honey left Esán replete and smiling from ear to ear. Gregos teased Marji, who responded in kind. While Shyllee gnawed a bone, Tamosh told tall tales that made everyone laugh. A long time had passed since Esán remembered such a joyous meal.

  All too soon, Gregos pushed back his chair. “I hate to end this wonderful celebration, but we need to be off. I want us onboard ’fore the light is gone.”

  Marji waved them out the door with the assurance that she had the after meal clean-up under control. Gregos and Elf hurried down the path to a wooden dock.

  Tamosh gave her a final hug. “Take care, Marji. Abarax soars the skies of Trinuge.”

  She scanned the sunset heavens. “You’d best be off, brother. It won’t be long ’fore it discovers it’s been tricked and flies this way. By the time, it arrives, I’ll be away.”

  Tamosh gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and whistled for Shyllee. Esán and his friends looked longingly at the cottage as he urged them down the path. Gregos loaded the group, including Shyllee, into a wooden skiff and pushed away from the small dock.

  Esán looked back. The cottage glowed fire-red in the last rays of the sun. He gasped as it winked out of sight. Marji was a lot more than just a great cook.

  Nissasa observed Vygel Vintrusie over a tasty leg of DerTahan chick fowl. Large, yellowed teeth tore at the roasted flesh. Gaunt cheeks puffed with food almost looked healthy. A beak of a nose gave the narrow face a wicked, crafty appearance. Bloodshot eyes half hidden by lashless lids came to rest on Nissasa’s face. Their expression sent a chill creeping over his close-cropped head.

  The Mocendi swallowed and tossed the bone on his plate. “The MasTer is very unhappy. The border and the gateway have been secured by the Largeen Joram and his men. You, Nissasa Rattori, are in disgrace.”

  Heat flooded Nissasa’s cheeks. Once again, he felt like an errant schoolboy. Fear had chased him to hide in his mother’s skirts. She had been right to cast him out. Snapping his mind shut, he groped for a plausible reason for leaving the front.

  “I was concerned about my mother’s health, Vygel. I intended to return sooner, but she needed me.”

  A sneer stretched thin, colorless lips over his too large teeth. “We can remove that distraction, Nissasa, and will if you allow it to override your judgment again.”

  Nissasa patted his mouth with a napkin and laid it aside. “On my honor, I will not let her needs supersede The MasTer’s.”

  A sarcastic laugh hit him like a slap in the face. “You have no honor. You live by deceiving others. The MasTer will not tolerate another mistake. If you are foolish enough to do anything else to incur his wrath, I am to bring you to him on TreBlaya.”

  Before Nissasa could respond, the smell of sulfur penetrated the room. Finger-like pressure gripped his throat. His heartbeat crashed in his ears. Fighting for breath, he struggled to his feet, flung his cravat across the room, and tore at the neck of his shirt. A sudden rush of air into his lungs dropped him back on the chair.

  Vygel stood looking down at h
im. “That was just the preamble to The MasTer’s message. The main thrust is this: you are to overthrow your father’s regime no matter the cost .” Vygel pursed his lips. “The MasTer has left the matter in my hands. I am to be your adviser and confident.” Determination filled his next statement. “We will not disappoint. Is that clear?”

  Nissasa buried his boiling anger beneath a subservient exterior and forced a calm reply. “I will be glad of your assistance, Vygel.”

  The Mocendi gave him a hard look. “I’ll meet you out front. We will make and inconspicuous departure. You’ve paid your bill?”

  “I’ll take care of it and join you.” Nissasa lied. With an acid taste in his mouth, he watched the man depart. “I must get back in The MasTer’s good graces.” A slow smile erased his frown of concentration. “And I know just how to do so.”

  Masking his thoughts, he crossed to the door, opened it a crack, and peered up and down the hall. Satisfied that Vygel was nowhere near, he turned the key and hurried to the bedroom. His reflection in the mirror above the armoire caught his attention. If I had red hair, I’d look like my father. Then he might have loved me . A tingle of regret surprised him. He shoved it away and withdrew Souvitrico from its pouch. “I will destroy you, Lorsedi Telisnoe.” He stared into the mirror. “And I will find out where Evolsefil is and present it to The MasTer. That should appease his anger.”

  Touching the mirror with the tip of the crystal, he began to recite:

  “Souvitrico, transform this mirror

  Into a portal true and clear,

  That I many travel safely to

  Evolsefil and claim my due.”

  Mist overflowed the mirror. The room disappeared. Frothing fog enveloped him, lifted him, transported him.

  23

  Master’s Reach

  Myrrh

  A lmiralyn paced a restless circle around Elcaro’s Eye, contemplating all it had shared. Her intellect told her to take a break; her heart urged her to discover more about Karrew. Sparrow had stretched out on a bench and drifted into sleep. Veersuni’s tranquil atmosphere tempted Almiralyn to do the same, a soft gurgle from the Eye pulled her to fountain. An image had already captured the surface.

  WoNadahem Mardree held out her hands to the figure of a man dappled by a lattice of moonlight and shadow. Her eyes glowed saffron and blue. Her snake coiled on a shoulder, its forked tongue flicking the air.

  “Roandee.” The name, a whispered prayer, hung between them.

  The man took her hands and held them to his heart. A tear glistened on his cheek. “I wanted to come back, to be with you always.” Loneliness, desolation, heartbreak drenched his words. He traced every inch of her face with tear-damp eyes. “You look the same—wiser—perhaps sadder. I was afraid when I found you, I would not recognize you. I was afraid you would not know me.”

  “Shhh. How could I ever forget the joy of my life, the young brother who made my heart laugh, my dancing partner, my brave warrior. You were only ten sun cycles when Dahe kidnapped you.”

  Roandee embraced her, held her with the tenderness of one who thought she might break. The hiss of her snake made him step back. “Ahhhh. Tesi, you remember me. I have missed you, too.”

  He took her hand and pressed the palm to his cheek. Her fingers explored hungrily—eyes, nose, mouth, the height of his cheek bones and brows, his hair. She smiled. “I imagine the women think you are quite handsome.”

  His laugh burst forth deep and full and overflowing with life.

  WoNa wiped her tears with the back of her hand. “We have little time. Karrew’s life hangs in the balance.”

  They embraced once more. Roandee whispered against her hair. “I have dreamt of you every night since they stole me. They thought, in time, I would forget you. You are my strongest memory of my other life.”

  “I have only one question, dear brother, and then we must help Karrew.”

  “And what is that?”

  “Did Dahe Terah treat you well?”

  “He adopted me as his youngest son. I have been raised Sebborr, WoNa. He dotes on me, but only to make sure I owe him my allegiance. I am his tie to you.”

  “And you have the seer’s gift, do you not.”

  “Not in the same way you do, but yes, I am an oracle.”

  She pressed her lips to his palm, then sighed. “We will talk more later. Tri-Nular approaches, the perfect time to help Karrew.”

  He escorted her into the small room and stayed by her side.

  WoNa, wreathed in smiles, took a deep breath. “Henri, Brielle, and Ira, this is Roandee.” A tear leaked from her eye. “My young brother who was kidnapped by the Sebborr a lifetime ago.”

  Henri grinned. “It’s about time. Welcome, Roandee. We are glad to have you here for many reasons. Most of all for our dear WoNa.”

  Ira and Brie touched his palm and then their hearts in the sign of everlasting friendship. Karrew traveled the width of the chair back his head bobbing. A deep caw rang through the room. The first sound he had made since his rescue.

  The water rippled. Almiralyn wiped the tears from her eyes. “My dear, dear friend, I am so happy for you.” She turned to find Sparrow watching her.

  “What did you see? Is Karrew alright? Corvus?”

  She explained what had occurred. “It’s Corvus’ turn next. I only hope it isn’t too late.” Her focus returned to the fountain.

  Sparrow joined her as the water smoothed and a picture floated to the top of the alabaster bowl.

  Roandee knelt beside Karrew and whispered, “I am here, my friend. We will make you whole.” Lifting the raven with gentle hands, he sat between Henri and WoNa and held him in his lap.

  Henri called Ira to her. “It is time to drop the façade, at least for now.” She snapped her fingers.

  Ari blinked and looked around the cell. “I’m me!” She hugged Brie and Henri and touched WoNa’s arm. “I’m so glad you’ve been reunited with your brother. I know how hard it is to be apart for so long.”

  WoNa smiled. “It is time, my friends.”

  Brie knelt on one side; Ari on the other.

  Henri bowed her head and chanted,

  “All is correct and in its place

  Balance restored to set the pace

  Help us now return from strife

  This Human man to his true life.”

  For the second time, Brie placed the Stone of Remembering on Karrew’s forehead. Ari withdrew the sacred knife and held it up in the light of the three DerTahan moons. The emerald etching on the blade shimmered to life. Amethysts glowed. She held Efillaeh to Karrew’s chest. Cobalt blue light flowed around his head. Purple encircled his body.

  Karrew’s image filled the fountain. Almiralyn gasped. His mind flew open. His thoughts flowed into hers…

  Karrew…Corvus…Karrew…Corvus. Two entities battled for control. Unravelled memories tumble one over the other in a tumultuous stream. One trembled and another floated to the top. Karrew and Corvus gulped down memories like carrion. A flash of cobalt stopped the feast, pulled a thread from each throat, wove them on the loom of time. Warp and weft, thread by thread, a life took shape. The shuttle flew, picture upon picture upon picture.

  The raven’s body quaked. A raspy caw and then a word, ill formed and indistinct. The stone grew dark. The knife dropped from Ari’s hand, clattering to the stone floor. The players stood. Roandee placed the raven on the ground and joined the circle surrounding it.

  WoNa recited,

  “Corvus Karrew Castilym

  Come froth and join the ranks of men

  Secure your Human heart to thee

  Retain Karrew, yet become free.”

  Almiralyn gripped Elcaro’s rim and repeated the verse under her breath. Her reflection flitted over the water’s surface. She started to tremble. The water shook. The picture zoomed in tighter and tighter until only a circle of heads could be seen.

  In unison the circled companions repeated the verse. With each line they took a step back. Brie kiss
ed the Remembering Stone and placed it beside the bird. Ari picked up the knife and set it opposite. The raven lifted into flight, soared out the window beneath the stars and the breathtaking beauty of Tri-Nular.

  The fountain reversed the zoom. The exterior of the prison washed in moonlight formed on the surface. The twins, followed by Henri, WoNa, and Roandee burst through the entrance, heads thrown back, to search the empty expanse of desert sky.

  Almiralyn sobbed. She sank onto a bench and let the tears fall. Too late. They were too late. If only…

  Sparrow grabbed her arm and pulled her back to the fountain.

  Dark, searching eyes imprisoned a blue moon in their pupils. A dimple flashed, white teeth gleamed. The imaged pulled out to encompass a man draped in the cool light of Calegri. He mouthed the words, “I love you, Almiralyn Nadrugia.”

  Jordett stepped from the sub-level, tipped his cap to shade his eyes, stared up at the early morning sky, and wished the Theran dove into sight. He glanced at his mini-chron and back at the roof tops. Where on Thera are you?

  Anada joined him. “Any sign of Teva?”

  “No.”

  “You worried?”

  “Yes.”

  Anada pointed. “Don’t be. Here she comes.”

  The dove swooped into the pass-through. Teva, elegant and calm, materialized as the dove’s talons touched the ground. “Sorry I took so long. The cloud is definitely The MasTer’s Reach. It was brought here by a group of Mocendi. If you want more information, I’ll need Kieel’s help.”

  The Nyti Matrés landed on her shoulder. “I’d be pleased to assist.”

  Jordett adjusted his cap and looked from Kieel to Teva. “First, send a message to the teams to continue to hold tight. I don’t want anyone to jump too soon. Let me know when that’s done.”

  Sagus joined the group by the door as Teva moved a short distance away. “She have any news?”