The Tree

by Na'amen Gobert Tilahun

  “They came here with those who took my body. As I was being savaged they took my heart; smuggled it away before it could be transmuted to the core of this world. They did what they could.”

  “What is left of my children led you here.”

  Lil felt her eyes go wide with shock as she looked down at the Nif that surrounded the other ‘dant. She met Lil’s gaze for a moment and the sadness in her gaze was so deep that it broke Lil’s heart to see it.

  “These ones are the ones who stayed behind in the Hive, who held them off after the others took the heart. This is the punishment they received because none would speak. They became nothing more than servants for the Ruling Courts, forgetting who they used to be.”

  WhatHappenedToTheOthers?

  TheOnesThatRan?

  The ‘dant rose to her feet and the Nif did not move, but craned their heads to keep her in view.

  “They survived for a time. I gave them permission to carve my heart.”

  TheyBrokeYouMore?

  “The important part is not the breaking but the asking. There are many who would choose to be broken to protect others. It is the consent that gives it sustainability, and that keeps me whole.”

  WhatDidTheyDoWithThePieces?

  “Do you know what makes the Athenaeums refuges? What makes them fairly untouchable to the Ruling Courts?”

  The woman was angry. Her rage was palpable in the heat in the air, and in the low groan that the earth made all around them. Lil suspected she knew the answer but wisely kept the branch still.

  “Me! Pieces of my heart, freely given. They connect the Athenaeums, and give the Holders their connection. I am there in their minds and hearts. I’m their WiFi.”

  Lil frowned at the unfamiliar world, but before she could form a question the ‘dant was waving her hand.

  “Never mind. You’ll learn that word eventually. No need to start now.”

  The Nif had gotten up from their still positions and were inching their way toward the other ‘dant. She pretended not to notice but Lil saw the smile that lifted one corner of her mouth as her eyes flicked downward.

  “They hid the last part of my heart here. When they linked it to this place, the power that protected them faded, and I saw the curse catch up with them. Change them. I don’t know if they were better or worse off from my other shadow children. Their forms were changed but not their minds, and not their memories or knowledge or awareness.”

  The Nif had reached her feet and seemed to be urging one another on by their movements. Finally one was bold enough to reach out and touch her leg and find it solid. In a blink they were swarming up her form and she giggled, like a young child.

  “Do they suffer more or less?” She seemed to be talking to herself.

  Then she was looking back at Lil, meeting her gaze. “And then there are these Nif. The ones who found their ways from the Courts to the Athenaeums and in the presence of a piece of my heart began to recover some part of themselves.”

  Lil stared in shock for a moment. She had not realized that any Nif had followed her from the Athenaeum in the first place. She had not been able to tell them apart; those from the Athenaeum and those from the Courts; those that chose to come with her and those that stayed behind.

  “I blather on so, don’t I? No. Don’t answer.” She smiled and it was sharp and dangerous. “You had a question, that’s why you came. Ask it.”

  Lil blinked, once, twice before she was able to shape the question.

  WhatIsIt?WhatComesForUs?

  “Worse than death. Worse than nothing. It is the space before creation; the demiurge that created all time and space, and all beings. My progenitor.”

  WhatAreYou?

  The ‘dant smirked again and Lil wanted to get mad but the barely concealed violence in the smile kept the words polite.

  “You would call me a god. Many did. That is not the line of questions you wish to go down though, is it?”

  HowDoISaveCorpiliu?

  For the first time the other ‘dant looked sad and Lil’s stomach twisted around itself. She wrapped her arms around her middle.

  “Corpiliu will fall. I will be free of this false bondage.”

  IsThereAWay?AreYouLying?

  Lil noticed that the branches that spelled out the words were sharp and angular, bristling with long thorns.

  The sadness did not leave her face and Lil’s small flare of hope died quickly.

  “I do not lie. A world made through force does not have strength enough to survive. At least not as you know it. Do not worry though. You will survive. I will tell you how. But you must do something for me first.

  Lil blinked wide shocked eyes. Her mind was whirled in confusion. Her world was doomed. There was still the possibility that the other ‘dant was lying, but something in what she said rang true. It was a fundamental rule of power—what was freely given was infinitely stronger than what was stolen. Intention had many effects on power and could make the very laws of the world to change with enough power.

  The ‘dant kept on as if she had not just told Lil that everything she had ever known would end.

  “Mayer holds the piece of my heart in a tight grip. Otherwise the mantle would have already passed. He holds tight to my heart and uses it to keep himself alive long past when he should have passed on. He twists the intentions of the Athenaeum.”

  She looked at the Nif that clung to her form, and crawled over her shoulders.

  “They all do, really, but he twists my heart’s power far outside of its intention. The Athenaeums scattered across Corpiliu were to be sanctuaries and places of learning for those who wished to resist the monsters that ruled here. Most have kept at least some part of this, true, but Mayer and the others of Zebub? They work great evil with the Courts.”

  “A cleansing must come. It shall start with you and Kandake.”

  She stared deep into Lil’s eyes. The wisdom there, combined with the age and pain, shocked Lil out of her own pain.

  HowDoIBreakSuchABond?

  “It is no bond he has to me but a chain. You must delve deep into the heart of Kandake. You must touch my heart. With a bond between us, the chain he keeps will break. But beware. There will be traps and defenders. Prepare yourself.”

  Tears came to Lil’s eyes and the branch whipped through the air forming her words.

  WhatIsThePointOfItIfAllOfCorpiliu

  WillDieKandakeWillGoWithIt?

  The other ‘dant sighed and rolled her eyes, tearing them away from a Nif curled on her shoulder that she was poking at, to its ecstatic delight.

  “And what of your siblings? What of the two Antes that you care for? Will you condemn them to death when there is another way?”

  The words stopped Lil’s tears immediately. The guilt built inside of her like a wave. She had forgotten about Min and Davi, in the moment of grief.

  “Guilt will do nothing for you. You must decide what you will do.”

  YouWillShowMeHowToSaveMySiblings?

  “And all you hold dear. Yes. First you must reach Kandake’s heart, though.”

  IWill.

  She smiled at Lil and for the first time she sensed not violence lurking behind that smile but approval.

  “Before you go, a lesson about history, Liliana Blackthorn Johns. Do you know why Babel is banned from use in the Ruling Courts or against its members, when no other power is?”

  Lil shook her head.

  “Babel was the first language, before all language. It existed when the world was not yet a thought. It is the language of the demiurge; the language used to create the spirit of all that is. Form follows thought. Material follows spirit and leads to becoming. It is what holds them together. With Babel strong enough you can pick them apart at the seams. That is why they fear it.”

  WhatDoesThisMatter?

  ICannotSpeakAnyLonger.

  “Babel is like any language, you need not speak it to use it effectively. Remember that.”

  With that final admonishment, Lil w
as back in the clearing, with a whole load of unhappy Nif chirping and wailing around her feet. She knelt down and petted them, and tried to soothe them through her touch the way the other ‘dant had. It was odd, knowing that these beings had once been something else. Had once been the traitor court, if she was guessing correctly.

  Finally, the Nif calmed down and slowly led her back to the house. Her body felt better, as if her time in the cavern had at least partially healed many of her hurts. She was sore where she should be pained, tender where she should be cut, and bruised where she should be broken.

  Yanwan was already high in the sky and the land around her felt too bright. Every step felt heavy and purposeful with knowledge she had gained. When she arrived at the house the Nif had recovered some of their good humor and were gamboling about her feet as she opened the door and found the whole household waiting for her.

  Staring at her.

  “What did you learn?” Kima asked.

  Lil slowly looked at each of them. How much should she tell them? She would most likely need them all in the coming fight. She answered as simply as possible.

  WeGoToCollectMySibs

  ThenWeAssaultKandake.

  RAZEL

  Razel studied these ‘dant who were not ‘dants. These . . . humans, as they moved through the halls of one of the oldest hives, which belonged to the Court of Broken Angles and Choices. The nerves that welled up in Razel reminded her very much of her first dinner in the Ruling Courts. This time, however, there was no Lil to make an entrance. No Lil to steal everyone’s attention. Razel found herself missing Lil, and wondering where she was. She had done her best to help her fellow Apprentice by giving the left-behind pouch to the Nif. She hoped it had done some good.

  Riana walked beside her, mumbling to Razel but really to herself. She wanted no response.

  “We cannot trust these ‘dants. Who knows who they serve or what they want? They will most likely turn on us and we must be prepared. I do not understand why the Courts had the need to call these strangers. Our problems are our own and we can take care of them just fine. . . .”

  The muttering kept on. She had very little to say to Riana lately. The revelation of additional worlds, and the scant information Riana had been willing to divulge, did not sit well with Razel. She wondered how much of her Holder’s withholding information was reluctance and how much was simply ignorance. Of all the Holders, Mayer seemed to have the deepest knowledge of these alternate worlds, but he had been Holder of Kandake as far back as any ‘dant could remember. So that made sense.

  They entered the courtyard and Razel saw the visitors stop at the spread before them. Tables were scattered all over the courtyard, with more Antes than Razel had ever seen in one place seated all around. The air was thick with flying Antes. They swept through the air, barely avoiding collisions while their attention was directed downward.

  “Holy fuck.” This from the younger ‘dant who had been introduced as Tae. As Razel turned to him she saw his eyes starting to burn a bright silver. It started in the center and then expanded outward until his whole eye looked like a vortex.

  “Whoa.” He staggered and immediately one of his compatriots was there to settle him.

  “You OK, Tae?”

  “Yeah, it’s just . . .” Tae noticed Razel watching and from the expression on his face realized that he was not in a place to share things. “. . . a lot.” He finished.

  His eyes reverted from the silver whirlpools to a light brown. His dizziness seemed to leave him and he moved through the crowd of them toward the ‘dants she had spoken to earlier—Erik and Matthias. He leaned forward into each of their personal space, his mouth moving close to their ears and sharing whatever Tae had realized. They both looked at him and nodded.

  Erik leaned forward to reply but because of the angle she could read the words on his lips.

  Tell the others.

  As they got closer to the tables she watched Tae move from companion to companion and speak with each, always with his mouth close to their ear. Always the same hesitation in their response, and the reluctant nod of agreement.

  Chayyliel and the other Antes wandered off to their own tables without a word. Erik made as if to follow them, but Mayer reached out and grabbed Erik’s arm. He froze and the hint of violence grew thick in the air. He stared down Mayer, and for the first time since Razel had met the Holder, she saw him actually wither under another ‘dants gaze. He let go of Erik’s arm, trying to make the action seem less rushed and nervous than it was.

  “Our seats are over here,” Mayer said with a slight waver to his voice.

  Erik stared hard before nodding and gesturing for Holder Mayer to lead the way. They moved through the tables, and Razel could see the visitors struggling not to indulge their curiosity and look around. They stared straight ahead until Mayer led them to an empty table. It was far closer to the center of the action than Razel had ever been seated before.

  “Talk to him. They seemed to like you,” Riana whispered directly to her apprentice.

  Razel was surprised at the direct communication. Riana had been spending more time muttering or paranoid than communicating. Razel believed that actually seeing how little their power and influence meant here in the heart of the Ruling Courts had shaken, and perhaps broken, her Holder.

  “Of course, Holder,” Razel replied and moved from Riana’s side. She made sure to place herself between the oddly translucent ‘dant called Elana and Tae as they took their seats. Mayer tried to insert himself between the two called Erik and Matthias but both simply stared at him until he contented himself with sitting on the other side of Erik.

  “So you are Apprentice to Riana?” The ‘dant, Tae, asked with a small smile.

  Razel took her eyes off Mayer’s humiliation and returned the expression. “Yes, for almost ten cycles now.”

  Tae nodded and poked at the food on his plate. Razel looked down at her own plate, at a huge, seared chunk of botil meat with a spread of raccet leaves next to it. It looked normal to her, but she had no idea what these ‘dants ate. She carefully cut off a chunk of the botil and speared it along with a few leaves of the raccet on her knife and ate it. She chewed carefully and swallowed before going back for more.

  Razel waited until the others had started to eat before slowing down and turning to the woman on her other side, who had yet to eat anything on her plate.

  “Do you really think you can help us with the darkness?” Razel asked. It was why they had come; a safe question. Razel longed to ask why she could see through the ‘dant to her other side, but she doubted the question would get an answer.

  “We hope so, but it will depend on how badly the darkness has invaded here and whether we can expect cooperation from everyone.” Elana gave her a pointed look at the end of this speech.

  Razel kept her face neutral. Yes, if everyone helped it would most likely be easier, but even now, as the darkness took whole pieces out of Corpiliu itself, she did not expect that cooperation to happen.

  “I can only speak for myself. I will provide whatever help necessary to save my world.”

  The ‘dant studied her for a moment longer before nodding. Razel wondered if she had gone to far. Technically she could not promise her help because it was not hers to give but her Holder’s. Riana had said to get closer, though, and this seemed one way to do it.

  Dinner conversation was awkward as both sides avoided speaking on things they didn’t trust their new “allies” with. Razel was doing her best to figure out a new opening question when she heard the wave of noise moving through the crowd. Razel looked up from the translucent ‘dant. It was June. Rumors had spread through the Courts like wildfire on what the White Snake had done to anger Queen Chayyliel so much. No one knew anything close to the truth. Because of this lack of knowledge and the silence on both their parts, June occupied an odd space in the Courts’ hierarchy. Some refused to speak with them at all; mostly those who were strong allies of Chayyliel or those who wished to be
allies of its Court. Other Courts that viewed Chayyliel as an upstart or that were already locked in enmity with its court treated June as they’d always been treated, a valuable ally and reliable source.

  The division between the factions was obvious, as some Antes refused to even look at June as they passed, while others made a point of acknowledging them. They moved languidly through the crowd, the lights under their skin especially bright tonight and shaded with blues and yellows.

  June came straight to their table with no hesitation. They did not look at any of the Holders or Holder-Apprentices, avoiding their gazes as if they were poison. Instead they met Erik’s gaze directly and moved in on him. June crouched in the small space between Mayer and Erik, their back to the Holder, and held a hushed conversation. Razel kept her eyes on Erik but he said very little she could discern.

  After a long time, Erik nodded and turned away. June stood and walked away without a glance at any of them.

  Razel stared after them until a voice brought her attention back the table.

  “What do you know of him?” The speaker, Tae, nodded toward June.

  Razel smiled at him. “They, actually. I have had some dealings with them as of late. They have their own agenda, to be sure, but they have been . . . helpful in the past.”

  Tae nodded and turned back to his food. She ate and watched the table. The one called Erik had wrinkles in the skin of his face. Strain, if these other-wordly ‘dants were as similar as her people as they seemed on the outside.

  Mayer struck up a conversation with Erik, loud enough that he winced openly.

  “We heard that you have been successful against the darkness in your home?”