“Did you get it?” Susarra asked Vaxi.
“Yes, Grandmother,” Vaxi said, bowing her head to avoid Susarra's stare.
“Then come.” Susarra gestured for Vaxi to follow her. “We have much to do.”
“Yes, Grandmother,” Vaxi repeated. Without a goodbye or even another glance their way, Vaxi walked past Susarra and out the exit, heading in the direction of their home.
Nyla made a move to follow her, but Susarra blocked her way with the walking stick. “I'm sure you two have other things to do right now,” the Councilor said.
Nyla didn't want to appear cowed, but a few seconds as the recipient of Susarra's icy frown was enough for her to back down. “Yes, Councilor,” she said.
“You just stay away from her, you hear me?” Then, without waiting for a response, she limped out the exit, following Vaxi down the path.
Once the thunk of Susarra's walking stick faded away, Nyla whispered, “I'm going to follow them.”
Sarja opened her mouth to object, but then closed it again. “Want me to come with –”
“Sarja!” came a voice from across the room. Both girls saw Runa beckoning to them. “Come over here. I need to speak to you.”
Sarja nodded at her mother, letting out a silent groan. “Sorry, Ny, guess you're on your own. Be careful, okay?” With a wry smile, she reached out and grasped Nyla's hand. “Don't want anything to happen to my future companion.”
Nyla rolled her eyes, extracting her hand from Sarja's. “Thanks, Sar. You just had to make it weird again.” But she gave her friend a smile of her own before turning and heading out into the night.
* * *
Nyla always enjoyed walking through the village at night. It was quiet and peaceful, and seeing the thousands of lights in the sky almost always brought her joy.
Most of the tribe's homes were lit from within by fires, and placed alongside the path next to the river were a series of torches set alight once the sun set. As she neared the edge of the plateau, however, the light became dimmer and dimmer. Not that it mattered; Nyla had trod this path since she could walk, and she could make her way from one end of the village to the other with her eyes closed.
Most of the village's homes were on the west side of the river, but the Councilor's homes were located on the east side, carved into the plateau near ground level to accommodate their age and lack of mobility. Nyla stole across the narrow bridge that spanned the river, confident her footfalls wouldn't be heard over the water tumbling over the stones.
When she reached the other side of the bridge, she bore to the right. The home belonging to Susarra and Vaxi was only a short distance away, and she could see the dance of shadows created by firelight through the window.
Hugging the wall, she edged closer to the window, grateful the torchlight lining the river didn't stretch all the way to her location. No one on the other side would be able to see her unless they were looking directly at her.
With the window only a foot away, Nyla finally made out two voices, though she could barely hear them over the noise of the river.
“… certain about this, Grandmother?” said a young voice that Nyla recognized as Vaxi's. “I don't want to anger Arantha by defying her wishes.”
Susarra's raised voice came next. “Certain? Don't you question my judgment, girl! Following Kelia's path has led us to the brink of destruction. We must force the Ixtrayu down another path. That is your destiny. Your return will show her, and the rest of the Council, that we need not fear Arantha's wrath just because the Protectress…” she practically spat the word out, “… tells us to.”
Nyla's ears pricked up, and she edged even closer, trying to hear more.
“Nyla?” said a voice from behind her.
Startled, Nyla whipped around to see Katura standing in the entrance to her home, which was right next door to Susarra's. She was clad in a long night-robe that covered her thin frame, and her long, curly white hair was tied back in a knot behind her head. The old Councilor was not glaring at her, but rather looking at her with bemusement.
Abandoning her spot next to Susarra's window, Nyla quickly ran over to where Katura was standing. “Councilor,” she said, trying not to look shamefaced but probably failing.
“What were you doing just now?” Katura's voice was even, much like it was every other time Nyla had spoken to her. Nyla loved the kindly old woman, but she wasn't sure whether Katura would approve of her eavesdropping.
Nyla glanced back at Vaxi's door, hoping Susarra wouldn't walk through it and discover her there. Turning back to Katura, she whispered, “My mother is worried about Vaxi. So am I.”
Katura, seeing Nyla's need for secrecy, also lowered her voice. “And why is that?”
Nyla looked blankly back at her. “I–I don't know. But Mother asked me to keep an eye on her, so that's what I'm doing.”
“Did she now?” Katura drawled. “When did she do that?”
“Before she left.”
“I see.” Katura drew herself up, leaning on her doorframe for support.
“I'm sorry, Councilor. I know I shouldn't spy, but …” She trailed off, casting another worried glance back. “Please don't tell Susarra … I mean, Councilor Susarra I was here, okay?”
Katura leaned forward. “You know, when you get to be my age, your mind often plays tricks on you. You look like Nyla, and you sound like Nyla, but in this light, I can't be sure.” She gave Nyla a toothy smile. “So I'm going to rub my eyes, and when I open them again, I expect to find that I'm talking to myself.”
Nyla broke out in a wide grin. “Thank you, Councilor.”
Katura made a show of stretching out her arms, yawning, and rubbing her eyes with the backs of her hands. Taking the cue, Nyla ran back across the bridge. When she reached the western bank, she turned back to see Katura had reentered her home. Neither Susarra nor Vaxi had shown any signs they'd heard their conversation.
Sighing, Nyla ran back to her home.
Chapter Twenty-Six
K elia's head pounded as she struggled to sit up. She still lay on the dirt between the lake and the metal bird. She turned to her left, where the alien woman also lay, unmoving. In a moment of panic Kelia thought she might have killed her, but the rise and fall of the woman's chest relieved her of that notion. She turned to her right, noticing a body lying prostrate on the ground near the mouth of the cave.
She staggered to her feet and stumbled over to the body. Catching sight of a shock of curly red hair atop his head, she realized this must be the boy she saw in her visions.
Kelia knelt down, turning the boy so that he lay on his back. His breathing was shallow but steady, and she exhaled in relief. She took in the details of the boy's face. Though he was tall and quite muscular, his boyish face betrayed his true age, as well as his resemblance to the woman.
She then turned her attention to the cave itself, which was illuminated from within. There were none of the flickering shadows usually cast by torches or candles, and the light was more intense. Beyond that, though, Kelia sensed something else from deep within the cave. A feeling of something tugging at her, not unlike the pull she felt from the Ixtrayu Stone. The gentle waves emanating from within the cave felt strange and familiar at the same time.
Kelia stood, warily approaching the mouth of the cave, feeling the invisible energy penetrate her body. It gave her strength.
Her mind whirled as she worked out the day's remarkable events. She'd been physically drained by her daylong journey across the desert, and using her Wielding abilities on both Fex and the woman had sapped all her remaining strength, causing her to collapse.
On only three previous occasions had Kelia traveled this far from the village: her three Sojourns. She, like all Ixtrayu with Wielding abilities, was vigorously warned before making those journeys to not, under any circumstances, use her powers while in foreign territory. In kingdoms where no one possessed such abilities, to do so would have serious repercussions, and Kelia had refrained from revealing
her true nature on all three Sojourns. She remembered feeling physically weakened after reaching her destinations, but she assumed that had just been normal fatigue from traveling. She'd never before used her abilities this far from home, from the Ixtrayu Stone. Could this be the reason for her collapse?
She always knew the power that flowed through her came from Arantha, via the Stone. She'd always assumed she could go anywhere on Elystra, and the power would follow her. Now she could only wonder if the Stone's power waned the further away she was from it.
Kelia's mind jolted back to the here and now. She shrugged the heavy robe off her body and folded it as neatly as she could before placing it beneath the boy's head. Then she turned and strode back to where the woman was just beginning to stir. With every step, more of the images she first saw when she touched the woman's forehead crystallized in her mind. They were fantastical.
Images of exotic alien worlds, of beings she could not have imagined in her wildest dreams. Images of the Above, the lights of the Creation that she'd gazed at since she was a child.
After that came images of a beautiful blue-green world, of green forests and vast metal cities home to thousands, millions of people.
And then …
Images of death and devastation. Pyramid-shaped objects dropped from the sky, laying waste to those vast cities, reducing them to twisted, lifeless rubble. Images of bodies, everywhere. Unhonored, unburied. The young, the old, and everyone in between.
Kelia's eyes widened, and tears welled in them.
This woman and this boy have lost their entire world. Stolen by a race stronger than them. She lost her mate, the person she loved more than any, save … her son.
She turned to where the boy still lay. He hadn't moved.
He is her son.
A groan interrupted Kelia's thoughts. The woman pushed herself into a sitting position. She rubbed her temple and coughed slightly before looking up at Kelia.
“What did you do to me?” she croaked.
Kelia gasped. Though the woman was still speaking in her own strange language, Kelia could understand every word.
Thank you, Arantha.
“It is called 'the Sharing',” Kelia said. “A brief joining of minds, where we share experiences and knowledge through images.”
The woman's mouth fell open, and she climbed unsteadily to her feet. “You … you just spoke English.”
Kelia shook her head. “I did not speak … English, as you call it. I spoke in my own tongue.”
“But I can understand you.”
“Yes.” Kelia touched her own forehead. “Our Sharing has allowed us the ability to understand each other.” She strode forward, stopping only a few feet away from the woman. “I apologize for my actions. I was determined to present myself as a peaceful emissary for my people, and I failed.”
The woman looked behind her, at the spot of ground where Kelia had thrown her, before turning back. “It's all right. I'm sorry I shot you.” She nodded at the wound on Kelia's arm. “Does it hurt?”
“Yes.” She, too, looked at the wound, which had stopped bleeding, but a nasty burn mark marred the flesh where the bullet grazed it.
The woman's mouth turned up at the corners. “I guess we both farked up, huh?”
Kelia just stared blankly at her.
“We both made errors in judgment,” the woman said.
“Ah. Agreed.”
Several metal sticks with the circular appendages set up around the encampment activated, bathing the area in a soft white glow that chased away the growing darkness. Turning to the west, both women saw that the sun had almost disappeared behind the tall mountain peak.
“Mom?” said a voice from behind them.
Kelia turned to see the boy staggering toward them. He was clutching his head, having obviously just woken up.
“I'm okay, kiddo,” the woman said. Two more steps, and the boy almost fell into the woman's arms. She wrapped her arms around him, supporting him while he regained his equilibrium. “Are you okay?”
“Just a massive headache,” he mumbled. “I had the most bizarre dream just now. What the hell happened?”
“We're getting to that.”
He disengaged himself from her arms and turned, shuffling his feet as he registered Kelia for the first time. “Who are you?”
Kelia straightened her back, speaking in a practiced, measured voice. “I am Kelia, daughter of Onara, vessel of Arantha, Protectress of the Ixtrayu.”
The two aliens just stared at her for a few moments. They turned to each other, exchanged a look, and then faced her again. “That's … very impressive,” said the woman. “I haven't a clue what it means, though.”
“Um, Mom?” the boy said. “How does she know English?”
The woman opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Finally, she said, “I'll explain later.”
“And by what name are you known?” Kelia asked.
The woman straightened up to her full height, much as Kelia just did, and spoke with the same prideful cadence. “I am Major Maeve Cromack, daughter of, um, Helen,” she said. “Retired Space Corps pilot, commander of the 308th Antares Squadron.” A self-satisfied smile wormed its way onto her face.
“That is also quite impressive,” said Kelia, “and I am equally ignorant of what that means.”
Both women stared at each other for a moment, then their shoulders relaxed.
“And I,” said the boy, puffing his chest out, “am Davin.” He grinned from ear to ear, and Kelia couldn't stop herself from returning one of her own.
Kelia bowed her head. “It is agreeable to meet you, Davin.” She turned to the woman. “And you, Major Maeve Cromack.”
Davin chuckled, and the woman said, “Um, you can just call me Maeve.”
“Then I shall,” Kelia said.
“Dav,” Maeve said, “get the salve. Kelia's been hurt.”
Davin peered at the wound on Kelia's arm. “How'd that happen?”
“Maeve shotted me,” Kelia said plainly.
He turned to Maeve. “You shotted her? Way to go, Mom.”
She smacked him on the shoulder. “Don't start. Just get the med-kit. And bring another chair from the hold, will you?”
“On it.” He strode away from them and headed up the ramp into their ship.
“Would you like to sit down?” Maeve gestured at the table and chairs set up about twenty yards away.
“I would, but first I have to get Fex. I don't want to leave her alone in the dark. She's just down that way.” Kelia pointed down the wadi. “With your permission, I would like to bring her into your encampment. She needs water, and so do I.”
“Fex?”
“My chava.”
Maeve's brows furrowed. “Which is what, exactly?”
Kelia smiled. “You'll see in a moment. I assure you, she's harmless. Do I have your permission to call her?”
Maeve mulled this over for a moment. “Yeah, go ahead.”
Kelia took a few steps forward, cupped her hands to her mouth, and let out a loud, trilling call. Within moments, the sound of something moving their way reached their ears. Something very large and very heavy.
At that moment, the metal lights down the wadi flared into life, shining their bright glare further down the riverbed. Kelia smiled as Fex's enormous bulk came into view, moving toward them at a brisk pace.
Dust flew up from Fex's flanks, her hooves seemingly beating the ground into submission. Kelia cast a glance at Maeve, who stood in awe at her mount's approach and smiled to herself. To Maeve's credit, she remained still, though she did keep her hand close to the weapon she'd wounded Kelia with.
Fortunately, Fex made her approach without knocking over any of the lights, but as soon as she saw Kelia, she broke into a full run.
Out of the corner of her eye, Kelia saw Maeve back up a few more paces. Off to the left, Davin ran down the ramp with a small satchel in one hand and a chair in the other. Hearing the loudening hoof beats, he dropped both as he saw
the chava run towards Kelia and his mother.
Kelia stepped forward, raising her hands. “Stop, Fex!” she commanded.
The beast didn't slow down. It was now only fifty yards away.
Kelia increased her volume. “Fex, stop!”
No effect.
Kelia looked at Maeve, suddenly afraid for her new … friend? Ally? She raised her arms, preparing to use her Wielding abilities to slow the charging chava's progress.
At that instant, Maeve also raised her arms, holding her hands out in front of her. Her eyes were locked on Fex. Then, just barely loud enough for Kelia to hear, she said, “Stop.”
Kelia whipped her head around to look at Fex, who finally broke stride, slowing her pace and coming to a halt only five yards away from them. Fex looked up at Maeve expectantly, as if acknowledging her new master.
Without another word, Kelia moved over to Fex, placing both hands on the beast's nose. She was calm now, panting as she nuzzled Kelia's hands. A low grumble came from her throat, a sign Kelia recognized as contentment.
Kelia turned around to look at Maeve, who still had her hands raised. As Kelia watched in astonishment, Fex curled her four limbs inward, lowering her massive body down until it rested on the dirt of the riverbed. Once settled, she grumbled in acquiescence again.
Maeve was panting as well. The threat over, she lowered her hands and walked slowly forward.
Kelia looked deep into Maeve's eyes. With as much reverence as she could muster, she stammered, “You're … you're a Wielder.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I can't believe that worked, Maeve thought.
Saints alive. I can talk to animals.
I … can talk … to animals.
Davin ran over, giving Fex a wide berth. “Mom, what happened?”
“I just told Kelia's … rhinoceros-looking creature to stop, and it did. Just like the wolf-things last night.” She turned to Kelia, having just registered what the woman said. “What's a Wielder?”
Pawns (The Wielders of Arantha Book 1) Page 19