“It still hurts, though not as much as before. I'll have our healer fix it upon my return.”
“I am so sorry about that.” Maeve cast her eyes to the table. “I panicked. I thought you were going to, well, do something bad to me.”
Kelia just nodded, taking a bite of toast.
“You know,” Maeve said, “we've already determined that I can heal myself. I wonder if I can heal others too.” She pointed at Kelia's shoulder. “Would it be all right if I tried?”
Kelia smiled. “Of course.”
Maeve stood up and moved over to Kelia's side of the table, sitting down next to her. She held her hands in front of her face, unsure what to do next. “You said you have healers in your tribe, right?”
“That is correct.”
“How do they heal? I mean, I don't remember doing anything special to heal myself. It just happened.”
Kelia shrugged. “I do not know. As I am not a Healer, I was never trained in the art. However, when I began my Elemental training, the first thing I was taught was how to calm my mind. It was not a lesson easily learned in my youth, but without it, I could not have learned to harness the power of Arantha. I would imagine being a Healer is no different.”
Maeve exhaled, and pursed her lips. “It sounds a lot like combat training. My instructor at the Academy was a master of shodokan aikido. He was the most unflappable S.O.B. you'd ever want to meet. But damn, he could dole out a beating.” Seeing Kelia's puzzled expression, Maeve continued, “Never mind. Let's give this a shot.”
Kelia leaned in closer to Maeve, who used her hands to encircle Kelia's arm, taking care not to touch the wound beneath the bandage. She closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to empty her mind of extraneous thoughts. Then she focused on the sounds around her. The faint whisper of a breeze, the buzz of tiny insects as they flitted to and fro, the rasp of her own breathing.
Focus, Maeve thought. Focus. Focus.
Nothing.
Calm. Serene. Placid. Quiet. Relaxed.
Nothing.
Shite. Shite. Shite.
She let go of Kelia's arm, shaking her head. “I'm sorry. It's not working.”
Kelia smiled, placing a reassuring hand on Maeve's shoulder. “Don't worry, no one gets it to work the first time. When my daughter Nyla first manifested her abilities, it took everyone by surprise.” She chuckled. “She nearly set my hair on fire.”
Maeve's eyes widened. “Ouch.”
“I soon discovered that asking an eleven-year-old to quiet her mind is like asking the sun to stand still.”
“Ain't that the truth,” said Maeve, laughing.
“Try again.”
Maeve obeyed, replacing her hands on Kelia's arm.
“This time, don't try so hard,” Kelia advised. “Focus on me.” Their eyes met, and Maeve put her thumbs over Kelia's wound. “When we had our first shared vision, I saw a large scar on your back.”
Maeve felt her cheeks flush. “You saw a lot more than just my scar. If I recall, I was wearing about as much as you were a little while ago.”
“Yes,” Kelia said with a cheeky grin. “That was one of the more interesting visions I've ever had.”
Maeve shifted in her seat, silently willing the blood not to rush to her face as she focused on the bandage. Saints, what is wrong with me? I'm a grown-arse woman, and I'm acting like a giddy teenager! “You asked about my scar,” she said, gratefully changing the subject. “I thought you had all my memories through the Sharing?”
Kelia shook her head. “It has been my experience, from helping others perform this ritual, that not all memories are shared; only the most vivid ones.”
“How do you help others do it?”
“Most Ixtrayu are not Wielders. The Sharing generally occurs when two perform a Bonding ceremony. I act as a conduit between them, allowing them share their thoughts with each other. It only lasts a few minutes. To Share all of one's memories would require the contact to last for many hours. Ours was much briefer than that.”
“I see. Well, how I got my scar is a good story; I'm just not sure I can tell it in a way you'll understand.”
“Just do your best,” Kelia said soothingly.
“All right.” Maeve took a deep breath. “Some years ago, before Davin was born, we received signals from the Denebian system, a collection of worlds circling a sun much like yours. Anyway, we thought the race who sent the signals, the Vaal, were sending out a message of peace. So my squadron was sent in to accompany an ambassador to make first contact.”
“I gather it didn't go well.”
“No. It was an ambush. Little bastards set a trap, and we waltzed right into it. We had them outgunned in every conceivable way. They were like … a little kid in the schoolyard, trying to take the big kid down. Does that make sense?”
Kelia nodded. “I believe I understand. Continue.”
“I was unlucky enough to be the first one hit. I lost control of my fighter, and I ended up crash-landing on the fourth planet in the system.” She paused, inhaling and looking deep into Kelia's eyes. “Does this world have lightning storms?”
“It does,” Kelia said. “Their arrival marks the end of the dry season.”
“Well, imagine the worst storm you've ever seen, multiply it by a hundred, and that's every single day on Denebius IV. The technology that allows my ship to fly just stopped working, and I crashed into a mountain. I'm lucky I survived at all.
“When I regained consciousness, my back felt like it was on fire. A piece of metal had torn itself free and ripped right through it.” She winced. “I was lucky enough to find a cave where I could take shelter. Thank the Saints I had enough oxygen and medicine to keep myself alive until the rescue teams found me. It took them an hour to beat the Vaal into submission, and two days to find me. They told me it was a miracle we survived.”
“We?” Kelia asked.
“Yes. I was four months pregnant with Davin at the time. Another month, and I'd've been put on restricted duty. But those little shites damn near cost me and my unborn son our lives. I've been in fights, lots of them, but I'd never come that close to death before. I was proud of that scar. It reminded me of how I fought to stay alive.” Maeve chuffed under her breath. “And now it's gone. All my scars are gone. I'm not sure whether I should be thankful or not. Those scars were part of who I am.”
She looked at Kelia, who had her eyes closed and was breathing deeply. Maeve became aware that she was still holding Kelia's arm. Just then, Kelia's deep brown eyes opened, locking on Maeve. “Remove the bandage.”
Anticipation building, Maeve used her fingernails to peel up the edge of the dermaplast bandage. It came off, to reveal a patch of nearly-clear skin. There wasn't a single trace of the bullet wound from the previous night except for a tiny scar barely an inch long.
Maeve's eyes nearly leapt out of her head. “Bugger me.” Then, smiling broadly, she faced Kelia. “I did it!”
Kelia smiled warmly, rubbing her palm over the healed skin. “Well done, Maeve. Even Katura couldn't have done it better.”
Maeve was still reeling from her accomplishment. “Wow. Thank you, Kelia. You're an excellent teacher.”
Kelia bowed her head. “I enjoyed your story.”
“Wow,” Maeve repeated. “This healing power sure would've come in handy a week ago. The headaches I was having were some of the worst I'd ever had. It would've been nice to …” A thought struck her, and she stood up, turning her back on Kelia and walking several paces away.
“Maeve?” Kelia said, standing up. “What is it?”
She wasn't listening. Her mind was going at the speed of light, as something Richard said a week before his death chose that moment to flash through her mind. “Denebius IV,” she murmured. “Holy farking shite.”
Maeve realized Kelia was staring at her. “We came here looking for an energy source that we were told would help us beat the Jegg. This energy source turned out to be the Stone we found.
“We had several o
ther planets to choose from. Two were gas-planets that we didn't have the means to search. One was deep in the heart of Jegg territory, and the other was Denebius IV. That can only mean … there's a Stone on Denebius IV.”
Kelia gasped. “A Stone of Arantha?”
“Yes. If what Banikar said was correct, maybe there are Stones littered all over the galaxy. If there really is one on Denebius IV, maybe I came into contact with it without knowing it. It … changed me, somehow, someway that I didn't even realize, and that's why this is happening to me now. All I remember besides the crash are the horrible headaches I suffered during those two days on that awful planet. When I woke up, I was back on Earth and the headaches were gone.”
“Until you came here,” Kelia offered, “and you found another Stone.” A knowing smile crept across her face. “It is as I said: you were chosen by Arantha. She was shaping your destiny, even before you knew her name.”
A small, black bird with a curved beak and a tuft of red feathers jutting from its head flapped down and landed on the dining table. It gave out a high-pitched trill as it folded its wings into its side.
The women watched as the bird studied the remnants of their breakfast, no doubt wondering if they were edible. Then, it picked up a small crumb of toast in its beak and swallowed it in one motion. Apparently satisfied that it wasn't poisonous, it set about picking more crumbs off the plate.
An idea struck Maeve. Holding her hands out in front of her, she concentrated on their winged guest. “Come to me,” she said, just above a whisper.
The bird, bobbing up and down as it fed, jerked its head around to look at Maeve. A few seconds later, it spread its wings and took off, flying the short distance to Maeve and perching on her outstretched wrist. It trilled again, looking at Maeve as if seeking approval.
“Fly in a circle,” Maeve whispered, using the index finger on her other hand to make a circular motion.
Without a moment's hesitation, the bird spread its wings again and flew from Maeve's wrist, but it didn't go far. Keeping low to the ground, it flew around them in a tight circle, never more than ten yards away. It trilled as it flew, clearly pleased to be doing Maeve's bidding.
Maeve lowered her hands and nodded her head silently, and the bird flew up into the morning sky. The two women watched it go.
As it disappeared over the rim of the basin, Kelia turned to Maeve. “Do you believe in Arantha now?”
Maeve stared at her hands, looking at them as if for the first time. Turning back to Kelia, she said, “I'm getting there.”
Chapter Thirty
W hile Davin slept on the ship, Kelia and Maeve spent the whole day talking. The Stone was now a centerpiece on the makeshift dining table. They conversed about the wonders of technology on Maeve's home planet of Earth, and of the Terran Confederation. When the topic turned toward the Jegg, Kelia saw Maeve's entire body go rigid and her eyes become haunted. Not wanting to broach such a sensitive subject, Kelia steered the conversation to that of the Ixtrayu and Wielding. Kelia even gave her new friend an impressive display of her water-Wielding ability, twisting and shaping a large volume of lake water into various geometrical patterns. She sent one stream of water corkscrewing over the lake's surface, from one end to the other and back again, before dumping it on top of Fex, who snorted gratefully for the impromptu shower.
Immediately thereafter, Fex relieved himself. A lot. A vast mound of green, semi-solid foulness that wasted no time infecting the air with its stench.
While Maeve ran to get a hand-shovel, Kelia used her earth-Wielding ability to create a large hole in the ground. Maeve arrived in moments to shovel the noxious dung into the hole and cover it with dirt. By the time they finished, Fex had resumed sleeping.
“Saints,” Maeve said after they resumed their seats at the table. “That shite smells as bad as a Chethran wamzu during mating season.”
Kelia quirked an eyebrow. “What is that?”
“An animal that lives on the planet Chethra. They like to wallow in swamp mud, and when you combine the mud with their sweat, it gives off an odor that attracts female wamzus. It's one of the foulest-smelling things in the known universe. And if that isn't bad enough, when they're done mating, they emit a howl that will split your eardrums in half.” Maeve grinned. “Don't get me wrong: Fex is a magnificent animal, but I hope I never smell what comes out of her arse ever again.”
Kelia laughed. marveling at how incredible the last day had been. True, her first face-to-face meeting with Maeve had been disastrous. True, these beings did not have the answers she sought. Even so, she would not trade this experience for anything. She was among people from the Above who, though they were centuries beyond the denizens of Elystra, they were just people at their heart. A mother and son, who valued family and friends as much as Kelia's people did.
In only a day, despite their initial difficulties, she and Maeve had become friends. A Terran and an Elystran. A soldier and a Protectress. Two leaders. Two mothers. Two Wielders.
But it was more than that. Ever since her first vision of Maeve, Kelia felt something stir within her that she'd not felt since Ilora's death. Glimpsing Maeve's naked body had Kelia thinking thoughts she had not dared think for more than twelve years.
In her lifetime, she'd only ever had passionate, lustful feelings for Ilora. She'd never wanted to be with anyone else, not even Runa, her best friend. She'd intended to grow old with Ilora, to share her bed and raise their daughters and granddaughters together. But when she was only twenty-four years old, Kelia's companion was taken away from her, and out of respect for Ilora's memory, she couldn't bring herself to choose another companion from within the tribe.
Despite being born on another world, Maeve possessed many of the same qualities that Ilora had. Maeve was not a huntress but a soldier, and like most soldiers Kelia had met on her Sojourns, their personalities were tinged with hardness, by a life spent training to fight and die for their king. Maeve possessed such a hardness, but it was a shell that hid a vulnerable and fragile soul. So much like Ilora. And like Ilora, Maeve was also beautiful, and strong, and womanly.
Kelia imagined what it would be like to make love to Maeve. To kiss her full lips. To feel her body pressed up against her own, their arms and legs entwined. To caress her light-skinned face and stare into her deep, violet eyes as they succumbed to their roiling passions.
She harrumphed. This is the height of foolishness. I just met this woman, and yet I feel myself almost uncontrollably drawn to her. Why? Has the Sharing created a deeper connection than I originally thought? Am I just … lonely? I am a strong, healthy woman, in the prime of my life, and yet I have denied myself the pleasures of the flesh for twelve years. Do I feel this way because Maeve is the first non-Ixtrayu I've encountered in all that time? Or am I just fascinated with her because she's alien to this world?
Kelia knew a relationship between herself and Maeve was impossible. They were, literally, from different worlds. Eventually, she and her son would leave Elystra, never to return. On top of that, Maeve had chosen a man as her companion. Having never been close to a man in that way, she could only wonder if Maeve's connection to him lasted even after his death. She also wondered if it was part of Terran culture for a woman to be intimate with another woman.
She would give anything to find out.
Kelia realized she was staring. “May I ask you a question, Maeve? If it's not too personal, I mean.”
Maeve smiled warmly. “Go ahead.”
“Do many of your race have purple hair?”
A chuckle, accompanied by a broad grin. “Really? I'm from the other side of the galaxy, and you want to know about my hair?”
“I am merely curious. Some Elystrans have fair hair; others have hair as dark as the night. Some in the country of Rhys even have red hair, not unlike Davin's. But I never imagined a person could have hair in such a vibrant purple.”
Maeve grasped a strand of her hair in her hand, then met Kelia's gaze. “I was actually born wi
th black hair, just like my mother and father. However, on my world, we can manipulate our genetic code so we can choose whatever hair and eye color we want.”
Kelia's eyes widened. “That is … astounding.”
“I once knew a girl who changed her colors every couple of months. Every color of the rainbow. You name it, she tried it at some point. Once she even made her eyes white. Which was just creepy, if you ask me. I mean, white on white? She looked like an albino zombie.”
“I see … I think.” Kelia grinned. “Why did you choose purple?”
“I just like the color. It's the same color as the flowers that used to grow near my parents' house in Cork. That's the name of their, um, village.”
“It is one of my favorite colors as well.”
“May I ask you a question?” Maeve asked, placing her arms on the table.
“Of course.”
“Can you fly?
“Fly?”
“Yes. I mean, you made me do it, I was wondering if you could do it yourself.”
Kelia quirked an eyebrow. “Oh, you mean my air-Wielding. I controlled the air surrounding you, using it to keep you off the ground.”
“I see. It certainly was intense to experience.”
“I have used this technique on my daughter, but then, she does not weigh very much. The more something weighs, the harder it is for me, and the faster it drains me.” Kelia nodded toward Fex, who was still dozing. “I had to lift Fex up to the top of a rock she couldn't climb on her own. I'd never had to lift anything so heavy before.”
“Yeah, she is a heavyweight,” Maeve agreed. “Have you ever tried it on yourself?”
“When I was younger, I had dreams of flying over the Ixtrayu's territory like a great wingless bird. However, I quickly discovered that the strength to accomplish such a feat is beyond even the most powerful Wielder.”
“That's too bad.”
“Indeed. But I think I would be willing to attempt it again.”
“Really?”
Kelia gave a mischievous smile. “I don't see why not.”
Pawns (The Wielders of Arantha Book 1) Page 22