by Lara Morgan
‘I leave tomorrow,’ Attar shouted after him. ‘You know where to find me.’
His shoulders stiff with frustration, Tallis kept walking.
Alterin looked down from her hut, high in the oonunga tree, and watched the man from the desert go into Mishi’s hut. His expression was troubled and she could feel his turmoil buzzing in her mind like a river bug. Ever since he had come to them she had found it almost impossible to rest. His presence was a heavy fog that shrouded her and she longed to throw it off. And now there was yet more to add to her worries.
She had met Magdi in the dreamscape the night before. Seer before her, and long since gone to the lands beyond the Veil, Magdi would not have left the dreaming lands on a whim. What she had told her had set dread in her soul, and for the first time in the twelve years since she had been named Seer, Alterin was filled with self-doubt. A fell presence was rushing toward them like a storm, and she feared the part she would have to play in it even more than she feared the abilities of the strange man from the dead lands.
‘Alterin,’ Anyu said quietly behind her. ‘You must not display your worries so clearly, it will frighten the people.’
The old headman came up beside her and touched her brow. ‘The frown is so deep in your skin that you cheat time by growing old before it can take you. Come, sit.’ He drew her away from the open window. Closing the shutters, he made her sit with him on the thick woven mat in the middle of her receiving room.
With a sigh she leaned forward and struck a flint to the twist of palm frond soaked in fragrant oil, watching it smolder slowly in the small bowl.
‘Have you seen anymore that can help us know when the Fallen will return?’ Anyu looked at her through the pale smoke.
She shook her head, avoiding his eye. ‘No. But that he is coming is certain. The Spirits told me that a man would come from the dead lands, that he would whisper my name, and be the warning of one who would follow. There is no doubt that Tallis is that man.’
‘He whispered your true name?’
‘He is the one,’ Alterin answered. ‘That is all I will say.’
Anyu looked annoyed, but only said, ‘And what of the other one?’
She frowned. ‘The spirits have told me nothing of him.’
‘He is not like the other?’
‘No, but he comes also from the dead lands. Tallis is attached to him as a brother.
Anyu coughed and spat into a small container of bamboo at his waist. ‘I do not question the spirits who guided us to bring these men into our village and tend to them, but I worry for the outcome.’ His eyes watered in the smoke. ‘The warrior who rides the semorphim will leave soon. How do we know they will go with him? One is still injured and the other walks with fear in his tread. Are we supposed to keep them both here, or do the spirits have other plans for them?’
‘I don’t know. Whatever their reasons, I am sure they seek to protect us as best they can.’
‘But how will they protect us from Him? The Fallen is powerful – moreso than the spirits – and he will not be pleased to learn we have turned from him.’
‘We have not turned from him,’ Alterin said. ‘He was sent from us. He cannot blame us for that. It was his doing. Our ancestors needed guidance in those years after his loss; they turned back to the spirits to fill that need. Perhaps he will be pleased to see his people survived, even though he had gone.’
Anyu shook his head, his eyes worried. ‘His coming fills me with dread and I cannot think he will be pleased. I fear his wrath may be terrible.’
‘What good would it do him to destroy us?’
He clasped her hand, his yellowed eyes bright with worry. ‘He is a god, Alterin. What concerns would he have with good or no?’
‘Was a god,’ she corrected him. ‘He was a god, Anyu. He could not be as powerful now as he once was, or all lands would be under his sway already. ‘No.’ She shook her head. ‘He is not yet again a god, but he is coming here to reclaim his birthright and when he comes we will have to bow to him and pay him his due for he will have some power. But you must not worry, I do not think he comes to destroy.’
‘I will hope you are right.’ Anyu let go her hand. ‘But to protect our people I think I will have all young mothers and their children sent down river to stay with the Marlu.’
‘That is wise. I will send Balan with them, she will ensure they are taken care of.’
Anyu sighed. ‘And you do not know when he will come?’
‘No, but a heaviness presses on me, like the hand of a giant covering the earth. It has been so since the strangers came.’
‘And what of the man, Tallis; you fear him?’
Surprised at the old man’s perception, Alterin didn’t answer for a moment. She said carefully, ‘I am not so much afraid of him, as what he is capable of. It would be better for us all if he left with the warrior. His being here is a warning, but also a burden. His presence is like a palm thorn in my foot and I would gladly be rid of it.’
‘But perhaps you would not mind if the other were to stay?’ Anyu said almost slyly.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, you have tended him most diligently.’
‘He is badly injured,’ Alterin retorted. ‘There is a high chance of infection, especially for those not born here. I only do what I must to ensure he is well enough to travel as soon as he can.’
‘Of course,’ Anyu said and with a grunt, he put his hands on the floor and pushed himself to his feet. ‘I must go now and arrange for the children to leave. It is lucky,’ he said catching her eye, ‘that you do not have any children to worry over.’
Alterin bit back a retort as she followed him to the ladder. Few seers before her had had children, and many like herself had not had a mate, but Anyu was the father of her mother; she knew that if he had had the choice, he would rather have seen her with a mate and child than be a Seer. But it had not been his choice. Alterin sighed and kissed his cheek, promising to eat the evening meal at his hut, before he descended the ladder to the walkway below. She watched him walk slowly away and thought about the stranger from the dead lands, lying below in Mishi’s hut. She would not lie to herself; she had noticed he was handsome to look on. But as a mate? She frowned, he was so different to her own kind.
She looked down at Mishi’s hut and her heart beat faster. She wanted to go and check on him, but Tallis had gone in there. She did not want to see him, but she knew his coming here was no accident. The things she had seen in his mind: the semorphim, black-winged and foul; the woman that looked so much like him; and the barren desert lands where the ancient Guides of the clans held sway – all of these things were linked somehow to the Fallen, for good or for ill.
Tallis had power in him. He had breached the boundaries of her mind without effort, and that was no easy feat. As Seer, her whole life had been devoted to training her mind. She could soothe and calm another without opening herself to their fears, or travel the Place of Dreams and not lose her sanity in the tangled ways. And yet, she sensed he could do more, much more.
There was a great power in him, but he did not know how to control it. He was dangerous and yet she couldn’t help thinking: was he more than just a warning of the Fallen’s return? Could he be the one to save them?
She stared down at the hut, feeling his presence, and fighting with herself over what to do. He was more than she had thought, but should she be the one to tell him? And what of the woman she had seen in his mind? Alterin had felt the connection between them. She was also important, but why?
Alterin stood staring down, but then annoyed with her vacillation, made her decision and placed one foot firmly on the ladder, forcing herself to go down. She could not hide here. She was Seer of this village, it was her duty. Uneasiness roiling in her belly, she walked the few steps to Mishi’s hut and, taking a deep breath, pushed aside the door flap and entered.
Tallis was sitting beside Jared on the floor when Alterin entered. He looked up then immediately looke
d away, his heart thudding in surprise. But she barely acknowledged him. She crossed the floor with quick steps and kneeled down on the other side of Jared, leaning over to stare into his face. Jared’s eyelids flickered open and he smiled weakly as he saw her before falling back into sleep.
Watching her, Tallis wondered what she was thinking. As though realising his thoughts, she suddenly looked at him. ‘Your shoulder needs tending,’ she said quietly.
‘It’s fine.’ He stood to leave. ‘I should go.’
‘No, wait.’
‘Attar will be looking for me,’ he lied. He wanted to get out of there as quickly as he could. He remembered the feeling of her fear from before. He didn’t trust himself not to hurt her again.
‘Who is the woman I saw in your mind?’ she said and he stopped, his breath caught in his throat. ‘I felt the connection between you,’ Alterin continued. ‘Who is she, why are you afraid for her?’
His heart thudded. Her question was so unexpected. ‘I have to go,’ he muttered and made for the door.
‘Wait! We must not deny what has happened. You cannot hide from yourself.’
He turned to her. She was half his size, but the look in her eyes was resolute. ‘Do not be afraid for me,’ she said. ‘You will not hurt me again. Who was that woman?’
He hesitated to tell her. ‘What else did you see?’
‘Many things. The land of your birth, semorphim hungry for blood, and a well of power that you don’t know how to control.’
‘Power I hurt you with,’ he said warningly.
‘I am not afraid of you,’ she said ‘I felt you coming. The spirits warned me one such as you would come, that you would speak my true name. It means witness.’
Uriel. Tallis remembered whispering it, hearing it in his mind.
‘The spirits’ naming has now come true.’ Her eyes darkened. ‘You are the first sign. A time of change is coming, and little of it will be good. A storm rides on your back desert man . . . you feel it, I saw it in your mind.’
Tallis tried not to show how her words shook him. Was he to bring death and destruction even here? ‘What is it you want of me?’ he said.
She rose and came toward him and her small hand curled, warm and soft, around his wrist. He went rigid with tension, afraid to look at her for fear of what had happened before. ‘You must learn to control your power, Tallis. It is a great gift; but it comes with a price, one you cannot pay here. You must learn to leash it from those who are more like you.’
‘You want me to leave?’
‘You must.’ Her fingers were firm. ‘You know you cannot stay, you must go with the warrior tomorrow.’ She glanced at Jared, ‘He will understand’.
Tallis’s throat was tight and dry. ‘I won’t leave him.’
‘Look at me.’ There was a slight tremor in her voice, but there was also command in it and slowly, carefully, he met her gaze. Her dark brown eyes seemed to swallow his own.
‘You must leave. When the Fallen comes he will feel your power and he will not stand for it. He will kill you and you will not be able to stop him because you do not know how to wield your own power. But I will offer you some advice: your power is like the great river, to control it you must dam it, form a boundary against it with your mind and let only a small flow out at a time. Use only what you must.’
‘Who is this Fallen?’ Tallis was shaken by her words.
‘The Fallen is the god who once ruled us all,’ she said. ‘He is master of the semorphim, their creator, and to him we are all slaves.’
‘But why would he kill me? The clans were never ruled by any such as him. We have our own Guides.’
‘Yes, the dead lands are closed to him. The ancients that rule the sands are older even than he, older than any and he has never breached them.’ Alterin let go his arm, her dark eyes sombre. ‘But your Guides will not protect you here, Tallis.’
Tallis shook his head. ‘So what do you expect me to do? Leave, run away?’
‘Yes, you must leave with the warrior so you can learn to control your power. I don’t know if I have seen clearly, but this power within you, it may one day save us from the Fallen’s dominion.’
‘This power I have is a sickness,’ Tallis said. ‘And it has brought nothing but pain, both for me and my clan. I will not let it drive me to abandon Jared after what he has sacrificed.’ Anger sickening his insides, he turned away. ‘I will not leave him,’ he repeated and left the hut.
Stepping across the bridge to the main walkway, he leaned heavily on the railing taking deep breaths of the damp jungle air. The wood creaked beneath his hands. Jared had almost died and now she asked him to abandon him? And her talk of this god returning, and the power he might have to defeat him – this power he despised. He felt lost and confused. What was happening to him?
High up in the cloud-veiled sky, Marathin circled, her wings spread wide as she glided on the thermals, a dark shadow against the grey cloud. The thrumming beat sounded deep in his chest as he looked at her.
I saw what you did, I know what you are. Sickness filled him. What was he? In despair, he reached for the presence of Shaan inside, the only link to family he had left, but with a shot of fear he realised he could barely feel her. It was as though she were shrouded from him, hidden. Was she dead? In a panic he tried to search for her as he had done in Salmut. The breath expelled from his body as he sought the pulsing heat of her life force. He stared up at the sky, straining to feel her. The world dimmed to grey and blackness danced at the edges of his vision. He was so intent he barely registered the screeching cry of Marathin. In triumph, his mind brushed Shaan’s, but it was as though he hit a wall of iron. A sound like a gong reverberated through his mind, his knees hit the floor of the walkway as he rebounded back from her mind in a searing rush of pain. His head was ringing and he did not sense the serpent until she was nearly upon him. Her shadow fell over him, her great wings beating the air, and the smell of her breath, pungent with carrion, made him gag as she shrieked into his mind. He is coming! He is coming! He stared up into her green eye, her terror sweeping over him.
36
Tallis rose slowly to his feet, staring after the serpent, his heart pounding. Footsteps sounded behind him and, turning, he saw Alterin coming out of the hut. He looked back again at the sky. The serpent had gone, but something else had appeared: a dark winged shape, just below the level of cloud to the west was moving toward them. His insides dropped.
‘Alterin!’ He turned to her.
‘The Fallen is coming,’ she said, staring up at the sky. ‘I heard the semorphim. We must prepare.’ She tried to slip past him, but he stepped in front of her.
‘Wait! It’s not the Fallen. I’ve seen that before, it’s a rogue serpent. It will kill you,’ he stared at her, but her face was set. ‘Alterin, please you must hide everyone now!’ The Guide’s forsake him. Had he brought death to these people as well?
‘We cannot hide,’ she said. ‘I told you he was coming, Tallis, you must go. Find the warrior and leave. You can’t help us.’ She pushed him aside and ran down the walkway, calling the name of the headman as she sprinted toward the other end of the village.
‘Alterin!’ Tallis shouted after her, but she paid him no heed. With a grunt of frustration he ran into Mishi’s hut. ‘Jared!’ He fell to his knees by the mat and gently took his arm. ‘Jared!’
‘What is it?’ He looked blearily at him.
‘One of the creatures is coming.’
‘Here?’ His eyes opened wider and he struggled to push himself up.
‘I’m sure it’s one of them. I saw it in the sky, just like the others.’
‘Help me up.’ He winced and tried to rise. ‘Where are the serpents?
‘No.’ Tallis put a hand on his shoulder. ‘You aren’t healed.’
But Jared ignored him, pushing off the thin covers. ‘Where’s Alterin?’
He shook his head in frustration. ‘I don’t know, she wouldn’t listen to me. She was talking about th
e Fallen coming.’
‘The Fallen?’ Jared gripped Tallis’s arm and hauled himself up to a sitting position.
‘I don’t know.’ Tallis shook his head. ‘She thinks it’s some god coming back from the dead.’
Jared pointed at his trousers on the floor. ‘Pass me those, I have to find her.’
‘Can you convince her to make them hide?’ Tallis helped him to his feet.
‘I don’t know.’
‘If they don’t hide, it will kill them all.’
‘No.’ Jared’s face was fierce. ‘We won’t let . . .’ he broke off as a low-pitched horn sounded outside. They looked at each other. ‘Come on,’ Jared said.
‘But you can hardly walk.’
‘I’m fine.’
Tallis’s heart clenched to see him so pale. He had lost weight. His trousers, tied as tightly as possible, still sat low on his hipbones. But the look in his eye was determined.
‘All right,’ Tallis said. ‘You go after Alterin and I’ll find Attar. We will have to fly out to meet it, stop it getting to the village.’
Not bothering to put on a shirt, Jared nodded and they went outside.
The serpent was closer. Tallis could make out wings beating the air.
‘Where’s Attar?’ Jared said.
‘I think he’s by the river.’
His guts churning he turned to go, but Jared gripped his forearm tightly, stalling him. ‘Hunt well, earth brother,’ he said.
It was the words one Jalwalah warrior said to another before going to battle. Filled with a sudden dark premonition, Tallis laid his own hand on Jared’s, gripping it hard.
‘Find shade,’ he replied and they stared at one another for a moment, then Tallis leaped down from the walkway to the ground. He rolled as he hit the earth, then was up on his feet and running for the river.
He glanced back once to see Jared loping along the walkway, but forced himself to turn away and sprinted toward the bank past the villagers who were coming out of the jungle and running toward the huts, staring upwards. He ran harder. He found Attar upriver, knee deep in the water, trying desperately to calm both the serpents who were diving and swooping above the surface, letting out high-pitched cries. The beating of their wings whipped the trees on the bank and created small waves that foamed and swirled on the shore.