by Lara Morgan
Muttering her thanks Mailun turned away.
‘Let’s hope she’s truthful,’ Irissa grumbled, then began rummaging in her pack. ‘Do you have any dried berries left?’ Mailun shook her head, wondering how Irissa could eat with so many people about, shoving them here and there.
She skirted past a group of arguing men and then saw something that made her stop. Her heart gave a shocked leap and her breath froze in her throat as she saw a dark-haired man making his way through the crowd. Not noticing she’d stopped Irissa bumped into the back of her, but Mailun didn’t hear her muttered curse.
It couldn’t be. Her eyes tracked the tall man walking diagonally across the square, not five people away from her. She stared, wanting to deny what her eyes told her, but she could not. His hair was a little longer, but still dark, and a short beard covered his chin; but she would have known him anywhere – Rorc. That walk, the way he moved, she remembered that, had loved to watch him, the sinuous grace of his body. He was older now, but still a fine, handsome man. He turned her way as he manoeuvred around a child and, with a jolt of fright, she stepped back, half hiding behind Irissa as his green eyes swept the area and then away.
‘What is it?’ Irissa cast about, looking for the source of her sudden fear.
But Mailun only looked at her, and then her gaze was drawn back again, watching as he disappeared from her sight. What could she tell her? That the man who had once meant everything to her, that had been her life, was here in this city? Or perhaps she should tell her that Tallis’s father, the man who didn’t know he had a son, the man who had deserted her, had just walked past them.
‘Mailun?’ Irissa looked at her worried.
‘Nothing, it’s nothing,’ she said faintly. ‘Come.’ She turned and led her in the opposite direction.
‘Where are you going?’ Irissa protested. ‘What about the shop?’
‘We’ll find another,’ Mailun said. Her heart in turmoil, she turned instinctively toward the sea, pain curling around her soul like a vice. She was so fixed on her fear she didn’t hear Irissa gasp in shock, clutch her arm and pull her to a stop, staring up at the sky.
A wash of shadow blocked out the light, and all around people cried out as a great flock of serpents, dipping and shrieking flew over the city as one and winged away to the north.
38
Shaan jerked awake, her head knocking against the wall behind her. She was sitting on a narrow platform circling the hut built high in the trees and had dozed off. The day was damp and hot and a dull ache echoed behind her eyes. She had been dreaming of Tallis again and it had left her with a hollow, sick feeling of misery. She rubbed a hand over her face. She had been dreaming of him too often. But it was better than the dreams of Torg and Tuon, their bodies wreathed in flame, better than the dreams of Balkis. Were these dreams even her own? Or did Azoth send them to torment her?
She shuddered and, pulling what little she had left of her dress over her knees, stared down at the village. It was hard to believe that Tallis had been here when they’d arrived, that he had passed by her so close. It had been a shock to see him and the other rider. She should have felt him, but she had been so intent on shielding thoughts of him from Azoth that she hadn’t stopped to think that maybe she would also be shielding him from herself. Now she could not feel him at all and dared not risk reaching out in case Azoth discerned him in her mind.
Not long after they’d arrived, she had dared to ask him why he’d let the serpents and their riders go so easily when he seemed so intent on bringing all serpents and humans under his control.
He’d laughed at her. ‘The semorphim will come back,’ he’d said. ‘When you find what I seek, they will all return to me.’ It was night and he’d been standing by the window, shirtless, looking down at the village. Sweat had gleamed across his brown skin, the finely sculpted muscles of his back highlighted by the light of the flickering lamps. With his face hidden, he’d almost looked like the young man his body proclaimed him to be, but then he’d turned and that dark, ancient gaze had regarded her.
‘Those who do not return, who seek to betray me again, will perish,’ he’d said. ‘But there will not be many and I can wait. I do not rush after my children. They must follow me. They feel their need for me in their blood, in their bones – as you do.’ His gaze had reached across the small space to where she’d sat on the floor, and she’d wanted to press herself further against the wall.
He’d smiled. ‘You fight me my love, but you will see. Even if I let you go, you would yearn to return. I have no doubt the Stone will make it so.’ He’d walked to her and had kneeled down to lightly caress her face. ‘Soon all will come to me willingly. Those who do not will be shown no mercy – even you. I will not suffer betrayal again.’ He had tilted his head, watching his thumb trace her lower lip, and Shaan had barely been able to breathe, overcome with revulsion and desire. When he’d kissed her lightly, she’d been unable to resist, as if she were held in a mould of iron. Then he’d drawn back his hand from her chin. ‘Leave me afterward if you must, when I hold what I seek, but do not think you will ever truly escape. Or that I would forget you forsaking me.’
The gentle laugh he had made as he’d stood and walked outside still haunted her – as did her own inability to resist him. Curling her hands into fists, she stared down through the branches at the walkway below. All she could think of now was escape.
The floorboards reverberated as feet moved across the floor inside the hut. Azoth was in there with the old headman now; she could hear his deep, smooth voice murmuring. It made her stomach taught and her shoulder blades contract. She wanted to speak to Jared, to find out what he knew, but Azoth had not let her near anyone since they’d arrived two days ago.
A shuffling of leaves made her tense: someone was coming up the rope ladder. She winced as she put her injured hand down to lean forward to see who it was. A shiny-haired head appeared at the edge of the platform. Brown eyes looked at her and she realised it was the woman who owned the hut. A small hand beckoned her over.
‘Your hand,’ she whispered, ‘you’re hurt. Come with me, I will help you.’ She looked furtively around. ‘He is inside?’
‘Yes,’ Shaan whispered back.
‘Then come, come now.’ The woman beckoned her again.
Shaan hesitated. If Azoth came out and she wasn’t there he might be angry. But then a surge of self-disgust propelled her away from the wall. Let him be. She motioned to the woman to go down and climbed down the swaying rope after her.
‘This way.’ The woman led her to a small hut not far from the base of the tree. Pushing back a woven door covering she disappeared inside.
Glancing over her shoulder, Shaan followed. The only furnishing inside was a thick mat on the floor and a small stone trough. Jared was standing by the window looking out.
‘Shaan!’ He crossed the floor in three strides and hugged her hard, picking her up off the floor in his enthusiasm, then he held her at arm’s length, taking in her gaunt appearance, the shadows under her eyes. ‘I’m so glad to see you alive,’ he said gently.
She smiled, suddenly awkward. ‘So am I. But what happened to you, how did you get here? And Tallis, where has he gone?’
Jared squeezed her shoulders. ‘We were set upon by the beasts. One took a dislike to me.’ He turned to show her the bandage across his back. ‘Tallis chased them off. We came here to heal.’ His gaze flickered to Alterin. ‘Tallis was hurt also, but not so badly. When we saw you coming . . .’ He shook his head. ‘We thought it was the rogues again. Tallis and Attar went out on the serpents to fight. I don’t know why they left. I can only think it was not his choice. If he’d known you were coming he would have fought the beasts themselves to see you.’
Shaan shook her head. ‘It’s good he went. If Azoth knew of him he would not have let him go so easily.’
‘Why?’
‘Because he is her brother,’ Alterin said. ‘And he would want to claim him. Azoth has come here to
take back what is his.’
Alterin looked at her but Shaan was silent. After what Azoth had said, she wasn’t so sure of that. Azoth wanted to reclaim what was his, including his descendants, that was true, but first he wanted them to come willingly, and she could not see Tallis doing that. Azoth had not killed her for her resistance because he needed her, but Tallis – what could he need him for?
Jared was looking at them both, a frown on his face. ‘What do you mean by “claim him” and “take back what is his”?’
Shaan sighed. ‘Jared, Tallis and I are Azoth’s descendants,’ she said quietly.
He was silent for a moment and she saw comprehension flitting across his face. Then he nodded slowly. ‘That explains many things, but also raises many questions. How could the descendants of a wetlander god be born in the clan lands?’
‘It is strange,’ Alterin said. ‘The guides of your people have no love for the Fallen. Perhaps in the future that will help us, but for now we must do what we can. He must not be allowed to know of Tallis – of that I am sure. I told your brother this myself. Tallis has power in him that the Fallen would not tolerate. The semorphim that carried him knew this. It was the female who took him – against his will I think. But you must not worry for him. The serpents will protect him. He knows their tongue.’ She turned her eyes on Jared who was about to speak and, putting up a hand, pushed him lightly in the chest.
‘No, later. You must rest now. Shaan and I have much to speak of and little time.’
Jared raised an eyebrow at Shaan. ‘You see what I have been putting up with?’ He smiled at the small dark woman. ‘Always she is seeking to get me to bed.’ Alterin coloured and frowned. ‘You must rest to heal,’ she said and he winked at Shaan. ‘All right, all right.’ His hand was warm on her shoulder. ‘I am glad to see you little sand sister.’ He smiled and unexpected tears came to her eyes. She gave him a small smile in return, but could not speak as he hugged her again then turned and went into the other room.
‘Come, sit.’ Alterin indicated the mat on the floor. ‘May I see?’ She pointed to Shaan’s injured hand.
With a nod, Shaan sat and carefully peeled off the strip of cloth she’d ripped from her dress. The mud she’d slathered on it earlier had dried and flaked off and her skin was red, blistered and dirty. Alterin clicked her tongue and shook her head, and then rising went into a second room and retrieved two baskets. She sat down on the floor near her and began smearing a pale white paste onto her skin.
‘This will clean it.’ She held her hand in a firm grip and covered her entire hand and forearm in the odourless stuff. Then, picking up a small cloth, she began to wipe it gently off until the area was entirely clean. She worked quickly. It was very quiet in the hut, the only sound the soft patter of rain outside on the leaves.
‘I heard you scream last night,’ Atlerin said as she tied a fresh bandage around her wound. ‘Does he hurt you?’
‘No.’ Shaan tried to keep her voice neutral.
‘Then why did you scream?’
‘I have bad dreams.’
Alterin nodded, watched her for a moment, then started to pack up her salves.
‘I see no fear of him in you.’
‘He disgusts me, he doesn’t frighten me.’
‘He should.’ Alterin sat facing her. ‘You are special to him, as is your brother. Your blood sings to each other.’
Shaan looked away.
‘Why has he brought you here? Why did he take you to the river last night?’
‘I don’t know.’
Alterin looked annoyed. ‘You must know. I have seen him bring you back.’ Her brown eyes stared, but Shaan remained silent. Could she trust this woman? So far she had only seen the villagers treat Azoth as if he were a god. How did she know he didn’t send Alterin as a test, to see what she would do? She cradled her injured hand against her stomach. Jared seemed to trust her, but was that enough?
Alterin blinked then sighed and sat back again, folding her hands together in her lap. The rain became heavier, falling in a torrent onto the thatched roof and dripping from the eaves onto the window ledge.
‘I know you are not sure if I am a friend to you,’ she said. ‘But you must understand, I am the Seer of this village and I seek only to watch over and guide my people. The Fallen was once a god, the keeper of the Stone. He ruled over the soul eaters – the Alhanti. You have heard of them?’
Shaan nodded.
Alterin’s eyes wandered from her face and across the floor of the hut. ‘Yes. We are all, the many peoples of this land, from the same place, slaves to the same master. Al Hanatoha the city was called. It is a ruin now deep in the jungle, but that was where we once all dwelt under his fist.’ Her voice became softer. ‘My people came here when he was defeated. We were the most wretched of all the slaves. We were worshippers of the earth and the Alhanti despised us the most. They beat us, they stole our children and made us their dogs. To survive we devoted ourself to the Fallen. We made him our god to save ourselves.’ She stared out of the window, her expression far away. ‘And because my ancestors did that, we survived. Not all, but enough. When Azoth was banished they came here and went back to the earth, to seek guidance from the spirits of the trees; but we have always known that he would return. We have lived with this knowledge, and now that he is here we must once again find a way to survive.’
She looked back at Shaan. ‘You must not think we are blindly devoted to him, even if it appears that way in his presence. We must be careful, for even though he has lost much of his power, he is still dangerous and if he regains his full strength, we will be as powerless against him as a single leaf against the force of a storm.’
‘What do you want of me?’ Shaan said.
‘I want to know why he has brought you here, why he takes you to the river.’
Shaan rubbed her face. ‘He wants me to find something for him. He calls it the Stone. He puts a ring on my finger and . . . he sends me somewhere else, into a place of darkness where I feel I am barely there anymore, and then he pushes me towards something.’
Alterin bit her lip. ‘He seeks the Birthstone. And if he finds it he will have his birthright restored, he will become a god again. Perhaps he will even try to resurrect his creations.’
‘Then I will not find it for him,’ Shaan said, her stomach turning.
‘I don’t think it will be that easy. There is a reason he is using you to find it. You are special. Perhaps you are like a beacon for it in that dark place and the ring magnifies your light.’
Shaan said nothing. She was thinking of the darkness and Azoth’s power there. The woman was right. She felt the connection when he put the ring on her, the thread that bound her to the invisible presence. And she felt Azoth’s pleasure as she came closer to reaching it.
‘I think if we can discover why he needs you to find it, perhaps we can find a way to stop him,’ Alterin said.
‘You can’t stop him,’ Shaan looked at her. ‘I have to get away. Go far away from here where he can’t use me to find it.’
‘But he will find you.’
‘It’s worth a try,’ Shaan said. ‘I’m tired of being his slave.’
Alterin looked at her silently for a moment. ‘Perhaps,’ she finally said. ‘But first, let me see if I can find out why you are so special to him when there must have been many other descendants before you. There is a place I go, in the jungle, where I might find some answers.’
‘How long will that take?’
‘Two days.’
Shaan dreaded the thought of another two nights in the dark place. ‘I don’t know if I can wait that long,’ she said.
‘You must resist.’ Alterin spoke firmly and gripped her hand, rising to her feet. ‘Come, I will leave before sunset. Now you should go back, he will be looking for you.’
Wondering if there really was anything the young woman could do, Shaan made her way out of the hut and back to Azoth.
Alterin stood staring out of the window for
some time after Shaan left. The rain had eased to a soft mist and up in a tree the bright eyes of a bird peered out at her from under a leaf, but she barely noticed; she was thinking of the place she must go.
‘Let me come with you.’ Jared came out from the second room. His footsteps shook the boards of the hut as he stood close behind her.
Alterin didn’t turn around. ‘No.’ She looked at the bird staring down at her.
‘I’ll follow you,’ he said.
Alterin’s hands tightened on the sill, her knuckles whitening. ‘It is dangerous. You are not strong enough.’
‘I’m stronger than you think,’ he replied, and ran his hands up her arms to her shoulders, his touch gentle, caressing her bare skin. ‘Let me help you,’ he said in a low voice.
His warmth burned into her back, and she felt her own body warming in response. She closed her eyes and took a breath, listening to her heart. The rain dripped onto earth and leaf and his hands stroked the sides of her neck. With a sharp caw the bird leaped from the tree and flew up into the sky. She followed its path with her eyes then turned and stared up at the man from the dead lands. Raising her hand, she ran her fingers along the curve of his jaw, the skin rough with stubble. As she pulled his head down to hers, she thought: Anyu, finally, would be pleased.
That night, Azoth took her to the river again. The night was warm and damp and the trees above rustled with creatures, but Shaan felt cold and brittle as glass. He stopped in the shadows at the water’s edge and held out his hand to her.
Far above, a high wind tore a hole in the cloud cover and she could see faint stars shining in the blackness. The light of the thin moon broke through and reflected off his skin. His arms were bare and strong and gleamed in the moon’s glow.
‘Come here,’ he said and smiled.
She hated that her heart pounded to look on him, as if her body were beyond her control. His lips were sensuous and the planes of his face were shadow and moonlight. She went to him and his hand was warm around her cold shivering fingers. He drew her closer. She expected him then to guide her into the water; but he didn’t move, he stood still holding her hand.