by Shelley Cass
The sound of the music was so loud that it soaked deeply into everything. The ground shook with the power of it as if the earth was resounding with a heartbeat.
It felt as if my own heartbeat had changed to pulse with the rhythm of the music and the air itself seemed to swirl with the power of all of those gathered in the City.
I felt the energy of every Elf and Nymph igniting the atmosphere, and was aware that my own power rose to join theirs, stirring the air around me so that waves of my hair kept lifting slightly to float in the lightness of the environment.
I ran my fingers over my tourmaline stone, and rested my head back against the trunk of the tree with a smile lifting the corners of my lips.
Chapter Forty Five
Dalin
Phobos, Ferron, Thale, Nikon and Thorin were all lazily offering me advice when Ailill unwound the bandage from my bicep.
Ailill had found Noal and I wearily sitting under a tree with the soldiers, waiting for Kiana after the partying had at last slowed down for the first time in days.
Kiana had recovered as quickly as the Forest dwellers when the City had settled back to normality, and was invigorated while talking with the Lady a short distance away. But we tired out mortals had been sitting in an exhausted, defeated looking circle when Ailill had approached with his healer bag.
“I find it’s best to look away while the healer pokes and prods you,” Ferron remarked sagely as the bandage loosened. “Act as if nothing’s wrong.”
Ailill rolled his eyes.
“No, no, it’s better to look at the wound while it’s being seen to, so you know what’s going on,” Phobos disagreed.
“It’s true,” Nikon asserted. “One of my friends thought he was recovering nicely because he believed the healers when they said he was going to be fine.”
“What happened to him?” Noal asked curiously, stroking the Granx’s back after she’d scuttled away from the Lady and climbed up his leg.
“I attended his funeral pyre very soon after,” Nikon shrugged.
“I don’t think it’s quite that serious in this case,” I informed them all.
“It depends on how I’m feeling towards you today Raiden,” Ailill commented mildly in his willowy voice.
Noal lifted his eyebrows. “Was that a joke from Ailill? I’ll have to tell Flash and Rebel.”
The Elf just sighed, world-weary, and continued to unbind my arm.
“I hope it was in jest, for the Raiden’s sake,” Thorin laughed.
“And for Awyalkna’s, seeing as he’s the heir,” Noal added.
“You could always fill in for me. Wilmont would love to train you,” I told him as he scrunched his nose in distaste.
Finally the bandage came away from my arm and I felt fresh air touch my skin.
“Gods,” Ferron commented, eyeing my healing flesh.
Phobos whistled appreciatively.
I glanced at it and sighed. “Never mind.”
There were six jagged lines running down my arm where Nikon’s armour had torn. The marks were red and raw looking, and spanned diagonally down from just below my shoulder to near my elbow. They’d been stitched back together in the deepest spots.
“You told us you’d only put a few stitches in!” Noal said indignantly. “Chloris agreed!”
“Chloris lied,” Ailill replied with the ghost of a smile.
“She wouldn’t!” Noal said, wounded at the thought of the sweet, kindly Elf who always helped us.
“Told you,” Phobos said logically. “You should always watch what the healer is doing.”
Ailill lifted my arm to inspect the other side of the stab wound, from where the dagger had come out of the other end of my bicep. The cut was about as thick in width as the length of my thumb after Nikon had widened it with his fist, but all of the raw flesh was sealing back together in healing scars.
Ailill wordlessly set to work, and despite his stern exterior, he was gentle.
“You’re lucky this happened in the Forest,” Ailill told me as he worked. “The time flow here has helped you to heal much more quickly than in normal mortal time. Otherwise the muscles inside and the skin on the outside would still need time to knit together.”
“I’m fortunate this happened with so many healers around, because otherwise I never would have thought of this stitching phenomenon,” I corrected the Elf.
Ailill grimaced. “Mortals.” Then he picked up a thin, silver instrument with a sharp tip.
Thale and Nikon were looking decidedly apologetic as they guiltily watched Ailill slice through each knot, and then tug each loosened thread free.
Finally Ailill rinsed my arm before handing me some more bandages.
“You are to be bandaged again when you’ve given it a short rest. But beware,” the Elf glared at me. “The skin is still not strong enough under pressure.” Then he glared at each of my companions.
“What did we do?” Thorin muttered defensively.
“You will most likely be the culprits should his arm burst back open,” Ailill said in a scolding tone. “So I’m glaring at you ahead of time.”
“You are all awfully rough on me,” I agreed.
Ferron hiccupped loudly on a laugh as the Elf brought his glare back to me.
“The skin will regain its strength slowly, so protect your arm from injury.”
I nodded reassuringly. “I’m always careful, never fear.”
Ailill got to his feet. “I only fear that one of these days I’ll be the cause of you needing stitches.”
“Healers aren’t meant to be the ones hurting people,” Phobos reminded him helpfully, before ducking under the Elf’s disdainful stare.
“Thank you. I’d quite forgotten my oath after a hundred years.” He shook his head and left us, muttering to himself as he went.
“I think he deeply likes us,” Thale laughed while I flexed my arm gratefully, glad not to feel as restricted anymore. It only felt a little tight and tender.
“I can finally train properly again,” I said with a relishing stretch.
“Not with us,” Thorin held his hands up innocently. “We’re the culprits who will reliably break you.”
I looked up with a grin as Kiana approached, sitting herself between Ferron and Phobos.
“That’s all healing nicely,” she commented.
“Nicely?” Thorin exclaimed, put out on my behalf. “It’s like he’s been hacked to pieces and slapped back together.”
“Well, it all looks nice considering that, doesn’t it?” she answered him with her half smile.
“What were you talking about?” I asked her, nodding to where the Lady was now conversing with Ace and Frey.
“The Lady was offering me advice,” Kiana replied with relief. “Helping me get to know what I can do now that I have my earth stone.”
She stroked the dazzling red stone at her throat and our eyes were all drawn to it as it glittered.
It was a polished oval shape, as big as my folded thumb, and was vivid and lustrous as it hung from a shining silver chain upon her creamy skin.
“Of course as we already know the greatest thing that the stone has given me is my wings,” Kiana went on. “But the Lady was explaining how I’ve apparently always had magic inside, that the stone now helps me to channel. The wings will naturally appear in whatever shape needed, yet they’re not really a part of me. They aren't hidden anywhere at the moment, it’s more like the magic reacts to my desire, and makes them manifest in reality when I wish it.”
“So they don’t sprout out of your back? And they don’t get stuck in your clothes?” Nikon questioned.
“It seems they just appear at my back, whether there are clothes there or not,” Kiana mused. “But once they are there it’s as if they are a part of me, meant to be there. I control them just like you control an arm or leg.”
“You’d have to be careful then,” Thorin remarked. “That means they can probably be hurt.”
She shrugged. “Probably. But
they feel as strong as a shield. I think I could probably decapitate someone with them if I wanted, they’re that tough.”
Thale’s face paled. “Let’s not test that.”
“There you all are!” a cheerful voice called out.
Tane, Cadell and Purdor were wandering out of the trees behind us.
“We’ve been searching for you lot everywhere,” Purdor exclaimed, and then his eyes flickered to my arm. “Gods doesn’t that look …” Cadell elbowed him in the ribs. “… Effective.” He finished with a grimace.
“You certainly have the image of a hardened warrior with marks like that,” Tane told me.
“And all I had to do was have Thale fall on me, and Nikon sit on me,” I teased.
“Perhaps you shouldn’t tell the story quite like that,” Phobos advised.
“So why were you searching for us everywhere?” Noal yawned at the three newcomers.
“The rest of us have all been busy testing our sabre skills against the Elves,” Cadell replied. “Thought you should know.”
“What?!” Thorin whined. “Without us? We’ve been waiting forever to fight the Elves!”
“Yes well, we’ve come to get you so you can be in on the action now haven’t we?” Tane said in a placating tone. “We were startled at how quickly they got through the lot of us. We’ve each been defeated about four times. But it’s fun.”
“Fun?” I repeated. I’d found body jarring defeats against the Elves to be enlightening, but not fun.
“Well, it’ll be better now. They said after they’ve defeated you lot they’ll train rather than fight us. So perhaps we’ll pick up some skills.”
“Gods, learning from the Elves would be priceless …” Thorin breathed.
“Just a moment sparring with Bard changed me forever,” I agreed.
“Can we challenge the Nymphs too?” Thorin asked enthusiastically, but Tane glumly shook his head.
“They only train with other Nymphs. So that they don’t accidentally get carried away and kill us all.”
We all watched as a colourful swarm of Nymphlings zoomed by in a blur, making loud explosions and erupting into cackles of laughter before disappearing amongst the trees.
“Even challenging one of the Nymphlings would mean an epic battle of immeasurable enjoyment. Despite the risk of a horrible death,” Ferron watched after them wistfully.
“The Nymphlings endure few rules and wreak havoc wherever they pass,” Kiana told him. “It wouldn’t be a risk of horrible death. It would be certain horrible death.”
“But we’re definitely invited to challenge the Elves?” Thale questioned, boyishly eager.
Cadell nodded with a gleam of excitement in his eyes.
And within the blink of an eye they had all scrambled up, barely able to contain themselves.
“Are you coming?” Ferron asked Kiana and I as we remained seated.
Kiana shook her head. “I’ll wait and see what else I can find out today.”
I let my breath out in a big regretful gust. “I would hate for any of you to break me and upset Ailill.”
“See you later then,” Ferron replied hastily, and even Noal rushed off as the group almost kicked up a cloud of dust – galloping towards the training grounds.
But I was far from feeling left out when Kiana slid herself across the grass to lean her back against the tree beside me. She gently ran her fingertips along the long red wounds on my arm, and then rested her head against my shoulder contentedly.
“Everything’s different now, but the same too,” she reflected, and I tilted my head to rest mine on hers.
“What do you mean?”
“Well …” she answered slowly. “I feel like my strength has doubled. Like I could lift the world, run for days, battle a Giant. And I feel so much more aware. Everything is more vivid. But I still feel like my normal old self at the same time. I'm still me, even with magic and wings.”
“I knew you would be,” I told her honestly. “Really all that’s changed is that you can now channel your power.”
Kiana nodded. Then a note of pleasure touched her voice. “And I love it.”
“What’s it like?” I asked. “To be so weightless that you can fly?”
“It’s freedom,” she breathed, as if she relished the words. “It’s like nothing you’ve ever felt before.”
I sighed wistfully. “You make me wish I was the One. We could swap. I’ll fly and you can be the future King of Kings.”
She laughed. “Or perhaps I could take you with me one time,” she suggested lightly. “When I’ve perfected my abilities.”
Suddenly Kiana sat forward, turning to face me. She focused for a moment and then I blinked in amazement as, in a silvery flash, her wings had appeared.
I shook my head in appreciation. “It’s incredible,” I whispered, gazing at the iridescent silver wings in awe, and seeing through them.
They were almost as long as the length of her body this time, though last time I had seen them they had been smaller, shaped to be sharp and fast.
She took my hand and guided me to reach over her shoulder and gently touch the smooth, shining wing there. Instantly a tickle of warmth pranced along my fingertips.
“You’re a wonder,” I told her.
“That’s not the half of it,” she beamed as she stood, before suddenly her feet lifted from the ground. With a grin she darted away from me and span at top speed high into the air and out of the clearing.
I was stupefied as she soared across the sky, darting and slicing faster than my eye could follow, and then spiralling elegantly around some clouds in the next moment.
The Lady had finished talking to Ace, who had left, and now she and Frey watched Kiana’s antics as well.
“The One has stunning control already,” I heard the Lady comment. “The skill is natural to her.”
“It is good that she has advanced more quickly than would have been expected of the other Larnaeradee,” Frey said. “It shows she truly is the most powerful.”
“Yes,” the Lady agreed softly. “And she needs such skill now, to be able to Summon the other races later.”
“You both know I have great hearing too,” Kiana spiralled down to where they stood. “I can hear you discussing me,” she said reproachfully. “But your words are comforting, and I’m ready to train to use this great power you keep talking about.”
“To train, you must simply become comfortable in who you are. You already channel Nature’s power of growth, life, rejuvenation and purity,” the Lady said. “It is a wonderful gift. The opposite of every power Darziates has ever known.”
Kiana’s face grew solemn. “Good.”
“Now you must simply learn to allow things to come to you naturally as you need,” the Lady continued. “From any part of Nature that you set your mind to, you can draw energy to help you manifest a thought.”
“Though surely spending time with the guidance of your wisdom will be an advantage to me?” Kiana frowned.
“Your time in the Forest is coming to an end,” the Lady’s voice was almost sad, and I felt my own heart jump a little at the thought of leaving the sanctuary we’d found in the City. “There are not enough moments in the world for me to share with you what I would love to share. But you are more than ready to go on from here and learn as you are tested.”
Kiana sighed. “I’ve felt that things were coming together. Coming to an end.”
“Do not fear One, your time here will never be over. You will always be welcome in Sylthanryn,” Frey answered warmly, but I was growing sadder as I listened myself, feeling as if a stay in the heavens was coming to a close.
When they parted Kiana crossed back to me.
“I know,” she told me wistfully at the sight of my expression. “I’ll miss all of this too. But we have to get back to the Quest. Awyalkna needs us.”
I lifted my good arm and put it around her shoulders as she nestled against my side.
“And so does the rest of the worl
d I guess,” I agreed tiredly.
“Hmmm,” Kiana exhaled gently, resting her head against my chest. “But not right now.”
“No, not today,” I said, now feeling complete contentment.
Chapter Forty Six
Kiana
The sun was setting when I finally forced myself to sit up, looking back over my shoulder at Dalin. “Should we go see how the others are faring against the Elves?” I asked.
“It’s probably best we make sure they aren't tearing each other apart,” he agreed, leaning forward.
“Wait,” I told him, tracing along the line of one painful looking scar and then holding my hand out.
Dalin grimaced and handed over the new bandage he’d been given so that I could carefully bind the fragile skin and pull his sleeve down for him.
“I was so comfortable that even walking to the training grounds seems harsh,” he told me, standing and reaching out to pull me up.
“At least I’m deigning to walk along with you,” I said. “I could just fly over.”
He tightened his hold on my hand instead of letting it go when I was standing. “You could try,” he bantered. “But we’ve just had days of gluttonous feasting. I think I could successfully keep you grounded.”
I felt a little rueful when he released my fingers as we began to walk side by side then, back into the crowded parts of the City and to the training grounds, where we could hear the clang of steel upon steel and the jovial shouts of where the men were having the time of their lives battling each other.
It was now just the sixteen Krall warriors and Noal enjoying the grounds, but Asha was floating at the height of the fence that surrounded the grounds, leaning her head in her hands and watching dreamily as Thorin and Noal wrestled playfully not far from her.
“So much to look at,” Asha told me happily.
I leaned against the fence beside her. “Flash would be jealous,” I admonished her, despite the fact that Flash had no trouble getting along with Noal, who she clearly favoured.
“Raiden!” Tane yelled the title joyously while Dalin put his good hand on the fence and propelled himself over to join them.
“Did you miss me?” Dalin asked, before Wolf grabbed him in a headlock.