“Oh, we don’t have to.” Pel grinned, his chubby cheeks pocked with dimples. “I hid yours. It’s ready to go right now, just downriver.”
“But first we have to get Kail and Bria,” said Kiran. “And Roh. Do you know where they hold him during the day?”
Kalindria and Pel shook their heads.
“We’ll have to get him at the cave. You said you could get past the bridge guards by telling them you are taking someone to the cave, right?”
Kalindria nodded. “But it will never work for all of you. Especially the girls. They don’t send girls to the cave.”
“All right. You and Kalindria take Deke across the bridge and get Roh. Jandon and I will get the girls. Wait.” Kiran paused a moment. “There are guards at the cave too.”
Pel glanced at Kalindria, hesitated, then nodded. “We had a plan, in case we had to get you out that way, but—”
“Kail isn’t on the island anyway,” Jandon said. “She stays with the Guardian now, remember.”
Kiran squirmed with the thought of Kail being in that bedroom with him.
“No, that’s not necessarily true,” Pel said. “The Angei have a house on the island. If they are not chosen to be with the Guardian in the evening, they stay there.”
“How do we know for sure?” asked Jandon.
Pel shrugged. “We don’t.”
Kalindria was shaking her head. “Even if you find the girls, how will you get off the island?”
“We’ll have to swim the river to meet you.”
“Swim!” Pel said.
“Shhhh.” Kalindria glanced down the trail.
Pel shrank. “The current is too strong. You’ll drown.”
Memories of tumbling in whitewater made Kiran’s heart race. But he’d done it before and survived. He could do it again. “That’s what the Guardian wants you to think.”
Jandon shook his head. “I’m not jumping in that river. No way!”
Kiran looked to Deke. He knew he wouldn’t do it. He sat down on the bench to think. “Hold on,” he said. “Guards keep watch so that no one can leave the island, right?”
“Well, yes, but—”
“So we can easily get back on the island.”
Pel’s eyebrows shot up. “Why would you want to do that?”
“We all go to the cave and free Roh, then he and I will come back for the girls.” He turned to Pel. “How were you planning to get past the cave guards?”
“That’s the easy part.” Pel grinned.
The guards didn’t question Kalindria when the group passed over the bridge. Once they got to the cave, she told the guards, “Three more for you,” then left to hide in the bushes and wait. Deke and Jandon followed Kiran to the back, looking for Roh.
Pel hobbled in on his crooked leg, smiling and jovial. “Good evenin’, brothers.” The old man frowned, gesturing for silence. “For you, sir, a special brew from Kalindria,” he said with a wink, handing the old man a cup. “Bottoms up.” The man accepted the cup, flashing Pel a toothless grin. He drained it down and promptly burped. “Sit, old man, I have news.” Pel led him to the rocker, whispering in his ear.
The workers turned from their work, their eyes on Pel. The old man’s eyes fluttered, then he slumped in his chair. Pel gave him a nudge. The man did not wake.
Kiran searched the group of men, their faces hidden behind neckerchiefs. “Roh?”
Roh tore the cloth from his face. “I’m here.”
Deke stepped up. “You were right. It’s all a lie. We’re getting you out of here.”
Another worker, taller and older than Roh, stepped forward. “This talk is blasphemy.”
Deke took a step back. His mouth clamped shut.
Roh stepped between them. “If you don’t like it, go back to shoveling then.”
The worker stared at Roh for a long moment. Then, with a huff, he turned, shovel in hand, and headed for the back of the cave. The other men stood around, staring.
“And that goes for the rest of you. If you want to stay here, that’s your business.”
Another man hesitated, his eyes going back and forth from the older man to Roh. He picked up his shovel. The remaining men shuffled away.
“No time to chat,” Pel said. He turned to Deke and yelled, “Oh yeah, make me! You big oaf! Think you can push me around. I’ll teach you a lesson!”
The guards appeared at the cave entrance. “What’s going on in here?”
Kiran handed Roh a bag and gave him a nod that said trust me.
Pel pounced on Deke, pummeling him with his fists.
The guards charged forward. One grabbed Pel by the arm, the other reached for Deke. Roh and Kiran lunged from behind, shoving the bags over the guards’ heads. The men bucked and wrestled. Kiran was slammed to the ground. Jandon was there with a shovel. He clobbered the guard in the head, knocking him out cold. Jandon swung around and walloped the other guard. The man dropped to the floor with a thump. Kiran and Deke stared in disbelief.
“Well, all right then,” said Roh, slapping Jandon on the back.
“Let’s go, let’s go,” urged Pel on his way out of the cave.
Kiran grabbed a torch and hurried after him, his heart pounding in his chest.
“We need to tie up these guards so they can’t follow us,” said Roh.
“Go on, brother,” a man said. They spun around. He leaned on his shovel. “I wish I could go with you, but my wife won’t speak of it. I’ll take care of them. Good luck to you.”
Roh nodded in thanks and they turned and ran. Kiran led Roh toward the bridge.
Once they were down the trail, far from the cave, Kiran stopped to catch his breath. “We have to get the girls. Then we swim to meet the others with the raft.” His hand went to his forehead. “Oh no, I just remembered. I hid the scroll on the island. We can’t leave it.”
“We’ll have to swim with it then,” Roh said, his brow knit in thought. “Wait here.” He took the torch from Kiran and disappeared in the thick jungle. Kiran was instantly engulfed in darkness and the croaking of night bugs. His heartbeat throbbed in his ears until Roh finally returned. He had an empty bag from the cave. “This should work.”
Kiran’s feet seemed to find every hole and root in the path as he ran. The Pyletar bounced against his chest. Bria’s Pyletar. He slowed to a stop. Roh turned and came back to him.
“I think this is the back side of the pavilion,” Kiran whispered. They could hear splashing and the giggles of women. “Bria’s on the island. But Kail might be with the Guardian tonight, in his private room.”
“How did that happen?”
Kiran turned. “How long were you in the cave?”
“Since we arrived.”
Kiran’s mouth dropped open. “I’ll ah, I’ll tell you later. Anyway, we may be able to see. There’s a back patio and fenced pool.”
Roh gave Kiran a questioning stare.
“I, ah, kind of barged in. That’s how I ended up in the cave.”
Roh grinned. He stuck the torch in the sand and started into the tangle of trees. Once they found the fence, they crouched behind it, trying to see between the slats. The Guardian and three of the Angei were in the pool together, drinking and laughing.
“I don’t see Kail, do you?” Roh whispered.
Kiran shook his head. Roh pushed away from the fence and motioned for Kiran to follow. Kiran hesitated, looking once more. How could they be sure? What if she were inside the room, out of sight? There would be no way to come back for her.
As expected, the guards did not question them as they crossed over the bridge. Once on the island, Kiran pulled Roh into the shadows.
“We need to split up.” He swallowed hard. He slipped the Pyletar over his head. “Will you get Bria? I’ll find Kail.”
“I figured you’d—” Roh hesitated. “Yes, I can get Bria.”
“Give this to her, please,” he said, handing the Pyletar to Roh. “Maybe it will remind her of, of home.”
Roh nodded
with understanding and took the Pyletar. Kiran told him where the scroll was hidden. “We’ll meet there,” Roh said and slipped into the bushes.
Kiran found the house Pel had described and slipped in through the door without making a noise. It was built just like House Four. But unlike the mats on which he and his brothers slept, here were actual bunks. He crept through the room, straining his eyes in the dark to make out faces until he came upon a bunk with a swirl of blond hair. With relief, he kneeled next to her and gently shook her awake, whispering in her ear. “Kail. It’s Kiran. Wake up. We need to talk.”
She rolled over. “What’s the matter? What’s wrong?”
“It’s important. Please come outside with me.” He grabbed her arm and tugged her up.
“Hold on. You aren’t allowed in here. And don’t call me Kail,” she said, yanking her arm from his grasp.
His eyes whipped around the room. He had to think fast and grabbed at the first thought that came to mind. “It’s Bria,” he whispered. “She needs you.”
Kail got up from the bed and followed him out.
Once outside, under the light of the moon, he saw the bright red star on her forehead. He swallowed hard. “Listen, Kail, we have to go, we have to leave the Kotari now.”
“What are you talking about? Have you lost your mind?”
“Don’t you see? Things aren’t right here.”
“What is wrong with you, waking me in the middle of the night with this kind of talk? It is blasphemy!”
“But haven’t you had doubts and—”
“Doubts? The Guardian is Ani incarnate, manifest as the wise man of true flesh and blood.”
Kail had changed. Her posture, her demeanor—everything was different. She was stronger, more confident. She was no longer the scared, helpless girl he had comforted on the mountain.
“But this isn’t how the Script described the dwelling place. This isn’t the edge of the world.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I see what’s going on. You’re jealous. You thought you’d be the one and you can’t accept that it’s me.” She threw her shoulders back. “I am the pure vessel. I will bear the child and he will reign.”
Kiran took a step back, unable to hide his shock. “So, you’ve… But Kail! The Elders would—” As soon as the words left his mouth, he faltered, sinking in his own guilt.
“The Elders? Stuffy old men with misguided, old-fashioned ways. What do they know?”
Kiran was trembling now. Hadn’t he said the same things to Bria that night in the meadow? Hadn’t he felt the same frustrations? And he too had given in to them.
“I know now why I was chosen. The Guardian has shown me the way. By his authority, I have been wed to Ani, for the glory of the Kingdom. This is what I was born to do.” She paused, then a smile came to her face and she looked at him now with the motherly expression of the Angei. “Kiran, you need to learn your place. I pity you, always questioning. Why can’t you see? Look around. No drought. No famine. This is the true dwelling place and we are to become Receivers of the Light. You need to learn patience. Now go back to bed and get some sleep.”
“Listen to me,” he said. “The Guardian is using you for sex. All the Angei. The Guardian has had us all fooled!”
“No, you are the fool!” she screamed, her eyes blazing. All at once, he could see; there was no way he’d be able to persuade her to go. Kail had embraced the word of the Guardian, from the first moment, without question. “You have gone too far. This kind of talk is forbidden. You must repent! Kneel right now. I’m calling for Angei-Ami.” She started toward the bunkhouse.
“No, no, Kail. I’m sorry,” he said, panicked. If she alerted the Angei now, they’d all be caught and he’d be sent back to the cave. He lunged for her, grabbing her by the arm. “You are right, forgive me. I have had a moment of weakness. Please, do not report me.”
“But you must learn to obey!” She yanked her arm from his grasp and ran into the bunkhouse, shouting, “Blasphemer!”
He stumbled backward. No. She can’t do this. This can’t be happening! He spun around, facing the shadows. He threw back his head and ran, thrashing through the jungle, his feet pounding out the panic in his heart. Then a bolt of fear stopped him cold. What if Bria wouldn’t go? All the air was sucked from his lungs. Kiran gasped for breath. He shuddered and took off running again, running with all he had. He ran so fast he couldn’t think. He didn’t want to think. The thought was too much to bear.
When he got to the rocky beach, out of breath, he saw two figures in the dark. Roh and Bria were already there. He wanted to throw his arms around her he was so relieved, but held back. He couldn’t bear to look her in the eye. But he saw, around her neck, she wore the Pyletar.
He went straight to the rock pile and pushed the stones aside. The scroll was gone. “I’ve already got it,” said Roh, holding the bag out to him. “Where’s Kail?”
“She wouldn’t listen to reason. She’s completely under his spell.” He took a breath. “We have to go without her.”
Roh nodded as though he had expected the news.
Bria looked in a daze of shock, her eyes wide. “We can’t.”
Shouts came out of the darkness. “Blasphemers!”
Kiran took Bria by the hand. “I’m sorry. We have no other choice.”
She bit her lip and nodded. Together, they plunged into the dark, churning river.
Chapter 23
Kiran had forgotten the sheer power of the river. With one hand gripping the bag, he struggled to stay with Roh and Bria as he was tossed about in the frothy waves. When finally Jandon and Deke came along side them with the raft, Kiran could barely keep his head above water, but he made sure Bria was safely aboard before taking Jandon’s hand and being hauled on board.
“Where’s Kalindria?”
Pel shook his head. “She wouldn’t get on the raft. Said her destiny was in another direction.”
In one swift movement, Roh pulled himself out of the water and onto the raft. “Who’s Kalindria?”
“The escape was her idea,” Kiran explained. To Pel he said, “So you just left her?”
“She’s a stubborn woman. I know that. She made me promise not to leave without you, though.”
Jandon scanned the dark river. “Where’s Kail?”
Kiran heaved a sigh. “She’s gone to us.”
“Gone?”
“She wouldn’t come. Her mind is set to stay with the Guardian. She has been marked with the star. And she believes she is with child.”
Jandon’s mouth dropped open. “With child? But she had the pomander!”
Bria shook her head. “With child?”
“I couldn’t convince her,” Kiran said. “I tried.”
Roh wiped water from his face. “Nothing could protect her from herself.”
Deke shook his head and muttered, “Well, she’s spoiled now anyway.”
Bria winced. Kiran’s stomach tightened and he had to look away. His hands curled into fists. He imagined shoving Deke into the frothy water and holding his arrogant head under.
Kiran glanced at Roh. He was staring at Deke, rage in his eyes, his jaw set, his hands twisting a bit of rope to the point of breaking. Kiran looked at Deke, then back to Roh, confused.
As they floated downriver, the full moon and stars became lost in the thick canopy. Keeping the raft in the center of the raging river in the black of night was not easy. The others kept quiet as Deke and Jandon worked the poles.
When dawn finally broke, misty sunlight fluttered through leafy branches high above the river. Spiky leaves, broad leaves, stalks of long, slender leaves, all grew together, intertwined in variegated shades, twisted with vines. It was as though they were traveling through a steamy hot tunnel of green. Overhanging branches reached out and dipped into the river, stirring the water into white foam.
Birds chattered away above, although they were too difficult to spot. Occasionally they’d catch a glimpse of color as some exotic bird darted across t
he river.
The water was a deep, rich green—the color of Bria’s eyes. At least the way Kiran remembered them. She wouldn’t look at him. She sat on the edge of the raft, gazing toward the shoreline. Kiran wanted to know what she was thinking, what she was feeling. Would she ever speak to him again? What should he say to her? Deep down he was scared to speak to her at all for fear of acknowledging their sin. Maybe if they never did, somehow it wouldn’t be real, and they could go on, like nothing had happened.
But how could life ever be the same? Now, he ached for her all the more. The slightest look from her, brushing against her, her hair fluttering in the wind, was all it took to fill his head with images of her naked body and get his heart pumping.
“What an adventure!” Pel whooped, breaking the silence, his eyes like a child. “I’ve never been on a raft before. It’s like being carried on eagles’ wings.”
Roh smirked. “Yeah, something like that.”
“So, we just go with the flow of the river and let it take us wherever it may go?” he said, digging in one of the bags.
“Our packs,” Kiran said.
“Yes, I told you,” said Pel. “Everything is here. And we are well stocked.”
Kiran reached inside his pack for his hat. With a flick of his wrist, it popped back into shape and, with a grin, he flipped it onto his head.
Pel handed Bria an orange fruit.
Bria took it from him, caution in her eyes. Pel handed pieces of fruit all around. “Doesn’t it feel great to be liberated?” He flopped back on his elbows, ripping into a juicy yellow fruit. He sprang back up. “We should celebrate,” he said, his face lit up with a smile. “Too bad I didn’t pack any of Kalindria’s special drink. Now, that was quite a party, eh?” He winked at Jandon. “That was a rare occasion, I’ll have you know. The Guardian must have felt dissension in the Kingdom. Good thing he didn’t catch on. Ha! We’ve made it!” He drew in a long breath. “Ah, the smell of freedom!”
Thoughts seemed to come to him like bubbles to the surface, bursting into being. He turned and said to Bria, “You sure are a pretty one. I’m surprised the Guardian didn’t set his sights on you.”
The Path to the Sun (The Fallen Shadows Trilogy) Page 22