by Kyrja
Standing only a short distance from them, Raito held his hands at shoulder level aiming his palms at the two goddesses, illuminating both of them. They were immediately swallowed by the light as it exploded outwards, the concussion knocking everyone to the ground as it rushed through them.
Looking up from where he was lying on the ground, Jarles watched, fascinated, as both time and space seemed to pour out of the place that was once Jikangai. Just a moment before, it had been the darkest of nights within the inner circle, but now the same fading light of evening that was on this side of the barrier was creeping across the land that was the inner circle. He could feel the heartbeats of several creatures as they winked out of existence on this world, and others who were old beyond telling, their lives suddenly ended once their environment no longer supported them. He felt a miasma of energies from the space where he knew his grandmother and Giya were, but was unable to tell whether there was one heartbeat or two.
“Singers!” Giya shouted – or tried to, but was only able to manage a hoarse whisper. Jarles ran to her, barely able to catch her before she fell to the ground, unable to save herself because of what she held in her arms. Helping her to a sitting position on the ground, he noticed that her eyes never left the … thing … that was in her arms. It was nothing more than a blur to him. Looking closer at it, he decided that whatever it was, was going through some kind of metamorphosis. But as he watched, he began to understand. It was Denit all right, but as an infant. As a human infant. In the next moment, it was a Firebird infant.
“We have to help her,” Giya said, bouncing the changeling baby on her lap.
“We are here, my Lady,” she heard a girl’s voice say. “What do you … “ she stopped short, cocking her head. “I understand. She needs to become her adult self in order to get out of this time loop.”
“It’s the crystal, Aku,” Baya told her.
“I know,” Aku nodded, then reached out with both hands to take the infant from Giya.
Jarles wasn’t sure whether to be afraid or outraged that the girl had taken the child from Giya, but was astonished that Giya had allowed it. Taking three steps back from Giya, while holding the child firmly in her hands, the girl – Aku – held the child out in front of her, even as it wiggled and squirmed, much stronger than it should have been for an infant.
Then Aku began to sing, weaving various notes and vibrations together, and in the next moment, several other voices could be heard as the Singers joined her. Jarles wondered what the faces of everyone around them would look like – witnessing this incredible event – but he was unwilling to take his eyes off of Denit for even a moment, in case something else extraordinary happened. He watched as the infant grew quickly into a child, and then into a young adult, constantly changing back and forth from human to Firebird and back again. And yet, Aku held on to her, refusing to release her grip even when Denit, now an adult, folded in upon herself, as if she had been stabbed in the stomach.
“I am myself,” Denit said.
“Who are you?” Aku asked her.
“I am the Firebird’s daughter, and I am the Earth Goddess’ child. I am Denit, the Sun Goddess.”
Aku released her saying, “Stand tall, Denit.”
When Denit uncurled herself to stand naked before everyone assembled, she held in her hands a perfect crystal seed. “I will live again!” she cried. And everyone joined in her cheer.
“She lives!” “The Sun Goddess lives!” “Hail Denit!” “Hail Giya!”
Chapter Thirty-Six - Badala
“Oh Deiserin!” Nieva laughed out loud, wanting so badly to hug the tortoise. She held back though, uncertain if she should when she couldn’t give permission while she was a tortoise. Instead, she reached out a tentative hand to rub the side of her shell. “I hope you won’t mind, but I’m so excited I could hug you! You’re going to be able to go home!” She hoped Deiserin would end up being a nice person so she would get to hug her. She was so happy the barrier was finally down. Even her grandfather seemed less grumpy. She was pretty sure that the Moon God, Raito, brought out the best side of him. She smirked to herself. Raito was certainly nicer than his sister, her Grandmother the Goddess. Still, she would be happy to see her grandmother again. She rolled her eyes then, knowing she would only be happy until Siri Ventus decided to do something mean again. Still, it would be good to be going home soon. Then she wondered where Deiserin would live – if Rhian was now the Empress of Bila, would that mean that she would have to stop being the Empress so that Deiserin could be Empress again? Nieva decided she was glad she wasn’t the one who would have to decide any of those things.
* * * * * * * *
As the energy blast from the destruction of the barrier washed over them, Honsa reached for and found Ordan’s hand just before it knocked them off of their feet, throwing them both backward, separating them again. The powerful explosion had only lasted a moment or two, but it had been an intense blast, radiating outward knocking everyone over as if they were nothing more than saplings in a hurricane. Looking around, he didn’t see anything changed, on fire, broken, or even anything strange, and was glad for it, considering that Lumas could have made sure that everyone within a certain radius could have been killed, or turned into … he wasn’t sure what. Flies maybe? Or slugs. Or even creatures from another realm. She could have sent them all to another time, even. When he saw Ordan nod at him, he felt a deeper sense of relief. Knowing his lover was all right was the most-important thing. But now he had to make sure everyone else was too.
All around him, everyone was getting to their feet, dusting themselves off, and shaking their heads. Too, everyone seemed to be excited that the barrier had come down. But he was sure everyone else had the same question on their minds as was on his: Now what? Then he glanced towards the place where Giya and Denit had been standing and froze. Was he really seeing what he was seeing? Was Giya holding a baby? Was that really Denit? He felt himself frown when a girl took the child from Giya, uneasy despite the fact that the Earth Goddess had allowed it. Then he gasped when the child turned into a small cat-sized beast, then back into a human child again. As he watched, mesmerized, it became obvious that this was, indeed, Denit, the Sun Goddess. His friend.
Like most everyone else here, he had stayed back a respectful distance when Giya, Denit, Jarles, and Raito had been speaking, knowing he would be called upon if he was needed, otherwise he was staying wisely out of the way. But he watched just the same, and moved back several more steps when Giya told everyone to stay back. And now he was cheering with the rest of those who, like him, had come to help rescue Giya and Denit.
“Come with me,” Tyran reached out to take his hand, surprising him more than anything else she’d done today had. Since she’d returned from her experience with the Song, she was acting a lot differently than she’d ever done before. She was friendly, cooperative, and even … he had to admit … happy. Even on her best days, he’d never seen her so … he searched for the words to use, then smiled when he realized Tyran was at peace. She had confronted her greatest fear – being buried alive – and had walked away from it, free of having to ever worry about it again. No wonder she was so happy.
“Where are we going?” he asked, not quite ready to follow her just anywhere.
“Denit and the rest of them are going to need us,” she told him, then turned to the others. “Come on Ceirat. You too, Ordan. We’ll need to invoke the bond to help. This is something only we can do, so let’s go do it!” Honsa couldn’t believe it, but he would have sworn Tyran was almost giddy! Rolling her eyes at him, as Tyran grabbed Ceirat’s hand too, they smiled at each other, then let themselves be lead to where Denit was.
“What are we supposed to do?” Ceirat asked Tyran.
“You’ll see,” she replied, with that ridiculous smile still spread all over her face. Honsa shook his head in disbelief. He wasn’t sure he would be able to get used to Tyran always being cheerful!
“Denit!” Honsa called out, th
en laughed when she turned towards him, saying, “You’re always showing up in unexpected places! At least this time you’re not on fire!” He was pleased – and relieved – when she laughed with him. He saw, too, that someone had given her a cloak to wear. It was too small, but Denit didn’t particularly seem to care whether her body was covered or not. That, he discovered, was just one more thing he liked about her – her ability to stay focused on the task at-hand, no matter the circumstances.
“You didn’t happen to bring any of that amazing soup with you, did you?” she asked, still smiling, while everyone hugged her.
“You know you have to come visit us in Midbar to get that,” he smiled.
“Next time, don’t take all the carrots, though,” Ordan put in. “Save some for the rest of us.”
“Tyran says you need us for something,” Honsa said, his face turning serious.
“Yes,” Denit agreed, “I think the four of you are best-suited for the task of releasing Deiserin from her tortoise form. Would you come to see what you think?” she asked, turning away from them, inviting them to follow.
* * * * * * * *
“Why do I get the feeling you want to tell me something?” Aidena asked, addressing Sahil’s back. They had arrived at the room where Vray was keeping Sakari – as far away from everyone else as possible. Instead of opening the door, though, Sahil stood in front of it, as if waiting for it to open of its own accord. At her question, Sahil sighed deeply. Then he looked to the left and right, searching out who else might be able to hear him.
“Come,” he told her, walking away from the door. She followed silently until he came to another door – the third down the hallway away from the room where she knew Sakari was. Frowning, she followed him into the room, then waited while he closed the door behind them. When he sat down, she joined him at the small table. The room itself was filled with books, maps, and papers, along with shelves – some of which hadn’t yet been finished being built.
“Sakari has been my student since she was a small child,” Sahil told Aiden, searching out her eyes with the intention of making sure she would listen carefully. “The Emperor only allowed me to have a certain number of students, and those were carefully monitored. He was afraid …”
Aiden scoffed. “I get it,” she interrupted him. “He was afraid that everyone wanted to kill him, and magic makers are the only ones he was afraid he couldn’t control.”
“Yes,” Sahil agreed, leaning closer to her. “But Sakari was one of a handful of students about which the Emperor never knew.”
Aiden whistled then, both impressed and appalled. “You put children at risk of being killed in order to teach them magic,” she said, with no accusation in her voice.
“Yes,” Sahil nodded. “The students the Emperor knew about were required to be bound to him, so that if they broke his rules, I would be the one to die.”
Shaking her head at the thought, she said, “Wouldn’t that almost be like suicide?” she asked. “I mean, how would you get all of your students to love you enough to never do anything wrong?”
“Oh,” Sahil countered, “they, too, would die, rest assured, but in having failed to teach them what the emperor demanded, then I, too, would suffer the fate of any student who purposefully disobeyed the emperor’s edicts.”
“Except,” Aidena smiled, “for those students he knew nothing about. Clever!”
“Practically everything I have ever done has had its risks, Aidena,” he said, reaching out to touch her hand. “Including taking Sakari to Badala.”
“But,” she guessed, “not in the way that Jahari and Rhian think. What didn’t you tell them?”
“Sakari was my secret weapon,” he told her, his grip tightening on her wrist. “In case I was ever taken away or killed, the knowledge I had learned would not be forgotten, would not be wasted. It would still be alive in her. All of my knowledge, Aidena, not just that which I shared with my “acknowledged” students.”
“How is that a bad thing?” she asked, frowning at him, feeling anxious for no reason she could understand.
Letting go of her wrist, he rubbed his hands over his face, then bent over in his chair so that his elbows were resting on his knees. After a moment, he turned his head to look at her. “She knows everything I know, and so, too, does the emperor, whose essence is inside of her.”
“Oh,” Aiden said, understanding dawning, making her shiver involuntarily. “Do you think she would use this magic against you?”
Sahil leaned towards her again, smiling. “If I was the emperor, I most certainly would.”
“All right,” Aidena squared her shoulders. “Then how do you suggest that we get Sakari to this … this … Badala portal safely? How are we getting there? How long does it take? Can we drug her?”
“Once the three of us are together, I will use the Andhera Stone to move us to the portal. As long as you are touching me, it will take you with me,” Sahil explained.
“Well that’s helpful. So we won’t have to walk for days or weeks, or ride on horses, which she could use to get away. Very helpful,” Aiden nodded. “Then what? You told Rhian and Jahari that you have to put this part of the stone into the other half.”
“The other half is hidden,” Sahil said.
“Using magic that she will know how to use,” Aiden pointed out.
“Yes,” Sahil nodded.
“And how likely is it that these … people or creatures from another realm are going to show up right away? And if they do, will they take her side or ours?” she asked, looking at him. She was surprised to see him turn away from her. But not before she saw the look of alarm that stole over his face, as if he had just realized something.
“Sahil? What is it? I need to know what we’re up against if I’m going to help you,” she urged.
Holding his hand over his eyes, he moaned. “If Sakari is right, and the spell attached to the emperor in the event of his death activated, then it is … “ he paused, shaking his head, “possible … that the very people we are seeking in Badala will already be on their way to the palace.”
“Should we go there first, then?” Aidena asked, confused.
“No,” Sahil shook his head, drawing out the word. “They would be seeking this stone, and two others like it, to reclaim as their own.”
“What are you talking about?” Aidena asked, feeling angry that the explanations Sahil were providing weren’t fitting together.
“I knew this would come back to haunt me,” Sahil swallowed slowly. “Emperor Eazim, Councilor Tojiru, and I defeated the Andhera when they learned how to breach the barrier surrounding Badala, but spared the daughter of their leader. In return, they vowed to remain in their own realm unless called.”
“Using those stones you keep talking about,” Aidena guessed.
Nodding, Sahil continued, “But Eazim … the emperor … he couldn’t leave well enough alone. He was obsessed with magic. He returned over and over again to learn more. To protect himself, he said,” Sahil scoffed. “I knew better, but never stopped him. Never. I had hoped … “ he sighed. “Eazim wasn’t always such a fool or a power mad idiot,” Sahil said, shaking his head. “But power is its own addiction, and in the end, he killed the son of their leader’s daughter. Their Regent’s grandson. The Regent swore that if the seal to the barrier was ever broken, he would return to slaughter all of Eazim’s people.”
“And is the seal broken?” Aidena asked, her heart beating a little faster.
“This Andhera Stone was Eazim’s,” Sahil told her, holding it up for her to see. “It is my hope that because it is still blue, instead of having turned black, that the seal will be as it has always been these many years past.”
“But you’re not sure,” Aidena guessed.
“No, Aidena,” Sahil sighed, “I’m not sure. Although I know many different kinds of magics, I don’t know all there is to know about the Usawa magic. It could be that the other half of the stone still thinks the emperor is alive. But because Sa
kari said she felt the magic ignite which would kill everyone in the palace …” he shrugged, spreading his hands. “If that magic was put into play, it’s possible that the Andhera know, or will know, that the emperor is dead, and will try once more to breech the seal.”
“You said there were three Andhera Stones,” Aidena pointed out. “You said that one belonged to the Emperor. Where is yours and who has the third one, now that Tojiru is dead?”
“Eazim hid mine from me when he imprisoned me in my home, and I have to assume that Councilor Fumaini has the third,” Sahil reasoned.
“He and the emperor went to Jikangai with Rajesh,” Aidena reminded him.
“Yes,” Sahil nodded, looking at her, shaking her head.
“My magic is something neither Sakari nor the emperor know anything about,” Aidena pointed out.
“Which is why I am glad you volunteered to accompany me,” Sahil said, giving her a wan smile.
“Maybe we should take some food and water with us,” Aidena suggested, “since this might turn out to be a longer trip than I thought it would be.”
“May all your suggestions be so wise,” Sahil snorted, standing up.
* * * * * * * *
Eruitt stood next to Giya, his legs still feeling as though they were made of jelly and might yet give out. He was not at all pleased at how fragile a thing Giya’s life really was. As her apprentice, he had thought he would merely do things on her behalf, not that he would, one day, have to become the Earth God. When she had called him “Lord,” he thought he might throw up. In no uncertain terms was he prepared for such an overwhelming, enormous responsibility. No. Just no. Giya had said she trusted him, but he wasn’t at all certain that he trusted himself. He would have to change that, he knew, and the only way he was going to be able to do that was to take on more responsibility as quickly as he could, so that he would feel as though he could trust himself if he was needed.