by Kyrja
“I would like to have your permission to clean up Jikangai,” he told Giya quietly. Most of the people who had assembled to help rescue her had come to pay their respects and to tell her how happy they were to have her returned to them, and to the planet itself. Even though none of the words or praise had been directed at him, Eruitt had felt strengthened and glad hearted to simply stand in Giya’s presence as each person, or group of people took a moment to speak with her. Jarles and his people were leaving now, having made arrangements for the new Sea God to meet with Giya at the next full moon. Eruitt found he liked Jarles, and his parents too. Maybe he would get to spend some time with them at some point in the future. He hoped so.
“It could be dangerous,” Giya told him, looking into his eyes. “We don’t know if Lumas left any … surprises … behind.”
“I know, but I have already thought about how to go about doing it, and would really like the opportunity to try,” he pressed. When she smiled, he knew he’d been right to ask.
“Very well, my young Lord,” she winked at him. “Once everyone has left, I will show you a few things which may make things easier, and then I will leave you to it.”
“Thank you, Giya,” he said, blushing. “You really shouldn’t call me “Lord,” though,” he said. “People may get the wrong idea.”
“By the time you’ve finished here, you will have earned that title, Eruitt,” she said, her smile widening.
* * * * * * * *
“If you’re sure that’s what you want,” Drena said to Jarles, trying very, very hard not to smile too broadly, knowing she was failing.
“We can wait for a month or two in the City by the Sea,” Jonath said, “until you have a better idea of … of …” he stammered to a stop, not sure what to say without sounding like he didn’t have any faith in his son.
“No,” Jarles said, shaking his head, “I have lived long enough without my parents. I want you to come with me now. If you don’t like it, you can always go back to the city, or the desert, or … it doesn’t matter. Go wherever you like, whenever you like, but I want you to come with me. Now. If you wouldn’t mind too much?”
“And breathing water won’t be a problem?” Jonath asked – for probably the sixth time, clearly nervous about what to expect.
“I promise, it will be easy. You’ll see. Trust me,” Jarles assured him. “I’ll be there to help you.”
“As will I,” Shio grinned.
“Me too!” Batal laughed.
“Savaar?” Jarles asked, looking at him. “Will you be joining us?
“For a short time,” he nodded, but Jarles could tell his friend wasn’t as enthusiastic about the idea as he had hoped he would be.
“Don’t worry, my Lord,” Batal laughed, “he just wants to get back to Nohoyo to make sure Goddess Jahari hasn’t lost interest in him while he’s been away.”
“Mind your business, you little guppy,” Savaar laughed, playfully pushing Batal.
“Come on then, ”Jarles told them, “gather around.”
“Wait!” Baya ran up to the group. “Vory … can you take her with you too?”
“Yes!” Jarles said right away, “please come join us Vory.”
“Welcome!” Batal said, giving her a one-armed hug.
“Thank you, my Lord,” Vory said, quietly, even shyly.
“Don’t be fooled by her, my Lord,” Baya admonished him. “She may be quiet right now, but soon she will be asking dozens of questions!”
Vory smiled, then asked, “Where are we going?”
“See?” Baya chuckled, while she stepped back. “Good luck, my friend. Come visit us in Bila any time!”
Holding up two of Amphedia’s Tears, Jarles placed them over Drena and Jonath’s hearts, then everyone joined him in re-creating the Heartbeat of Life vibration.
“Thank you for making that possible, Aku,” Baya said to her sister, standing next to her. “Are you ready to go home now?”
“Not quite yet,” Aku answered, “Come with me,” she said, holding out her hand to Baya.
Chapter Thirty-Seven – Portals through Time
Nieva could feel the energies from the chant Honsa and the others were making as it was building. She felt as if she was swaying, and was glad she had stayed in her human form, because if she was in her owl form, she probably would have been sitting on a branch in a tree, and probably would have fallen off the branch by now. It was both soothing, and also very demanding. Powerful. She could feel as each layer of Lumas’ magic was peeled away from Deiserin the tortoise, to reveal Deiserin the human woman underneath.
She had been around a lot of different kinds of magic, and thought this kind was probably her favorite so far. But probably because it was something she could enjoy being a part of, instead of just seeing the results. She almost laughed then, remembering that other people would probably find the fact that she could turn into an owl just as fascinating as what her Mezhdu friends were doing. Sina though, didn’t seem to be as content as she was to just sit and watch what they were doing. She was fidgeting and squirming, as if she was uncomfortable. No, she decided, watching the other girl more closely now, it was more than that. Sina was … afraid? Either that, or she was mad, Nieva decided, and wasn’t sure why Sina would be angry. She could understand if the other girl was afraid they were going to hurt Deiserin, but she refused to believe Sina would be mad they were going to change her back into a human. Suddenly, Sina jumped to her feet, surprising everyone.
“Stop this!” she told them as she stood up, shouting. “You’re doing it wrong!”
Instead of stopping, though, as Nieva knew she would have done at having been so shockingly – and rudely – interrupted, Tyran, Honsa, and Ceirat kept chanting while Ordan stopped chanting, then stepped away from the others who were standing in a circle around Deiserin. Walking over to Sina, he looked at her with a calm look on his face and said, “I feel the truth of what you’re saying, Sina. Can you tell me what we’re doing wrong?”
To Nieva’s further surprise, Giya and Rajesh moved closer to Sina too. All right, she told herself, Sina must be right. She listened closely to what they were saying, while continuing to listen to the chant to see if she might be able to figure out what was wrong on her own.
“This … this … song” Sina emphasized the word, “ is not right. “It only reminds her of who she was, not how to become what she wants to be,” she told them, frowning, pausing often, and obviously searching for the right words to use for something she could feel, but had trouble describing.
“What do you mean the song reminders her of who she was?” Giya asked her. “Do you know who she was?”
“Ack!” Sina gave a low, wordless cry of frustration. “Who she was – all this time. For too long. Who she has been. The turtle,” she said, as if it should be obvious to everyone. “No. No. No.” Sina shook her head vigorously. “No! The turtle woman! That is what this song is. What it does. No matter how many times you take off her shell with the song, she will still be the turtle woman, because she keeps remaking herself with that thought.”
“Rajesh,” Nieva called out quietly, “How old was your mother when Lumas made her like this?”
“I’m not sure,” he confessed. “Lumas had taken me away by the time I was ten. I wasn’t there when it happened. I didn’t know Lumas had done this until much later.”
“Yes!” Sina nodded her head. “That’s right!” she crowed, pointing at Nieva. “That is exactly right!”
Nieva was relieved to see Ordan smile, knowing he, too, understood what Sina was trying to say. “Deiserin sees herself as an old woman, and is afraid she will die if she is released from the magic Lumas imposed on her. We must help her to remember herself as a younger woman, so she will stop fighting against us,” Ordan said, making sure his bondmates understood.
“Yes!” Sina agreed, with a sigh of relief. “Not as the turtle woman, but as the Empress woman. Thank you!” she smiled at Nieva. “And I can help you do that,” she adde
d, “with my Fire Tender magic.”
“Fire Tender magic?” Rajesh frowned. “That will kill her, not save her. Absolutely not.”
“I will vouch for her,” Denit announced, as she approached the group. Nieva saw Giya’s quiet smile and felt hope bloom in her heart. Sina may not be able to convince Rajesh, but between Denit and Giya, he didn’t stand a chance. She could already see how it would work, but kept her own counsel, waiting to see how it would play out. There was more going on here than just releasing Deiserin from her tortoise form. She saw her grandfather trying to catch her eye then, and understood what he meant when he pointed first at her, and then at himself, with a question on his face. She felt her smile grow, nodding at him, proud of him for what he was suggesting.
“Tell me how you would do this,” Denit said, looking at Sina.
“Do you remember the beast that was injured?” she asked, her eyes bright.
“Yes,” she nodded, “you touched him, draining him of his life so he wouldn’t suffer as he died.”
“Just like I said!” Rajesh said, angry.
“No!” Sina told him, balling up her fists at her side. “I could kill her, or any of you,” she said, thrusting her arm out to encompass everyone around her. “But that’s not what I want to do. I want to help. Why won’t you listen? Just because you don’t understand doesn’t mean I’m wrong!” she said, thrusting her face towards him, her anger rising.
“Her mother was taken from her, too, Lord Rajesh,” Giya told him. “She understands the depth of that loss.”
“And I know that hurting others won’t bring her back,” Sina told him, still looking him squarely in the eyes. Then she clenched her jaws to make sure she wouldn’t cry. “At least, I know that now,” she said, turning her head to look at Denit. “Let me help, Lord Rajesh, or you won’t get her back at all.”
Raito put his hand on Rajesh’s arm saying, “I told Siri Ventus that the firstborn’s son would stop Deiserin’s slow march, but that it wouldn’t do what she wanted it to do. That much I know to be true, as you can see for yourself.”
“You will need a vessel into which you can release the Empress’ life force,” Oculis said, stepping forward. “I volunteer.”
“So do I,” Nieva said, standing up.
“I’m sure I can absorb any energy she drains from Deiserin,” Denit said.
“No, my Lady,” Oculis countered, shaking his head.
“You’re too powerful,” Nieva told her.
“It’s the crystal goblet,” Oculis told them, his right cheek rising in a smirk, shaking his head. “Or, as we call it now, the “crystal seed.” It transformed me into a magical being all those years ago when I looked into the goblet Amphedia and Siri Ventus stole from you. It remembers Deiserin as she was. And since Nieva is my daugh …” he paused, “of my blood,” he quickly recovered, “she will have those memories too.”
“Come, my friends,” Ordan told them, holding out an arm in invitation pointed towards Deiserin, “let’s work together to free Deiserin. She has waited a very long time for this.”
* * * * * * * *
Baya was surprised to see that Aku was leading her to where High Priestess Khashya was standing, along with all of their brothers and sisters who had come with them to Jikangai, including Sharun. Did this mean that Aku was ready to go home after all? She had just said she wasn’t ready to go home, but with the changes she had witnessed in her sister – her “evolution” as she’d put it – she wasn’t sure she would be able to accurately predict what Aku might do. She scoffed at herself then, wondering when she had ever been able to predict what her sister might do.
She was pleased when Khashya smiled at her. After everything the woman had witnessed here today, she wasn’t sure how she would treat her or Aku, let alone the rest of her brothers and sisters. After hugging everyone, Baya turned to Aku, asking, “What now?” She was extremely surprised that Khashya was the one who answered.
“Do you remember when I prevented you from meeting your father, Chared, in the street, before Sharun threw the fire ball at us?” Khashya asked her.
“Yes,” Baya answered slowly, her forehead creasing, wondering where this was going. She glanced quickly at Sharun to see if he would react to the high priestess’ words, but he seemed calm and in control.
“I told you that Aku told me that you couldn’t meet your father yet, or time would stop too soon,” Khashya told her.
“Yes,” Baya agreed, remembering. “You made it clear that time would stop, no matter what, but that if it stopped “too soon,” that everyone would die. Everywhere. Yes. That’s what made me believe you, and go with you. Or, rather,” she amended, “try to go with you, instead of meeting Chared.”
“Regardless of what happened after that,” she said, and Baya was impressed that Khashya didn’t mention having only escaped being burned alive because she had moved both of them through time, “you didn’t meet your father that night.”
“No, I didn’t,” Baya agreed, feeling apprehensive. She knew this conversation was leading somewhere, but couldn’t begin to imagine what any of this was leading to.
“I ... I know I already thanked you for saving me from that fire ball,” Khashya said, her lip trembling a bit, “but now I want to thank you for listening to me that night, even though it was a hard thing to do.”
“I don’t understand, ”Baya told her, frowning. “You’re the one who put their trust in Aku. I always have,” she shrugged. “Maybe I should be thanking you?”
“I’m just sorry you lost your father so soon,” Khashya said, cocking her head, with a sad smile on her face, obviously close to tears.
“Chared stopped time for Drena and Jonath,” Aku said, finally joining the conversation, after having stood quietly by while the high priestess had her say.
“He stopped time for them?” Baya asked. “I thought he kind of made it catch up to them. Or maybe made them catch up? I’m not sure,” she admitted.
“Baya,” Aku looked at her, and Baya hoped she would get used to her sister addressing her so directly soon. It was still unnerving after so many years of having to interpret and translate what she meant when she said strange things. “If our grandmother, P’onyem, had sent Drena and Jonath back to their time, then the magic the Sun Goddess used to bring them back to life in the first place would have come back to her when P’onyem sent them back. Denit would have died, and the sun – our sun above us – would have exploded, killing everyone, because she was outside of time, with the crystal seed inside of her.”
Baya felt her whole body shiver involuntarily, as she heard several of her siblings gasp and cry out, both in fear and in amazement. “Oh!” Baya said, covering her mouth with her hand. “Oh!” she repeated, feeling the tears, as they fell from her eyes. “I didn’t know. Oh ….!” She said yet again, overwhelmed at how close they had all come to being blown out of existence.
“But … but … “ she stammered, trying to find the words to frame her questions.
“What would have happened if you would have met him that night?” Aku asked for her sister. “P’onyem would not have come to him when she did, and if she did, he would have refused, because he wouldn’t have wanted to leave you behind after having just met you.”
Baya shook her head, wanting to deny it. Any of it. All of it, but she had seen far too often how Aku had always been right when she talked about the future. Always.
“Tell her,” Khashya said quietly, touching Aku’s arm.
“Do you remember what I told our father before we came here?” she asked Baya.
“You told him that the rooster doesn’t control time,” Baya nodded.
“Do you remember what else I told him?” Aku prompted.
“Your father’s blood is the key,” Khashya blurted out, unable to wait a single moment later.
“Chared’s father was Zemer, Deiserin’s husband,” Baya said, thinking.
“Come,” Aku said, holding out her hand with a knife in it. Turning Ba
ya’s hand so that her palm was exposed, she sliced it, causing Baya to shout, “What did you do that for?”
“So that we can bring him back,” she said, turning to each of their brothers and sisters to cut each of their palms.
“What are you talking about?” Baya said, holding her injured hand in her other hand, so the blood wouldn’t drip on her clothing.
“We all have Zemer’s blood too,” Aku told her, smiling. “Now, everyone touch my hand with the hand that’s bleeding,” she instructed, holding her arm out in front of her, bent at the elbow, her own bloody palm facing to her right side.
With a look of concern, Baya did as she was instructed, helping each of the others to get as close together as possible so that they could all touch Aku’s hand. It took a moment to get everyone positioned, but when they were ready, Aku said, “Now sing with me,” and she began singing a single note. Baya listened, trying to understand if she was supposed to match the same note, or sing a different one. But as soon as her sister, Samaya started, she felt herself singing without having consciously decided to. She felt the vibrations move through and with her. She had moved through time enough times to understand how this would work, but was still brought to tears when she saw her father walking towards them from the ruins of Jikangai.
Looking around himself, as if he was lost, his gaze settled on their group and his face split into a smile. “I’m home!” he cried, spreading his arms wide. Baya was the first to reach him, as the rest of her brothers and sisters rushed into them, everyone embracing each other.
Khashya joined in their laughter, not bothering to wipe away her happy tears as they fell.
* * * * * * * *
Sitting under a tree, watching Rajesh as he worked to release his mother from her tortoise form, Kraas took a bite out of a purplish fruit she’d found hanging from the tree, then looked at it, wondering what it was. Deciding it was all right, if a little sweet, and maybe a bit overripe, she asked, “How do you suppose we’re going to get back home?”