There were no soot deposits around the cave’s entrance now.
Toth registered two figures in the valley in front of Golpa. One figure, small and further back, was clearly Tashi herself.
This gave Toth a bit of a start. He'd never been treated to a memory from someone of The Ash before, let alone met one. He would have assumed the memory would be through Tashi's eyes, rather than as an outsider, but apparently their magic had a way of presenting the memory as though viewed through the eyes of a ghost.
The gray-scale version of Tashi was dressed in the same garb she'd been wearing when Toth had found her, only it was brighter, whiter and not tattered. Tashi was far back from the entrance to Golpa, crouched behind a rock outcrop and so still as to be nearly invisible. Puffs of vapor hung in the air in front of her mouth, otherwise Toth might not have seen her at all.
The black and white Tashi of the past peered over the edge of the outcropping and peered down into the valley, drawing Toth's eyes to the second figure. A man dressed not unlike Tashi, in bleached skins and wool with rough footwear held on by leather thongs, moved toward the entrance to Golpa. His back was to Toth, but Toth felt instinctively that the man was related somehow to Tashi, perhaps even her father. There was something in the way he carried himself that was familiar: a lilt to his walk, the chest thrown confidently forward, that reminded Toth of Tashi.
The girl had come by her stature honestly.
The man looked back over his shoulder once to where Tashi was hidden, and Toth could make out his face. He took a quick intake of breath. The man's eyes were without pupils and glowed with an otherworldly blue haze. It wasn't unlike the luminescence King Konig's eyes had taken on when Toth had seen him on the balcony… only this man's eyes glimmered with a sharp brilliance that had been lacking in the monarch. There was no illness in them.
His skin was leathery and deeply tanned. A scar seamed his cheekbone, and heavy scarring on both cheeks spoke of more than a passing acquaintance with fire. He wore a hat similar to the one Tashi wore, but it appeared gray rather than white. Toth supposed it could have been bright cardinal red in real life, there was no way of knowing.
A harpy scream echoed from the cave, and the man crouched low in response. Toth's heart began to pound. The man carried no weapons that Toth could see, only a gnarled staff. He held his breath as a huge female harpy emerged from the cave, in flight and screaming. Her head tilted and her jowls swung as she turned an eye downward at the small form of the man. She screamed again, and her talons flexed. She dove.
The man lifted his hand to the harpy, fingers curled in a strange symbol.
The harpy matriarch pulled up at the last moment, her heavy wings gusting snow across the valley floor. She landed with her talons buried in the rubble of Golpa, and lowered her toothy beak to the man.
Toth watched, awestruck, as the large female tucked her chin down and set the tip of her beak between her talons, almost like she was bowing.
The man relaxed his hand, and that same hand disappeared into a pocket among the folds of his clothing to retrieve something too small for Toth to make out clearly. He approached the harpy and put a hand on the greasy feathers at her neck. His fingers were lost beneath her plumage. Toth's eyes narrowed, trying to discern what he was seeing.
The man pulled away from the harpy, tucking his hand into his pocket again and turning away from the cowed hagbird. He began to walk away from Golpa, his gait relaxed. The harpy lifted her head and her wings shifted and rustled, but she did not attack. She screamed again.
The man lifted his hand and made the same symbol he'd made before, the first three fingers flexed so strongly that they seemed to curl back and make a fan, the baby finger bent in two, the thumb jutting out to the side.
The harpy took off into the sky with a scream and flew back into the cave.
"Does that symbol work for anyone?" Toth asked with a chuckle.
Tashi smiled but it did not reach her eyes. She brought her delicate hand up toward her shoulder and flexed her fingers, palm out.
The world of ash exploded into a cloud of swirling gray. Vertigo swept through Toth as he and Tashi were swallowed in a blizzard. There was no sensation here, not even the feel of solid ground beneath his feet.
Shapes materialized as the ash settled. A blurry white light sharpened into a campfire, where Grayscale Tashi and the same man who had subdued the harpy sat in its glow. The man's eyes were no longer lit with a blue light, but were now plain and deceptively dull by comparison. Some small creature who had fallen prey to the man had been skinned and was roasting over the flames. The hissing sound of fat dripping into the fire added to the sizzle of wood burning, which was a little too wet to be ideal.
The pair was sheltered by a rock overhang, and Toth recognized the narrow black crevice dividing the rock in two—–it was the same place where Toth had found Tashi.
The two he was seeing had hiked out of the valley to their camp. Toth wondered if what he was seeing happened later the same day.
Tashi and the man conversed in a language Toth was not familiar with. He spoke most of the languages of The Conca, at least of the south end, but their dialect had a harsh, guttural quality that was unfamiliar.
Toth glanced at Tashi.
"So you can speak," Toth said quietly. "You just choose not to. Not even in your own tongue?"
It seemed as though Tashi didn't hear him; she was watching the pair in front of the fire. A tear tracked down her cheek, its trail gleamed in the firelight.
Alarmed, he was about to ask Tashi what was wrong, when the man tapped memory-Tashi on the arm and gestured to the crack in the rock. Tashi dashed into the crevice, turning sideways to slip through. She disappeared soundlessly from view.
Wingbeats could be heard in the distance, and then the sound of a body landing in the rocks on booted feet. The crunch and squeak of snow under the gait of a heavy man preceded the man himself.
Not a man.
A Nycht.
"Bryc!" Toth couldn't help but gasp in surprise as the prince's right-hand materialized in the glow of the campfire.
The huge prehistoric-looking Nycht stopped just inside the circle of firelight. His broad wings were held up and out, making him look even more intimidating. His eyes glittered, homing in on the much smaller man seated in front of the fire.
"What are you doing out here, you crafty, primordial bastard," Toth seethed.
"You have what I need?" Bryc's voice was a deep growl.
Tashi's companion ducked his head once, and Bryc moved forward and stood over the man, looking down. He finally put his wings away with the heavy rustle of thick membrane. His dewclaws curled inward like scythes in a motion that was now familiar to Toth. Bryc held out a gloved hand.
"Hurry up. I've no interest in freezing to death in this godforsaken place."
The man gazed up at Bryc, his face impassive. He chewed something slowly, turned his head to the side and spat. His gaze returned expectantly to the Nycht. The message was clear, I am not afraid of you.
Bryc muttered something under his breath. One hand disappeared into some pocket inside his fur-lined cape and produced a bag. There was the clink of coins, which Bryc then dropped on the ground.
The man snatched up the bag and upturned the contents into his open palm.
There was a beastly, close-mouthed growling sound, which for a moment made Toth turn to look for the source, as it seemed to be coming from everywhere. Then he realized it was coming from Bryc.
The man reached into the folds of his furs and pulled out something small, which he held up for Bryc to take.
Bryc swept the item up and held it in his fingertips, low so the firelight backlit it.
It was a small vial, and in the light it glowed red.
"How did a puny waste of skin like you manage to extract living harpy blood?"
The man responded by leaning forward and turning the roasting meat on its spit. "You have three days," he rasped in roughly accented Englis
h. "Three days only, before the blood dies." He settled himself back on the log and pulled his furs tighter around him. Again, he spat off to the side. He didn't look up at Bryc as he spoke. "Waste time insulting me, or take it and go."
"And what if the blood is dead by the time I arrive?" Bryc knelt in front of the man, teeth bare. "We'll have paid you for nothing."
"Not Dieffe's problem," the man husked.
As unexpectedly as a fork of lightning across a clear blue summer sky, Bryc's fist snaked out and closed around the man's throat. The man's hands flew to Bryc's fingers as a choked garble issued from his throat. His face turned red, then purple. Try as he might, he could not loosen the grip around his windpipe.
Toth stepped forward on instinct before remembering there was nothing he could do to help.
"I say it is," Bryc said into the man's face, spittle spraying onto his chin. "I say you're coming with me as collateral. The prince gets what he pays for, or you die."
"The prince," Toth echoed.
He looked down at where color-Tashi stood beside him, watching. She looked up at him and made a face that said, ‘now you get it?’ Her eyes were shining with unshed tears. Toth lifted a hand and rested it on her shoulder, and she moved closer to him, pressing against his thigh. She crossed her arms over her chest and let out a shuddering exhale.
It must be hell for her to see this again, thought Toth.
Tashi's father was choking. His eyes flickered with that blue light, on and off, like sparks trying and failing to catch on tinder.
Toth saw the pale moon of grayscale-Tashi's face peer from the crevice, frightened and uncertain what to do, unseen by Bryc. His heart ached for her, and he pressed color-Tashi closer against his side, wishing that he could have been there, could have done something. The fact that Tashi had been alone when he met her meant that her father hadn't gotten out of this alive.
Toth dreaded going further in the memory, but had no choice.
Dieffe's feet came off the ground as he fought Bryc, his eyes still flashing but not catching and holding. He dropped one hand and spread the fingers out, palm back, giving the hidden Tashi a sign to stay back, a motion which Bryc didn't see.
Ash-Tashi retreated into the crack again, swallowed by the shadows.
That same hand made a fist that came around to Bryc's eye in a rapid arc. Bryc's face turned to the side with the force of the blow, but his grip didn't loosen. His enormous leathery wings snapped out and caught at the air, lifting the two off the ground.
Dieffe still struggled and kicked as Bryc lifted him higher and higher. Bryc turned and picked up speed. They were becoming a strange, misshapen shadow as they left Toth and color-Tashi behind.
Bryc took Dieffe high above the mountains and flew away to the East, toward Rodania. As the Nycht and the man passed in front of one of Orcieran's moons, there was a flash of bright blue light, and a deep-throated bellow of pain.
Suddenly, Dieffe was falling. Soundlessly and limply, his body plummeted past the horizon's edge and disappeared into the black.
Ash-Tashi cried out and dashed from the crevice. She leapt over the flames and ran into the darkness.
Toth looked down at the girl by his side, understanding. She'd lost her father, been left alone to fend for herself, and that was how Toth had found her.
"I'm sorry," said Toth. "Bryc will be made to pay, as will the prince. But you'd better take us back now, so we can let the truth out."
The ash lifted and swirled, and the world lost all definition.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Toth gasped as Tashi's fingers broke away from his temple. The courtroom snapped into focus, in full color and in painfully vivid detail.
Voices droned urgently overtop of one another, a question in every tone. Hands pulled Tashi away from Toth, and he tried to reach for her but was reminded he was in chains.
Prince Diruk barked. "Bind that girl! Immediately!"
"Don't hurt her!" cried another voice.
Toth felt dazed. His eyes found the speaker, and recognized Marli as she reached for the girl.
"I'll take her." Marli took the girl from the guard and knelt down to murmur words of comfort to her.
Tashi turned away from Marli and strained against her, wanting to go back to Toth.
"Permission to speak," Toth ground out, finding Balroc in the crowd.
Balroc lifted a hand. "Speak! For God's sake, man, speak! We're all dying to know what just happened!" He turned and bellowed at the crowd in the room. "Shut up, you fools!"
The crowd calmed, and the room became quiet again. The faces of the Council members were alive with curiosity. A few were frightened and drawn, while others were alert and hopeful.
"She's of The Ash," Toth said, his voice strained, and his eyes on The Council.
"They know." Linlett was leaning against a pillar, one foot crossed over the other. "I told them."
"Good. Then I don't need to explain that she just shared a memory with me." Toth looked to Tashi. "Are you willing to show someone from The Council what you've just shown me?"
"We don't have time for this!" barked the prince.
"All due respect, Your Majesty," replied Balroc. "We are not in a rush. They were gone for barely a full minute."
Toth blinked at this. It had felt as though they'd been gone for half an hour.
Balroc turned to The Council. "I don't know about you, but I think that if she has evidence to show, we are duty-bound to view it. My understanding of The Ash memories is that they cannot be simulated or tampered with. Is this true?" he addressed Linlett.
"It's true. Those of The Ash can only present what they themselves have seen, or what another Ashling has shared with them. Their images are true recordings of actual events."
"Good enough. Come here, please," Balroc held out a hand to Tashi, beckoning her closer. "Don't be afraid. No one will hurt you."
Tashi approached. She lifted her fingertips toward Balroc's face.
"Wait," the Arpak said. "What is your name?"
"Tashi," Toth answered for her. "Since I have met her, she hasn't spoken. But she understands just fine."
"Where did you get this girl?" Prince Diruk demanded.
"Why should I answer any of your questions," Toth replied, his tone icy. "You don't believe a word I say."
Jordan thought the air seemed to vacuum from the room at this. Shocked looks were exchanged at the disrespectful and mutinous words Toth had said to his monarch. Jordan shared a look with Sol and pinched her lips together to bite back a grin.
Whatever Toth had seen, it must have had a massive impact.
Toth knew there was nothing the prince could do to stop this entire room from seeing the same critical moment in history the girl had just shown him.
Toth's eyes slid to Balroc. "She'll show you all you need to know."
The prince looked as though he had a mouth full of rusty tacks.
"Shall we vote on who goes first?" Balroc asked The Council.
"That should be me," Prince Diruk said, striding toward Tashi. The Ashling shook her head and put her hands behind her back. "What's the matter with you, girl?" The prince made for her, as though to force her to put her hands against his head.
"Why don't we let the girl choose," suggested one of the Council members, a tall, slender Arpak woman with curly gray hair piled on top of her head.
There was agreement on this.
Tashi pointed to the woman who had suggested it, and the woman looked pleasantly surprised. She stepped forward and knelt before Tashi. "I'm Ninfa," she said, eye-to-eye with the girl. "Nice to meet you Tashi. I've never met anyone of The Ash before."
Tashi looked at her with those soulful amber eyes and gave the Arpak a close-mouthed smile. She reached her fingers up.
Ninfa took a breath, closed her eyes and tilted her head down.
Toth watched breathlessly as the girl and the Arpak were swallowed by the pulsating blue orb. Their features became blurred and lost behind the light. N
ow he understood why no one had interrupted them. A deep respect for Tashi's ability grew in him. He was beginning to understand just how special the girl was.
Moments later, the blue orb disappeared and Ninfa rose, her face pale, her brow damp with sweat. "Thank you, my child." Toth noticed that she did not look at the prince. He couldn't blame her.
"Well?" Prince Diruk barked. "What did you see?"
"I think it is wise not to speak until we've all seen what Tashi has to show us," Ninfa said. Her voice was reedy and trembled noticeably.
Tashi was already standing near Balroc, looking up expectantly. Balroc knelt and was swallowed by the blue orb. When the orb disappeared, he looked unsettled but not surprised by what he had seen.
Jordan saw Toth visibly stiffen as Tashi lifted her fingertips to Darber's temples. Darber had always been a disciple of the prince's. When the blue orb had done its job, Darber lifted angry eyes to Prince Diruk, his face flushed with rage.
"You," he seethed. "It was you all along! How could you terrorize your own country like this? You…" he spluttered, his face now purple and apoplectic, "You… betrayer!" He bellowed this at the top of his lungs. "Traitor! Apostate!" Spit flew from his lips and trailed down his chin as he lunged toward the prince. A pair of guards swept in like water to protect Diruk against the enraged old man. "You dare accuse an innocent, you poison us all against them, and it was you! All along, it was you!"
The guards holding Darber cast about the room for guidance, their faces agitated. One of them looked downright distressed as the old man wailed and screamed until he began to choke. Jordan wondered if he might give himself a heart attack.
"Take him away so he can calm himself," Balroc cried to the guards over the wailing Arpak, whose face was now wet with angry tears.
Darber’s voice was cracking under the strain of his cries and was thick with heartbreak.
Chaos swept through the room like a hurricane as Darber revealed the secret. Those few Council members who had yet to see the memories looked shocked and frightened; those who had, either joined in the angry tirade, or tried to calm everyone down so they could continue.
Transcendent: The Revelations of Oriceran (The Kacy Chronicles Book 4) Page 19