“You saw Liantor? And the High King?” Kemi's eyebrows knit and she stopped rubbing her wrist.
“I only saw the High Kings feet since Serida hid under a chair. Liantor, though, I saw him clearly.” I needed to be able to trust the Silverwinds, and that wasn't possible unless I threw my newly-formed suspicion out into the open. “Kai bears a strong resemblance to Liantor, especially the eyes. Shan and Daelis inherited those Lightborn eyes, too. I've suspected since the beginning that the Silverwind name you gave me is an alias. You're Prince Liantor's children, aren't you?”
Kemi raised an eyebrow and laughed. “No. Liantor isn't our father, legitimate or otherwise. As for the eyes, you'll see the truth about that when you get to Anthora. It's a common color for mountain elves, and yes, it is a Lightborn trait. I'd say at least half of elven Anthora is descended from the Lightborns, High King Noriel Lightborn specifically. He was known for his large collection of wives and mistresses, so three hundred years later he has innumerable descendants, and it's easy enough to trace my line back to him more than once. Cousin marriage is also common among Anthorans, so we probably all look alike to a human outsider like you.”
“I apologize if I offended you,” I said, heat rising in my cheeks. “I admit my ignorance pertaining to mountain elves. I think you and Kai are the first I've met.”
Kemi shrugged. “No need to apologize. You are right, Kai does somewhat resemble the Crown Prince, but Liantor definitely is not our father. I admit I'm just as ignorant of Southern Bacrans as you are of mountain elves. You, for example. I've never seen skin or hair like yours on a human before. We have many humans in Anthora, but none who look like you.”
I pulled a lock of my hair in front of my eyes and then let it go. The curl sprang back into shape. “Jadeshire was settled by desert exiles, and the desert factions still dominate. Most of us are mixed blood somewhere back in our lines. My father had a half-elven grandfather I don't know anything about, but I think the rest of his ancestors were Satlan humans. Most of them have dark skin, dark eyes, and coarse, curly hair. The Satlan Desert is south of the Jade Realm, and if you go far to the east, beyond the Scarlet Canyons of the Crimson Realm, you end up in the Auran Desert and the Topaz Realm. All of the Jade desert elves came from there, including the Goldtrees, and I think my mother's ancestors were Aurans, too. Auran humans tend to be olive of skin with dark hair. Mom and my uncle have blue eyes, and those must have come from somewhere else because dark eyes are the common trait for Aurans. Like I said, though, most of us are a blend of several ancestries, both human and non-human. I'm kind of in between. I've been told my coloring is like my father's, but my hair and face are more like my mother's.”
“Do you not know your father?” Kemi asked.
“No. He disappeared when I was two weeks old, and we didn't know until last year that he was murdered. It's complicated. Everything about my family is complicated. I don't want to talk about that right now.” I stood and stretched my shoulders. “We need to wake everyone up and leave. I know where Serida is and I know Shan will keep her safe for me. Ragan comes first. He doesn't have much time left so we need to get to him as quickly as possible.”
∆∆∆
Parandor burst into view about six hours after we left the campsite. The sprawling city was built on a plateau within the basin, and six waterfalls cascaded from the edge of the rise into the clear blue lake below. Many of the sandstone buildings above sat precariously close to the plateau rim and I suspected it would take only a small earthquake to send them plummeting into the lake. Wide, artificially constructed ramps snaked up the bluffs to join the lower overflow city to the upper main city. The lower construction was newer, but simpler and shabbier than the magnificent, time-worn architecture above.
Lumin clambered up my back to sit on my shoulder. He stretched his neck toward the city and let out a low trill.
“Get back in the rucksack,” I said. Lumin nipped at my collar and growled in response.
“No, let him stay out,” Kai said. “They're more likely to leave you alone if they see you're dragonbound.”
“My eyes don't match his.”
“They won't notice that.” Kai turned toward Iefyr, who stared at the city with a mixture of awe and apprehension in his eyes. “If you think this is spectacular, you should see Belise.”
“It's only beautiful from afar,” Rose said. She tugged on her reins and Abracca snorted. “Come on. We need to find the magisterial offices.”
“Not for gladiators.” Kemi held up her hand and Lenna descended from the sky to land several yards in front of her. “Magistrates deal with common criminals. To petition on behalf of a gladiator, we need to go directly to the Amberwood Palace.”
“Take us there.”
Kemi dropped from Evinlore's back, then shook her head. “I don't know where it is. I have never been here.”
“It shouldn't be that hard to find,” Kai said. He walked toward Bronda, who was happily gulping down a large pink and gold fish she had scooped from the lake. “We're going to ride our dragons into the city. Fae aren't particularly fond of elves, but they respect dragonbound. It feels easier to hide, but here it is safer for us to be noticed. Lead the riderless horses and let's go.”
The Silverwinds climbed onto their dragons' backs with much greater ease and grace than they had shown mounting the horses. The dragons were longer than the horses because of their tails, but they were still small enough they wouldn't have much trouble navigating roads built to handle teams of Fae horses.
We avoided much of the lower city and chose to ride through farmland to reach the ramp on the eastern side of the plateau. Workers looked up at us as we approached and continued to stare long after we passed. Children ran behind their protective parents. I assumed they were afraid of the adolescent silver dragons and not the ragged collection of outsiders traveling with them.
The ramp was lined with polished stone spheres as tall as my knee. I didn't recognize the stone they were shaped from and wished Shan was there to tell me what they were. The patterns on the gray and brown spheres were ray-like irregular hexagons, somewhat reminiscent of coral or a heavily cratered moon.
Rose noticed my interest in the stones and said, “They're Parandor Spheres. The city is full of them. It's one of the few things I remember about this place. That and the gladiators.” She shuddered and squeezed her eyes shut. Her breaths were rapid and shallow. I knew she was trying to stay calm but she was on the edge of tears.
“They're fascinating, like polished moons,” I said. I didn't know if anything could be done to help her. Her fear was valid and I couldn't think of anything to do except stay by her side and talk to her.
“Bartaya,” Rose said, her voice pinched. “There are legends of many-eyed beasts that lurk beneath the glaciers in the mountains above the Basin. Stories say sunlight turns their heads to stone, but their bodies to dust. Fae find the stones, bring them here, polish them, display them. Skeleton ghosts and myths, death as art. They call arena deaths beautiful, and then they dip the skulls of the dead in amber and use them as decorative lamps. See, look.” Rose pointed at a garland of lanterns strung over the gate to the upper city. She was right. The lanterns were skulls encased in spheres of gold-orange resin and topped with gold filigree and ornate bronze hooks. When illuminated, the lights would shine through their empty eye sockets and gaping jaws. “That's what they're going to do to my son, too. Lanterns and fine carved bone jewelry. They're going to dismember him for their art.”
“We're not going to let them,” I said. The gate was open and unguarded. The swinging amber skulls welcomed us into the upper city.
“Sweetheart, you need to accept that there is little chance this will end well. The Fae King is not a kind king and the Fae people have made it clear that they do not forgive a life like Ragan's.”
“He never did a damned thing to them.”
“He exists, and that is too much for them.”
Lumin's claws dug into my neck. He cl
ung to my shoulders like a living cloak, his wings held out and his tail curled along my side. I carefully detached his claws and guided them to my collar, then touched my neck. Blood wet my fingertips. I didn't have any clean handkerchiefs left so I'd have to allow the tiny punctures to seep until they scabbed.
“Little dragon, I know you miss Shan, but you don't have to tear me apart.” I untangled his other hand from my hair while he hissed and spat at passerby.
We rode between a pair of octagonal sandstone towers and into a vast open-air market. A kaleidoscope of brightly-colored canopies assaulted my eyes as I struggled to make sense of the labyrinth before me. The aromas of spices and ripe fruit mingled with seared meat and smoked fish, tying my agitated stomach into a knotted tangle. Fountains, music, stomping feet, and laughter wove together into a tapestry of discord. Everywhere stood stalls overflowing with objects I couldn't identify and Fae of varieties I'd never before seen. Pysakees sold geodes and raw minerals from beneath dark blue awnings. Octofae sold rainbow-hued fish from shaded perches above clear sunken pools, where swimming Octofae inventoried their stock. Molluskfae slowly wandered from booth to booth, carrying shells in their broad hands that matched the shells on their backs.
“They use the shells of their their own ancestors as shopping bags,” Rose said, nodding toward a smiling Molluskfae.
“Fae don't like to let good remains go to waste, do they?” Iefyr drew his horse close to mine to avoid a group of Rabbitfae who were crowded around a flower basket.
Rose closed her eyes and dropped her chin toward her chest. “Fae appreciate both practicality and aesthetics. They find beauty in things other races deem morbid. Try not to joke here, Iefyr. I don't have the memory to tell you what might offend them.”
“Don't kiss anyone on the mouth, don't pick at your teeth with your fingernails or tongue even if you have food stuck in them, and for the love of light, don't stare at anyone's feet,” Kemi said. She nodded at a Faeline vendor who was busy folding shimmering scarves over hangers.
“Don't chew your fingernails, either,” Kai added. “They have a thing about fingernails, so be mindful. Tapping on things with them is a sign of anger.”
“I have forgotten my own culture,” Rose said, her voice distant. She stared up at a string of amber skull lanterns. These ones were smaller than those at the gate and appeared to be animal of origin. “Ten year olds are forgivably rude, and fifteen year olds are just learning their manners. I was a child when I left this place and now I remember little but Jade culture. I'm an outsider in my own homeland and every step is a reminder that I should never have returned.”
“You didn't choose to return, though. You were forced to,” Iefyr said.
I couldn't tell them why we were in the Faelands, or who had brought us here. This was Shan's fault. He could have taken us anywhere. He should have taken us straight to Anthora, but instead he dropped us in a strange desert within a hostile land. Why? Of all the places he could have taken us, why here?
“I'll give you three hundred gold pieces for that wee dragon of yours, boy,” shouted a Foxfae vendor who was surrounded by stacks of large, iridescent glass rings. I couldn't figure out their purpose, or his. I ignored him and pressed forward. “Boy, come back! I'll pay you double! Six hundred!”
“Keep Lumin close, Tessen,” Rose whispered.
“I don't think he'll be leaving my shoulders, let alone my sight,” I replied. Lumin growled, then licked my ear.
We passed a stall that sold nothing but wooden ducks, then one with live ducks crowded into iron cages. Both stalls were attended by Duckfae, who had angular, elf-like faces but green and white plumage instead of hair and winged arms similar to those of Owlfae.
A lightning bolt slammed into my chest and burrowed into my heart. I couldn't breathe, couldn't speak, couldn't move, could only fall forward onto Saragon's shoulders. Sweat beaded on my neck and palms and my limbs turned to ice. This was no normal panic attack. This was spontaneous agony, a paralyzing burst of pain unlike anything I'd ever felt before.
My equilibrium failed, but I couldn't move my arms to balance myself or draw a breath to cry out. Down to the right, down to the cobblestones. As I fell, Lumin squawked and leapt from my shoulders onto Saragon's now-empty saddle.
Splintering wood, then nothing.
∆∆∆
“Did he faint?” Nador asked. A small hand was on my forehead and I assumed it belonged to her.
“Tessen? Can you hear me?” Who was that? Ragan? No, it couldn't be Ragan. Ragan was in a dungeon awaiting execution for the sole crime of being alive. Iefyr sounded a little like Ragan would with a mid-coast brogue, so maybe it was Iefyr.
“Should we pull it out?”
“Yes. I'll pull it, you be ready to put pressure on. Grab that cloth. We'll pay for it later. On my count. One . . . two . . . three.”
The sting of having whatever-that-was yanked from my shoulder was nothing compared to the agony still strangling my heart. I couldn't open my eyes or draw more than a sip of a breath.
“Iefyr, move. Let me see.” Kemi's knee was at my shoulder, her hand on my chest. She smelled of jasmine and dust. “I know this. He's conscious but he can't move.”
“What's wrong with him?” Nador asked.
“He has been separated from his dragon for too long. He's feeling her panic as pain. He hurts too much to move.”
“Can we help him?”
“I can. I was expecting this to happen, but not so soon. His bond with her must be unusually strong.”
Kemi turned to the side, then back toward me. Her hand shifted from near my collarbone to directly over my heart. I tried to will my eyes open, but nothing happened. I was lost within my own body, a prisoner of the lightning ricocheting through my heart.
“Kai. Lemon balm. Crush it.” Kemi unfastened the ties at my collar, and then her palm was under my tunic and against my bare chest. Her breath was warm on my face as she leaned over me, and then her lips were on mine. Flavors of minty lemon and honey danced upon my tongue. Kemi leaned to the side and whispered in my ear, “You are peaceful and you are strong. Through darkness and light, distance and fear, you are never alone. Release this heart into calm, and know you will be reunited soon.”
The lightning faded to zinging static. I was still in pain, but the reduction alone was a relief. I could breathe again, and I could open my eyes.
All five of my companions stared down at me. Iefyr crouched next to a flattened wicker basket, a broken and bloodied section of reed in his hand. That must have been what he pulled out of my shoulder. Nador was in front of him, pressing a bright blue cloth against the wound. Her fingers were stained with my blood. Rose and Kai stood together at my feet and Kemi still knelt at my side, her hand on my heart and her long hair tickling my neck. Lumin's eyes were barely visible from the folds of the rucksack he hid within. Nearby, a trio of Duckfae stared at all of us, tutting and shaking their heads.
“Everything hurts,” I whispered. I tried to sit upright, but Kemi pressed against my chest to keep me on my back.
“It won't stop hurting until you're back together, but I can keep it from paralyzing you.” Kemi nodded at Kai. “I smell herbs nearby. Go find where it's coming from and see if the vendor has any lemon balm. Fresh or dry, doesn't matter. We're going to need more. If you see any honey, get that, too.”
The Duckfae scowled and moved out of the way as Kai led Rose toward a nearby stand.
Kemi narrowed her eyes at the Fae. “I know what you're glaring at, and it's none of your concern. I'm a green witch, you fools. Sometimes a kiss is essential to a spell and I needed to work a spell to help my friend.”
“Elven whore,” one of the Duckfae snarled. The small green feathers at his temples rattled.
“This is none of your business. Go back to your shopping.” Kemi leaned forward and kissed me again. She allowed her lips to linger just above mine for several seconds after she broke contact. She pushed a loose strand of hair away from her eye and
whispered, “Sorry about that. Thought I'd give them something more to gossip about. Stay down for just a minute longer. You've had quite a shock.”
“It felt like my heart exploded, and now it hurts less but it's in shreds.” There was nothing in my chest but shrapnel, nothing but a damaged hollow in my gut. My soul was ripped in two and the more fragile half was cowering in lonely terror somewhere in Anthora.
Kemi's fingertips brushed across my forehead. “I understand this pain. I've felt it before and so has Kai. You will hurt until you are with her again, and the pain bursts will become more frequent the longer it takes, but stay close to me and I will help you through them. Lumin will soon start to feel the same fear as your Serida, and I will help him, too. Kai also knows how, but I'm better at it. He's more of a botanist than an apothecary.”
“You're a healer?” Nador asked.
“I prefer apothecary green witch. Healer implies one can mend damage, but all I can do is soothe.”
Iefyr held up the broken reed. “I guess that means more sutures for you, Tes. It didn't go in far so shouldn't be more than two or three once I get the laceration cleaned out. That basket broke your fall and probably kept you from breaking your shoulder.”
“I broke it instead. Apologize to the shopkeeper for me, will you?” I flexed my wrist. The pain in my shoulder was minimal, barely a scratch.
“You can do it yourself in a few minutes.” Iefyr retrieved his med kit from his saddlebag and then knelt next to Nador. He uncapped his water, then set it next to a bottle of witch hazel. “All right, let me see. I think I can get to it without you having to take off your shirt.”
Nador released the pressure on my shoulder and Iefyr pulled my unfastened collar to the side. A slow stream of blood trickled from the wound to drip upon the cobblestones beneath me.
“Nador, switch to my other side and hand me things as I call for them,” Iefyr said as he rinsed off my shoulder and his own hands, first with the water, then with the witch hazel.
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