Well, Rajah, this is a surprise.
Mother Dragon, I presume?
You are correct. May I ask why you disturb me in this manner?
I am not well practiced in the bond, my lady. You are a surprise.
You are also not well-practiced at lying in the bond, Rajah. What do you want?
Nothing. Apologies, my lady.
Sath withdrew quickly, but not without taking a look around first. The Ikedrian was not with the Mother Dragon. That was good news, but neither was Daelyth. At least he was relatively certain that the wizard wasn’t there. Sath’s eyes opened suddenly. The wizard. If he was reaching out to Gin, perhaps Sath could intercept him? At least then Gin could have some peace. After what she had shared with Sath about how the wizard had treated her, it was the least Sath could do.
Blank wall. White. Nothingness. Sath concentrated as he closed his eyes, a low growl starting in his chest. Taeben. At first, there was no response at all, but as quickly as he had jumped to the Mother Dragon’s mind, Sath felt his consciousness shift. He was looking at the Ikedrian, Elspethe, as she looked into a mirror. Sath had no idea where she was, but he was confident it was her. He moved closer to her and nearly gasped aloud as the mirror’s reflection came into his view. It was not the diminutive dark elf that he saw in the mirror’s face. It was the high cheekboned, hawkish face of Taeben. They did not seem to be aware of him, so he settled in to watch as he fought to keep his anger in check.
This is much better, Taeben. Being able to see you when I speak to you -
Yes, Elspethe, I thought you would like this. I need to know what you learned from the Mother Dragon.
She was not aware of Daelyth’s compromise. She was distressed to learn of it and has commanded me to investigate. To be honest, A’chrya—Taeben, I am not sure there is a point to all of this. Daelyth does not have the orb.
Taeben’s eyebrows raised in the mirror. No? So it is still hidden. That is good to know, my dark flower. It gives me an idea of where to start.
Will you interrogate the golden dragon?
Something like that. But Elspethe, I will need your help for this—and it will not be pleasant. Will you help me?
Do I have a choice?
You do not.
Taeben’s expression in the mirror turned very dark as he looked down at her. His face faded away, and Ellie doubled over, grabbing at her midsection with one hand and the back of her neck with the other. Sath fought the urge to help her—he didn’t understand what Taeben was doing to her, but now that he was over the initial shock of seeing his mortal enemy moving and talking—alive, sort of—his hatred for the high elf urged him to action. He looked again at the Ikedrian. She was standing, and as Sath watched, she stretched and—could that be—grew? She was easily as tall as a high elf now, and the dark elves were no taller than Gin. Her skin lightened until it was the porcelain shade of the high elves, and as she reached up to pull back her white hair into a ponytail, Sath noticed that her hands were distinctively male. She turned around and looked right at him—if he had been in the room, he would have fallen backward in shock. Taeben stood there before him, where Ellie had been only moments before.
He smiled at Sath and winked, then seemed to lose cohesion. Taeben’s sharp features morphed and changed back into those of his servant, Ellie. His hands shrunk. His skin darkened. His body shifted and pulsed until it was shorter and decidedly female again. The last things to change back were Ellie’s eyes, which stayed silvery and until she lost consciousness for a moment. Sath held his position—if he overthought helping the Ikedrian, he might pull his body through the bond to his mind, and he didn’t need to do that. Sath wasn’t even sure he could bring his body there—where were they, anyway? Her eyes fluttered, and Sath let out a breath he was holding—they were the red crossed eyes of her people. Taeben was gone. Sath pulled back from them as soon as he could stop looking at her, anxiously seeking the white wall again, the nothingness. Once there, he let loose the roar that he had been tamping down since he saw Taeben appear in the mirror. It was just not possible—was it? Sephine had said that Taeben’s spirit was trying to come back from the Void, but he had not been willing to believe the goddess until now. Blank white wall. Blank white wall.
Well, who would have thought that even the beasts of the fields could learn to use the bond? I saw you watching, Qatu. You will not be able to save Ginny this time, and I will have your throne and all of Orana at my feet. Stay out of my way.
Sath stumbled to his feet and took a step backward. So much had just happened. Taeben had looked at him in the bond and now spoken to him. How? And why had he seen the dark elf when he went looking for Taeben? He rubbed his eyes and walked over to the window. The sun was setting—he supposed that meant that the sun would be rising soon at home. He thought of Khujann rolling over and pulling his covers over his head, begging for a few more minutes of sleep. He thought of the sounds of the palace waking up to a new day—servants moving through the halls with trays of breakfast, Sahi Kalah and Sahi Pahl changing shifts, and comparing notes just outside his door. He thought of finding Gin meditating on the roof of the palace as the orange and yellow light of the sun broke over the horizon, igniting the auburn and golden streaks in her hair. Sath felt his heart warm at the sight of her—and closed his eyes, smiling.
Okay, that’s almost worse than staring at the back of my head, Sath.
Good morning, darlin'.
Now, do you want to tell me why you went looking for Taeben, or should we try to find some tea and breakfast first?
You saw that, huh?
Well, either that’s what happened, or I had some pretty strange dreams. Or both, actually. Spill it, Sath.
Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. Sephine told them that she had dispatched the dragonkind that had been watching over them the previous night. Gin instinctively reached for her dagger.
Can you tell who is out there?
No. But I am sensing no ill intent.
The knock came again, more insistent this time. Gin walked over to the door, Sath on her heels trying to stop her, but she pulled the door open anyway. On the other side stood a very chagrined looking Raiknyth. “Nature Walker, I am so sorry to wake -” She caught sight of Sath and drew her weapon, stepping between her and Sath. “You should have shouted for me, my lady! You stand down!”
Gin couldn’t help giggling. “Raiky, it’s all right. This is Sath—you met him before, he was just under an illusion.” Raiknyth wandered closer to Sath, her weapon still drawn and sniffed him. Her eyes widened.
“My lord! I’m so sorry!” The First Caeth bent low. Sath chuckled as he stepped forward and clapped the dragonkind on the shoulder.
“Recover yourself, Raiky. I did not expect you to know what had happened. Tell me, what can we do for you?”
“Lord Omerith has sent me for you, my lord.” Sath nodded, and he and Gin followed Raiknyth out the door. Gin pulled the door shut and then walked quickly to catch up with Raiknyth and Sath.
“Ugh, I’m back to being the slowest around,” she muttered. Raiknyth immediately slowed her pace until she caught up to him. “Why does Omerith request our presence this morning?”
“Oh, it is the best news, my lady. Lord Omerith is satisfied that our Lady Daelyth has been restored. He says he can sense her in the bond, and requests that you come to the great hall at once.” They walked the rest of the way in silence, with Gin and Sath sharing each other’s concern and suspicion silently. Soon she was pushing open the massive doors, and Gin and Sath entered to see Omerith and Daelyth sitting at the other end of the great hall.
Their heads were bent toward each other, speaking Eldyr. “Nature Walker! Rajah!” Omerith rose to his full height and ambled over to where they were standing. “It is the best news, is it not? My daughter has been returned, unharmed.”
Gin stepped forward. “My Lord, it is, of course, cause for celebration, but I must ask, are you certain?” The red dragon chuckled a
nd looked over his shoulder at the golden dragon, still sitting at the other end of the hall.
“I am certain, Nature Walker. I have communicated with her in the bond. It is our precious child, the last dragon born on Orana.” He leaned closer to Gin. “She has the orb safe. It will not fall into the hands of my mother.”
“That pleases me, Omerith, and brings me great relief. How is that she came to be returned to herself?”
Omerith’s amber eyes glowed with an inner fire, and Gin thought she might have asked the wrong question. “It was a wizard that took possession of her mind, Nature Walker. She managed to escape his control. I wanted to make sure that you knew that the orb did not fall into my mother’s clutches.”
Can he hear us?
No, I don’t think so.
Are you believing this?
No. I have a horrible feeling about this, Sath.
Omerith looked at them curiously, and Gin smiled at him. “I do not see a need for us to remain, Omerith if your daughter is well and the orb is safe.”
“I am happy to help you get back to your side of the world safely, Ginolwenye of the Trees, if that is your wish. While I have enjoyed having you as our guests, I know that you are needed in your homelands.”
This is too easy, Gin, we are not really going back, are we?
Just follow my lead, Sath. If I am right, Daelyth is about to overplay her hand.
And if you are wrong?
Then we go home.
“It is my wish, my lord. Our homeland is now safe—thanks to the Rajah. We were under a similar threat of a wizard whose misguided narcissism led him to believe he could rule all of Orana. I believe you were familiar with him—your father was his mentor.”
Omerith’s face darkened. “Yes, Nature Walker, I do know of this wizard. We are all safer now that he is dead. It is my understanding that he has been in touch with my Mother on similar business.” As Gin spoke to the red dragon, Sath kept his eyes on the daughter. “My mate, Andyth, was determined that we would not return to your side of our world while that wizard still drew breath, regardless of how power-hungry Kaerinth grew. She was not the biggest supporter of my father’s, and as a result, she had no time for the ravings of a… le’eng like him.” Sath snorted at the unflattering term in Eldyr.
“Where is the white dragon, my lord?” Gin asked. “Having heard stories about her since I was a child, I cannot pass up a chance to meet her, if such a thing is possible.” Puffs of smoke came out of Omerith’s nose in short bursts. “Apologies, my lord, it was presumptuous of me -”
“Andyth—defied Mother and tried to return to your side of the world. I have heard nothing from her since that time.”
“Omerith! I had no idea!” Before Sath could get an arm around her, Gin closed the distance between herself and the red dragon and placed a hand on his formidable leg. Magical healing and calm flowed out of her hand, and Sath could see the light they produced flowing up to his shoulder. Omerith closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, Sath could see that the fervid pain previously present within them had faded. He looked down at her and smiled. “That is why you were not comfortable keeping the orb, wasn’t it? You were tempted to use it to return your mate. Oh, you break my heart, Omerith.”
“I appreciate your kindness, Ginolwenye of the Trees. There are so few of us, the loss of any dragon is tragic. Andyth and I have been together for a long time. I was willing to do almost anything to bring her home, including unleashing the power of that orb.”
“I am thankful that you have not Omerith.” Gin held her breath as the immense creature gently wound his neck around her for a moment. Sath shifted his attention to Daelyth who was slowly moving closer to Omerith and Gin.
“Father, I should retire, I am so drained.” Omerith released Gin so quickly that she nearly fell to the floor.
“Of course, my little one.” Sath watched Daelyth’s face as her father walked over to her—was she murmuring? It was so hard to tell with dragon faces. Sath glanced at Gin, who looked around and nodded at him. She had seen the same thing.
Her eyes, Sath, they were silver for a moment. If I didn’t know better, I would think—but they changed back.
Sath waved at Omerith, but nothing could take the red dragon’s eyes off his daughter. “Perhaps we will wait and leave tomorrow when you are not so busy with your daughter’s return.” Omerith nodded, not looking back. Sath held a hand out to Gin and pulled her through the doors before picking up speed.
“Sath, we are not really leaving, are we?”
“Of course not.”
“Does this have to do with what you saw when you were in the bond? How did you do that, anyway? I mean, you are progressing well with what I’ve taught you, but -”
“I’m not even sure, Gin.” Sath rubbed a hand over the top of his head as Gin opened the door to the room where they were staying. “I was trying to find the golden dragon in the bond. I did what you taught me, blank wall, nothingness, and then I said the name of the person I wanted to find.” She nodded at him.
“Who did you find?”
“Well, I found Omerith, but he was asleep, so I tried to find the Mother Dragon -”
“What?”
“Yeah, I don’t know how, but I contacted her.” Gin stared at him, slack-jawed. “She was as surprised as I was, and I severed that connection as quickly as I started it. So after that, that was when things went a little sideways.”
“You tried to connect with the Ikedrian?”
“Um, no. Now, Gin, please don’t be angry, but I wanted to see if I could -”
“YOU TRIED TO CONTACT BEN, ON PURPOSE?”
“Taeben, Gin, please.” She took a deep breath and fisted her hands at her sides as she nodded. “And yes, I did. I thought I could figure him out. You saw the whole thing, apparently, so stop taking this out on me.”
“I’m sorry. I did see what happened, and I saw that the first contact you made was with the apprentice, Elspethe. Did I ever tell you that I saw Maelfie in Cursik’s memories once? That Elspethe—she is Maelfie’s identical twin. I would know her anywhere.”
“But I saw him come through that mirror, Gin. He took over every part of her—and he saw me watching him. I have no idea how.”
“That’s when she collapsed in your vision?” Sath nodded, worry creasing his furry face. “I don’t know what else to do, Gin.” She was sitting on the bed listening to him, and she patted the bed next to her. “That is not the real Daelyth.” He sat down next to her, his body tense with worry.
“No, it isn’t. I don’t know how Omerith doesn’t see it.”
“I do.” Sath leaned back on one hand. “I was watching Daelyth. She was casting something the whole time you were healing Omerith.”
Gin frowned. “I thought so. I was afraid so. Sath, I’m worried that—Daelyth is being controlled by Taeben.” Sath nodded sadly.
“When he came into his apprentice’s body, you saw what happened—she was gone. And he was only in there for a short time. What would happen to a body that he tried to inhabit and did not leave?”
“The soul would die, eventually, Sath. If he has been inside Daelyth’s mind for a long time, Omerith’s daughter is gone—and Taeben knows where the orb is.”
“So now the physically weak high elf wizard has all of his immense magical ability in the physically powerful body of a dragon. A young dragon, whom we know has already lived for at least 200 years because she was a little one at the end of the Forest War.”
“And he has the ear of both Omerith and the Mother Dragon. I don’t know if Taeben’s magic has superseded hers or blended with it, but either way, he may be powerful enough to defeat the Mother Dragon, Gin.” Sath wandered away from her to the window and looked out. “If he has access to the power of the Father of the Underworld—then Orana is lost to the darkness.”
“Then we stop him before that happens.” Gin dug into her rucksack until she found the spellbook she had recovered at the embassy—the one that Taeben
had made notes in while he held her captive. “Look, there has to be something in here—he wrote in this thing all the time.”
“And you’ve had it with you?” Sath came over to the bed and sat down next to her. “You kept his spellbook this whole time? Romantic.”
Gin glared at Sath, clearly irritated. “Don’t do that. I cannot concentrate on this if I am worried about saying or doing something that will set you off.” Sath scowled as he nodded his head. Gin flipped through the pages, now and then pausing to run one of her fingers over the notes scrawled in the margins. It was written in Elder Elvish, mostly, so Sath couldn’t read a lot of what he saw. Some of it was written in Eldyr, though, and he could translate that for Gin when she got stuck.
An hour went by, and she shoved the book across the bed in frustration. “Easy. You don’t want to rip the pages.” He took her hands in his and rubbed them carefully, keeping his claws away from her skin.
She smiled at him gratefully at first, but then scowled, pulling her hands back from his. “This is not getting us anywhere. There’s not enough here to help me draw him out—not without risking an attack while he is still in the control of the dragon’s body. Maybe if I can just get him alone, I can -”
“Absolutely not. Anything we do now, we do as a team.”
“The first thing we do, then, is we need to get Omerith away from the golden dragon.”
Thirty-Four
You Can’t Go Home Again
Omerith lingered outside Daelyth’s quarters. He could not quite bring himself to walk away from her door. She was all he had left, and he would give up his own life before he let anyone hurt her. He thought of Andyth for a moment, his memories of the last time he saw her colliding sharply with the knowledge that she might be gone forever. If only he could bring her back—he would give up his life for both of them, of that he was certain.
Darkness: A Guardians of Orana Novel Page 29