AESSA'S CHILDREN: BOOK ONE -- THE LAST BORDER
By V. A. Watts (c) 1993
NOTE: This work is under a registered copyright and unauthorized distribution is prohibited and will be prosecuted. All characters are fictional and of my own invention. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Note on pronunciation: Proper Names and nouns within the language most commonly used on Aessa, Lliyassean, allow that each letter have its own sound. The first vowel in each word is long, the following vowels hold the short sound. Therefore, the name Thana is pronounced: T-HAYN-AH. Maygra is MAY-IH-G-RAH, Kieri is KI-ERR-IH, and Jael is JAY-EL. Diminutives such as Jai and Mag are pronounced as written, so Jai would be Ji (long "I") and Mag would be Mag with a short "a". The use of glottal stops is pervasive. Words ending in "I" are masculine gendered, "a" indicates feminine gender, "n" indicates plurals. Partial Glossary is at the end of each chapter.
The last warm, sweet breath of summer caught Jael's hair as he stirred the coals from last night's fire into a small blaze. Nestling a pot into the glowing embers, he began mixing water and grain together for the morning meal, tossing in a handful of dried fruit to sweeten the thickening stuff. CHAPTER SEVEN
Mikayl emerged from the dense foliage along the dawn-line, arms full of wood and dried brush to add to the fire, eyes involuntarily seeking out his sisters as he laid the kindling down. Maia met his eyes fearfully, pulling Kion in closer to her chest, but otherwise gave no indication she might at any moment burst into the hysterics which had marked her abrupt departure from shock. Her brother smiled at her reassuringly, wishing he could touch her mind as well. Given their precariously open position, even the small gesture of compassion could be disastrous and he repressed the urge. Worriedly, his eyes shifted to Maygra, throat tightening as he observed her still form, deathly-pale and barely breathing, no better now than she had been since Damyn wrenched her back among the living from Yranna's jealous arms.
"Did you see Laric?" Jael asked quietly. "He went hunting."
Mikayl shook his head, biting back a sharp comment. Laric had been quick to take advantage of Maygra's collapse; urging the group southwest, back toward the Ayr Riyv, in direct conflict with his commander's last orders. There had not been enough unity among the others to argue with him. Jael had his hands full with Maia, her silence suddenly shattered by full-blown hysterics. She had run from the group in terror, screaming she had seen Dark Yranna waiting for all of them. Maygra had lapsed into unconsciousness only seconds after she spoke and Damyn had followed her into the dark abyss, diverting Sura and Mikayl's attention. Taking his companion's distraction as agreement, Laric had taken Osra and Kiva by the hand and begun moving. Too late, Mikayl tried reasoning with Laric, but the archer turned as much of a deaf ear to the youth as he had to Maygra. Fearing the two would come to blows, Sura had suggested they build litters, hoping she could reason with Laric while he worked.
She succeeded no better than Mikayl had, however, and short of violence there was nothing to be done but go along. By dusk, Sura had recovered her wits and will enough to call a halt to the travesty of progress, all but lifting Damyn away from Laric. They were all, including Laric, exhausted by the forced march despite their rest in A'denna Gul. Jael had maintained his Shield on the group but was fast reaching the end of his endurance, doubly burdened by the effort of keeping Maia calm and moving.
Overruled, Laric fell into a sullen defiance, realizing further argument was futile.
"So be it," he snapped. "As none of you seem to fear pursuit any longer, we may as well camp here," he said. They were barely a hundred yards from a more heavily forested area.
Mikayl glared at the older man before turning to carry his sister into the relative protection of the unnamed hulden. Silently, the others followed, Jael carrying Damyn as Sura led Maia and the baby, and the children served as Osra's eyes.
Laric did not join them immediately and Jael spent an anxious evening watching for his brother. At moonrise Laric appeared, tossing a brace of long-ears and a half-dozen redtails at Jael's feet before turning away to disappear into the darkness again. Jael followed his brother, returning shortly without a word but with a new bruise forming on his jaw. The younger brother refused to answer Mikayl or Sura's questions, stretching out at Maia's side to cuddle his son. They had not seen the hunter since.
Mikayl was sure Laric was haunting the edge of their camp, though he made no effort to seek out the older man. However much the youth disagreed with Laric's methods, he admired him for his loyalty. Nevertheless, his persistent distance affected Jael, wearing at his nerves and adding to the burden of his Gift by denying him the ability to contribute what protection he could offer to his brother.
Equally apparent was the fact Laric was not likely to return to the group unless they agreed to follow his lead. Even had Mikayl not been angry with the hunter, he disagreed with his plan. Maygra had predicted Laric would seek some kind of haven and Mikayl agreed with his sister: for the time being, there was no safe refuge for the survivors.
There was no way for Jael to mask his distress at his older brother's behavior and Mikayl had no wish to add to the problem, but Sura repeatedly expressed her concern over Maygra and Damyn's persistent insensibility and the frightening lack of control he now had over his Gift. Even before Laric's apparent desertion, Sura became aware that in addition to his physical collapse, Damyn's healing Gift seemed to be constantly in play -- whether he willed it or no. Only Jael's Shield seemed to have any affect on its activity and it, more than exhaustion kept Damyn unconscious and weak. Nor could she make any progress with Maygra. Nothing Sura attempted outside of using her own Gift roused her Healer son or Maygra. Given the depth of the healing the latter had experienced, the swordswoman should have regained her senses days ago.
With that in mind they spent the next two days resting; Sura hoping Jael could sufficiently recover his strength to once more be able to provide a lock-Shield so she could bring her healing Gift into play. Mikayl escorted Maia, Osra and the children to a small creek nearby to gather water and wash out their clothing as best they could. Laric appeared silently, squatting on the opposite bank, bow ready. Mikayl said nothing but left the hunter to protect the little group while he returned to their camp.
Jael was staring moodily at their small fire when he returned and Sura was checking on Maygra, a frown on her face. Mikayl glanced over at the woman, inclining his head when she caught his eye and she rose gracefully to join the pair by the fire. Jael offered her breakfast but she shook her head, catching his wrist.
"There is no easy way to say this, Jai," she began softly. "I need the opportunity to Heal both Maygra and my son and it must be now. I know you are tired and worried about Laric, but we dare not stay here much longer and we cannot carry them indefinitely."
Jael gave a short bitter laugh, tossing a twig into the flames. "My brother would be surprised to find you think I care for him at all, Masyra. My allegiances, he says, are no longer in question -- and they do not lie with him," he sighed, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand. "But you are right, we dare not stay here beyond tonight. Can you help both, Sura?"
"I think so. I am more sure of Maygra, and as much as it shames me to say it, we need her leadership more now than Damyn's Healer's skill. I will begin with her," the woman said and led Jael to where Maygra lay.
Though she had spoken reassuringly to Jael, Sura was less sure of the outcome than she wanted to admit. Maygra's malaise was due primarily to blood loss, both external and internal, and the Healer knew her depressed state was the body's attempt to heal. She waited until she felt Jael's Shield settle like an insulating blanket, the tight-focus not hampering movement. The more tactile sense of her Gift, however, was impaired. The peculiar area of her mind and body where her Gift rested barricaded by some invisible film making her perceptions the slightest bit unfocused.
Monitoring Maygra's breathing and pulse gave her enough sense of the interference projected by Jael's Shield to let her proceed and she let her mind sink into Maygra's presence. There was a jarring pain; an expected response from Maygra's innate resistance to the Gifts of other Kieri. Sura had never understood why Maygra was deprived of the Gifts with which Aessa had blessed the Kieri. On the Elder Council when the child had been tested at age five, she had always believed the potential she saw in the girl's mind would someday blossom into a remarkable Gift. That the opposite had occurred baffled her. She could See the potential Gift with her Healer's touch, a thrumming of power which almost took on a physical form, but Maygra's gift was somehow contained, inviolate. It puzzled her further when even in her depressed physical condition, Maygra's Gift seemed to show no diminishing in strength. Sura had been taught Kieri Gifts were directly proportional to physical strength and endurance, mirroring more mundane sensory and emotional levels. Even without his Gift, Mikayl's eyesight was remarkable and Jael radiated unwavering strength and a flexible personality echoing his astounding Shields.
It had always been her contention among her peers that this two-sided edge of their Gifts was as much a detriment as a benefit. Among Healers, the more sensitive the individual, the deeper the individual's skill ran. She suspected her own son's current condition was do as much to his sensitive nature as the enormous expenditure of energy he had spent in healing the worst of Maygra's internal injuries.
She had followed him in his near-disastrous healing, shocked to find he had missed the deeper injuries not once, but twice. Granted, his first healing had been cursory; his objective to stop the bleeding of his friend's face and arm rather than a complete healing. But his second attempt, when he had halted the poison from the n'gari's claws entering Maygra's bloodstream, had again failed to reveal the crushed kidney and broken ribs. It was if he had deliberately forgone the overall survey he had been trained to conduct with any injury.
Then again, reading Maygra had always been difficult; her bastard Gift interfering in ways Sura could never hope to understand. This in mind, she was careful to ignore no blurred or confusing perception as she sought to urge Maygra's body to a quicker healing. It was fatiguing and Sura was far less skilled than Damyn at such deep healings. Nevertheless, she was grateful when she elicited a pained but familiar response from deep within her patient.
Her body protested as she eased her consciousness back into her own mind, feeling her three score years in every joint and muscle. Jael eased her, half reclining, into his lap, her graying head resting against his chest.
"We were frightened for you, Masyra," he said softly as she focused her eyes on him.
"I'm sorry, kiri. I had to be sure I missed nothing this time. How long was I within?"
"The sun is past mid-point, Sura," Jael answered helping her to sit up. "I would have pulled you free but you did not seem to be in distress."
"Nor was I. I am unused to this type of work, that is all," she said, giving them both a reassuring smile. "Now, let us see to Damyn."
"Are you sure, Masyra?" Jael asked, concern plain in his dark eyes. "You are very fatigued. If it can wait . . . ."
"Damyn probably could, Jai, but we cannot. Our reasons for these measures have not changed," she said evenly and allowed him to help her stand. She clutched his hand for a moment as the world seemed to reel beneath her feet, then smiled again and walked steadily to her eldest son's side.
She felt no need to reorient her skills as Jael settled his Gift around her, but took a more direct approach, seeking out the buried thoughts in her son's mind. The pathways of Damyn's mind were as familiar to her as Renn's or her own. Unlike her elder son, Sura's Gift seemed more inclined toward emotional rather than bodily injuries. She was adept enough at healing broken bones, cuts and sprains, but her true Gift lay with the less readily admitted injuries to the spirit. She was as frustrated by Maia's unstable emotional state as Damyn had been by Maygra's injuries and it was the former's abrupt change directed her as she worked on her son.
Maia had been nearly incoherent in her sudden fear. Sura would never have guessed the woman would have emerged so quickly from her depression, but her sister's near brush with death had triggered something and Sura had been left wondering to what lengths Damyn had gone to save his friend.
Like all Healers, Sura had met death head-on on more than one occasion, thwarting Dark Yranna with skill and determination. Yranna was a patient but jealous mistress and did not give up her chosen easily. More than one Healer had learned that too late.
That Damyn had crossed the line, Sura had no doubt. That he would sacrifice so much for Maygra was understandable, but he had to have known he was too weak for such a prolonged battle he could not win. So why attempt what amounted to suicide? That particular tendency had not been part of Damyn's personality prior to the attack.
Uncounted small guilts and grievances gave way beneath her touch. Petty jealousies and minor regrets were not what she sought. Some she could observe with forgiving amusement; the young mason whose aching back Damyn had only half-healed as a reminder to the man that showing off his strength to his friends was both foolish and dangerous, and Renn, whose mild sunburn had been eased but not cured so he would not avoid his lessons to play in the fields with his friends. Sura had given in to such impulses herself on occasion and she had no censure for her son on his wisdom.
Her amusement faded as she relived the battle as Damyn had experienced it. She had been prepared for these memories, not surprised to find them as tightly barricaded as her own. Dealing out death would never be easy for one with the healing Gift and Damyn had taken more than one life in the massacre and not all had been enemies. Duran's fate had cut deepest but it had been asked for repeatedly as the paralyzed guardsman realized his people were dying. Only Damyn had heard him, responding as he desperately tried to think of a way to get his patient to safety. The opportunity passed, less than a handful of the watch were still able to fight, Maygra had already fallen and Damyn determined not to lead their attackers to the cellar hiding-place where he had secured those dearest to his heart. Duran understood the Healer's dilemma. The burden of his injury had already sent him close to death, only the terrified mental cries of his folk had brought him to semi-awareness.
And then the memory stopped. No thoughts of Damyn's continued once he had turned toward the sick rooms to deliver the mercy stroke. His next thought was of finding himself once more in the courtyard, a bloodied knife in his hands -- the same blade he still wore at his waist, Maygra's gift which Mikayl had returned to him -- but of the actual death there was nothing. There was grief and resignation and a self-recrimination she had never before seen in her son. The memory flashed by Sura so quickly she almost lost it to surprise. Whatever had occurred in the still coolness of the sickrooms was lost forever, as if the memory had been taken from him. Those lost events may have triggered the change in Damyn or the alteration had occurred not long after. Like a slippery eel, the thought escaped again, eluding her touch with a purpose. She pursued it in vain, frustrated by the confusion surrounding Damyn over the incident.
She overshot the thought, finding herself confronting Damyn's memory of her as she emerged from the cellar. She had been confused then. In those long two days in the dark hole she had repeatedly sought some indication he lived, knowing that even were he sunk into the deepest coma she would be able to find him. She had been in shock when Mikayl told her Damyn was alive and only then was she able to meet his thoughts. He had been disoriented and distant but their contact had seemed as solid as ever.
He had helped to lift Maygra out of the cellar, his Gift blocking the devastating pain she suffered from her injuries. Out of the hole she had leaned against him for a moment . . .
. . . His people were dying and there was no reason for it. What did they want? Damyn searched the bloodied ground with eyes and mind, seeking any who were injured but survived. He felt nauseated and weak, his hands still covered with blood. He heard a cry and looked up, peering through the broken eastern wall. Three riders had entered but they were not mounted on the n'gari, but on slender, sturdy mountain-bred varin, sleek coats bridled with silver and gems, long tails and manes plaited and dressed as if for a festival.
A cloaked figure rode the largest of the varin, The dark blue of her cloak almost as black as the hide of the varin she rode. That the rider was female, Damyn had no doubt. She turned to him as if knowing he watched her, her eyes crinkling with amusement as she met his gaze. She glanced back at the battle, the steadiness of her gaze communicating some silent order as the Hai'Karin began their final sweep, dispatching the rest of his people with ease.
Without realizing he did so, Damyn picked up one of his dead kinsmen's bows, locking gazes with the woman as he pulled back the bowstring. Eyes of cold silver locked with his, all amusement gone. The Healer's fingers locked, refusing his commands. Frustrated and helpless he watched the woman advance. Save her eyes, her face was obscured, wrapped in heavy blue fabric. Damyn felt the cold slice of bright-stone as those pale eyes bore into him, baring his mind and soul. He could feel her laughter as she realized he was a Healer, her amusement tainted by disgust. But there was interest there, as well. He was handsome and strong willed, a fitting companion for her should she desire. His revulsion at the thought seemed to amuse her further as she forced him to lower the bow. He could feel her hand on his cheek, though she was a hundred paces away. Her voice was sweet but cold in his mind, her breath the caress of winter wind.
Not interested, pretty one? she purred, It could be diverting for both of us She read his response easily, her voice tinkling with laughter and edged with something darker. A pity, Healer. Yet, there would be a certain irony if you agreed, I think. A well-deserved revenge should I take one of Aessa's more useful Gifts and bend it to a purpose she would despise. She hesitated, probing Damyn for hidden weaknesses. Blood on your hands, Healer? Have you been fighting, then? Yes? Now that is unusual. But, no. I see this was a mercy killing. How appropriate! And how delightful. Surely I can return such a noble action. Not a swift death, but a slow one--appropriate for one who would break my heart so. She leaned forward on her mount, resting against her saddle lazily. Her eyes lost none of their power, however, and Damyn struggled to maintain hidden the last secret he had to keep.
He was only partially successful. By her reaction he knew she thought all the Rhemans dead and a good portion of her cruelty was being fueled by the Rhemans' desperate effort to keep her from taking captives.
Not all dead. A few, and dear to you. Your mother and your. . . lover! That ferocious creature with the ax! You diminish yourself, Healer. Let us see what we can do to rectify the situation! the last was all but a hiss of disdain and Damyn felt her control over him fade with a suddenness which left him unable to stand. It was the screeching cry of the beast which suddenly appeared on her hand that brought his head up. It was no bigger than his head, a vegen in miniature. This vegen had black eyes fixed on him like a snake to prey and struggled to free itself from its mistress's caress.
A pet, Masyr Damyn. See you care for it well, in memory of me!
The beast launched itself from her arms, diving straight for Damyn's throat. Caught off guard by the creature's quickness, Damyn was barely able to protect his neck, the creatures claws digging like knives into his chest, ripping the fabric of his tunic as if it were paper. Razored teeth caught his chin as he grasped the beast by the throat, the sinuous neck reaching beyond his grip to tear the skin from his collar bone. For one long moment the vegen's grip held, strong jaws working their way through skin and muscle toward the vital vein resting just below the surface.
Damyn screamed in pain as he ripped the beast free of his throat and wrenched the small body with both hands, cracking its back against his knee and casting the body away. He staggered, halting the blood flow from his wounds as he sought his antagonist.
She had not moved but had watched the brief battle with a glint in her silver eyes. Not wisely done, Damyn. That death would have been quicker. Your passing would have been complete when your heart stopped beating. Now you will have a longer memory.
The vegen lay dead at his feet, but Damyn could feel the foul thing at his throat again. No blood flowed and he shrieked as the creature broke through his flesh and began squirming its way inside him. It crawled inside his mind, tearing and eating a place for itself until Damyn felt sure it would emerge from the top of his skull. His consciousness faded as his voice gave out.
You'll remember me, Healer, but not until it's too late to know why. The voice faded with him, the laughter echoing soundlessly within his mind until there was nothing but silence.
Sura emerged from the darkness with a gasp, feeling Jael pulling her free of the shadowy caverns she had been wandering in. She resisted, knowing why he feared for her. Her own fear was great but her fear for what Damyn could become was greater. She fingered the small blade he wore, pulling it free to see it as Damyn had first remembered it -- covered with Duran's blood. The blood had been an illusion and it suddenly occurred to her to give him the same mercy he had intended to show Duran -- a mercy stroke she was certain he had never delivered. She had no time to contemplate the guardsman's ultimate fate for the trap the she-demon had placed in Damyn's mind was more powerful than anything Sura had ever encountered. Damyn could not sense the trap, it was hidden from him. Like all Kieri, his need to use his Gift was almost as necessary as breathing, but every attempt had been a near disaster. Damyn had recognized as much and kept his healing to the most obvious of wounds. He missed Maygra's other injuries--deliberately--fearing he would lose control of his Gift if he went any deeper than was absolutely necessary.
He had been as surprised as Sura when Maygra began slipping away from them. It had been an instinctive reaction sending him so deep and he had lost control of his Gift. That battle against his own berserk Gift was the cause of his present condition. Caught in Maygra's death-shift he had found himself fighting himself, warring with a healing Gift inexplicably working in reverse. Every use of his Gift left him weaker and more susceptible to the overflow of emotional and physical pain of his companions.
She had no cure. She remembered from her early training mention of methods which would strip a Kieri of a Gift, but no one in Rhema had ever had reason for so drastic an action. Jael might be able to lock the trap behind a Shield so strong it would diminish the threat but for how long? If only Damyn had the same kind of barriers Maygra possessed . . .
The idea came to her so suddenly she physically collapsed against it. Jael's hand was at her back, his voice a blur in her ear. She sought her way up and out of Damyn's mind, dragging Jael with her as she reached for Maygra, Damyn's knife forgotten in her hand.
It was Mikayl who stopped her, grasping her thin shoulders and holding her upright, his face white in fear and worry.
"Mikayl!" She gasped, freeing herself from her urgency for a brief moment. "Let me do what I must. This could destroy us all!" she cried, pushing ineffectively at his chest.
"What? Sura, tell us," he demanded, "What could destroy us?'
"I can't explain, I haven't time. Please, Mikayl, trust me in this, if you have ever trusted me in your life. Jael, expand your Shield, keep a watch. I may bring that she-demon down on us."
"She-demon? Sura, tell us what is wrong!" Jael snapped, his own fear growing.
Sura knew she was nearly incoherent. She dared not give them the explanation, not yet. It would take too long and Damyn was losing his blind battle against a menace he did not understand. Mikayl had no intention of injuring her but he was not yet as desperate as Sura. Praying to the Goddess and to Mikayl to forgive her, she touched Mikayl's arm, almost gently. Tears sprang to her eyes as the youth screamed in pain and fell away from her, every nerve in his arm afire with agony. Jael caught him, his eyes watching Sura in horror as she held Damyn's knife in front of her, belatedly going for the blade at his side. She had reached Maygra by then, immersing herself in the woman's sleeping thoughts with a force which caused them both to cry out. It took only a moment to gain the pattern she needed and then she was staggering back to her son.
Jael barred her way, his knife glinting dully in the fading sunlight. Beyond him, Mikayl still writhed in pain on the ground, the muscles of his left arm distended in torment.
"Sura, please. Put the knife down," he whispered. His hand was steady but his voice was not. "Tell me why? What is wrong with Damyn? With you?" he begged.
Sura stared down at the blade in her hands "I cannot explain it, Jai. I'm not sure I understand it myself. But I do what I must. Just as you must." She said the last softly, forgiving him for what she knew he would do. He would not kill her, but it would be enough. The Shield pattern she had taken from Maygra's bastard Gift should give Damyn the strength to eventually overcome the trap, or at least render his Gift useless. Either choice was preferable than waiting for the trap to overcome him until he was driven to destroy those he loved.
She moved with a dancer's grace, past Jael's knife, intending to give him the knife she held, but Jael was unsure of her motives as she turned, his move to intercept her putting her off balance. She gasped as she pressed the slim blade into his hand, feeling his anguish as his knife bit deep. He pulled back in horror, then reached for her, his arms extended to catch her. She staggered away, stumbling to fall beside Damyn. She dropped her consciousness into his quickly, knowing she had not much time.
Even unconscious Damyn's healing Gift surged and with it the open maw of the trap. Ignoring the pain in her side and Jael's sobs of remorse, she set the pattern. It took no more than a moment and her son's Gift steadied. He struggled to consciousness and Sura felt the pain lessen. Gritting her mental teeth she fought to push his Gift within the barrier she had erected. His blue eyes snapped open as the crippling drain on his strength was subdued. His gaze locked with hers, confusion and alarm warring within them as he realized what she had done. She had no time to explain why, but touched his cheek, her fingers leaving a bloody trail on his pale skin.
The pain in her side faded with her vision. She could feel Damyn trying to heal the wound and felt his Gift stir sluggishly to his command. Desperately he fought to stop the blood flow and Sura knew he would follow her into the dark realm if she did not stop him.
It hurt to fight the Dark Maiden, a pain she had not expected and it was all she could do to resist sliding back into the compelling darkness calling her. Her hand found Damyn's as her mind sought and locked with his for the last time.
Do not follow, my son! This I lay upon you--For the peace of my soul in Yranna's realm, you must live! Protect your brother, and take Kiva as your own! If they die while in your care, my soul will suffer all the torments of Kairos' Unbalanced Realm for all eternity. Until they are safe, I will dwell in limbo, waiting for the day of release when Aessa will judge me. On my soul I lay this upon you, Damyn, Son of Sura and Daris, keep my children safe!
It took all her strength to lay the compulsion on him and she saw his eyes dull under the weight of the geas. Despair filled him as she cut herself off from his Gift, withdrawing her hand from his.
Jael begged Damyn to heal her, his arm slipping beneath her as she started to fall, but the Healer seemed oblivious to his plea. Sura focused her eyes on Jael's stricken face and spoke his name softly. He stared down at her, gathering her into his arms until she rested against his shoulder.
"I have forbidden him, Jai-kiri" she murmured. "Forgive me for what I have done to you."
Tears stained his face as he bent over her, burying his lips against her hair. "I never meant this, Sura. I wanted only to stop you, not kill you!" he cried, his voice hollow with an aching void.
"I know. This is as I willed it, Jael. There is nothing for me to forgive. It is your forgiveness I beg. Yours and Damyn's for the burden I have laid on you," her voice faded to a whisper and she closed her eyes.
Jael's cry of despair was lost to her in the great rushing of wind created by Yranna's endless wings.
Laric watched his charges warily. Maia had seen him but her only reaction had been the same icy stare he had received since leaving A'Denna Gul. Surprisingly, it was he who dropped his eyes first, checking the path up and down the creek, aware Renn was watching him warily as well.
The last two nights alone in the strange hyuld had not been easy ones. His fight with Jael had first left him angry and then, slowly, ashamed of his behavior. He had not resolved his anger with Maygra, nor was it likely he would. But watching Maia and Renn help Osra and then Kiva bathe, he realized despite his hunting and his words, he was more of a burden to the group than Osra or even Damyn were.
He also found himself agreeing with Maygra on at least one point. The more distance they put between themselves and whatever lay buried beneath the broken land, the better he liked it. He had understood more of Maygra's fear of the place than he wanted to admit. He had accused Maygra of being both a kin-slayer and an Oath breaker. But the accusation was haunting him now, haunting him in a way his own En Eyr ki'ka never had. His adult Oath had never moved him the way he had observed his brother respond when Jael took his second Oath, a few short months after entering the Watch, eight years before. Jael had seemed both afraid and awed when he answered the Lady's call. Laric had felt only honored.
Beneath A'Denna Gul, however, Laric had felt the fear and it had not been pleasant. Even now he could still feel this sense of disappointment, of resentment, which seemed to emanate from the very stone.
He had thought it to be his own anger at first and then Maia's, but as the days dragged on, the feeling persisted. It had faded only when he and Mikayl had made their brief forays into the hyuld.
It took Maygra's near brush with death to make him aware of exactly where the feelings emanated from -- Maia had been nearly hysterical after seeing Yranna. Laric had not found the courage to tell anyone -- even Jael -- Maia had not been alone in her vision.
Her hysterics had sufficed to cover his own fear, for Yranna had seen him as well, as she had not seemed to notice Maia. She had said nothing, but her glittering silver eyes fixed him coldly and the surge of resentment welled up within him like a swollen river and then she threw something at him -- a staff of dark theris wood, snapped in half.
When the vision faded, so did the broken staff, but Laric could not deny what he had seen, nor could he deny the broken wood -- the symbol of an Oath breaker -- had been thrown at his feet, not Maygra's.
He was not sure what it meant, but he knew what it implied and he had spent the last few days trying to determine just where he had broken his own Oaths. He almost wished Yranna would appear again and explain her anger, but he was not sure he could face those glittering silver eyes again.
A scream from their camp wrenched his thoughts away from himself, sending him pelting across the stream to stop Renn from returning.
"Renn, wait," He murmured, picking Kiva up quickly. "Across the stream, all of you and hide. I'll go see what happened."
The boy hesitated, his face pale and stricken, "Kisan," he said. "She's gone,"
"That was a man's scream," Osra said softly, clinging to Maia's hand.
"I know," Laric murmured, fighting his own urge to find out what had happened. Renn was crying now, tears falling as he stared toward the camp. Laric pushed his long knife into Maia's hand, laying his other on the boy's shoulder.
"We'll be back soon," he promised softly. "Hide across the stream."
She nodded. "Renn, stay here," she pleaded softly but the boy shook his head, his own, smaller, knife drawn. There was nothing of a child's face in his expression.
"Don't Speak," Maia cautioned and Laric, nodded slowly, realizing it had not occurred to him to try. Sometime in the last few days, Maygra's prohibition against Gift use had become second nature.
Certain he could not see Maia and the others easily, Laric began moving quietly along the stream toward their camp, Renn following him silently. After the first cry there had been no sound save birds and insects, and the continuation of natural sound gave him some hope the scream had not been the result of an attack. Without his Gift he could only vaguely sense something was missing -- some presence had vanished from his perception.
He motioned Renn back as they reached the edge of the encampment and Laric had the briefest sense of relief when he realized all five of their companions were present, with no sign of intruders.
The relief faded instantly, however, and he was only a half step behind Renn as the boy broke cover to run to where Jael held Sura's limp body in his arms. The boy stumbled to his knees, a few inches from the pair, his hand reaching out hesitantly to touch his mother's silvered hair.
Laric paused, seeing Damyn and Maygra still unmoving, still in their world of half-sleep. Mikayl was on the ground as well, doubled over on his side, clutching his left arm against his chest. Laric knelt beside him in an attempt to assess his injury.
"Don't," Mikayl gasped, his voice taut with pain, "It will pass. She's dead -- Jael didn't mean to kill her but she seemed so wild . . . ," he gasped again, biting his lip as another spasm sent agony up his arm. "Help him, Laric," he murmured, "Or we may lose him as well."
Unaware of Renn's presence, Jael sat on the ground, his eyes closed as he cuddled Sura to his chest, oblivious to the blood soaking his shirt or the knife still in his hand. Not certain how to approach his brother, Laric squatted beside Renn, an arm around the boy's shoulder as the child buried his face against his side.
"Kinai, brother," Laric breathed, "What have you done?"
Jael made no response save to swallow. Carefully, Laric took the knife from his brother's hand. Meeting no resistance, he set Renn gently aside, easing the dead Healer from Jael's arms as well.
"Jai, kiri," He said more sternly, "What happened? What has Sura done?"
The dark eyes opened, staring into Laric's in confusion. Seeing Sura's body Jael moaned and tried to draw away, a kind of helpless sanity flaring in his eyes. His whole body tensed, preparatory to flight and Laric lunged before his brother could run, wrestling the younger man to the ground. Renn gave a frightened squawk at the violence, scrabbling backward until Mikayl caught him.
"Get Maia, Renn," he hissed. "I know you're frightened and confused, but find her and bring her here," Mikayl said through gritted teeth.
Renn swallowed a little sob then was up and running toward the stream.
Mikayl levered himself up to his knees. Laric had Jael pinned to the ground, but it was all he could do to keep him there without injuring him. Jael fought like a trapped animal -- all desperation and little technique. It was not the rage which had overtaken him in Rhema, but a maddened, desperate fear.
It took all the strength Mikayl had to stagger to the struggling pair and let himself fall across Jael's legs, pinning him with weight alone. Laric did not waste the brief assistance, shoving Jael onto his stomach and pinning his arms behind him. Using his knee to secure his brother's arm, he yanked the leather cording from Jael's braid and used it tie the man's wrist together, reinforcing it with his own.
He started when Mikayl gave a small choked cry of pain, only to find Maia was at Jael's ankles, tying his legs together with the sash from her tunic. Renn crouched nearby, tucked against Osra's shoulder, Kiva beside him and Kion crying fitfully in Osra's arms.
Flailing arms and legs secured, Jael continue to try to throw Laric off, the only sounds he made, half formed sobs and incoherent moaning. Laric grabbed his shoulders once more, turning him again then straddling his chest as Maia went to his head, stroking his face and murmuring words too soft for Laric to hear.
Her tender ministrations had no effect, save to cause Jael to struggle harder until Laric was certain he would injure himself. He moved quickly, almost shoving Maia away as he got under and behind the younger man, pulling him into an awkward but firm embrace, Laric's wrists locked across Jael's chest. Before anyone could stop him Laric Spoke. It was his strongest Gift, inherited from his Thana, but now his Voice was set for one ear only.
Kinai! There is nothing to run from and no where to run. You must hear me. This was an accident!
Jael Heard him and denied the reassurance blindly, caught up in the fear of losing all vestige of control over himself and his Gift. Laric was helpless. He had not Sura's Gift with words nor his mother's reasonable rationality. He held his brother tightly, concentrating all his strength on keeping Jael from hurting himself, but there was nothing else he could do. Voices spoke but he paid no attention to them shunning advice and counsel until he realized the voices were not speaking to him.
"You can bloody well hear me, Jai," a harsh and haggard voice said sharply. "You don't get away from your responsibilities by running blindly into fear!" Maygra's voice was so broken, and hard, it took Laric a moment to recognize it, staring at the woman in front of him, propped up between Maia and Renn.
"Look at me, Third Sword!" she snapped and then coughed with the force of her tone. Laric had heard the crack of command before, usually resenting it, but now he was grateful for the tone. To his knowledge, Maygra had never used it on Jael before.
"You don't get to run from it this time, Jai," she continued grasping his chin weakly. "Whatever fear you have left over from the massacre you get to deal with here and now. Sura's death was an accident. You did not lose control, she did. Tell me what happened, Jai."
"The knife . . . ," he gasped finally, his desperate struggles breaking down into more manageable, but no less distressing tears. "I didn't know what she was going to do . . . she had Damyn's knife."
"Did she attack you?" Maygra demanded, staring at the skies apprehensively as if she too, suspected an attack, as Laric had done.
"No . . . I wasn't sure . . . she wouldn't explain! I didn't mean to kill her! Dark Maiden take me!" His sob became a wail as he surged against Laric's hold, knocking Maygra backward. Laric lost his grip momentarily, then regained it and decided against trying to restrain him again, opting instead for a more direct method. His fist connected with Jael's jaw solidly, backed up by a mental blow as well.
"I hope you didn't break his jaw," Maygra said with a harsh gasp. Laric stared at her shaking his head, leaning heavily on his hands and knees for a long moment before he moved to ease his brother into a more comfortable position.
"I didn't want him to hurt himself," Laric said finally.
"Much better if you do it," Maia said coldly. "Although I'm surprised it bothered you -- he is a kin-slayer as well, now, isn't he?"
"Maia!" Maygra said sharply. Maia glared at Laric before moving away, stopping beside Sura's body. She bent over the still form, her own shoulders shaking in quiet sorrow.
"You did as you ought, Laric," Maygra said faintly. "Please, see to Mikayl. You're the only one of us who can think and move at the same time right now."
Laric did as he was asked, glad of anything to do. He helped Mikayl to the stream, steadying the youth as he soaked the distended muscles in the cold water. Despite the pain, Sura had never intended to permanently disable Mikayl. Once the swelling began to ease, Mikayl assured Laric he would be all right alone and the guardsman returned to camp. Maygra was stretched out on her side watching Jael. Maia had already begun work on a shallow grave, using Maygra's ax to loosen the earth. Laric took the task from her without a word, working quickly and almost to the point of exhaustion. The grave prepared, Renn and Maia wrapped Sura in a blanket.
"Don't," Maygra cautioned. "She has no need of the blanket, but we might," she added wearily. Laric opened his mouth to protest then closed it again, for the first time, listening to Maygra instead of reacting to her. It did not sit well with him to bury Sura without even the covering of a blanket, but he realized Sura would not, could not care any longer. It was late summer now, but if they kept heading north, colder weather would not take long to catch up with them and blankets and clothing were not something he could hunt in the forest.
He came to the conclusion rather quickly but Maia had already taken the blanket away. Maygra had called Renn to her, cuddling the boy against her side as she watched Jael, letting Maia and Laric finish the task. Once done she sent Renn after Mikayl.
"We need to get Jael on a litter and move," She said. "I don't know how much if any of his or Sura's Gift might have been noticed. I don't want to be here if it was. Laric, if you can manage Jael, Maia and Mikayl can probably handle Damyn. Renn and I will lead the others."
"How far?" Laric asked forcing his tone to be reasonable. Maygra stared at him, something near gratitude on her face. The expression vanished quickly and Laric was aware if he choose to take the lead now, Maygra had neither the strength nor the will to oppose him. The thought made him uncomfortable and he shifted his stance as if to shake the feeling away.
"Let's move northwest until nightfall. Then cut east for a few hours. I don't think we can get much further."
"If you get that far," he murmured.
"You may be right, Laric," she responded getting to her feet and facing him. "If I don't have the strength, then you are to leave me," she said evenly.
"Mag!" Maia cried. "We are not leaving you."
"They can't find me," Maygra said gently touching her sister's cheek. "I'm safer away from you."
"Nor Osra," Laric said softly meeting Maygra's tired green eyes. "That may be our back-up plan, Maygra. Should we be found, You, Osra and the children could go in one direction and the rest of us in other, as decoys."
Maygra almost snapped down the plan in anger and fatigue until she realized it was the first constructive -- and non hostile -- counsel Laric had offered. She drew a deep breath and rephrased her answer. "It may be, Laric. You couldn't get far with Damyn and Kion would need to be with Maia, but if we had to -- and Jael is in his right mind when he wakes, you, he and Mikayl could very easily lead our pursuers a merry chase. Let them get a glimpse of you then use Jai's Shield to simply vanish. It's a good plan, Laric," she said with a small but genuine smile. Laric almost returned the smile but nodded instead, turning to prepare the litter for Jael. By the time Renn and Mikayl returned the group was ready to move. Laric, Maia and Mikayl took the lead with their passengers while Osra carried Kion as she walked next to Maygra, allowing the woman to lean on her and be her eyes. Renn was on Maygra's other side, leading Kiva.
They made slow but steady progress, the burden of the litters enough to keep the pace slow enough for those who followed. At dusk Laric changed direction, heading due east as Maygra had directed. By the time Ka showed his crescent face, Maygra called a halt and the whole group more or less dropped in their tracks. Without Jael, they could set no Shield so Laric, Mikayl and Maia split the watches.
Mikayl woke his oldest sister before dawn and Maia took her post, watching the skies from between Damyn and Jael. The Healer had remained still and quiet but Jael had slipped from unconsciousness to sleep some hours before. She tensed as she heard him stirring, almost waking Laric but Jael's eyes fixed hers and she Felt his Shield slip around the group as strong -- and stable -- as ever.
"Can you untie me, kira?" he asked quietly. "I remember what happened, Maia. Wake Laric or Mikayl if you must and one of them can go with me, but I need to take a walk," the last was said with his familiar wry humor and she shook her head, cutting his bonds. She went with him to the edge of the camp, waiting for him to take care of his needs.
He stared at her, then at the sky and without a word she went to him, pulling him against her breast as he wept, his grief deep and real but controlled.
"It was an accident, kiri," she murmured against his hair. "No one doubts that. A horrible accident."
"I've never seen a Healer act so," he murmured against her shoulder, "To attack Mikayl and what did we gain? We've lost the best part of us."
"No. Jael. We've lost a part of us, a good part. I don't know what prompted Sura to act as she did, but Damyn sleeps. Deeply, but he sleeps. And Maygra is well, though not whole. Even Laric has found some sense in all of this."
"Laric?"
"He has stopped fighting Maygra. I don't know why, or how, but we could not have made it to this camp had he not agreed."
"I agreed because it made sense," Laric said reservedly, coming up to the pair. He eyed his brother warily but took the hand Jael offered, squatting down next to them. "I cannot agree with all she has done, not what she did in Rhema," he said harshly, then drew a deep breath and stared at the cloudless sky. "But it is not my right to judge her. Just as I cannot judge you for Sura's death, kinai."
"So what does Maygra plan?" Jael asked after a long moment of silence.
"We keep to our course, which is wherever the wind blows, it seems," Laric said with a rough laugh. "She and I have agreed on a second plan, should we need it," he added and explained the split and decoy idea.
"It could certainly buy us time," Jael agreed when he was done.
"Aye," Laric agreed. "And I intend to buy us more. She sleeps now but I plan to scout east a bit before dawn and make sure our path is clear. Feel up to a walk, little brother?" he asked rising to his feet and extending his hand. Jael grasped it firmly, surprised when Laric pulled him into a rare and brief embrace.
Maia watched them disappear into the darkness then went to watch over her own siblings.
If Maygra was angry at Laric and Jael's pre-dawn foray, she kept it to herself, following the route Laric had marked without comment. They all kept a wary eye on the skies, but maintained a moderate pace. By the end of the second day, Damyn wakened from his imposed sleep. He was disoriented and confused about what had transpired. Maygra and Renn broke the news of Sura's death to him quietly and while he cried with Renn for a bit, he seemed distant from the events as if he were still half-dreaming. He still seemed unusually sensitive to his companions and his Gift surged whenever he made physical contact. His continuing poor control worried Jael, but he seemed in no acute distress, Maygra and Jael decided it was only the after effects of whatever technique of healing Sura had used. The Healer was sleeping more soundly and it seemed to be fatigue nibbling at his control. Without any better plan, they waited to see if time and more rest would correct the problem.
She and Laric maintained their truce, listening to one another and not snapping off comments without thinking. It was still an uneasy truce, but it made a marked difference in the level of tension among the others. Even Kiva could be coaxed into a giggle now and then. It was Osra who finally noticed the child's silence, but no amount of questioning could elicit any response save Kiva's small hand cupped to her ear.
"She's listening, but to what?" Maia asked rocking the child when they stopped on the third night after she had spent nearly an hour trying to find out why Kiva maintained her silence.
"Who knows? Maybe the bloody behemoth below us," Maygra said kicking the ground. She still felt tired and ached, but the aches she could deal with and the fatigue had become so constant a companion she barely noticed it any longer.
Kiva shook her head violently at Maygra's comment, pointing at the sky.
"The wind, little one?" Maygra asked, "Is that what you hear?"
Kiva sighed and shook her head resignedly, relaxing into Maia's lap and sleep.
"She'll talk when she's ready," Damyn said. "There's nothing wrong with her voice, she chooses not to speak,"
"You can tell," Maygra asked her eyes widening. "But you said your Gift was silent,"
"It is, but if I concentrate very hard I can See. It's like healing under water."
"Well keep it Silent," Maygra warned. Damyn frowned, almost angry but Maygra had turned away, so he said nothing.
Jael, Laric and Mikayl had taken to scouting their path under the cover of darkness. Maygra thought it unnecessary but the trio continued when her protests were half-hearted at best. Nor did she protest when one of Laric's forays brought them some fresh game, three long ears who wandered across his path on a scouting mission. As they had in A'Denna Gul, they fell in to a routine of moving slowly during the day and taking a full night to rest. Laric would hunt at dusk while Mikayl or Jael or both would scout their path returning to a hot meal augmented by whatever roots and greens the others could find. Nine days of eastward travel passed before Maygra turned north again suddenly, her brow furrowed as if she could sense something, but she could not explain what.
When they stopped in the evening Laric headed out as he had done every night, hesitating when Maygra stopped him.
"Stay close tonight, Laric. Jai, Mal, the same for you. We have enough food to get us through a couple of days. I want to move quickly tomorrow."
"Any reason why?" Laric asked, caught off guard.
"No. Just do as I say," she said flatly.
Laric drew back as if she had slapped him, his eyes narrowing. "If you sense something, then why not tell us," he said, working very hard to keep his tone level.
"Because I don't," she snapped then shook her head, "I would explain it to you if I could, Laric, but I can't. Please, just bide close by tonight."
Laric bit back a sharp comment, picking up his bow to check the strings and fletching he had worked the night before. Maygra's mood made them all anxious and no one rested well. At dawn they broke the camp, moving twice as quickly as they had the day before, Maygra's eyes constantly lifted to the sky.
She let Laric hunt the next night but pushed their pace again. They were crossing a narrow expanse of flatland, a narrow strip of darker green ahead of them.
"I want to make the hyuld by tonight," she said and no one argued. The open expanse made them feel far more vulnerable than the low scrub and pockets of forest they had been moving into on their eastern route. Laric tried to get her to change course again but she was resolute. Where she had listened to his counsel before, she now seemed deaf to his or anyone's comments. Damyn watched her worriedly, finding an opportunity to touch her but he found no trace of fever. Watching his younger brother, he found Renn demonstrating a behavior similar to Maygra's but the boy could no more explain his apprehension than Maygra could.
Maygra calmed down some when they reached the hyuld. Without asking Laric headed into the wood before she could stop him.
"Dark Wings!" she swore when she realized he was gone.
"We could use the food, Mag," Jael tried to reason. "He won't go far."
"I don't want him gone at all!" she snapped staring into the darkness. "Bloody Wings! Damyn, take Maia, Osra and the children back along the stream bed. There was an overhang of rock near where we crossed, see if you can find cover in the hollow."
"What are you going to do?"
"Find that idiot archer. We'll meet you before Ka rises. Jai, stay here in case he shows up. Mal, you head north, I'll go east."
"I'll go," Jael said.
Maygra grabbed his shirt. "You'll stay here. This is the midpoint. Shield Mal and the others as far as you dare. I'm invisible, remember?"
"What is wrong with you?" Jael snarled back, grabbing her wrist. "Lady below, Maygra, we are not children. If you know something then tell us."
Maygra wrenched her wrist away. "If I knew something, I would tell you. If I had a choice I would let you go after your idiotic brother, but I don't. I need you here where you can do the greatest good for all of us."
Jael stared after her as she faded into the shadows then met Mikayl's eyes.
"I haven't an answer for you either, Jai," the younger man said quietly. "But she hasn't been wrong yet."
Jael rubbed his forehead and nodded. "All right I'll stay -- until Ka rises, then I'll . . . ."
"Then you'll join Damyn and the others . . . ," Maygra's voice came back softly, from a distance.
Jael stared into the darkness and then chuckled as he took a seat on the ground and concentrated his thoughts on a broad Shield.
Maygra was angry enough to knock the whole forest down with her fists, but she took control of her fury and funneled it into moving as quietly as possible, straining for any sign of Laric's passing. She moved quickly, driven by some instinct urging her to hurry. She had nearly decided to return for Ka was breaking the horizon when a flash of light caught her eye. She went still, straining to hear. At first there was nothing, not even an animal sound. The murmur came slowly, voices kept low. She moved toward them, the light reappearing in the flicker of a torch.
It was stuck in the ground, illuminating a tight circle of Hai'Karin warriors. Nervously she glanced upward but there was no sign of the vegen. Instead she could smell the sharp odor of eihn runners, picketed along the tree line. She moved as close as she dared, trying to get an accurate count. They were oblivious to her presence, all their attention focused on something in the center of the circle. She crouched, her blood going cold. She knew what fascinated them before she saw the dark head or spied the familiar bow.
Lady below, don't do this, she murmured silently, pulling her ax silently from its sheath at her back as well as the knife at her waist. There were twelve Hai'Karin. More than she could handle even on her best day. She almost withdrew to find Mikayl and Jael when the captive was dragged to his feet and she got a look at what had already been done to the archer.
He was bloodied and bruised from head to toe, his clothes torn from a ragged gash across his upper chest. The Hai'Karin questioned him in their harsh rendition of the Haian common language, a language Laric barely understood. Maygra could, however, and was not surprised it was the location of his companions Laric was being pressured to reveal.
Laric shook his head, whether in refusal or not understanding the question, Maygra could not tell. Disgusted the questioner waved his companions back and directed their prisoner be tied to a tree. His prisoner secured he drew out a thin sliver of bright-stone, its thin edge honed to a lethal edge.
Maygra's stomach did a queasy roll. She had seen the results of Hai'Karin raids, the defeated skinned while their hearts still beat. It was the raiders' preferred method of gaining information, and had a reputation for being very successful.
Laric made no sound save a groan when the first strip of skin was peeled from his forearm. Maygra did not fare so well, all but losing her light meal. She eased back, knowing Laric's only chance was to bring Jael and Mikayl to his aid. Between the three of them they might be able to defeat the Hai'Karin. Her eyes were tearing as she slipped away, then began running.
The cry which ripped through the darkness almost found an echo from Maygra's throat. A shadow passed overhead and she ducked instinctively, seeing the dark wings against a darker sky. It dived down, branches snapping under its weight as it joined the Hai'Karin in the small clearing.
Maygra kept running, stumbling when the next cry was equally as chilling and all too familiar. She hesitated then turned, ignoring any precaution against being heard. No one would hear her over Laric's screams. The ax she resheathed, but the knife she kept in her hand. Alone she could not save his life, but she could end it and his agony.
The clearing had grown larger, the vegen making room by knocking over underbrush and young trees. Its blind face was fixed on Laric, the Hai'Karin watching the creature warily but not nervously. Laric screams had grown hoarser and Maygra gagged when she saw the reaction of the creature's venom on flesh. She regained control, maneuvering her self as close to Laric as she dared, forcing herself to see the target stall in Rhema. Lady believe me Laric, I never meant to beat you at the games for this. Forgive me, kiri'nai, she said and for one brief second she thought Laric actually Heard her as she let the blade fly.
She did not miss her mark. Laric died quickly with no sound save a sigh of relief. The vegen whirled, fixing its blind stare unerringly on Maygra's hiding place. She fought the urge to run, easing slowly into the shadows as the Hai'Karin began searching for the knife thrower. The vegen did not move and Maygra found a certain grim satisfaction in knowing the creature could not See her.
The Hai'Karin moved in confusion, not sure where to look first. Maygra kept low, her searchers missing her by inches half a dozen times. She thought she was almost free when she heard a crashing sound, something moving through the brush without any concern about being heard. She froze, thinking it to be the vegen, but the creature cried out from behind her and she turned toward the clash of metal, cursing when she recognized the dark-haired man locked in a violent confrontation with two of her pursuers. Pulling her ax free she moved in to help him only to stop as Ka's emerging face illuminated Jael's.
This was the madness he had feared. She feared it too, having seen it now. The gentleness so much a part of Jael was gone, obliterated by maddened hatred so violent Maygra was ill again. He made noise enough for ten men, but even as she watched him dispatch the second raider, she realized nothing mortal would stop him. She dared not let him see her for she vaguely remembered his saying he could not distinguish friend from foe. Instead, she paralleled his progress. They were close to the clearing and four raiders had been left to watch the mounts. Jael made no attempt to hide his presence, taking on all four and killing one almost immediately. Against the remaining three, Jael took a slash along his thigh, scarcely noticing it. Disregarding his attackers blade, Jael lunged, driving his blade through the man's stomach with enough force to propel it through his back. He left his own blade in it's bloody sheath, picking up the dead raider's and facing the remaining two Hai'Karin. Maygra started forward, hoping Jael would see her as an ally and not an enemy, but the soft creak of feet on branches jerked her attention around. One of the raiders gave a cry and fell, a long-shafted hunting arrow protruding from his eye. Mikayl emerged from the brush, panting slightly as he restrung his bow, his eyes fixed on Jael. The remaining raider was back away from the man fearfully, but there was no mercy in Jael's face.
"They must have taken Laric right after we split up," Mikayl gasped, crouching beside her. "Laric Called warning, then we lost contact, until . . . I thought we were being attacked. When Laric died, Jael was like this . . . I called Damyn --!"
Maygra had gripped her brother's neck in mute sympathy, then shoved him violently away as Jael realized he was not alone and saw them. Whatever Mikayl planned to say was lost as Jael charged at them. Maygra came up under Jael with enough force to knock him down but he regained his feet with alarming speed. Mikayl tried to restrain him, Jael's elbow slamming into his face and his leg hooking under the younger man's. Mikayl went sprawling, Jael's sword coming in to finish him. Maygra screamed and launched herself at him, grabbing Jael's sword arm and wrenching him around so Mikayl could scramble to his feet. For a brief moment she locked eyes with Jael and thought she saw sanity return.
"Mag!" Mikayl warned, grabbing up his bow to face three more Hai'Karin. Behind them, Maygra could hear the vegen moving in, drawn by the noise.
Mikayl was closest to the three and barely managed to protect himself, holding the bow up to ward off the blow aimed at his head. The bow snapped and he rolled, coming up on his knees and struggling to pull his sword free. Releasing Jael, Maygra ran toward her brother, leaping on the man's back, her ax handle hooking under his neck. Her left arm protested but she held the handle to his throat until Mikayl could finish him with his sword. She dropped with the body, rolling free. Mikayl grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet.
"Call Damyn," Maygra gasped, setting her back to his. "We'll never get through to Jai and they already know we're here."
Mikayl nodded, Speaking loudly and gaining a sluggish response from the Healer. The vegen responded as well, its scream arresting even Jael's attention.
"Lady below," Mikayl murmured getting a look at the creature.
"There were twelve, Jael's killed six and we've killed two," Maygra said urgently. It'll take us all to kill that bloody monster,"
"If Jael doesn't kill us first," Mikayl warned but then cried out as two more of the Raiders appeared to one side of the vegen while the other two tried to take Jael. Maygra wasted no words, shifting her ax to her right hand as she scooped up the curved blade of the raider she and Mikayl had killed and running toward the two raiders closest to the vegen. She tried to ignore the creature who seemed focused on Jael. Its head was weaving back and forth as though to strike but if Maygra had any impression of all of the creature, it seemed confused. The Hai'Karin moved to meet her but she had no intention of meeting them in close quarters. She stopped suddenly, feeling the balance in her ax before hurling it with the same skill she had used with the knife. The raider dropped, dead before he hit the ground. Mikayl moved in close to the second, engaging his attention while Maygra darted in behind and hamstrung his left leg with her captured sword. The raider collapsed and Mikayl finished the job. They both turned, seeking Jael, but he was staring at the vegen, the two raiders dead at his feet. Maygra retrieved her ax, discarding the sword and panting with exertion. She could not spare a glance for Jael as she leapt across the long snakish tale of the creature, then along its side. Putting all her strength behind the swing, she cut a deep gash in the creatures side.
The scream nearly deafened her and the tale whipped forward, scoring the back of her legs and knocking her down. The narrow head swung as well and she rolled as venom struck the ground losing her grip on her ax. Droplets struck her legs and she screamed as the corrosive stuff burned through her leathers and into the skin.
Someone grabbed her, slinging her over his shoulder, then depositing her roughly on the ground. She hissed as Damyn's hands eased the pain, Mikayl standing guard over the two of them. Cold water washed the corrosive away and then the Healer went back to work only to falter as his eyes locked with something behind them.
Maygra twisted, following the Healer's gaze. The vegen was less than ten feet away, its blind eyes fixed on Damyn and this time there was no indecision in its behavior. The Healer stood mesmerized, his hands falling from Maygra's leg.
"Maaallll!" Maygra screamed as the creature lifted one clawed leg toward the Healer. Launching herself from the ground, Maygra knocked Damyn away. The blind eyes followed, the mouth opening to spit its venom at the Healer only to scream as Jael used Maygra's ax to nearly sever the head. Jael stared at the dead creature, no more sanity in his face than when he had killed the Hai'Karin.
Maygra dared not move, praying her immobility would keep Jael from attacking. He hesitated, staring down at where she lay half-covering the stunned Healer. The ax began to drop and Maygra breathed shallowly, hoping against hope his rage was leaving him. Too late she saw the blur in the darkness. Mikayl had meant to tackle his friend but in his rage Jael was quicker. Maygra screamed Mikayl's name as Jael turned, using the ax to fend the younger man off. Like a cat, Mikayl twisted, the edge of the ax barely catching him along the chest. He landed on his feet, his own hand closed around his sword as Jael rushed him. Mikayl went with the force, rolling on his back and gripping the ax handle. Jael went flying, losing his grip on the ax. Maygra moved, the pain in her leg slowing but not stopping her. She dragged Damyn to his feet, pulling her short knife.
"If we pin him, can you Reach him?" she demanded.
"Yes, but I need contact for more than a second."
"That may be all you get." she said tersely, she and her brother flanking Jael cautiously. "Mal, left to right. If we can keep him weaponless, we have a chance."
Mikayl nodded, running straight at Jael's left side while Maygra ran toward the right. Jael moved to meet them, concentrating on Mikayl. When the youth swerved to the right, he lunged and Maygra caught him along the right side with her shoulder. Jael shook her off quickly and she swore as Mikayl came at him again, barely parrying the thrust. Maygra kicked out yelling as pain exploded up her injured leg but Jael went down, Mikayl on top of him. Then Mikayl gave a short grunt of pain as Maygra then Damyn piled on top of Jael. Jael fought them, almost dislodging them until Damyn finally managed to get through.
Maygra could see Jael's eyes, saw realization creep in then fear then shame. "Shhh, Jai, it's over," She murmured across Mikayl's shoulder. "It's all right, kiri. It's over,"
She met Damyn's eyes, aware the Healer was in pain again. Stiffly she got up, offering her hand to Mikayl. Her brother did not move.
"No," Damyn whispered and reached for Mikayl before Maygra did, rolling him onto his back.
Jael's short knife was buried in Mikayl's side to the hilt. Jael echoed the Healer's protest even as Maygra flung her self on him to keep him from running. Damyn had already withdrawn the knife, both hands stanching the blood flow. Time seemed to slow before the bleeding finally eased and then stopped and the wound closed under Damyn's touch. A few heartbeats later, Damyn sighed. "Blessed Lady. It's enough," he murmured, cradling Mikayl against his knees.
"You should kill me too," Jael murmured. "Lady below, Maygra, I would have killed you all and never known it until it was too late. He was in such pain! He wouldn't have told them but I could Hear him, Feel him. I couldn't bear it." He gasped as Damyn wrapped the gash in his thigh.
"Then you have to find a way to control it," She said staring at Mikayl. "Lady knows you had provocation. I'm sorry about Laric, Jai. I'd have saved him if I could."
"I know." He murmured. "He knew too," his last word was a whisper as consciousness left him.
"They'll be after us, Mag," Damyn said, trying to make Mikayl more comfortable.
She nodded. "I know. But not tonight." She leaned over Jael, pressing her lips against his forehead. "I knew he was afraid, now I know why. We can't go on like this, Dami. I can't. We're being picked off like fish in a still pool -- one by one at their leisure."
"Maygra," Damyn said sternly grasping her chin. "You knew they were near. I don't know how, but you knew. Yranna's Wings if I ever wished harm on Laric, but he went off on his own. You couldn't have prevented this -- none of it."
"I keep hearing that, but I can think of a half dozen ways I could have. Sura's death as well. Whatever instinct this is I have is more of a curse than no Gift -- it's too late and I depend on it too much. Lady Below, Damyn, what if they had taken Renn instead of Laric? Have you though of that? Or Kiva."
"They want the children alive, Maygra. For whatever reason. All the more reason we make sure they don't get them. We go on, beloved. We both swore Oaths, kira. We have no choice."
She nodded and waited until Damyn had called the others to join them. She did not begin crying until after they had moved Jael and Mikayl from the circle of the dead. Damyn's consolation meant nothing and she could not explain to him it was not after shock from Laric's death prompting her tears but a different kind of shock and fear.
The Voice which spoke to Maygra's soul fell to a harsh whisper. All this you were born to Maygra of Rhema, all this is what I planned for you. You will be done only when I release you from your Oath.
Aessa was demanding payment on the Oath she had blasphemed and Maygra was not sure her own death would be payment enough for an angry Goddess.
Chapter 8
GLOSSARY
A'del'eva:..............Literally: "By your oaths to Aessa" A war cry and a summons. (think au secors)A'Ki'Ka................A binding Oath of will, heart , soul and mind...reserved for the Goddess.
asa:........................Literally: Truth. an affirmative as in, "yes" or "is it not so?"
Graen:....................pl. Mountains, (also Grae; Mountain)
hait:........................ "To Me" or "Here", imperative, a summons.
Ien Ki'Ka............... Soul Oath. An oath of binding.
ka'kiira...................f. Daughter of...
kira'sai:...................f. sister, little sister, beloved sister, [familial]
kira:........................f. little one, child (diminutive)
kiri:........................m.little one, child (diminutive)
kiri'nai:...................m.brother, little brother, beloved brother [familial]
ki'ta.........................f.heart sister. Not quite a lover.
Makyera:................f. First, as in a title.
Makyera Gen:........as in First Sword a title, overall commander of the Watch (also: gen... sword, shield, defense)
Makyeran Gyeld......First Born. A title of respect applied to no other peoples but the original five Oathtakers who birthed the Kieri race.
Masyra-Maena:......f. title of rank for females, equivalent of Lord-Master, title for a member of the Elder Council (or Lady-Master)
n'gari:.......................large lizards, desert scavengers, about the size of a rhinoceros, but looking more like komodo dragons.
N'yris.......................Oath Breaker...a broken oath. A fatal transgression
Shadrai:...................Literally, Shadow Speaker.
shan'nai:.................m.Wise man or brother, an affectionate term of respect. Used between equals.
shan'sai:..................f.Wise woman or sister, an affectionate term of respect. Used between equals.
theris:.......................fruit bearing tree native to Elerak and the Eastern Plains, rather like a pulpy pomegranate
uralen:.....................pl. Ural; a large cliff dwelling bird, average wingspan is about 20 feet, scavengers mostly.
varin:........................a breed of extremely stocky, sure-footed horses, powerful bodies but small heads. (pl. varinen)
vegen:........................historically they were small leather-winged creatures, not unlike bats, but with elogated snouts and long flattened tails used as messengers for the gods. (pl. vegenen)