by Drew Wagar
‘Everything is back on,’ Mel reported. ‘Same as ever, ’tricity is flowing as you’d expect. I’ve throttled back for the time being, ’til we can figure this out.’
‘So what happened?’ Coran demanded.
Mel shook her head. ‘I don’t know. It just stopped. One moment everything was spinning normal, next it wasn’t there. There was nothing, no ’tricity, nothing. But it’s not something we did, the Mobilis is fine.’
‘But that can’t be,’ Coran said. ‘It’s always been there, always! It can’t just not be there suddenly, can it?’
‘Seems so,’ Mel said, with a shrug. ‘But it’s never happened before.’
Coran looked at Meru. ‘She’s got something to do with it,’ he said, gesturing to the unconscious Zoella. ‘She must have. Can’t be a coincidence she gets the screams when the ’tricity fails and then goes out like a light when it comes back on.’
Meru looked back, worry etched on his features. ‘She doesn’t know anything about ’tricity, her people don’t even know it exists …’
‘Then how do you explain …?’
‘Obelisk!’
All three jumped and spun round as Zoella sat up behind them, screeching out the single word. She was staring at them, her face pale and drawn, shocked as if she’d seen some horrific vision.
‘Zoella?’ Meru whispered.
‘It needs me,’ she said, looking at the three of them, her expression confused and fearful. ‘It’s calling me. I must go to it, before it’s too late. Before everything is killed.’
‘Go to … what?’ Meru asked.
Then she fainted again. Meru caught her and lowered her back down.
Coran let out a sigh of frustration. ‘Just what in Lacaille’s name is going on? Shades. Meru, when she wakes up … find out!’
CHAPTER THREE
Daine, Capital of Drayden
Round 2307, Second pass
Kiri stood on the balcony outside her room, enjoying the warmth of Lacaille as it shone down from above. Its face was unmarked by the dark blotches that had tainted it in the previous pass, but she sensed pause since the devastation of the flare was a respite.
We have brought peace to these lands. Would Charis be proud of what we’ve achieved? This was not the way she foresaw. Had the leaders of Scallia not schemed against us, we might have avoided all the bloodshed too. But they are gone now and Drayden itself, Scallia, even Drem to the Shadeward … All lies under our control. But we haven’t completed the task appointed. Thus the flares will return …
The priestesses had returned to Daine, the capital of Drayden. Her room felt strange to her. Yes, it was still the same familiar place, nothing had changed, but it no longer felt like the safe place of refuge it had once been.
It hasn’t changed … I have.
Kiri could see the red sand-stone pyramid of the temple across the piazza. Above it a few riders on dachs came and went, delivering messages throughout the realm. Within, Nerina would be preparing to reveal whatever plans she had concocted.
But Nerina is right. I did take Liana’s gift … I never intended to, it was an accident! But now I have it, I cannot reveal that. Nerina suspects, but she cannot prove it. So what will she do? My ancestry remains a secret too, but for how long? A tiny slip and all will be revealed. If Nerina discovers I’m an heir of Scallia …
Kiri wasn’t sure what the outcome of that revelation would be, but she doubted it would go well for her.
It would give her a reason to take my gift, my loyalty questioned. Nerina always gets her way …
Kiri shivered.
My secrets must remain so for now.
Kiri thought about Liana too.
She’s my cousin, what might she know about my family? Did she know about Zoella and Myana? Zoella was a maid in Viresia, so perhaps not … too many things I don’t know!
And then there was Rihanna’s story. She and her friends had been pressured into attacking Kiri, before the flares, before the war on Scallia. Her mother, Merrin, had put her at risk. Kiri, defending herself, had almost killed Rihanna. Charis had intervened on her behalf to stop Merrin’s demand for an execution.
Charis got me out of there, at risk to herself. They put me on probation and sent me into that conflict in Scallia. Did Nerina know what was going to happen there? Did they know Torin was going to turn on us? If so, why would they do such a thing?
Kiri frowned.
Nerina always gets her way …
So what was it that Nerina wanted? Kiri thought about it for a moment.
She was furious when she found Liana’s power missing. Angry like I’ve never seen her before. She wanted her gift, she was desperate for it. Why?
Kiri’s mind kept racing.
She wanted to do something with that extra power. And I must be the next most powerful priestess after her. Perhaps she was hoping to take my gift for herself? The priestesses can’t pool their gifts, so she would have to be very much stronger than me to do it. Now her plans are thwarted!
Kiri swallowed. Everything Nerina had done had a single aim. More power for her. The tithe from Scallia, tearing power from the young women, taking on Scallia, searching for Liana. All save the last had resulted in more gifts being taken.
She sees herself not just as high priestess, but empress! Empress of old Voren. She wants to do what Elena did … more! She wants to have everything subject to her. With Liana’s power she would have been unstoppable, but she doesn’t have it, so she still needs the rest of us … for now. If she finds a way to increase her strength enough though … It’s Amar, she wants Amar. More women … more power!
Kiri’s thoughts turned in another direction.
If I were the stronger … I must be close to her equal, thus she fears me. And Nerina doesn’t know about Zoella! Her gift … if I had that there’d be no way Nerina could take me. I am of a royal line. The ancient kings and queens of Voren are my ancestors through Scallian birth. I could be …
She gasped at her own audacity, but the thoughts wouldn’t go away, they swirled, growing in strength and ambition.
Then an image of Zoella filled her mind. A softer, kinder face than hers, framed in brown hair. Sisters they might be, but they looked little alike. Kiri knew nothing of Zoella’s background other than that she had ended up as a maid in the palace in Viresia. Had Ioric known who she was? Had anyone? Did she?
And she is an heir too. I have a sister, estranged yes, but a sister … If I am to confront Nerina I must have her gift. Whilst she was just a maid that was easy to consider … but can I really tear my sister? But without her power …
Thinking of Zoella brought other things to mind.
She licked her lips.
And I can sense him too, I can find him. When I have the means …
The plans that had half formed in her head were brushed aside. His face filled her mind. She knew what was coming, it had been plaguing her ever since that encounter in the boat-room in Nireus.
No, not again!
But, in truth, she wanted it. The feeling kept coming back, each time more powerful than before. It didn’t matter what her conscious mind tried to focus on, it was overwhelmed in a rush of desire.
I want him.
The urge was primal, instinctual, overpowering. When she had broken into his mind to interrogate him she had done something else. She had forged some kind of connection and ever since then …
Meru …
She let the feelings wash over her until they subsided once more. They were getting stronger each time they returned. Her room felt claustrophobic, her clothes damp and clingy. She opened the door and stepped into the corridor beyond, wanting some fresh air. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest she was surprised she couldn’t hear it echoing off the walls.
She walked down past the doors of the other priestesses with whom she shared the accommodation. Rihanna’s room was not far away, but few of the priestesses were in residence now, most were employed with tasks around the templ
e. It was quiet.
She walked on, forcing herself to breathe, feeling her heart slow from its fierce beat. She leant against the corridor wall to compose herself.
There was a sound from ahead of her. Some sort of cry or moan. Frowning, she moved forward. It was coming from the rooms before her. There was a heat in her mind, a strange warmth that compelled her forwards. Her skin itched, craving something she couldn’t define.
The cry had come from Rihanna’s room. Kiri knocked. There was no response. She pushed open the door and walked in.
‘Rihanna, are you …?’
Kiri stifled a gasp, her eyes widening in shock.
Rihanna was naked, astride an equally naked young man. She had him pinned to the bed, her hands on his shoulders, her thighs bearing down on him, her back arched and head flung back. Both were oblivious, lost in their combined ecstasy.
Kiri stared, unable to avert her eyes. A redness flooded her vision, lust coursing through her own body, lighting her from within. Unbidden, her own hands swept across her body, touching her breasts and sliding down her midriff. Her eyes closed as her mind wandered. The fire was stronger, almost burning her. She moaned.
‘What are you doing?’
Kiri blinked, Rihanna was turned towards her, looking at her, her expression a mixture of annoyance and surprise. Beyond her the young man was propped up on one arm, looking back with curiosity.
‘I … sorry … I don’t …’
‘Spying on me?’
‘No! I didn’t …’
‘You can have him after I finish if you want.’
‘What?’ Kiri’s voice filled with genuine alarm. ‘No!’
‘Always the prude,’ Rihanna said. ‘You never change, do you?’
She got up from the bed and walked towards Kiri, hips swinging, shaking her bright red hair, at ease with her nakedness.
‘I’m sorry, I’ll go, I don’t know why …’ Kiri stuttered, retreating.
Rihanna turned and smiled at her as she came close, pushing the door closed, preventing her escape. Kiri backed up against the wall.
‘I know what ails you,’ Rihanna said, her voice dropping low. ‘I know what you’ve done. That boy isn’t it? The one from Amar you talked about. You can’t run away from it.’
Kiri avoided her gaze, looking down at the floor. ‘I’m fine, it’s just …’
‘It’s burning you up,’ Rihanna said. ‘Every time you think of him, it’s lighting you up like a fire inside …’
Kiri looked up, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps.
‘I can’t stop it, I can’t control it …’ Kiri said, feeling her hands shake. ‘It’s like I’m going mad …’ Tears sprang into her eyes. ‘What’s happening to me?’
‘Hey … don’t fret. They should have taught you these things,’ Rihanna said, her voice now soft. ‘I guess there was never time, you joined the priestesses so late, never grew up with all this …’
Kiri bowed her head, ‘I don’t want it, but then I do …’
‘Don’t be scared,’ Rihanna said, her voice dropping to a whisper. ‘You know the priestesses have different callings. Many are warriors, like you and I. Others are healers …’
Kiri remembered her old mentor, Charis. Charis had taken her in when all others despised her. She was just a dirty girl from the slums after all. The ‘guttersnipe’ they called her. Charis had seen her potential and trained her as a healer.
‘I know all this,’ Kiri said, brushing aside the sad thoughts of Charis.
Rihanna smiled. ‘So. The others, they’re birthers.’
Kiri looked up and wrinkled her nose at this, causing Rihanna to laugh.
‘Still the same old Kiri,’ she said. ‘It is an honourable part of our society! Without the birthers how would we keep the population? They get to choose from the pick of the men within the realm, selecting the strongest and most virile to take to their beds.’
Rihanna looked around at the young man behind her. Kiri saw her run her tongue over her teeth as she looked back
‘But to make babies …’ Kiri said, her face still twisted in distaste.
‘Yes. They bear babies. We need girls for the priestesshood. A few baby boys are tolerated, but men are never in short supply.’
‘But what does this have to do with what’s happening to me?’
Rihanna smiled at her. ‘Where the warriors use their gift in conflict and the healers used theirs to treat wounds, the birthers use the gift to make an indelible bond with the men they choose, leading to loyalty and fidelity from the men and a greater chance of healthy offspring …’
‘Are you saying …?’
‘You’ve bound yourself to that boy of yours,’ Rihanna said. ‘Accidently, I guess. But he will consume your thoughts and you will consume his.’ She shrugged. ‘You’ve made that bond, it’s done.’
Kiri knew Rihanna was telling the truth. She couldn’t deny it.
I did this to myself. I didn’t listen, now I’m stuck with …
‘How do I break it?’ Kiri whispered.
‘Break it?’ Rihanna shook her head. ‘I don’t think you can. You must feel how strong it is …’
Kiri didn’t answer. She didn’t have to. Rihanna was right, she could feel it. It had been there for a pass or more, ever since she had forced her way into his mind.
And I don’t want to break it. I just want him. I want him here and I want him now!
She groaned, turning and thumping her fists against the wall, her eyes bright with lust. The moment passed, she caught her breath and turned back.
‘You mustn’t tell anyone.’
‘I’ll keep your secret,’ Rihanna said, with a girlish giggle. ‘But you’re going to have to square with it sometime. It will not leave you, nor will it leave him. And it will only get worse the longer you deny yourself …’
‘Deny myself?’
Rihanna laughed. ‘You’ve never been with a man, have you?’
Kiri didn’t answer that question either. A tremor of panic passed through her. A man had come for her once, when she was younger, just an ‘only’ in the slums. He hadn’t known she had a knife. There had been blood and screams. That one would never bother a woman again …
Rihanna stepped close. ‘You feel it, don’t you? Burning in your thighs, quickening your breath, hotness, you want it …’
Rihanna ran her finger tips down the side of Kiri’s cheek, across her neck, still further down between her breasts …
‘Stop it!’
Kiri felt her face flush. Memories flooded back, how she had caught up with Meru in the boathouse in Nireus. How they had embraced, kissed … had there had been time she would have taken him there and then. She had almost lost control of herself.
‘I can see you do,’ Rihanna said. ‘It’s in your mind, isn’t it … those thoughts … they scare you …’
‘No, don’t!’
Rihanna took her hand, whispering in her ear.
‘It’s all right,’ she said. ‘You don’t need to fear it. I can help you.’
‘But I don’t even know what … ‘ Kiri stared at her. ‘What do you mean, help me?’
Rihanna smiled, looking back to the young man, still prone upon her bed and then back to Kiri. ‘For once, this is something I know more about than you. You need some lessons.’
‘I can’t … I don’t think …’
‘Like anything else,’ Rihanna said with a wink. ‘This is an art, the more you practice, the better you get. Come …’
Kiri felt Rihanna squeezing her hand, pulling her further into the room.
She was about to protest again, but Rihanna silenced her by placing her finger against Kiri’s lips.
‘Trust me,’ she said, her voice little more than a whisper. ‘You’ll enjoy it. And when you find that boy of yours once more … you’ll be ready.’
Kiri was horrified and curious all at once. In her indecision, Rihanna turned and led her towards the bed.
‘They’re all talking abou
t her,’ Merrin said. ‘In fact, they talk of little else since her return from Drem.’
Nerina did not react, but her voice was tight. Both priestesses stood atop the temple, looking out across the city. Lacaille blazed in the sky above.
‘Our erstwhile slum girl grows in stature each stretch so it seems,’ Nerina said. ‘It was Kiri, not Nerina, who slew the King of Scallia. Some say she vanquished Drem too.’
‘She’ll always be a guttersnipe.’
Nerina shook her head. ‘Where she came from is of less interest now than where she is going. Let us assume she has taken the Queen’s power, perhaps even unknowingly. What does she intend to do with it?’
‘She’s just a child. We should tear her now, quietly, silently. Like the others over the rounds.’
Nerina looked across at Merrin. ‘You are a talented administrator, but leave the strategy to me. Kiri hasn’t turned against me, not yet.’
‘Maybe she plots even now.’
‘Maybe she does,’ Nerina replied. ‘And if she grows the love of the people and garners a following then she becomes a threat. Until then she is mine to use to as I see fit.’
‘So what will you do?’
Nerina smiled. ‘For the time being, the stronger she becomes, the more useful she becomes. I can gain no further increase from tearing the feeble abilities of tithed girls from the provinces. They are too weak. I want power concentrated first, then I will take it.’
‘Kiri already is powerful …’
‘I have a task in mind for her, it will test her loyalty. I want her as powerful as she can possibly be before I tear her. But it is time to think of contingencies. We must find a way to test her limits, determine whether she truly has the Queen’s power or not.’
‘And if she does?’
‘That depends on whether she has lied to me or not,’ Nerina said. ‘If she does plot against me then we will have to arrange her downfall carefully. She is a heroine this stretch; that must be undone for the next if we are to tear her. Until then she remains a valuable member of our society.’
‘I still think we should tear her now and be done with it.’
‘We can afford to wait a little,’ Nerina said. ‘The next move is hers.’
