Summer's Fall

by Carol E. Leever

  "And everybody is celebrating cats getting presents and me getting cookies. So they infactedness is both dragon ceremonies, even if they is not knowing about it." Tyrin finished unwinding his logic and took a mighty leap onto Kyr's shoulder.

  "Yes. And—" Tormy cut himself off, his large ears swiveling forward, his nose twitching. "Ooh. Ahh," the cat loudly admired the summer garden sprawling all over the inside of the conservatory. Then he raised his nose in the air to catch a scent.

  The sweet aromas of thousands of exotic flowers mingled together could hardly compete with the exquisite sight of the cosseted indoor garden in full bloom.

  "You like it?" Omen asked his little brother.

  Kyr stood still, enchanted by the sight, his mesmerized gaze underscoring how enamored with the green and growing world the boy always seemed.

  If I had lived centuries in a burnt up, dead world, I'd be the same.

  Omen detected faint strands of magic in the air, and his skin tingled with the caress of the venerable ley lines that ran beneath the temple. He knew that the music constantly performed in the temple invoked powerful spells that carried their energies down those ley lines to all parts of the city.

  "Some plants is liking to be eaten—" Tyrin started to say, but Kyr reached up and stuffed the little cat into his pocket unceremoniously.

  "Don't," he warned the squirming creature, "or I'll button the button."

  Omen raised an eyebrow at what — for Kyr — had been forceful words. The guilty look on Kyr's face said everything.

  There's no hope of him ever disciplining that little monster, Omen thought and looked over at his giant orange companion, who at that moment was happily batting away at a large frond. Good thing Tormy's perfect. Omen knew the cats didn't mean any true mischief, they just saw the world differently — as something to be played with or perhaps eaten.

  "Pot, meet kettle," he murmured.

  "Is you going to cook, Omy?" Tormy asked, happy hope unchecked.

  "This way," little Fog advised and strode down a line of pink lavender bushes.

  Remembering that they were here to meet Indee, Omen raked his tangled hair out of his face and tugged on the laces of his sleeves.

  Left my jerkin at The Harps, he thought with a twinge of annoyance.

  "Right here." Fog twitched his whiskers toward a curtained opening camouflaged behind the greenery. "It is being a secret passage."

  "Why are we going through a secret door?" Omen stepped through cautiously.

  "The dragons is guarding the main entrance on account of the fact that nobodies is being allowed to visit Indee," the little grey cat said as he hopped ahead.

  Omen stumbled forward. Great. Then what are we doing here?

  "You have to understand," Indee's unmistakable cadence reached a sharp cord, and Omen put a hand on Kyr's shoulder to regain his balance, "it is imperative that no one find out!"

  "That is just like you!" a second female voice rang out.

  Omen could feel Kyr shaking and guessed that the women's loud, heated words scared the boy. "Don't worry, Kyr. We'll just say hello and leave. Whatever is going on isn't our problem."

  Kyr smiled wearily.

  "Your concern over appearances outweighs your concern for your son!" the other voice continued.

  Omen recognized the quick staccato as belonging to Indee's daughter. Caythla! I had no idea she was in town. He'd always liked Caythla and looked forward to greeting her, but when he stepped further into the room, he saw only Indee.

  Indee'athra Lir Drathos was not a Sundragon. But Indee'athra was much more than a noble from a foreign land. In the known kingdoms, she was a creature of legend and rumor.

  Nelminorians whispered of her low birth and her faerie lineage. Kharakhians, superstitious and cautious by nature, refrained from comment and looked slyly over their shoulders at the mention of her name. Melians treated her with the same deferential respect they showed her husband — Sylvan Lir Drathos, youngest of the Elder Sundragons and beloved ruler of Solara, a kingdom far from the shores of Melia. Solarans, of course, called Indee'athra Lir Drathos their queen. But at the Daenoth Manor and among the close-knit circle of friends, she was referred to as "her" or, on less belligerent occasions, simply as "Indee."

  In the not so distant past, Indee had been the ruler of Kharakhan, widow of their late king Charaathalar and queen mother of King Khylar Set-Manasan.

  Officially sanctioned and approved history proclaimed that she had united the kingdom, brought the people through a bloody civil war and fought off the scourge of Nelminorian invaders. She'd then smashed Nelminor with her wrath, her magics and with the help of her powerful allies — allies who included Omen's parents.

  Self-proclaimed Empress Indee'athra had gone on to punish the Nelminorian royalty until all that remained of them was a memory. And then she'd swiftly reorganized borders and neatly arranged her enemies and supporters into manageable camps.

  As Nelminor lay broken and conquered, Indee had bestowed the country onto her daughter Caythla, as if that vast land were a pet or a bauble. And Indee had joined Sylvan, her new husband, in his kingdom of Solara, at the edge of the known world.

  Now the fabled ruler stood in front of a large picture window in a chamber of the Temple of the Sundragons in the capital of Melia, pregnant and alone.

  Tall and beautiful, with skin as pale as snow, Indee wore her knee-length ebony hair loose. Flickering white lights danced around her lithe body like a swarm of glow bugs orbiting a flame. Clad in a simple, high-waisted summer gown of sea blue, Indee hardly seemed pregnant, though Omen knew she was eight months along. Everyone in Melia knew exactly when she was due — the birth of a baby Sundragon was an event that would be celebrated across the land.

  To Omen's surprise, Indee was barefoot. He wondered if she'd picked up the carefree habit from the Corsairs — his friend Liethan Corsair hardly ever wore shoes. According to Omen's mother, Indee and Liethan's aunt, the Corsair sorceress Arra, were close friends.

  Her back to Omen, Indee held her ivory hand pressed to the enormous glass windowpane. The tiny lights ebbed and flowed against Indee's form, crowding around her — never touching. In the glass, behind the glowing sparks, Omen saw the lick of flame, but no fire burned in the chamber. Must be an unusually cold summer day on the other side.

  "Khylar is missing!" Caythla's voice rang out again, though he still saw no sign of her.

  Kyr stared at the shimmering window and shifted uncomfortably. "Is the voice trapped in the glass?" he whispered with grave concern.

  "No, I think it's a communication spell. Like scrying," Omen whispered back.

  Tormy curled his front paws underneath his chest with a little murr. He pushed into Omen's leg just enough to let Omen know exactly where he'd settled down.

  "You will tell your husband to travel to Kharakhan," Indee directed her command toward the glass. "You will tell him to rule in my stead, in Khylar's stead until such time—"

  Caythla let out an annoyed yelp. "You are not listening, Mother!" A tapping sound emanated from the glass as if a bird were pecking at the pane. "You find someone to rescue Khylar, or nothing else happens. I'd go find him myself, if it weren't for the double-cursed Nelminorian summer festival."

  "Double-cursed," Tyrin's awed whisper came from inside Kyr's pocket. "That is being more than cursed one times."

  "Shh," Omen scolded Kyr's pocket.

  "I remember well how draining that festival can be." Indee seemed to consider something. "You should—"

  "The one and only time you presided over the summer festival, you didn't even stay the whole three weeks," Caythla barked back. "You made me do the last fourteen days, Mother. And we had to start over three times because my Nelminorian accent wasn't quite right, and I kept saying 'Torkash' instead of 'Tarkash.'"

  "Languages were never your strong suit," Indee commented casually.

  "I is here to fix everything," Fog trumpeted. "I is brought heroes."

  Indee spun to f
ace Omen and his fluffy entourage.

  "Fog?" Her eyes, black as the night sky, narrowed with displeasure, but then almost instantly sparkled with disconcerting shrewdness. She smiled like a satisfied cat and turned back to her daughter.

  "There, you see. Everything is solved." Indee's voice hit a majestic note of studied superiority. The cortege of glowing lights whirled around their own axis and circled Indee's head like a spinning wreath. She swiped her hand at them, shooing them away.

  "Omen!" Caythla squealed in delight.

  Beyond the shimmering gleam of magic, Omen could now clearly distinguish the form of Queen Caythla Set-Manasan of Nelminor — apparently locked inside the glass.

  "Is the lady trapped—"

  "Nobody is trapped, Kyr." Omen hoped he could keep the boy from worrying. "That's Caythla. She's in Nelminor right now. Speaking through the mirror."

  "Is she—"

  "She's not a ghost." He patted Kyr's arm. "She's alive. She's just in another country."

  "Green," Kyr muttered sagely.

  The last time Omen had seen Caythla, they had been sledding down the hills of Melia in the winter snow. Though several years older than him, Caythla had fit in well with Omen and his friends. His extraordinary strength and stamina had made Omen a worthy playmate for Caythla, who had the fierceness of a grizzly bear. None of her ladies-in-waiting had been able to keep pace with her.

  Caythla was married now and Queen of Nelminor, clad regally in a gown of pure white, a golden headdress with the symbol of the Nelminorian sun god upon her brow. Omen had to smile at her untamed tangle of black hair — a sign that the wild, leather-clad, mud-covered girl he'd known remained within the trappings of the queen.

  "Hello, Cay," Omen greeted, his awe of meeting Indee assuaged at the pleasure of seeing his old friend in the scrying glass.

  "Are you helping my mother?" Caythla sounded relieved. "Hey, is that your new brother?"

  "Yes, obviously!" Indee snapped before Omen could utter a syllable. "The child lost in time. But that's not important. What is important is that Omen came to help! He'll take care of Khylar and you'll send Fel'torin to Kharakhan at once."

  "Wait a minute!" Omen protested, wondering how the mission Fog had recruited Tormy for had suddenly become his quest. "I don't even know what's going on. Fog said something about Khylar being kidnapped."

  Caythla's eyes narrowed. "Mother," she said in a low, warning tone. "If Omen isn't going, I'll send Fel'torin after Khylar and one of the Set-Manasans can rule Kharakhan."

  "No!" Indee shouted, her dark eyes flashing with raw anger. The little lights sprayed out across the room like tiny flaming arrows shot out by a company of archers.

  Omen stepped to the side, shielding Kyr with his body. Tormy seemed to take no interest, which Omen found odd. Can he not see those lights? That's exactly the kind of thing cats love to chase.

  "I will not allow it!" Indee slammed her open palm against the glass. "No Set-Manasans!"

  Set-Manasans. The remaining family of the former king of Kharakhan. Indee's former in-laws. I can see why she'd prefer Fel'torin on the throne instead of one of that lot. She'd never wrestle the kingdom back from them, but shouldn't she be more worried about her son?

  "Omen will rescue Khylar," Indee stated emphatically, closing both fists tightly. The little lights returned and hovered around her shoulders like a stole.

  That sounds more like a royal decree than a request. Indee didn't have any actual authority over him, but he found himself starting to sweat. "You still haven't told me what happened to Khylar," he pushed out each word with difficulty. "How can a king get kidnapped? Doesn't he have guards?"

  Indee's obsidian eyes bored into him as if she were looking right into his brain.

  "Yes, Mother," Caythla threw out quickly. "You still haven't explained that to me either. Exactly what happened to my brother?"

  Indee's eyes flashed again. The lights vibrated, letting off low hums, and then zipped through the room like miniature shooting stars. Indee took a deep breath to calm herself. "Your brother, Cay, has been abducted by Autumn Dwellers, and taken into the Autumn Lands."

  A small jolt coursed through Omen. That's impossible.

  A hard silence fell and lingered while Omen tried to collect his thoughts. Why would she make up such a ridiculous story? But if it's true—

  A minute scratching sound tore through the quiet. Despite the tension, Omen turned his head toward the origin of the scraping.

  Tiny Tyrin scrambled up and down a nearby, no-doubt priceless, tapestry in an effort to trap one of Indee's little lights.

  "Get him!" Omen hissed and elbowed Kyr, who stood still as if nailed to the floor.

  "Absurd!" Caythla finally burst out. "Mother, you are not being rational. Is this baby brain talking?"

  "Hold your tongue, Caythla. There is no need for insults. I am in complete control."

  "You are? What about the wyrding lights all around you? Your spells are breaking loose. And you know it!"

  "My spells are doing exactly what I want them to do."

  "Really? Then why don't you bring them back to you. From what I see they are just flying around the room, and the little cat is about to eat one."

  Kyr bolted forward to grab Tyrin. Nearly tripping in his effort, he scooped the grumbling creature up from the floor where the kitten had corralled a glowing light between his front paws.

  "Let me lay out the facts, Mother." Caythla's voice had turned dark. "The Autumn Gate is closed. No one can cross in or out until the fall equinox. And even if they could, the Autumn Dwellers would have little interest in kidnapping the king of a human kingdom."

  "Not any human kingdom," Indee replied, glaring at Caythla. "And not a human king. Your grandmother's blood runs strong in both you and your brother. Your grandmother is a very powerful Autumn sorceress. She could have enemies moving against her." Indee pressed her lips together as if attempting to stem the flow of words, but a few slipped out quietly. "Of course she has enemies moving against her. She always has enemies moving against her. My mother—" Indee managed to finally cut herself off.

  "You are speaking of a grandmother we've never had any contact with," Caythla said sharply. "And as far as I know, you've also had no contact with anyone from the Autumn Kingdom since you were a child. How would Autumn Dwellers even know that Khylar exists?"

  Omen felt his head spinning. Indee is of Autumn? Do my parents know?

  "Is this why there are sandlures on the beach?" Omen spoke up. He knew very little about the Gated Lands, but he knew the Gates controlled the movement of all sorts of creatures. "They don't belong here."

  "Sandlure . . . I don't . . . " Indee shook her head, sending the little lights spinning through the room. "The Gates are more metaphorical than physical," she said with a sniff. "There are always secret ways in and out of these lands if you know where to look."

  "If that's true . . ." Caythla paused momentarily.

  "The door is open," Kyr whispered to Omen. "All we have to do is step through it."

  "We'll leave in a minute, Kyr." Omen waved his hand toward the curtain that led to the garden.

  "How do you know Autumn Dwellers took him?" Caythla's voice shook. "Have they asked a ransom?"

  "Tylith told me." Indee said through her teeth.

  This is getting interesting. Tylith Corsair had acted as King Khylar's personal bodyguard since they were both children. She was a highly trained warrior and the daughter of Lady Arra.

  "Tylith!" Caythla looked even more astonished. "I had assumed Tylith was missing as well. If she's still around, why isn't she looking for Khylar? I would think that she'd stop at nothing to find him."

  "She can't. She's looking for Tara," Indee replied stiffly.

  "What happened to Tara?" Caythla shouted, obviously growing angrier with each of Indee's answers. "Mother, the whole story!"

  Tara Corsair was Tylith's sister, and King Khylar's future wife and queen. If something has happened to both of Lady Ar
ra's daughters, news would have spread. The Corsairs are not a quiet lot. Liethan didn't say anything about his cousins earlier.

  "I don't know what's happened to Tara," Indee stated with annoyance. "All I know is that Ty just showed up here and told me that Khylar had been kidnapped by the Autumn Dwellers, and that Tara is gone."

  The little lights gathered in what seemed like the shape of a fist.

  "The dragons is being none too happy with Tylith's news," Fog explained. "They is afraid for Indee's dragon baby. They is telling her she has to go live in the Dragonlands."

  "I am not getting locked up in another realm for any reason or by anybody." Indee picked up a vase and threw it across the room. The little lights swooped forward, caught the ceramic container and gently floated it to the ground.

  Indee ignored her own outburst. "Ty has gone after Tara, and someone trustworthy has to rule Kharakhan while Khylar is missing."

  "You mean to say that someone has to go rescue Khylar, don't you?" Caythla insisted.

  Indee pointed a sharp finger at Omen. "That's what he's here for!"

  "I don't know anything about rescue missions or Autumn Dwellers," Omen protested. "I don't even know where the Autumn Lands are, or how to get there." That sounded whiney. Am I being whiney?

  Indee glared at him with venomous annoyance. "The Mountain of Shadow, obviously. Haven't you ever listened to your mother's old stories? You can get anywhere from there, into any realm, any world. Under the right circumstances, even the Gated Lands."

  Caythla let out a screech. "Secrets upon secrets upon secrets. Is nothing ever what we've been told it is? The Gated Lands are supposed to be—"

  "Not just anyone can access the Mountain of Shadow." Indee turned to Omen. "But you may be able to."

  "The Mountain of Shadow!" Omen sputtered. This is way bigger than I thought. He'd grown up hearing stories about that mountain, adventures and nightmarish tales occasionally told by his mother about her early days of roaming the world. "But that place is cursed! And it's in Kharakhan across the Luminal Sea." Definitely whiney.

  "What of it?" Indee demanded. "You're the son of a god, if I'm to believe your mother's crazy stories about all the curses and blessings placed upon your birth. What could you possibly be afraid of?"