Brie skimmed a small stone across the pond and watched it skip three times. “I almost think we would be safer on DerTah. Running into our grandfather is not at the top of my list of things to do, and I bet he is on his way here.”
“I am not sure I want to go to DerTah,” said Torgin. “It sounds like a horrid place.”
Ari scowled. “You never want to do anything new, Torg.” She picked at a piece of bark that refused to pull loose from the trunk. “I’m going to rescue Esán. If you want to stay here, stay.” The bark moved. “I bet if we go to Nemttachenn, CheeTrann’ll send us through the vortex.”
“Only if he’s sure that it’s our destiny,” cautioned Brie. “Of course, we did see Torgin on DerTah in the fountain, so maybe—”
“That was a short visit.” Torgin pointed skyward, where Karrew, silhouetted against the soft gray of morning, flew out an upstairs window and over the Terces Wood.
“Wonder what he’s up to,” mused Brie. “He’s never away from Aunt Mira for long.”
Ari shrugged. “He’s probably off on another errand.” The piece of bark broke free. Eyeing it, she flicked it across the garden. “Now, let’s figure out how we are going to get the stuff together we need for a trip to DerTah.”
Torgin listened to the twins’ whispered plans with some misgiving. If only Yaro were here to advise him, he’d feel a lot better. He knew he would not let the twins go without him, but…he sure hated the idea of Fire ConDra, sparkers—things in the desert that spit fire—and whatever else they might find on DerTah.
The knot in the pit of his stomach lurched as he sidled closer to the twins. “I’m coming, too,” he murmured gruffly. “I wish we knew more about that planet though.”
Ari clapped him on the back. “Glad you’ve come around!”
“We can look in Aunt Mira’s library,” Brie suggested. “She might have something on DerTah.”
“We’d better get organized before they ship us off somewhere out of the way.” Ari ran a hand through her tangled curls. “Wish I could hide my thoughts like you, Brie. Almiralyn can forage around in my mind, and I can’t stop her.”
“Aunt Mira won’t do that unless she’s worried, so just act natural.”
“You mean be belligerent and pout a lot?”
Torgin chortled. “That sounds pretty normal to me.”
Ari shot him a hard look before joining in his laughter. “You got me, Torg.”
“Come on.” Brie started across the garden. “Since Karrew’s off again, I imagine they’re reconvening in the kitchen.”
“Do we really need to be there?” grumped Ari.
It was Brie’s turn to laugh. “Normal it is, Ari. Normal it is.”
9
ConDra’s Fire
DerTah
N omed and TheLise strained to hear the muffled voices on the far side of the wall.
“He…serious trouble…”
“Evols…”
“Hide…DoOlb…Lots…”
“…caught…”
“We can’t…caught…”
The room went silent. The hall door closed with a muted click.
Questions swam around Nomed’s mind. He opened his mouth to speak. A quick shake of TheLise’s head snapped it shut.
She moved away from the wall to pick up the lamp from the table. “Stand beside me.”
The whispered words sounded sultry in the darkened space. Nomed slipped an arm around her waist.
“You assume much, Seyes.” Reaching above her head, she pressed her thumb into a well-hidden indentation. The wall rotated, carrying them to the other side. A soft clunk and it stopped. A long passage stretched away in front of them.
“You were very busy when you were a girl.” He felt the pull of his lopsided smile. “Where does this lead?”
“It will take us to the garden near the arena. We can return to the house from there. It will look less suspicious.” Her low voice held a hint of laughter. “Who was in the room?”
“Gidtuss, I would bet, and perhaps Thaer. Plotting with Gidtuss is about his speed. I didn’t dare use telepathy.”
“Nor I. They’re definitely after Esán though.” TheLise led him down the passageway. “Someone keeps this clean. I wonder who.” She stopped.
Nomed found himself eye to eye with her. An unsettling current ran through his body. “Yes?”
TheLise gave him a coy smile. “It is rather nice to be alone, don’t you think.”
“What do you want, TheLise?”
Her face grew serious. “Two things. First…an important visitor has asked for an audience with Wolloh. I couldn’t read Wolloh’s mind, so I don’t know whom, but the Dreelum are staying for the visit. How are we going to protect Esán?”
“Esán is well equipped to take care of himself—just inexperienced. All we can do is stay alert and keep our eye on him. If things become too dangerous, I’ll simply disappear with him. Second?”
“Tell me about the Evolsefil Crystal. Did you see it?”
Anger tasted bitter on his tongue. “I almost had it…almost.” He swallowed his frustration. “Someday I’ll share the story.”
“Someday?”
“It’s not finished yet.” A momentary memory of the crystal’s beauty and power left him feeling deprived and unfulfilled.
TheLise’s body, pressed against his, demanded that he return his thoughts to her. In the dim light, her gray eyes teased, taunted him, dared him to…to what? “Don’t be such a temptress, TheLise. I may surprise you, and you’ll get more than you bargained for.”
Her laugh was husky and deep. “You are made of ice, Seyes. I find that I am not too worried.” She brushed her lips against his. “Don’t disappear without me.”
Nomed watched her move with seductive grace ahead of him down the passage, grateful for the darkness that hid his flushed face. He placed his hand over his chest to muffle the agitated beat of his heart.
Corvus’ sudden departure left Seval and Esán staring at the door. Esán transferred his gaze to the young servant. Fear still clung to him like a cloak of gray smoke. His round face was puffy, and Esán suspected his eyes were red from crying. On a planet where hatred and anger most often defined choices and expectations, Seval’s gentleness intrigued him. “Are you alright?”
He sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve. “I miss…” He hiccupped and looked bewildered. “I am so sorry to be such a…”
“You’re fine, Seval.” Esán put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
The boy shrugged it off and muttered to himself. “This is my home now.” He straightened his rumpled tunic and inched closer to the door. “You must be careful. The Dreelum are a danger to you, to anyone they can use. You have much power, Master…Esán.” His eyes darted toward his escape route. “I go now.”
“Wait.” Esán touched his arm. “Please stay. You’re safe here.”
The boy’s mouth puckered. “For some reason I can’t remember, I’m not safe anywhere.” With a stiff bow, he exited the room.
Esán stared after him. A gentle telepathic touch had shown him Seval’s memories hanging like tattered cobwebs in his mind. Only the present and his excruciating sadness remained intact. Will I ever learn what happened to him?
He shook himself free of the young servant’s puzzle and pulled the maps from under the bed. My best bet is to learn more about DerTah.
Selecting the map of the Desert of Fera Finnero, he studied the perplexing sameness. How will I ever know where I am if I have to cross it? He pulled the small book from his pocket, opened it to the description of the desert, and submerged himself in learning.
A disturbance in the hall plucked him mid sentence from the book. Nervous voices and hurrying feet propelled him to the door. What had disturbed the usual quiet of Wolloh’s home? He pulled it ajar. Seval hurried by without even a glance in his direction. Esán noticed his clean face and fresh tunic. Closing the door, he let his senses explore the house. A radical change had occurred, and he didn’t l
ike it. He hid the maps under the mattress and tucked the book in his bottom drawer.
A knock at the door made him frown. Nomed was on the other side, and he wasn’t happy either.
Wolloh, hidden in the shadows, watched the hustle and bustle in the courtyard outside his sitting room window. Servants ran to and fro, preparing the guesthouse for important company. On the far side of the ranch, a contingent of soldiers had arrived and was in the throes of setting up camp. Their commander had sent word that he expected to be received within the hour.
Moving away from the organized chaos, Wolloh limped to his chair and lowered his weary bones into its soft contours. The demands of the upcoming visit made him long for the quiet of his first sun cycles in DerTah. Solitary and silent, he had wandered the land where he eventually built Shu Chenaro, perfecting the skills he had gleaned as an initiated High DiMensioner.
He thought back to the events that had brought him to this planet’s red desert. The recklessness of youth and the rash and misguided feeling that he was indestructible had led to ill-judged choices. He had played right into the hands of the Mocendi League, a galaxy-wide organization devoted to finding those with the potential to become DiMensioners and using their talents to advance its desire to conquer and rule the Inner Universe. At the age of nineteen sun cycles, he found himself banned from his home planet and headed for a penal colony on the outer rim. Although the sentence of banishment had been harsh, losing the respect and love of his father and family had been even more devastating.
Self-righteous anger might have propelled him down a path of self-destruction had he not discovered his mentor, Relevart, and the Art of DiMensionery on the small planet of Persow. With single-minded purpose, he had buried himself in his studies.
His good hand plucked at the feather-like streak of white on the deformed side of his head. The temptation to shape the osprey and fly away made him close his eyes in anticipation of that particular pleasure. Flight always reduced his stress and restored his sense of well-being. And it removed him from sad memories, as well as the scheming politics of the Dreelum and their ilk.
A timid knock made him scowl. Speaking of which … “What is it?”
The opening door offered him a view of a wide-eyed male servant. “Dreela Thaer would like to see you, sir.”
“Tell him I’ll see him in my office.” Wolloh’s good eye scanned the servant’s face. Curiosity, and the touch of fear hidden at the back of the boy’s eyes, made him ask a gentle question. “What’s your name, boy?”
“Seval, sir.”
“How long have you been in my employ, Seval?”
He looked puzzled, shook his head, and responded, “I don’t think very long, sir.”
An unobtrusive mind touch provided a startling picture. “I see. Please give Thaer my message. Do you know Seyes Nomed?”
He nodded.
“Find him and the Dreela TheLise and ask them to join me there, too.”
“Yes, sir.” He backed from the study and closed the door.
“Hmmmmm…that is the boy Stebben told me about. Life becomes more complex.”
Again, the thought of taking flight and leaving the fray behind tempted him. He sighed, settled back in his chair, and let his agile mind carry him back to that sun turning so long ago, the turning he had forsaken his mentor’s instructions for the simple thrill of defying him and the egotistical need to prove his skill.
“Shape shifting…” he laughed. “I don't need Relevart to tell me what to do. I've shaped a calfon hawk. I can shape an osprey.” A nagging doubt surfaced. But with the arrogance of youth, he ignored it and thought to launch into flight. The shift, which usually took an instant, stalled in its beginning stages. Pain ripped through the left side of his body—an arm fought to become a wing, a leg…a taloned foot, his face…the feathered head of an osprey. Pain so excruciating that he no longer knew anything else pitched him to the ground, unconscious. When he awoke, Relevart sat beside him in a dimmed and somber room. The distress in his eyes filled Wolloh with despair.
Over time the torn flesh on his arm and leg healed, leaving them maimed but usable. His left hand remained a crippled claw. The first time he looked in the mirror, the scarring on his left cheek horrified him. When the eye patch was removed and he could not see, he railed against the stupidity of the healer. He blamed his mentor. It had taken many sun cycles for him to confront himself…to admit the arrogance of youth.
Angry, despondent, and struggling to redefine himself, he left Relevart’s home planet to escape all he thought he had lost. His travels took him throughout the galaxy and introduced him to life’s infinite variety. He became an expert in galactic history and diplomacy. Eventually, he returned to Persow and continued his study of DiMensionery. Wisdom gained from adversity made him an exceptional student, one of the very few ever to attain the rank of High DiMensioner.
Caught in his musings, he absently massaged his withered cheek. Disfigurement had become a reminder to be circumspect, to think things through, to exercise patient. Sagacious and wise, his mentor had coached him to use the disastrous results of his hard-learned lesson to his advantage. At this stage in his existence, the tragedy of his youth informed his choices and actions in ways that often left him feeling grateful. It did not, however, make him tolerant of stupidity, sloth, or those who presumed more power and prestige than they possessed.
Though he was loath to leave his study and his reverie, the present awaited his involvement. He allowed himself one more moment of absolute quiet before peeling his fragile bones away from the chair. He picked up his cane, a gift from his master, and eyed the crystal knob. A desire to see its mother crystal, Evolsefil, filled him with longing. He released it with the blink of his sightless eye. The arrogance of youth, in the form of a RewFaaran officer, was about to pay him a visit. Perhaps he would teach the young man a lesson, one that would make the next few turnings less fatiguing.
10
ConDra’s Fire
Myrrh
T he discussion around the Guardian of Myrrh’s kitchen table had ended some time ago. Brie hoped that her Aunt Mira had chosen not to read her thoughts…or Ari’s. They were to be shipped off to KcernFensia and hidden in the hills on the mainland. Ari had done her best to act ‘normal,’ arguing the point until their parents put a stop to it. Torgin was to go back to Idronatti, where his mind would be cleansed as he prepared to begin training for his assigned profession. He had not been happy either. In two turnings, Jordett and her father would depart for DerTah. Tomorrow Merrilea, her mother, and One Man would take the Demrach Gateway into the Central Mountains on Thera to warn her grandparents of all that had transpired.
Brie shivered as she tiptoed down the stairs to the library. Her mother’s father was hunting them. She felt like an animal pursued. Slipping into the library, she closed the door and held up her lite-stick. Where will I find information to help us navigate DerTah? Stepping closer to the bookcase, she read the strange titles…David Copperfield, Stranger in a Strange Land, Sense and Sensibility, The Earthsea Trilogy, The Time and Writings of Ga… The door creaked open. She turned, her face flushed with guilt.
Almiralyn shut the door behind her and held out a thin leather-bound book. “I believe this is what you’re looking for.”
Brie put the lite-stick on a table and took the book. The title read Demography and Customs of DerTah. She looked up at her aunt in bewilderment.
The Guardian indicated a chair and sat down opposite her. “As much as I dislike it, I know you have to go to DerTah. It’s your destiny and Ari’s. I’m not so sure about Torgin, but I don’t want to send him back to Idronatti. He doesn’t deserve to have his memories cleansed.”
“Why didn’t…”
“Your journey and your father’s are not the same, Brie. He would not have understood, nor would your mother. I have packs ready for you under the back porch. CheeTrann will help you go to DerTah. Unfortunately, you will arrive in the desert where the Fire ConDra reside. I don�
��t know how you’ll deal with them, but I know you’ll manage.”
Brie examined the book in her hands. “Will Torgin’s compass help us in DerTah?”
“It will, but you must learn the trigger verse to make it work. As soon as you arrive in the desert have Torgin hold the compass face parallel to the ground. Say this verse, and watch the small white flecks on the back.
“DerTah’s patterns deep and rare,
Desert, ocean, mountains fair,
Absorb these secrets into thee,
And all else that we should see.”
“The flecks are actually stars. You will know the patterning is complete when they form new constellations.”
Brie repeated the verse. After what seemed like endless repetitions, the Guardian smiled and leaned back in her chair. She remained quiet for several minutes. Finally, she sat up and turned a serious face to Brie. “Ari should take Efillaeh. The Remembering Stone will aid you in learning what you need to know. I have no idea what you will encounter there, Brielle. I only know you must go.”
Brie leaned forward. “Can’t you come with us?”
“I must stay here to deflect your grandfather’s interest elsewhere and to protect your mother and grandmother.”
“Aunt Mira, one more thing.” Brie’s gaze rested on her aunt’s face. “Can I shape shift?”
“The talent is in you, Brie, and will manifest when the need arises.”
“I’m so glad Ari discovered it first.” Brie smiled as they stood up. “She needed to feel like the special one for a change.”
“You are both more special than you know—your gifts are just different.” Almiralyn reached out and tucked a red curl behind her ear, her expression thoughtful. “There is one more thing we must discuss. The Star of Truth creates a dilemma. You understand that, because of it, you are unable to lie.”
The UnFolding Collection Two Page 7
