Sala flickered, her expression helpless when Telyn looked up at her. No one knows. Raiador granted that secret only to the Aerai Majin, whose knowledge about the Book was guarded tightly by the Phoenix Clan. Ashes, as a male child of both the Clan and the bloodline, was ignorant of those final rites. No male child of the bloodline was ever taught how to perform the rituals. Ashes told us that the Elders of his Clan believed it dangerous to learn something one wasn't meant to know, especially as they feared what those final rituals might do. That is why you must find the Book, Telyn. You must learn all its secrets, before the Aerai Majin's return.
Telyn's gaze, downcast in thought, snapped to Sala. "Returns? You told me he's asleep somewhere."
Sala nodded. His body sleeps within its cavern, but his spirit lifted to the Dawn Star--
"Sounds like death to me," Telyn muttered, unable to restrain herself.
Sala glared at her. His spirit gathers power and wisdom for his return. Once the nine Chosen are of age, his spirit will return to its mortal vessel, and he will rise from his slumber. At that time, the ritual to unseal the cavern must be performed, or the Majin will die, and with him, the power to remake the world.
Telyn rubbed her forehead wearily. Until now, no one had uttered a word about a life hanging in the balance of this quest. Just some old book. Looked like she had a lot of surprises in store. "So, how long do we have?"
We don't know. Perhaps a few cycles. Perhaps less.
"And what happens if I can't find the Phoenix Book?"
Sala's color dulled almost black. Then the Majin will die, and any hope of renewing the world will die along with him.
Talk about upping the stakes. Telyn dropped her head into her hands with a tortured groan. How was she supposed to do this? She'd spent her whole life either running or hiding from everything and everyone. She didn't have the strength to bear the fate of the world on her shoulders. And yet...
Telyn lifted her head as she recalled the remains of her father she uncovered in the tunnels of Raiador, and the silent grief her mother had endured all these cycles. The burdens of her parents were as much her legacy as the unconditional love her mother had always provided her. They had sacrificed so much for her sake, and for the sake of the world. Could she really turn her back on that? What kind of coward would that make her?
"So, where do we go from here?"
For now, your focus must be on the man who murdered Ashes. Sala's tone brooked no argument on this. He holds a key to finding the Book.
Telyn glanced toward Nacaris again as the man stirred. "All right."
Then, as Sala retreated into the embers of the dying fire, giving them another burst of life, Telyn crawled back to Nacaris' side and wrapped her arms around him. Closing her eyes, Telyn sighed, and sent a silent prayer to her ancestors that she had the strength to uphold the honor they strove so hard for. Her last thought before sleep claimed her was how she wished she had the courage of her parents. She was going to need it.
Chapter Eight
The streets of the Brassanburg Market were already thrumming with morning business by the time Telyn and Nacaris entered the gates of the city. Telyn smirked at the hawkers -- street corner peddlers who screamed their trinkets and wares like birds of prey -- who badgered passers-by in the hopes of turning a head by sheer volume. She wondered if they knew how many potential customers they drove off that way. The proprietors of the storefronts and billowing pavilions certainly knew, if the disdainful, irritated looks they cast their street-corner compatriots was any indication.
"Is it always this loud?" Nacaris' voice carried over the boisterous peddlers, and she turned to grin at him.
"This is the great part of the market." She always enjoyed watching the subtle battle of wills that thrummed between peddlers and merchants. Trade towns were famous for both hawkers and shopkeepers, and little as they cared for each other, neither would have celebrated the demise of the other. As long as the barter war remained in full force, the powers of trade remained balanced.
Telyn drew her mount closer to Nacaris', to be heard above the din, as she jerked her chin toward an inn at the end of the street. "There's where we want."
He eyed the non-descript building warily. "Are you certain?"
Her grin flashed, wide and wicked. She knew what he thought, but was too diplomatic to say. It looked like a swill house. However, she knew that appearance could be deceiving, and this little inn was testament enough to that. "Trust me."
He cast her a long look, then surprised her by nodding. She'd expected more of a battle.
Telyn turned Bloodcloud toward a stable a few doors up from the inn. She knew the stable master, and trusted him to take good care of her horse. She grinned at the man in question as he stepped from the livery doors at the sound of horses outside.
"Ho, Carmyd!"
He blinked into the sunlight, and a wide grin split his scarred face as he swiped a hand over his bald pate. "Well, bless my silver shoes, if it ain't a grand sight for old eyes."
With a laugh, she leapt from her horse and into his waiting embrace, breathing in the familiar, comforting scents of leather and horse. Unwelcome tears swelled in her eyes as memory washed over her. Carmyd was an old Gildgard -- one of the few that actually managed to survive to a respectable old age and retire gracefully. He'd come to her mother, bleeding and near death from horrific wounds on his face, when Telyn was a mere babe, and his long recovery had made him a semi-permanent fixture in her young life. From Carmyd, she heard the old legends, and learned to ride her first horse. Under his tutelage -- and despite her mother's disapproval -- she'd learned to handle blade and bow, though others were responsible for honing her skill.
"Here, now, girl," he muttered, holding her away to look into her face. "What brings the tears?"
She blinked them away and shook her head, smiling. "It does me good to see your face again."
He glanced beyond her, and his shaggy brows lifted curiously. "Who's the stallion?"
Telyn laughed, but couldn't contain the flush that crept up her neck. "A friend."
"I see." He frowned, and then, as if reaching some inner conclusion, shrugged. "What brings you to my fair city?"
She sighed. "Business, I fear."
His gaze flickered to Nacaris again. "His or yours?"
"Both. I came to see Seoman."
That gained her a piercing look from her old friend. "What kind of business?"
She batted him away and turned toward Bloodcloud as Nacaris swung down from his own mount. "Don't pry, Carmyd."
"I see." Those two words carried a wealth of meaning, and Telyn sighed. She wasn't about to explain herself to anyone -- especially not Carmyd.
"We need lodging for the horses for the night, at least."
He nodded, and gestured toward the stable. "You know the way. But, Telyn, a word of caution..."
She turned expectantly. There was something about his tone...
"Aye?"
"The boy you knew is long gone. Have a caution with the man he's become."
As she walked Bloodcloud into the stable, those words travelled with Telyn, and concern knitted her brows. What, exactly, did Carmyd mean?
*****
On the inside, the inn was quiet and unassuming, but well kept and more hospitable than he expected, which surprised Nacaris. Still, he couldn't make himself comfortable as he paced his small room. The look on Telyn's face, back at the livery, haunted him still. He had no idea what her friend said just before they entered the stable, but it couldn't have been good. Its ghost had ridden Telyn's shoulders ever since, and she'd had no appetite for the first warm, filling meal they'd had since Raiador, despite her claims to desire nothing more than a hot meal and warm bed, when they first neared the city.
Something drew his attention to the small window in the room, and he crossed to it and looked down at the street below. That was when he saw her. At first, he wasn't sure that it wasn't just a trick of the shadows, but the more he watched, the m
ore he knew. He'd memorized every motion of that lithe body, and if there'd been a question in his mind, it would have washed away as he saw her duck into the stables down the street.
A sickening darkness welled up inside of Nacaris. Could Carmyd, old as he was, be one of Telyn's lovers? She'd greeted the old man with such warmth that morning when they'd arrived, but surely his senses weren't that rusty. What passed between Telyn and Carmyd had the feel of a father-daughter connection, not old lovers. Still, the darkness gripped him tighter. He'd claimed Telyn - in his heart, if not aloud - fifteen summers ago, and he'd be damned if he'd stand by and watch her flee to the arms of another man. She was his.
Stalking across the room, he flung open the door and stomped down the stairs of the inn, not caring a lick if he disturbed someone's slumber. He wasn't about to let Telyn cast him off so easily.
Anger rapidly ate up the distance between the inn and the stable, and he didn't pause to consider the consequences as he flung open the stable door and stormed into the barn. Beneath the dim light of starbug lanterns, the place was eerily strange, as if he stepped into an unknown realm. The shuffling and snorting of horses filled his ears, but a sound beneath that caught his attention. A quiet sobbing, like a heart wrenched in two. His own heart twisted in his chest to hear it.
Moving cautiously -- he had no idea if she was armed -- he made his way to Bloodcloud's stall, to find the huge warhorse standing with his head bowed, his nose snuffling at Telyn's hair and shoulder as she hugged him. The horse's thick coat muffled her sobs, but they were still heart-rending to hear.
Nacaris eased open the stall door and entered the space. Bloodcloud immediately pricked his ears, then lifted his head and turned toward this new invader to his space. Looking into the dark, liquid eyes of the horse, Nacaris saw a plea that looked nearly human, as if the horse tried to tell him to help Telyn.
Crouching down beside her, he laid a hand on her shoulder and rubbed gently. "Telyn? What is it?"
She jumped, clearly startled, and then swiped defensively at her eyes. "It's nothing."
He sighed and eased down beside her, resting his head and back against the wooden wall. "Isn't it always? When do you stop being so damned stubborn?"
She bristled instantly. "I am not stubborn!"
"Then why can't you let anyone in? Why must you always be the brave one, the strong one?"
Her laugh was quiet with sadness, and twisted with a bitter sound. "That's just it. I'm not brave or strong."
He frowned. This didn't sound like the cocky, determined warrior he knew. "I don't follow..."
She sighed heavily, and turned her face away from him. "I've spent so much of my life running. What happens if I'm really not good enough to do this?"
He squeezed her shoulder gently, and drew her into his arms. "What brought this on? For as long as I've known you, you've been indomitable."
"But you don't know me."
The bitterness in her voice got to him, knotting in his chest like a giant serpent coiled around his heart. How he wished to tell her the truth! His arms closed tighter around her, and he leaned to murmur against her ear, "No, but I'd like to."
He felt the shudder that went through her, before her face lifted to his, and he saw the small, hesitant smile on her face. "Sorry. I guess I'm just nervous about tomorrow."
That had him frowning, again. "What about this Seoman bothers you so?"
She offered him a half-shrug, as if she wasn't sure how to respond.
"You've known him a while?"
"Since we were children. Seoman was an orphan my mother took in when I was very young. He was a sweet boy, always desperate to please. When his gifts for Seeing became apparent, the MajiMasters came and took him away. I've only seen him once, since, and he seemed sad." She sighed again. "But what Carmyd said this morning worries me."
"What did he say?"
"That Seoman is no longer the boy I knew."
Nacaris nodded, and squeezed her gently. "Everything will be all right."
She glanced up at him. "How can you have so much faith?"
Nacaris couldn't help himself. He raised his fingers to her face, skimming soft skin as he leaned closer. "Because I believe in you."
He settled his lips over hers, drinking in the sweetness of her soft sigh. For such a stubborn woman, she could be amazingly pliant in her passion -- a contradiction that aroused him.
Carmyd's loud bark of laughter, followed by voices outside, echoed through the stable. Telyn jerked away from him as if doused in ice water. Her nervous glance toward the stable door irritated him, but he told himself to be patient. He'd promised her that he'd wait for her to be ready -- she didn't have to know how much being this close to her and not be able to have her was killing him. Besides, after what he witnessed earlier, it was becoming clear that Telyn saw Carmyd as a father figure. Given her history with father figures, she wouldn't want to put their relationship on display in front of Carmyd. Still, if only he didn't have this nagging feeling she was holding him away in more ways than one.
His attention returned to the present when he realized Telyn hadn't moved, and he found her regarding him with a confused frown. "What?"
She started, as if his abrupt question frightened her. He knew Telyn was made of tougher stuff than that. She proved it in the next moment, when she settled back with a shake of her head.
"I guess I still don't understand why you're doing this."
It was his turn to be confused. What was she talking about? "What, kissing you?"
"No." She shook her head again. "Why are you so determined to bring Brun down? Why involve yourself in a Household matter?"
He shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. He didn't want to tell her the truth. "I don't have anything better to do, and the pay is good."
"The pay," she retorted wryly, "is lousy for a mercenary. You could make three times as much if you signed on with Mad Brahmad's guard for a cyclath. The only reason someone would sign on for this task is if it was personal."
He covered his wince with a smile as her words struck home. He shifted slightly away from her, for fear she'd see right through him, anyway. The mood was broken, and he was grudgingly aware that she'd done so deliberately. What was she so afraid of?
"Nacaris?" Her voice brought his attention back to her, and their conversation. He stifled the sudden urge to ignore her. He already knew it wouldn't work. Telyn was like a hound on the scent of a fresh kill when faced with secrets. She wasn't about to give up until she uncovered all of it.
"You want to know why I'm really here? Fine." He rested his head against the stable wall and told himself to tread carefully. One false step, and he could lose her forever. After all, Telyn didn't need to know the whole truth.
"You're right, it's personal. A long time ago, Brun hurt someone I cared a great deal for, and I vowed to make him pay for the pain and suffering he caused. So, when Master Wychel sought my services in uncovering the truth behind what Brun was doing at Raiador, I took the job. He never stopped to question if I was a mercenary or not, either."
He sensed he had her complete attention for the first time in many summers. Outside, he heard the sound of voices growing fainter, and knew Carmyd and his companions had moved on, likely toward the inn, or one of the many brothels that lined the market streets. Inside the stable, however, only the movement of horses and the breathing of two people cut the silence for a long moment, before Telyn finally swallowed, and her mouth moved.
"You're really not a mercenary, are you?"
A small half-smile tugged up one side of his lips. She'd really run if she knew the truth behind that one. "No, not really. I just happened to be passing through the Colandra market. Apparently, Wychel heard I was fresh from the Endland Wastes, and assumed I was for hire."
She nodded vaguely. "So, who did he hurt?"
He blinked, not following her question. "What?"
"Brun-Gild. Who did he hurt?"
This was trickier than he imagined. Somehow,
he had to tell her a story she knew intimately, without her realizing whose story he told.
"Someone very special. She was different, exotic even in an exotic land. In my entire life, before or since, I've never met anyone with her potential, or her attachment to life. It pained me when I realized how much of that life had already begun to drain away by the time we first met. When she finally told me why, her first words about it froze me. She said Brun-Gild had stolen her life." His hands balled into shaking fists and he just wanted to pound on something -- preferably Brun-Gild's smug face -- until his knuckles were raw, as he recalled one evening in the stables, when the girl he'd come to love spilled her terrible story of slavery, torture, and hatred.
Telyn was staring at him with the oddest expression on her face when he resurfaced from his memories. Then, slowly, she closed the space between them, wrapping her arms around him as she offered a comfort he didn't dare take in his current mood, but knew he wasn't strong enough to refuse.
"I'll help you," she promised in a soft murmur. "Brun-Gild will pay for all his crimes. Right now, let me help you forget."
As he dipped his head and slowly sampled the gift of her mouth, Nacaris once again regretted that he hadn't told her the truth that first evening, as they stood within the shadow of Raiador.
As her mouth opened beneath his, and a small moan left her, he thought no more of past, guilt, or pain. There was only Telyn. His hands raised, his fingertips stroking along her face and neck before burrowing into her hair as he took the kiss from gentle to carnal.
Suddenly, Telyn turned to fire in his arms, fueled by some insatiable desire she held closed behind that normally reserved expression. Well, there was nothing reserved about her, now, as she moved to straddle his lap, her body pressed flush against his. She wrested control away from him in one breath-stealing rub of her body along his, and pressed him bodily back against the wall as her hands sought over his chest and down, pulling at his tunic as she went.
Daughter of Ashes Page 10
