The World of Samar Box Set 3

by M. L. Hamilton

  Kalas glanced at him, then he took a step forward, his hand moving to his sword hilt. “Release my sister!” he shouted.

  Chaos erupted. Jarrett stood stunned as the King staggered, then went down on his hands and knees.

  Dolan and Ellette cried out in alarm and rushed to his side as he toppled over.

  Writhing before them, his back suddenly arched and his hands clawed at his chest, then he went into convulsions.

  Parish drew his weapon. “Take aim!” he shouted at the Stravad archers.

  Jarrett’s attention was torn between the convulsing King and the Stravad. Although they tried to obey, the assault from the Delphi was making it difficult for them to comply with his command.

  “Attack!” shouted Parish, drawing his own sword.

  The King’s men drew their weapons and fanned out into formation. Jarrett felt like an observer watching the Humans advance, while the Stravad fought to marshal their bodies. Suddenly, Zimran appeared, placing himself before the advancing line of soldiers, protecting the Delphi from their attack.

  Jarrett had only a moment to decide, but he reacted on instinct, shoving between the soldiers and casting himself in front of the Wryn to save him from assault. “Stop!” he shouted and the men halted in surprise.

  Just as Parish opened his mouth to belay his orders, the ground pitched beneath their feet and the top of the largest dome exploded into the air, raining green shards down on everyone. Jarrett whipped around, staring in rapt amazement.

  * * *

  Tyla blocked the Delphi attack on her mind, forcing up a barrier against them. Revic rose to his feet and glared at her. She could feel him hammering for an entrance, but her fingers closed around the emerald, using it as a shield against the Delphi assault.

  Squaring her shoulders and bracing her feet, she closed her eyes and summoned the image of her father in her mind. She drew on every bit of energy she had to create his likeness from her dreams – the flow of black hair, the golden brown of his skin, the perfection of his features.

  She felt the Delphi recoil, their assault breaking off. Opening her eyes, she caught her breath in amazement. Talar Eldralin stood before her, his body awash in light, his blue eyes surveying the surroundings with both curiosity and wonder. His eyes scanned the rows of Delphi and he turned a slow circle until he faced her.

  “Well done,” he said, giving her a cocky grin.

  Involuntarily she reached out to touch him. He seemed so real, his reaction so genuine – she almost believed she had truly conjured him here. The glow of the emerald rose and surrounded him, bathing him in green light and his attention focused on it, then he turned back to face Revic.

  “Release my daughter!” he commanded, his voice echoing in the dome.

  Tyla took that as her signal and drew in her power, channeling it into the emerald, then she released it. The resulting explosion knocked her to her knees as blinding green light filled the dome and the pressure rose until it could no longer be contained.

  The top blew off the dome and green shards rained down. Tyla buried her head in her arms and closed her eyes as debris fell on her. Her ears rang with the frantic sounds of the Delphi scrambling to get away. Finally, a heavy silence descended and she gradually lifted her head, blinking in the after-glare of the emerald.

  The spot where her father stood was empty.

  * * *

  The moment the dome exploded, Jarrett started running. The Delphi still lined the entrance, but Jarrett slammed into two of them, knocking them backward. Somewhere in the mad dash to the entrance, he’d drawn his sword, but they fell away from him and let him pass without interference. His boots skidded on the tiles as he vaulted through the opening.

  Wryn were filling the entrance dome, trying to get out, but Jarrett shoved his way through them, fighting against the stream to reach the sun and moon door. He found the door blown open, lying across the threshold. He leaped over it and into the hallway that led to the Delphi arena. Turning the corner, he stumbled to a halt.

  Sunlight shown down through the massive hole in the ceiling, green glass fragments littered the arena floor, and Delphi were struggling to right themselves from where they’d fallen off their benches. Standing in the middle of it was Tyla, looking small and frail, the emerald’s glow bathing her in a pulsing green light.

  “Tyla?”

  She whipped around, her black curls fanning across her shoulders, and her stunned expression turned into a brilliant smile. “Jarrett,” she breathed.

  Then he was crossing the arena to her, stepping over debris and pushing past Delphi as they tried to leave the shattered dome. She met him and they came together, falling into each other arms and clinging to each other.

  CHAPTER 26

  Kalas started awake, finding himself lying on his back inside his tent. Confusion ruled, so he tried to sit up, but a headache hammered against his temples. Clutching his head, he fell back on the pallet with a groan.

  “Do not move so quickly,” scolded a voice above him.

  He cracked open an eye and caught Ellette’s worried expression before it shifted to one of annoyance. “Ellette?”

  She stroked the hair back from his forehead. “Yes.”

  “Where’s my sister?”

  “Here,” came Tyla’s voice and she appeared on his other side, holding a strangely shaped green cup. “Go slowly,” she said as she and Ellette helped him into a sitting position. While Ellette fussed with pillows to support him, Tyla handed him the cup. “Stamerian…and dirt,” she said, helping him lift it.

  He drank it down, grimacing at the surprising metallic taste, then he gave her a confused look. “Did you say dirt?”

  “Yes, in case I infected you with the plague before I came here. Everyone’s getting a dose just to be safe.”

  He reached for her hand and clasped it, noting how thin she looked, her eyes enormous in her gaunt face. “Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?”

  When she started to answer, he shook his head, then regretted it as the headache renewed its assault. Reaching forward, he pulled her into an embrace and kissed her forehead. “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is you’re here and I’ve finally found you.”

  She hugged him in return, holding him tightly. “Jarrett always had faith you’d come.”

  He released her and leaned back on the pillows. “What the hell happened? I don’t remember anything except those aliens.” He shuddered. “They were in my head.”

  She took the cup from him and settled it on a camp table by his bed. “That’s how they communicate. Apparently, they like Eldralin blood because they focused their attack on you and sent you into convulsions.”

  Beside him, Ellette sucked in a breath and bowed her head. Kalas reached for her hand to comfort her. Tyla followed the motion, then gave him a smile. “We’ve moved you far enough away that they shouldn’t be able to affect you any longer. And the assault wasn’t long enough to do any permanent damage.”

  “Jarrett said they made his brain bleed?”

  “Yes, well, they did a little worse to you.”

  “Is Dolan all right? The rest of my men?”

  “Everyone’s fine now. Dolan would be here, but he returned to the domes with Jarrett to get supplies.”

  “Won’t they come in contact with the Delphi?”

  “The Delphi have left the domes. Zimran believes they are hiding in the forest until we leave, or until the Wryn restore their home. I blew the roof off their shelter.”

  Kalas narrowed his eyes. “You did what?”

  “It’s a long story and you need to rest.”

  He leaned his head back against the pillows and resettled himself. “The Stamerian is working, so tell me your story. You can’t tell me to rest when I have so many questions.”

  Capitulating, Tyla launched into her tale, telling Kalas and Ellette about their arrival, their abandonment by Brodie, her illness, and the amazing discoveries they’d found here. She sketched out their days in the Delphi
capital, her frequent meetings with the Delphi, and the kindness they’d found in the Wryn. Finally, she brought him to her capture and imprisonment, which led to his arrival and the short battle to get her free again.

  When she told him about taking off the roof of the Delphi dome, he sensed she was holding something back, but he didn’t interrupt her because he figured she was reluctant to divulge everything with Ellette sitting at his side.

  Once she was finished, Kalas turned to his lover and ran his thumb across the back of her hand. “Do you suppose Allistar has anything prepared for supper? I’m getting hungry.”

  She rose immediately to her feet. “I will check. Do not get up.”

  He gave her a smile and watched her walk from the tent, then he focused on his sister again. “So what are you leaving out?” he asked her.

  She immediately dropped her eyes. “You and Ellette are lovers, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, but that wasn’t what I asked you.”

  She glanced up at him. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “Tyla, we can talk about my love life later, when we discuss your renewed relationship with Jarrett, but right now, I want to know what you’re keeping from me.”

  She gave him a smile. “I knew you wouldn’t miss that.”

  “I could say the same thing for you.” He reached out and took her hand. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

  Her grip tightened on him. “I saw our father.” She blurted it out, then gave him a wary look from the corner of her eyes.

  He sank back against the pillows, studying her face, her bright eyes. “You what?”

  She shook her head. “This is why I was reluctant to tell you. I know it sounds barking mad, but I had dreams about him, Kalas, only they weren’t dreams. They were real.”

  “Tyla…”

  “I know. It doesn’t make sense, but he was there and he talked to me. He asked me about my life and you, how you were doing.”

  “Tyla…”

  “I could reach out and touch him, and there in the domes, when the Delphi had me, he appeared before them. He gave me the distraction I needed to break through their hold.”

  Kalas frowned. “What?”

  She nodded, meeting his gaze. “It was his plan. He came up with it.”

  “How?”

  “Every time I’ve seen him, I’ve been asleep and holding onto the emerald, except this last time. This last time, I was wide awake, Kalas, and I summoned him. I didn’t think it would work, but there he was and he ordered the Delphi to release me. They were so stunned, they broke off their attack on me and I was able to channel enough power into the emerald to blow the roof off the arena.” She hesitated. “Do you think I’m mad?”

  Kalas’ gaze lowered to the emerald. “Once when I went to Terra Antiguo to visit your uncles, I met with Shandar.” He lifted his eyes and met hers. “Parish could tell me about our father’s young life, but there were too many holes and I wanted to know more.”

  “You never told me this.”

  “I planned to, but it hasn’t always been easy for me to talk about our father, especially with you.”

  Recognition registered in her expression. She knew what he’d given up for her, but he’d never wanted to talk about it because he feared she’d think he regretted choosing her over a life with Lawyan and Shandar in Terra Antiguo. He’d never regretted that decision, but he couldn’t help wondering what might have been.

  Still he didn’t want her to know that.

  “Tell me, Kalas.”

  He let out his held breath. “I spent a few weeks with Shandar and we wandered all over the mountains around Terra Antiguo. He lives like a hermit, rarely going into the city. He took over the homestead our father built for himself. You should see the way he maintains it as if it were a living tribute to our father, pristine as the day he left it.”

  “Did you remember it from when you lived there with them?”

  “I remembered everything about it, Tyla.” He gave her a grim smile. “They were so happy there. It may have been only a short time, but for that moment, they were happy.”

  Tears filled Tyla’s eyes as she returned his smile. “What things did Shandar tell you?”

  He sighed. “So many things, but we’ll have time for that later. The part I want to tell you though is about our father when he was in Loden, when he went to face Erram for the final time.”

  Tyla’s smile dried. “He almost died that time, Kalas.”

  “I know. By the time he came before Erram, he was hurt and exhausted. He’d prepared himself to die, but he didn’t know what torture Erram had in store for him. Erram’s attack was so brutal, he lost faith and nearly gave up, but just when he despaired, Eldon came to him. Eldon anchored him to this world and wouldn’t let him surrender.”

  Tyla’s expression was rapt.

  “I asked Tash about it the last time I came to Temeron. Tash swears Eldon was with him, he swears he heard Eldon himself. After the battle was over, our father lay unconscious for days. Tash thought he was dying, but one night when Talar almost slipped away, Tash heard a voice tell him to use the emerald to anchor Talar’s soul to our world. Tash believes it was Eldon.”

  “So maybe the emerald is a conduit between both worlds?”

  “I don’t know, but Shandar claims that Eldon led Talar to Terra Antiguo, that without Eldon’s guidance, our father would never have found it.”

  Tyla closed her eyes and breathed out slowly. “Thank you for telling me this, Kalas. It means the world to me.”

  Kalas smiled at her and brushed a curl behind her ear. “Now you can tell me what he was like. I want every detail, all right?”

  “All right,” she said, pressing his hand against her cheek. “But you have to tell me about Ellette then.”

  Kalas laughed, knowing she would never have let that one go for long.

  * * *

  “You have been a friend to us,” said Jarrett, clasping Zimran’s hand. Sliding his arm around Tyla, he pulled her close. “We would never have survived without you.”

  Zimran seemed to understand what he was saying and squeezed his fingers in return.

  Tyla eased out of Jarrett’s hold and went to the Wryn, rising up on her toes to kiss his cheek. “Thank you for my life,” she whispered, pressing her cheek to his.

  He closed those glittering black eyes of his and bowed his white head. “Ty-la, Jer-rid, bonum valen.” He patted her hand. “Bonum valen.”

  Jarrett smiled. “I think that must be goodbye.”

  Tyla stepped back and released him. “Bonum valen, Zimran,” she repeated, then looked up along the ridge. A line of Wryn had climbed the mountain to see them off. They were quite a distance away, but she thought she could just make out Avendale among the others. She held up a hand and waved. As a group, they waved back.

  Some part of her would miss the simplicity of this life, the quiet, the peacefulness. Some part of her hoped they hadn’t changed the Wryn too much. Teaching them to defend themselves and cook their food didn’t seem like monumental changes, but who could possibly know what either of those innovations might evoke? A chain reaction of progress would not be anything she wished for these people.

  She and Jarrett turned toward the little boat waiting to take them to Kalas’ ship. As they walked, she took Jarrett’s hand. “Are you going to miss the island?”

  He was playing with something in his other hand. “I’m going to miss having you to myself, but I’ll be glad to get home.” He held up the thing in his hand. She recognized the rock that Kerrin had given him. “I want to see our boy and Tyne.”

  She couldn’t help the joy that washed through her. She was going home to her son and grandfather. She was going home to Temeron.

  Parish met them at the boat. He held out a hand to Tyla and assisted her to climb inside. “I can’t believe we went through all of this to bring back boxes of rocks. And they’re not even in boxes. No, they’re in weird green orbs.”

 
Tyla smiled. “Those rocks saved my life, Parish, so I wouldn’t talk bad about them.”

  “Do you know how hard it was to explain that shipment to the captain?” he asked, steadying her as she climbed aboard.

  “Where’s my brother?”

  Parish gave a long suffering sigh. “I finally got him to agree to one thing I wanted. He and the Nazarien assassin are already on board with Dolan.”

  Jarrett climbed in after her. “Eldralin stubbornness,” he commiserated.

  “Tell me about it. It’s been the bane of my existence, boyo, the bane of my existence. And these two are nothing compared to their father.”

  As Tyla settled into her seat, she reached up and curled her fingers around the emerald, smiling. For all his grumbling, Parish Brazelton had been the most loyal friend her family had ever had.

  * * *

  Tyla and Kalas spent the voyage huddled at the rail, talking about their father. Everyone left them alone, letting them have this time to remember and share stories that they’d never shared before. After all the years of conflict over him, they’d finally reached a place of peace where he no longer divided them from each other.

  Jarrett stared out at the rolling sea, agonizing over what he himself was going to do. Now that he’d found his family, he wasn’t giving them up, but the Nazarien still needed a leader, still needed guidance, still needed change. How could he do both?

  Ellette approached, curling her hands on the rail. Her brown hair fell down and covered one eye, but the rest had been gathered in a hasty tail behind her. “You are deep in thought.”

  “I’m wondering what I’m going to do now that this is over.”

  She looked up at him. “You mean whether you will return as Nazar?”

  “Exactly.”

  “It is a difficult decision. The Nazarien, even those loyal to you, will not accept your wife.”

  “They accepted Talar’s marriage.”

  “This is different. She is female and she is more powerful than you are.”

  Jarrett sighed. “I see your point.” He gave her a pointed look. “What are you going to do?’