Terror, anger, and longing warred inside him as he waited for the ancients’ decision. Would they allow him to tell Aibek what was going on? What would he do if they didn’t? How would he explain their long absence? Beside him, Kiri moved closer. Worry lined her face, and he wished he could hurry the ancients along.
The light streaming through the windows had softened and dimmed when the tall spirit broke away from the others and drifted past Agommi. He stopped in front of Eddrick, his face an unreadable mask.
“What do you know of that chamber in the mountain?”
Eddrick shook his head. “Nothing, really. That was the first time we’ve found it unguarded. We’ve never been inside it before today. All I know for certain is that Helak spends a great deal of time in there every day.”
Eddrick endured the spirit’s intense stare. The spirit’s head bobbed, and he floated back to the others.
The oldest spirit floated forward, glared at Eddrick, Kiri, and Agommi.
His voice whispered. “You may return to your home. Do not attempt to resume your activities at the camp. We will handle that situation from here.” He paused, drawing a deep, rattling breath.
"You may advise your son as to his enemy's activities, but nothing more. Do not offer any additional information or assistance until we decide upon our next action. Beyond warning your son, do not speak of what you have seen. And do not mention the mountain cave to anyone, even your son. There will be dire consequences if you break these dictates. Do we understand each other?"
Eddrick nodded. “Yes, I understand. I will do exactly as you say.”
He fought the urge to raise his hands in Nivaka’s custom. Instead, he bowed low with his hands behind his back.
“I understand. I will do as you say,” Kiri bowed beside him.
Agommi stood stiff and still in the middle of the space, waiting for the ancients to dismiss him, and Eddrick hesitated. He didn't want to leave his father there alone.
“You are dismissed,” the transparent ancient whispered. “Leave us.”
He didn’t have to be told twice. Eddrick turned and ushered Kiri through the heavy door, hurrying down the narrow hall and out into the door-lined foyer. Keeping an arm around her waist, he rushed through the busy streets and only stopped when he ran into the wall of spirits waiting to exit the city. There, at the gates, he slowed enough to avoid the eyes of the guard. They hurried up the hill to the place where he knew they could fly home.
Grabbing Kiri’s hands, he closed his eyes and waited until the familiar dizziness had passed. When he opened his eyes, they were home. Their small, cozy suite of rooms had never felt so welcoming in all the years he had spent there. He longed to drop onto his sofa and recline for days, but he had more to do. He needed to find Aibek before the forest died. Maybe there was still a way to save it.
* * *
As soon as the meeting ended, Aibek made a beeline for his meditation room. It had been well over a month since he’d spoken to his parents, and he longed to hear their voices. Even though the midday sun streamed through the broad windows, he lit the lamps and sat at the table.
“Are you here?”
His flat voice betrayed his expectation that they wouldn’t appear, but he barely had time to take a breath before his father materialized in the room, followed by his mother.
Aibek smiled, relief flooding through him.
“Where have you been? I was worried.”
His parents floated to the table, resting near their only son, and Eddrick sank into the chair beside Aibek.
“We got caught up in some business. I can’t tell you much, but I can explain the parts that affect you.”
A frown creased Aibek’s brow at his father’s evasive speech. It wasn’t like him to mince words or avoid a topic.
“What do you mean? What kind of business? And how does it affect me?”
Kiri patted his hand with her own cold one, and Aibek suppressed a shiver.
“We had to explain Helak’s activities to the ancients, and they wanted to see for themselves.”
Aibek shook his head. “You’re not making any sense. Why don’t you start at the beginning, and tell me as much as you can?”
Sighing, Eddrick wiped a hand over his face. "That's probably a good idea. Remember last year; I told you Helak hasn't been following the rules?"
“Yes.” Aibek nodded. “You never did explain what you meant, but I didn’t ask because I didn’t want to push the issue. You said the consequences can be severe if you tell me more than you’re supposed to.”
“Exactly,” Eddrick agreed. “Well, some of Helak’s soldiers have been possessed by the spirits of his ancestors, and they’re being led to do things they wouldn’t normally be able to do.”
Realization dawned, and Aibek’s eyes widened. “Is that why the Usartma didn’t stop the army like we thought it would?”
“It is.” Kiri nodded. “The illness spread through the camp as we expected, but the possessed warriors were able to push through the weakness and headache and fight as if they were completely well.”
“There’s more.” Eddrick stood and paced.
Staring at his father’s anxious movements, Aibek waited for whatever revelations would follow.
“Helak has poisoned the forest. He’s waiting for the Shadow Trees to die so he can resurrect his wife. I don’t understand how the two are related, but he said something about fruit.”
“I know exactly what he meant.” Aibek smiled as the pieces fell into place. “Faruz traveled to the swamp and retrieved the fruit from the Bokinna’s sister, the Saethem. It is supposed to be able to heal the forest, and potentially bring a dead person back to life. The trees kept warning us to keep it away from Helak’s men.”
A slow smile spread over Kiri’s face. “Ahh…That makes perfect sense, then. So how do we keep them from getting it?”
“We’ve already delivered it to the Heart of the Forest. There’s no chance for anyone else to get to it, now. It’s healing the forest as we speak.” He didn’t complete his thought, but left the words “I hope” unspoken. What if they had been too late?
Eddrick settled back into his chair. “Oh. Well, good, then. What’s to stop them from poisoning the forest again?”
“Well, we’re onto their tricks now, and we know how to cure it, so they won’t likely try again. No, I think their next move will be a full-scale assault to try to take the forest by force. We’re gathering all the mayors of the Tsari in a Grand Council to discuss the threat and develop a plan.”
“Oh. It sounds like you have things under control, then.” Eddrick blinked with disappointment.
“Don’t worry. I still need your advice. I’m starting to figure out this mayor thing, but I’ll always need your help.”
A smile lit Kiri’s face. “Of course, you will. And we always knew you would be an excellent mayor. You’ve had more training than your father ever dreamed, plus Serik’s guidance and your uncle’s leadership.”
Kiri patted Aibek’s hand, the contact like an icy breeze “Your Grand Council sounds like a wonderful idea. When does this meeting of the mayors take place?”
“This week. The mayors should begin arriving tomorrow.” Aibek sighed, wishing he could use the dragons to transport him back to Kainga. He wasn’t looking forward to walking the prairie again.
The spirits stood and drifted toward the door. "We'll leave you to pack your things for the Grand Council meeting. In the meantime, we'll be here more often now because the ancients have banned us from spying on Helak for a while."
Kiri floated back to her son and kissed him on the cheek, and Aibek smiled. He had missed them. Eddrick waved, and the two spirits vanished into the dim light of the hall.
* * *
The next morning, Aibek, Wayra, Ahren, and Zyanna set out for Kainga and the Grand Council meeting. Zyanna had agreed the night before to accompany Ahren, so Zifa could stay home and spend time with her husband.
As soon as they descended the
stairs, Aibek could see the difference in the forest. The slimy sludge covering the Shadow Trees had receded overnight, and some of the dying trees looked more brown than gray. He smiled, sure that the fruit was doing its work and the forest would recover.
Grinning, he moved along the trail toward the river, tipping his face up into the morning sun. They made good time, and reached Kainga before the noon meal, finding their rooms as they had left them.
More of the mayors had arrived in the past two days, and Aibek saw that they were happy with their accommodations. A few more trickled in through the afternoon, and the group agreed to dine together at Bard Tavern.
When Marah and her brothers arrived late in the evening, Aibek smiled and welcomed them to Kainga. He would enjoy breakfasting with her in the mornings before meetings began.
“You require the services of a maid, miss?” The innkeeper asked.
Marah smiled, but shook her head, and a few rogue curls bounced free of the scarf tied around her hair. "No, thank you. I am accustomed to caring for myself."
“Are you sure, miss? This town can get a little rough sometimes. We have plenty of suitable staff available.”
She shook her head, dislodging a few more curls. "No, I'm sure. My brothers will escort me in town, but I'll let you know if I change my mind."
Ira nodded back, opened the door to a room and showed Marah inside. Aibek waited in the hall, unwilling to violate her privacy by following her into the room. Her brothers took the room beside hers, and they wasted no time getting settled in. Aibek informed them of the mayors' dinner across the street and left them to get cleaned up for the event.
Grinning, he strolled to his own room and washed up for the evening. He had arranged for music after dinner and hoped he could convince Marah to dance with him. He had come to like her a great deal during her stay in Nivaka and had looked forward to seeing her again in Kainga.
* * *
The setting sun painted pink and orange streaks across the sky as Aibek, Wayra, Zyanna, and Ahren made their way to the dining hall across the road, followed by Marah and her brothers. They stepped into the pub, and Aibek glanced around at all the people filling the space. Many he knew, but there were plenty he had never met. He would have to spend some time getting to know everyone before the meetings began.
They dined on roast venison and fresh fish, and conversation filled the air. Ahren and Zyanna chatted like old friends, but Aibek couldn’t focus on their words. Whenever he tried, he only heard talk of new lace, the latest fashion, and this or that person’s gown.
While the women talked, Aibek scanned the room. Each group seemed to be keeping mostly to themselves, and very few spoke to anyone not sitting at their table. He waved to the musicians, and several workers moved to clear a space for dancing.
The musicians moved into place at the front of the room and struck a lively tune, and Aibek watched with satisfaction as couples stood and stepped into the open area. When the dance floor filled, he approached Marah's table. The night of Faruz's wedding had haunted him for weeks, and he wished he could remember what, if anything, had happened with her when they had stepped out of the Pavilion. He pushed those thoughts away and bowed low.
“Would you care to join me in a dance?” He smiled at her and worked to slow his pounding heart.
She returned his smile. “I would like that very much.”
The fast-paced dance required very little contact between partners, but they danced and laughed until the music stopped. The next song slowed, and he held her hand and moved through the steps beside her. He pulled her closer and wrapped an arm around her waist, swinging her around until she laughed. When the song ended, he sighed and stepped away. He needed to circulate and talk to all the guests.
The night passed in a flurry of dancing, laughing, and easy conversation, and Aibek considered the event a success. The mayors would be more likely to work together now that they had spent some time getting to know one another. He stayed until the last of the guests had retreated to their rooms and strolled across the dusty street to his own lodgings, humming a cheerful tune.
He had nearly made it to his room when a shadowed figure stepped into the hall.
“Did you enjoy the evening?”
Marah stepped into the light, and Aibek relaxed. “Yes, it went well. How about you? Did you dance as much as you wished?” He hated the stilted conversation, but couldn’t think of anything else to say that wouldn’t be inappropriate under the circumstances.
“Umm…Not quite.”
Something in her tone pulled his eyes to her face. What did she mean?
She met his gaze with an intensity he hadn’t expected. “Perhaps you’d like to dance with me a bit more?” She opened the door to her room, gesturing for him to enter.
His mouth had gone dry as the desert, but he managed to croak out a short response. “Are you certain?”
Instead of answering, she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the room, closing the door behind him with an audible click.
Azalin’s Last Stand
Book 3 of The Nivaka Chronicles
1
Morning
Aibek woke before the sun and willed himself out of the warmth of Marah’s bed. She gave a soft snore and rolled away from him, wrapping herself in the pile of blankets. Dressing quickly, he limped across the darkened room, cursing the emrialk that had torn into the muscles of his leg. He eased the door open and sneaked into the blackness of the hallway without a sound. The latch clicked as he closed the door behind him, the noise echoing off the walls in the pre-dawn silence. He froze, waiting to be sure no one else had heard the quiet click and staring into the blackness.
Across the hall, something moved, a soft rustling of cloth and a clink of metal. Aibek froze, holding his breath and listening past the rush of blood in his ears. Had he been discovered?
Sparks showered off a flint, igniting a lamp and filling the space with a blinding light.
Eyes watering, Aibek blinked and squinted, straining to see around the unexpected brightness. When his vision cleared, he stumbled back a step, his shoulders pressing against the wall beside Marah’s door.
There, only a few paces from him, Marah’s brothers stood glaring, their faces scarlet with rage. Neither one was armed, but both were considerably larger than Aibek, and he had no doubt they would win any contest of strength, especially in the narrow confines of the hall.
Desperate to avoid a fight when he was already injured, Aibek blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.
“This isn’t what it looks like.”
The shorter of the two narrowed his eyes and laughed, but the sound was off: humorless and hollow.
“Really? You didn’t just sneak out of our sister’s room in the middle of the night?”
“Well… all right, yes… I did, but it’s not what you think.” His mind spun as he searched for some acceptable reason to have been in her room, but he came up blank. “I don’t believe we’ve been introduced. I’m Aibek, the mayor of Nivaka and the organizer of the Grand Council. And you are…?”
He trailed off, hoping her brothers would pick up the other end of the conversation and this could be settled without violence.
“Who am I? I’m Marah’s older, meaner, brother, Teige.” His voice dropped as he stepped closer. “Shall I make sure you never forget it?”
Aibek shifted his weight and cringed as pain shot through his injured leg. “I don’t think that’s necessary. I think I’ll remember it quite clearly as it is.”
“And I’m Arrdun.” The other man stepped away from the wall, where he had been watching the previous exchange. “You say this isn’t what we think, but you have yet to explain what you were doing in Marah’s room in the middle of the night. Her lamps are out, so I don’t believe you were simply discussing the meeting.”
What could he say to that? Aibek stretched for some explanation, but everything he considered sounded absurd or phony. He didn’t have any sisters, so he couldn�
��t sympathize with these men, but they clearly believed he had taken advantage of Marah, when it had almost been the other way around. He had tried to convince her that it wasn’t the best idea if he spent the night with her, but his heart hadn’t really been in his protests. She had easily convinced him to stay, and he didn’t regret it. His mind wandered back over the night, and he fought a smile at the pictures dancing through his thoughts.
“What’s funny?” Arrdun shifted closer, his face so close that Aibek could smell the fairy wine on his breath.
Blinking, he turned his head away from the sick-sweet odor. “Where did you get fairy wine in the city? The innkeeper told me they didn’t have it here.”
“We’re not here to discuss my beverage choices,” Arrdun roared. “Are you mocking me?”
Too late, Aibek realized Arrdun must have brought the wine with him, which meant that he was probably one of the people Valasa had spoken of that couldn’t last a day without the drink. According to the Gadonu, those that became accustomed to the fairy wine would become incoherent and feverish if they stopped imbibing. He’d gotten the warning a few days after his best friend’s wedding, when Aibek had drunk too much and gotten quite intoxicated.
“N…n…no, I’m not mocking you at all. It just happens to be my favorite, which is why I had inquired with the innkeeper about it. I’m just wondering if he was being less than truthful, that’s all.”
Dishes rattled in the distance, and Aibek saw a way out.
“Since they’re awake now, I should go and ask him about that.” With a grimace, he shifted his weight to his sore leg and sidestepped toward the dining hall.
He had made it less than ten paces when someone grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling the neckline up tight against his neck.
The Nivaka Chronicles Boxed Set Page 57
