Paduari acknowledged her choice with a solemn tilt of his head. "Then open the door, Daughter of Ashes. It has been your strength, and your determination, which have brought you to this place and this time. Yours is the choice, and the responsibility."
Another shiver launched through Telyn as she recognized the voice of prophesy in Paduari's words. Those weren't words he would have uttered unprompted. Paduari knew nothing of Ashes she hadn't told him herself. No, it wasn't Paduari who spoke to her. It was the voice of past, present, and future. And Reaphia was a mocking presence through them all. Drawing a deep breath to hold down both anger and sadness, Telyn stepped forward and laid her hand against the door. It moved slowly, opening by inches, until Telyn saw the chaotic stirrings of the portal beyond. This gate was so unlike the one they crossed from Lurudan. That one had shimmered and rippled lightly, like a calm lake touched by a gentle breeze. The gate before her now thrashed like a hurricane-tossed sea, possessed of only the will to destroy.
"What the..." Telyn jumped back in surprise, her hand flying toward her anaqueri hilt as it came to life with a jolt.
"This is a forced gateway. When any power is forced to work against its nature, the effect is violently rebellious. Think of what your own Majik would do, if used against its nature."
His words were cold comfort, but as she told him, she already pledged her life to this task. There was no way to go but forward.
Steeling herself, Telyn stepped forward into the swirling, thrashing tumult. Pain stabbed through her as she was engulfed in a sea of misery and rage. It swirled through her, tormenting her with past mistakes, and future failures. Who was she to presume she could succeed at anything? She'd been turned out, hated by her mother's people. She was a half-breed bastard with a power meant to be feared rather than loved. She'd been ridiculed by the Gild as a child, sent to a life of servitude in the mines of Raiador. She was her mother's darkest secret, the bastard child of feuding bloodlines....
No! Telyn yanked herself from the spiral of self-doubt and anger through which she fell. She had been the one to leave, to run away from the truth, all those cycles ago. Everyone else accepted her for what her mother claimed she was -- adopted -- until the likeness to Gwneth became too obvious to ignore. And her mother hid her identity for love's sake, not hate's. Gwneth did what she did to protect her child, to protect the child she bore to the man she loved and lost. There was no shame or darkness, there.
It had been with love, pride, and cherished memory shining in her eyes Gwneth Cryd-Gild told her daughter of her birth. And her Majik was neither to be loved nor feared. It was a force of nature, more enduring than any other. Telyn was Chosen by the World Forge. It was an honor to be accepted as its guardian. She was more than capable of this task, and more than acceptable enough.
Aware now of the seductive pull of the maelstrom of raw Majik present here, Telyn steeled herself against any thought or emotion, until the instant she felt herself hurled away by a great gust of power, and darkness closed around her.
Chapter Ten
Telyn came to with her face pressed against moist stone and dirt. Groaning, she struggled to her knees and rubbed the back of her neck, feeling the tenderness of abused flesh. She was lucky she didn't break her neck in the tumble. Looking around, her night-friendly eyes picked out the walls and stalactite-covered ceiling of a cavern, and her heart eased. Somewhere in the distance she heard water flowing, and the steady, maddening drip of moisture assaulted her ears as well. Dim light filtered into the cavern from some distance away, and by the grayness of it, she assumed it was dusk in the Endlands.
Her heart paused, mid-beat, as she registered the ambient around her, and remembered she wasn't supposed to be alone. The first feather-light stirrings of fear wrapping around her, Telyn sought in the dim light for her companions. She didn't breathe again until her gaze picked them out near-by. Three bodies lay on the ground, all unconscious but breathing. Other than them, the cavern was deserted. If anyone ever made use of this cavern, they were careful to wipe it clean of all traces of their activities.
Wincing, Telyn crawled to where Paduari, Nacaris, and the monk lay sprawled on the cavern floor. Shaking them, she heard each groan, and saw their eyelids flicker. Paduari was the first to recover, sitting up with a grimace, and squinting around in confusion.
"Telyn?"
"Right here," she assured him a grin. "My turn to be your eyes."
Carefully, she helped Paduari up and over to sit on a large rock. His eyes closed with a heavy, grateful sigh.
"That wasn't supposed to happen," he admitted in a mumble as he winced and rubbed his forehead.
Telyn laughed as she returned to Nacaris and Nevorai. "Even the best-laid plans rarely go the way we intend. We all made it through alive and intact. That's good enough."
"Speak for yourself," Nacaris grumbled good-naturedly as she helped him up. "I think I left pieces of my head scattered back there." He winked at her with a small grin. "But at least the gods saw fit to send me a lovely companion to guide me into the Afterlife."
Telyn laughed, glad the dimness of the lighting disguised the flush of warmth on her cheeks.
"You're not dead yet, Old Bear," she quipped automatically. Her breath caught as she realized how easily she slipped back into their familiar banter. "Old bear" was her teasing morning nickname for Nacaris ever since Ulambara, when he first showed his tendency to be a grumbling old bear in the mornings. That it slipped out now surprised her.
He flashed her a weary glance as she settled him onto a large, flat-topped boulder, and snagged her hand as she went to move away.
"You have to stop reacting like I'm going to attack you, balnyt," he murmured. "I thought we were long past this."
She didn't know how to respond, so she merely shrugged as she turned to help Nevorai, who was already weaving to his feet. Just as she grasped Nevorai's arm, preparing to mime her intention to help him, a noise stopped her. It was just a tiny skitter of rock sliding, followed by a stifled groan, and then the sound of a body hitting stone. Almost as one, Telyn and Nacaris turned to find Paduari sprawled face-down on the floor again.
"Paduari!" Assuring herself Nevorai was steady enough to stand on his own, Telyn rushed to Paduari's side. Dropping to her knees, she eased him over onto his back, and was rewarded with a small groan before his eyes flickered open. Relief poured through her. Telyn brushed the damp dirt from his face as she met his glazed eyes. "Are you all right, friend?"
He nodded bleakly, and groaned again. "The crossing was rough on me, that's all. We can go on. I'll be fine."
"Bollocks," she muttered, helping him up as he struggled to rise. "You look like a Cheelaq has been sucking your blood. We're not going anywhere."
Paduari's eyes flashed with returned animation, driven by irritation. "I said..."
"I heard you. And I said we're not going anywhere. It's almost night, and it would be suicide for anyone to wander these mountains at night without a troop escort," Telyn returned with all the authority she could muster, cowing Paduari into acquiescent silence.
Nacaris cast her a solemn, knowing look. "Worried about Cheelaqa?"
She shrugged, dusting herself off. "Vedics, actually. They don't take well to travelers in their mountains." Which was the understatement of a lifetime, but she saw no reason to frighten her companions. "If I've judged our location correctly, we're in the Purat mountain range. These mountains are covered in Vedic temples, monasteries, and wards. The only thing capable of blocking Vedic Majik is pure iron. I don't suppose you have any pure iron on you," she cast Nacaris a questioning look.
He shook his head. "Just forged steel."
"You have the shavings in your medicine bag," Paduari put in weakly.
She shook her head. "The vial they're in is made to protect them from Majikal contamination. That makes them impossible to detect, even to Vedics."
Nacaris sighed. "So we're stuck here for the night, then. Do you think we'll be safe here from the Vedics?"
She nodded. "I can smell iron in the water here, which means these caverns are rich in the mineral, and therefore naturally shielded from Vedic Majik."
"Clever." Nacaris glanced around, then frowned. "We need a fire. Cheelaqa only come out at night, and they wouldn't be kept away by iron, even if we had it."
Telyn shrugged. "According to legend. But then, no one's ever seen a Cheelaq and lived to tell about it." She smiled without humor. "Still, a fire's a good idea. I don't want to stake my life on debating whether or not legends about the Cheelaqa are true."
Paduari glanced at her sharply. "How do we start a fire without firewood? I doubt even you can sustain a fire out of nothing."
She grinned, her teeth flashing, cat-like, in the darkness. "Spoken like a man who's never set foot in the Endlands. We're surrounded by our fuel source."
Paduari glanced around, telling Telyn his eyes were adapting quickly to the dim lighting. He still didn't look convinced, however.
Nacaris crouched and scooped up a tubular-shaped, light grey stone. He tossed it lightly to Paduari.
"It's petrificatus. It's a stone formed from the ancient forests once covering much of the Endlands. During the Great War, a horrific Majikal fire reduced the forests to nothing but piles of these stones. They burn like wood, but the Majik in them keeps them from burning out. The only way to douse them is to bury them."
Paduari studied the petrifcatus with an expression akin to awe, then turned to hand it to Nevorai with a quiet explanation in his native tongue. Telyn crouched beside Nacaris and helped gather a small pile of the stones that were the Majikal counterpart to Raiador's Dorfaíle.
With the stones stacked, Telyn drew together a quick spark of energy and set the fire to crackling cheerily. Fire lit, the four companions settled down to rest. Telyn glanced out at the darkening sky, and couldn't stop her shiver of dread.
"What are you thinking?"
She turned to find Nacaris watching her intently. She shrugged. "Just I'd rather not have to go through every rank of the Vedics to reach Reaphia. At the moment, we have the element of surprise, and I'd like to keep it that way as long as I can."
Nacaris nodded in agreement. "That makes two of us. So, fearless leader, what's our plan, now?"
Telyn shot him a grateful smile. "Well, Nevorai and Paduari should get some sleep, for now." She met Paduari's gaze directly when he started to protest. "We're going to need the two of you as rested and alert as possible, when we face Reaphia. You'll be doing the heavy lifting, Majikally speaking. For now, Na--Marakai and I will take turns standing watch.
"At first light tomorrow, we get our bearings and head for the temple at Horumad. It's likely to be the closest to this place. My guess is it's somewhere directly up the mountain from us, and probably close. Reaphia's too paranoid to let the source of her power be too far away from her. Personally, I wouldn't be the least surprised to find she built some kind of conduit temple just above where we are, now."
She glanced to her right to find Nacaris watching her with a worried frown.
"What?"
"You know a lot about this Reaphia for someone not directly involved. How is that?"
Telyn winced, turning away. She didn't want to discuss her history with Reaphia in front of everyone. Nacaris deserved the truth, but she wasn't ready to face it, yet. "Ask me some other time. For now, all of you get some rest. I'll take first watch."
Nacaris shook his head grimly. "No. I've got first watch. I slept enough for thirty men while I was injured, and you got very little rest then, Telyn. After that jaunt through the portal, I won't sleep for a while yet, but you look almost as done in as Paduari does."
"But--"
"No," he touched a finger to her lips to still her. "You and I both know the danger of pulling watch when you're tired."
Telyn opened her mouth to protest again, but a heavy sigh from Paduari cut her off.
"You two argue all you want. I'm going to sleep. If Telyn's right, tomorrow's our only chance to stop Sehidhe."
Telyn looked between the two men, one curling himself into sleep, and the other watching her with a grave, intractable expression and concerned eyes. Finally, sighing, she capitulated. "All right. You have first watch."
He grinned at her, reaching to brush her cheek with his fingers in a tender gesture that curled around Telyn's heart and tightened her throat. She watched silently as he drew his dagger and headed for the cavern entrance, and swallowed back her misgivings. She knew it was pointless to argue, and he was right -- she was weary beyond belief. The trip through the portal had sucked the energy from her. She wished she could sleep, but she feared it may be beyond her now. With a sigh, she pulled her cloak from her pack, wrapped it around herself, and settled with her back against the cavern wall. Her anaqueri laid carefully at her side, where it could leap to her hand at a second's notice, and the soft light of the twin moons winking off the glint of a knife hilt protruding from her boot, she sighed and closed her eyes, trying to will sleep. It wasn't their location or the possible danger holding her restlessly alert. She was used to sleeping in hostile territory, half-ready even in slumber to jump up for battle.
No, this was different. Telyn couldn't sleep. Instead, she studied Nacaris through lowered lashes. He was recovering well from his wounds, moving around the cavern with only the slightest of limps. In time, even the limp might disappear. But his leg wasn't what worried her.
Her gaze went to his right arm, still in its sling, and she sighed in regret. If she was a better Healer, she might have returned him more use of his arm, and taken away more of the distress it must cause him. By the weary, pinched look on his face, she could gauge how terrible the agony was, though he hid it well most times. With a worried frown, she mentally sorted amongst the remedies and healing arts she learned from both Netta and Dariadus, searching for some way to dull his pain and not allow it to weaken or incapacitate him in any way.
She could give him Daturine or swamproot, but both had possibly toxic side-effects she didn't trust. Caluva, too, was out -- they didn't have time for him to be unconscious again.
If only she had some horsetail clover in her bag, she could... Telyn sat upright abruptly. She didn't have any horsetail clover, but she did have some selak in her medicine bag. The small sea plant, with its tiny, trefoil-shaped leaves, grew only in the plant-rich water of the Pearl Coast, but it was readily-enough found, harvested from the seas in droves by Vatarian fishermen. It had seemed a silly waste of funds when she bought the dried, bittersweet herb from an old Fisherwoman during one of Bocjar's trade forays south of the Wastes. At the time, it had been an act of charity, since she rarely used selak herself, and even more rarely treated another with it. Now, Telyn was thankful she took the time and effort to do so. Selak was used to numb pain and ease tension without the disorienting effects of many other pain-numbing herbs. Nacaris could safely take it for his pain and not worry about his reaction time or alertness being compromised.
Moving carefully, so as not to startle Nacaris or wake their companions, Telyn opened her pack, rooting around until she found the pouch of selak. Closing her fingers over the small leather pouch, she smiled to herself, and took it and a water flask with her as she wrapped her cloak around herself and moved quietly to the entrance where Nacaris rested in a darkened alcove, his somber gaze fixed out into the dark night.
"Nacaris."
He turned at sound of her voice, his eyes gleaming as the moonlight returned and cast shadows over his face.
"You should be asleep, balnyt," he murmured, glancing toward where Paduari lay curled near the fire, deep in the sleep of the just. Nevorai, too, was settled near the fire, apparently in another of his trances. She had yet to understand how the young man subsisted on hardly any food and no discernible sleep.
"How could I sleep when you're in pain?" She turned her attention back to Nacaris, keeping her voice low as she held out her hand to show him the small pouch of selak. "Take this. It will help you with the
pain."
"I'm on watch..."
"It's selak. It won't dull your reflexes or alertness." She took a pinch of the dried herb from the bag and added it to the flask, shaking it for a moment before she held it out to him. "Take it. You don't have to be in pain."
Humor sparked in his eyes, but there was real relief in the faint tremor of his smile before he downed the medicated water. As he handed the empty flask back to her, his smile turned wry. "Why does it seem like you're always taking care of me? How did you even know I was in pain?"
"Don't worry, I doubt anyone else noticed. I'm just very good at reading you." Her gaze turned away at the surprise in his. When she looked back, he was still watching her in that silent, alert way of his, and she had no choice but to admit in a grudging mutter, "I've been watching you."
His features softened as a smile flickered at the edges of his lips, and he closed his good hand over hers.
"That wasn't so difficult, was it?" He squeezed her hand gently. "Telyn, I know I hurt you..."
Telyn swallowed hard, remembering her conversation with Sala back when Nacaris was close to death. Sala claimed Nacaris would never stop loving her. Only, she wasn't sure she was strong enough to take the chance. She wasn't sure she had the courage to risk Sala being wrong. Finally, in a rough voice, she muttered, "I know. You're sorry."
His tender smile, in return, sent her heart tripping wildly in her chest. Their gazes locked, and she found herself unable to look away, pulled in by everything she read in his eyes and was too afraid to believe in, yet.
"Thank you, balnyt."
"For what?" She could barely force the words past her suddenly-tight throat.
"For healing me." He brought her hand to his lips, pressed a kiss to her palm. "For believing in me. But most of all, for just loving me."
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