by Emanuel, Ako
Jeliya gasped as she came out of the revelation, and tears filled her eyes. She remembered. She remembered now how she overcame the lor’den, and what had followed. Gavaron had been caught in her Rite of Solu with her, and had survived, just as he had survived with Jenikia. That was where the second link to him had come from. But - but it was right, it was supposed to be that way. She had not damned herself with the Solu’san as the two fabled lovers, Jenisa and Darmad, had. She had not overpowered his personality, nor engulfed him so that he became lost in her light. His Lora’Lona heritage had saved him.
Jeliya shuddered with shock, now wide awake, her eyes brimming though she could not tell exactly why. She could accept it now, the act that, with anyone else, would have been the Solu’san, where she could not before. But what did it really mean? Was it bound up in the completion of unification that her mother was telling her about? And how would it affect things to come?
The Temple was no longer so cold. Jeliya emptied her mind and did another round of mantras on the diamonds. It was too much to try to think about right then. The Priestesses of Ya’kano had advised her to let the revelations come, to leave their analysis for later. The disturbing thoughts went away obediently, which was surprising, and again the peace of eve invaded her.
...Something stalked her, something dim and blurred and almost undetectable, almost not there. Almost.
She froze and listened with all that she was, listening with her feet for the slightest vibration through the ground, listened with her skin for the tiniest movement of air...
There. And there. There. There were too many, certainly to fight, perhaps even to out-run. She had no more weapons save the earth, very little strength left, and no time. She knew she would not survive. Unless...
The first attacked. She deflected, defended, did not trust her eyes to try and get a hold of the thing. It reeked like something dead. She managed to get a grip on its head and its neck snapped like a rotten branch.
Then the next surged forward, and it was even stronger than the last - they seemed to get stronger every time she killed one, more canny, smarter. She killed it with a spear of stone as it scrabbled her chest and she just held it at bay.
Was it her chest? Or someone else’s, someone...
The third, fourth and fifth of the creatures to find her also died beneath powerful hands, but each was harder to kill than the next. The sixth stalked her - was it her? Either she - or he - was getting weaker, or they were getting exponentially stronger, or both. She - or was it he? - struggled with the sixth for a long torturous moment, before he was able to stun it with a blow to its blurring head, then spin and kick it into the next life. The seventh, eighth and ninth all attacked at the same time, and he went down. He reached...
Jeliya sat bolt upright with a scream, clutching her side, in pain but not in pain, the fading echo of dream-agony lancing through her with ghost-like fingers of blades. She moaned, knowing and not quite knowing what had happened.
It was Gavaron. He was somewhere, hurt, and he had reached for her.
Hands touched her and voices rang around her, but she ignored them, closing her eyes and reaching to catch the last wisping strands of his call; for he was far away, and weak. Desperation had given him the strength to touch her this once. But the dispersing taste of him vanished even as she traced it. Moaning in anguish, she poured more of her av’rita and her strength into her questing, without the use or need of a formal Rite of Finding. She poured it into the vinculum between them, ruthlessly spending herself to catch hold of his receding consciousness.
Obstacles tried to hinder her. Not even wondering where they had come from, she brushed past them without a second thought, with a determination and a will that only a Jur’Av’chi’n could exert, striving to follow his cooling trail along the constricting link. If she did not catch up to him, then forcing the link open on her own would leave nothing for her to act with - if she could follow the places where he had widened it in reaching for her, then she would not have to completely drain herself getting to where he was.
Then suddenly a new strength buoyed her up and sped her along after him, on the wings of a shaped and powerful rite. She would have wept, but her body was far behind; she could tell now that what carried her was a rite of seeking, in which she was a conscious part, the part that would identify the target and make the connection.
Over a vast distance it took her, farther than she herself had ever sought before. Time meant nothing. Distance did, though, and she absently wondered where and who was giving such strength - her mother, perhaps...?
Contact! She clutched at him, and he answered weakly, whispering a tiny joy to feel her with him even as blows fell upon his body. She reached out a hand, almost physical and not purely mental, and he took it. His ‘rita was low, but he had enough for what she was about to try, a feat that in any other circumstances she would not try to do, even with all the Realm backing her. She shaped the av’tun for him, using part of the rite of seeking, part of their link and part of her love, so that only he would be admitted, and not his attackers; and she tied her av’rita and the borrowed strength of the others supporting her into it. She positioned it under him and pulled, and all he had to do was fall. The end she collapsed in after him, again pulling the dangerous trick of feeding the energy back into what remained. But she was totally sure of what she was doing, totally sure that it would work. Never had doubt entered her mind. Even without the support of the others, she would have done it. Anything to save him. When the reverse was true, he had found the strength to save her.
Back, back and back she pulled him, back to where her body lay in wait-
She sobbed and sighed at the same time, heard exhausted gasps all around her. She sagged and held her head, only then daring to open her eyes.
Her family was arrayed about her, each looking as if she or he had run around the Palace twice.
And before her, on the Temple floor, was the crumpled form of Gavaron.
the darkness turned...
GLOSSARY
abarine graa – a feline, about the size of a bob-cat, with the precursors to higher thought
Af’eno – Lesser Goddess of Fortune, and Politics
afterzen – after zenith, after mid-day
Ag’ko – Greater Goddess of Peace and Wisdom
Ak’suya – Greater Goddess of Motherhood, Fertility and Patience
Ak’ana – Lesser Goddess of Weather and Storms
Alona – the name of the world before its division by the Tru’Av’ru
Ans’ra – the God of Death, also called the Beloved
ashe – let it be so
Av – the sun of the world of Alona; the physical embodiment of the Supreme One, Shalgo
av’an – private chamber to perform the Rite of Solu
Av’Daun – the formally acknowledged High Heir to the wuman High Throne
Av’Fil – Katari word for the other intelligent races
av’in – the cousin to Av; a star
av’lak’ka – a bird whose feathers are part fire
Av’Ma – nature; the life on the earth due to Av
av’rita – magic of light, inherent in all life
av’rito’ka – the ability to wield av’rita; also a measure of how much one has or can use
Av’ru – the separating wall of force made by those of Ava’Lona after the Hundred cycle War
Av’rujo – the keeper of the Av’ru; the one whose life sustains the Av’ru; the Av’rujo is always wuman
Av’Touched – wuman name for the other intelligent races
av’tun – a tunnel made by light connecting two distant locations
av’turun – a permanent av’tun
Av’vales – places of high av’rita concentration where the wildlife has been mutated
ava – the spirit of light
Ava’dan – the age of light; the Golden age in Ava’Lona, currently going on
Ava’Lona – the half of the world of Alona stronger in light and air
magics
banti – the gift bearers of a Queen
Beloved – another name for the God of Death
Bo’journ’he – the journey undertaken by a Katari First Filla to prove her worthiness to lead the Tribe
boabi – giant plains trees; the ancestral tree of the High Family
boalo – the smaller relative to the boabi
Bolorn’toyo – a gathering of the Queens and all affiliated Av’Touched allies over matters of great importance
boro – a small mammal found in the rainforests
calabash – a gourd whose husk, when dried, can serve as a bowl or cup
Chajana – a Katari ritual that allows courtship during migration
chas’kuno – a scavenger of distasteful habits
chi’qi’ra – moveable doorways of the Katari, anchor-points so that av’tunning is possible between the nomadic tribes
chia – the spirit of air
Cribeau – one of the sentient races or Av’Touched, serpent-like beings with a jewel located on the forehead
cycle – one revolution of Alona around Av
Daiga Ma – a formal Katari greeting
Dakua – the crown of a Queen, made of her hair in guinne, special cloth with the colors of her Tribe and gold fastenings; the Dakua crown shows her reign, Tribe and Family
dashin – a starch tuber
dav’ri – a gem used for communication at formal meetings
de’siki – a long dashiki–like tunic that comes down to the knees
Dal’Yo’teng – the name of the division in the world, due to the Av’ru
desi – a large square of heavy material that can be used as a towel or a sheet
De’enu – Greater God of the Hunt, Harvest and Abundance
dio – the spirit of water
dom’ma – the katana-like sword of a warru
dwen – the possession of the body of a still-born child by an evil spirit; burial in consecrated ground prevents dwen-possession
egwae – a group that travels together
Este – the direction of Av rising
eve – night
Fenoa – another of the Av’Touched races, a group of sentient felines
ferr’flambeau – a tree that bears shak-shaks, with brilliant orange–red flowers
First Filla – the first female child of a Katari Herdress, the one designated to rule
giza’ati – beautiful one
Go’Orisha – the priestesses and priests of the twelve Goddesses
gila – a vicious feline of the plains and grasslands
graa shi – a female abarine with cubs
gran – a unit of time, a little more than a minute; there are one hundred grans in a san’chron
grane – a unit of time a little more than a second; a hundred granes make one gran
Great Laine – the Hall where Bolorns and Alorns are held, located in the Palace T’Av’li
griot – a storyteller and keeper of oral traditions and herstories
guinne – the way of braiding the hair in Ava’Lona; also the name of the braids themselves
gulu – the patron fruit of the land
her’domi – how one is called; a Katari word for name
Herdress – the Leader of a Katari Tribe
If’la – Lesser Goddess of Herstory and Science
in’dil’av’chi – a rite to heal the mind of anguish and sorrow
in’do – madness, craziness; can also mean anguish
Is’kala – Lesser Goddess of the Arts and Inspiration
Ja’Utu’kae – presentient bear-like creatures
jadine – purple corundum, a precious jewel
joumbi – a spirit, sometimes bad
Journey – a wanderjahr that wuman Tribal Heirs undertake to better understand the needs of their people
Jur’Av’chi – the joining of mind and soul of two beings
ka’dama – a Katari endearment
Ka’warr’a – the Katari warriors
Kat’im’a – the Katari child-bearers
Katari – one of the Av’Touched races, closest to the wumans; the Katari are half wuman, half equine, like centaurs, except the equine part is based on the zebra; the Katari are nomads
kati’yori – equines of the savannas and plains, with the markings similar to a zebra but possessing much longer necks and legs
Kin’herd – the Sacred herd of the Katari, made up of their equine counterparts when the two halves are separated
kiro – a scavenger bird
kri – the jewel on the forehead of the Cribeau which enables them to perform magic, detect the truth and which indicates their age
kri’ssha’si – oral traditions of the Cribeau
Kuf’yo – God of the Av’Touched Ones and patron of Higher Thought
Kwabana – the mad half-god that was brought down and cut in half by the Tru’Av’ru; the former God–mate of Ya’kano
Ka’bi – Lesser God of Nature, Mercy and the Son of Ans’ra
kwats – very loose–fitting pants that taper at the ankles
ky’pen’dati – dear one
lain – a room
laire – a suite of rooms
Lan’mba – the suites of visiting Lesser Queens located around the Palace T’Av’li but not connected to the Palace proper
Lan’mya – suite of rooms in the Palace T’Av’li reserved for the Greater Queens
lon – a territory owned by a Tribe
lor’den – an illness suffered by the denizens of Ava’Lona if they have not performed the Rite of Solu in over three turns
Lor’ima – the largest, palest moon
Lor’Ma – the earth beneath the life influenced by Av
Lor’ya – the third and smallest moon
Lora’Lona – the half of the world stronger in water and earth magic; the place beyond the Av’ru, thought to be a place of evil
Lori’ku – the second, yellowish moon
lorn – a meeting
Loro – the earth
loro – the earth spirit
Lors’eve – dark night; a night with no moons
lu’mar – a reptilian predator of the rainforests
lurdu – a stringed instrument
maddi – special servants that tend a Queen’s hair
maubi – a drink made from the bark of the maubi tree
Mon’da – Lesser Goddess of Puberty and Youth
morn – morning
N’haewa’ko – flatbed wagons used by the Katari in their migration
N’haewa’ra – the designated leader of a traveling group of Katari or a group containing Katari
N’jaho’tan – a semi-temporary Katari camp
nansi story – a folktale
Norae – at ninety degrees to the right of rising Av
oath-claim – a written agreement that acts as a sworn oath, but is not tied to the four magics as spoken oaths are
obin’tu – a tent
ol’bey’one – a healer; one skilled in healing
Ov’ta’mu – a teacher of the arts of sex and sensuality
panquin – a soft, saddle-like cushion for riding
papi’ras – paper– or parchment–like sheets made by wumans
pay’ta – the rhythm of a living body; also the rhythm used to build personal rites with
pay’ta’ri – the inspection of the innerself (body, mind, soul) for any changes or damage
pec’ta – special loincloth worn by Queens at formal gatherings
pen’lata – something precious; something treasured
Rhundi – another of the Av’Touched races, bird-like beings
Right of Ssk’en’ato – the right of skin, to claim kinship to a departed Cribeau
rit’ati – special assistants to people of powerful av’rito’ka, who train to work in tandem with the powerful wielder during major rite-casting
rita – magic
rite – a structured use of magic, either practi
cal or ceremonial
Rite of Solu – a special communion with Av, in which great stores of energy are transmitted directly from Av to the rite–caster
Ritious City – the capital city of the wuman Realm, the seat of power and home to the High Family and High Tribe
ritu’chi – the most private part of the conscious self
