Angel Blessed (Angel Caste Book 5)

by K S Nikakis

  Archae Kald displayed a similar lack of concern over Serith’s discovery, but was interested in Dejon’s response. ‘The Archae is ill-informed if he believes the Bokos holds nothing of worth,’ he said. ‘However, to decipher it requires a depth of wisdom more common in Archae. Archae Dejon may come to understand the importance of the Bokos in the coming eons, although having joined the Principae, I shall not be here to witness to it.’

  Ky took to the air as soon as he cleared the Halls and headed at speed for Haven, wanting to catch Thris, before her left. Thris must retrieve a pack and human caste clothing to blend into Wheel Fold, but Ky was only half way there when he sensed Thris’s resonance below, and hurriedly landed beside him. Thris already wore human caste trousers and boots, but Ky was relieve he’d left his shirt and jacket unbuttoned.

  ‘I’ve sought advice from Archaes Kald and Dejon,’ said Ky, as he fell into step.

  ‘And did you receive it?’

  ‘I received advice about my inadequacies from Archae Dejon, and about Archae Dejon’s inadequacies from Archae Kald.’ He took a breath. ‘I don’t want you to go, Thris.’

  ‘And I don’t want to go,’ said Thris, with a small smile. ‘But I sense Ezam’s in peril, as you and Ash do, and I don’t believe the answer to averting the threat lies here.’

  ‘It might do. The Bokos is vast. If I had time—’

  ‘Time is one thing we don’t have but it’s not the only reason I go. I pledged to take Viv to her mother and the pledge still binds me.’

  ‘Given what’s happened, I don’t think—’

  Thris’s head swiveled. ‘A stele.’

  ‘The Larimar, I think,’ said Ky. ‘I sensed it earlier.’

  Thris strode off in its direction and Ky hurried after him. Ky had seen the Larimar Stele many times but its familiarity never dimmed its glorious blue and aqua pulses. Thris laid his hands against its faceted crystal surface, and Ky followed suit, then the air moved as Ash came into land. ‘The Larimar nourishes the spirit,’ he murmured.

  ‘We’re going to need it,’ said Ky darkly. ‘This parting is bitter.’

  ‘There is no parting,’ said Ash, laying one of his hands over Ky’s, and the other over Thris’s. ‘We are one.’

  * * *

  Viv woke, snug in her cover, her headache reduced to a dull throb. It was no longer dark, and she carefully turned her head, wondering if she’d been carried senseless through three entire days. She was in a cavern. The Syld and Baraghan’s sleeping-covers lay to either side, but they stood some distance away, backs turned, in conversation too soft to hear. They faced a small lake, as still as a mirror that, like a mirror, reflected the cavern’s arching roof in all its exquisite detail.

  Viv eased herself up. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, as translucent as icicles, and light shafted in through breaks in the roof to create a glittering aqua haze. The whole cavern was tinged aqua and she wondered whether the pool’s deep turquoise reflected onto the cavern’s walls. She winced as memories of the Principae flooded back, but they weren’t the only things that resonated; there was a pervasive buzz in the air.

  Baraghan turned, and then hastened back. ‘Still feeling shit?’ he asked dryly, as he crouched beside her.

  ‘No. Thank you for your aid,’ she said.

  He inspected her head. ‘I think we can dispense with this,’ he said, and carefully removed the bandage. ‘The remarkable healing capacity of the Angellus,’ he murmured, as his fingers probed the wound.

  ‘I’m not Angellus,’ she said automatically, ‘but I’m not what you call elddra either.’ The Syld and come back too, and given she’d accused of him lying, she needed to clear the air.

  ‘Kydane told me your mother was human caste and your father the Angellus or angel Archae Kald,’ said Baraghan. ‘Was that untrue?’

  ‘It’s what Ky believed. Angels can’t lie knowingly. My father is Kald, but my mother was daimon caste, and her mother, and probably her mother too.’ She glanced at the Syld but his face was unreadable. ‘I learned that in Erath Fold, where Thris took me after Stelin Ridge.’

  ‘Erath Fold?’

  ‘Home of the Iahhel, female-aspected angels,’ said Viv softly. ‘They taught me what I was, or what I could be, if I chose.’

  ‘And that is?’

  ‘Before the Iahhel, I didn’t need to eat or sleep much, but now I do. But I can track rifts now, not just stumble on them, and sense where they lead. The Iahhel heightened my angel and human sensibilities.’

  ‘Your heritage makes you all but Angellus,’ insisted Baraghan.

  ‘My blood doesn’t define what I am,’ she said tersely, and glanced at the Syld again but his face still revealed nothing, and she gave up. ‘What is this place?’

  ‘Ourassin Hall,’ said Baraghan, ‘home to the sublime Ourassini Lake, so named after its parent, the sacred lake of Ourassin, or Astraal, as our friends the Astraali have named it.’

  Viv struggled from her cover and Baraghan helped her up. ‘Allow me to show you,’ he said, shifting his grip to her hand. He staked his claim, but she was too unsteady to shrug him off. She wanted to see the pool up close, and sure enough, the buzz grew as she neared it.

  ‘It’s a rift,’ she said.

  ‘In the water?’ said Baraghan. ‘Surely you’d drown?’

  ‘It’s how I arrived at Esh-embrin,’ she said, and felt the Syld tense beside her. ‘I’d become separated from Thris and Ky in another fold, and a rift tipped me out in the Leferen, although I didn’t know it was the Leferen then. I made my way out and ended up in a mist-filled valley, where Thris and Ky found me. We were besieged by long-armed creatures who drove us over a cliff.’

  ‘The Rimming belongs to the Long-arms, kin of the Stonash,’ said the Syld, speaking for the first time. ‘The cliff was likely the Argine. I’m surprised you survived.’

  ‘Ky was injured and the creatures pursued us even on the cliff-face. We found a rift and Thris managed to get Ky into it, but I was attacked before I could follow. I fell through the mist into water, and woke near Esh-embrin, soaking wet.’

  ‘And that’s where you found Fariye,’ said the Syld tightly.

  ‘I found her in the slopes behind,’ she corrected. ‘When I saw Esh-embrin, I wanted to get out of the fold as fast as possible. Rifts are commoner in caves, so I climbed the slopes and found a cave. It held a rift but I didn’t use it straight away. I’d found false backs in other caves and wanted to see if this cave had one too.’

  ‘They were used as storage holds for those visiting the sacred lake. They’d leave food there for their return journey,’ said Baraghan. ‘Not much use for them anymore,’ he added sourly.

  ‘The cave did have a false back and Fariye was crouched deep inside. I thought she was a little animal, at first,’ said Viv thickly. ‘I guessed she’d come from the massacre and knew how frightened she’d be. I sat near her and sang, like my mother used to sing to me, when we hid in the dark, while my choose-father raged, and smashed things, and threatened to kill us both. After a while, Fariye crept out onto my lap, and I held her through the night, and when it was light, we set out to find her family.’

  Baraghan still gripped her hand but it was as if she spoke to the Syld alone.

  ‘She went with you willingly?’ he asked.

  Viv smiled at the memory. ‘She clung to me like a little possum, an animal from Moonsun, hence the nickname Poss. I was a better bet than her being alone but it took her a long time to trust me. You taught her well, Syld. Her caution kept her alive and now she’s safe, which is all I ever wanted.’

  ‘But you’re not,’ said Baraghan bluntly. ‘Have you considered the risks of going to Astraal, Violet Iris Vacia? It’s full of those wanting a rift out, and they’ll know you can provide it.’

  ‘I don’t have the right to send them to someone’s else’s fold,’ said Viv.

  ‘The Astraali won’t ask you nicely.’

  She glanced at the Syld, but his face was a mask again. Her s
earch for her mother wasn’t about him anyway, or about Baraghan. If anything, it was about Thris, who’d pledged to guide her, but Thris was in Ezam and that meant she was alone again.

  ‘I left home because I was told my mother lived and I could be with her, but even if she’s here, the Astraali’s demands mean I won’t be able to stay. I’ll visit the Syld’s sett to say goodbye to Fariye, and take a rift out.’

  ‘You can’t go off alone into the unknown,’ said Baraghan.

  ‘I’ve done it before,’ she said, and extricated her hand from his grip. ‘I’m well enough to walk now, thank you, Baraghan. Maybe we should make a start.’

  Chapter 26

  The dark closed in all too quickly, its oppressiveness worsened by Baraghan’s insistence on walking behind. He should have walked with the Syld, given they kept up a conversation that didn’t include her,’ she concluded irritably. They’d kept apart in Esh-accom but clearly shared some sort of history.

  ‘Were you expelled too, Baraghan?’ she asked, after a while.

  ‘Expelled is too strong a word, Violet Iris Vacia. Let’s say I was invited to leave.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Astraal is all but a closed city, Violet Iris Vacia, but Ourassin wasn’t. In the early days of the Angellus, there was a stream of visitors to the sacred lake, both men and women, and from all Vales. Ourassin even had its own festivities, where the champions from each Vale competed. Hard to imagine, is it not, Syld? The Morvadi, Sonori, Terissi, Beshadi, Genessi, Waradi, Ascadi and Eshadi, dancing together like one big happy family?

  ‘It gave the Angellus the choice of the women who visited, and they favoured those red-haired and blue-eyed. The women were happy to stay. The Angellus had the finest of everything including music. The Scharii of Ourassin were legendary.

  ‘The Angellus’s children were less welcoming, especially after the Angellus’s abrupt departure. The Daimon and Du-Daimon wanted the coin the Valen brought, but not the Valen themselves, especially not the Valen men. It became harder to visit Ourassin, or Astraal as they re-named it, and soon only a Call Zadic guaranteed admittance to those without trade. The Astraali enjoyed their newfound power, but there were some who grew tired of counting coin and focused their attention on how to follow their forebears out.’

  It fitted, more or less, with what Ithreya and Anfarena had told her, but didn’t answer her original question. ‘So, why were you invited to leave?’

  ‘A simple matter of numbers, Violet Iris Vacia. Astraal’s rulers don’t wish to compete for the Valen women they attract, or the elddra they seed.’

  It was actually a simple matter of sex, realised Viv, in shock. The Astraali threw out the next generation of young men in order to keep the next generation of young women for themselves.

  ‘But … that means they expelled their own sons!’ exclaimed Viv. She felt the Syld’s burst of heat but her own blood ran cold. A father was everything in The Wheel, and the Syld’s father had rejected him. Baraghan’s had too, but he seemed less affected. ‘How old were you, when you were invited to leave, Baraghan?’

  ‘Seventeen. Astraal is a city of peace,’ he mimicked, in a resonant voice. ‘There is no place for those whose blood is heavy with the baser taint of the Valen’s violence.’ He laughed sourly. ‘The Astraali saw me as less of a threat than Ataghan en-Scinta-ril and let me stay longer. I’m hoping they’ll learn the error of their ways, eh Syld?’

  The Syld said nothing but Viv fumed. ‘What a pack of arseholes! It would be good to send them all to Sand Fold!’

  ‘What’s in Sand Fold?’ asked Baraghan eagerly.

  ‘Nothing but sand which is all very peaceful until the wind blows, then you suffocate. If you were both invited to leave, they’re not going to let you back in, are they?’

  ‘We’re not intending to ask politely at the gate.’

  ‘There are other ways in,’ said the Syld.

  ‘Always good to know a hole to duck down and a tunnel to run, when you’re young and elddric in Astraal,’ said Baraghan cheerfully.

  ‘How close to Astraal do these tunnels exit?’ she asked.

  ‘A half day’s walk,’ said Baraghan.

  ‘Is the way obvious?’

  ‘The city’s high and can be seen a long way off, but you’re not going in alone.’

  ‘Astraal’s dangerous for both of you. I can’t imagine the Astraali simply asking you to leave if they discover you’re there.’

  ‘It’s more dangerous for you, Violet Iris Vacia.’

  ‘I’m a thief, Baraghan. I can slip through windows, pick locks, run fast, and climb. I can find rifts. I can concoct stories. Ask the Syld, here. He knows I can lie without actually lying. It’s kept me free in the past. Besides, I’ve seen a Call Zadic. You said they let in those who’ve been Called.’

  ‘They’ll let you in regardless, Violet Iris Vacia, but they won’t let you out. We’re coming with you.’

  ‘I’ve been alone a long time, Baraghan. No one’s going to miss me, but you’ve got Caibel, and the Syld’s got Fariye. And if they put a knife to your throat, or to the Syld’s, I’ll do as they say. It’s best we part company as soon as we quit the tunnels.’

  ‘You underestimate the affection you generate, Violet Iris Vacia,’ said Baraghan softly.

  Viv took a deep breath. ‘I’m never going to be your lein, Baraghan, although I’m flattered by the offer and thank you for it.’

  ‘Never is a long time, Violet Iris Vacia.’

  ‘We stay together,’ said the Syld.

  ‘Shit,’ muttered Viv.

  ‘You need to stop for matters quarash?’ asked Baraghan.

  ‘I was commenting on the Syld.’

  Baraghan laughed. ‘I really do enjoy your company, Violet Iris Vacia.’

  * * *

  Ky skidded to a stop at the end of the empty shelves and peered out. Prime-archae Serith said the circle of darkness was the exact centre of Ezam, and given Ezam’s symmetry, Ky knew it must be significant. A circle of empty shelves that enclosed a disk of empty space, like the Hollow Hills enclosed the Dendrinai, except the Dendrinai teemed with life. Ky’s wings beat in agitation. Maybe the dark space in front teemed with life that he lacked the wisdom to see.

  He plucked a feather from his wings, wedged it into an empty shelf, and set off around the perimeter. He emptied his mind of everything but counting, and when he arrived back at his feather, had completed six thousand steps.

  Six thousand steps created a double trinity, which mightn’t be as note-worthy as a trinity of trinities, but might still be significant. The Halls, Haven, and Bokos made up a trinity, but the lakes and Helixai, occurred in multiples of four. He set off again and stopped after fifteen hundred steps to turn into a passageway between the empty shelves. When he reached the scrolls, he took the foremost scroll from the top, middle, and bottom shelves. Then he returned to the circle of darkness, continued for another fifteen hundred steps, and turned down a passageway to collect three more scrolls. He repeated the procedure twice more, and by the time he reached his feather again, had collected twelve scrolls.

  The scrolls could be full of obscure musings on glis blooms for all he knew, but he was desperate for a quicker strategy than plucking random scrolls from the shelves. Ash lay dreaming in the Blue Helixai but Thris had gone back into terrible danger, and Ky wanted him safely back in Ezam as soon as possible.

  Prime-archaes Serith and Mirek were where Ky had left them, but they’d set a second table beside the first to accommodate an immense book. Ky recognised the Tome, but its brittle pages were well-known for their contradictions and he’d chosen to explore the scrolls instead.

  He heaped his collection against the wall and came to Mirek’s side. ‘We’re investigating what the Tome says of Wheel Fold,’ the Prime-archae said.

  ‘Does it add to our understanding?’ asked Ky eagerly.

  ‘Indeed it does. See for yourself, Kydane.’

  Ky leaned over Mirek’s shoulder and gasped. The tit
le of the fold was listed with the others, but its brief description had been inked out. ‘I don’t understand, Prime-archae,’ said Ky.

  ‘Senquar-archae warns against Wheel Fold, and its description is erased,’ said Mirek. ‘It’s unlikely Senquar-archae removed it, thus others shared his concerns.’

  ‘I fear for Thris,’ whispered Ky.

  ‘And I fear for Ezam,’ said Serith. The Prime-archae was rarely so direct and Ky stared at him in shock, but the Prime-archae’s vague expression had returned.

  ‘You have more scrolls, I see, Kydane,’ said Mirek.

  ‘I returned to the heart of Ezam,’ said Ky, then outlined his thoughts on the double trinity and his strategy selecting scrolls.

  ‘If the central scrolls were removed because they related to The Wheel, then any residual writings might be amongst those you collected,’ said Mirek. ‘Or if the rift does connect to The Wheel’s lake, and there was a breach, these might be the first scrolls to have survived the deluge. They might also be as haphazard as others we’ve found.’

  ‘A double trinity, Kydane,’ said Serith, making Ky jump. ‘I had not thought of that.’

  ‘It suggests the arrangement of the scrolls might be linked to Ezam’s symmetry,’ said Mirek, his voice quickening. ‘It would be an extremely interesting development.’

  He closed the Tome and placed it on the floor. ‘Let’s see what you’ve discovered.’

  They divided the scrolls between them, for Prime-archae Serith had sunk back into contemplation, and began. Lacewings came and went outside the window and Serith wandered off, but Mirek left only to replenish the ambrosia. The glis leaves’ hue softened as the umber sky cycled to peach, but still Ky worked.

  Commentary on obscure folds; a treatise on the configuration of the Halls; poetry dedicated to Crystal Lake; a theory that glimmers travelled Ezam via a vast network of underground tunnels. The last gave him pause but he dismissed it. Even if it were true, it was useless in protecting Thris.