A steady build of annoyance rolled through Nemma’s chest. The Arc had been skilled at using and abusing people from before she was born and yet scholars were taught to love and defend it. Her mind drifted to Terris.
“Her son will have to be informed,” Endra said.
“Her son?” Nemma’s attention snapped back to the conversation. “Where has he been all this time?”
“She was presumed dead, Nemma,” Riyen said. “No one even knew that Jonam was still alive, let alone Gableen.”
“We adopted her son into our culture and he’s now a Phalorian warrior based at the Merronian Camp,” Endra said.
“Where we should be heading now, like the rest of our families,” Ghalen pointed out.
They all looked at Nemma, who swallowed. The trees were closing in on her. She had to decide between Innogen who had almost become family and a group of people she had known for less than a day but could keep her safe. It was a wretched decision.
Her attention was caught by nearby shuffling. They turned to see Aunt Gabby shuffling along from the nearby hut holding Nemma’s carrysack, which she had left in the hut.
The healer ran to aid her and assisted her walk to the group.
Aunt Gabby held out a hand to Nemma. “Do not forget!” She reached over to Nemma’s hand and pressed something hard and cold into it.
Father’s ring.
Nemma held it up in the rising moonlight and smiled at her. “Thank you, Aunt Gabby.”
“You have Jonam’s ring,” Riyen marveled. He shot Ghalen a knowing look.
Ghalen shifted on his feet and held out a hand. “May I?”
Nemma handed him Father’s ring and he examined it. He placed it on his scarred palm and the ring hovered, igniting into a black flame. Raising his head, he nodded at Endra.
“It seems I have been mistaken,” he said to Nemma, handing back the ring. “Forgive me.”
Aunt Gabby held out Nemma’s carrysack and tipped it over.
Nemma jumped to catch her belongings but the contents dropped out, one poa stone rolling along the ground.
Ghalen picked it up. “You have poa stones,” he said astonished.
Endra laughed and looked up to the darkened sky. “Of course.”
Riyen grinned. “Just like Jonam.”
Ghalen stared at the one in his hand, turning it over.
Riyen placed a hand on Nemma’s shoulder. “This changes things.”
***
As the moon rose in the sky, Nemma marched through the woods with Endra, Ghalen, and Riyen, surrounded by Phalorian warriors on every side. She still did not understand what significance the poa stones had, only that they were a Gifted item, which she had guessed already. Endra, Ghalen and Riyen talked excitedly about nets and bridges and codes, and Nemma allowed their voices to blur into the background. The woods seemed like a different place at night. The moon highlighted various things that sunlight could not; sticky silver sap smeared over leaves, the white edges of the leaves of a spindle tree, the spiky tips on the backs of a retreating family of needlehogs. The Phalorian warriors traveled along with them, but they could barely be seen among the trees. Nemma could hear the quiet thud of their boots and the smooth exhale of their breath but otherwise their black clothing hid them, even in the moonlight. Aunt Gabby had been taken to join the rest of the non-warrior Phalorians. Nemma had not wanted to leave her but she was in more danger if she stayed.
They arrived at the clearing that Nemma had been to earlier with Endra and gathered into it.
“Nemma, fit together the poa stones over here,” instructed Riyen, walking to one side of the clearing, “but don’t place the last one.”
Nemma followed him and knelt down, following his instruction.
“Have you noticed when you put these together that they emit a dome of energy?” Riyen asked.
She nodded. “We used it for heat in the Ryim.”
Riyen said, “The dome that the stones create is called a dome net. It can be encoded for different uses; a protective shield, Gift enhancer, hiding spot…” He crouched beside Nemma and looked into her eyes. “We can use it to get Innogen.”
Nemma rose up on her knees, her heart pounding. “We can? How?”
“It will be risky but it can be done if you’re willing to try it.”
Relief lifted a weight from Nemma’s chest and she breathed in, grinning. “I am.”
Riyen smiled at her. “You are going to have to learn how to code. Endra will talk you through it.”
Nemma squinted at him as he rose. “Where are you going?”
“I have to keep my distance so that my identity is safe. I will try and help from afar,” he held out his hand. “Farewell. It has been a pleasure spending time with you these last hours.”
Nemma stood up and took his hand. “Farewell, Riyen. Thank you for all your help and guidance.”
Riyen nodded and squeezed her hand. Ghalen and Endra both took his hand also before he turned and walked into the woods.
As Riyen left, Endra beckoned Nemma to kneel back down.
“Before we do this I need your assurance that you will join our cause if we get Innogen back.”
A prick of disappointment jolted through her. She had hoped to find a quiet village or city to live in. Somewhere the Thaide had little presence, where the people were friendly but politely distant.
“We’re taking a risk here too, Nemma. I need to know that you will respect our sacrifice and give something back in return.”
Nemma met her gaze. “You have my assurance that I will join you if you help me get Innogen to safety.”
“Alright,” Endra said, briskly. “It’s almost moon-arc so we can only try this once. The Thaide may attack anyway when they feel the dome.”
“Why will they be able to feel it?” Nemma asked. “They didn’t feel it when we used them in the Ryim.”
“It’s a difficult energy to detect and it wasn’t activated,” Endra said. “We’re going to be activating it with code. I don’t want to risk using too many different codes and cause everything to become unstable. So we can’t shield the energy from being detected, but we will shield ourselves.” She sat down on her heels. “Now, you need to be completely focused. There will be a lot of movement around us as my warriors protect us, but you can’t be distracted, you could hurt someone.”
“Why do I have to do it?” Nemma asked. “You could do it.”
“No. The one that creates the code will be the one that controls the dome and you have more chance of succeeding in the Arc than I.” She held up her palms. “My Gift works differently to yours, remember?”
Nemma nodded.
“Alright,” Endra said. She got to her feet and Nemma followed. “Creating code is about infusing different types of energy in different ways to create certain results. You will need to be able to hold and manipulate different types of energy at the same time. As you know they have different qualities and strengths and they will always fight to be released.”
Nemma took a deep breath.
“Just do everything I say exactly as I say it,” Endra stressed.
“I will.”
“First of all, you need to create the basis of the bridge. Pull on earth, create a circle and rotate it around in one direction.”
Nemma pulled on the energy and did and she was told.
“Now pull on air energy and feed it into the circle but push it in the opposite direction until it is circling at the same speed.”
This wasn’t too difficult. The energies merged.
“Alright, you need to pull on the combined energies.”
As Nemma did this, a smoother, malleable chunk of energy emerged from original energies and came under her control.
“Spread it out so it is wide enough for three or four people. Good. Now pull more earth energy and hold it to the left side of the bridge.”
Nemma pulled on the energy and held it firm next to the bridge.
“Now, you need to push the energy that
is in the middle of the bridge to the left and as you feel it reach the edge, feed in the energy you are holding.”
Nemma willed the energy within the bridge to move and she felt it lap to one side, like the rippling of a wave. She fed the energy into the bridge as per Endra’s instruction. Endra instructed her to do the same with air energy and finally with natural energy from a nearby tree that shriveled and shrunk when its energy had been removed.
With each addition Nemma felt the bridge transform until it changed from transparent into silvery blue with flecks of golden green in the center.
“Good,” Endra exclaimed. “Now I need you to picture Innogen in your mind, focus on the center of the bridge and extend your reach through the bridge.”
Nemma thought about Innogen the first time she met her, dragging the cart through her room door. At the same time, she pushed her reach through the center of the doorway of energy. The center of the bridge began to transform into scenery. It rushed over vast, open green land with houses, trees and swamps. She glimpsed animals and carriages as the scene turned and twisted. As it slowed to a stop, Torak city appeared in the distance. She could see the familiar Torak Gates shining under the moonlit sky but was not close enough to see the Ryim.
“Nemma, your reach has almost extended to Torak. Well done. I’ve never seen anyone travel so far.”
“What next?”
“Pull the energy from those rocks over there.” Endra pointed to a small mound of rocks a little way into the woods. “And feed them into the poa stone you are holding. It will protect the dome net.”
Nemma extended her reach and took command of the rocks’ energy. As she pulled on it, the cracking echoed through the woods, startling her. The rocks rumbled and cracked as they broke apart and crumbled.
“Don’t worry about the noise,” Endra reassured her. “Keep going.”
Nemma fed the energy into the poa stone she held and it became heavier.
“Now,” Endra continued. “You need to draw on the light.” She raised her palms, gesturing to the moon.
Nerves rose in Nemma as she focused to keep control of the bridge. “How do I do that?”
“Feel for the beams.” Endra pointed to further into the woods where beams of moonlight shone through the trees and onto the dusty ground and shrubs. “It’s a finer vibration than air energy but is more concentrated. If you feel for the changes in vibration in the air, you can draw from it.”
Nemma extended her reach again. There was a very subtle difference between the air energy and light energy. Nemma took command of the vibrations she could feel within the beam of light and pulled. It was smooth and silky, unlike any other energy she had used before. And it didn’t diminish, it just kept replacing itself.
“How much do I pull?” she asked.
“As though you were going to make two shields, purely from light energy,” Endra said.
“Done,” Nemma replied.
“Now, draw on the same amount of both earth energy and air energy.”
“And hold onto the light energy at the same time?”
“Yes,” Endra said, “don’t panic, you can do it.”
Nemma closed her eyes and quietened her mind and pulled on both of the other energies, holding them all at the same time.
“Now, you got to feed all of the energies into the poa stone but you need to do it a specific order. Feed in the earth energy in a thin stream and then portions of light energy at intervals. For the air energy, make it into a circle around the stone and draw it in until it is absorbed into the stone.
“All at the same time?”
“Yes. And then put the stone in place.”
Nemma took a deep breath and focused. It was easy to do once she relaxed her mind but remained alert. It was like one of Father’s games they played during the storms. Once all three energies had been fed into the stone and it emitted a strange vibration that seemed to pop and fizz. When she placed the poa stone in its place in the mound the dome grew as it always had, and encased her, Endra and the newly formed bridge.
“Good. Now you will be able to push your reach further, all the way to your friend.”
Nemma breathed in and hesitated. What would she find when she pushed the bridge all the way to Innogen?
Endra placed a hand on her shoulder. “Do you have a plan?”
Nemma shook her head.
“Let’s discuss what you will do if you come across the Sovereign.”
Twenty-Nine
Essen snapped his head towards the woods and jumped to his feet. “We need to attack. Inform the Thaide, we go in now!”
Tahmores paused, either from shock, doubt or confusion. Essen did not know or care.
“They have poa stones!” Essen yelled, panic rising within him. “Move, now!”
Tahmores broke into a run back towards the camps, sending a pulse out to the Thaide. The boy jumped up startled and ran behind him.
Essen pulled together a platform and rose into the air, the unmistakable vibration of the poa stones sending shivers over his body. He had not felt them for so many years yet instinctively recognized their unique hum. He did not think they had survived the Battle of Sassos, but they were notoriously difficult to destroy. It was the stones that turned the tide of that battle in favor of the Sovereign Order, but then they had disappeared. He soared over the treetops, feeling the Thaide rising into the air on their own platforms. It was unlikely that any of the Thaide would be able to even feel the stones, but that did not matter. They could keep the Phalorians busy while he found and collected them. Whatever the stones were being used for, they were at full power and hiding and protecting what was happening inside their dome.
He hovered high above the woods looking towards the area where the stones were being used but it was difficult to see through the treetops. Hooded Thaide flooded the sky, the swirls on their cloaks activating their shields, and Essen breathed shallowly as Tahmores gave the signal to descend. Their robes shimmered as they turned transparent and suddenly the air looked empty. Essen could feel all the platforms shoot down between the trees. And it began.
Judging by the displacement and movement of energy, there were fewer Phalorians in the woods than anticipated. Good, it would be over soon. He clenched his fists, his nerves jumping as he monitored the battle. He had not felt this alive for many decades. Not since before he had undertaken his magien training. The presence of the beggar girl changed the dynamic of the battle. She was the unpredictable and dangerous element. Even the Sovereign had warned him not to allow any of the Thaide or even himself to engage her directly in battle. He had not seemed worried, just intrigued. He would probably want to examine her before killing her but if they were not to engage her at all, it was unclear how they would capture her. The Sovereign had not answered that question. Perhaps he thought she would have taken the deal.
Energy bounced and rebounded as the Thaide pulled on the air and earth to feed their shields and create their strikers, only for the energy to be redirected by the Phalorians or dispersed back to the earth when the striker hit. Using the woods as a battle site was a curious choice. Thaide could pull on the natural flora and bark if they chose, increasing the ways that the Phalorians could be attacked.
Essen had learned long ago that an active battle ground showed the members of the Thaide that were truly the strongest, the ones who pulled the most energy quicker than anyone else. And they were the ones most effected by the illness. He had once asked Emsher, the Thaide Priest who trained him, if the energy would ever run out, like what happened in the barren countries. Emsher had said that not enough magiens existed to create another barren country in that way again so it was a blessing that many magiens died back then, even though it had not seemed like that at the time. Essen had been comforted by that but now, with this powerful, out-of-control Giftborn siding with the Phalorians and in possession of poa stones of all things, anything seemed possible.
The poa stones’ vibration increased in intensity and a desperate h
eat rose in him. He soared over to the far edge of the woods that met Osrien Bay. It was difficult to hold a platform made of earth energy over a large body of water but it would be better to approach the fight from the Bay. He lowered his platform, careful not to move too quickly. The dark waters offered only silent ripples and the slow release of mutable energy that effected the stability of his platform. Kneeling down on his platform he shivered, the chill of the waters breathing up at him. His platform trembled, dipping and wobbling as he edged forward until he reached the bank of the woods. Extending his reach, he felt the exchange of the energy between the Phalorians and the Thaide spread out amongst the trees, making a wide perimeter around the dome net. He crawled onto the leafy bank and dispersed his platform. It was difficult to see anything from where he crouched but slight tremors swayed the trees and branches and leaves, indicating where stray energy was being thrown. He got to his feet and created a small square platform the size of his feet. It would not lift him very high but he just needed it to avoid crunching on the leaves and twigs. He sent energy into his robe, activating the white swirls, and pulled the disappearing hood over his head, making him invisible.
The first Phalorian he came across did not see or hear him. She stood a few paces away from where an exchange of energy was taking place and seemed to be watching what was going on. Essen created force-bind around her head and pressed it into her skull, preventing her from breathing, before she had even realized what was happening. She struggled against it and went limp. Creating a soft platform for her to collapse onto, Essen lowered her to the ground and drifted on to the next one. As he lowered the third look-out, two male Phalorians appeared, hands raised and eyes darting to and fro looking for signs of where he might be.
He created a large striker and their arms began to move swiftly, gathering energy. As he sent the striker spinning towards them, they darted away from each other pushing energy towards it. The striker lost some of its momentum and they raised their palms and carved the air in cupped hands, in circles and waves breaking up the striker into smaller pieces and directing them back to Essen, but Essen had already drifted over to a different area, gathering another striker. While they dealt with that one, he sent his reach to the nearest tree bark and pulled.
Deviants of Giftborn (The Etherya Series Book 1) Page 37
