The Quest for the Heart Orb (The Orbs of Rathira)

by Laura Jo Phillips

  “If the final orb is in Ka-Teru, then you will see him again soon,” Karma said. “I suspect Zakiel will be quite happy with this news.”

  “I suspect everyone will be happy to learn we’re to go home,” Kapia said.

  “Not even Tomas’s stories made the palace sound as beautiful as what I saw in the orbs,” Tiari said. “I cannot wait to see it.”

  “It is beautiful,” Kapia agreed, then turned to Karma, her expression pensive. “The Heart Orb is definitely there.”

  “What’s the bad news?”

  “In the center of the palace is a stone tower filled with water, like Tiari said. It helps to keep the palace cool in the heat of summer, and provides a handy source of fresh water even when the river is low and muddy at the end of the season. The problem is that the tower is as high as the palace itself, and I don’t think it can be emptied. If the Heart Orb is inside that tower, which the orbs seemed to indicate, I can’t imagine how it can be reached without tearing down the palace and the tower both. The palace, as you know, Karma, is very big.”

  Karma nodded. Big was an understatement. It was huge. “That would take years,” she said, immediately discarding that idea. Then she waved a hand dismissively. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It doesn’t?” Kapia asked in surprise.

  “Nope, not at all,” Karma replied lightly. “Remember when we learned that the Sun Orb was on a mountain that didn’t exist?”

  “Of course,” Kapia said, smiling. “The mountain that didn’t exist, did exist, and we’re sitting on it. You’re right, Karma. It doesn’t matter. We will go there and, somehow, the mystery will be solved.”

  “That’s what I believe,” Karma said. “Did the orbs give you any idea of how much time we have?”

  “Not exactly,” Kapia said, looking at Tiari, then Ren for confirmation. “I feel that we should go quickly, but it’s not an urgent feeling, like with the Moon Orb.”

  “Yes, I agree,” Tiari said. “We should leave soon, tomorrow if possible.”

  “Are you sure, Tiari?” Karma asked. “Your feet won’t be fully healed for another couple of weeks.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Tiari said. “I can’t walk yet, but there’s no pain at all anymore, and I don’t need my feet to sit on the back of a diplo. Besides, we definitely cannot wait another two weeks.”

  “Ren, do you think you’ll be up to travelling tomorrow or would you like a day of rest?” Karma asked. “I know you’ve been walking for a few days now, and must be tired, but you won’t actually have to walk from here on. We’ll all be riding diplos.”

  “I have no need of rest,” Ren said, stunned that she was even being asked. “Please do not wait on my account. However, I have never ridden on the back of an animal before. Perhaps it would be best if I walk.”

  “Diplos walk twice as fast as humans, and they can do it all day long,” Karma said. “You won’t be able to keep up with us on foot, but don’t worry, diplos are gentle creatures. It may take a couple of days to get used to riding, but you’ll learn quickly, and we‘ll all be there to help.”

  “Brai Adaya said I’d have to ride on the back of an animal, but I admit that I was hoping there’d be some way for me to rely on my own two feet instead.”

  “I know what you mean,” Tiari said with a laugh. “But don’t worry, Ren. In a week’s time, you won’t even think twice about it.”

  “I will count on that, Tiari,” Ren said, returning the smile shyly.

  “What about you, Karma?” Kapia asked. “Are your wounds healed enough to begin traveling?”

  “Yes,” Karma said. “I just need to rebuild my strength. I may need to take longer breaks and have shorter days, but I agree that it’s time for us to get moving again.”

  “Convincing Zakiel that you’re well enough to travel may not be so easy,” Kapia said.

  “I know,” Karma said. “I had best get started on that. The sooner I convince him, the more time everyone will have to prepare.”

  “Good luck, Sister,” Kapia said with a smirk as Karma began to stand.

  “Careful, Sister, or I’ll pull rank as the eldest female of the family and send you to do it in my stead,” Karma replied sweetly. Kapia burst out laughing, but Ren had no idea why. Much of what these women said seemed to go right over her head. But there was something she had to tell them before she lost her nerve.

  “Wait, please, Lady Techu, if you will,” she said, nervous but determined.

  “Of course, Ren,” Karma said, lowering herself back to the cushion. “Is there something you wish to say?”

  “Yes, there is,” she said. “You’ve all been very kind to me, much kinder than I expected, to be honest. I want you all to know how much I appreciate that, before I tell you the truth about myself, and how different I am from all of you.”

  “You think that we’ll dislike you once you tell us about your difference,” Karma said.

  “Yes,” Ren said calmly. “It’s always been so.”

  “Not anymore,” Karma said. “We are, each of us, different, Ren. We will not view your differences in the same way that you’re used to.”

  Ren nodded, not quite believing Karma, but too polite to say so. “I am Mareon.” She said the words quickly, then waited, holding her breath as the information sank in.

  “What does that mean? Maren?” Karma asked.

  “Mareon,” Kapia corrected, frowning. “The name is familiar, but I remember nothing about them.” She blushed. “History was never my strongest subject I’m afraid.”

  Ren almost smiled. Here she’d been so scared to tell her secret to these women, and they had no idea what she was talking about. Once they understood, they’re reactions would change fast enough, though. They always did. She braced herself to explain, but Kapia spoke first.

  “I can see that you’re nervous, Ren,” she said. “So, before you speak, let me tell you that Karma has the ability to put people and animals to sleep. She speaks with Nikura, sees and speaks with the dead, and channels power through the Ti-Ank. In fact, Karma and Zakiel were married by a woman who’s been dead for a very long time.”

  Ren blinked in surprise. Was Kapia joking? Her lips were curved in a slight smile, but she seemed to be completely serious.

  “Tiari sees colors around people that no one else can see, and she just has to look at a demon to see its greatest weakness,” Kapia continued. “My brother, Prince Zakiel, is both Tigren and Vatra, so if you see him with orange and black stripes on his face, or if he turns into a gigantic bird with red and blue feathers, don’t be surprised. I’m nothing special, which makes me the odd one of the bunch, unless you count being an Orb Maiden.” Kapia shrugged. “Whatever you have to tell us will be accepted with interest, not condemnation.”

  Ren looked at Karma, then Tiari, before looking back at Kapia and nodding slowly. “Yes, I can see that if any would accept me, it would be the three of you. However, please know that I won’t blame you if you find what I’m about to tell you to be outside the bounds of what even you can accept.” She hesitated when Karma, Kapia, and Tiari continued to smile at her. She already liked these women, she realized with some surprise. She wished she had a chance to call them friend before having to do this. But, after what she’d seen in the orbs, she had no choice. They needed to know.

  “Mareon live in the ocean. Underwater. They have gills to breathe with, scales instead of skin, and tails instead of legs.”

  “Mermaid,” Karma said, earning a frown from the other women. “Where I come from there are stories of such people. They’re called mermaids, but as far as I know they’re only stories whereas you, obviously, are quite real.”

  “But, you do not have a tail,” Tiari pointed out. “And you’re breathing air right now. I’m confused.”

  “I am half human, half Mareon,” Ren said. “As was my mother, and her mother before her, going back…,” she trailed off, her eyes losing focus for a long moment. “One of my memories of my mother is of her telling me a story
that, I see now, must be true. It was about a great sorcerer who summoned a maid of the Mareon from the sea and gave her legs to walk so that she could aid in an endeavor to save the world. While on land, the maid fell in love with a human man. From that point on, every female of my line can walk the land, or swim the sea, as we will.”

  “I have no doubt that the great sorcerer in your story was Vatra Gariel, and that the maid’s part in the endeavor to save the world was the creation of the Heart Orb,” Karma said.

  “Yes, I agree,” Ren said. “I think that the story must be true.”

  “Of course it’s true,” Kapia said. “Please forgive my curiosity, Ren, but like Tiari, I cannot help but notice that you have legs and breathe air.”

  “When I’m in water, I transform,” Ren said. Her heart began to pound when Tiari frowned. Of the three of them, Tiari was the sweetest and gentlest. She’d expected her to be the least offended, not the first.

  “This means you’ll be able to swim to the bottom of the tower!” Kapia said excitedly.

  “Yes,” Ren said. “That’s why I had to tell you now, so you would not worry about how it was to be done.”

  “That’s very thoughtful of you, Ren, thank you,” Karma said.

  “But, what happens if it rains and you get wet?” Tiari asked, still frowning. “Will you just…shift? What if there’s no water nearby for us to put you in? Will you die? Oh, Karma, we can’t let that happen! What will we do?”

  Ren was stunned to realize that Tiari was actually afraid for her. “Do not worry, Tiari,” she said. “That will not be a problem. The full transformation of gills and tail occurs only when I am submerged in water.”

  “All of the shifters I know have full control unless they get really angry,” Karma said, nodding. “And that only happens to the men, so far as I’m aware. Does strong emotion effect you?” Ren stared at Karma in shock, barely managing to keep her mouth from falling open. Karma smiled ruefully. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. Let’s save that conversation for another time, all right?”

  “Yes, of course,” Ren replied, feeling a little dazed. Other shifters?

  “Once you’re in water, do you control it?” Kapia asked. “Or does it just happen? Does it hurt?”

  “Do the stones you wear have something to do with your Mareon heritage?” Karma asked.

  “Don’t worry,” Tiari said, leaning toward Ren. “They asked me many questions about my eyes when I first joined the Orb Quest. It’s curiosity, not animosity.”

  “Thank you, Tiari,” Ren said. Though she’d already figured that out for herself, it was nice to have it confirmed. “To answer your question, Karma, the corona stones are a part of me, and cannot be removed.” Ren turned to look at Kapia. “Once I am fully submerged in water, I control the change, and no, it doesn’t hurt.”

  “Corona stones,” Karma said softly. “You are of royal blood?”

  “Royal?” Ren asked blankly. “Um…no. Why do you ask?”

  “Because corona means crown,” Karma said.

  “Oh,” Ren said. Then shrugged. “I seriously doubt that. My mother didn’t have them so I don’t think they’re a Mareon trait. Perhaps I get them from my father’s side, but I have no way of knowing that. My mother told me that my father would come for me after she died, but he never did. I have no memory of him.” Karma saw the sadness in Ren’s eyes, and searched for another topic.

  “It must be fun to be able to shift into a different form,” she said.

  Ren repressed a shudder. “I haven’t shifted since before my mother died, Lady Techu. I don’t really remember much about it.”

  Karma was surprised. She knew many shifters, and every one of them loved the ability. “I don’t understand, Ren,” she said. “Why would you refrain from something that is so much a part of your nature?”

  “I didn’t grow up with Mareon,” Ren said. “I grew up in an orphanage on a mountain far from any sea, among humans. Very few of them accepted my Mareon blood.”

  “Are the Mareon despised for some reason?” Tiari asked.

  “I truly have no idea,” Ren said. “I know nothing about them. I know only that I was different, and the strange stones on my face were a constant reminder of those differences to everyone who looked at me. Brai Adaya said their reactions were based on fear of something they didn’t understand rather than a true dislike of me personally, but that made no difference to me. The result was the same.”

  “I realize that the stones could not be hidden, but if she knew everyone would react badly to your Mareon blood, why not keep it secret from the others?” Karma asked. “Since you never shifted, how would they know otherwise?”

  “Because even without shifting, there is no way to hide it,” Ren said.

  “I don’t understand,” Karma said. “I see nothing about your appearance to make me think you’re different from anyone else except your corona stones, and I thought they were glued on until you told me otherwise.”

  “If I may have a cup of water, I will show you,” Ren said.

  “Of course,” Kapia replied, turning toward Caral.

  A few moments later a cup of water sat in front of Ren. She stared at it for a long moment, gathering her courage. So far these women had been kind and accepting beyond her wildest dreams, which made it really hard not to get her hopes up. They hadn’t seen yet, though, and the more she thought about it, the more she realized how hopeless her initial plan to hide the truth had been. She wouldn’t develop gills and a tail if she got rained on. But there would be another change that she couldn’t control, and would not be able to hide while traveling among a large group of people.

  Drawing herself up, she reached out and dipped her fingers into the water, then brushed them over her forearm. The moment she touched the water the skin on her fingers changed into gleaming iridescent blue-green scales. The wet area on her forearm changed as well, as would any part of her flesh that was touched with water.

  “May I?” Karma asked, holding one hand out. Ren was dumbfounded. Moving very slowly in order to give Karma plenty of time to change her mind, she held her arm out.

  Karma learned forward and took Ren’s arm in her hand, then bent over it, studying it closely. The tiny, overlapping scales were nearly invisible from a distance of just a couple of feet, giving the damp area a shining, metallic appearance. She turned Ren’s arm a little so she could see the scales at different angles in the light from the window, then she released her. “How beautiful,” she said softly.

  “Beautiful?” Ren whispered. She could see that Karma was serious. She wasn’t making fun of her, or even placating her.

  “Does this happen whenever you get wet?” Tiari asked, leaning closer to get a better look. “All over your body?”

  “My hair doesn’t change, but otherwise yes, I develop scales wherever moisture touches me. I also develop a set of long spines on the back of each wrist.” Tiari nodded in calm acceptance as she continued to look at Ren’s arm.

  Ren looked over to Kapia, who was frowning thoughtfully. “So, any time you took a bath, or washed your hands, or got rained on, this happened?”

  “Yes, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it,” Ren said. “The other children…well, I wasn’t human.”

  “Some of my best friends aren’t human,” Karma said, the stars in her gray eyes flashing. “We accept you exactly as you are, Ren. All we ask is that you accept our differences as we accept yours.”

  “Of course,” Ren said, suddenly closer to tears than she’d been since her mother’s death. She never allowed herself to cry. Tears brought out the scales on her face. “Brai Adaya told me that people would be more accepting than I was used to once I went out into the world. I’m afraid that I didn’t really believe her.”

  “I’d like to tell you that you can put all the prejudice you’ve suffered behind you forever, but that would be a lie,” Karma said. “I can only tell you that those of us here, in this room, have learned to accept and embrace our difference
s. They’re what make us who we are, and we’ve learned not only to be proud of them, but to rely on them. I hope that one day you will be able to do the same.”

  “I will try,” Ren said, thinking of Brai Sierna’s words to her on the subject not long ago.

  Karma nodded, then dropped the subject. “Now, I must leave you ladies and give my husband the news that we are going home.” She stood up, then paused. “Kapia, will you please see that Ren has proper clothing for riding tomorrow?”

  “I will,” Kapia replied. “Good luck with Zakiel.” Karma laughed softly as she left with Lashi at her heels.

  “I imagine you have questions for us, Ren,” Kapia said when Karma was gone. “Please, feel free. I promise you that neither Tiari nor I will be offended no matter what you ask.”

  “How can you make such a promise in advance?” Ren asked.

  “As Karma once said to me, you can ask what you like, so long as you understand beforehand that asking a question doesn’t necessarily mean I will answer it,” Kapia replied.

  “That seems fair, Princess Kapia.”

  Kapia shook her head. “Though it is against custom in Isiben to use a person’s first name without permission, we women of the Orb Quest do not follow that rule amongst ourselves. Please call me Kapia, Lady Tiari just Tiari, and Lady Techu Karma, if you will. We prefer it. We consider ourselves sisters of a sort, and hope that you will soon feel the same.

  Ren nodded, too overwhelmed by Kapia’s words to speak. After a few moments she opened her mouth, then closed it again. There were things she wanted to say, feelings she wanted to express to these women who’d accepted her as no others ever had, but she couldn’t seem to find the words. She looked up at Kapia, then Tiari, and realized that they understood. Somehow, they really understood how she felt. And they didn’t need her to say a single word about it. She smiled her thanks, then reached for her freshly refilled cup. She sipped her tea, taking a moment to calm herself.

  “What would you like to ask?” Tiari said, breaking the silence when Ren seemed calmer. Ren gave her a grateful smile.