by Zara Quentin
There were places in the roof that looked blackened, but luckily Namaje’s house seemed mostly undamaged. Others hadn’t been so lucky. As Jade looked around the treetop village, she saw blackened trunks and ashes where homes had been. There would be plenty of work rebuilding Kapelton, if the Premyans decided to stay. Jade had a vision of the Premyan woman who had fled, alight, from her home before being struck down by a Traveller arrow. A lump lodged in her throat. She didn’t even know how many Premyans hadn’t made it.
“What are you waiting for?” Axel’s voice broke into Jade thoughts. She shook her head, swallowing down the lump of grief. She couldn’t dwell on it now. The Premyans would want her to find the Eigot, not mourn for people she’d barely known. Jade spread her wings and leapt up to perch on the branch were Namaje made her home. As they’d agreed, Axel waited on the ground, keeping watch.
Inside Namaje’s house, the damage was worse than it seemed from the outside. On one side, half of the roof and some of the wall had burned away, now exposing the interior to the rain and wind. Jade wondered again whether the Premyans would bother to rebuild their homes or whether they would simply leave and build their village over again somewhere else.
Jade again pushed her thoughts aside, telling herself to get on with the task at hand. She knelt beside the small pile containing her belongings. There wasn’t much: her black Traveller uniform, her bow and arrows, her knife, the metal dragonfly on the dock, and the little bag of Mortisberries that she’d gathered with Axel. Jade crouched, assessing the pile, deciding what to take with her.
She shrugged off the clothes she’d been given by the Premyans and changed into her black Traveller garb. She set aside the bow and arrows—she wasn’t skilled enough to make the weapon worth taking. Instead, she tucked the knife into her belt. She held up the metal dragonfly and dock, fighting the urge to smash it against the wall. It might be useful. After all, Zorman had proved the technology worked. That shouldn’t be lost just because it was her uncle who designed it. She clipped it to her belt, deciding that if—no, when—she took Gariq Industries back, she would reverse engineer it and put it into production. It would revolutionise cross-Portal communications. Jade clipped it to her belt and looked at the bag of Mortisberries.
She passed the bag from one hand to the other, then quickly tied it to her belt too. Namaje had told her how to make the paste that would help her manage the pain in her shoulder and now the tips of her wing. She might not have the chance to gather any more for awhile and she flinched at the idea of enduring that pain without relief.
Jade ducked out of the door and crawled out onto the branch. Axel stood in the open on solid ground, a pace from where the land gave way to bubbling mud. She spread her wings and landed lightly next to him.
“No sign then?” Jade asked, quickly scanning the skies.
Axel shook his head, his eyes still upturned.
“If the skies are clear, we may as well take the quick way.” Jade reached out to give his hand a squeeze and a pleasant blush spread over her cheeks when he looked over to her and grinned. Then she spread her wings and leapt into the air. Axel quickly followed. Jade turned towards the lake where the Premyans were still gathered.
“Wait.” Axel put a hand on her arm, pointing in the opposite direction, towards the northwest. “The Portal is that way.”
“I know,” Jade said, circling on the wind. “I just remembered one more thing I need to do.”
* * *
When Jade flew over the lake where the Premyans were now camped, the sky was streaked with deepening pinks and purples. The bank was mostly hidden by the overhanging foliage except in one spot where she saw a long smear of bright green grass. The surface of the lake was patterned in ripples from the play of the wind across it. Jade saw no one by the water, but knew the Premyans were nestled in their makeshift camp deeper into the trees. They were still nervous about being out in the open after weeks of Travellers stalking their skies.
For her part, Jade enjoyed her first flight since escaping from Cajun and Glade more than a week ago. After being almost completely landlocked since diving beneath the rainforest canopy, she relished the feeling of the wind against her face, rustling over the fine skin of her outstretched wings. She was a little stiff from constantly tucking her wings behind her and she enjoyed stretching them and using them, working the knots from her muscles. After seeing the Travellers leaving the Kapelton clearing, Jade wasn’t worried about anyone patrolling the air. She looked over to Axel who flew just behind her. He smiled as he climbed up towards the clouds, then dove down towards the water before pulling higher into the air again. The exhilaration she felt was written all over his face. She’d forgotten that he’d been landlocked even longer than she had. However, Jade soon signalled to Axel to land on the bank. They didn’t have time to waste.
Jade circled around again, dropping altitude until she almost skimmed the water with her feet, before coming to land on the bank. Jade saw some of the huddled Premyans jump to their feet, staring at her in alarm. Jade smiled and most of the Premyans relaxed as soon as they recognised her, but there was a tension that didn’t disappear. Jade self-consciously ran a hand over the black material of her Traveller uniform and wondered how many of them suddenly remembered she was a Traveller too.
The Premyans went back to their huddles, talking in low tones. Jade guessed they were still deciding what to do now that Kapelton had been destroyed. It was clear that there was some disagreement, which she hadn’t noticed before among this group. It was only when Jade looked around for Loraya, she realised the woman wasn’t around.
Sitting apart from the rest of the Premyans, Jade saw Namaje and Neve together. Neve’s legs were tucked up underneath her and her attention was fixed on Namaje. Jade walked towards them, noticing exaggerated hand movements and Jade wondered what they had found in common with such a significant language barrier between them. Jade was about to interrupt, but the look on Neve’s face gave her pause.
Neve smiled. It made her blue eyes dance and the twinkle remained, even when her expression became serious again, concentrating on something Namaje was demonstrating.
It struck Jade that, for the first time in a long time, Neve seemed relaxed and at ease—happy.
Jade hesitated. How strange that Neve—the one person who had never wanted to leave Taraqa—would be the one who would find happiness in a foreign world?
She opened her mouth to call out to Neve when she felt a hand on her arm. It was Loraya.
“You see village?” Loraya asked. There was a wild look in her eyes and the woman took a fistful of Jade’s shirt, as though afraid she would escape. Jade felt suddenly uneasy. She just nodded, trying to ease her shirt away. “You see DivineOne?”
Jade shook her head. “I’m sorry. No.”
Loraya’s countenance changed. The light went out of her eyes and her shoulders rounded, caving in on herself. She gripped both sides of her head with her hands, closing her eyes.
“I’m sure DivineOne can look after Himself,” Jade said, awkwardly, but Loraya didn’t react, as though she had not heard at all. Terana came over to her and took her elbow, trying to coax her away, but Loraya shook her off, then stalked into the trees by herself.
Jade looked around, aware that every pair of Premyan eyes were settled on her, watching her exchange with Loraya. They slowly went back to their conversations, though the prickle on the back of her neck reminded Jade that she was being watched.
“DivineOne missing. Very bad. Loraya worry.” Terana said to Jade.
“I’m sorry about what happened.” Jade paused a moment before deciding the Premyans deserved to know what had happened to their village. “Many of your houses are uninhabitable now, although a few took only a little damage. But the Temple is… gone. I’m sorry.”
Terana nodded. “No matter. Can build again. But DivineOne gone. Very bad.” Terana pressed her lips closed. Jade was about to move away when Terana spoke again. “You are going.”
Jade nodded.
“You get Eigot. Bring back.” Terana insisted. It was not a question.
Jade took a deep breath and nodded. “I promised I would and I intend to.”
She turned back towards Neve and Namaje.
“Neve?” Jade interrupted their conversation and both Neve and Namaje looked towards her expectantly. A shadow passed over Neve’s features, masking the happiness that had been there a minute ago. “Can we talk?” Jade looked at Namaje. “Do you mind giving us a minute?”
Namaje got up without a word and loped over to another group sitting on the bank. Jade was about to sit next to Neve, when Neve also stood.
“Let’s walk,” she said. Jade fell in behind her and they walked in single file away from the Premyan camp, making their way alongside where the water lapped at the shore. Neve was silent as she walked, waiting for Jade to speak.
“Thank you for warning us,” Jade said. “I think you saved our lives.”
“I couldn’t live with myself knowing what the Travellers planned. It was wrong,” Neve said, without turning around.
Jade continued behind her, letting the silence lengthen between them. Something was off. Her friend seemed different, changed.
“We have to leave now.” Jade blurted out, when the pause became too much. “I need to return to Taraqa.”
Neve came to a halt. She turned to look out towards the inky water of the lake. Above them, the evening sky had settled into darkness, with pinprick stars spattering the sky. The wind had picked up now, whipping Neve’s hair around her face.
“I’m sorry.” Jade continued. “I know you haven’t recovered, but we need to go. Back to Taraqa.”
“I’m not coming,” Neve said. Jade was taken aback. Not coming?
“Axel and I will help you through the Portal. And don’t worry, I’m sure nobody will hold this against you. To be honest, I can’t believe the attack was sanctioned by the Air Marshall—”
“I’m not coming.”
Jade blinked. “But how will you get back without us?”
“I’m staying here.” Neve took a deep breath and let it out slowly, still looking out over the water.
“You can’t be serious?” Jade said. She reached out to touch Neve on the shoulder. Neve sighed and turned to face Jade.
With a wrench, Jade remembered that fateful day, when she’d taunted Neve into a race. When Jade had returned after celebrating her win to see Neve lying at the bottom of the cliffs, bleeding from the head and unconscious, her wing bent off at an odd angle. That day, Jade hadn’t been sure whether Neve would live or die. She’d raised the alarm, of course, but she could never escape the guilt of having pushed her friend too far. Neve had never been the same after that and Jade had barely been able to face her, for all the guilt she felt.
Jade’s stomach tightened, even now. She swallowed. “I might not be back for awhile.” Jade wondered if Neve hadn’t understood. “You’d have to traverse the Betwixt by yourself.”
Neve shook her head.
“But you can’t stay here!”
“Why not?” Neve asked, staring straight into her eyes, her demeanour changing. Neve lifted her chin, determination on her face.
“I… but…” Jade was lost for words. “You don’t really want to, do you?”
“Actually, I do.” Neve sighed, turning to look out over the lake again. “This place is beautiful. I never imagined there would be places like this in the Dragonverse. I certainly never wanted to see them, not like you. I think I was always afraid, of the monsters, of uncivilised barbarians, of all the dangers in my parents’ stories.” Neve sighed. “Or maybe I was just afraid of not living up to their dream. Anyway, I never wanted to come here or go anywhere else. You know I wouldn’t have, if the Chief Healer hadn’t insisted. But Premye opened my eyes to the truth. Our people have lost their way, lost their religion.”
Jade jerked at the word religion. “You want to stay because of The Three?” Jade knew Neve had always been religious, but surely she wouldn’t give up everything else just because of some old religious myths. Even if, as Jade had to admit, they seemed truer now than they ever had.
“Maybe just a little,” Neve said. “To see faith confirmed is a gift given to very few. But that’s not really why.”
“Then what? I don’t understand”
Neve turned to her friend again. “I know you don’t. I’m not sure you ever will.”
“Then explain it!” Jade said. Neve just sighed, making Jade feel suddenly angry. “How am I ever supposed to understand? Oh Gods, how am I ever supposed to explain to your parents?”
Neve’s expression darkened at the mention of her parents. “Tell them… never mind. Let me worry about them.” Neve reached out and took Jade’s face in her hands. “I forgive you, Jade. Is that what you need? I forgive you.”
Jade’s mouth opened and to her surprise, her eyes filled with tears.
“I forgave you a long time ago,” Neve continued. “In fact, you may not believe this, but what happened saved me from a life I never wanted.”
“What?” Jade gaped at her.
“I never wanted to be a Traveller, you know that. But my parents wouldn’t have allowed me to choose the Healer Guild if I could have enrolled in the Force. When I was little, I told my father I wanted to be a priest. You know what he said? That he would disown me. Even in these last few years, they were always on at me to do rehab or undergo operations that might fix me. They couldn’t understand that my disability didn’t limit me, it opened up opportunities I had never had. Now I have found my calling. I love healing people and I always sought a religious life. Here, I can have both.”
Jade stared at her friend, noticing the sparkle in her eyes as she talked. It was the truth, at least for Neve. “Are you sure?” she asked, knowing what the answer would be.
Neve laughed. “Stop feeling sorry for me. And stop beating yourself up about something that was never your fault. Enough. The past is past.”
Jade opened her mouth, then shut it again. Her throat constricted and tears prickled her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered, and when Neve’s hands dropped away, Jade felt fractionally lighter.
Neve reached into her pocket, then held her fist out towards Jade. Jade cupped her hand beneath it and Neve dropped a jade-coloured carving into her hands.
Her pikorua.
Jade gasped. “How did you find this?”
Neve shrugged. “It found me, really. I was searching for the ‘T’ marks you’d carved into the trunks, but I thought I was completely lost. Honestly, I was starting to think I’d grow old and die right there, never seeing anyone else ever again. Then I saw this, winking at me, nestled next to an exposed tree root, and I knew you had been here. It gave me the courage to keep going. A sign from the Dragon-Gods.”
Jade stared down at the delicately carved pikorua. When she looked up, Neve smiled. “I thought you might want it back.”
Jade flung her arms around her friend, tears spilling over. “Thank you.” Then, without warning her stomach gave a lurch, and a little voice at the back of her mind wondered if this would be the last time she ever saw her friend. Before she could say anything else, Jade was interrupted by a hand tugging at her elbow. Namaje stood next to them.
“Terana say you go. Find Eigot.” Namaje raised her eyebrows, then held something out to her. Jade saw it was two of the blow-pieces like the one Terana held when Jade had first arrived at the village. “Darts, too. Here” Namaje held up a little bag, then pointed towards where Axel was standing on the edge of the lake, waiting for her. “For both.”
Jade didn’t think she’d use them, but decided it would be rude to refuse the gift. She tucked the blow-pieces and bag of darts into her belt.
“Thank you,” Jade said to Namaje. “For everything.”
“No thanks. You bring Eigot. Then I happy.”
Jade swallowed, feeling the gravity of Namaje’s words. The time had come to go back to Taraqa.
27
It was easier to fly by the moonlight, but it illuminated every movement. Jade’s eyes darted left and right, on alert for signs of other Travellers. Up here, in the bright light of the moon, there was nowhere to hide. Not for Travellers, nor for her. Still, dressed in black, she and Axel would be mistaken for a couple of the last Travellers straggling to obey orders to head home. At least, at first. When they were close enough to be recognised, hopefully they’d have the advantage of surprise.
There was tension in her neck and back as Jade searched the horizon for any signs of activity. Any Travellers would be unlikely to drop below the canopy, for fear of their lives, so activity would centre on the stretch of beach where they’d made their camp. As they drew nearer, the tension in her muscles became an ache that spread, across her shoulders and down her back. Jade tilted her neck to the side, trying to relieve it, without success.
She looked towards Axel, wondering if he’d seen anything. His silhouette was a dark smudge against the night sky. He noticed her signal and the whites of his eyes flashed at her as he shook his head in reply. Jade’s brow furrowed. It felt almost too easy. Given how much time and effort they’d spent looking for her, was it be possible they really believed she had died in the Temple?
Her stomach felt heavy, uneasy. The first thin line of silver sand appeared between the dark carpet of the rainforest and the sparkle of the water. Beyond it, rose the churning pillar of grey Portal clouds that blacked out the stars. When the beach came into view, Jade hovered to scan the area. In the distance, the sky and horizon blurred with rain. Jade hoped she and Axel would be long gone before the downpour approached. Axel hovered next to her.
