Whisper

by Christine Grey

  “I was not! I—”

  Fuzzy, just let it go. Brin said, his laughter plain in his voice.

  But Dearra’s temper was up. She was embarrassed over missing important information and also at having been caught pining. “Like you’re one to talk,” she said. “I see how you moon over Daniel. Really, Carly, he’s old enough to be our father. It’s just sick, if you ask me.”

  Both Carly’s giggles and Brin’s laughter were cut off abruptly by the comment.

  Dearra! Brin admonished.

  Carly straightened and stood at her full height, all five feet of her. Dearra read the indignation in her eyes.

  “Carly…I…I didn’t mean…I—”

  Carly slashed a hand through the air, to cut Dearra off. “How could you?” she said.

  Carly’s voice was like ice. Dearra could have sworn the temperature in the room dropped by ten degrees at least.

  “I stood by you when you loved a Breken. A Breken! Our enemy! The ones who stole Pip from us! I supported you, and you would dare to disparage my love for Daniel?”

  Dearra felt a cool breeze ruffle the hair on her head. She took a moment to wonder where the breeze came from, since the window was securely latched, but before she could dwell too long on it, Brin spoke up.

  Dearra, you were out of line. Say something. Apologize for Tolah’s sake!

  Unable to think of anything else, Dearra hung her head and half whispered, “I’m sorry, Carly.” Her eyes swam with unshed tears when she looked back up at her friend.

  Carly noticed the tears and wrapped Dearra in a warm embrace. “Shhhh, it’s all right, Dearra. Don’t cry.”

  Dearra threw her arms around Carly. The two women stayed like that for several minutes until Carly broke the embrace, stepped back and wiped the tears from her own eyes.

  “Come on, Dearra. At this rate, we’ll never get to see Aesri.”

  Dearra was glad they had made up so quickly. She didn’t think she could stand it if Carly were to remain angry at her. At that point, the sun was just starting to peek out on the horizon, and the day was already beginning to warm. It was odd how, just the thought of Carly being angry with her, made the very air she breathed seem colder.

  They made their way downstairs, and were creeping out the front door, when a hand with the strength of an iron band wrapped around Dearra’s waist, pulled her backwards, and into Darius’s hard chest.

  Carly threw her hands in the air, accepting there would be a small delay of their plans, and headed outside.

  “You know, Brin, you could warn a girl.”

  No. More fun this way.

  Darius chuckled. “I agree completely.”

  “You’re both impossible, you know that, right?”

  “You look…beautiful, Dearra.”

  Dearra felt the blush stealing into her cheeks and was grateful for the cover of the dim morning light. “Thank you. The clothes are wonderful. You shouldn’t have gone to such trouble and expense, but you’re right, they are lovely.”

  “I wasn’t talking about the clothes.”

  She shivered at the sound of his voice. He had used his Breken voice, that dark, cold, low voice that was both dangerous and thrilling at once.

  She felt herself being drawn closer to him, and could sense he felt the same pull. She felt the soft caress of his breath on her skin and she shivered.

  Darius was tense. This was different than a kiss in the middle of the city streets with people bustling around. He had been so careful to make sure that they weren’t ever alone. He thought it the best course, but now he wondered at the wisdom of his plan. Denying themselves time alone seemed to only heighten their awareness of each other. He felt his heart pound in his chest, and he realized Dearra had been holding her breath in anticipation.

  “Are you coming, or what?” Carly said, popping her head back in the doorway.

  Carly’s sudden intrusion had broken the spell. Dearra and Darius stepped quickly apart, each of them feeling much like children who had been caught sneaking treats from the kitchen.

  “Are you going with us, Darius?” Dearra asked, struggling to keep her voice even.

  Darius shook his head. “I have to take care of some personal business, but I’ll be back in time for the evening meal.”

  Dearra wondered what personal business Darius could possibly have to take care of alone, but Carly had cleared her throat as a not so subtle hint to get moving, and she gave it up and headed toward the door.

  “Dearra,” Darius said, stopping her just as she was about to leave. “I love you. You know that, right?”

  “Of course, Darius. I love you, too.” Dearra didn’t like this turn of events. Darius wasn’t one to go around professing his love, especially not in front of someone else. He was up to something, something dangerous. That’s why he was being so secretive.

  “That’s it! Darius: go do…something. Dearra: we’re leaving.”

  “Wait, I—”

  “No, now!”

  “You’d better go, Dearra. We can talk tonight.”

  Darius gave Dearra a small smile before Carly dragged her from the room and out into the morning light.

  Chapter 20

  Dearra slipped behind Carly onto Khan’s back. His ears lay flat for a moment at the additional weight until Carly gently scolded him.

  “Khan, you can’t be bothered by two little girls, can you? Maybe you aren’t as strong as I thought, Prince Horse. Maybe you have grown soft waiting for me.”

  Khan tossed his head from side to side and reared up on his hind legs in protest. Carly clamped her thighs tightly around the rearing animal. Dearra had to practically squeeze her friend in half in order to not end up on the ground. As Khan settled back on all four hooves, Carly laughed gaily.

  “Peace, Carly! No more, I beg you, no more.”

  “All right, Dearra. I’m sorry, I just couldn’t resist.”

  “Try harder,” Dearra said, her feathers still ruffled.

  Carly laughed and nudged Khan’s flanks with her heels. It took only the lightest touch from his mistress to set him flying through the streets of Bandar.

  Dearra had to yell to be heard as they sprinted along. “Isn’t this a bit dangerous?” she said.

  “It’s not too bad,” Carly shouted back. “It gets worse later in the day when the streets are busier.”

  “Maybe you should have Khan walk. For the safety of everyone.”

  Carly was pretty sure Dearra was more concerned for her own safety than that of the people around her. “I tried that, but he refuses to walk. I think he likes to show off for me. Isn’t he marvelous?” Carly stroked Khan’s fine neck as he ran.

  To Dearra, it felt like Khan had sped up a little at Carly’s words of praise. “Yeah, he’s something all right,” she said.

  When they reached Aesri’s compound, Dearra thought she had never been so relieved to touch solid ground in her life. Her knees shook a little beneath her weight after she had slid from Khan’s back, and she breathed a sigh of relief at standing on her own two feet once again.

  Aesri was waiting at the entrance to her tent as if she had been expecting them at just that moment in time. She smiled warmly as she held the tent flap open for them to enter.

  “Welcome back, my sister. Welcome, Dearra of Maj.”

  “Hi, Aesri,” Carly said, hugging her in greeting.

  Though she took it in stride, and Dearra could detect no outward signs of displeasure, she thought Aesri was probably a little uncomfortable with Carly’s hugs. It wasn’t so much that she didn’t enjoy the embrace but that she seemed unsure as to how to respond.

  “Please sit,” Aesri said. She handed them each a cup of tea before pouring one for herself and settled in beside them.

  Dearra thought she could detect the gentle aroma of rose hips, nutmeg, and something slightly fruity in the tea. This was only her second visit with Aesri, but she found that she enjoyed the soothing sights, smells, and sounds of this tent, something calming and wood
sy, that made her feel more at home than she did at the inn where she was staying.

  “What would you like to know today, Carly?”

  “I’ve been thinking, Aesri. Tell me about Etrafa. That’s what I want to know.”

  “We do not usually discuss Etrafa with outsiders, Carly. No offense meant, Dearra. We are just a very private and secretive people.”

  “No offense taken. I understand the need to keep your home safe, maybe more than you know.”

  “Well, you might as well just tell us both, because I tell Dearra everything anyway,” Carly said.

  Aesri laughed softly, and again, Dearra was reminded of ringing of bells. “All right, Carly, you win.

  “Etrafa is an island but a very large one. Our home is even larger than Mirin Tor. We only live in a very small part of it. The rest is wild and beautiful, and we like it that way.”

  Something about that didn’t sit right with Dearra. “If it’s so big, how do you keep it secret? Surely ships have passed by your shores.”

  “Magic, Dearra. We use magic. To anyone not of Etrafa, our home looks like mile after mile of sea. A ship who sails too near quickly finds their sails filled with a strong ocean wind that pushes their craft in a different direction. Most captains are so pleased to have been sped on their way that they quickly get over the inconvenience of having to change course.”

  “Fairy Winds,” Dearra said, half to herself.

  “Yes, that is right, Dearra, though the expression Fairy Wind has come to mean any unexplained strong breeze at sea. Very few ships ever actually come our way, but since no one knows where Etrafa is, sailors swear the strong winds they experience must be true Fairy Winds. Some Captains will go so far as to avoid areas where they have observed such phenomena so as to not anger the fairies who live there. It is preposterous, really, but the superstitions actually help us maintain our privacy, so we do not do anything to correct the false assumptions.”

  “But what is it like? On the island, I mean.” Carly leaned forward, her eyes shining brightly with excitement and interest.

  Aesri’s face grew wistful, and she seemed to fall deep into thought as she spoke. “It is paradise. It is a forest, both ancient and new. There are trees, so big around it would take more than a dozen Etrafarians standing fingertip to fingertip to encircle them, and so tall they sometimes get lost in the clouds above them. The water is so clear and clean that it refreshes weary travelers with but a mouthful. The air carries the smells of the forest, rich with loam and pine. Nothing happens on Etrafa that we do not know about. The wind whispers to the trees, and the trees whisper to us.

  “At the center of our island home is the Great Tree. When the world was new, the Great Tree was only a fragile sapling in the midst of a great garden. One of the gods was jealous of the little tree and thought to strike it down, but Rah, the great Sun god, loved the little tree and how it stretched daily to become closer to Him. Rah saved the tree from the jealous god by marking it as His. From that day on, the tree grew and prospered, and when, in the fullness of time it had reached the age to bear seeds and reproduce, it came to pass that instead of dropping nuts as others of its kind did, it dropped a dozen perfect orbs. Three were of fire, which danced and sputtered on the forest floor; three were of air, crisper and cleaner than any air ever breathed; three were the soil of the earth, rich and brown and more fertile than any soil ever known; and the last three were of water, bluer than blue, givers of life. The twelve circled around the tree faster and faster, until Rah breathed down on them and gave them life. The twelve became the first Etrafarians. They were the first children of the Great Tree, and from them comes all of our knowledge and our magic.”

  “Wow,” Carly said shaking her head as if unable to believe Aesri’s story, yet unwilling not to.

  Dearra sat, just as awed as Carly by the fantastic tale.

  Aesri smiled. “Yes. Wow, indeed,” she said. “It is our most sacred legend, for obvious reasons, and not to be shared. You both understand, I hope.”

  Both girls nodded solemnly, eyes open wide in sincerity.

  “Now, it is my turn to ask a question.”

  “Of course, Aesri,” Carly said.

  “Truthfully, now: you never realized you were different in all of your years on Maj? There was no sign of magic? Nothing unusual ever happened?”

  “No, nothing. I’m usually more even tempered than most, but that’s hardly anything special. I am smaller than everyone else around, but that doesn’t seem very magical, either. Really, there’s nothing I can think of.”

  “Hmmm,” Aesri said, pondering how strange it was that there was not even one odd event in the child’s entire lifetime.

  “Actually, there was one thing,” Dearra said.

  Carly looked unsure, but Aesri smiled to encourage Dearra to continue.

  “The berries, Carly. When Daniel found you on the side of the cliff, sleeping. I always wondered how such a tiny baby could have crawled over that steep cliff to such a narrow ledge without tumbling to the rocks below.”

  Carly was shaking her head, still not understanding, but Aesri was smiling brightly, nodding her head in agreement.

  “Don’t you see, Carly? You floated!” Dearra said, trying to clarify.

  “Are you crazy, Dearra? I was just a baby. How could I have floated when I was so young? When I didn’t even know I was Etrafarian?”

  “Because no one told you that you could not,” Aesri said. “The magic was already there; no one had to teach it to you. As you got older, you were taught all the things that people could and could not do, and you buried the magic deeper and deeper beneath layers of self-imposed restrictions, but it was still there.”

  Carly opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it and remained silent.

  “Aesri, could I ask something?”

  “Certainly, Dearra.”

  “Where are the men? Your men, I mean. I’ve seen some other Etrafarians around Bandar, but no men, just helpers, like Scoggins.”

  “Oh, the men are at home. They are not happy away from Etrafa. They find straying too far from home to be physically uncomfortable. In my culture, the women tend to be the travelers and wanderers. Probably because the first male Etrafarians were born of earth and fire, and the females were of wind and water. We are much happier to roam, and they are much more content to stay in one place.”

  “So all three of the first earth elements and all three of the fire elements were male, and the first three air and water elements were female?” Carly asked, struggling to better understand her heritage.

  “Yes, that is right. Rah breathed life into earth first, then fire, followed by air, and lastly, water. The space of time between each breath couldn’t have been but moments, and yet male Etrafarians delight in reminding us that they are the older, and therefore, the wiser. Of course, this is ridiculous, as the oldest male on Etrafa right now is only 180, and the oldest female is 200, but still, they say they carry the wisdom of previous generations. It is kind of a joke between us, but if truth be told, most females find the notion of the men coming first to be, well, appealing, like they are our protectors, or some such other nonsense. I know it sounds silly, but it is probably the reason why almost all Etrafarian women prefer older men.

  Dearra snorted and broke into a fit of giggles. Carly turned a charming shade of pink, but otherwise ignored Dearra’s outburst.

  “But Aesri,” Carly said, trying to change the subject. “You say that the men were born of earth and fire and woman of wind and water. Surely those elements mixed through the years as each new generation was born.”

  “No, it does not work like that. The men almost always remain bound to one of their two primary elements and the women to one of theirs. Every once in a while, an Etrafarian is born who possesses the elemental personality of the opposite sex, but it is exceptionally rare, and does not seem to carry over into the next generation. Those born this way are very, very powerful, and we take great care to recognize and nurture
those children as early as possible. They are the ones who usually become our teachers and leaders.”

  Carly was entranced. Dearra found herself almost as enthralled as her friend by the marvelous stories and legends Aesri was sharing with them. When, at last, they stood to leave, the afternoon light had already began to fade.

  “Come back soon,” Aesri urged.

  “We will,” Carly promised.

  Dearra noticed that, this time, when Carly hugged Aesri goodbye, it was Aesri who was reluctant to let go. She was happy that her friend had someone so kind to help her learn about herself. Dearra imagined this could have been a much scarier experience if not for Aesri’s gentle encouragement.

  Chapter 21

  Darius, Brin said, but to him alone. Dearra and Carly continued to chatter happily away, plucking pieces of fruit from the tray in front of them. The men, on the other hand, wore an assortment of expressions. Hugh looked angry and frustrated. Daniel appeared apprehensive, his gaze hardly wavering from Darius except for when his eyes flickered to Carly. William was no less focused, appearing especially aware, as though he were waiting for something.

  Yes, Brin? Darius thought. He picked at his food as he, too, was acutely aware of the tension in the room.

  They’re pretty upset.

  Nothing gets by you, does it?

  You don’t have to take it out on me. I’m just trying to help.

  I know you are, Brin. I’m sorry. Today was just a bad day, and now it’s about to get worse.

  The men will understand. Hugh is a rational man, and Daniel and William trust you, even if Daniel is forgetting that fact right now. It will be all right, you’ll see.

  It’s not the men I’m worried about.

  What then? Is it Dearra you’re concerned with? I can’t see why she would—

  In that moment, Darius exposed his thoughts for Brin to see. Brin had been privy to the day’s events, but Darius also shared some important memories from his past.

  Brin would have given a dragon’s hoard to have been able to escape what would surely be coming when Dearra heard the news.