Starborn

by Lucy Hounsom

  Kait’s cheeks bore their usual high spots of colour and her eyes were fiery. She nodded.

  ‘But that’s impossible.’

  ‘Anohin is one of the Yadin, Kyndra, and doesn’t age. He founded the Nerian.’

  ‘I know he’s a Yadin,’ Kyndra whispered, remembering how she’d learned of Anohin from the last vision. ‘But what—’

  Kait jammed the knife in her belt. ‘If you want answers, you will come with me.’ She looked at Nediah. ‘Isn’t that why you called?’

  ‘Who is Anohin, Kyndra?’ he asked. ‘How do you know this person?’

  Kyndra began to describe her most recent vision, but Kait let out a growl. ‘Not now. If these cretins don’t return with Kyndra soon, they’ll send someone to find out why. Let’s go.’

  Kyndra looked at her uneasily. If Anohin really was still alive, he’d know the truth of what had happened at the end of the war. He would also know the identity of the man whose memories she shared. At that thought, Kyndra felt an awful premonition – once she went with Kait, things would never be the same again.

  She could still refuse. Kait wouldn’t be able to force her. She could stay here and wait for Loricus to wrest power from Helira and Gend, or for the Breaking to destroy the citadel a second time – to say nothing of what it was doing to the rest of the world. She could wait until the Madness struck down her friends, or until Loricus reached the same conclusion as she – that Kyndra and her visions were causing the Madness and only her death would stop it.

  Kyndra took a deep breath. ‘I’m ready,’ she told Kait. ‘Take me to see the Nerian.’

  25

  Brégenne walked the passageways of Naris. It was three hours before midnight and the citadel gleamed starkly in her eyes. There were many shadows tonight – resting in corners and dropping upon her from vaulted ceilings. They suited her mood. The Breaking still raged above, but down here, muffled by the mountain’s dark layers, all was still. She’d been holding the khetah, feeding the great shield with as much Lunar power as she could draw from the sky. Now it was her turn to rest, but instead she was combing the citadel with all the other available Wielders, searching for the missing potential.

  What have you done, Kyndra? she asked silently, remembering the chagrin on Helira’s face when Gerrick and Davion had been found unconscious near the girl’s room. Where are you? And Kyndra wasn’t the only one missing – Brégenne hadn’t been able to find Nediah anywhere.

  She briefly closed her eyes, but he was there in the darkness too with his wild, rain-streaked face and hands scraped raw from the mountain. Brégenne snapped her eyes open, chiding herself. Thinking of the bridge rallied the feelings she had tried unsuccessfully to rout. Her heart had almost stopped when she saw him leap into space. And when she had reached for the Lunar, she had never reached more desperately, or more fiercely. But Nediah was safe now. How was it, then, that her mind played out the episode again and again?

  Consumed by her thoughts, Brégenne almost walked straight into the three people standing in her path. With a gasp, she pulled up short, staring at them.

  ‘Brégenne?’ Kyndra said, obviously startled.

  She looked around. The corridor they stood in was empty, but it wouldn’t be for long. Brégenne opened her mouth to warn the young woman – and then she saw who stood beside Kyndra.

  ‘Hello, Brégenne,’ Kait said pleasantly. A scarf covered most of her face, but no one else had those almond eyes. Brown hair pooled on her shoulders and fell straight beyond them halfway to her waist. Fifteen years had passed since she had last looked into that face. Nediah, she saw, stood on Kyndra’s other side.

  ‘Kait.’ Brégenne heard the cold creeping into her voice of its own accord. She took a quick glance around, but they were alone. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘The answer’s none of your business,’ Kait said airily. ‘You ought to forget you ever saw us.’

  ‘Kyndra,’ Brégenne appealed to the young woman. ‘What is going on?’

  Kait planted her hands on her hips and Brégenne noticed a dagger sheathed there. Let her try, she thought, flexing her fingers.

  ‘I’m sorry, Brégenne,’ Kyndra said and she looked away. ‘I have to go to the Nerian.’

  Brégenne stared at her, aghast. ‘Kyndra, no,’ she said, imploring the young woman to meet her gaze. ‘The Nerian can’t help you. How has she convinced you to trust her?’

  ‘How?’ Kait repeated angrily. ‘By saving her life, Brégenne, when your Council tried to murder her, by offering her another way. That’s more than you’ve done, with your rules and your unflinching obedience. Tell Kyndra why you’re out in the corridors tonight, Brégenne.’

  Brégenne felt herself pale. ‘Kyndra, I wasn’t—’ she began, but Kait overrode her.

  ‘You’ve been searching for the missing potential like a good girl – like one of the Council’s faithful. And who knows, if you’re the one who finds her, maybe there’ll be a little something in it for you – a partner who isn’t a novice, perhaps.’

  ‘Enough.’

  His voice was quiet, but it froze Kait’s tirade. Nediah’s gaze was steely. ‘That was cruel,’ he said softly. He didn’t look at Brégenne. ‘You were never a cruel person.’

  They were of a height, Brégenne saw. Before she could smother it, a loathsome little voice hissed, They are a good match.

  ‘Come to take her side?’ Kait said. ‘Go ahead, Nediah, but remember. Once the words are spoken, they cannot be taken back.’

  Some of the steel left Nediah’s eyes. ‘What?’

  Kait smiled triumphantly. ‘You didn’t know? Those words you so carelessly recited are infused with an oath of Anohin’s making. Should you think to use your power against me or any of your new brethren, you will find it impossible.’

  An abiding horror swarmed Brégenne. She stared at Nediah. ‘You didn’t,’ she whispered.

  Nediah’s face flickered before he schooled it to stillness. ‘I had to. For everyone’s sake.’

  ‘No,’ Brégenne gasped. She raised a trembling finger and pointed it at Kait. ‘Make him unsay it. Let him go.’

  ‘I can’t,’ Kait said simply. ‘It’s as irreversible as time.’

  A howl was building inside Brégenne. She tried to swallow it and choked. Not now, not after all these years. She had brought Nediah back from the brink … and Kait had returned to chase him over it.

  ‘He won’t be going alone.’ Kyndra looked at her, and in her eyes, Brégenne saw a consuming kind of purpose. ‘I asked him to do it, Brégenne.’

  She clenched her fists. ‘Why?’ she almost sobbed. ‘Neither of you can ever come back.’

  ‘If I don’t find some answers, there won’t be anything to come back to.’ The resolution in Kyndra’s face burned stronger. ‘Nediah understands.’ She paused. ‘You could come with us, Brégenne.’

  Tears of anger pricked her eyes. She couldn’t look at Kait, didn’t want to see the pleased little smile she knew was there. Her heart thumped horribly in her chest and it was suddenly very hard to breathe. ‘If you are set on this,’ she heard herself say, ‘then go. And hurry – the Wielders are searching for you.’ She forced herself to look at Nediah. ‘You’ve made your choice,’ she whispered.

  For a moment so brief that she thought she’d imagined it, Nediah’s face changed and Brégenne recoiled from the turmoil she saw there. Then it was gone, stifled by the stubborn mask he wore to hide his feelings. I taught him that, she thought, trying to flee from a terrible wrenching inside her. I didn’t mean to, but I did. It was that realization which finally let loose the tears she had dammed. She felt one roll shamefully down her cheek and turned her face away.

  ‘We’ve wasted enough time here,’ Kait said harshly.

  A hand tentatively touched Brégenne’s shoulder and she looked up into Kyndra’s face. When had she gained that extra inch? The young woman regarded her with a steady gaze. ‘I will look out for him,’ she said so quietly that Brégenne knew she spoke
for her alone. ‘And everything will work out – I have to believe it will.’

  The girl she had plucked from the murderous hands of her town was gone. Someone else stood in her place, someone Brégenne didn’t know. And in the face of her anguish, it was a strange comfort.

  She watched them take the path to the Deep. It was a path she had always abhorred, unable to understand the reasons that spurred others down it. Although she watched him until he was out of sight, Nediah did not look back.

  Janus crouched, concealed in the deep shadows through which he had followed Brégenne. It was risky being so close to her, as she could easily sense him if she chose to. But Lord Loricus had given him orders to watch Kyndra closely, and now Janus understood why.

  The Nerian. He ground his teeth. Bad enough that she hadn’t used the akan after Loricus had gone to such trouble for her. She’d been lucky, Janus thought. If the Madness hadn’t taken those Wielders during the test, she would surely be dead.

  Lord Loricus must have suspected that Kyndra would turn to the Nerian. Why else would he ask Janus to keep such a close eye on her? The councilman had been short with him tonight – not only had they failed to help Kyndra, but now the Breaking was trying to bring down the mountain on their heads. And there was still no way to know when or if the Madness would strike again.

  Perhaps Kyndra thought she could escape it. Perhaps that was why she wanted to go to the Nerian. Janus felt a stab of nerves in his belly. Or was it fear? He had grown up with tales of the sect and their heresy. He’d heard about their carnal rituals and their worship of a mad saviour. Besides voicing his disgust alongside the other novices, he hadn’t spared much thought for the Nerian. Now he faced the dark journey into the Deep and realized with a lurch that he was frightened.

  Janus steeled himself. He would do this for Loricus, he decided, remembering his own hot need when those hazel eyes had raked his body. I must do this.

  Taking a deep breath, he left the shadows and scurried down the passage that Kyndra had taken. He reached a junction and looked around. In the distance to his right, just before the corridor turned a corner, he caught a flash of movement. With the bright thought of the councilman’s gratitude as a shield against his fear, Janus swallowed his apprehension and broke into a stooping run.

  Kyndra’s certainty that she was doing the right thing grew with every step she took, as she followed Kait into the Deep, Nediah at her back. The current passage was now too narrow to walk abreast and its walls grew rougher – bulging and contorting, showing signs of the terrible pressure that had wrought them. Sweat streaked Kyndra’s face, but she ignored it. The complaints of her recovering body seemed muted.

  Once they’d left the upper citadel behind, she’d felt a tugging, as if something or someone were drawing her on. It was that same premonition – the one she’d sensed earlier in her room with Kait – but now its urgency was all-consuming. She had hardly spoken, leaving the others to their scant talk. For the most part, all three walked in silence, watching the path change beneath their feet.

  Kait held a lamp and its fitful light threw their lurching shadows against the stone, now more yellow than black. Water dripped somewhere beyond the light’s reach and a prickle of unease worked its way into the gap between Kyndra’s shoulders. The mountain was a honeycomb. It was easy to imagine that it housed the tunnellings of an ancient wyrm.

  There was a change in the air and she sensed rather than saw the ceiling fall away from them, following the bones of the mountain. Kait’s flame danced in the sudden space, as they stepped out of the tunnel and onto the strangest floor Kyndra had ever seen. The rock beneath their feet was a solid sea, its swirling waters coiled around strings of what looked like fossilized ropes. Kyndra gazed at it in wonder. The flows were dark and bunched, but stretched away into the distance as if the rock had once been alive and moving.

  The wall nearest to them was rounded, curving towards the cavern’s ceiling, its façade uneven and yellowish. Kait held her lamp high and, as the light spread, Kyndra saw the shape of another wall far to her left. But facing them was a darkness found only in the deep places of the world. Rather than reflecting, it absorbed Kait’s light, hinting at nothing but itself.

  ‘This is a lava tube.’ Kait’s voice sounded flat. ‘One of the largest. We measured it at twenty metres wide and a whole league long.’

  ‘You measured it?’ Kyndra asked, astounded.

  ‘Of course,’ the woman said casually. ‘It lies on the doorstep of our home. And we have among our number some keenly interested in the earth’s secrets. Since we must live among those secrets, it is better to know them than to fear them.’

  Nediah stared at Kait, a peculiar look in his eyes. His complexion had paled with their descent into the ground and perspiration beaded his brow.

  ‘You see, Nediah,’ Kait said, noticing his look. ‘Our Saviour is not our only concern. The Nerian have never stopped being Wielders, or faltered in pursuit of knowledge. True, our priorities differ from yours, but we have not forgotten who we are.’

  She waited for Nediah’s reply and sighed when it didn’t come. ‘We’re near. Follow me.’ Keeping the lamp high, Kait marched into the darkness.

  A league … Kyndra marvelled at the distance and her imagined wyrm resized itself in her mind. This enclosed pathway must coil around and through the rock, joined by other smaller tubes like the one they’d just left. How many years had passed since fire had raged here, carving out the mountain’s heart?

  ‘You see those ledges?’

  Kyndra looked to where Kait was pointing. The side of the tunnel had several step marks etched into it.

  ‘They show the levels of the lava that once flowed here.’

  Kyndra nodded and let her eyes drift back to the floor. She was mesmerized by its raised coils and turns, the earth’s primordial shifting captured forever. Kait did not speak again and they walked in silence. Not one word had passed Nediah’s lips in the last hour. His face was introspective and he didn’t seem to see the fascinating rock sculptures they passed. Though Kait pointed out pillars, lava falls and roofs of lavacicles, Nediah’s eyes ghosted over them without seeing. Kyndra stuck close behind Kait, thankful that she knew the way. As for herself, she’d long since lost track of their passage. Alone she could die here, wandering the dark caverns until her strength failed.

  It was the chanting that finally broke Nediah’s reverie. The tunnel they followed sloped down yet again and turned, bringing the low murmur closer. Kait increased her pace. ‘They are ready,’ she hissed.

  ‘Ready for what?’ Kyndra asked uneasily.

  ‘For you.’

  When it became clear that Kait would say no more, Kyndra concentrated on her feet. Jogging over the uneven coils of rock was somewhat hazardous. She felt the ends of Kait’s long hair brush her face, as the woman sped in front of her. The chanting grew louder and there was a light flickering in the distance. The tugging inside Kyndra increased; it seemed strong enough to work her legs, to drive her on until she met whatever awaited her here in the Deep.

  The chanting had an unnerving effect upon Kait. She was moving so fast now that Kyndra was sure she would trip, but her booted feet were as nimble as a goat’s. She had begun to chant under her breath too. Unable to match her agility, Kyndra and Nediah fell back. There was light all around them now. Torches burned in brackets, some of natural, yellow flame and others eerily silver. The voices intoned louder and Kyndra felt as if she were about to intrude on some primitive ceremony. She shared a glance with Nediah. The Lunar torches limned his face in hoary silver, and he kept turning his head, as if he sensed someone behind them.

  One more corner and their journey was done. Kyndra looked out over a room of kneeling people, each one dressed, not in matching robes as she expected, but in a ragtag collection of garments. Some wore their Wielder raiment, but the silver or gold silk had been ripped into different styles. The sleeves were generally missing and several people had cut away the bottom half of
the robe and wore loose trousers instead. The only thing they all had in common was a band of black fabric worn on the upper arm. Kait hastily donned hers. Without any explanation, she hurried them to an empty patch of carpeted floor and pulled them down beside her. The nearest people shot Kyndra several nervous glances before increasing the volume of their chanting, as if the droning mantra somehow warded her off. A small dais occupied the front of the chamber. For the moment, it was empty.

  Uncomfortably aware of Kait’s chanting, Kyndra tried to appear inconspicuous and noticed Nediah doing the same. Nediah’s face had thawed somewhat after Kait’s assertion that the Nerian were still Wielders. But, confronted with this bizarre gathering, his expression was once again chill, and every unintelligible syllable stiffened his body further.

  And then it stopped. The room held its breath. From beneath an archway, two hooded men appeared, one leading the other by the hand. Kyndra studied them as they climbed onto the dais. The man guiding his companion was garbed in white and a large cowl hid his face from the crowd. The garments reminded her of Medavle, but this man was slighter. He did not have Medavle’s height or the breadth in his shoulders.

  Kyndra’s eyes strayed to the other man. His clothes were black, and a low keening came from his throat, which the man in white ignored. Still holding the other’s hand, he nodded once and Kait stood up.

  ‘Nerian,’ she called and all heads turned to her. ‘You are gathered here this night to welcome others into our company.’ Muttering rippled through the crowd, murmurs of interest and curiosity. The man in white nodded again.

  Kyndra tried to sink into the floor. Some eyes had already fixed upon her, though she noticed Nediah had attracted his fair share too. Kait lifted a hand and silence resumed. ‘She began as a simple potential, but after sore treatment from the Council – treatment we are all too familiar with – she has turned from them. She has come to us.’

  The muttering became a low cheer. Kyndra choked and tried to catch Kait’s attention, but she couldn’t do so without standing up.