The Study Series Bundle

by Maria V. Snyder

  I struggled to push the pain away, but it clung to me, eating its way through my spine and toward my heart. Leif’s voice battered at my ears. He wanted something. Annoyed by his persistence, I transferred my attention to him for a moment. His energy flooded my body. We stopped the advance of pain, but we couldn’t conquer it. It was only a matter of time before our strength failed and we would lose the battle.

  Moon Man’s resigned voice sounded in my mind. I can not leave you alone. What made you believe you could counter the power of the Kirakawa ritual on your own?

  I didn’t—

  Know? Think? Does it matter now?

  Moon Man’s blue energy added to Leif’s and together the three of us banished the pain.

  I reached for Stono and laid my hand on his smooth stomach. Go back, I instructed his soul. A tingling sting pulsed down my arm. When I felt his gasp for breath, I pulled my hand back.

  Too exhausted to move, I fell asleep where I lay.

  At one point a hand shook me into semiconsciousness.

  “Theobroma?” Leif asked, his voice a distant call.

  My tired thoughts slogged through a fog. “Pack,” I muttered.

  “Where?”

  Leif shook me again. I batted at his arms, but he wouldn’t stop.

  “Where?”

  “Backpack. In jungle. Snake.”

  “I’ll go,” Chestnut said.

  His retreating footsteps lulled me back to sleep.

  I woke choking on a foul-tasting liquid. Coughing, I sat up and spit.

  “You still need to drink the rest,” my father said.

  He offered me a cup.

  “What is it?” I clasped the mug. The green-colored contents smelled like swamp water.

  “Soursop tea. Restores the body’s strength. Now drink.”

  I grimaced and put the cup to my lips, but couldn’t produce the nerve to consume it.

  Esau sighed. Blood and dirt matted his shoulder-length gray hair. He looked older than his fifty years. Weariness pulled at his broad shoulders. “Yelena, I would like to get home. And your mother must be having fits by now.”

  Good point. Cringing at the rancid flavor, I gulped the tea. My raw throat burned as I swallowed the liquid, but, after a few moments, I felt more awake and energetic.

  The sun loomed high in the sky and the clearing was empty. “Where is everyone?” I asked.

  Esau grunted. “I’ll tell you on the way home.” He stood.

  Spotting my backpack nearby, I checked through the contents before shouldering the pack. My bow rested on the ground next to a wide scorch mark. I hefted the weapon, running my hands along the ebony wood. It appeared to be unharmed. A nice surprise since, during the skirmish, I had thought the Fire Warper had reduced my bow to a pile of ash.

  A hot flush of fear raced over my skin when I thought of the Fire Warper. I had never encountered magic like his. I had been completely unprepared to fight him, and I couldn’t think of anyone in Sitia who could match his power. But what about in Ixia? My thoughts turned to Valek. Would his immunity to magic save him from the Fire Warper’s flames? Or would he be consumed?

  “Come on, Yelena,” Esau said.

  I shook off my morbid thoughts and followed my father from the clearing. He set a quick pace, and, once I caught up to him, I asked him what had happened after I had fallen asleep.

  He huffed in amusement. “Passed out, you mean?”

  “I had just saved Stono’s life. And yours, too.”

  Stopping, Esau grabbed me in a tight hug. “I know. You did good.”

  He released me just as fast as he had seized me and continued through the jungle. I hurried after.

  “The others?” I asked.

  “You were asleep for a full day. We thought it best for Leif and Chestnut to take Stono and Barken back to the homestead. The Sandseeds and the other Ixian fellow never came back.”

  I stopped. “They could be in trouble.”

  “Two Sandseed warriors and a swordsman against three Daviians? I doubt it.”

  “How about against three Vermin with Curare?”

  “Ah, hell!” Esau spit. “I wish I had never discovered that foul substance!” He pounded his fists on his thighs. “I had hoped the supply they stole from the Sandseeds would be almost gone by now.”

  “You extracted the drug from a vine in the jungle?”

  “Yes.”

  “So how do they know how to make more?” I wondered out loud.

  “And where are they making it?” Esau glanced around. “Maybe in the jungle. I’m going to cut down every single Curare vine and burn it,” Esau vowed.

  I put a hand on my father’s arm. “Remember why you searched for it. There’re plenty of good uses. Our immediate concern should be for Moon Man and the others. I’m going to try to contact him.”

  Gathering power, I projected my mind into the surrounding jungle. My awareness touched a variety of life. Valmurs swung through the tree canopy, birds perched on branches, and other small creatures scurried through the underbrush. But I couldn’t locate Moon Man’s cool thoughts.

  Did the Vermin have him hidden behind a null shield? Was he dead? I searched for Tauno and Marrok, also to no avail.

  My father said, “Let’s go home and figure out a way to find them. All of them, including the Curare-making Vermin.”

  He reminded me of the other Vermin guards we had sprayed with the snake perfume. “We can question the Daviian guards. Are they at our homestead?”

  Esau tugged on his stained tunic as if deciding how to tell me something unpleasant. “When you were picked up by that snake, the creature wasn’t happy to discover you weren’t a female snake. So in order for Chestnut to keep you from being devoured, he had to concentrate all his efforts on saving you.” He paused.

  “And that means…?”

  “He lost control of the other snakes.”

  “The guards are dead?”

  “An unfortunate development, but there is an upside,” Esau said.

  “Which is?”

  “Now there are four very full necklace snakes who won’t be bothering the Zaltanas for a long while.”

  I washed as much dried blood and sticky gore from my body as I could in the small stream flowing underneath my clan’s homestead. My mother would worry and fuss over my disheveled appearance despite the fact I would be standing before her safe and sound.

  Climbing the ladder into the tree canopy, I mulled over recent events. There might be a group of Daviian Vermin working in the jungle, gathering vines and distilling Curare. I had no idea where Ferde and Cahil had gone or where my friends had disappeared to. And there was a Fire Warper on the loose who could possibly jump out of any campfire in Sitia. My life in Ixia as the Commander’s food taster sounded like a vacation in comparison.

  Why had I wanted to leave Ixia? An order for my execution for being a magician had been one compelling reason to escape to Sitia. That and wanting to meet my family, whom I had no memories of until Moon Man unlocked them. Well, I’d met my parents and the execution order had been revoked. The thought of returning to Valek and Ixia tempted me.

  I reached the top of the ladder and arrived into a small receiving room made of branches tied together. Esau hadn’t waited. The Zaltana guard stationed there informed me my father would meet me in my parents’ living quarters.

  Walking toward their apartment, I marveled at the ingenuity and craftsmanship of the vast complex of living areas built above the jungle floor. The Zaltanas were resourceful and determined and stubborn. All traits I had been accused of possessing.

  I wondered if those qualities would be enough to counter the Fire Warper. Did I have the experience or magical knowledge to find Moon Man, recapture Ferde and stop the Vermin from killing more people?

  The daunting and overwhelming to-do list would not deter me from making the attempt or die trying. But how many would be hurt or killed in the process because of me?

  11

  I NEVER REACHED my p
arents’ suite. My cousin Nutty intercepted me en route, relaying a message to go to the common room. She scrunched up her face and tsked over my ripped and stained clothes.

  “I have a change in my pack,” I told her.

  “Let’s see then.” She held out her long thin arms, waiting.

  Knowing it was useless to argue with her, I opened my bag and showed her the other set of skirt/pants and cotton top she had sewn for me. I thought a lifetime’s worth of events had happened since then, but in reality it had only been two seasons.

  Nutty examined the clothes with a dismayed purse to her full lips. “You’ll need some new ones. I’ll make them for you.” With a slight nod of farewell, she hopped up into the tree branches with the grace and speed of a valmur, disdaining the practical rope bridge.

  “Oh, snake spit,” she called from above. “I’m supposed to fetch Uncle Esau and Aunt Perl.” She changed directions and disappeared through the trees.

  I reached the common room. Oran, Violet, Chestnut and the two scouts stood together. My strong relief over the absence of a fire in the central pit alarmed me. If I was afraid of a simple hearth fire, what would I do when faced with the Fire Warper again? I avoided thinking about that scenario and focused my attention on the matter at hand.

  When he saw me, Stono sat down. His face drained of color, and I worried he would faint. He muttered a thank-you to the floor, evading my gaze. Oran and Violet continued to question Chestnut on the necklace snakes.

  Chestnut stammered and fidgeted. “I wanted to help.”

  “You didn’t have our permission,” Oran said. “And now how many are dead?”

  “Six,” Chestnut said in a quiet voice.

  “Good for you, Chessie,” Stono said. “I wish you had killed them all. Pulled out their guts and strangled them with it!” Stono’s eyes lit with murderous intensity.

  The elders rounded on Stono. Shock mirrored on their faces.

  Violet recovered first. “Stono, you’ve had a difficult time. Why don’t you go and get some rest,” she ordered.

  He stood on trembling legs and shuffled a few steps, but paused next to me.

  “I’ll kill the snake that tried to eat you if you want,” he whispered in my ear. “Let me know what I can kill for you.”

  I turned to protest, but he moved away.

  “What did he say?” Oran asked.

  What, indeed? An offer of revenge on a snake or something more disturbing. “He said he would like to help me.”

  “Not without our permission.” Oran puffed up his chest with importance.

  “You can’t just use our clan members as your personal army. Taking Chestnut into an unknown, dangerous situation that could have killed him was wrong.”

  I had had enough of Oran Cinchona Zaltana. Stepping close to him, I said, “Could have, but didn’t. If we had waited for your permission, you would have lost three clan members. And I wouldn’t debate too long on how you’re going to search for a possible nest of Vermin living in your jungle. If you wait too long, they’re liable to multiply.”

  “What are you talking about?” Violet asked.

  It was then that Esau and Perl joined us. Having heard my warning, Mother touched her throat, and my father’s grim expression deepened.

  “Father, could you inform the elders about the potential threat? I have other business to attend to,” I said.

  “Where are you going?” Perl asked.

  “To find my friends.”

  I found Leif in our parents’ quarters. He was sound asleep on the couch and it occurred to me that I didn’t know if he had his own rooms within the Zaltana homestead. Esau had knocked down the wall to Leif’s room to expand his work area. Unwilling to bother my brother, I tiptoed past him and went up to my room. Soon the sun would set and I wanted to fly with the bats.

  Lying down on my narrow bed, I felt sleep pull at me. I resisted, thinking of Moon Man. He had helped me and Leif in healing Stono. Perhaps the effort had exhausted him and rendered him unable to respond to my search.

  As the light dimmed, I drew magic from the power source and projected my mind into the jungle. Finding the collective consciousness of the bats, I joined in their nightly hunt for food.

  I floated from one bat to another, sensing the space below and around. On the lookout for any fires or signs of people, I coasted through the air, feeling the sun leave the sky. I wondered how the bats could know the size and shapes of their surroundings without seeing them. Was it a skill I could learn? My magic let me feel living beings, but I couldn’t sense anything from the lifeless objects in my path.

  The bats invaded every section of the Illiais Jungle. Nestled below the Daviian Plateau, the jungle wasn’t large. Two days of hard walking would see a person from one end to the other. The Illiais Market marked the western border of the jungle. A few bats swooped close to the market campfires, but they avoided the gritty air and noisy crowds of people.

  I pulled my awareness back. Having found no physical signs of Moon Man or the others in the jungle, I decided Leif and I would travel to the market tomorrow. The market was the rendezvous location we had set back on the plateau. If Moon Man followed the Vermin from the jungle, he would eventually look for us there. I hoped.

  When I awoke the next morning, a group of people were in my parents’ living area, all engaged in animated conversation.

  “It’s your turn. I delivered a wagonload of pummelo fruit last time,” Nutty said to Chestnut. “See?” She held up her right hand. “I still have the blisters.”

  “I’m not stupid. They’re from staying up all night finishing the clothes you owe Fern,” Chestnut retorted. “It’s your turn to go to the market.”

  “You can’t go collecting every single Curare vine, Esau. It will take you seasons,” Perl said. “And what about the Vermin? If they caught you again—” Perl’s hand flew to her throat as if she tried to block the emotion welling from her heart.

  “I’m not worried about that,” Esau said. “I’m worried about what they can do with the Curare!”

  “Curare can be countered with Theobroma,” Leif said to Esau. “We just need to make sure everyone has enough with them.”

  “Is not my turn,” Nutty said.

  “Is too,” Chestnut countered.

  “Yelena!” Nutty cried, spotting me. “I’ve made another pair of skirt/pants for you.” She held a light blue-and-yellow print.

  “Thanks,” I said. “You don’t have to go to the market, Nutty. I’ll deliver the clothes for you. And Leif, Theobroma is good at regaining movement, but it leaves you helpless against a magical attack. Father, can you find a way to get the Theobroma to work against Curare without the side effects? That would be more helpful than tearing down every vine. Besides, I couldn’t find any signs the Vermin are collecting vines right now, but I think sending out well-armed scouts to search the jungle from time to time would be a good idea.”

  “Yelena’s here,” Leif said. “Problems solved,” he teased.

  “I’ll have an easier time with the Theobroma than convincing Oran and Violet to send out reconnaissance teams,” Esau said. “They want to huddle in our homestead and hide!”

  “I’ll handle Oran and Violet,” Perl said.

  Her face had set in a determined frown, which she then turned on me. “You’re leaving us already?”

  “We need to rendezvous with our horses and our other team members,” I said.

  “Are they at the market?” Leif asked with a hopeful note in his voice.

  “Too many people for me to determine. In any case we need to look for signs of Ferde and Cahil.” They could be anywhere by now and doing unspeakable things. I shuddered as the image of Stono’s ruined stomach rose in my mind.

  “Not without breakfast.” Perl hurried toward the kitchen.

  “I’ll go get the dresses.” Nutty bounded away.

  “I’d better get my pack ready.” Leif smiled. “Never a dull day with you, little sister.”

  “What
do you need?” Esau asked me.

  “I’m running out of Theobroma and Curare.”

  He went into the lift to ascend to the second floor. Chestnut looked around at the suddenly quiet room. He fidgeted, avoiding my gaze and I realized he wanted to talk about something other than whose turn it was to go to the market.

  “Now’s the time,” I said. “Once everyone comes back…”

  “I can’t…” He moved his hands as if he wanted to pull his thoughts from the air. “I’m having trouble getting past…” Wrapping his arms around his body, Chestnut rocked with frustration. “How can you be so calm? Standing there, making plans, barking out orders. Six people have died. Stono came back from the dead and now he’s different—”

  “Different? How?”

  “It’s probably nothing. He’s had a shock, but he’s harsher somehow.” Chestnut shook his head. “That’s not the point. Six people killed by necklace snakes. That’s the point.”

  I understood his problem. “You’ve never lost anyone to a snake before?”

  “No one. I know it’s not a terrible death. At least they’re dead before they get swallowed. I’ve always been kind of curious…” He cringed with guilt.

  “Curious to see a snake devour its prey and you feel responsible for not stopping the snakes?”

  “Yes.” The word hissed out.

  “Think of what would have happened if the snakes had released the Vermin.”

  “You and Stono would have died.”

  “I’m not happy about the death of six people either, but, considering the alternative, I can rationalize it in my mind.” A shiver raced over my skin. As long as I didn’t think about it too much. “You asked how I can be so calm. I don’t have time not to be. I would like to grieve and worry and carry on, but that doesn’t get results.”