“When I was chosen to host the power of Lord Wieus, I spent much of my time waiting for you to return, researching. For many cycles I searched, my mark guiding me to lost artifacts that held information on the clans’ histories and even relics from the Ancients themselves.” Phoenix raised his hand, stopping Sky from asking another question. “When our people first colonized the twin moons, they were not aware that beings already inhabited the moons. These beings, whose original name has been lost, welcomed us and lived among us. They were the ones who suggested we separate into a tribal system with a unified governing council and, later, helped us develop our shield technology when we became concerned about the Elitians’ growth, disturbing cultural practices, and political aggression. After many rotations, our people started to notice that the others didn’t grow old, reproduce, eat, or sleep. The power they wielded became venerated and holy. Our people then began to build temples and worship them, much to the others’ dismay. It was around this time we started calling them the Ancients. The Ancients were not happy with the clans’ worship. They wanted to live amongst our people in harmony, not rise above us like gods.
“Rotation after rotation, the clans continued their devotion. The Ancients distanced themselves from our people until they no longer felt comfortable living among us and decided to leave. Only three chose to remain amongst the clans: Lady Luz, Lord Wieus, and Lord Ocmus. Their love for the clans was greater than anything the Ancients had ever known. So, while their people left the twin moons to search the stars for a new world, the three stayed. With their people gone, the three Ancients took responsibility for different aspects of their peoples’ power. Wieus became the master of shadow and stars—he is the balance of light and dark. Ocmus controls the power of chaos and desire—both powers beautiful but if left unchecked have the power to destroy. Luz, as the mediator, gained the power for justice and retribution—she can see what guides the soul, and if there is no light, bring reckoning.
“For a while, they would gift the clan’s champions, avit’anu, to help guide our people from afar, but the power would always corrupt. The final three clan members to bear the mark of avit’anu nearly destroyed our people with their greed. The elders decreed that the clans should cease all forms of contact with the Ancients. The temples, which already were falling into disuse after the mass exodus of the Ancients, were abandoned. People stopped praying, and even the mention of them or their power became taboo. The clans believed that the three remaining Ancients had left to unite with their people, but they were wrong. Wieus, Ocmus, and Luz sealed their fate with ours when they decided to stay. They will remain with us until our people are no more.”
“I have never heard such stories,” Sky whispered. Her mark pulsed comfortingly as she digested the information.
“How do you know the information you have found is true? And if there are only two avit’anu, is there someone out there with the mark of Ocmus?” Rana asked, her brow lifted and the skepticism plain on her face.
“I cannot know absolute truth in this matter,” Phoenix replied. “The information comes from a series of entries from an old archive master and his apprentices. I noticed no tampering with the files, but I am not skilled in those areas. Even if I had doubts, my mark would easily allay those suspicions. It confirms the information by sending me warmth through the skivna.”
“I felt the warmth while he was talking,” Sky said to Rana. “I’ve grown to understand that my mark has never been wrong with these things.”
“To answer your other question, Rana, it is my understanding that because of the vile practices done in his name, Ocmus has remained in what the archives called the eternal sleep. All three Ancients went under the sleep until Sky awoke Luz four rotations ago.”
Sky nodded distractedly. She hadn’t known of the eternal sleep, but Luz had mentioned Sky waking her with her desperate prayers. “This also rings with truth, Rana.”
“Okay. I trust you.” Rana’s voice bled honesty, but she twisted the fabric of her skirt in both hands.
“Are you okay?” Sky asked her friend, placing a hand on Rana’s arm.
“Oh, I’m fine. Just feeling a bit overwhelmed with all this mysticism that, until a few days ago, I thought was nothing but folly.” Rana shrugged and gave Sky a tight smile. “Besides, I’m still waiting to hear the story of how he got his mark.”
“My story begins the night I was taken. It happened on the eve of my nineteenth birthday about four and a half rotations ago. I was outside our family home, studying the stars and thinking about what life would be like for the next two rotations as warrior to the people, when a great pain erupted from the back of my head. The ground moved underneath me as my vision darkened until I saw nothing. When I awoke, my mind felt dazed and my body was numb, except for the throbbing pain on my face. I… I… I don’t want to tell you what happened for the next rotation.” Phoenix shifted uncomfortably on the furs, his eyes never wavering from Sky’s.
The vulnerability she saw in his gaze made her stomach flip. Sky nodded, understanding from her own experience at the hands of the priests that whatever he endured must have been harrowing.
“I was alone that night, chained to a wall in the temple and forced to watch vid feeds of the priests doing horrendous things. They had separated me from the other initiates because I refused to partake in their vile practices.”
“Initiates?” Sky asked.
“Yes, the males taken were to be tortured into accepting the call of Ocmus. It is how the priests built their numbers, and the process also guaranteed the new priests would be actively involved in their twisted worship.”
“Ah, I see.” Sky shuddered. Rana wrapped an arm around Sky’s shoulders. Rana’s arms were shaking, and Sky wondered if the touch was more to comfort Rana than herself.
“So, I was chained to the wall. They had caught me with my eyes closed and beat me until I was nearly unconscious, when I heard the footsteps of priests running from the dungeons, screaming about an escapee. I was just outside of the main temple so I couldn’t hear the details, but it was decided that their best trackers would chase the girl and her child. I remembered the girl and her son. She was the only one who had borne a son in many rotations, and they had her constantly monitored. When I heard of her escape, I hoped that she would evade the bastards and then I passed out from exhaustion.
“When I awoke next, there was screaming and chaos all around me. Priests ran toward the exits with swords while the initiates carried bodies of slain men to lay before the statue of Ocmus. I don’t know how long I stared at the gore, but I only looked up when I felt a presence in the room. You.” Phoenix paused and looked at Sky. Her jaw dropped and she jerked it up. This is the part of the story she knew, a part she hardly thought about.
“You looked beautiful and deadly. Your hair floated around your face as if it were lifted by a ghostly wind. Your skin was painted in blood, but your eyes glowed with light and love. I wasn’t scared when you approached me with swords lifted. My body fell to the ground as you cut the chains that held me, and I was in awe of how quickly you moved and the strength you must have possessed to release me from those bonds. When I was finally able to stand on shaky legs, you were gone.
“I emerged from the temple and was soon followed by a surprisingly small stream of girls. They ran from me when I tried to help, which hurt at the time, but now I understand. I represented everything evil to them. I stayed behind to make sure no priests followed them, but there were none. Then you emerged from the temple with a torch in your hand. I watched from the shadows as you meticulously set each building alight. When you finished, you fell to your knees and hunched in on yourself. It was then I noticed the mark on your bare shoulder in the dancing firelight. I had no idea what it was or what it meant, but I fell to my knees and sent a thankful prayer to whoever sent you to save us all.”
“Sky,” Rana breathed. Her hands were clutched in front of her chest and her mouth agape as she studied Sky. Rana shivered as she leaned a
way. That was what Sky feared, that her friend would see her as a murderer and be repulsed.
“It’s not what you’re thinking, Rana,” Sky sighed.
“I’m thinking that my friend murdered a temple full of men and burned down their homes. That I cannot believe someone as calm and levelheaded as you would do something like that. For revenge.” As Rana spoke, the shock wore away and a confused anger replaced the weariness that had pinched the skin around her eyes.
“It wasn’t for revenge,” Sky growled. “When they murdered my son, I prayed for help. I prayed for the ability to save the others from this pain. I prayed that no one else would experience the horrors I had faced. I prayed until the forest was silent to all but my cries. Then a bright light appeared, and the most beautiful woman stepped out of the glow and approached me. She was taller than any man I had ever seen. Her hair danced around her face as if it were alive, a shifting red-orange flame that flowed in tight waves and brushed the ground when she walked. Her eyes were green with veins of violet, and they shone like the stars. Everything about her was perfect and wonderful.
“I was afraid. Not because of her but for her. Surely a creature this lovely would be coveted by the priests. I stood, ready to defend her from their pawing hands, and saw they were no longer with me. I was alone with the woman. She laughed. It sounded like music and filled my body with bliss, like how you feel after a good, languid stretch. She told me her name was Luz and said I called to her in her sleep with my selfless plea. She said my soul was the purest she had seen in many rotations. That my thoughts were honest and my heart was one of a true warrior.
“She offered me a gift, but with the stipulation that I could never use it in hatred or vengeance or risk losing my own soul to the darkness. Without hesitation, I agreed. Luz placed both of her hands on my face, and I was lost in her churning eyes. That’s when I felt the burn on my shoulder and the infusion of her power with my very soul. In that moment, I understood what her power meant and what I had to do.”
“She wanted you to murder those men?” Rana asked, her flat nose wrinkled as her brows pinched together.
“Yes, but not out of my own pain or need for vengeance. I felt a burning desire to cleanse the clans of an evil that threatened their future. If that village of deranged priests had grown any bigger, the clans would have descended into civil war. Trust me, Rana, when I say that those men’s souls were black beyond redemption. They would not have stopped their assault.”
“I think I understand.” Rana raised her mechanical eyes from the floor and looked at Sky.
Sky met Rana’s gaze with chin lifted. Sky wasn’t ashamed of what she had done. She knew her actions were for the benefit of the people and it mattered not who shared those beliefs.
“Sky, it must be difficult to act as a champion for your people when they have such resentment against you.”
“It is hard but necessary,” Sky replied with a small smile. “I agreed to accept Luz’s power because I wanted to save others, not for popularity or devotion. Now I have the ability to truly help.”
“It was the same for me,” Phoenix agreed. “My prayers of thankfulness pulled Wieus from his slumber. He asked me if I wanted the ability to assist you, Sky, and to accept the calling. To protect the clans. I accepted, but when he infused me with power, it placed me in a deep sleep. I awoke many cycles later in the woods, not far from where I built this home. I searched for you, but by then you were already off-world. My mission became to learn all I could about the Ancients and to heal those who survived the priests until you returned, but…none of the others survived. Those whose wounds didn’t overwhelm them had been so devastated they could no longer face living. If I hadn’t been blessed by the Ancients, I don’t believe my soul could have survived the darkness.”
“Me either,” Sky agreed. “It pains my heart to hear this news.”
“Yes, and it torments me to discover that there’s a new Priests of Ocmus sect arising,” Phoenix growled. “We cannot allow it to continue.”
“I agree,” Rana huffed. “This time I will help you dismantle their establishment.”
“Yes, but you must train harder, my friend. They may be priests, but they were once clan. They are warriors.”
“Then I’ll become stronger,” Rana announced as she stood. She stretched her wiry arms above her head, and Sky noticed the beginnings of muscle definition.
“You’ll get there.” Sky smiled at her friend, hoping Rana would be able to handle the road ahead.
Fourteen
After a full night’s rest and a hearty breakfast, Sky felt recovered from the emotionally draining conversation of the night before. She enjoyed the lightness in her step and the way it was easier to pull her shoulders back, as if she’d removed some of the load that had weighed her down.
“Ready for some training?” Sky asked Rana as they wiped down the table while Phoenix cleaned the kitchen.
“Will it be just you now?” Rana answered.
“I don’t think Phoenix would appreciate us bringing others to his secret lair,” Sky whispered loudly, teasing Phoenix.
“It’s not a lair. Lairs belong to those with devious intentions. This is a sanctuary,” Phoenix replied coolly. His seriousness was displaced by the teasing grin he threw at Sky. She met his eyes and felt her stomach flip at the ardor aimed her way. She returned his smile, which in turn made his widen.
Rana’s soft chuckle broke their connection. “Oh, Sky…”
“What?” Sky felt her face warm as she struggled to compose herself.
“Nothing,” Rana replied. “So will it be just you training me, or will Phoenix participate?”
“I don’t mind helping you learn, but this morn I must leave for a few hours. There is information I need to confirm before the afternoon meal.” Phoenix pulled a leather pack from under the table beside the entrance.
“Is there something I can help you with?” Sky asked, leaning her hip against the dining table. She crossed her arms and watched Phoenix. He seemed tense, as if he was hiding something. It made Sky’s heart lurch in sadness that he would withhold information from her when she bared her soul to him the previous night.
Sky cursed herself internally for allowing an emotional connection with a virtual stranger. Celestial markings or not, that’s what he was. She shouldn’t feel disappointment for his silence.
“Yes,” Phoenix answered. “I have been gathering information on the Bludrun clan for many cycles and believe they are involved in some nefarious dealings, but I haven’t found proof.”
When he paused, Sky raised an eyebrow, her only indication that his information was interesting.
“Last surveillance, I ran across two warriors talking about a meeting occurring this morning between Beast and a foreign dignitary. Sky, they are giving an outsider access to our world without elder consent, and who knows what else they are planning to share with these foreigners. I aim to discover who this dignitary is and what the Bludrun clan is receiving in return for their betrayal of our people.”
“Damn,” Sky whispered. “I knew Beast was corrupt, but to sink this low…” Sky worried her lip as an unsettling thought burned under her breasts. “Do you think he is leading the new Order of Ocmus?”
“No,” Phoenix shook his head sadly. “When you uncovered the order on his lands, he purged all priests from Bludrun territory. He was enraged that they dared to touch his betrothed. He keeps a firm hand on religious activities within his borders. His efforts have expanded with the blessing of the elder counsel since you returned.”
“Oh.” Sky mumbled. A small relief eased the ache in her chest, but it persisted. Even if the order wasn’t within Bludrun clan borders, there was still someone out there still practicing their vile rituals.
“I won’t let him have you if it is what you desire,” Phoenix stated, his voice hard as stone, but his eyes met Sky’s with burning intensity.
“I do not wish to be his breeder,” Sky answered with certainty. She looked u
p at him. He was so close. Somehow, while they were talking, the two of them gravitated toward each other, close enough to almost touch. His breath came heavily as he searched her gaze with a curious fear shining in his eyes. Sky knew she reflected the look in her own. She didn’t understand what was happening to her or why Phoenix affected her in this way. This feeling was more profound than a simple attraction. It felt deeper than surface affection. Could it be because they were marked?
Sky dreaded the answer, but at the same time, the idea that it could be more than a shared destiny was exhilarating.
“Then you will never belong to him,” Phoenix stated warmly. His voice held an edge of promise.
Sky accepted his announcement with a small nod and a shy smile. A tiny part of her soul lit up at his boldness. That he cared enough to declare that she wouldn’t be forced into a loveless union, even though they both knew she could defend herself, was exhilarating.
“Will you take us with you this morning?” Sky asked.
Phoenix glanced at Rana, his lips tilting downward, before returning to Sky. She could see the worry and uncertainty in his smoky eyes.
“How far is the trek?” Sky questioned.
“Not long.”
“Long enough for her to learn basic tracking and surveillance skills?”
Phoenix nodded slowly as he studied Rana. “Do you feel comfortable hiking to a rival tribe’s territory and then slipping into their village unnoticed?”
“If I don’t, then I will tell you before we go too far,” Rana replied. “But I’m a fast learner. I can do this.”
“Then gather your packs. We must leave now to ensure that we won’t miss this meeting,” Phoenix gave both women a stiff smile and left the shelter.
Rana quickly grasped the techniques Phoenix demonstrated while they trekked through the thick foliage of the Legir Forest that buffered the Erskin and Bludrun territories. Soon, Rana’s steps were as silent as Sky’s. Her chest ballooned with pride for her friend. Rana’s exceptional ability to adapt to any situation would help her adjust to her destiny whenever it revealed itself.
As We Rise: Savage (As We Rise Saga Book 2) Page 8
