Orlind

by Charlotte E. English

  ‘Interesting,’ murmured Pensould.

  ‘What is? Pense?’

  ‘Look again, Minchu,’ he said. ‘But not with your eyes.’

  Puzzled, Llandry did as he directed, trying to see the group of people with her draykon senses instead of her physical eyesight. She saw immediately what he meant. The woman may look human, but beneath her ordinary exterior lay a draykon soul. This was Eterna.

  ‘I just had the strangest thought,’ Llandry said to Pensould. ‘Did you choose a male human form because you have to? Being male yourself, I mean? Or could you be a female if you chose?’

  Pensould blinked at her. ‘I have given it no thought, because I see no reason to be other than male. But yes, I suppose I could manufacture a female anatomy for myself. Just as you could fabricate a male one, if you chose. But it would be a mere semblance. Giving myself female organs would not change anything about my essential nature. I would remain a male in every other respect.’

  Staring at his calm face, Llandry wished she hadn’t asked. ‘Um. Right, thank you.’

  ‘Weird,’ muttered Ori. Llandry had to agree. It was irrational, perhaps, given how much shape-changing the three of them had lately engaged in, but such gender-bending activities struck her as a considerable step further in the direction of very strange indeed.

  ‘Let’s not do that,’ she suggested.

  ‘Seconded,’ said Ori.

  ‘As you wish, Minchu,’ said Pensould. ‘Shall we talk to the lady?’

  Eterna’s human shape resembled a woman in her early forties. She had tanned skin, keen green eyes and tawny hair. Her gaze flicked over Llandry as she approached, then surveyed Ori and Pensould in turn. She looked the longest at Pense, her eyes narrowing.

  From a distance, Llandry had assumed that the woman had her hands clasped behind her back. Now she saw that her hands were bound. Eterna bore this with a proud indifference that Llan couldn’t help but admire.

  So, the mythical human-draykoni, Eterna said in the silent way. This, Llandry realised, was the reason they had been summoned; Eterna had not had time to learn any of the human speech, as convincing as her human guise might be. But in that case, why had she shape-shifted at all?

  We last met under less friendly circumstances, I think. The woman’s stare was cold, and no wonder. Llandry couldn’t forget the way she and Ori had forced Eterna into the range of the flyers’ guns, thus causing her death. Under that icy stare, she had to suppress a sudden urge to apologise for it. Ridiculous! She hadn’t wanted to do it any more than Eterna had wanted to suffer that fate - but Llandry had not been responsible for starting this war.

  Are there more of you? Eterna enquired.

  One more, Llandry told her. She is recovering from injuries.

  Eterna’s only response to that was a cool look. And you, Wing-friend? she said, shifting her attention to Pensould. Why should you ally yourself to this abomination?

  It is no abomination for our kind and theirs to be on good terms, Pensould said calmly.

  Good terms? I would say inter-breeding goes some way beyond the acceptable.

  Pensould gave a shrug. Such intolerance must lead to the total destruction of one race or the other. History - and recent experience - suggests that our kind shall be the losers.

  Eterna said nothing for some time. Finally, and to Llandry’s surprise, she said, You may be right, Wing-brother. But will we be permitted space to exist, I wonder?

  Oh, but of course! Llandry interrupted eagerly. The Realms of Iskyr and Ayrien must be given over entirely to -

  Llandry, Pensould chided. That is a matter for your governments to resolve.

  Yes, of course, she said, crestfallen. Oh, but, surely they cannot be so awful as to refuse!

  Eterna’s eyes sparkled with amusement as she looked down at Llandry. You would champion the rights of your enemy, would you?

  That ignited Llandry’s temper. Don’t think for a second that I excuse what you have done to my home! There can be no forgiveness for that.

  Eterna inclined her head, her amusement gone.

  But I too believe that Pensould is right, Llandry added. We have to find a way to co-exist peacefully, or there will only be more of ... of all this. She swept out one arm, her gesture encompassing all the charred and burned and broken buildings and plant life that she could see.

  And anyway, she muttered, it would be the right thing to do.

  Eterna laughed outright at that. Endearing, if naive, she said to Pensould. And you, silent man? Do you agree with your little Wing-sister? She was looking at Ori, who so far had listened well but said nothing.

  I second everything she’s said, Ori replied firmly. And I think our governments are great noggins if they refuse to accommodate the needs of the draykoni.

  Noggins, Eterna mused. Not a word I have heard before.

  I made it up, Ori admitted.

  Iver had so far watched this exchange in silence, but now he cleared his throat. ‘I need you to assist with certain negotiations, beginning with the question of Eterna’s missing colleague. Now, please. I want this situation resolved.’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ Llandry said with a shy smile. Turning back to Eterna, she said, You’ve been informed that you have a comrade missing?

  I have. I am wearing this shape in hopes that I will be taken to see the remains of my fallen comrades for myself. I may then ascertain whether or not you were telling the truth when you claimed not to have destroyed any of my friends. And if that proves in your favour, I will also be able to establish whether we are indeed a body short.

  Llandry relayed most of this to Iver, eyeing him with a touch of nervousness. Eterna’s request seemed reasonable to her, but would he comply?

  ‘That’s why she humaned herself up? Clever,’ remarked Iver’s second.

  ‘Yes, but remember that she can shift back to her natural shape at any time,’ Iver replied. ‘It may not be clever so much as cunning.’

  Llandry’s heart sank. She hated these on-going conflicts, the stalemates that arose when nobody could trust each other...

  Eterna, they are afraid you will shift back to your draykon shape and... well, I don’t know. Escape, I suppose, and free the others.

  Eterna’s eyes flashed. You may tell them that their military prowess has been more than amply demonstrated and I have no wish to see another such defeat inflicted upon my kind.

  Llandry repeated that. Iver looked steadily at Eterna for some time, his expression unreadable. ‘Very well,’ he said at last. ‘In the interests of resolving this impasse, we’ll do it. But if she breaks faith with us, we will start burning bodies.’

  Wincing, Llandry conveyed that to Eterna. The draykon-woman’s hard green eyes turned a shade colder, but she agreed.

  ‘Then we go,’ Iver said. When Llandry made to follow, he stopped her. ‘This is a sight I think you would rather not see, Miss Sanfaer, and there’s no need for you to accompany us. All three of you should wait here.’

  Llandry recognised that this wasn’t a command; she had a choice. But it didn’t take her long to make that decision. If she could be spared the sad sight of nearly thirty draykons destroyed through their own desire for revenge, she would take that offer.

  ‘I’ll stay too,’ Ori said, looking pale. The situation was an odd one; though the draykoni had made themselves unequivocally the enemy, they were also Llandry and Ori’s own kind. They could gain no satisfaction from the sight of their fallen foes.

  Llandry was grateful when Pensould gripped her hand and smiled down at her. ‘We will wait here,’ he said, ‘and perhaps rest a little.’

  ‘Do you think she will do as she promised?’ Llandry mused, watching as Eterna was led away.

  ‘Yes,’ Pensould said firmly.

  ‘I think so, too,’ Ori said. ‘No idea why I think that, though.’

  The matter wasn’t nearly so certain to Llandry’s more nervous disposition. She could only hope they were right.

  Eterna returned, and while she w
as obviously in a towering rage, she was nonetheless still human.

  Tell me you have not hidden him from me! She glared at each of them in turn, seeking a target for her anger.

  We have not, Llandry said simply.

  And I must take your word on it, must I?

  What have we to gain by lying, Wing-sister? Pensould, perhaps sensing Llandry’s own rising irritation, took charge of the conversation.

  You seek to sow discord between draykoni and our allies!

  Allies. Llandry wondered about that word. Did she mean Krays?

  The Lokants are not your allies, Eterna, said Pensould gravely.

  No? she flared. Then why did they so freely offer us assistance?

  Their leader will have asked something in return, Pensould prompted. What was it?

  Nothing. He offered his aid freely.

  Pensould’s brows shot up at that, and for an instant he was rendered speechless. Llandry was shocked, too. They had assumed from the beginning that Krays must be getting something important out of his alliance with the draykoni, or why had he involved himself?

  But he had gained something, she remembered. He had gained access to a shape-shifting draykon. The only difference was that he had taken it, instead of waiting to be given their help. It was a perfect arrangement for the man who trusted nobody. And further, he’d had the chance to test his constructs in real combat. In fighting the mechs, the defenders had shown him exactly where the weaknesses were. The next generation of machines would be that much more difficult to defeat.

  Llan’s heart sank further when she realised it was probably Pensould, by his own example, who had inadvertently informed Krays that any draykoni could take human form, and therefore that any draykoni could serve the purpose he had in mind. That was a bitter realisation.

  How could a canny leader such as you fall for so simple a ploy? Pensould was asking. Nothing is ever free!

  It is a matter of the grave injustice suffered by our kind! Eterna snapped back. I do not find it so hard to believe that others may sympathise with our plight!

  Krays? Sympathising? Llandry couldn’t help it. She laughed out loud, earning an odd look from Iver and a furious one from Eterna.

  Sorry, Llandry muttered. You cannot imagine how absurd... She stopped as Eterna shot her a still more poisonous look. Let me tell you about Krays, she said instead.

  She was halfway through the long and unpleasant story of her dealings with Krays when Eva and Tren arrived.

  ‘Llandry,’ Eva said with a warm smile. ‘It’s taken us some time to learn where you were. You’re an elusive young woman. But I’m so pleased to see you well.’ Her gaze lingered on Pensould and Ori. ‘All of you. I bring greetings from Avane, who I can assure you is recovering apace.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Llandry said with relief. ‘It’s also good to see you in good health. And Tren!’ she added, smiling at Eva’s handsome companion. ‘Are you all better?’ He looked healthy, too much so given the ordeal he’d suffered. But once again, the time-gap between her world and the Library was confusing her. Tren had had time to recover.

  ‘Most of the way there, I think,’ he said with a smile.

  Who are these people? Eterna demanded. Commander Iver said much the same thing aloud, a moment later.

  Friends and allies, Llandry told her, while Ori introduced the two of them to the Commander.

  Why do their heads bulge in that peculiar manner?

  Llandry, confused, cast a startled glance at Eva. Oh! They are wearing headgear. The light here hurts their eyes.

  Ah! Ayrien folk. Eterna nodded. You had better finish your tale.

  But Eva claimed Llandry’s attention. ‘We have come seeking assistance,’ she said, drawing Llandry to one side. ‘Will your business for the Commander take much longer?’

  ‘I have no idea,’ Llandry replied. ‘It depends how long it takes us to wear down Eterna’s distrust, I suppose.’

  ‘What are you hoping to achieve?’

  Llandry explained the steps they had taken since receiving Eva’s information. Eva heard her out without interrupting, though she did shake her head.

  ‘I fear this is futile,’ she said. ‘There is no doubt in my mind what has become of Eterna’s unfortunate comrade, and I am afraid that Krays has succeeded in augmenting his powers in ways that should have been impossible for him. No Lokant has ever accessed draykon abilities before; merely wearing a piece of bone has never been enough for those not born to this world, or so I surmise. But if Krays has succeeded in melding his own body with that of a draykoni, he is now much more dangerous.’

  ‘We’re hoping she will tell us more about her dealings with Krays,’ Llandry said, nodding. ‘But she says he asked nothing in return for their help, and that means he told them nothing of his goals.’

  ‘That is all of a piece with the rest of his behaviour,’ Eva said with a sigh. ‘It will achieve nothing to convert Eterna to our point of view, Llan, and we have a way forward regardless. We came to ask you to take us to Orlind.’

  Orlind?! Eterna understood that word, it seemed, and it had no pleasant connotations for her. Her eyes blazed as she stared at Eva, though Llandry couldn’t read the emotion that gripped her. What is she saying of Orlind?

  Puzzled, Llandry relayed Eva’s request. This only excited Eterna more. You cannot go there! It will be the death of you!

  ‘She recognises the name?’ Eva asked, watching Eterna closely.

  ‘Yes, and she says it means our death if we go there.’

  ‘Please ask her what she knows of the place,’ Eva said, unruffled.

  It was our first and most glorious home, Eterna cried in response to this entreaty.

  But... I thought you used to dwell in Iskyr and Ayrien?

  That was much later, Eterna snapped, impatient. After we had lost Orlind.

  Why was it lost?

  To this day, I do not know the cause, Eterna replied. Her anger had vanished, and now she sounded only sad. Some great disaster occurred. The land was torn asunder, and worse than that, the amasku was forever corrupted. We-

  Hold a moment, Llandry said. What is amasku?

  She sensed Eterna’s puzzlement. I know of no other way to express it. It is what it is.

  Llandry thought that through. Eterna’s mental utterances were, strictly speaking, wordless; it was she herself who interpreted them into words her mind could clearly understand. “Amasku” was the word that formed in Llandry’s mind, but the sense of it was clearer. A better translation, she realised, would be energy, or life-force.

  I think I see, she said. Privately she checked her conclusion with Pensould, winning his agreement.

  What does it mean, that the amasku was corrupted? Llandry asked of Eterna.

  I cannot describe it to you, Eterna replied. I can offer only a poor impression. An image born more of sensations than pictures flooded Llandry’s consciousness; she saw a world in which the internal logic was so badly broken that all natural structure was lost. Her mind reeled under the dizzying confusion of such a place.

  Enough, she said shakily. I understand. You have no notion at all as to why this happened?

  No specific notion. But that Lokants were involved, I do know. And that is why I accepted the aid of the one called Krays! His kind have injured ours before; in penance for that, he sought to help us win back this second of our lost homes.

  Lokants? Llandry prompted. Which ones?

  All of them, little draykon. They were not so divided, once.

  Troubled, Llandry thanked Eterna and turned her attention back to her fellows. Trying to explain all this to Eva, Tren and Commander Iver was a challenge, but she managed it, with a little help from Pensould and Ori. But her representation of the fate of Orlind lost much in the translation.

  ‘That is interesting,’ Eva said, frowning. ‘Particularly the involvement of Lokants, though I cannot say that I am surprised by that. But this news changes nothing. We have no recourse but to go. Orlind is part of our world,
and if it is a prospect of such urgent interest to the likes of Krays - and, yes, Limbane - then I think we must discover why.’ In response to Llandry’s anxious expression she offered a reassuring smile. ‘We will go as a group, yes? Between us we have the skills of one Lokant, one sorcerer, two summoners and three draykoni. Four, if Eterna will honour us with her company.’

  ‘I think she won’t,’ Llandry guessed, observing the look of horror and stubborn disapproval on Eterna’s face.

  ‘Perhaps not,’ Eva agreed. ‘Three draykoni, then. And I believe it is you three whose presence will be most important. Krays has gone to extraordinary lengths to secure some of your powers for himself; it must be significant. And it’s perhaps fortunate that Tren and I are also descended from draykon blood.’

  Llandry turned back to Eterna, and offered her a respectful bow. We honour your warning, Wing-sister, but for us this is no matter of choice. Krays’s involvement with Orlind may threaten our worlds, and as such we must find a way to block him.

  Krays, Eterna mused. I still do not say you are right about him, but perhaps I am not wholly correct either. Why cannot everyone be as simple as draykon-kind?

  We will work on that, Llandry promised, concealing a smile.

  I wish you luck, then, Eterna said flatly.

  Luck. Was it luck that had carried them this far and brought them through every attempt to destroy them? If so, Llandry hoped fervently that their luck would hold for just a little while longer.

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  The party to Orlind was to comprise five explorers: Llandry in draykon-form bearing Eva, Pensould carrying Tren, and Ori flying alone. To save time, Eva transported the group to the western reaches of Irbel. They paused for one final consultation before embarking on the journey, huddled in a chilled knot at the base of the majestic mountains that divided Irbel from Orlind.

  Llandry stared up at that barrier, suffering some misgivings. The approach to the mountain range was deceptively gentle: a slope wandered its way upwards without any seeming hurry, covered in alpine grasses and cheerily-coloured blossoms. Beyond that, the terrain lost all friendliness and began a sharp climb up into the heavens. Those distant, snow-capped peaks must be truly inhospitable to have kept people out of Orlind all these long ages.