by B. T. Narro
People applauded with wild enthusiasm. Cedri glanced around, worry taking over all sense of calm as she hurried to finish eating. She noticed pouches passing from hand to hand, every person drawing out something too small for her to decipher and popping it into their mouth.
“As we prepare ourselves for prayer, let’s remember our purpose.” The floating man continued to turn as he spoke, his mages beneath him ensuring he never had his back to one side of his audience for long.
Everyone joined him in chanting. “To waste the strength bestowed upon us by the gods is to turn our backs on Sumar.”
The floating man transitioned into speech without pause. “Although we should be proud of what we’ve already accomplished…” The crowd hushed to listen. “The rain will return soon, and this time, it will not stop no matter how many pyforial mages sacrifice their lives for the gods. Only a man or woman raised in faith, with the sole purpose of giving his or her life to the gods, can appease them. But by the time any of our newborns reach fourteen, Sumar will be flooded with both water and lava.
“The South has sacrificed a faithborn, but King Quince in the North still refuses to allow a faithborn into Quosae to jump from the precipice of the waterfall. As we’ve seen from the weeks of endless rain, the god of life is just as mighty as the god of death. This war needs to end swiftly, but remember that we have no enemies in Sumar. Do not detest the Northerners for their ignorance, but do not show them mercy when we attack.” He paused as a hard look came into his eyes. “For those of you who have arrived today and have not heard the plan, we are to board our rafts when we are given the signal. It will take two days to reach the bridge.” He smiled, the hardness loosening. “So enjoy yourselves until then.”
As the crowd around Cedri applauded, the man beside her handed her one of the pouches going around. She was too curious not to look inside, finding what looked like pieces of tree bark, only soft.
She noticed the man beside her waiting for her to take one. As calmly as she could, she passed it to him, but he waved it off.
“You didn’t have one,” he said. “Are you new?”
Before she could think of an excuse, a few heads turned in her direction. She was startled by the sudden attention.
“Are you new?” asked a motherly looking woman.
“I am,” she said, hoping her voice wouldn’t quiver.
“You must take one,” the woman instructed. “Remember what your recruiter told you.”
Cedri nodded, pretending to understand, and quickly took one of the misshapen squares of soft bark. Everyone watched, waiting for her to put it in her mouth.
She placed it on her tongue and pretended to chew while they watched. It tasted inedible, like sucking on paper soaked by water. Squishing it against the roof of her mouth, though, she could feel it coming apart even without chewing. She would have to spit it out if she didn’t want to ingest it.
“You will see the world behind the veil,” the woman told her, watching with a smile. “Are you scared?”
Curse this woman. Cedri had to swallow in order to answer her. She gulped. Dread came up and choked her, stifling her next breath. She fought it down.
“I’m fine, thank you,” she answered.
“Just remember that you will see images of what the gods want you to see. They will speak to you, hear you, see you, but their true form resides in the white waterfall and the great volcano. They may be vengeful, but they will not hurt you.”
Gods. I’m leaving as soon as I can. She’d already learned the ambush would take place on the river, near some bridge that took two days to reach from here. That was enough.
But when will I have the chance to get away? Terror came as she realized the answer: At night, in a couple more hours.
Hopefully the effects of this substance would wear off by then. Looking up, she saw prayer had begun. She was one of the last to bow her head and cross her legs in mimicry of the floating leader.
“Gods,” he began, “we know you ache. We long to heal you. Our eyes are open and our ears ting in anticipation.”
Cedri could feel her blood pulsing within her temples. She looked up to find dozens of luminaries walking around the thick circle of praying PCQs as the sermon went on. One was coming closer to her.
With a stifled gasp, she lowered her head once again, her temples throbbing with each beat of her heart. She closed her eyes and listened to the crunch of the sand beneath the footsteps of the nearing luminary.
“…And the ten year plan will be complete!” The leader’s booming voice caught her attention as he ended his speech.
Applause followed. She lifted her head to find she was the last to do so, everyone near her focusing their attention on the luminary who was close enough for her to see each individual hair of his thick beard.
She tapped into the bastial energy clustering the air. Normally when she tried to read the emotions of a group of people, there were too many for her to distinguish anything. It was like throwing a handful of sand into water and trying to see where each grain went. But this time it was easy because there was only one emotion to read, a desire for attention. They were like a pack of dogs seeing their master return after a long trip, many of them perched on their knees as if wanting to jump up and grab the luminary’s hands.
The luminary settled down into a squat beside a man, disappearing into the crowd. Cedri could only see the back of the luminary’s head, but everyone seemed to be staring so she did as well.
“How long have you been with us?” the luminary asked the man.
It was completely silent as everyone waited for his answer.
“Seven years.”
“Who was your recruiter?”
“Jonen.”
A few murmured at the mention of his name. He was the one who’d tried to kill Neeko after he and Shara refused to go with him. Cedri wondered if Jonen was here. Though I wouldn’t recognize him if he was.
“How has it been since your recruitment? Give any answer that comes to mind. No one will condemn you here.” The luminary’s tender voice was not like any leader’s Cedri had served. It was as if his underling were a small child.
“I’m thankful for every day that I’m part of the PCQ,” answered the man in a voice so genuine Cedri didn’t need psyche to determine its validity. “My wife is in Quosae, pregnant.”
As people voiced their congratulations, the luminary added, “And we look forward to meeting our newest member. Tell me about your recruitment. How did Jonen find you?”
The man smiled as if containing a scream of joy. “He’s a remarkable pyforial mage. I was using energy within my home, just a small amount to collect the dust beneath my bed. Jonen was walking by my closed window when he sensed it. Then he knocked on my door and we had the conversation that changed my life.”
“Where was this?”
“All the way in Glaine.” The man laughed. “I was a Northerner who didn’t believe in the gods.”
Those around him laughed in harmony, the luminary joining in. Then he extended his hand, and the man happily shook it. “Thank you for that,” the luminary said.
“Thank you for everything.”
Cedri could feel everyone’s anticipation as the luminary stood and looked for the next person. She wanted to duck, willing to bury her face in sand if that’s what it took, but just the act of staying on her rear set her apart. So she rose on her knees to join the others.
There was only one luminary for every hundred begging to be chosen. She told herself not to worry with odds this good.
The luminary chose a woman this time, someone closer to Cedri in both age and proximity. Different questions were asked except for the story of her recruitment. This woman was chosen by a different recruiter, though her story was similar. Cedri remembered everything. If she was chosen, she would at least try to deceive them before her probable demise.
The luminary wasn’t done after questioning this woman. He sat in front of another man and then a second woman,
an obvious pattern. How many would he speak to before this ended?
No one seemed to tire of listening and waiting and listening and waiting, their hope palpable each time the luminary rose to his feet.
After the tenth, Cedri started to feel something strange. The sand soothed her fingers like warmth against the cold. She felt as if she might be overcome by dread if she was forced to stop touching it, especially with the luminary looking for his next eager follower.
She perked up like the rest as he glanced around. His gaze found her and didn’t falter. She looked away and then back. He was still staring at her. Why wouldn’t he stop?
He began walking toward her! She felt like a rabbit being stalked by a ravenous wolf.
Hells, he’s going to sit with me!
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
SHARA
Nymre’s forest felt old yet preserved, as if unchanged for a thousand years. The trees looked ancient, their true color hidden beneath a thick layer of moss unlike any she’d seen. It was lavender in color and grew on every surface for stretches of up to a mile long, even growing on the grass.
Shara would’ve been more worried about Cedri, who should’ve arrived at Sastien Lake by now, if she hadn’t been so concerned about Neeko and herself. Neeko had just come down from the sky and let Shara know the army was only a mile ahead.
It had taken them one night and two days of riding in Nymre’s forest, but they were nearly there.
“How far will you stay back?” she asked.
“As soon as we see them, I’ll slow to remain out of sight.”
“How far out of sight?”
Neeko seemed to sense what she was hinting at, pausing before giving his reluctant answer. “Just out of sight.”
“I thought we agreed you would follow from a mile back.”
“I never agreed to that.”
She couldn’t be angry at him when she knew his reason for staying as close as possible was because he feared for her safety.
“Will you at least agree not to come forward to check on me?” she tried.
“I agree.” She had a sigh of relief. “For one day,” he added.
“What?”
“If you don’t return in one day, then I’m assuming something’s wrong and I’m coming to get you.”
She supposed that was fair enough.
They continued at their quick pace. It wouldn’t be long before Shara would find out how furious Jaymes was with her for leaving without his permission. She didn’t exactly feel like she’d escaped custody, for he’d left her and Steffen unguarded, but the commander certainly wouldn’t be happy to see her again. However, the news of the ambush was important enough to risk the consequences. Who knew what the chances were of Cedri returning to inform Jaymes herself.
Distracted by her thoughts, Shara noticed Neeko stopping his mount and muttering, “My gods.”
She gasped as she realized dead diymas were everywhere. Little legs stuck out of bushes covered by the pale blue moss. Their child-sized bodies were slung over branches, their chests impaled by arrows. It had been a massacre.
Shocked into silence, they rode onward. More and more bodies came into sight, each lying where they were killed, weaponless.
Long minutes passed. Shara must’ve seen hundreds of dead diymas before she suddenly felt sick and shut her eyes before she vomited.
“Our own must’ve done this,” she said.
“Yes, but why?”
“I don’t know.” Anger gave her enough determination to ride forward. She no longer feared what Jaymes might do to her. She needed answers.
A moment later, she had her mount galloping around the mangled bodies in her path. Neeko followed on his steed, giving no objection to the change of pace.
“You’re still staying back, right?” she pressed.
“I will.”
Neeko stayed close behind her even as her horse darted between trees and under branches. She took quick turns to avoid rocks and roots and bloodied bodies.
“Shara, slow your mount,” he called.
She tried, but anger had assumed control.
“Shara!”
What could she tell him? It was no longer a choice.
The bodies never ended. How many were there? A thousand, two? She began to weep from rage-filled sadness. But then she saw something that covered every feeling with a blanket of shock.
A diyma crouched over his kin, his gnarled hands buried in the violet grass as if for balance. Bodies were scattered around him. He popped up, yet the dramatic curve of his branch-like legs kept him hunched.
His face was consumed by a look of devastating sadness, his silver eyes warped by pain, his boyish mouth slack in disgust. Then everything tightened—the small muscles covering his body and the features of his face. As he bared his teeth, Shara realized he blamed her and Neeko for this.
“No, it wasn’t us.” But of course he couldn’t understand her. By the time she slid off her mount and pushed out her hands, she noticed more than just the one diyma on the ground before her. Behind the trees and in the branches were twenty more.
“Shara,” Neeko murmured. She gave him a glance to find him gesturing behind them. Turning, she saw ten more waddling toward them.
These weren’t the same diymas from the forest around Antilith, who Neeko and Eizle had helped. Here, Shara and Neeko were intruders.
“We didn’t hurt any of you,” she tried to tell the creatures.
They came closer, showing their crooked teeth and twisted claws. Shara took the wand from the back of her belt. It had been weeks since she’d done anything with sartious energy, the thought causing her to panic as she realized she was out of practice.
“Get back on your mount,” Neeko urged.
“I’m going to try communicating.” She used her mind to grab the sartious pellets within her wand, grinding off a fine film of dust. She waved her arm and the emerald-colored energy drifted out from her wand in an upward arc like a smile—the same symbol she’d remembered seeing the diymas make in Antilith’s forest.
This did nothing to stop them from coming closer.
“Shara, get on your mount!”
Her instinct to run put a fire into her legs as she jumped onto her saddle. Sartious energy clouded the air around them. Two hells, they’re trying to crush us.
“Go, Shara!” She didn’t know why Neeko was waiting for her to move first, but she obliged, kicking her horse into a gallop.
There was a crash behind her, then another. She looked to make sure Neeko hadn’t been hit by the falling blocks of sartious energy. He was safe, but more rained from the trees above.
Diymas blocked their path, claws out, teeth ready. Shara tried to steer her horse around them, but they were packed so closely that the only way past was through them. She stifled a scream as her horse toppled them over.
The diymas made no sound, but that didn’t stop her mount from neighing in fright—and pain, she saw, as the diymas were clawing at the animal’s legs.
She fought to maintain control of her frightened horse as diymas jumped out from behind the trees. Blocks of sartious energy fell from the branches above her, the corner of one hitting her mount’s flank.
Though scratched deeply enough to bleed, her strong animal forged on. “Neeko?” Shara yelled. There was no chance to look back for him while trying to steer her mount.
“I’m fine. Keep going.”
The diymas formed a line ahead of her. “Move you idiots!” she yelled, not wanting to do any more damage than she already had.
They stuck out their arms, claws ready. Her horse shook its head, trying to free the reins from Shara’s grasp as it approached. She screamed in anticipation.
Suddenly the line of diymas broke apart, five of them flung to the side by some unseen force. Pyforial energy, she realized. It gave her a chance to look back at Neeko. He wasn’t far behind.
“Keep going,” he ordered. “Don’t worry about me.”
Cubes of sartious
energy heavy enough to dislodge her shoulder rained down around them. She looked up as she rode, careful to avoid going directly beneath the many circling clouds of emerald energy in front of her.
Shara had to maneuver her mount in ways she’d never done before. She feared that Neeko, not being as skilled a rider, would fall off or lose control. But she couldn’t spare the time to look behind her.
“Neeko,” she yelled. “Still there?”
“Yes.” His voice was farther behind, though.
There must’ve been hundreds of diymas surrounding them, possibly thousands. They’d ridden out of the heart of the massacre by then, but the creatures showed no sign of giving up. If anything, there were more of them than before.
Five scampered down a pair of trees just in front of her, then leapt at the legs of her horse as she crossed by. They bounced off, flipping backward through the air. But one creature had latched on, using its claws to dig into her horse’s flesh.
The animal whinnied in agony and nearly toppled over in its hurry to stop so it could buck off the diyma. Shara fell off sideways, feeling the bark-like skin of the diyma abrade her arm as she tumbled onto him. Before she could get up, he’d bitten into her leg.
She shrieked and kicked him off. By the time she was on her feet, he was diving back toward her with a dozen more coming from every angle. She looked for her horse; it had galloped off without her.
Shara drew her wand and tried to form a fireball, sucking in the bastial energy around her. But she didn’t have time. The diymas were already there. She kicked the first one in the chest. He made no sound. Their silence only amplified her panicked breaths.
“Shara!” She turned to find Neeko storming toward her with his hand out for her to grab as he rode by.
It wouldn’t work. He was going too fast. It looked as if he was trying to slow his mount with his other hand but he couldn’t overcome the animal’s fear. She reached out for him. Something pierced her leg as they tried to catch each other’s hands.
Pain shot down from her shoulder to her knuckles as Neeko jerked her off the ground. Their grip wasn’t good enough. All he’d managed to do was yank her out of the surrounding diymas. Now she was tumbling along the moss-covered grass, feeling as if her elbow might’ve been pulled out of place.
