Sapient Salvation 4: The Claiming (Sapient Salvation Series)

by Jayne Faith

  Sarah and I stopped in the middle of the street as we caught sight of what was happening. Atop the mesa where Lord Toric, Jelique, and I had passed through the huge golden portal floated half a dozen smaller blue-white portals. People were trickling through them, and a line of figures was moving down the path I’d taken.

  Suddenly I became aware of my feet throbbing. I shifted my skirts and lifted one foot to peer at the sole. It was dirty and marked by cuts where I’d slipped on sharp rocks. Somehow the stinging and blood felt right. They were a physical manifestation of the pain inside me.

  Sarah and I retraced my route through the streets, walking solemnly toward where the people coming down from the mesa would spill out into the edge of my borough.

  I spotted Clarisse and Rosa on either side of Lana, helping her make her way down.

  My chest clenched in anticipation of what I would have to tell her, and I raised my hand to my lips to hold in the small sounds of grief that were trying to escape.

  Sarah touched the back of my shoulder in a soothing gesture. “I’ll go with you,” she said.

  I nodded, unable to speak.

  Clarisse saw me and said something to Lana, and a smile broke over my sister’s face. When they got closer, Clarisse’s and Rosa’s grinning greetings faded as they took in my expression. They guided Lana over to the side of the path to get out of the way of the others coming behind them.

  I stepped forward and took Lana’s hands in mine. I opened my mouth to speak, but the swell of tears closed my throat.

  She squeezed my hands with gentle pressure. “Mother is gone,” she whispered.

  I nodded, even though I knew she couldn’t see it.

  We fell into each other’s arms, dissolving into grief.

  I knew I was lucky to be reunited with Lana, to be standing on the warm, fertile soil of Earthenfell again. But sadness gave way to feelings of anger. It seemed so terribly unfair that we’d missed Mother by mere hours. She’d died not knowing that we would return home. I couldn’t help thinking that if she’d known, she might have been able to hang on just a bit longer. Long enough to say goodbye.

  When our weeping had died down to quiet hitching breaths, I took Lana’s arm and we leaned our heads together as we walked slowly with the others.

  As if guided by some silent signal, everyone was heading in a long procession toward the ceremony pavilion that was nestled at the base of the foothills.

  We moved with the others, but it felt as if Lana and I were separate in our own little bubble.

  The sun sat low in the sky, stretching shadows long across the ground. The sensations, sights, and smells of Earthenfell soothed me, seeming to ground my emotions.

  When we entered the ceremony pavilion, instead of going up to Clan Terra’s section I guided Lana to the front row. Clan designations no longer mattered, as far as I was concerned.

  People moved out of the way, staring or gasping when they recognized me. Soft murmurs followed in our wake. At first I thought the reactions were simply due to seeing an Obligate returned. But then I remembered that everyone had been watching as the golden portal delivered me, Lord Toric, and Jelique to Earthenfell. They’d seen me, dressed in flowing otherworldly garb, emerging at the side of the alien Lord. For the people of Earthenfell, the ones who had never gone to Calisto, it was their first glimpse of a Calistan. I couldn’t imagine what must have been going through their minds as they’d watched.

  Remembering Rand and the stack of sacred books, and that he and his men would have arrived back on Earthenfell before I’d stepped through the golden portal, I straightened and peered around. While I looked for him, I described to Lana what had happened, and how Lord Toric intended the books to be destroyed.

  I also looked for Akantha. She’d leapt through the Obligate portal after Rand’s men, and it seemed there had been no sign of her since then. I didn’t expect her to appear. With the Return, her power was gone, for there would never be another Tournament. Jeric had cut ties with her. If she’d ever been allied with Queen Stella or High Priestess Lunaria, she no longer had either woman to turn to.

  Akantha was no longer needed and no longer relevant. I knew it was ungenerous, but I hoped Belinda’s snake found the former Mistress of Tournament and put an end to her cheerless life. But Akantha was a fighter, a survivor. I doubted she would fall easily. For the moment, though, I deliberately put her out of my mind.

  I wondered for a moment how all of Calisto would fit into the ceremony pavilion, but then remembered that only a few Calistans had passed through the portals so far. Jeric appeared in the nearest aisle, and I half-stood to get his attention. The crowd cleared a little, and I saw that he was helping his very pregnant sister, Cassi. She was in a moving chair, similar to the one I’d used when I was recovering from being poisoned. Jeric and Cassi’s husband Ralor both walked on either side of the pregnant woman. The three of them moved slowly toward us, and Jeric took the seat on Lana’s other side. Ralor helped Cassi into the seat beside him and then sat down next to his wife.

  Lana shifted away from me, leaning into Jeric. She murmured to him. I didn’t need to hear the words to know she was telling him about Mother. He circled his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in. His hand found my shoulder, and he gave it a quick squeeze.

  I took a deep breath and blinked hard a couple of times, pushing back against the prickle of tears and swelling of my throat.

  Shifting my focus to the people still streaming in, I watched for Lord Toric. I suspected he would arrive last. There weren’t many Calistans in the crowd. I recognized some nobles who stayed grouped together.

  My old Earthenfell neighbors and classmates came, of course. Everyone I’d known my entire life congregated here. Some looked confused for a moment as they arrived and realized people weren’t necessarily going to their clan sections.

  When I caught sight of Court, I found that I felt no anger or resentment. The flash of Farrah’s red hair and then her face next to him didn’t even cause any reaction. Their hands were clasped, and both wore wedding rings.

  I stared at the rings for a second, gauging my own response. My heart didn’t even bump a little.

  When I raised my eyes, Court was looking right at me. I gave him a cool nod and then let my gaze slip past him.

  Something in the air seemed to shift, and the crowd flowing into the arena thinned momentarily.

  Then, Novia entered. I gasped quietly as I realized her arm was linked through the Oracle’s, whose eyes were blindfolded.

  The two women solemnly led dozens of priestesses in silver robes, followed by dozens of Temple initiates in their teal dresses. I watched the young women in blue. Their religion, their purpose, would not exist in the same way after this day. What would become of them?

  The Oracle and the women of the Temple formed the largest group of Calistans to arrive so far, and a nervous unrest seemed to pass through the entire arena.

  I held my breath and turned to watch as the Calistan women found a section near the front to the far side of the stage. Novia and the Oracle took seats in the first row.

  Many more streamed in, and then at last it seemed there was no one left to enter the ceremony pavilion.

  Just as the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon, a tall form appeared at the entrance of the ceremony pavilion.

  Lord Toric.

  He wasn’t alone. Jelique walked behind him, with Rand carrying the books next to her. A contingent of a dozen guards followed. Behind them came Rand’s men.

  The entire space went silent as Lord Toric took the stage. The others stood off to the side, with Rand’s men spilling down the side stage steps and into the arena entrance.

  Lord Toric came to the front edge of the stage and slowly cast his eyes over the entire ceremony pavilion. His skin was bathed in warm sunset tones.

  “I am the Guardian of Earthenfell and Calisto,” he said. “I herald the Return of my people to our homeland. Henceforth, Earthenfell shall be known as Earth.�
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  He’d dropped the “Lord” from his title, I realized.

  “This is the most momentous, most sacred day in my people’s history,” he said. His posture relaxed a little, and I sensed he was no longer following a script. “But I understand why it’s a day met with fear for Earthens. I want to dispel that fear.”

  He turned and nodded to Rand, and Rand walked forward to join him.

  “This man, one of your own, holds the books that commanded all of our sacred acts and guided our spiritual practices. The time for adhering to the commands of these books has come to an end.” Lord Toric looked to the side of the stage again.

  Four of Rand’s men strained to carry a large metal dish with pedestal legs. I recognized it as a ceremonial fire dish. It was filled with chopped wood. They set the dish at Lord Toric’s feet.

  Jelique stepped forward, holding something in her hand. She knelt and struck a flint and stone together, raining sparks onto the wood until it caught.

  Lord Toric reached for the volume on top of Rand’s stack and held it up.

  “As we burn these volumes, reducing them to unrecognizable ash, know that you, Earthens, are free. You are free to stay in your homes, live in peace, and pursue your lives.”

  He dropped the book on top of the growing blaze. The entire ceremony pavilion gasped as a rainbow of sparks leapt up several feet into the darkening dusk.

  Lord Toric’s gaze sought Novia. By some silent signal, she stood with the Oracle and the two of them went to the front of the stage and up the stairs there.

  Then his eyes swept over to my section to find me. Suddenly knowing what Lord Toric intended, I rose and followed Novia and the Oracle.

  He placed a volume in Novia’s hands, another in the Oracle’s, and with a slight smile passed one to me as well.

  I turned to face the crowd and found that Jeric had come up, too. Lord Toric gave him a book and also placed one in Jelique’s hands.

  One by one, we tossed our books onto the fire and then moved to stand beside Lord Toric.

  There were three books left in Rand’s hands. Lord Toric nodded, and Rand stepped up to the fire dish. He held the volumes over his head for a moment and then lowered his arms and dropped the books onto the growing fire.

  For a long moment I basked in the glow of it all, filled with gratitude that I was home and bursting with pride for Lord Toric.

  Then I remembered: there were ten volumes of the Calistan sacred texts. We had burned only nine. I glanced over at Lord Toric. Part of me wanted to ask about the tenth volume, but a larger part of me wanted to bask in the peace of this gesture and not worry about the other book.

  “Earthens have been the stewards of the homeland, and Calistans have been the protectors of the homeland,” Lord Toric said. “We all have a right to this sacred place. And now we are equals, all free to live, work, and worship as we choose.”

  For a couple of heartbeats the ceremony pavilion was filled with only the sounds of the crackling fire. Then a few people clapped. A few more joined in. Some tentative shouts and cheers peppered the crowd. The noise grew as everyone rose to their feet, the applause and jubilation swelling to a thunderous sound of celebration.

  Lord Toric stared into the fire, as if he didn’t hear the crowd. Then his gaze lifted and turned toward me, and my breath caught when his eyes locked on mine. He reached for my hand, and I went to him. Together, we walked off the stage, threading through the guards and Rand’s men. Lord Toric led me out of the ceremony pavilion.

  The sky held just enough light for us to pick our way up into the foothills behind the ceremony pavilion.

  When we found a nice vantage point, we turned and watched as people streamed out of the arena. Every so often, the sound of voices lifted up to us.

  “You truly believe we can all live peacefully together? When the rest of Calisto comes to stay here?” I asked.

  “Peace between us is my new purpose,” he said. “I’ll do everything in my power to ensure it.”

  I looked up into the sky, where the evening’s first stars had appeared. “What if a new enemy comes?”

  “The Calistan military will fight it. We’ll defend Earthenfell as long as we have the ability to do so.” He turned to face me and took my other hand. His voice softened. “Let us put aside political matters for a moment.”

  I took a deep breath and nodded. I expected him to lean down to kiss me, but instead he let go of one of my hands and lowered himself to one knee.

  With his free hand, he reached into a pocket and then drew his hand out. His fingers were curled and I couldn’t see what they held.

  He let go of my hand and looked down. I followed his gaze to see a faint pearly glow in his fingers. Little colored strands flickered playfully in the glow. It was mesmerizing.

  “I know I already asked and you agreed, but I didn’t have something to offer you before.” My lips parted as I looked up from the swirling strands and into his eyes. He lifted the glowing object, and I saw it was a ring. “Maya, will you marry me?”

  Warmth bloomed from my heart and radiated outward.

  “Yes,” I whispered.

  He reached for my hand and slipped the ring on my finger, and by its faint light I saw deep emotion shining in his eyes.

  I stepped forward and held his face in both my hands. He grasped my wrists, stood, and then drew me to him. His lips met mine in a lingering kiss that sent fireworks exploding through my body.

  Suddenly a bright flash lit up through my closed eyelids.

  I pulled away, and both of us whipped around to stare. The golden portal had reappeared, and it was widening. But there were no people moving through it.

  “What is it?” I breathed, my heart pounding.

  “Calisto and Earthenfell will be joined, now,” Lord Toric said in a hushed voice. “Truly joined.”

  *

  For three nights and three days, the palace moved through the portal, as if the ring of golden light birthed it from Calisto to Earthenfell.

  I didn’t understand how it was possible, but on the morning of the fourth day, I couldn’t deny what my eyes saw: the palace stood upon the mesa.

  On that fourth day, faint white portals opened on top of other smaller mesas surrounding the palace. Through these, Calistan citizens trickled to Earth.

  Some of them showed interest in building homes on Earth, but many only wanted to visit and then return to their homes on Calisto. The portals remained open, allowing people to pass back and forth between the two worlds.

  That same day, Lord Toric ordered all implants be removed, and he dissolved the division of Monitors. Even after my implant was taken out, I occasionally still felt the ghost sensation of its throbbing at the back of my neck. I kept touching the bandage where the metal disk had been to remind myself it was truly gone.

  Lord Toric set to work to organize and process all the moving, shifting, and requests, and I worked by his side. He lived in the palace, but I stayed at home with Lana. Lord Toric and I had decided to live in our separate abodes until our wedding date, which we’d planned for the night of the summer solstice.

  On the evening of the fifth day, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to find Clarisse. But she wasn’t alone.

  I gasped and then threw the door wide. “Iris!” I rushed into the waiting arms of my former Tournament guide as tears sprang into my eyes.

  I could do nothing but embrace her with silent happiness for several seconds. When I pulled back, I kept my hands wrapped around her frail shoulders.

  “How are you?” I asked softly.

  She smiled, and I saw echoes of the elegance I remembered. But her face was deeply lined, and her eyes were tired. “I—I’m wonderful, n—now that I’ve seen you,” she stuttered.

  I pressed my lips together, partly in a smile, but also to hold back tears. I took her arm and gently pulled her inside. “You must live here with us,” I said. “We have a spare room.”

  My heart thumped as I gestured toward Mother�
��s bedroom. We’d kept the door closed, and every time I looked at it, a lump rose in my throat.

  “Oh no, I couldn’t im—impose,” Iris said.

  “You must, I insist. If you find a different home later, you can move, of course, but for now please stay with us.”

  I cast Clarisse a grateful look over my shoulder, and she gave me a little wave and slipped away.

  I introduced Iris to Lana, and my former guide went to sit next to my sister.

  I stepped outside and closed the door behind me. “Clarisse, wait,” I called.

  She turned and came back.

  I took a deep breath. “Clarisse, now that we can speak freely, I need to know why you did what you did. Back when Orion died.”

  She looked down and shuffled her feet a little. I folded my arms and waited.

  “Okay,” she said reluctantly. “First, I want to say I didn’t know anyone was trying to ensure your death in that challenge. That’s the honest truth. I was working for Akantha under the direction of Sytoria and others, and they gave me certain assignments, but little or no explanation.”

  When she made that admission, I covered my mouth with one hand. Shaking my head, I could only stare at her.

  “But how could you do that?” I asked, my voice choked. “Even if you didn’t truly know?”

  “Because Akantha promised to help the rebel Earthens,” Clarisse said, her voice low.

  She was clearly ashamed, but I had to know the truth.

  “We knew that the sacred texts would require the annihilation of everyone still living on Earthenfell.” She looked up at me and her eyes flashed defensively. “If the Calistans had followed the texts, everyone would have been wiped out, Maya. Can you really blame me—us, for what we did?”

  My heart ached when I thought of Orion, but deep down I knew I really couldn’t blame Clarisse.

  We were both quiet for a few long seconds.

  “In the end, why did Akantha still help the rebels?” I asked.

  Clarisse shook her head. “I think she was just so full of vengeance she wanted to try to hurt anyone she felt had wronged her—Lord Toric, you, Prince Jeric. Maybe others, who knows.”