Lavinia started to laugh. Ty looked up in consternation at his sister, which only made her laugh harder. A smile was spreading on Ria’s lips. Niri coughed on her drink, unable to stop herself from chuckling. Despite the growing fire on his cheeks, Ty started to laugh as well.
It was the first time he could remember really laughing in months. Tears rolled down his cheeks until he ran out of breath. Lavinia grinned at her brother, Ria’s eyes were closed as her shoulders shook, and Niri wiped a tear from her eye. It was the first time Ty felt happy to have come.
“So now what?” Lavinia asked breathlessly. “Just go back to the boat?”
“Can’t we look around?” The request coming from Ria surprised Ty. Ria was no longer white nor had tense lines around her mouth. Her green eyes drifted about the peaceful market.
“I’m game,” Lavinia said scooting to her feet. Niri looked over at him with a faint lift to an eyebrow.
“I don’t see why not.”
Ria and Lavinia were away from the table like released hawks, weaving across the wide street towards a silk merchant. Niri’s mouth was lifted in an amused smile which warmed her brown eyes. Lavender highlights were still scattered across her irises, making it look to Ty like Niri’s eyes were shot through with moonlight. Walking by his side, Niri glanced over at Ty to see his eyes on her.
“I haven’t seen my sister so spirited since she was a girl,” Ty said before Niri could ask anything.
“Huh, you should have seen her in Drufforth then. It wasn’t just Darag that she was driving crazy.” Niri’s gaze had gone back to Lavinia and Ria. Realizing what she had said, Niri’s attention jumped to Ty with a worried line above her brow.
Ty dropped his gaze, shoving his hands in his pocket. “I probably should have. It would have been something to see.” He looked up at Niri without moving his downcast head.
A fleeting emotion rippled across her lips before he could name it. She blinked her eyes, refocusing on him with a more controlled smile, unruffled once more. Curiosity whispered through him. He so rarely found Niri unguarded.
“We better catch up.”
Ty could only follow along, pushing aside the flicker of interest on Niri’s thoughts. Ria and Lavinia were fingering the piles of silk cloth. Ty picked up the gaudiest scarf he could find, a length of yellow patterned with black triangles, and wrapped it around his sister. Lavinia stuck her tongue out at him. Ria giggled over the mauve silk she was holding. As Ty moved toward her, Ria’s chin came up and she gave him a look suitable on the face of a disdaining princess. Ty grinned.
Lavinia held up a piece of teal fabric that shimmered lavender in the shadows. She eyed Niri tentatively.
“Oh no, I’m not good with silk.” Niri waved it away.
Ty smiled, holding the draping fabric towards her and tilting his head back to get a broad view. “It does suit you.”
Niri blushed. “I couldn’t.”
“Oh no, you aren’t getting out of this one.”
Ria grabbed Niri’s hand and headed toward the back of the stall to pay. Ria was not satisfied until a hem of silver bells graced one end of the scarf and she had wrapped it around Niri just so. Outside the stall, Ria had Niri spin around in the alleyway for Ty and Lavinia’s approval. Niri blushed all the while. Lavinia grinned. Ty found his eyes lingering. A few market goers applauded in good humor as well.
“Enough! I think you are giving attention to the wrong person. Shouldn’t we get betrothal gifts for Lavinia?” Niri pleaded.
Ria glanced uncertainly at Ty. Lavinia bit her lip. Ty’s smile never faltered.
“That is a very good point.”
Lavinia’s eyes widened a fraction as Ty put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her ahead deeper into the market.
An hour later and it was nearly midnight but the market was far from its end. Despite having sailed all day, Lavinia and Ria were still outpacing Niri and Ty.
“I don’t think they ever tire,” Niri said with a yawn.
“We should head back soon in any case. Tabook will be a full day sail. Someone has to be awake enough to get us there.”
Niri chuckled.
“Sis . . . .”
“Just once around the plaza.”
Lavinia didn’t even turn towards him. Ria giggled and together they darted by the last market stand and into an open square. Stalls ringed the periphery of the moonlit park, a tall stone fountain bubbling precious water in its center. In haste to get ahead, Lavinia dodged past a large man in a deep red tunic. He stepped back a pace in surprise right into Ria’s pathway. She skidded into him, nearly falling if not for his quick grab for her shoulders.
Niri froze, sucking in her breath. With budding unease, Ty tried to see what frightened Niri. The man laughed, his extended stomach bouncing. A round face, double chin, and complexion nearly as brown as his hair left the impression of nothing remarkable.
“Careful child, you could knock over someone less well built.”
Ria looked up to her savior with a bashful smile. The man’s face changed instantly. His eyes narrowed as his fingers gripped Ria tighter. She started to squirm, her face losing color. Then Ty saw what Niri had sensed, the white trim of the man’s tunic which rippled with embroidered red and gold flames. The man was a Fire Elemental and Priest of the Church of Four Orders. Panic ripped through Ty.
Ria tried to pull away as a faint glow enveloped her and her captor.
“Well, what have I caught here?”
With golden red flooding his small eyes, the jovial look fled the man’s features and was replaced with something more sinister. Ria whimpered. Niri took a breath and stepped around Ty, her shoulders back.
“Let her go.”
The man turned to face Lavinia where she stood with her sword drawn.
“I said let her go.”
“Run away, child.”
Freeing one hand from Ria, the Priest sent a spout of flames toward Lavinia. Lavinia dodged it, jumping to the left. Ria struggled against the cage of his other arm, wrapping her hands against his locked fingers. Tears streamed down Ria’s cheeks.
“Stop that, girl.”
The Priest hit Ria across the face. Her head reeled back. She would have lost her footing if not for the man’s grip. Niri hissed as Ty pulled out a knife.
“I said let her go!”
Lavinia whacked him with her sword, the point catching his tunic and ripping it from the small of his back to collar. He whirled in a fury. Fire erupted from his fingers, flying at Lavinia. She dropped and rolled towards him, whipping her sword up at the last moment. This time the sword strike shed blood as she nicked his thigh.
His sister was too close to throw his dagger and Ria blocked the Priest on the other side. The fireballs missed his sister and fizzled to nothing. She dodged each one, trying to get close enough to strike the man again. Ty glanced at Niri to see her eyes blazing swirls of aqua and lavender light. The water from the fountain sprayed toward the Priest.
“She can’t use her power.” Niri’s voice wavered between fear and relief.
Ty took a breath and lunged forward.
His hands caught Ria’s arm. His force combined with her struggle pulled the Priest sideways, distracting him from Lavinia for the moment. Ty pulled Ria against his chest as pulsing red filled his eyes and heat fanned his face.
“No!”
Everything was still. Water misted the air around him. Ty looked up in the Priest’s frozen face, the point of his sister’s sword sticking through his throat. Ria pulled herself from his lifeless grip, but staggered against Ty. As Lavinia pulled back her sword, the Priest collapsed downward onto his knees and then face first to the ground.
Ria swooned against him. “I feel that. I felt his death. Why? How can I feel that?” Ty looked up at Niri, unable to understand what Ria was asking.
Niri gathered Ria against her. “I don’t know. I don’t know.” She smoothed Ria’s hair as Ria trembled and held onto her tightly. Niri looked from Ty to Lavinia,
her brow furrowed and concern in her eyes.
Around them, the merchants and market goers were beginning to stir. Lavinia joined Ty and Niri, wide eyed and pale. Her glance jumped from Ria to the darkness around them.
“I don’t think they are happy with us.”
Ty shook his head, the shock beginning to wear off. “They don’t like trouble in Rah Hahsessah, especially the type that brings the eyes of the Church.”
“This will bring more than eyes,” Niri said with a hitch to her voice.
“We have to go, get back to the boat and leave now.” Ty put an arm around Niri, helping her support Ria. He pushed them forward towards the nearest alleyway with Lavinia on his heels, the growing crowd closing in behind them.
CHAPTER 28
AFTER EFFECTS
Ria leaned over the edge of the boat and threw up. She heaved drily for a moment, Niri’s hand rubbing Ria’s back between her shoulder blades. Finally, Ria stopped and curled up on the deck, her head against Niri’s side.
“Did Lavinia really kill that Priest?”
“Yes,” Niri answered without inflection. Lavinia gnawed on her lip and looked away.
“Good.”
Tears welled in Niri’s eyes. She looked up in an effort to control her emotions. Niri’s eyes found Ty’s. For a second, Ty held Niri’s gaze. A line wrinkled across her forehead, but the tightness dissipated from her face. Without a word between them, Ty moved around and put his arms around Niri. Lavinia swallowed and kept her eyes on her feet, watching her three companions from the corner of her vision. They were a few feet away, wedged between a bench seat and the rail of the ship. Lavinia sat on the rear seat, near the tiller post and lines to the sail.
As Niri leaned back against Ty, his chin slid onto her shoulder as his arms wrapped around her stomach. Niri leaned her cheek against his and closed her eyes. She kept a hand on Ria’s head, absently smoothing her golden curls. Lavinia ached for Darag so much, she thought she would cry. A shudder went through her.
“Where are we?”
“About a quarter of the way to Tabook,” Ty answered Ria.
Ria sat up, turning her gaze to Lavinia. Lavinia held her face still, hoping that no one noticed that she sat because her knees would tremble if she stood. Ria offered her a tired smile before turning to look around the boat. Ria’s glance took in Niri, still held against Ty without a flicker of emotion.
“Are you feeling better?” Lavinia asked. At least her voice didn’t shake.
“A bit, I . . . I don’t know what overcame me. I was so scared. I wanted to use my power, but couldn’t. I kept grabbing for it but it kept slipping away. And then . . . then when you killed him it all just went out of me.”
“I know,” Niri whispered. “I saw.”
Ria and Lavinia stared at Niri. Ty shifted behind her. He brushed Niri’s hair to her other shoulder so that he could see her face. Niri took an unsteady breath.
“I could see you try to call it. It rose up around you without staying attached to the ground or you, not like in Mirocyne or Sardinia when you tried there. It just rose like flames leaping from a fire, burning themselves out without fuel. But there was a glow under you, like you stood on . . . on a beam of moonlight only it was soft green. Like your power. It is nearly the color of your eyes. I hadn’t thought of that before.” Niri’s attention wandered off for a moment. She gave a shake of her head.
“And then when Lavinia killed the Priest, the glow disappeared. More like exploded outward, dissipating so fast I could barely see it.”
“Why?” Ria’s eyes entreated Niri to explain.
“I don’t know. I wish I understood. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
Ria’s hopeful look dimmed. She bowed her head, resting her forehead against Niri’s forearm.
“Maybe when we get to the Temple of Dust. I just don’t know.”
“Can we still go?” Lavinia asked. “The Church will know where we are even if Ria didn’t call the Curse.” Because of what she had done, though Lavinia couldn’t bring herself to say it.
“I’m not sure,” Ty said from behind Niri. He sat back, keeping a hand against Niri’s side. “Rah Hahsessah doesn’t like to attract bad attention. People tend to disappear there without any stir.”
“But a Priest?” Niri asked, turning to see Ty. His face was calm but tired.
“From what I heard from Ryic, even Priests. Arkira was careful to obey the city’s rules when we were there and she didn’t listen to much other than herself.”
The four friends looked at each other. Lavinia’s heart pounded. No one had said a word of recrimination for what she had done to save Ria. Her hand still felt the resistance on the sword’s blade as she had pushed it into the Priest’s throat. She knew she had to do it. The Priest had known what Ria was. It was why she had learned to use the sword in the first place. But to have actually killed someone was too much for Lavinia to comprehend. She wanted Darag to know, to tell her it was acceptable, more than she wanted to breathe.
“I say we still go. At the very least we are ahead of them,” Ria said sitting up straighter, breaking into Lavinia’s thoughts.
“I agree. We’ve come this far.” Lavinia looked from Ty to Niri. There really was no turning back. Lavinia knew that.
Niri bit the inside of her cheek. Ty smiled faintly, moving his hand to trace a finger against her jaw. Niri exhaled a small laugh. Lavinia’s heart throbbed.
“Okay, let’s go then,” Niri said.
“Good, then let’s get this boat moving. We have to make some time.” Ty stood up. From where she sat on the deck next to Ria, Niri summoned her power. The boat leapt forward toward Tabook.
Warm wind on her face opened Lavinia’s eyes from where she dozed on one of the benches. A golden dawn was creeping above the ocean to the east and gilding the dunes of the desert to their west. On the other side of the ship, Ria was asleep with her head on Niri’s lap. Both were still wedged between the edge of the bench seat and the ship’s rail.
Niri was blinking herself awake. Ty steered the ship, his head turned towards the land ahead of them. Even though the night had been cool, the ship’s interior had been stifling the two times Lavinia had walked below for a drink or to use the bathroom.
“How much longer?”
Ty glanced over at Niri, compressing his lips. “We’re about half way. We should arrive midday.” His voice was heavy with dislike.
Lavinia could understand why. Tabook was a true desert town. Already the early sun sent waves of heat shimmering off the sand. Niri was silent, gazing across the ocean for a moment. Then she shivered, closing her eyes as a nauseous look passed over her face.
Ria stirred half an hour later as the sun’s rays slanted across the deck. There was nowhere to hide until the sun moved higher and the sail would give them some shade. Ria groaned as she sat up blinking.
“How can it be this hot already?” She asked groggily. No one had an answer.
The morning slipped by. Lavinia took a turn at the tiller to give her brother a break. They were too hot to eat and so sipped the stored water, savoring its slight coolness despite a musty taste.
Sitting in the shade of the cabin with legs over the starboard side of the boat, Ria looked over at Niri. Occasional winds from land blew across the sea to the boat. They were hot enough to blossom sweat. To Lavinia, Niri’s pale face looked more nervous with each passing hour.
“Have you been to the desert before?”
Niri shook her head. “No, I really haven’t been beyond the Temple and the smaller cities on the Sea of Sarketh. Mostly I went to towns along the archipelago.”
Ty, who laid full length along the rail in the shade of the ship’s cabin, lifted his head. “It won’t be so bad, you’ll see. We’ll buy desert clothes in Tabook.”
Niri nodded. Ty closed his eyes and laid back down. Lavinia watched Niri chew on her inner cheek. The journey felt heavier now. Someone had died. She had killed a Priest. It was easier to sort thro
ugh now that she had slept. Lavinia did not feel the need to flinch nor was she waiting for her brother to yell at her, appalled at what she had done.
As they sailed on, Niri watched the desert as if she were afraid it would reach out to burn her. Ria was pale as an oyster shell. Ty, for once, seemed the least affected. It sent a ray of respect for her brother across Lavinia’s soul and elicited a fraction more confidence in her.
Tabook was a smaller town with a sheltered spot for a harbor. Sand bars dotted the bay making progress slow, though Niri felt where the water was shallow ahead of them. In the bright daylight in full view of the rambling city, there was little more Niri could do other than warn Ty and Lavinia.
There were only a few scraggly palm trees and shrubby mangroves along the shore. The rest of the town baked in the desert sun with its squat white buildings with narrow windows set in thick walls. When they finally reached the bleached wood of the docks, it was to find the boards splintered into ribs by the heat and dry air. Ty and Lavinia made their way into town. Not a breath of air stirred in the sweltering harbor.
While they were gone, Niri and Ria braved the sticky interior of the boat, looking for spare blankets and packing food. Ty had taken down the main sail and strung it across the deck, suspending it from the massive boom. It filtered the sunlight but nothing reduced the warmth.
Ty and Lavinia returned after the heat of the day as the sun’s fall began to cast longer shadows. They carried bundles of cloth as well as flat bread and spiced rice dotted with raisins.
“We couldn’t find a guide or anyone to take us.” Lavinia said as she passed out the food. The smell of cinnamon and curry filled the space under the sail turned awning.
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