Quest for the Moon Orb: Orbs of Rathira

by Laura Jo Phillips

  Her mind made up, she wondered where the Prince would be at this time of day. A moment later she remembered hearing him tell King Rhobar that he intended to go to the library after mid-day. She turned around and hurried back through the palace. As she reached the bottom of the stairs leading to the library level, she saw Sir Bredon speaking with one of the palace guards in the corridor. Marene barely spared him a glance as she approached, until he stepped in between herself and the library door.

  “Greetings, Cousin Marene,” he said, his voice polite enough, though his green eyes were cool.

  Marene stared at him for a moment, wondering what Kapia saw in the man. She was fully aware that the girl had some silly interest in him, but she’d never been able to understand it. He was handsome enough, she supposed, with his red hair and green eyes, and he was a knight. But he would never rise higher than that. Just as her own father had never been able to rise above the same rank, close confidant of the king or not.

  Even though Kapia had the personality of a rock, she was a Princess. She could have her pick of men with little to no effort while she, beautiful, intelligent and wealthy as she was, had to struggle and fight to marry her way into a higher rank. And she would succeed, too. One day she would be Queen Marene of Isiben, while Kapia would likely marry down to a knight. Well, she’d always known Kapia to be a fool.

  “Greetings, Cousin Bredon,” she replied, her tone far less polite than Bredon’s had been. “Please step aside. I wish to speak with Prince Zakiel.”

  Bredon ignored her rudeness. He was accustomed to that. It was her intention itself that surprised him.

  “Prince Zakiel is alone in the library,” he said carefully.

  “I am not a child and do not need to be chaperoned,” she snapped. “Nor do I need to be reminded of what is proper and what is not. Please stand aside.”

  Sir Bredon shrugged and stepped aside. “As you wish,” he said, waving a hand toward the door. Marene waited, expecting him to open it for her, but he turned and resumed his conversation with the guard. Gritting her teeth angrily she opened the door herself and stormed into the library.

  “Hara Marene,” Zakiel said, as she marched up to the table where he was working.

  “I wish to discuss your sister,” she said abruptly, knowing that her anger was too apparent, but unable to hide it. Hopefully the Prince would believe her emotions were due to worry over Kapia.

  “What about her?” Zakiel asked.

  “She has grown most impertinent, Highness. I am certain it is the influence of that...that...off-worlder. I have spoken with King Rhobar concerning the need for Princess Kapia to have a guardian on this ridiculous journey you are planning, and he has refused me. I cannot imagine what must be going through his mind to disregard his only daughter’s safety. I even attempted to speak with the off-worlder on the matter, but she is incapable of understanding our culture and the importance of the Princess’s reputation.”

  Prince Zakiel’s eyes narrowed. “What is it that you want from me, Marene?”

  “You must order your sister and the off-worlder apart from one another, Highness. And it is most important that you overrule King Rhobar’s decision and allow me to act as Kapia’s guardian on this journey you are so set on making.”

  “Must I, really?” Prince Zakiel asked calmly, wondering when Marene had become so sure of herself that she felt it acceptable to give him orders.

  “Yes, you must, really,” Marene replied sharply. She took a deep breath to calm herself. “You cannot ignore the danger to your sister, Highness. For her to travel alone for who knows how long in company with so many men without supervision is unseemly at the least. Apparently I am the only one to take this matter seriously.”

  Zakiel put his writing brush down and leaned back in his chair, struggling to keep his temper in check in spite of Marene’s insults.

  “To begin, Hara Marene, it was my decision to refuse your request to accompany Kapia, not my father’s,” he said. “I will act as guardian to Kapia, and I trust that no one will doubt that I am capable of looking after my sister.”

  The icy anger in Zakiel’s eyes made Marene swallow hard. She could only nod in agreement, not daring to speak as she realized how foolish it had been to begin this without checking her temper first. She had never seen him so coldly furious with her.

  “Second, Princess Kapia’s impertinence toward you is her prerogative. She will be of age in a few short weeks, so even if I wanted to alter her behavior, it would do little good and be of short duration. Third, Lady Techu’s rank is such that she is not subject to anyone’s orders. Not King Rhobar’s, not mine, and most certainly not yours.

  “Therefore, I will not act as you suggest. I will, however, warn you against making such suggestions to me in future, particularly as they apply to countermanding King Rhobar’s orders. I will not be so lenient again, and treason is, as you know, punishable by death.”

  “Treason?” Marene whispered, her mouth going dry.

  “Attempting to undermine the orders of the king? Yes, treason,” Prince Zakiel replied. “Which reminds me, why did you tell me that nonsense about my Father bribing Lady Techu to remain on Rathira?”

  “It was not nonsense,” Marene replied evenly, though inside she was quaking. How had he found out? Zakiel and the King never discussed the off-worlders because it always ended in arguments between them. Why was everything going wrong for her now?

  “False accusations against the king. Again, treason,” Prince Zakiel said softly, watching carefully as Marene’s face paled, then flushed red. He nodded, satisfied she was guilty.

  “You are dismissed,” he said coldly.

  Marene watched as Zakiel picked up his writing brush and returned to his work. The fear that had swept through her quickly transformed into fury at his dismissal. She turned her back on him and crossed the library toward the door, her mind in turmoil.

  What was she to do now? she wondered. It was clear that she was not going to be allowed to join the Orb Quest as Kapia’s companion. She had to come up with another idea and she had very little time to do it in. But what?

  Her wealth had always given her power over those around her, with the sole exception of the royal family. She’d found ways around that. She’d used Kapia for years by bullying and intimidation, and had, to some extent, been able to control Zakiel through his sister. If the little brat weren’t so enamored of Lady Techu, it would take but a moment to convince her to insist her only friend, Marene, must accompany her. But that course was closed to her now.

  Was there no one else she could blackmail, bully, bribe or cajole into doing her bidding? No, she was forced to conclude, there wasn’t. Only knights and servants were going, and none of them would willingly help her. It all came down to power, and she had none.

  She stopped mid-step in the center of the library as a thought exploded in her mind. Could she do it? Did she dare? If she were found out, all of her plans and dreams would be for nothing. An image of her Prince in the arms of the off-world upstart decided her. Yes, she dared.

  She’d been approached several times, so she was fully aware of the initiation procedure, and the requirements. A sacrifice would have to be made. Her lip curled in distaste. It was one reason she’d decline the invitations before. Now however, she’d do what she had to do. But she wouldn’t be a fool about it. She would do this, but she would do it on her terms only.

  Marene resumed walking, deep in thought as she opened the library door and entered the corridor. She completely ignored both Sir Bredon and the guard until she reached the foot of the stairs. She looked up, her eyes falling on Sir Bredon. She had only two more days before the Orb Quest began. She had no time to waste, and he would do as well as any.

  Marene’s foot slipped off the edge of the third step and she fell heavily onto the marble stairs with an involuntary yelp of pain. She heard the sound of running footsteps approaching, but thankfully the pain of her fall helped her to hide her true feelings.

>   “Hara Marene, are you all right?” Sir Bredon asked as he reached down to help her from the floor.

  “I do not know,” Marene replied with a gasp as she tried to put her weight on her right foot. “I think I sprained my ankle.”

  “Shall I call for a physician?” Sir Bredon asked.

  “No, that is not necessary,” Marene replied. “I would be most grateful if you would assist me to my quarters though.”

  Sir Bredon’s reluctance was obvious, but he could see no good reason to refuse her. “Certainly, Hara Marene, I would be pleased to aid you. But are you certain you should attempt to walk?”

  “Sir Bredon, in spite of what you may think of me, I have no desire to make a spectacle of myself,” she said in a low voice. “Once I am in the privacy of my own rooms, I will summon a physician if necessary.”

  Sir Bredon’s expression of surprise was hardly flattering, but she didn’t care. All that mattered was that he assist her to her rooms.

  “I understand, Hara Marene,” Sir Bredon. “Lean on me as much as you can, and we will get there.”

  Marene smiled her thanks, keeping her eyes on the floor to hide her immense satisfaction.

  Chapter 7

  For the third time, Karma entered King Rhobar’s sitting room with Nikura and closed the door behind her. She saw him standing before the same tapestry as before, so she crossed the room to stand beside him. She stared up at the tapestry, her eyes drawn to the giant red and blue bird.

  “Greetings, Lady Techu,” King Rhobar said as he continued to stare at the tapestry.

  “Greetings, King Rhobar,” Karma replied. “Thank you for agreeing to see me this afternoon.”

  “There is no need to thank me,” King Rhobar said, tearing his eyes from the tapestry and turning toward Karma. “Techu Samyi indicated that I should tell you of the Vatra, but I confess that with everything else that’s been happening these last few days, I had forgotten. I’m glad you reminded me. Come, let’s take a walk in my private garden and I will tell you that which you need to know.”

  “I would like that very much,” she said.

  “Good,” King Rhobar said as he led the way across the room to a narrow door. He opened the door and stepped back to allow Karma and Nikura to go through before him, pleased when she gasped softly in surprise. He followed and closed the door behind himself, then paused to breathe deeply of the sweetly scented air.

  “This garden was my wife’s pride and joy,” he said as he watched Karma gaze around in awe. There were trees, bushes and most of all, flowers in every color and size imaginable filling the gigantic enclosed garden. From where they stood on a step several feet above the garden, Karma could see nearly all of it. There were ponds, water fountains, bird baths, benches and statuary throughout the wide expanse of greenery. There were also a number of colorful birds playing in the fountains and baths, singing from the trees and squabbling around various feeders. Karma had never seen anything like it and was entranced.

  “It’s so beautiful,” she said. “Words cannot do it justice.”

  “No, they can’t,” King Rhobar agreed. “This is where I most feel my beloved queen’s spirit.”

  Karma glanced sharply at King Rhobar’s face, but no, he wasn’t hinting. Still, he was a nice man, and a devoted king. “King Rhobar,” she said, turning to face him. “I can speak with the dead, as you know. What you don’t know is that I cannot summon them. Believe me, I’ve tried. They come to me when they want to, for own reasons. If I could summon your wife so that you could speak with her, I promise you, I would, and that is not something I would offer to do for many people. And, before you worry that I think you were hinting at such a thing, I know that you were not. This was my idea.”

  King Rhobar smiled at the young woman before him. “I admit that I wondered, of course. But I would not have asked more of you than I already have. I thank you for thinking of it, and for telling me this. It will stop me wondering....” He paused, cleared his throat and turned to face the garden again. “Shall we walk?”

  Karma nodded and followed King Rhobar down the steps and onto a cobblestone pathway.

  “Nikura, don’t bother the birds, I warn you,” King Rhobar said, glancing sternly at the Sphin.

  Nikura twitched his tail but did not deign to reply. Karma stifled a laugh, then looked up at King Rhobar.

  “King Rhobar, are you well?” she asked, thinking that he looked as though he had not slept in days.

  “I am as well as can be expected I suppose,” King Rhobar said with a sigh. “I have sensed the danger to Rathira growing these many months with no way to fight it. With you here, I do feel some relief. But, now I am to watch both of my children depart on what will certainly be a most dangerous journey, and I cannot even go along with them. That is difficult for an old man such as myself. They are all that I love most in the world.”

  “I am sorry, King Rhobar,” Karma said. “I promise that I will do all I can to protect Kapia, and see that she returns to you safely. I cannot promise more than that, as much as I wish I could.”

  “You are very kind, Karma, and I am grateful for it. Thank you,” King Rhobar replied.

  “You’ve said before that you sensed the danger to Rathira,” Karma said. She paused to lean down and breathe in the scent of what looked like an impossibly large blue rose. It smelled like lilacs. “Did you mean that literally?”

  King Rhobar nodded. “Yes, I did,” he replied. “But I think it is best to tell this story from the beginning. It is, among other things, a story of love between a bird and a tiger.”

  “Sounds interesting already,” Karma said with a smile. “I’m all ears.”

  “Very well then,” King Rhobar said, reaching out to brush the shiny leaves of a small tree with his fingers as they passed by it. Never had he imagined telling this story to an off-worlder, but he had heard Techu Samyi himself, and knew it was the one task given him to perform. Therefore, he would do it.

  “A very long time ago, long before the time we began to keep records of such things, there was a magical being from a far away world called Vatran. The Vatra traveled among the stars at will, such was their magic. One Vatra, named Feenis, was travelling from his home to another world when he sensed another magical being travelling through the cosmos. More than that, he sensed that the other being’s magic was seriously depleted, and that it was in very grave danger.

  “Thinking that the being he sensed was a fellow Vatra, Feenis followed the silent signs of distress, intending to assist a brother in need. Only he did not find another Vatra. Instead, he came upon a large Sphin-like figure which called itself a Tigren. The Tigren was nearly as large as Feenis, but where Feenis had feathers and wings, the Tigren had fur and claws. Clinging to the back of the Tigren was a young woman who looked much like the human females he had seen on another world he had once visited. At first he thought the woman was dead, but soon realized she was in a magically induced sleep.

  “The Tigren sensed Feenis, as Feenis had sensed the Tigren, and when Feenis approached, the Tigren begged for help. The Tigren’s only wish was to save his last child, but his strength was gone and if Feenis did not help, she would soon die, as he would himself. Feenis agreed to take the woman to a world where she would be safe, and the Tigren handed his daughter over with heartfelt thanks. Feenis thought he might also carry the Tigren to safety, but as soon as the Tigren was assured that his daughter would be safe, he closed his eyes, released his magic, and passed to the Beyond.

  “Feenis brought the young woman here, to Rathira, knowing that she would have no trouble with the air, water and food, and knowing that there were other humans here. He meant only to see that she was safe, then continue on his way, but he found that he could not leave her. The moment he had looked upon her face the first time, he had fallen in love with her. Before waking the woman, whose name was Sariana, from her magical sleep, Feenis used his magic to transform himself into the form of a human male, in hopes that she would return his feeling
s. Which, as this is a love story. I probably don’t have to tell you, she did. Most emphatically, in fact.”

  Karma smiled. “King Rhobar, do you know the name of the world that Sariana came from?”

  “No, I don’t,” King Rhobar replied. “If she told it, it has been lost through the ages. What I do know is that Sariana came from a world where the people were shifters, divided into clans based on what they shifted into, and children were born in threes. She had not one father, but three, as well as two sisters, six brothers and of course, her mother. She told of a terrible battle in which all of the other clans turned on the clan of the Tigren, determined to wipe them out. Eventually, all of her family had been killed, save only herself and her father. In a desperate attempt to save the single remaining member of his family, her father used his magic to escape their world, attempting to carry her to a new world where she could live out her life in peace. But his strength began to wane before he found a world that would support life for her. Luckily, Feenis happened upon them before it was too late for her, if not her father.”

  The Jasani, Karma thought. She’d never heard of a Tigren Clan, but the rest was too similar to be anything else. So there was a connection. But what did it mean?

  “Did they get married and live happily ever after?” Karma asked, keeping her thoughts to herself as she brushed her fingers lightly over the velvety petals of an orange flower that resembled a butterfly.

  “Yes, actually, they did,” King Rhobar replied. “There is much more to the story, of course, but I shall come to the part that you most need to be aware of.”

  “The red bird?” she asked.

  “Yes, the red bird. Even though Feenis was able to transform himself into a man, he wasn’t a man. He was a magical being, a Vatra. Nor was Sariana human. Of course, once they were wed, they wanted to have children, which was impossible without the use of very strong magic.

  “The Vatra must be bonded to the world on which they live as that is the source of their power. Knowing that Sariana would never be accepted by his own people, Feenis severed his bond with his home world, and bonded with Rathira. He then performed magic upon himself, and Sariana which allowed them to have children.”