The Heart of Oldra

by Georgina Makalani

  The tears surprised Cora. She was stronger than she had realised. She had managed to save him, and he was far more than she had thought, although exactly what she had suspected.

  ‘Henda,’ the man said softly. Cora turned to look up at him. ‘They must go.’

  ‘When he wakes,’ Cora said.

  ‘It may take longer than either of you would like,’ Henda said. ‘You have an interesting skill,’ she said, taking Cora’s hand.

  ‘I don’t understand what I did.’

  ‘It is not what you thought you were, or what you thought you had. But your mother is correct; you are stronger than you know.’

  ‘So Merik believes.’

  The old woman grunted. ‘He wants it.’

  ‘I don’t know what he wants, but he seems to think I can give it to him.’

  ‘Then why go back there?’ the man asked.

  ‘Because you don’t want us here, and Teven would rather watch over his sister and the others.’

  The man looked at the ground. ‘I’ll tell the chief,’ he murmured, then disappeared.

  Cora tensed at the idea, and the old woman gently squeezed her hand.

  ‘Our chief is not like Merik.’

  ‘What will happen?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ she said honestly. ‘But you will need to rest. Come have some tea with me, and then you can sleep.’

  ‘The chief...’

  ‘He will not rush to see you. He will come in his own time.’

  Cora opened her mouth to ask the first of many questions, but Henda held up a hand and, although smiling, shook her head. ‘There will be time to tell you what you want to know. Rest.’

  Chapter 16

  Cora knew the woman squatting in the dark, giving birth alone, was Teven’s mother. There was a similarity between them in their looks, and something in the way she held herself. There was also fear. Cora could taste it. The woman bit down on her lip, trying to be quiet, and Cora recognised the trees by the cliff top. She thought she sensed a dragon nearby, but she could see no one else.

  She glanced about for a sign of Merik, but he wasn’t peering at her from the shadows as he had done in so many other dreams. Maybe he knew enough of this one already.

  The woman grunted, and a baby’s cry echoed through the trees. More dragons watched from the shadows, their golden eyes glowing in the dim light. Cora wondered if the woman knew that they were there. She tried making her way down the cliff to the other clan, but they blocked her.

  ‘Please save him,’ she begged. The desperation was more than Cora could bear; she could feel the woman’s heart breaking. She was weak and tired, and she headed back up the steep climb to the other clan and Merik. The higher she went, the more exhausted she became and the more the fear overwhelmed her. All the while, she held the baby tight in her arms. Too tight.

  At the top of the cliff, she met a dragon—not leathery like the ones Cora had met here, but brilliant green and glistening as though made of the snow Cora had left behind. The beast nodded to the woman, who put the child down before it. The dragon nuzzled the child, but when she raised her eyes, the woman shook her head.

  The woman sat beside the dragon. With something small in her hand, she caused a spark that jumped to the small pile of sticks beside her. They sat for a time, the baby back in her arms and the dragon watching over them, the small fire burning brightly.

  Then, without expression, the woman leaned forward and picked up a branch from the fire before dropping it again. ‘He can’t take him,’ she said, a strength Cora hadn’t expected in her voice. ‘He can’t have what he wants from my son.’

  The blade surprised her, glinting in the firelight as she carved quickly at the baby’s chest. He screamed out in pain. The dragon tried to nuzzle her out of the way, but she maintained a tight hold on him. When they were both covered in blood, she reached back for the fire, sealing the wound closed with the heat of the flames. The baby screamed once more and then was silent.

  ‘Watch over him,’ the woman whispered to the dragon, and Cora wondered if she too was able to communicate with them. Then she was gone, falling over the cliff. She didn’t scream, didn’t call for help, and for a moment Cora waited for a dragon to save her as Serassa had done for Cora. But no such rescue came, only the sickening thud as she hit the ground so far below.

  When Cora turned back, the dragon was gone and the baby lay silent by the fire. A younger man rushed forward. Merik. He seemed worried for a moment, as though looking for someone, but then he was cradling the child in his arms and rushing back to the cavern.

  He was Merik’s son, but Cora doubted he planned for Teven to take over as Chief when he was gone.

  ‘It is a regret that he was not taken in, that we did not save them both,’ Henda said softly as Cora blinked into the dim light of the cavern.

  ‘Is he awake?’

  Henda shook her head.

  ‘Does he know what she did?’

  ‘In some ways, but not really. Another woman raised him. Although Merik knew who he was, he would not accept the boy with the scar. He had thought he would be something else.’

  ‘And so he hid what he had.’

  ‘You knew.’

  ‘I sensed the dragons. I knew in some way that he did too. Everyone else was too scared to leave, but not Teven. He knew they would not hurt him.’

  Henda nodded. ‘Although there is one dragon who will not see him.’

  ‘She protected him, in a way.’

  ‘But not enough. I can see the many questions on your face. Shall we start with more about the dragons, or is it someone else you wish to know of?’

  ‘The human,’ she said quickly. ‘I saw a human man with Rhali. My mother is human.’

  Henda smiled knowingly, and Cora wondered how the Ancients knew all that they did.

  ‘Although she is not anymore. She is Penna. But she came from somewhere far away, as did Darring,’ Cora said.

  Henda nodded slowly. ‘He is keen to explore, and he is not keen to give up the girl.’

  ‘She is also Merik’s daughter.’

  ‘Our chief does not want his brother’s children here. He fears they may be what their father is.’

  ‘Brothers can be very different. But they can also work together.’

  ‘Do your brothers work together?’

  ‘Rarely,’ Cora admitted. ‘They have such a different view of the world. But my father is sure they will be what they need to be for the Penna.’

  ‘Yet you will be Chief,’ Henda said.

  ‘If I return.’

  The woman laughed. As she put a finger to her lips, Cora realised Teven was awake and watching them both.

  ‘Why is that funny?’ he asked softly.

  ‘For a girl determined to fight her way through life, she has discovered that she has more choices than she knew.’

  ‘Does it come from being more than I thought? I didn’t think I had the skill they were so determined I had.’

  Henda shook her head.

  ‘Will he take it?’ Cora asked.

  ‘You haven’t determined what it is yet, and it may not be something that he wants.’

  ‘He is sure that it is. It is why he has looked for me all these years, why he thinks I came to him.’

  ‘You are a healer like your mother,’ Teven said, struggling to sit up. The blanket exposed his chest, and he put a hand to the spot where the arrow had hit.

  ‘She is very different from her mother.’ Henda announced.

  ‘Am I?’ Cora asked, watching Teven closely. He looked down at his chest to see what damage had been done, and then he saw the mark.

  Anger flashed across his face. ‘What have you done?’

  Cora looked down at her hands. She wasn’t really sure what she had done to make the mark appear on his chest, but the feeling she’d had when he’d dropped at her feet was similar to what her mother had felt when she’d thought Pira was going to die. Teven might not want her here, yet she had a connection w
ith this man she could not ignore.

  ‘It was all I had of her,’ he stammered, his fingers digging into the skin. Cora tried not to focus on the well-formed muscles beneath it.

  ‘You have her eyes,’ she murmured.

  He looked at her with surprise, and she chewed her lip again as she studied her hands. ‘If this is what it does,’ she whispered, ‘he can take it.’

  ‘Don’t say that,’ Teven snapped, and she looked up.

  ‘I don’t feel well,’ she said, looking at the Ancient as dizziness and nausea threatened to overwhelm her.

  Henda reached out a hand and put it to Cora’s head, then rested it on her chest. She murmured something under her breath, but Cora couldn’t pick up what it was. She helped Cora to lie back down and covered her with the furs, running her hand over her head. ‘You took on too much,’ she whispered.

  A sharp pain started in her chest, and she put her hand over her mark. She pulled quickly at the material to check that it was still there. It felt like she was losing herself in the pain baby Teven must have felt. And in the fear of what Merik would do to his mother. That she felt the only option was to leave her baby with a dragon and die... Cora sucked in a sob at the loss of the child, the loss of all hope.

  ‘It is her pain,’ Henda whispered, her hand still on Cora’s hair. ‘Poor child,’ she murmured. ‘This is no gift.’

  ‘What is it?’ Teven asked. She was sure he sounded closer. ‘Is she sick?’

  ‘In a way,’ Henda said. ‘She has taken all your pain, all your mother’s pain at the damage she caused, and she is holding it in her heart so that you don’t have to.’

  ‘I didn’t ask her to.’

  ‘Essara,’ Cora whispered.

  ‘Oh child,’ Henda said. ‘We are far from the snow.’

  Chapter 17

  ‘Arminel,’ Cora called, having dreamt of him searching for her again. ‘I’m right here,’ she added in a whisper. But as she focused on the space around her, it took her a moment to remember where here was.

  The pain in her chest had stopped, along with the throbbing in her mind. But she was stiff and uncomfortable and trapped. A strong, heavy arm was draped across her, and a heavy leg pinned down her own. She pushed back. With a groan, he rolled away from her, and she was on her feet.

  He had survived the night. He didn’t look any different from any other morning she had watched him sleep. When he wasn’t already out and gone. Her chest ached at the thought of him. He had been angry at what she had done, but she couldn’t let him die. Henda was sure that she could heal more. She put her hand to the mark again, then stepped forward at the clear call of a dragon.

  She pushed the curtain back and walked into the early morning light of the cavern. ‘Dragons,’ she whispered, looking at the sheer number of them—at least one at every hearth. She sighed with relief. As she made her way to the centre of the cavern, they all bowed their heads to her.

  ‘What are you doing?’ a man asked, walking quickly towards her.

  ‘I was called,’ she said, clenching her hands at her sides. She was so excited she wanted to throw her arms around each and every one of them.

  You must stay with the Ancient until the chief is ready for you. Then we will take the time to meet, an older female voice resonated through her body.

  Cora nodded once and turned back towards the Ancient cavern.

  ‘You look very happy,’ Henda said, waving her forward. With a cup in one hand, she indicated a space by the fire with another.

  ‘So many dragons,’ Cora sighed. It was like she could breathe again.

  ‘And are they like your dragons?’ Henda asked as she handed Cora the cup.

  Cora took a moment to sip at the hot tea before she nodded and then shook her head. ‘They look the same, only shades of green. Our dragons are blues, whites and silver.’

  ‘The snow,’ Henda said with a nod.

  ‘Who is Essara?’ Teven asked, sitting cautiously beside her. She knew he was healed, but he moved slowly.

  ‘Do you still hurt?’ Cora stretched out a hand towards him, but she withdrew it quickly when he leaned back.

  ‘Essara,’ he said again.

  ‘The snow,’ she said, looking at Henda instead of him. ‘She watches over us. And when we die, she holds us in her arms.’

  ‘Why would you call for her?’ he asked.

  She shrugged and sipped at the cup.

  ‘Last night...’

  ‘Enough,’ Henda interrupted. ‘The girl was in pain. She had no idea whom she called for in the night. Did Arminel answer?’ she asked, turning back to Cora.

  Cora had to smile at the question. ‘The question should be: did he hear me answer? He called to me all night, but still hasn’t found me.’

  ‘Is he your mate?’ Henda asked. Teven looked up sharply, his face colouring a little.

  ‘He is the Ancient of my clan,’ Cora said without looking at Teven.

  ‘I thought your mother...’

  ‘She works with him. She will be Ancient one day, but she has too much to do first.’ Cora looked back towards the main cavern. She hadn’t seen the man who might have looked like her mother, but then she hadn’t really focused on anyone. It was the dragons who had held her attention.

  ‘I have not seen as well as I thought,’ Henda murmured.

  ‘What would you like to see?’ Cora asked.

  ‘You have not been willing to let others into your mind in the past.’

  ‘I thought they expected more of me than I could give. You may be able to help me find what I couldn’t before.’

  ‘Would you want this gift?’

  Cora shook her head. ‘It is mine already. Essara gave it to me for a reason, and I must work with it despite the pain.’

  ‘Did it hurt that much?’ Teven voice sounded concerned, but she couldn’t look at him or answer.

  ‘You might be a great Ancient of your own one day.’

  Cora shook her head. ‘My place is as Chief,’ she said softly.

  ‘You weren’t so sure you would return last night,’ Henda said.

  ‘Will you be Chief of your people, or do you want to be Chief of mine?’ a deep voice asked behind her. She cringed before climbing slowly to her feet and bowing her head. He sounded very much like Merik, yet, he looked very different when she faced him.

  He was wiry and tall. His moppy dark hair was greying around the edges, and his face was friendly despite his words. He reminded Cora of her father, and she instantly liked him.

  ‘You have met my brother,’ he said.

  She nodded once.

  He sighed and looked at Teven. Then he stepped forward, reached for Teven and pulled at his tunic. ‘Henda, did you heal this man?’

  ‘No, it was the girl.’

  He pulled the tunic open further to reveal the mark and sighed. ‘Your mother tried so hard to protect you.’

  ‘Are you Oldra?’ Cora asked.

  He released his hold on Teven and turned slowly to face her.

  ‘You are. You have already tried to introduce yourself to our dragons.’

  ‘She called to me,’ Cora said.

  ‘You did not answer my question.’

  ‘My father is Chief of the Penna, as is my mother,’ she added. ‘It is my place to be Chief when they are gone.’

  ‘Both parents?’ he asked, his voice slow and deliberate.

  She nodded.

  ‘Both Oldra?’

  She nodded again.

  ‘Do you have siblings?’

  ‘Two younger brothers—and no, they are not Oldra.’

  He smiled then. ‘You will learn that not all who lead are Oldra.’

  ‘I know another chief who is not.’

  He cocked his head to the side. Her people and their allies were far away from this man, although she didn’t think he was a threat to them. ‘Sarn, Chief of the Keetar, is not Oldra.’

  ‘But he is a warrior.’

  ‘As we all are.’

  He smiled
again. ‘Your father must be a wise man, to have taught you so well. Did you get these skills from him?’

  ‘My mother is a healer and a seer.’

  ‘What can she see?’

  ‘The future, and inside my mind if I allow it.’

  ‘You do not like such intrusions.’

  ‘Not usually. I see enough of others.’

  ‘Do you see your future?’ he asked, indicating that she sit back down on the woven mat by the fire.

  ‘I see the past.’

  ‘The past?’ he asked as he sat beside her.

  ‘I grew up dreaming of my mother’s life. Her adventures, her fears. Only hers. Since I have come here...’ She held out her hand, searching for a name she didn’t have. ‘Since I have come to the land with no snow, I have discovered others.’

  ‘Other pasts? Or others’ pasts?’

  She smiled at him but glanced at Henda, who nodded.

  ‘When I first arrived, a young woman was giving birth. My mother would be able to see the child before he was born. She would know if he would survive the birth and if he would grow to be a good man. I saw a hard birth and a female child grow in love. It was not the child, but the mother’s life I saw.’

  He nodded for her to continue. She chewed at her lip, glancing quickly at Teven. ‘Last night I dreamt of Teven’s mother. Her fear and what it drove her to do.’

  ‘It was not what her life should have been,’ he said softly. ‘You must return to Merik.’

  Cora bowed her head to him.

  ‘Could they not stay longer?’ Henda asked.

  ‘I fear they will visit more than they should.’

  ‘We were not made to feel welcome,’ Cora said.

  ‘He keeps to himself and leaves us in peace,’ he said, turning for the door. ‘I won’t risk that.’

  ‘Thank you for your kindness,’ she said to his back, and he stopped by the curtain.

  ‘She will see you in the trees before you leave.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she said again as he disappeared into the cavern.

  Cora turned to Henda and bowed her head in thanks before she climbed to her feet. They knew far more about Merik than they had told her. ‘Do you know what skill Merik has?’ she asked quickly.