Song of the Earth: Book Four of the Firebird's Daughter series

Home > Other > Song of the Earth: Book Four of the Firebird's Daughter series > Page 10
Song of the Earth: Book Four of the Firebird's Daughter series Page 10

by Kyrja


  “You should say it anyway,” he responded, but the eager edge in his voice gave him away. He was scared. Or at least concerned. He wouldn’t have asked for her opinion otherwise. For some strange reason, he seemed to think that she was closer to those “in charge,” than he was. But she knew Savaar didn’t necessarily listen any closer to her than he did the others. He was swept up in what she could only call “courting” the new goddess of Nohoyo, Jahari. Batal had to admit she found her fascinating as well, but probably for entirely different reasons than Savaar did – who was obviously completely smitten with her.

  “All right,” she stalled, “if you think it’s important that I, who was born an air-breathing human, would know more about water than you, who has lived all of his life in it, then how about if I ask you if that grass you’ve been eating is good or not?” She smiled to make sure he knew she was teasing him; humor wasn’t something that translated well between languages, let alone between species.

  “Are you joking?” he asked, genuinely concerned.

  “Yes, Kani,” Batal sighed, giving in. “The water is being poisoned. It’s not bad enough yet to kill anyone if they drink it or live in it, but it is starting to affect the smallest lifeforms, like plankton, and algae. And that,” she emphasized the word, “will lead to …”

  “Death,” Kani finished for her. “For everyone.” He paused, considering, then asked, “What do you think is causing this poisoning?”

  “Since you are asking me, I am going to guess that you don’t know, and that if you do think you know, you are afraid to say it out loud.” She looked at him, expecting some kind of confirmation, but when he continued to look at her as if she was expected to keep talking, she admitted, “I’m not sure either.”

  “But you have a guess,” he told her with confidence.

  “I do,” she agreed, turning away from him, shaking her head.

  “Is it because of what we have built here, so the Bahari can live here too?” he asked, a pleading note in his voice.

  “Oh no, Kani,” she assured him, turning back around to make sure he could see the pained expression on her face. “This has nothing to do with the Bahari at all, nor any of the wonderful work everyone has done to give us choices whether to live here or not. That,” she emphasized, “I can promise you.”

  “Then what is causing the poisoning?” he was beginning to sound angry.

  “I think it’s Borja’s fault,” she told him, wincing a little, expecting him to deny it. She knew he really liked her, or she thought he did anyway. Probably because it was largely due to her influence that he was able to experience a new place in the world.

  “I don’t want to agree with you,” he told her, a frown forming on his face. “But I am afraid you are right.” He paused, then added, “I’m just not sure how she is doing it though, or if she is doing it on purpose. It has been a long, long time since she has been able to be her true self. Maybe she has forgotten how.”

  “You don’t really believe that, do you?” Batal asked, crossing her arms.

  “No,” he admitted, “but I want to. I want to believe it is possible for me to live here, in the desert, surrounded by water. I want to believe I can have a life in the water and out of it. I want to have friends who can talk to me, and maybe one day I can even have children who can do the same things. I want to just … just … experience all of it!” he exclaimed, holding out his arms as if to include the entire planet.

  “Then let’s go talk to her,” Batal suggested.

  “Talk to her?” Kani seemed alarmed by the idea. “But won’t she just lie if she is the one responsible? Why would she tell us? If she is the one who is doing it, she must be stopped. She is a goddess, Batal!” he shouted. “She could kill us where we stand if she wants to, and there would be nothing to stop her if she wanted to.”

  “She wouldn’t kill us if we asked her in the right way,” Batal countered. “If we take our concerns to her because she is a goddess and we’re seeking her help.”

  “I’m too afraid,” Kani told her, his body physically shaking at the prospect of confronting her. “If only we had some kind of magic to protect us, or something,” he lamented. “Oh wait!” he suddenly shouted, a smile quickly spreading across his face. “Didn’t you do some kind of magic with your … your … I don’t know what it’s called. The rock thing. It’s a crystal or something. The thing that turned you into a Bahari.”

  “It’s called a Tear of Amphedia,” she explained. “But I don’t see how it can help us against Borja. It won’t harm her,” she clarified. “It would probably make her stronger somehow though,” she sighed. “Unless … “ she hesitated, trying to think it through. “What we could do, though, is to use it on the water!”

  “The water? Why? What would it do?” Kani asked, confused.

  “I think it might help to get rid of the poison, to make it healthy again, and if it did, then Borja would notice,” she said.

  “And we would still end up dead if she is the one who’s poisoning the water,” Kani frowned.

  “Maybe,” Batal agreed. “But not if we aren’t the ones to ask her about it,” she said, realizing she could see the shape of a plan forming. “We could ask Jahari to find out instead!” she announced, smiling.

  “Hmmm … “ Kani nodded. “Can you ask her? I don’t know where to find her. Will she talk to you? Aren’t you afraid of her?”

  “I’m not afraid of her, no,” Batal assured him, wondering if maybe she should be. “I will go right now to ask her. Will you stay here, where I can find you?”

  “No,” he shook his head. “I need to return to the water. All of this … “ he shrugged his shoulders, “… is making me nervous. I’m afraid I will transform back into a crab whether I want to or not. Are you sure the water is still safe enough for me?”

  “For a little while longer, I think so, yes,” she replied, already thinking of how she would be able to get Jahari’s attention to ask for her help. “I’ll come back and find you,” she said, placing her hand on his shoulder. “We’ll fix this,” she told him. “Together.”

  * * * * * * * *

  Looking at her bare feet propped up on the table in front of her, Sakari thought this might be the first time in weeks that she’d actually seen her feet. She hadn’t really looked at them when stuffing them into her boots before sunup, nor had she thought to look at them when kicking her boots off late at night. She needed to get her knife and trim the overgrown nails on her big, inside toes, before they grew so long and strong they cut through the worn out leather of her boots.

  But not today. Maybe tomorrow. She would have done it yesterday, just to have something to do. She’d been ordered to take three days off and had resented it. She was here to work, to help the people of Nohoyo to restructure their lives and their way of life so that a healthier balance was struck as they moved forward as a people free of both oppression and a false sense of entitlement.

  None of them were going to have a “day off” for the rest of their lives, and as the woman responsible for starting the civil war that had brought them to this precarious position, it was her duty to help them get to a place where they were more easily able to govern themselves in a way that left behind their old ways of treating each other as if some were less-deserving of life and simple decency.

  The Kasis who once acted with impunity and full authority to take the life of any citizen for any reason – or no reason at all – were having the hardest time transitioning into teachers and guides. None of them even understood how to approach their new responsibilities without an obvious power structure in place. They were at a loss without a chain of command and a system which clearly provided them with permission to punish their students. Not that any of them were close to being trusted with students, of course.

  The transition for the Fire Tenders was much easier. They were, by and large, grateful for their new role as healers. No longer required to kill others in order to feed the Sun God, most of them were finding a ne
w sense of peace in their lives.

  But since the very old, criminals, deformed, and those who were sick were no longer being sacrificed to Sov, they had to find new ways to tend to those kinds of people. Not to mention the class structures which had heavily favored those who had previously governed the people of Nohoyo.

  Yesterday, she had been tense, filled with rage, and irritated at the smallest of inconveniences. She wanted to work. To help. Not being in the thick of it, making the decisions and settling disputes felt like a betrayal. Today, she had found a small sense of peace. She was no longer chomping at the bit to get back into the fray. After Zaria had given her a massage, which had ended in a very satisfying session between the blankets, she was finally feeling relaxed. And glad for it. The headache that had been building for the past five days or more was gone, and she was hungry. Zaria had promised to bring her something wonderful after sunset and had promised to spend the night.

  As one of the Fire Tenders who had once been chained to the wall near her shield so the Kasais would always have her under control, she was especially grateful for her freedom, and couldn’t be happier to be able to use her powers to heal instead of being forced to kill a dozen or more people every day. There was even talk of sending some of the “Magami” or “Hands,” as they were called now, to Bila to help there. Sakari knew Zaria was eager to go, but she also knew she hoped to be able to stay here so they could become even closer. Sakari was toying with the idea of asking her to move in. On the other hand, she didn’t want to make Zaria have to choose between staying to be with her, and leaving Nohoyo to see another part of the world. Thinking she would wait a while longer before asking Zaria, she stretched from head to toe, pushing her hands out above her head to make sure every part of her body was included in the luxurious sensation. She was feeling thoroughly comfortable, all propped up on her chair, wondering if maybe she should go lie down for a nap, when she felt a strange sensation on her left ankle. Had something bitten her? It had felt more like a burning sensation than an actual sting or bite, but it was in an awkward place, and hard for her to see from where she was sitting. The thought of bringing her leg up onto the chair was just too much trouble; she still wouldn’t be able to see it from there. Besides, what difference did it make? Whatever it was, Zaria would be able to heal it when she arrived in a little while.

  With that settled, she felt herself starting to drift off, grateful for the first time that Jahari had insisted she take three days off. She’d never really had someone do that before, and it still felt strange, but you didn’t really tell a goddess that you weren’t going to do what they told you to do without good reasons. Still, she thought with a smile, Jahari had better know that she wasn’t going to be able to boss her around about everything. Feeling sleep reaching out for her, she heard herself start to quietly snore; a kind of warm, buzzing sound that made it feel like everything was all right with the world.

  But suddenly she was sitting straight up and her ankle was on fire. She was frantically digging her nails into her skin by the time she understood she was even doing it. Pulling her hand away in alarm, she realized it wasn’t a bug bite, or some kind of rash. It was her tattoo. She stopped scratching at it immediately, her hand poised above it, no matter how deeply it seemed to be burning her flesh. She felt a flood of cold emotion wash through her, and even shivered as she realized what was going on. Kraas. She was alive! How could that be? Oh gods! she wanted to shout out loud. To scream. She put her hand over her mouth to make sure she didn’t. She felt herself rocking back and forth, but wasn’t sure she knew how to stop. She’d left Kraas behind in Bila months and months ago when she’d gone to find Sahil, who had been looking for Kaya.

  The fact that her tattoo was driving her crazy meant Kraas was not only alive, but close by. They had purposefully enchanted a special symbol so that if they ever needed to find one another, the symbol would lead one of them to the other. She’d forgotten about it since she’d arrived in Nohoyo. No, that wasn’t quite right either. She had put it out of her mind, convinced her lover had long since died in helping her get away from Bila when she had gone to find Sahil. It might have even been a year ago by now, she realized as a sudden wave of remorse swept over her. She should be excited and glad-hearted that Kraas was alive and on her way here. And she was, but she was also deeply saddened that she had never returned to Bila to find out if she had lived or not. She realized she felt ashamed for the first time in many years, and wasn’t sure what to do about it. And then there was Zaria …

  “Come in,” she called out, knowing it could only be exactly who she’d been thinking about. Just what was she going to tell Zaria? They had only begun their romance, their relationship, their time together, and Kraas was … well, she wasn’t sure what Kraas was now. She realized she’d gotten used to the idea that Kraas was dead, and now, she was on her way here. She felt an irrational sense of doom suddenly looming over her.

  “Are you all right?” Zaria asked, her bright smile immediately falling when she looked at Sakari. She took three quick steps into the small room, obviously uncertain how to proceed.

  “Yes, I’m fine,” Sakari lied, at a loss as to how to even begin to tell her about Kraas. About the woman she had loved with all her heart. The woman who she had thought had died to keep her safe. She hung her head, unable to even look at the other woman. She could feel Zaria’s discomfort, but didn’t know how to help her either.

  “Well … “ Zaria began, clearing her throat. “I was going to tell you I have some good news, but I’m not sure if now is a good time after all.” She waited a beat, but when Sakari didn’t respond, she added, “Since Jahari said you weren’t supposed to be bothered, I ..” she faltered. “Well, I wasn’t sure what to do, but I thought this might do you some good.” Sakari knew Zaria was confused over her own lack of reaction, but didn’t know how to get around her own embarrassment.

  “Can you tell me what’s bothering you?” she asked, coming even closer, one hand held out, as if she wanted to touch her, or somehow reach out to her.

  I’m such a coward! Sakari berated herself. I can start a civil war, but I can’t tell her that my lover is on her way here. She shook her head again, but forced herself to look at Zaria’s face. It was important that she not think there was anything wrong with her. That would be the worst thing ever. Sitting up straighter, she opened her mouth, trying to force the words out. They just wouldn’t come. No matter what she said, Zaria would feel like she had done something wrong, or … or well, she didn’t know what, but this whole situation was just … wrong. And she knew she was making it worse. Say the words!

  “Well, maybe this will help then,” she said, trying on a bright smile for her, as she walked back towards the door to the room. And suddenly Sakari knew what Zaria’s surprise was. Who it was. She felt trapped. Afraid. No! But it was too late, Kraas was walking through the door, a big, stupid – beautiful – smile on her face, with her arms wide open.

  She felt herself jump up from the chair, rush across the room, and fold Kraas into her arms without ever having willed it to happen. She felt the hot tears on her cheeks, and the knot in her stomach as it tightened unforgivably. She watched with a sad smile on her face as Zaria let herself out the door, and felt worse when she winked at her before quietly closing the door behind her. It wasn’t until that moment, that Sakari realized Zaria really had no idea who Kraas was. For all she knew, the woman wrapped in her arms was a long lost friend, and nothing more. No matter, Kraas was here now, and Zaria would have to wait. And it felt good – so very good – to know she was still alive. And here. Right here, where she could hold her. Everything she had ever tried to suppress, forget, or ignore came rushing unbidden to fill her heart with joy, and she let it.

  * * * * * * * *

  When Sakari woke the next morning, she was surprised to see sunlight coming through the single window in her room, and for a moment felt a rush of panic for having overslept. Then she remembered this was her third mandated day
off and felt an overwhelming sense of ease wash through her, grateful for the small respite. In the next moment, as the scent of sex reached into her awareness, reminding her of what she’d done last night – and with whom she had done it – she felt alarmed all over again. Kraas! She was here! She was really, really here! But where was she? She better not have left again after one night together. That would be just like her – get her all excited and happy and then take off again. As she flung back the blanket, she heard the door opening quietly. Reaching for the knife she always kept in her boot while she slept, she sat up silently, then let the blade fall again when Kraas stepped in, turning around, to gently close the door behind her again.

  “Good morning,” she smiled, feeling happier than she had in a very long time.

  “Hey fuzzy head,” Kraas replied, returning her smile. “Since when do you sleep so much? I guess you’ve gotten soft up here in “No Man’s Land,” heh?”

  “Yep, that’s me,” Sakari laughed, standing up to stretch. “I’ve always looked for the easy jobs and this one is the best ever.” She stretched her neck, trying to see what the other woman had in her hands. “What’s that?”

 

‹ Prev