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

by Kyrja

“You can tell yourself whatever lies you wish,” she returned. “Your true desire is power. Everyone’s truest desire is power,” she purred, walking closer to him. “From the mother of the sleeping child who wishes for power to ensure her child has a life filled with joy, to the man who wishes for the power to have his every whim granted, to the god who wishes to ensure their own plans for creation and destruction are fulfilled. Power, Oculis. It’s always about power, and you are no different.”

  He sighed deeply. He knew what this was about and why she was here. Here, specifically, at the home Siri Ventus had claimed for herself. She could have confronted him anywhere else. She could have batted him out of the sky while he was flying for that matter. She came here, to Siri’s home because she knew the Goddess of Air would be privy to every word she spoke, and to his.

  “Believe what you will, Amphedia. Now please leave.” In the next moment, faster than he would have believed possible, she had a tentacle wrapped around his throat, choking him.

  “You will stop protecting those abominations of Chared’s,” she seethed, dragging him closer to her, until he was practically standing on top of her, as he struggled to release himself from her grasp. “You think that by being a friend,” she spat the word as if it was vile, “to them, you will gain their allegiance. But they won’t live long enough to do you any good!” she raised her voice, then threw him against the floor of the patio. “No good at all!”

  “Leave here!” Siri Ventus shouted as she appeared on the roof top.

  “As you wish,” with a smirk on her face, Amphedia bowed to Siri in way which was clearly mocking her, then she was gone.

  * * * * * * * *

  Sabbah watched the last of the three women leave and knew he’d been right to follow Chared. He was up to no good, no doubt about it. He knew Jarles liked him well enough – the man was his uncle after all! But he’d been Amphedia’s creature far too long and those kinds of people never changed their ways. He’d be gone in two days though, so that didn’t give Chared much time to influence Jarles anyway. Still, he would keep a close eye on him to make sure Jarles didn’t get any ideas about chasing off after him when he left with this “P’onyem” and those three women. He’d found his parents and now they all needed to return to the desert to live out their lives together. Or maybe on the shore somewhere, away from all this “god” business.

  Chapter Fourteen – Capture and Release

  Although she had been on her own before, Nieva still felt more nervous than she would care to admit. Even to herself. Still, she knew she had to go, and not just because she was angry with her grandfather. And her Grandmother the Goddess. She was always testing her, teasing her, and making her doubt herself until she wasn’t sure anymore whether her grandmother was teaching her to be “good,” or “bad.” She turned everything inside out until the only thing that seemed important was making sure she got everything her own way. And that just seemed childish to Nieva. Like her Grandmother the Goddess was some kind of spoiled toddler who very much needed a spanking, or at least to be taught some manners.

  She had heard the word “betrayal” before, and had mostly understood what it meant. But she had never truly felt it in her own heart until tonight, when she had seen her grandfather helping the people who had burned the other people. The same people who had attacked Jarles – who she knew was the Sea God, no matter what anyone else said. She didn’t much like his grandfather either. Sabbah was his name, and she knew more about him than she really wanted to, because she was always listening to what grown-ups were talking about. He had always been Jarles’ grandfather, but he only found out he was a True Child of Amphedia when he was given his own Tear. That was something else she knew more about than she wanted to, and thought maybe Sabbah might be better off if he hadn’t ever had his. He didn’t like to listen very much either, even when his answers were wrong.

  She had met Chared before, when they were in Nohoyo together with Giya, and had heard many stories about him. He had been nice to her, no matter how mean he had been to anyone else, so that made whatever trust she might feel towards him seem wrong, but that didn’t mean he should be burned up. And by his own son! Grownups were so confusing sometimes! Why they couldn’t just be nice to each other just didn’t make any sense.

  She knew what she was about to do wasn’t exactly “nice,” either, but she hoped that it would help to make Chared’s son, Sharun, think twice about what he was doing. Maybe nobody had ever been nice to him before, and he would try harder if she was nice to him now. Since her grandfather had been the one to bring him to Siri, she had a feeling there was more to what he was doing than what she could figure out – yet. It just didn’t make sense that he had been helping them and then to bring him here, where her grandmother was sure to punish or hurt him. She had seen him help Sharun with her own eyes, and had been very angry because he shouldn’t be helping someone who was trying to hurt other people. They acted like they knew him, too.

  She couldn’t figure out who she would be helping by helping Sharun to escape, but she was going to do it anyway. And no matter who that would help, her Grandmother the Goddess was going to be very, very angry with her. So, she was going to leave and not come back. At least not for a while. She would miss her grandmother, she knew, no matter how mean and confusing she was sometimes. And she would miss her mother too. But right now, she was too angry with her grandfather to think about missing him.

  It didn’t take long for her to transform into her owl self and fly to the window where he was being kept. But she had to get back into her girl body to make the symbols for “release,” so she did. She saw him watching her, his eyes full of suspicion – that was a word she had come to know very well, because her grandmother trusted no one. And now she was going to give her a reason not to trust her either. She did wonder if her grandmother would feel betrayed too, and was pretty sure the answer was yes. She did feel sorry for hurting her Grandmother the Goddess this way, but not enough not to do it. She held up a finger to her lips to make sure Sharun knew to stay quiet, then watched his eyes grow with surprise when she transformed into her owl self. She flew up to the window, then into the room. It would be easier to get him out of the building through the inside than to have him climb out the window, but they were more likely to be caught inside. Nieva was pretty sure she would be able to get him out though, so when she transformed back into her girl self, she held her finger to her lips again and smiled when he nodded his understanding.

  Nieva thought she might turn inside out when she found Hadia standing in the hallway, as if she was waiting for them. She didn’t sound the alarm though. Instead, her mother waved the two of them forward, opening the door to the back courtyard for them. Once the three of them were outside, Hadia turned and hugged Nieva, and kissed her forehead. Then she pointed a finger at Sharun. A very stern, clear-cut warning was issued without speaking a word. The look on her face said that if he hurt her, he would answer to her, personally. He nodded his understanding, then bowed to her, holding out his folded hands, opening them to her in a traditional message of thanks.

  She walked in silence beside the stranger her grandfather had both helped and captured, towards the beach. He kept his silence, allowing her to lead him without complaint, or running away. If he had chosen to, there was nothing she could have done to stop him. But maybe he didn’t know that, so he stayed next to her, keeping his steps small enough that she didn’t have to hurry too much. Before long, they were at the beach and she stopped.

  “My Grandmother the Goddess will come looking for you,” she told him.

  “Don’t worry, Oculis will protect us,” he told her, using a voice that most grownups did when they spoke with her – as if she was a small child, incapable of understanding “adult matters.” It made her furious.

  “Oculis is my grandfather and he is the one who gave you to the goddess! What makes you think he will help you now?”

  “Don’t worry your pretty little head,” he told her, actually pa
tting her hair. “It’s all part of the plan.”

  “So it would draw her attention to you, instead of the others!” she exclaimed, understanding dawning. “ Does that mean the rest of them have escaped?”

  “Now hold on,” Sharun said, holding his hands in front of him in a braking motion. “Did he tell you about this?”

  “Just because I have a “pretty head” doesn’t mean I don’t pay attention,” she replied with a frown on her face. “If they haven’t escaped while Siri Ventus held you prisoner, then it will be too late. You don’t know her at all.”

  “Is she fireproof?” he asked in a mocking voice.

  Nieva sighed, shaking her head. “She doesn’t have to come anywhere near you to hurt or kill you. She is a goddess! Do you have any idea what that means, or what she can do? If she wanted to, she could destroy this whole city.” She sighed again, then asked, “Who has my grandfather been protecting? Who is “us?””

  “You ask too many questions,” he said, his own temper obviously rising.

  “Then why stand here, in the middle of the night, talking to a brainless child?” she let off some of her own frustration. She had set him free for no reason if he was just going to make more stupid choices. No, she had helped him to escape because she knew it was the right thing to do, even if she didn’t have all of the answers yet.

  “Just go,” she said, more calmly this time. “I wish you well,” she said, looking up at his face.

  “What about you? Won’t your grandmother be mad at you for helping me?” she was pleased to hear a small note of concern in his voice.

  “Oh yes,” she chuckled. “She will be very angry with me.” She shrugged then. “But it’s too late to do anything about it now.”

  “She won’t … hurt you will she?”

  “She’ll have to find me first,” she smiled sadly.

  “But you’re just a little girl!” Sharun protested. “You should come with me, so you’ll be safe.”

  “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. You will never be safe again. You need to leave and take … whoever you are protecting with you. Far away. Grandmother the Goddess likes it here in the City by the Sea for some reason, so she won’t follow you if you leave.” She shrugged yet again. “Probably.”

  “I don’t want to just leave you here,” he frowned at her.

  “Then I will leave you,” she smiled, then transformed into her owl form, flying away from him before he had a chance to try to catch her. She circled around to watch him walk away, then purposefully made a wider circle, flying out, over the sea for a time. When she thought enough time had passed that he would have left, she flew back towards the beach. She hadn’t decided where she was going to go after leaving her grandmother’s home. She had thought she would head to Midbar, where she knew Honsa and the others lived. She had really liked them, and they weren’t likely to try and make her go back.

  Something made her look down at the same time she felt a ripple of magic across the feathers of her belly. She smiled to herself when she realized it was Jarles. The Sea God. And he was alone! At least she hoped he was. She really didn’t like his grandfather. Jarles was waving at her! For some reason that made her feel very, very good. She didn’t really have any friends, although it seemed that many people did like her. There was just something about him that she liked very much and it felt good that he seemed to like her too. She adjusted her flight to land on his outstretched arm.

  * * * * * * * *

  “Hello my little friend,” Jarles smiled, cooing to the owl who had landed on his arm, then had made her way up to his shoulder to rub her head against his. He knew she was more than an owl, of course, and realized he wouldn’t be likely to rub his head against hers in her human form, but it seemed a natural thing to do so when she was an owl. He waited for a moment to see if she would turn into a girl, but she seemed perfectly content to sit on his shoulder, so he sat down in the sand, careful not to jostle her too much.

  “I’m surprised to see you out this late at night without Oculis or Siri Ventus,” he said, looking out at the sea as it washed gently against the shore. “But you’re not likely to tell me your business, are you?” he chuckled. “That’s all right, he continued. “Perhaps I will tell you mine instead.” He leaned over to scoop up a handful of sand, sifting it back and forth, as he let it run through his fingers, then repeated the motion. It was soothing, and the motion helped him to keep talking.

  “I had the most extraordinary day today,” he felt the smile as it filled his face, remembering all over again the moment he realized who was standing in front of him. “I met my parents for the first time! Well, I lived with my mother until I was about three, I guess, maybe a little older, and then she was killed. My father died before I was born. Amphedia killed both of them.” He paused when he heard Nieva’s sad voice as she rubbed her head against his again. He reached up to pet her, hoping to help her to feel better. “But today, I met them. And it was amazing! I can’t begin to express how full of hope and joy I am!” he exclaimed, throwing his arms wide. He covered his mouth with both hands, saying “Sorry!” over and over when he realized he had thrown Nieva off of his shoulder when he’d made the motion. She had been quick enough to lift herself off of his shoulder, though, so she hadn’t actually landed in the sand.

  He held out a hand to touch her arm, apologizing yet again, when she transformed into her human body, and she laughed at him. “I can tell you’re very happy,” she smiled at him. “And very excited too!”

  “I am!” he agreed.

  “But why are you here, then, alone, instead of with them?” she cocked her head to ask, making him wonder if she was more human or more owl. And then he realized that she was probably something even more than that.

  “I wanted some time alone to just feel … all of it,” he shrugged with a smile. “It was so overwhelming. It is so overwhelming,” he smiled again. “I came here because … “ he paused. “Oh never mind, you don’t need to hear about all of this. What about you? Why are you out all by yourself so late at night?”

  “No, tell me,” she urged, reaching out her hand to touch his. “Why did you come here?”

  He shook his head. Everything was getting complicated again. “I was at peace, after Nohoyo,” he started.

  “You walked out after Giya tried to stop you,” she prompted. “I remember.”

  “I suppose you do,” he sighed. “I was more relieved than angry when I left,” he confessed.

  “Being a god is a lot of responsibility, and probably not very much fun,” Nieva guessed.

  “Huh,” he chuckled. “Maybe one day I’ll find out.” He sighed again. “It was peaceful for a while, though. Until I felt like I had to come here. I really didn’t want to, but I could feel that there was something here that I had to see. Honestly?” he paused. “I thought it was Amphedia all over again. And I didn’t want to come. But I did anyway.”

  “Did Sabbah make you?” she asked, curious.

  “Oh no!” he scoffed. “Coming here was the last thing he wanted! If he could keep me to himself forever, I think he would.”

  “And you wouldn’t like that?” she asked.

  “Well … I … “ He had no idea how to put all of his feelings into words. This was exactly why he’d come here, alone. To think. Or to not think. He knew what his grandfather wanted, and he had thought he’d wanted the same things. But now he’d found his parents and he wanted so much more than what he’d had. Not to mention time alone with his parents to just live. Even without him. Without his grandfather always poking his nose into his business, and making remarks. When they were alone, he was much different. But when they were around other people, he was often crass, bossy, and demeaning, and he just didn’t like that side of his grandfather so much. Not at all.

  “My Grandmother … “she paused … then added “the Goddess … as she likes to be called … “ then giggled. “Well, she is pretty bossy. And confusing. Sometimes she makes me think that good things are b
ad and bad things are good. As if she is the only one who gets to decide what that means, and that it always means something good for her.”

  “Gods can drive you crazy,” he chuckled, then smiled when she did too.

  “And grandparents too!” she laughed out loud. He decided he liked it when she laughed. It made the whole world seemed a little bit better. More friendly.

  “I did something she is going to be mad about tonight,” Nieva told him, looking at the ground in front of her.

  “Tell me,” he encouraged her. “If you want to,” he added.

  Now she looked at him. “Those people who were attacking you,” she began. “You and your grandfather and Chared. I saw it happen. I was there. She wanted me to watch so she could see,” she explained. “She sees through my eyes sometimes.”

  “Sometimes?” Jarles suddenly felt vulnerable, concerned that the Goddess of Air was watching him right now. He felt a small surge of fear and anger rising. Was this the reason Nieva had been out by herself tonight – was he her target?

  “When I let her,” Nieva nodded, then her eyes flew open as she must have realized his concern, adding, “but not now! I told you – she is angry with me. Or, she will be, once she sees that I let her prisoner go free.”

  “What?” Jarles marveled at her courage. She was nothing more than a child. A very clever, very smart child, to be sure, but she was still only a child.

  “He was one of the ones who was hurting you,” she told him. “I wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do, but my grandfather – you know him, his name is Oculis – he helped them and they knew him. They were friendly to him. But he still brought their leader, Sharun, to my Grandmother the Goddess’ house. To be her prisoner. My grandfather doesn’t always like my grandmother, so he was probably doing something he shouldn’t have done. But I know she was doing something bad. So,” she shrugged, “I let him out.”

  “Aren’t you worried he’s going to hurt someone else now?” Jarles asked, his own concern rising.