Shon lay propped up on the bed, a damp rag against his cheek. Matthu sat on the bench at the end of the bed. They both stopped talking and stood. "Amelia." Shon swayed, catching himself on the bed frame. "I spoke to Vorec," Shon said. "We've reached something of a truce. It—"
Amelia tried to swallow the knot in her throat as she lifted her hand. "Shon, there's something I need to say to you." Her voice trembled. "Matthu…"
"Sure. You two talk." Matthu picked up his vest and slid it on. He smiled a little before leaving.
Amelia almost wondered what they were thinking, but she kept her elmis focused on the ground. She couldn't take any more unnecessary information.
Shon waited until Matthu closed the door. "Amelia…did they hurt you?"
"No. And thank you for standing up for me." Amelia made herself look at him. Those soft gentle eyes drew her in, and she wished more than anything that she could curl up in his arms and let the chaos of the world subside around her. "I…I don't know that I would have made it this far without you. You haven't ever let me down, and I know, if you could, you would go with me to the ends of all the worlds to restore the Tue-Rah and defeat Naatos."
Shon smiled, a hint of sadness in his eyes. He reached for her hands. "I would."
Amelia drew back. "Shon," she whispered. "I need you to do something for me."
"Whatever you want."
These next words weren't going to be easy, but Amelia forced them out before they suffocated her. "Chialao is one of the Truth Bringers, and they are trying to make a bargain with Naatos and his brothers. They'll betray you to Naatos so that he can kill you." She burst into tears, pulling back farther.
Shon's eyes widened. He slid his arm around her shoulders and guided her to the bench. "Amelia…"
"No, don't speak." Amelia pressed her hand to his mouth. His lips were so full and soft beneath her fingers. She wanted to kiss him again. Disappear in the sweet comfort of his affection.
She pulled back abruptly, moving back to the other side of the room. "Shon, I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone. And I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you, but you have to leave. Please, you have to go! I can't protect you, and you can't protect me. You have to go. Get some supplies and leave."
Amelia burst into sobs, hiding her face. "You have to go!"
It was all she could think of. If she could contact Naatos, perhaps using the necklace, Shon was gone and she wasn't in New Istador, then perhaps Naatos would leave everyone but her alone.
Shon remained silent, watching her. Then rising, he moved closer. "Amelia, I will not abandon you. And Naatos won't kill me. I'll explain the consequences if he does. There's some information that he needs to know about. And if they're going to be coming here to New Istador, it sounds like now is as good a time as any."
Amelia gritted her teeth together, trying to get a hold of her emotions. "You don't understand! I saw you die—I saw it, Shon. Naatos is going to kill you. It doesn't matter what I've told him. He'll kill you as soon as he finds you, so, Shon, please!"
"Amelia," Shon said, his voice soothing. "How can I leave you now when you need me most?"
"Because if you love me, you will want to spare me the greatest pain I could ever endure. And that is losing you. Shon, please." Amelia looked up into his eyes. "Just get out of here. Go find someplace. Find someone else to love. Just live. Whatever you do, you have to live!"
"Hey, hey." Shon caught her hand in his again. He laced his fingers through hers. "Listen. I know Naatos has feelings for you, but it's because of that that he will not kill me." He closed his eyes, his grip on her hand tightening. "Chialao showed me your death too. She said that if I died, then your fate would be sealed, and you would die."
"Naatos won't believe that, and you can't touch me!" Amelia pulled back again, bumping into the wall.
"How will he know?" Shon smiled. "I won't tell if you won't. He doesn't own you."
"No, but I gave my word. That has to mean something. It's one of the few things I've got."
"Now you've also got what I learned from Chialao."
"Naatos won't believe that. I can't risk losing you on that." Amelia lifted her eyes back to his. "Please…Shon. I'm going to tell Naatos that I have sent you away and I will never see you again. But, in my heart, I will know that you are well. There are others who will need you. Other battles you'll have to fight. This is so far from being over, and the best way that you can serve is to be as far from me as possible. You'll find glory. You'll find love. You'll find life, Shon, and that will make me strong. I won't be burdened by the guilt of your death. I will always carry this love for you in my heart, and when this whole matter is finished, if I am still alive and you as well, then we'll meet somewhere."
Shon looked as if he was about to argue, but he stopped. "Amelia, I wanted to go with you to the end of wherever this journey would take you. I'm not afraid to die. It would not be a tragedy for me to lay down my life for you, but…I am not willing to risk you. So…I will go. I will never stop loving you. And when you succeed, we'll be together."
Amelia laughed with relief. She wiped her cheeks. "Yes. When I succeed." As long as I don't die, she added silently. She forced a smile. "So where am I going to meet you?"
"On the road to Polfradon. The place where we made camp and where I first told you that I had feelings for you." Shon smiled, his hand cupped under her chin. He was being brave. She felt those feelings, bittersweet, pressing at the edge of her own mind. "If we don't meet before then, I'll meet you there two days after the Tue-Rahs are all restored if I haven't found you sooner."
"I will never stop loving you, Shon. No matter what."
"And I will never stop loving you." A tear glistened beneath Shon's eye. "Are you going to surrender?"
"I don't know. I know we have to separate. That we can't see each other. But, I don't know…" Amelia stood. "You should go as soon as possible."
Shon shook his head. "Not right away. If Naatos and his brothers are on their way here, then there's a lot that needs to be done to prepare New Istador for a siege or battle. I only need a few hours to get sufficient distance."
Amelia wanted to argue, but she had already asked so much of him. So she just nodded. "All right." She rose. She still didn't feel peace from this. Grief, guilt, anger. All of it crushed in around her.
"Amelia…" Shon's gaze fell to her lips. He wanted to kiss her. The desire shone in his eyes, but it was hesitant.
Maybe he was right. How would Naatos know? And what harm could one kiss do? Surely she could hide that from Naatos. Shon was leaving. And after all he had done for her that wasn't too much to ask. Shon's warmth drew her in. Amelia focused on his lips.
When he had kissed her before, she felt such tenderness. Such closeness. She shut her eyes, remembering each of the sweet kisses they had shared. She wanted to press her hands to his and feel his strength.
Her breath quickened. Shon leaned closer, his forehead resting against hers. No, it wasn't too much to ask. He was leaving. She probably wouldn't see him for months. Maybe even years. His warm breath wisped against her cheek. Her lips parted.
Shon edged closer. He brushed his cheek against hers, inviting her closer.
"Shon…" The tone within her mind had changed. No longer was it the sweet memories of the first time he confessed his affection for her. She saw his corpse, his death, his defeat. Pulling back, she darted for the door. "I have to go."
Amelia ducked out of the room, not looking behind, and the door slammed shut behind her. She dug her fingers into her hair as she kept going. What's wrong with me, she wondered. She had one chance to save Shon, and she nearly ruined it.
As she walked, she pressed her hands to her head. "Why is this happening," she whispered. "Some guidance wouldn't be unwelcome, Elonumato. I hate this silence. Please! I'm fighting as best I know how, but you aren't telling me anything else. Can you give me some instructions? Does someone have to die for me to know what I need t
o do? Please!"
Her words dropped away as her thoughts continued. She sunk deeper and deeper into her quandary. Please, Elonumato, she prayed. Why can't you tell me what's going on? Am I even doing what I'm supposed to? Am I just supposed to surrender to Naatos? Is this what it's all been leading up to? I go in there as his wife and kill him? Is that what you want? Isn't that sick? Doesn't that cut against everything that makes marriage so supposedly sacred?
"Can I help you with something?"
Amelia stopped short, looking around. She was no longer in the hall but in a massive chamber, surrounded by a labyrinth of natural stone formations. Ash and broken glass covered the places where art once had been.
Wait. How did she know that?
Amelia pushed the thought away. Three Machat attendants stood around an open chamber in the stone floor. A curved staircase disappeared beyond her sight.
"Where am I?" she asked. She paused, looking down at her hand, surprised to see that she now had the Salvation of the Third Nalenth with her. How long had she been wandering? She tucked it into the pouch at her side next to the sheaths, all the more confused.
"This is the chamber above the Levthro," said the attendant closest to her. She carried a bow, but the arrow remained in the quiver.
"Oh." Amelia frowned, her thoughts scrambled. How had she made it here? "The Truth Bringers. They're in there. Down there. Right?"
"Yes." The Machat attendants looked at her as if confused. "Is there something you need?"
Something had brought her here. Amelia folded her arms, trying to gather her thoughts. "What's going to happen to them? Elonumato's messenger comes here at dawn. What does that mean?"
"Elonumato's messenger takes them away after the light passes."
Light began to flow within the chamber. It crept across the ground, a soft golden glow. Dawn had come. "Can I see him?" Amelia asked.
"The messenger?" The Machat woman looked at her with surprise. "Of course not! It's forbidden to enter the Levthro at this time."
"Elonumato's rules? Or Machat rules?" Amelia held her breath. The light slowly intensified down below.
"This is a sacred place," one of the other attendants said, his spear at his side. He looked more concerned. Almost uneasy. He glanced from her to the staircase.
"It's fine." Amelia set her hands on the shredded sash about her waist. "I'm just curious."
Yet the excitement remained. She bit the inside of her lip. She had been through so many highs and lows in just the last few hours, but now she stood on the cusp of something incredible. She kept staring down that staircase. How tiring it was to deal with shrouded statements, half prophecies, and all that might exist, but perhaps there was another way. "Elonumato's messenger though. It is Elonumato's messenger, right?"
"Of course."
"Good enough for me." Amelia lunged past the Machat and jumped down onto the staircase. Striking the stones, she staggered, caught her balance, and ran into the light. Warmth and brightness surrounded her. She held up her hands to shield her eyes. The Machat calling after her faded into the brightness. It was like the Tue-Rah only more intense, a purer white like the brightest flame.
Fear thrilled through Amelia's body. She swallowed hard. The very air was electric. Her heart hammered faster. I just need answers, she thought. Please don't be angry with me. She couldn't even see Chialao and the Truth Bringers.
Suddenly footsteps sounded behind her, loud and echoing. Amelia swallowed again. Her stomach fluttered. He was here. Whoever he was. Whatever this messenger was. He was here.
13
The Para of Reltux
WroOth set the spear shaft on the ground. The Machat looked fairly young, perhaps eighteen or twenty.
"You do realize that two of those three will be killed," WroOth said. "Viciously. I do not know precisely what Naatos will have done to Shon, but as for myself, I can assure you that Kepsalon will suffer more than even he can conceive." A knot formed in WroOth's throat as he remembered Mara and his children. Their brutalized bodies lying on the ashy sand. None of the guilty had been caught, but Kepsalon had sworn he would return to face punishment.
The Machat woman gave a slow nod. She twisted her hands together, the long sleeves of her robe slipping back to reveal the fern-like stripes on her forearms and her over-long fifth fingers. "Of course. We would have it no other way for those two."
WroOth arched his eyebrow. "Indeed?" In all his dealings with the Machat, he had never heard an attitude such as this. He sized the Machat up once more. She smelled like a Machat. The markings were right, the fingers were right, the voice was right. "Remove the hood."
The Machat slid the hood back revealing essentially what WroOth had expected when he first saw her. She had thin brown hair and a long face with wide expressive eyes and creased lids. Some of her hair stuck to her forehead, her cheeks and temples beaded with sweat.
WroOth chuckled. "How old are you? Ten?" He folded his arms.
"Eighteen." The girl lifted her chin, her brow furrowing.
"Well, in that case, you must know all the consequences of this." WroOth picked up the torch on the wall and lit three of the candles in the iron holders fixed to the wall. Machat aged at a rate much more akin to Neyeb. Vawtrians developed far slower. Technically she was younger than Sadyr, his eldest daughter. But Sadyr, though thirty-four years of age, had appeared no older than twelve, which was typical for Vawtrian children.
He stopped the cycle of memories that pressed against him. The words shriveled in his mind. He pulled back the torch, realizing he was melting one of the candles.
"Lord Para…" The woman took half a step forward. She fell back when a loud roar sounded from the courtyard. WroOth only smiled. Naatos had probably found something that displeased him. Woe to the Talbokians who cross him. It would be good when the Tue-Rah was restored and the Vawtrians arrived. He missed sparring with his fellow shapeshifters, particularly his cadre and especially QueQoa. Oh, it would be good to fly recklessly with a friend.
"You're easily frightened," WroOth said. "Should you even be dealing with Vawtrians if you are so easily startled?"
"I am not afraid." The woman swallowed, the warmth in her cheeks paling. "I am Felsa."
"I can't imagine why that would matter." WroOth moved toward the center of the room. Chasing a Machat like this would not even be mildly amusing. The woman was practically shaking now. Amelia had made a far more entertaining Machat, and she had only been pretending.
Felsa drew back, her gaze darting to the window and back to him.
"Why don't you get to the point, little Machat," WroOth said. "Why would you be willing to betray Shon and Kepsalon to certain death? Particularly Kepsalon. I saw the markings on his neck. He's one of the Honored Elders. Don't you owe him honor, reverence, and respect?"
"The Honored Elders are among the reasons we have suffered as we have."
"Suffered?" WroOth laughed hollowly. He set his hand on the hunting knife at his side. "And what do you know of suffering?"
"Just listen to me. Please, Lord Para." Felsa bowed her head. "We want to help you become our Para again. We want you to rule us."
"Do you?" Startled, WroOth narrowed his eyes. This was becoming stranger by the minute. He set his arms akimbo, staring into the Machat's eyes. She at once looked away. "Why?"
"You were the Para during the Machat's most prosperous years."
WroOth nodded slowly. The silence filled the room. Machat did not usually lie, but they did not turn on their own either. How could Felsa be sincere in these statements? It had to be a trap, though he could not see its purpose. "I don't believe you," he said at last.
"Lord Para!" Felsa dropped to her knees, hands to the floor, face turned down. "You must! We know that you and your brothers intend to kill all Machat for the failings of our elders and those who came before them. But they were wrong. They erred when they sided against you, and for all the wrongs that they committed, they deserve to die. But we want you back! We don't want you
to just be our Para. We support you as our ruler. We will be your soothsayers. Become our ruler, and we will be your people. We will deliver the three into your hands, and we will show you the paths to New Istador."
Her impassioned plea struck all the right notes for sincerity. But it was far too good to be true. WroOth tapped his finger to his cheek, pondering this. There was really only one conclusion.
Either these so-called Truth Bringers were lying or they were idiots. But to let the opportunity pass by would be beyond foolish. "How many of you are there?"
"We number more than thirty." Felsa's gaze darted up and then back to the floor. "And we are all dedicated wholly to your success."
"Perhaps you are, but I am not satisfied with your offerings." WroOth gave a dismissive shake of his head as he paced to the end of his room. "It would go without saying that we would eventually capture all three of those individuals and even find our way to New Istador. At most, you would save us a few days."
"Lord Para, it is unlikely—"
WroOth lunged forward. He seized Felsa by the shoulders and lifted her up. "Are you suggesting that we are not skilled enough to hunt and capture those who have wronged us? Is that what you are saying to your Para?"
Felsa's eyes widened. Her mouth gaped. "N-n-no, Lord Para," she said, her voice breaking. She shook like skeletal branches in a hurricane.
WroOth dropped her to the ground. "Good. Because that would have annoyed me. You may resume your previous position." He pressed his fingers together and began to pace the length of the room leisurely. "Now, as I was saying, the offering is insufficient. If you wish for the benevolence of my rule, then you and your little friends…are any of you over the age of fifty?"
"One is thirty-seven, Lord Para," Felsa said, her forehead touching the sleek stone floor.
Thirty-seven? WroOth rolled his eyes. It would be wise not to expect too much from this group. Still…they could prove useful. "Very well. What I require is that you Truth Bringers provide all that you have said as well as the prophecies, foretellings, and predictions of the elders. All of them."
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