"I couldn't wait for them. I am the fastest." WroOth set his jaw. "It was irrelevant though."
The land was barren within the tapestry. The only trees on the mounds of sand were sickly and twisted, more like black branches without twigs or leaves. Thin wisps of cloud hazed the horizon. If death had a home, Amelia imagined that this is what it would have chosen.
WroOth soared across the sand dunes close to the ground. With each powerful thrust of his wings, sand poofed behind him. And then, all at once, he gave an awful heartrending shout. He fell from the dragon form, transforming in midair before he struck the sand. Half falling and half running, he struggled to the base of a dune.
Amelia gasped at the sight, covering her mouth. Her stomach dropped, and she wanted to vomit, but she could not move.
Mara lay on the ground, chained into place. A massive stinger was thrust into her chest and a gag in her mouth. Her fingers were contorted, twisted as she seemed to be reaching out for the children.
They were all just beyond her reach. They were barely recognizable after the beatings. The only clue as to their identity was the difference in sizes. The five children lay there, motionless, their blood staining the silver sand in dried black streams. Even baby Ephalon.
WroOth dropped his club, ran to each of the children, lifting them up, searching for any sign of life. But there was nothing. Though he poured healing into each one, the gold light only flowed in. No breaths stirred, no movement commenced.
Then Mara's hand twitched.
A strangled cry tore from WroOth's mouth. He collapsed beside her and tore the chain out of its spike. "Mara," he sobbed. Tears streamed down his cheeks. "Mara." Lifting her in his arms, he removed the gag, then reached for the stinger.
Mara grabbed hold of his hand. Pain twisted her face. The look in her eyes was unlike anything Amelia had ever seen. Horror and grief but a strange strength. "It's too late," she wheezed. Her voice was hoarse, and tears shone on her face. "I'm poisoned."
"No. You're fine. You'll be fine. The children. They'll be fine. There's a way. There has to be." WroOth clutched her close, his voice shaking. "They're breathing. I can see it. I just have to help you first. That's all." WroOth pressed her bloodied hair back. Trembling, he kissed her forehead. "You'll see. It's not that bad. This is nothing. I've seen worse. I promise."
Mara managed a shuddering sob and laugh. "You can't fool me," she whispered. "Not this time, viskare. It's a trap. They poisoned me to poison you. I've been here for a while, and I've made peace with that. As best I can. You need to hear what I have to say."
"They underestimated my powers." WroOth laughed through gritted teeth. "I can heal you, Mara. I can." The gold light glowed from his hands and passed into her.
"That helps with the pain." Mara closed her eyes and swallowed. She gripped his hand. "But I can still feel the poison working within me. You can't make more of a connection with me or it will pass into you. You know that. I need you to live, WroOth. Live to find out who did this. They took everyone else away. I don't know what happened to them. Killed them most likely. And the children…" Her voice broke. She began to sob.
Footsteps sounded as AaQar, Naatos, and QueQoa arrived. Behind them were other Vawtrians, perhaps members of the cadre, but Naatos signaled them to hold.
AaQar slumped to the ground, looking around in horror. He was in the white form that Amelia had come to know him, but he seemed to pale even further. Slowly he lifted baby Ephalon up, his hands shaking.
"Find who did this!" Naatos bellowed. "Cover this world. Search everywhere!"
WroOth held Mara close, searching along the stinger. "I will find them," he said. "I swear I'll find them, Mara. They will suffer more than any other person in all of history. I swear it to you. But you will stand by me over their flayed and shrieking bodies because you are not going to die this day."
Mara choked. Her bloodied fingers dug into his head. "I love you, WroOth. Say it back to me."
"Why would I say it back now? You want to pretend that this is goodbye, but it isn't. Mara, you have to be strong for me. For our—" He choked. "Our children. Now let me remove this, and then I'll heal you."
QueQoa knelt beside WroOth and pointed toward the stinger. "You know why you can't remove it. If we remove this, it will trigger a sudden release of venom. Too much for you to heal her from and enough to likely kill you."
"We can cut it out. I can heal her then." WroOth continued speaking as QueQoa shook his head. "Enough, QueQoa!" He turned his focus back to Mara. "I swore I'd never hurt you, my darling, but I have to just a little now. I have to now to save—"
AaQar placed his hand on WroOth's shoulder. "QueQoa and Mara are right, WroOth. The venom is already within her." He crouched down beside them. "Do you know who did this to you? Is there anything you can tell us about them?"
"No. They were efficient and heartless. There were no orders given. Nothing I said or did…" Mara choked up again. Swallowing hard, she struggled to breathe. "They wore all black, and they were masked. They never said a word. They didn't even flinch. I don't know how they moved us because we were all knocked unconscious with some electrical bolt."
"I am sorry, Mara," AaQar said. He removed a vial of silver green fluid from the pouch he carried and administered a shot in her arm. "This will help you breathe easier. It'll help with the pain mostly."
Mara gripped AaQar's hand. "It wasn't your fault. Not any of your faults." Tears rolled down her cheek. "I love you, AaQar. You scared me at first, but after I learned who you were, you made me feel calm. Even in the midst of chaos, you were so soothing. I know you didn't like me at first, not because of who I was but because you cared so much for WroOth. You have always been there for both of us with wisdom and tenderness. Even when you distrusted me, I never felt like you were judging me. And then, once you accepted me, I knew it would never go away. You were an eye in the storm and the older brother I always wanted."
AaQar bowed his head. "I never would have thought that you could have been as wondrous as you are. You will always be honored among us." WroOth's face twisted. He opened his mouth to speak, but AaQar shushed him. "Never stop the words of someone so wounded, brother. If these are her last words, you will regret silencing her." His voice broke, but he kissed Mara's forehead. "I know of no one who deserves rest and peace more than you, dear one. And had you been my sister by blood rather than by marriage, I could not have loved you more." He stepped away, turning his face.
"It's all right, WroOth," Mara said. "Indulge me." She motioned to QueQoa. "Don't walk away, my iron dragon. You're as much part of this family as the rest."
QueQoa knelt beside her, resting his elbow on his knee. He clasped her hand in his. "You should say goodbye to the others first in case there isn't enough time."
"Naatos isn't ready to talk to me." Mara managed a weak smile. "And I want to save WroOth for last. I have enough strength. I promise."
QueQoa closed his eyes. He swallowed hard. "You and Ra…" He stopped as if about to say something wrong.
Mara lifted her hand wearily. "Let me go first. I know it'll be easier for me. You were the strangest of these four, so much like them and yet so different. It took AaQar and Naatos time to adjust to me, to know that I loved WroOth as much as I claimed. But you just accepted me from the beginning. It wasn't even a question. You have always been my friend."
"I knew better than to come between WroOth and his viskaro," QueQoa said. "I've never seen two people love one another more. I wish you had more time."
WroOth glared at QueQoa. "We will have more time. Ages more time. Stop talking about her as if this is over. It isn't!" He looked up at Naatos then, his gaze wild, almost desperate, as if to say "do something." Naatos did not turn away, but he did not speak either.
AaQar gripped WroOth's shoulder. "WroOth."
Mara continued, focusing on QueQoa. "You always brought such joy to my life. Joy both to me and to WroOth. I loved listening to you laugh. Your jokes and your stories and all the
insane things you have done and will do. And, QueQoa, you always gave the best of hugs."
"It isn't much," QueQoa said. "And I can't even give you that now. Not with that stinger in your chest."
"I remember the last one. That's enough for me." Mara squeezed his hand. "Don't let WroOth forget to have fun, all right? I hope that when you marry, WroOth will make your viskaro feel as welcome as you have made me. And when Naatos marries, because you will, you old shade," she raised her voice to catch Naatos's attention but he made no acknowledgment. She then turned back at QueQoa. "When Naatos marries, you do the same for her."
"I will." QueQoa spoke with a husky voice. He kissed her forehead. "I hope…" He dropped his gaze and slipped away, letting the words fade.
"Naatos," Mara said. She tried to look around. He had disappeared from her line of sight. "He's still here, isn't he?"
"I am." Naatos walked around WroOth and Mara, his posture more rigid than Amelia had ever seen it. "But I will not say goodbye to you, Mara. You are still breathing. Not all of the venom has entered your body. There is still a chance for you. You will not give up, and you will not say goodbye."
"Precisely," WroOth said. "And it isn't just a chance. It's practically a certainty, viskaro. Don't you see? Naatos realizes it. You aren't going to die. You can't die."
"Then don't say goodbye. Just let me tell you how I feel," Mara said. "Please…make your little sister happy."
Naatos stood there, avoiding the gaze of his brothers. Then he at last knelt beside her and grasped her face between his hands. "If you want speech from the heart, then you will get it. But you will listen first. The first time we met, I was certain you were trouble. And that is exactly what you turned out to be. But then you made us all love you. You made WroOth happier than I have ever seen him, and you brought five beautiful children into this world. Even when you were afraid, you always came back. I thought you were going to destroy my brother and use him, but you showed me a hundred times over that you were worth more than all the gold and gems of all the worlds combined. You made us love you, and you cannot leave us now. It is not allowed. So you will live. Do you understand me? There is to be no more talk of death. Speak of love. Speak of hope. But not of death. You cannot come into our lives and bring such joy and then die, woman." Naatos's voice broke. He turned his face away, gasping in a deep breath.
"I love you too." Mara smiled, tears shining in her eyes. "You were always the fiercest, you know. So determined to protect your family, but I remember the day when you first fully accepted me even if you thought I was flighty and foolish."
"Because you were. But you changed," Naatos said gruffly.
"And you changed. That first day you accepted me, I knew I was safer than I had ever been in my life. That I was your sister. And you were my brother. The older brother that I needed."
"I am still your brother. Now enough of this foolishness. I'm going to fetch a physician who specializes in venom. Perhaps such a person will have a cure or something to weaken it enough that we can heal you." Naatos stood, dashing away the tears. He cleared his throat. "WroOth, she still has blood in her veins, breath in her lungs, and strength in her heart. Keep her warm. Do not try to heal her. I will return with aid."
Mara laughed a little as Naatos left. "You and he are so alike in some ways, WroOth," she said. Her eyes softened as she looked up at him. "I saved you for last because, if I had to choose my last words, I would want them to be spent telling you how much I love you."
"These aren't your last words," WroOth whispered. His voice was thick; it kept breaking. "There are so many more to come. So many more."
"I have never loved anyone the way I love you, WroOth. I was so fortunate to meet you. I had nowhere else to go, no other options, no other hope. But you were there for me, even though you had no reason to help me. I feared that love, not because it was flawed but because you were too incredible to be true. When you kissed me, I knew I would never be happy or content with anyone else. But you didn't just make me happy, WroOth. You made my life rich with adventure and love. Everything I could have wanted, you gave me. Maybe it was too good to be true."
"No, it isn't." WroOth bowed his head against hers. "For the love of all that is holy, stop talking as if it's over. I can't lose you, Mara. I won't."
Mara brushed the tears from his cheeks. "Your brothers told me that if I ever betrayed you, they would kill me. But the truth is, WroOth…after you there could be no other man. There could never be anyone. I always wondered how Vawtrians could marry once and never turn to another. But after I married you, I knew. What grieves me is that I know there will never be anyone else for you. Don't isolate yourself, viskare. Live. Please. Find joy in some way. Happiness."
"There is no happiness without you, Mara." WroOth bit his tongue.
"There will be, WroOth. Not at first. But one day you will laugh again. It won't ever be the way that it was. It may not be better. But it will be good. And you will hunt down those responsible for this, and you will make them pay. I know it."
"And you'll be by my side. Right where you belong," WroOth said.
Mara laughed and then winced. "Now tell me how you feel about me."
"No." WroOth shook his head. "You want to hear how much I love you. How deeply I love you. Fine then. Don't give up. Just live. Live and I will fly you to the top of the sapphire mountains in Zalesof, and I will tell it to you under the moon. I will tell you what I love about you and how you have made me better and how much you mean to me. But only then!"
The stinger pulsed then, releasing more venom. Mara cried out her face contorting with pain. She grabbed hold of WroOth's hands again as he started to reach for her. "No! Don't, WroOth."
"Then what am I to do? Tell me what am I to do!"
"Just hold me."
"But I can heal you."
"Do not try to heal her, WroOth." AaQar gripped WroOth's shoulder, his voice shaking. "I have lost wife, child, nephews, and nieces. If I must also lose my sister, do not make me lose my brother as well. Do not dishonor her last request by sacrificing your own life. If anyone can help us heal her, Naatos will find him."
"Listen to him," Mara whispered. She rested her head against his arm, threading her fingers through his. "Our children are with Elonumato, and I will be with them soon. One day we will all be together again. You don't have to tell me how much you love me. I know you do. I've known it every day of our marriage. Just hold me. Let my last memory be your face."
WroOth wept again. He buried his face in her hair. "Then, for mercy's sake, someone gather the children. They're being eaten!" He pointed toward the streams of small brown ants moving through the sand.
"I will prepare and take them to the temple," AaQar said. "QueQoa, bring me garments. Blankets. Anything. We must prepare the bodies."
Some of the other Vawtrians came to assist. A few stooped down to kiss and bid Mara goodbye. From the insignia they wore, it looked as if all of those were among the Shrieking Chimera Cadre, the symbols identical to the ones that the brothers wore.
AaQar and QueQoa set about gently wrapping the children while the others constructed stretchers to carry them away.
WroOth remained with Mara, sitting behind her, clutching her close, speaking to her as he could. He looked as if he had become trapped in a nightmare, barely capable of comprehending what was happening. He at last stopped pushing away the Vawtrians and Awdawms and those who came to say goodbye to her. QueQoa brought WroOth's club and set it beside him.
The wind blew around them, brushing away the sand and their footprints. Mara clung to him, her eyes sometimes closing and her breaths often slow. She insisted she was not in much pain, but Amelia doubted that. She was a strong woman, capable of enduring a great deal, and she seemed determined not to allow anything to get in the way of her last moments with her husband.
Twice more the stinger released its venom, and twice more Mara had to talk WroOth down from healing her. "You can't survive it," she whispered. "Live for me. Plea
se. Live for me and the children."
At last, AaQar crouched beside them. "I will take the children back and then return," he said. "Our cadre and some of the others have found possible trails. They are following them now before they are much colder. I presume you want to remain here since we cannot move Mara." WroOth nodded numbly. AaQar rose and turned to QueQoa. "Watch over them while I am gone. Make sure…" He nodded at WroOth and fell silent. Then he left.
The desert became still, the wind continuing to erase all evidence of those who had been there. The dried blood had been covered. All but a few footprints were distorted into mere waves of sand.
WroOth cradled Mara as she slid into a half sleep, faint moans falling from her lips as the breaths slipped in and out of her chest, gradually slowing. He stared absently into the haze over the horizon, devastation etched all the way to his soul and bones. QueQoa remained beside them, silent.
Once more the stinger pulsed. Mara's breaths and face tightened. She shuddered, her body trembling. She was no longer able to hold up her hands or head.
WroOth rested his chin on the top of her head, holding her closer. Then, when her breathing eased a little, he gently set her down. "QueQoa."
Mara moaned. Her hand fell to the ground as she tried to reach for him.
"If I told you I was going to heal Mara, what would you say?" he asked.
"No." Mara struggled to speak. "WroOth, don't."
QueQoa stood as well. He folded his arms. "You know what I would do, WroOth. I would strike you unconscious or restrain you. If you take that stinger out, all the poison will be released into her, and she will die at once with you shortly after if someone can't stop it from flowing into you. And she cannot be healed without removing the stinger. Naatos may return with a physician at any moment."
"May." WroOth smiled faintly. "The Unatos who dealt with this sort of venom are dead and gone. Would it not be an incredible miracle if one could be found?"
"It is possible." QueQoa's furrowed brow and heavy voice betrayed his true belief.
"Then all that is left to do is accept what has happened." WroOth looked away.
Enemy Known Page 33
