Giya's Betrayal: Book Three of the Firebird's Daughter series Read online

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  Her brother had changed since last she had seen him, Siri found herself thinking. She hadn’t truly considered how having the ability to see the physical world might have affected him. He was certainly more sure of himself, confident, yes. But he was also arrogant and self-centered. He’d forgotten she had always been able to hear his thoughts. Truthfully, she had quite forgotten until she heard him speaking within her mind. She had often blocked his thoughts when they were younger, since so many of the things racing through his mind were incoherent and disjointed; sometimes even frightening. Almost, did she erect those same barriers when she heard his thoughts as he rushed towards Lumas and Sov, but her own curiosity simply wouldn’t allow her to do so. And to hear his voice again after hundreds of years! It had been more than delightful – it had been blissful. Until she realized what he was thinking. His desire to be with her was disturbing. If anything, his independence since she had left his side should have made him resentful to have been called upon for his help after such a long absence. Instead, he was more determined than ever not to never leave her again. While companionship was something she had been sorely lacking in, she wasn’t at all prepared to have her entire world dominated by his constant presence. This just would not do.

  And yet, she needed his help if this world was going to survive, so she would wait. One thing at a time. First, defeat Sov and then they could concern themselves with the future. Perhaps, she scolded herself, he would be happy to return to the life he had built without her, and had only been rejoicing in not having seen her for such a very long time. Perhaps his “disturbing” desire to be with her was borne of guilt for having the ability see the physical world while she could not, and wasn’t, after all, based on truly wanting to spend his life at her side. No matter. Amphedia had started her attack on Sov – soon there would be solar flares and people everywhere on the planet would be terrified – as if having their precious moon on fire hadn’t been ominous enough!

  And what of the crystal? She had gazed into the crystal goblet often enough to know how dangerous it could be to see the future, as had Oculis. How would he be affected once it was shattered? Was he being affected by it even now? She knew Serat thought he was going to lose his vision again once it had transformed Denit into a sun goddess, but she had no words of wisdom nor foresight to offer him. He may be right, but that didn’t give her any hope that her own sight would be restored. And what other consequences might they all experiences that none of them could have envisioned? There was no stopping what had already been set in motion at this point, though. Sov would die one way or another, whether he destroyed the entire civilization of this planet or not. Would Denit, created of Sov, by Giya, be a more suitable replacement, or would she follow in her father’s murderous footsteps, demanding the same sacrifices of her people that Sov had? And if she did, who would be able to stop her? She or Sov must remain, for without a sun, the people of this planet would all quickly perish. And Lumas? Would she remain once Sov died? Siri inhaled deeply, disturbed at having so many questions for which she had no answers. Especially the one uppermost in her mind – what would happen to her once the crystal shattered?

  * * * * * * * *

  “Enough!” Sov roared. He’d felt the cracks in his skin – what most would see as crevices in a molten-covered rock surface – because of Amphidea’s efforts. He hadn’t thought she would be as successful as she’d been at diminishing him, nor would he simply remain here, waiting for her to finish him off. If she wanted a fight, he would give her one!

  * * * * * * * *

  On the world below, everyone looked skyward as the sun began to shift its shape. No longer was it moving sedately from east to west, as it always had, chasing the moon in her orbit through the skies. It was growing and shifting, and the frightening flares they had all watched shooting out from its sides were growing larger, as if it was exploding.

  Chapter Twelve – Giya’s Ultimatums

  Watching Sahil send Aidena and Kaya away, Giya wished she was the one being sent away instead. There had been many moments when she had wished she could simply go away, or be left alone, but then, that wasn’t something she could do. So much of what she did went unseen, unheard, and unrecognized as being caused by her own hand. Each of the flowers throughout all of the world had an exacting mixture of aromas to ensure it smelled precisely the way it did because she had made them that way. The bees preferred a certain sensation over any other, and aroma was a part of that sensation which made them attracted to the flowers most-likely to be pollenated. The sands weren’t simply piled up on top of each other out of random circumstance, nor was the mixture of trees in Midbar accidental. Sov’s approach had had a devastating effect on every ecosystem throughout the planet, and Lumas being on fire would certainly further push the seasons, the seas, and gravity itself out of balance. There was much work for her to attend to. But she was here, doing her very best to not only counter Sov’s increasing influence and the fear his approach was creating, but also to prepare for Denit’s return. And she must return. Quickly. Time was growing very, very short. No, she couldn’t very well be sent away. Especially not now.

  Stepping quietly out of the shadows, she enjoyed a brief, if genuine, moment of something that probably wasn’t really what anyone would call “joy,” but it was good to see the smile on Vray’s face as he marveled at experiencing magic that was “amazing,” as he called it – instead of his own type of magic, which was lethal.

  “I need your help,” she told them, her hands tucked into the sleeves her robes, as always, holding her face perfectly still. When Vray made to leave in order to give her privacy with Sahil, she reached out to him, holding his arm loosely. “Both of you,” she told him quietly.

  “What is it then?” he asked, immediately on guard, his eyes narrowing as if he already knew what she would ask of him. Then he looked down at her hand still holding his arm and it was easy to see he was extremely uncomfortable. He wasn’t used to people touching him, or even wanting to be anywhere near him. All of the Fire Tenders who had volunteered to help were paired with those who had other magical abilities, or none at all – something that had virtually never happened throughout the history of Nohoyo. Nobody had ever wanted to be anywhere near those who had been created to end their lives. Until now.

  “Tell me how to make sure no Fire Tender takes the life of anyone else ever again,” she said, looking deep into his eyes.

  * * * * * * * *

  Vray felt his stomach drop at the same time he felt his anger rising. He had known this was going to happen – that everyone was going to want to kill all the Fire Tenders because of the danger they posed to everyone else around them. There were so many things he wanted to say, but mostly he just wanted to destroy everyone around him. He felt his body quiver with the rage he was suppressing. It would do him no good to lash out, he knew. Sahil had already proven himself to be immune to his abilities, and Giya was a goddess, so it wasn’t likely she would be affected even if he touched her directly.

  And, of course, his own reaction had proven her point, as he was well aware. After being beaten, taunted, and killed all their lives, the rest of the Fire Tenders would probably find it impossible to contain their rage, and it would take no time at all before many of them were out-right murdering anyone they came in contact with who upset them.

  He could feel Sahil and Giya watching him closely, both waiting for his response, as well as observing him for any sign he may become violent and would have to be subdued. But that dangerous moment had passed without harm. The question, then, was how to keep his brothers and sisters safe from those who would harm (or kill) them for being born the way they were, and how to keep everyone else safe from them. Rubbing his face, he closed his eyes to concentrate. In no way would he allow them to be caged, he decided. Not even if Giya managed to erect the border around Nohoyo again, so they could all live freely – it would still be a cage, and those who had family members who were not Fire Tender
s would either be separated from them, or they would live in constant fear of being touched by another Fire Tender. And what of the future children any of them might have? No, this was an impossible question, one he didn’t feel qualified to answer. And yet, Giya had asked him. Did he have the right to speak for the rest of them? And if he did not, who would?

  “I’ve seen you put people to sleep,” Sahil interrupted his whirling thoughts. “Can you put them to sleep for a long time?”

  “How long?” Vray asked with a frown, wondering where this question would lead.

  “Yes,” Giya was nodding now, an excitement in her eyes which hadn’t been there a moment before. “I see where you’re going with this,” she said casually touching Sahil on the arm as she walked pass him, pacing.

  “We could work together to find a solution,” Sahil looked at Giya, his eyes, too were filled with what Vray would have called “hope.”

  “What do you mean by this?” he asked.

  “If we can put all of the Fire Tenders to sleep,” Giya started.

  “Somewhere we can keep them safe,” Sahil interjected.

  “Yes,” Giya agreed, “then we can work together to find a way to take this killing magic from them, and when we have... ”

  “We can wake them up again and they would be free to go,” Sahil finished, a wide smile on his face.

  “To go where?” Vray asked, cautiously, feeling his anger beginning to blossom again. These were his people – real people – you didn’t just put them to sleep, or put them “away” until some “thing” could be done about them, and then weeks, months, or maybe even years later, you tell them everything is all right and they can leave now. Where would they go? How would they live? What about food and water, and... and the people they loved? What then? What about all those things? He could feel himself physically recoiling from Giya and Sahil, wanting nothing to do with this “plan” of theirs.

  “Vray,” Giya spoke his name quietly, waiting for him to look at her. She saw his body shiver, knowing this was a terrible burden for him, but an unavoidable one just the same.

  “I will always be here, and we will figure all of this out, I promise you. These Fire Tenders, these people,” she corrected, “are my people too. All of you are. And I will need your help to make this work, so that everyone is safe.”

  “But you don’t understand!” he protested.

  “What don’t we understand, Vray?” Sahil asked, refraining from making any kind of “calm down” gestures which he knew would only make him more upset. Instead, he stood very still, his eyebrows raised, with a concerned look on his face, willing Vray to just look at him.

  “This “sleep” you talk of – it isn’t like when you go to your own sleeping place and... and... I don’t know, decide you are going to be quiet and relax, and let yourself rest.”

  “Can you explain what it is?” Sahil pressed, “and not just what it is not?”

  “It is like almost death,” Vray responded immediately. “It is taking the life force away, but just for a moment, and then giving it back.”

  “But I saw what you did before,” Sahil countered, frowning. “Everyone inside the circle was breathing and still very much alive. It looked like they were just asleep for a short time.”

  “I only took their life forces for a moment, just a heartbeat, and then I gave them back. I cannot just... just... hold that – the life force – it must be given to the shields, or to something else.”

  “What do you mean, “given to something else?” Sahil asked, knowing Giya wanted to ask questions of her own, but was remaining silent, no matter how urgently she needed answers.

  “I am the only one who does this,” Vray told him. “Everyone else can only take life and give it to the shields, and only from people. Me, I can take life from people and give it to plants to grow, or take it from plants to give to people to heal them.”

  Stunned into silence, Sahil looked to Giya, only to find her rubbing the space between her eyes, as if she suddenly had a headache.

  “Can you show me?” he asked Vray, deeply curious.

  “What are you thinking?” Giya asked him.

  “I am wondering if I might be able to duplicate what Vray does, using a different kind of magic,” he replied, a thoughtful look on his face.

  “So you can learn to kill others too?” Vray shouted at him, clearly angry.

  “What?” Sahil was taken aback. “Oh! No, no Vray,” he replied, shaking his head for emphasis. “Not at all! I can already kill just about anyone I care to, any number of ways, I assure you,” and then he chuckled a little, releasing the tension he’d felt building. “I want to learn how you transfer the “life force,” as you call it, from one thing to another. If I can figure that out, then maybe we really can help all your friends to sleep, instead of taking any risk of harming them. And,” he went on, “maybe, together, we can work out how to make their magical gifts less lethal, so they have a chance at living normal lives. Isn’t that worth a try?” he asked, holding out his hand to Vray.

  Vray looked at Sahil’s hand, understanding that the old man knew the risk he was taking at offering it to a Fire Tender. Sahil may not have been affected when he’d put everyone else to sleep not so long ago, but unless he was very wrong, Vray was pretty sure he would be able to take his life force before he would be able to stop him. Sahil was literally putting his life in Vray’s hands. Taking the other man’s hand in both of his, he clasped it firmly between his own, understanding, for – perhaps – the first time in his life what it felt like to be trusted.

  “Come, I will take you to the gardens. I can show you there,” Vray told him, feeling both eager and nervous. This had to work, or else he knew that every Fire Tender throughout Nohoyo would be put to death. No matter what either of them said, he knew there would be no other choice.

  * * * * * * * *

  As Giya watched them go, she saw a slight shifting in the shadows near the building and knew the movement for exactly what it was.

  “You call yourselves Ahadi, which means “promise,” she said, looking out over the city, knowing the last of the Kasais were, even now, either being slaughtered, or had surrendered. She could feel it through the earth, even here, in Sov’s own sacred domain. “You have promised, or been made to promise that you would keep me safe,” she continued, looking up to see that Lumas was, indeed, still on fire. Since she was still in the same position as she’d been throughout the night, instead of in orbit around the planet as she had been for hundreds of years, she guessed Sov was nearing the very end of his life. There was a part of her that understood Lumas wouldn’t want to be out of sight as her beloved breathed his last. There was even a part of her, despite everything, that felt sad for her. She knew, too, that Lumas would not stay once Sov finally died. If there was one small thing she knew for certain, it was that her other self had truly loved Sov, no matter his failings. She briefly wondered if she would ever be capable of such emotional depth once Lumas left her.

  “But I,” she said slowly, articulating each syllable carefully while reaching deep into the core of the planet beneath her – the planet from which she had been created, the planet which was her – “have made no promise to keep you safe!”

  She watched as the earth rose up to cover the four of them, freezing them in place as it hardened around them, creating figurines which looked more like poorly-made stone statues than the deities each of them were.

  “You may serve Lumas,” she told them, quietly, serenely, tucking her hands back into her sleeves, but this is my home, not hers, and you are uninvited guests.” She hadn’t moved from where she’d stood when Sahil and Vray had left, no matter her great desire to pace. She must remain in control, and could feel each of them as they struggled to free themselves. Whatever Lumas had done to compel them into her service as her unseen guardians all these years, it had also taken something way from them, so that they were unable to counter her, despite the very real fact that each of them were gods in their own
right. They, were, she was quite certain, shocked to find themselves unable to move; she’d seen how they had been easily able to nullify all the other magics thrown at them – and all of the others – when they had announced their arrival in the Shield Room the night before. That had been a very useful piece of information she had been able to use to her advantage now. Unlike what Sahil, Sakari, Vray, Kaya, and the others had done, she had not used magic to hold the Ahadi in place now. She had used nothing more than her own, inherent powers as the Earth Goddess. They would eventually be able to release themselves if she chose to leave them frozen in place, but not immediately; which gave her a small opportunity to get them to cooperate.

  “If we fail in our efforts to keep Sov from destroying this world, I may or may not survive,” she went on, still standing nearly as immobile as they were. “As you pointed out earlier, Rajesh, Lumas is a creature who can move through space and time, while I am not,” she reminded them. “It is likely I would survive, but it is not likely I will survive in this form, so I would most certainly be harmed – which would violate your edict of keeping me safe. I wonder what, then, would become of all of you.”

  Now she did pace, slowly, deliberately, making sure they would be able to hear her footsteps as she walked freely while they were captured in place. Ozahm was the only one still struggling; his anger would compel him to continue until he could break free. He stank of death, but also of life. Despite his hatred of her, she would be able to work most easily with him. Jahari, though, screamed of duty and sadness wrapped in a cloak of beauty she was unlikely to understand had worth. She needed someone to care for; she, too, would be likely to join her once she understood her true worth. Borja would probably resist, but may be ready for more company than the three companions she was accustomed to, especially once she met some of the bahari.