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

  Of the four of them, Rajesh was her greatest concern. He understood nothing of his history nor his people, nor of his singular role in helping to create the bond between Lumas and the people of Bila. Nor did he understand he was not, and had never been human, despite having been born of a human woman – the first Empress of Bila. That, too, had been Lumas’ trickery. It had taken her a very long time to track down all the information she’d needed, but she had done it, with Sahil filling in the last, few, missing pieces. It had been the willful giving of the child’s life Lumas had required, not the child himself – he had already been assured eternal life. And, Giya had reflected, he might even have been created by Lumas for some other purpose she had later decided against. It was always possible her other self had created other such children throughout the years who were, even now, hidden among their unknowing neighbors. If Siri Ventus had done so with Aidena, it was certainly possible Lumas had done the same.

  “I will no longer tolerate your presence, you are worse than useless to me, to my people, and to Lumas,” she announced in measured tones. “When I release you, you are free to go. You can roam the cosmos, you may return to Lumas, if you can tolerate the heat you will find there, or you can find a new home elsewhere. What you may not do is to stay here, on this planet, on my home. ” She waited a moment, feeling their emotions through the stone surrounding them. Even Ozahm had ceased his struggles. Good. There was hope then.

  “Unless,” she continued slowly, “you agree to my terms. The first of which is that you will agree to never cloak in my presence ever again. If you do, I will kill you. Do not think for a moment that I will not. The second condition of your staying here will be to work with me, not against me in helping this world, and its people – that includes you Ozahm – to flourish and grow.”

  Walking over to touch the stone figure of Ozahm, she touched it lightly, the stone and sand mixture dissolving into a cascading shower of nothing as it fell in on itself, the smallest remnants being absorbed back into the ground. “You will teach humans to respect life and death by teaching them how to grow new life in the desert. In turn, they will teach you how to love them. Decide now, Lord of Death, do you accept or will you leave us?” She watched as his eyes darted back and forth, considering whether staying was worth having to have anything at all to do with humans, and whether or not he would ever be able to trust her.

  “I will stay,” he told her, giving her a small bow.

  “I am glad,” she told him, meaning it. “For the immediate moment, there are many dead and dying people in the streets and more abandoned in their homes where they were killed. Seek out the dead so disease doesn’t threaten the living.” She watched as he nodded, his eyes closed in respect this time, then disappeared as he walked away.

  “Jahari, free yourself,” she commanded. “Nohoyo is yours,” Giya told her, as she stepped forward, the shell of stone around her dissolving in the same way Ozahm’ s had, even though she had not touched it. Giya nodded silently to herself. Jahari would be a powerful ally. “Your people will have a great need of someone to lead them from slavery into lives they cannot imagine now. The boundary is no more, so you will need to decide how best to guard it, or if you allow free passage.”

  “Giya,” Jahari started, her hands in front of her as if she would plead for something. Giya took Jahari’s hands in her own, and for a brief moment, she glowed as if there was a luminescent green light inside of her, then it was gone. “Your people will know you when they see you. Go,” she told the other goddess, a smile on her face, “let them always see you.”

  As she walked away, Giya turned to Borja, once again touching the stone-like material surrounding her. As it sloughed off her, Borja fell to her knees, crying. “I can’t. I just can’t,” she sobbed. “Lumas saved me. I must stay here. I must do as she bids. Please, ” she wailed, “please don’t kill me.”

  “Stand up, Borja,” Giya told her quietly. “You have been too long from the sea. I need you there to help our people. Lumas will not stay once Sov has died. Stay and be welcome.” To say Giya was surprised when Borja suddenly stood up to wrap her arms around her, would be an understatement. Returning the embrace, she helped to wipe away Borja’s tears, then instructed her to begin raising the water underneath Nohoyo in such way that it remained mostly desert, but that more vegetation would begin to bloom. “Work with Jahari and Ozahm so this land will be a welcoming place for all who live here. But make sure to visit the oceans often. There are many there who would welcome your friendship.”

  As Borja slipped below the sand to begin her work, Giya at last turned to the stone statue that was Rajesh. He was filled with despair and a terrible sense of worthlessness. Instead of gently dissolving the stone mixture around him, though, she made it explode outward, suddenly exposing him to her angry glare. “Stop pretending to be who you are not!” she shouted at him.

  “I didn’t choose this!” he protested, whimpering. “Lumas chose me, because I was the child of the... ”

  “She chose you before you were born Rajesh! You were born a god and given to your mother so that she would sacrifice you to Lumas. You were never human. Not ever. Lumas lied to your mother for her own reasons.”

  “That can’t be true!” he replied, quivering. “Why? Why would she do that and never... ”

  “Never tell you? Why not? Gods do whatever we want, don’t we?” she pressed, her voice an angry growl.

  “I’ve... I’ve always thought so, yes,” he replied, his lips trembling. “But I could have done so much more if only... ”

  “If only you had known? Why didn’t you choose to do whatever you wanted? Why did you allow someone else – even Lumas – to decide what you could or could not do?”

  “I... I... “ he stammered.

  “Because you decided early in life that you were never good enough, that’s why,” she told him. “That you had been sacrificed because you were expendable. Your mother never knew you were a god, only Lumas did. She gave the one thing that was dearest to her heart to prove her loyalty to her goddess and that was you – because she loved you, not because you weren’t good enough. And now that you know you are a god, what are you going to do?”

  “Would it be wrong to ask if you have any suggestions?” he asked, clearly afraid it would be wrong. At this, Giya smiled, watching him visibly relax as she did so.

  “What I would like for you to do is to go to Bila, to the emperor’s palace. You already know that Kaya and Aidena are there, and I suspect they are going to need some help. If he survives, Kaya will have a very important role to play in the rebuilding of that empire.”

  “If he survives?” Rajesh was appalled. “You don’t know if he will?”

  “I don’t even know if Sov will be successful in destroying this planet at this moment, Rajesh, but I am hopeful our friends Amphedia and Denit will be successful. There is nothing more I can do from here to help them, so until we are dead, we have work to do. Go to Bila, and quickly,” she said, looking up to see that Sov was spreading out. Was he coming apart, or was he transforming into a Firebird? She didn’t like not knowing, no matter her brave words.

  “You are a god, my friend, and the people of Bila will come to know you as you learn more about your homeland. Kaya would be a good choice if you are smart enough to seek out new friends.”

  In the next moment, Rajesh was gone, leaving Giya alone, blessedly alone, for a moment in time. Breathing deeply, she turned back towards the temple, only to see two people running towards her. The woman she recognized as Tyran from Midbar, but the man with her was unfamiliar.

  Chapter Thirteen – Chared’s Moment

  As she watched in mounting horror, Neiva wanted to scream as loudly as Ceirat was. Not only could she see the physical changes being done to her body, but she could feel her emotions too. Her body was growing smaller and thinner, even her shoulders were changing shape! As she screamed, Neiva could see her jawline and forehead changing, and the rough outline of a beard Ceirat’s m
ale body produced was flaking away from her face. Ceirat was turning into a woman!

  There were alarming changes going on all around her, including the fact that she, herself, had been changed back into her human form involuntarily. She had been about to change herself back into an owl when Ceirat had woken up screaming. Everything that was happening was obviously part of the sound wave that had washed over them last night. Reminding herself that her Grandmother The Goddess told her that nothing good ever came of losing control, she tried fitting the pieces of what she knew together.

  * * * * * * * *

  “Help me Honsa! You have to do something! Make it stop!” Ceirat screamed, watching her body change into one that was distinctly female. She could feel her genitals burning and knew beyond any doubt she would no longer have a penis by the time whatever was happening to her was done. She was terrified out of her mind and couldn’t stop herself from screaming, from panicking. There was nowhere to run, to hide, to get away from it. Just because she had always wondered what it would feel like to have a woman’s body didn’t mean she wanted one!

  * * * * * * * *

  “I know you don’t trust me,” Chared said, as he stretched his hands out over Jared’s inert body, already beginning to feel what was wrong. It was fascinating, really, and he deeply wished he had known he could have been doing this the whole of his life – so much would have been different then! No – everything would have been different!

  “You’re right about that,” Savaar confirmed, reaching out to pull Chared’s hands away from Jarles. This was the very same man who had stabbed him, hoping to kill him. Giya had ordered them to work together, and only because of the dire circumstances they all faced had he been willing to let go what was between them. He knew, though, that this man was a tool of Amphedia.

  “Wait!” Chared shouted, angry for having been interrupted. Exhaling deeply to get better control of himself, he quietly repeated, “Wait. Please. I’m not here for Amphedia, I swear. I really do know what to do here, and I really am the only one who can save him. This is why Giya made my mother,” he told everyone listening, willing them to hear the truth in his words, but unwilling to compel them using magic. “So she would give birth to my sister, Drena, who was Jarles’ mother, “ he paused when he felt the shock of that revelation wash over those surrounding him. “And so that I would be able to save him when this happened. Please,” he looked at Savaar, “let me help him. You can see everything I’m doing. Watch,” he said quietly, without any of the grandiose gestures he would have liked to have used. Moving his hands in the pattern he knew would illuminate the green, glowing “lines” crisscrossing throughout life itself, he smiled when they appeared.

  “Do you see these lines?” he asked, not pausing for confirmation, “the ones that are running through Jarles’ body from his head to his feet?” He hadn’t been altogether certain Jarles’ own life lines would appear, so was relieved when he was able to point to them as part of his explanation. “Watch,” he said, reaching in, among the tangled lines. “This one,” he said, pointing, “it should be thrumming, or beating, because it is his lifeline.”

  “Stop talking about it and just do whatever you need to do!” Savaar suddenly shouted, his fear of Jarles dying overriding any trust issues he may have had with Chared.

  Delicately touching the various “lines” he could easily see throughout Jarles’ body, it only took him a moment to understand what had happened. He hadn’t meant to, but he had gasped out loud when he’d found it. Having made that sound, he knew he had no choice but to explain. “Giya has taken back control of the seas, and in doing so, has taken Jarles’ life as well. But... ” he paused to concentrate.

  “You’re lying!” Savaar roared, grabbing Chared by the throat, lifting him away from Jarles, choking him with both hands.

  “Giya would never kill Jarles, you filthy, lying pig!” Savaar shouted, spittle flying from his lips into Chared’s face. “You’re the one trying to kill him!”

  Chared’s mind and body worked in perfect tandem, automatically defending him against a true threat to his life, without his conscious decision to do so. Later, he would marvel at how amazingly everything came together so quickly, and was grateful the process hadn’t required his conscious consent to act. One moment he was hanging by his throat in Savaar’s hands, and the next, his assailant was lying on his back in the sand, several body-lengths away, recovering from having had his breath knocked out of him. It had taken Chared a moment to understand what had happened, as he had sat in the sand, where Savaar had unceremoniously dropped him when the shock to his system had forced him to let go of his throat. Chared had blinked several times, then had remembered Jarles.

  This time, when he had taken action, it had been purposeful. Chanting seven words of power, he had turned the green glowing lines to red, using them to push everyone forcefully away. Then he had no time left for distractions. Holding Jarles’ lifeline firmly in his left hand, he lost himself to the universe as his consciousness spiraled outward. Jarles had been born of very specific parents for a very specific purpose, and when Giya had taken control of the seas away from Amphedia (Something in his mind could not fathom the Earth Goddess having done so – what could possibly have happened to make her do that?), she had not, instead, transferred control to Jarles. In fact, she had made certain she would never be able to transfer control of the seas to anyone ever again! Ah – there it was! It was a small, sickly yellow diamond shining weakly in the vastness of the cosmos; she had not known she would kill Jarles by her actions. Well that’s a relief, he heard himself whisper quietly to himself.

  Concentrating, Chared breathed life into the diamond, envisioning it shining brightly. There, just a little bit more... he whispered the ancient word for life, drew the Uchawi symbol for resurrection, then breathed once more on its surface, watching as it began to flicker back to life. He could feel his own heart swell with joy, then added a single tear, amazed as it turned blue, and suddenly, he was back to himself and Jarles was coughing, trying to sit up.

  Chared breathed a deep sigh of relief when the others rushed forward to help Jarles, as the red lines disappeared. He felt elated, filled with an incredible sense of wellbeing. He’d done it! Feeling such a mad rush of emotions wash through him, he was overwhelmed. He thought he might sit right where he was for the next two days, without moving, just basking in the feel of having accomplished something in his life that was wholly good.

  “Do you think you can take a look at Ceirat to see if you can help her too?” Chared knew that was Savaar’s voice, without even having to look up. He sat there a moment longer, remembering when he had stabbed Savaar in the temple of the Blue Dolphin Order, marveling at how much had changed in such a short time. He had wanted to help Amphedia rule the world. In fact, he had lived all of his life believing he would always serve her. And now, here he was, serving others. He felt his mouth quirk at the irony.

  “I would be happy to,” he replied, extending his hand for Savaar to help him stand, realizing he really meant it.

  * * * * * * * *

  The whole world has gone mad, Honsa thought, as he held Ceirat, trying to help her through the worst of her chaotic emotions. Over her head, he could see Neiva, and worried she would be scared by everything going on around her. Instead, it looked as though she was deep in thought, completely ignoring Shio, who had come to see how she might help. He almost chuckled to himself at the sight of the young girl, grateful for one less thing to worry about. Then again, he reflected, she had been affected by the energy wave, having been returned to her human form unwillingly. How was all of this connected? he wondered.

  When he had chanted the song Ordan had sent through their bond, he’d felt a deep connection with the land – here, in Nohoyo – that had surprised him. It had felt as if he had been re-living someone else’s memories. Someone else who had loved the land nearly as much as he had. But he didn’t have the sense it had been the children he’d seen in the scene playing out in fr
ont of his eyes whose memories he’d been sharing. That didn’t feel right. Someone else had, somehow, imbued that memory and that song, with a very specific magic so that it would be played out just the way it had been. But who? And why? And what had triggered the song? Why now? The crystal seed mentioned in the song had a deep connection with the land here, of that much, he was absolutely certain. There was a message in the magic he hadn’t yet figured out. But why had the song, or the energy wave, or even the magic, caused the changes in almost everyone around him? Was there some kind of change that was going to suddenly come over him too? Or was there a reason he hadn’t been affected?

  “Answers,” Ceirat said quietly, through her sniffles. The worst of her sobbing seemed to be past, but Honsa suspected she might yet burst into tears again.

  “I’m trying to figure it out,” Honsa told her, letting her sit up straight again. She’d been resting in his arms as she’d cried, but now she was wiping her tears away, pulling gently away from him.

  “No. The man who is coming. He has answers,” she told him, trying to turn around. Honsa looked up to see Savaar was bringing a stranger to meet them. Probably an interesting one, if Ceirat was feeling something from him.

  “Good,” he told her, meaning it. Starting to rise, Savaar motioned them to remain seated, then brought the stranger to sit with them. He was glad when Shio and Neiva sat down with them too; they all needed answers.

  “Chared is here... ” Savaar began, but Ceirat cut him off immediately.

  “It doesn’t matter,” she said, surprising Honsa greatly. She only rarely participated in any kind of discussion, preferring to watch while everyone else weighed in with their opinions and thoughts, and only then did she offer her own advice in any given matter. Leaning across the circle they had formed when sitting down together, she took Chared’s hand in her own, asking, “What do you feel?”