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

  * * * * * * * *

  Tyran stood up when the scream was ripped through her throat. Startled, and deeply disoriented, she looked around her, wondering where she was and what had happened. It only took her a moment or two to realize she must have fallen asleep outside, where she’d been sitting in her garden when she had tried to bond with the others. And had failed! a vicious voice reminded her sharply. But why had she screamed? She didn’t remember falling asleep, let alone dreaming. Shaking her head in confusion, with dozens of racing thoughts filling her head, she noticed the moon was on fire and nearly screamed again. For a brief moment, she wondered if she had heard someone else scream and had only thought she had been the one to.... No! She felt a wave of emotion rush through her more powerful than anything she’d ever experienced before. She tried to cover her mouth so she wouldn’t scream, but was unable to stop it.

  Death! She felt death. No! she gasped, her chest suddenly heaving. She felt cold. Clammy. Was she dying? What was wrong with her? She couldn’t feel anything other than fear and panic. It was suddenly hard to breathe, as if she was drowning. But no – wait! None of this was her own. No – it was not. Not! Someone else was feeling these things and projecting them to her. Honsa? Ceirat? No – it was Ordan! Yes. Yes it was. Ordan was.... her heart was still racing, and she could feel another wave of terror coming straight for her, but now she knew it wasn’t her own heart that was failing, nor was she going to drop dead from some unseen malady. It was the bond they shared. Whatever he was feeling, he was sending it to her through their bond.

  I already knew he was dying! she wanted to protest. “What am I supposed to do about it?” she shouted out loud, thrusting her hands outward in futility. And then she gasped out loud, her hand automatically covering her mouth as her eyes flew open. Honsa and Ceirat! They, too, were sick. Close to death. Poisoned, if she didn’t miss her mark. If she was feeling this from Ordan, what would all of this panic and fear do to them?

  No! she decided, she would not let this happen. She would not be the only surviving Mezhdu left. She would not! Resolutely pushing away the sudden spike of fear that she might do nothing more than to kill herself in the attempt to help them, she decided that she would help them no matter the cost. They would do the same for her. Clenching her jaws together while she inhaled deeply, Tyran closed her eyes, concentrating on establishing a connection with Ordan.

  * * * * * * * *

  Jarles was the first to feel it – the energy pulse that felt as if the sea itself was racing towards them. But there was something else within the throbbing energy besides the feel of water and life. There was magic too! Was this a parting “gift” from Amphedia? And if so, was it for ill or good? And why did it seem as though it was aimed specifically at him and those with him? Was someone trying to prevent them from going any further? It seemed absurd to think that whatever was coming their way might be a weapon someone was using against them, since Nohoyo was, as far as he knew, all desert, and this feeling was from the sea with no doubt whatsoever.

  He could see from the reactions going on around him that Savaar’s people felt it too. Savaar had brought nearly two dozen of his brothers and sisters with him, although Jarles was sure that must have left the others short-handed in their efforts to raise the level of water under the desert. He knew that if Sov really did crash into the planet none of their preparations would change a single thing, but at least it gave them all something on which to focus, instead of just waiting for some horrific death from the sky.

  Savaar insisted the majority of the work he and Amphidea’s other true children had been tasked with had been completed, and so Jarles had taken him at his word. Since none of them knew what they were facing here, in Nohoyo, he would rather err on the side of caution by having a large enough contingent with him to face any threat, than to have wished he would have brought more people with him.

  This though... it was confusing, because it was from the sea, and yet not from the sea. It wasn’t yet upon them, but they could all feel it now. He felt Savaar looking at him, so turned to see the question in his eyes. What he saw, instead, was a look of pleasure, perhaps even close to bliss. Savaar was enjoying the feeling, instead of being concerned, or afraid. Jarles shook his head, wondering why they were feeling this phenomena so differently. Savaar was of and from the sea, and had been for long centuries, no matter that this information had been withheld from him most of this life. And yes, now that he was looking more closely, the rest of the True Children of Amphedia all had smiles on their faces and were nodding to each other in appreciation of what they were feeling. Something akin to watching the rain as it swept across the desert after a long draught. But it made his skin crawl, as if he should order them all to take cover. They’d already left the small grove of trees with the charming fountain behind them, though, and were nearing what looked to be a large city. They hadn’t yet met any of the people who must live in Nohoyo, but surely they would when they entered the city. Was this feeling – this vibration – a warning from those who lived in the city to stay away?

  Jarles turned quickly to look behind him when he heard the little owl screech. She had been quiet throughout their journey, flitting back and forth between Honsa and Ceirat, careful not to disturb them when they had been incapacitated. Once they had passed over the boundary though, they both seemed to gain some of their strength back – Ceirat much more quickly than Honsa. Given the connection he had to the land, Jarles wasn’t surprised it was taking longer for him to recover than it was for Ceirat, who had only been affected because of her connection with Honsa.

  There had been a moment, though, when both of them had fallen flat on their faces, when they had all felt some kind of magical energy crackling through and around them. And in the next moment, it was gone completely. No one had been able to suggest a better explanation than it might have been some kind of sensor, or warning to whatever or whomever passed as authority here, that strangers had entered the once-hidden land. All he knew for sure was that Honsa and Ceirat had begun to recover shortly afterwards, so he wasn’t so sure about what the energy pulse had been. They had all been on guard though, expecting some kind of armed response from the citizens of Nohoyo, or, at the very least, a greeting party of some sort. When no one had appeared to prevent them from moving forward, he decided to do exactly that.

  But now, the little owl was no longer an owl. She was laying on the ground, where she had fallen as she’d screeched, and it looked to Jarles as if she had been returned to her human form without her own consent – giving further evidence that the coming “wave” was indeed a weapon of some sort. And probably a magical one. And it was far too late for them to do anything at all about it. His eyes searched out and found Honsa’s face. He didn’t understand what he may or may not be able to do, magically, but Jarles knew he had a connection with the land and that, together, he and the others of his kind could do some inexplicable things. He may not have voiced his plea, but his heart screamed out to Honsa to do something to keep them all safe from what he was sure was about to be a disaster.

  * * * * * * * *

  With his arms crossed in front of him, Kaya watched the scene between Giya and her obviously-unwanted “guardians” play out, fascinated that they’d been able to keep their existence a secret for such a long time. Centuries! He couldn’t help but to wonder what kind of hold Lumas had on these... creatures? people? beings? that they would keep such a secret. And what kinds of secrets had they learned about the Earth Goddess in all that time? He couldn’t begin to imagine what their daily lives must be like. He found himself only half-listening to the exchange between them, lost in his imaginings of what it must be like to be one of them. Their eyes were amazing, and the fact that they could change size, color, and shape in order to appear invisible was astonishing. He wondered if there were more of them, and these four were only the ones who happened to be on duty today, or if Lumas had sent someone to watch over them to make sure they did what they were supposed to. He felt a
shiver snake its way up his back, thinking about having his every move observed – and probably discussed.

  Then he realized he was feeling something outside of himself, and not just a feeling of uneasiness at the thought of being watched. There was something wrong. Or – maybe not exactly, wrong, but something strange was happening. He could feel it. He wanted to look around him to see if anyone else was feeling odd, but was unable to turn his head. Or maybe he had just stopped and forgot to. There was something whispering in his mind. Aidena! Was it her? He remembered Savaar telling him that when Aidena was drowning, she had begun broadcasting her life’s story from her own memories, so that he was able to see who she was – the heir of Siri Ventus – even though she hadn’t known it herself. Did she feel as though she was in danger and was doing it again?

  Closing his eyes, he tried to look at her, but felt a kind of lethargy stealing over him, as if he suddenly needed to go to sleep. He realized he even felt a little dizzy, but he didn’t hear Aidena’s voice. Instead, it sounded like he was in the sea, and might even be drowning. He felt himself fall, but was unable to do anything about it.

  * * * * * * * *

  There! Just over the next ridge. It was always easy to tell where the villages were when he was traveling, because of all the smoke rising from cooking fires – not to mention the smells. They always reached Afdal long before the sounds of people doing the things that people did in their everyday lives. Unless someone was chopping wood; he usually heard that before he smelled the smoke, but he could see the smoke from great distances. Not that he needed to see, smell, or hear any of it, of course. He could simply draw the appropriate Uchawi symbols, say the right words, and he could move from one place to another easily enough. Especially if he’d already been there before.

  This, though, was a place he’d never been. He hadn’t truly thought he would ever be in this place, so far from Bila and even Nohoyo, but here he was after all. And oh – were these people in for some surprising changes in their lives! They had no idea what was coming their way. Nor, to be truthful, did he know exactly what he wanted to do. All he knew was that he was done taking orders from anyone ever again. He’d been surrounded by people who were always limiting what he was allowed to do in one way or another, beginning with his father. In a small way, he was glad he hadn’t had to be the one to take him back to the Emperor for execution. Not because he’d had any affection left for the old man – Sahil had long ago ceased to matter to him in that way. No, he was glad he would not be in attendance when the Emperor had Sahil executed because he just might remember whose son he was, and would end up having him executed at the same time. The Emperor had never been known for his patience nor his willingness to be tolerant of those who were magic makers. And if there was one thing Afdal knew he was good at, it was making magic. And once he got his hands on that crystal goblet, he would be unstoppable. Maybe he would even pay a visit to the high and mighty emperor and take his place!

  Quietly now, he drew the symbol necessary to silence his footfalls, then took two more steps and was suddenly overwhelmed by an energy wave he never saw coming. He never even saw the ground rise up to meet him; he simply fell, his senses overwhelmed by the powerful vibrations washing over him.

  * * * * * * * *

  Tyran was calling him – he could feel her in his head and inside of him. Like she was trying to wake him from a dream. No, he reconsidered, more like she was the one inside of a dream and was trying to get him to pay attention to her. But why? It was so hard to understand her. Ordan tried listening to her harder, to see if he could make out her words. If only he could see her lips moving, then maybe he would be able to figure out what she was saying by reading her lips.

  He could feel himself physically recoil from the shock of seeing her lips suddenly in his mind’s eye. No – wait! Those weren’t her lips. These lips were from an older person. An older woman. He’d seen those lips before – but when? Who? Oh! Of course! Yujin? But why would she be in his mind? This was all so confusing, he decided. Was he dreaming? And why would he be dreaming of her again? He thought he was over that. He’d taken Tyran’s advice and had replaced the song she’d taught him with another one, from his own childhood, not hers. So why was she still talking to him? He tried to pull back from the sight of her disembodied mouth as she continued to talk, and was relieved to see that he was able to see the whole of her face. She looked pleased to see him – happy, even. As she always had. But she was dead now. He knew for certain, because he had been there when she had exhaled for the last time, holding her hand, humming a nonsensical tune, just so she would know he was still there, even though he had no words left to share with her. He had purposefully chosen a tune different from the one she’d taught him. She had shared so much of herself with him, that she had known very little about him. He’d known, that day, that it would be his last chance to do so, and so he’d taken her hand and started humming, sometimes even mouthing the words or singing a phrase or two. She had relaxed into the sounds he was making and had let go. He’d felt the moment when she was gone and found it fascinating to experience the sensation of her emotions leaving her body, as if they were only diminishing because they were leaving her body behind on their way to somewhere else.

  But now – he needed those feelings to come back to him. Or at least her words. He needed to know what she was saying. Didn’t he? Or maybe he didn’t. Maybe he just needed to let her go, as much as she had let go. Unless she was trying to tell him something? Suddenly horrified, he wondered if she was trying to get him to join her in death! Once again, he tried to recoil from her, only to find himself in utter darkness, but he could finally hear what she was saying. That song again! Or chant, really. Why couldn’t he get that damned thing out of his head? Almost against his will, he found himself reciting it once more.

  Deep in the earth, the seed won’t grow,

  No, no, no. the seed won’t grow.

  Deep in the earth, the crystal glows.

  And the sun will rise again.

  * * * * * * * *

  Staring straight ahead, into the eyes of the man he knew was called “The Savior,” Honsa felt his mouth moving while his voice created the necessary sounds to recite words aloud he’d never heard before. And though he was unable to turn his head to confirm she was doing the same thing, he heard Ceirat reciting the same words he was, at the same slow, almost sing-song pace he was.

  Deep in the earth, the seed won’t grow,

  No, no, no. the seed won’t grow.

  Deep in the earth, the crystal glows.

  And the sun will rise again.

  Dancing in fire, the seed will grow,

  Grow, grow, grow, the seed will grow.

  Dying in fire, the seed will grow,

  And the sun will rise again.

  * * * * * * * *

  Kaya could feel someone shaking him, but was unable to respond. He’d been reciting a chant he hadn’t heard in many, many years. It was a child’s song, if he recalled correctly. And there was some kind of game involved, where each child passed something... some kind of something that was supposed to represent a seed of some kind. Everyone would be in a circle and... he couldn’t quite remember. And yet the words kept pouring out of his mouth. He was unable to stop them. He could feel the song was almost done, but this time there would be no... something. Winner? Loser? Death? Something....

  With death’s red eyes, the seed will crack,

  Crack, crack, crack, the seed will crack.

  Once it breaks, the light comes back,

  And the sun will rise again.

  Glowing crystal, bright sacred seed,

  Shine, shine, shine, bright sacred seed.

  Death reaches out, fulfills the need.

  Now the Sun Child flies free.

  * * * * * * * *

  Tyran gasped as the chant she’d been reciting came to an end, practically falling over, as if she had been pushed, or physically released from an enchantment or gees.

  �
�Seek out the Tadashi child for the forgotten verse,” she said out loud, remembering the boy she had encountered in Ordan’s dream. She must get this information to the others. How could she have been so blind to not have realized before this? Inhaling deeply to settle her mind, she knew she was going to have to have to reconnect with Ordan to tell him. He was strong enough, she knew now, so she should be able to bond with him easily. She had understood, through their bond, that Batal was there to help him. She, in fact, had been the one who had helped him when he would have otherwise, surely, died. Tyran felt a flush of shame warm her cheeks when she remembered how poorly she had treated their visitors, but she pushed it aside, understanding that feeling guilty would not serve her, nor those who still needed her help. Nobody else knew to look for the Tadashi child; at least Ordan had not mentioned it to her when describing his dreams to her.

  She felt a small wave of dizziness come over her, so decided to sit down before trying to reconnect. Gathering her skirts around her, she sat on the ground then opened her mind. She knew she was exhausted and had just encountered something extraordinary, but connecting with one of the others should be as easy as counting her fingers, or remembering her own name. In fact, it had taken practice to keep the others out of her mind in the beginning. So why was she having trouble now? Nothing. There was absolutely nothing to connect to. Or, rather, it was if there was something between the two of them. Something.... blocking her from connecting with him? Even if he was sleeping, she should be able to bond with him. Still, there was nothing. Nothing but a kind of a wall or... something.