Rise of the Faire-Amanti (The Ascendant Series Book 3) (16 page)

“Of course, Ra’jah.”

Avana quickly collected herself and reached into her pouch to retrieve the cup he requested. After she handed it to him and he filled it with water from his canteen, she started putting out some of the food that Ullah had packed. Ty mixed the vitamins into the water as Lore had instructed him to do.

Drink this
, Ty urged Kyr, pressing the cup of vitamin water into her hand.

She mechanically brought the cup to her lips and drank. He couldn’t ever remember seeing her so distraught.

You didn’t see me after I woke up in that death box and found out you had been banished
, she thought, meeting his gaze at last.
This is nothing
.

He was too relieved by her response to be upset by the memories it invoked. “Okay,” he said out loud, reaching for one of the crackers Avana had set out and stacking cheese on top of it before handing it to Kyr. “We need to make plans to rescue Caelys and Sem. I don’t believe either one of them is dead. They’re both too valuable to Vycor. He needs them as leverage.”

Kyr caught Avana’s wide gaze. Both females nodded in agreement. When Kyr started eating, he knew he had just alleviated the bulk of her fear. He relaxed a fraction, too.

“I want to bring a few of the others in on this,” Avana said, getting to her feet. She had to hunch a little because the structure was only a shelter and not a full-sized home. “They might have some insights or new visions that will help.”

Ty wasn’t sure how they’d all fit in this small space, but he didn’t stop Avana from leaving. The feel of the entire structure weaving slowly back and forth after she closed the narrow door did have him raising an eyebrow. He sure hoped none of the Divyners had foreseen his death in a long fall from this damned tree.

Kyr choked on her sip of water as she picked up on the thought. He reached over and patted her on the back as he reached for another cracker.

They had finished eating by the time Avana returned with three other Lujas. Ty picked up from Avana’s thoughts that she had filled everyone in already. His gaze moved from her to the two dark-haired males who had taken the transport to hide it. Evidently, they had caught up with the group. The third newcomer was the female who had helped guide them to the shelter.

“Ma’jah and Ra’jah, I’m pleased to introduce Sill and his brother, Deny, as well as my sister, Bana.”

Ty shared Kyr’s surprise over hearing that Bana was Avana’s sister. Outside of the red hair and blue eyes shared by most Alametrian females, they looked nothing alike. Sill and Deny, on the other hand, could have been mistaken for one another.

“It’s very nice to officially meet all of you,” Kyr said as they all pressed in around the diminishing chemical fire. “We appreciate your help.”

Ty had already scanned the minds of all three Lujas, but now he did a deeper level scan. It didn’t take much to realize that there were romantic connections between the group. Just observing how Bana touched Sill’s shoulder as they sat and seeing the look Avana exchanged with Deny gave him all the information he needed.

Kyr gasped as his observations reached her. She beamed at her friend. “Avana, I’m so happy for you!”

Avana blushed as she realized what Kyr meant. “Thanks. We’re happy, too.”

“So, it seems safe to say that the repressions have been lifted here, as well,” Ty stated.

Shrugging, Avana said, “In my case, no one ever performed the Ruvex Rite after we returned from Earth. I’ve had a few others tell me similar stories.”

“It’s true,” Bana agreed. “I returned home from a lesson not long before Avana. I’m still waiting for notification that I need to have the Rite performed.”

When they all looked at the brothers, Sill explained, “It’s been a long time since we’ve been off-planet, but once we realized that we were experiencing feelings that should have been repressed, we figured out what had happened.”

“We were invited to the palace with a group of other Divyners about five lunar cycles ago,” Deny continued. “It was a big to-do…the Guardians’ Proce-Amanti anniversary or something. Not long after we got back from that, we noticed some differences.”

That sounded a lot like what had been done to lure the councils to the palace. Ty read the same conclusion in Kyr’s thoughts. This meant the lifting of the repressions had been going on for quite some time.

“The lifting of the repressions has had a negative effect on many of us,” Avana said.

Deny reached over and took her hand. “She means that without the repressions, many Lujas have been having more visions than they’re used to. Some almost constantly.”

“The visions have gotten darker, too,” Bana added. Her tone told Ty that she was one of those affected by this side effect. “Some of our friends and family members have lost touch with reality. They live in a world of nightmarish possibilities.”

Ty’s experience with the dreams that Vycor imposed on him was enough for him to empathize with the Lujas’ plight. It had been hard enough going to sleep each night with only one possible vision to endure.

“I want to help,” Kyr said, moving closer to Ty as she perceived his thoughts. “I can use my abilities to help stabilize the Lujas who are affected.”

Avana shook her head. “Thank you, Ma’jah, but we can’t let you do that. I fear what it might do to your own mind.”

“This wouldn’t be like delving into an average Alametrian’s mind,” Sill said. “Trust us…we’ve tried.”

“But my abilities—” Kyr argued.

“Aren’t what we need,” Avana interrupted. “I’m sorry, but we absolutely won’t risk your welfare that way. We need the most skilled Mynders to conduct the Ruvex Rite and repress the negative feelings in these Lujas. They’ve been conditioned to produce visions while they’re under a state of repression.”

“I’ll do it,” Ty said.

Everyone looked at him. It seemed to occur belatedly to the Lujas that he was a Mynder…the most powerful one on the planet.

Avana shook her head again. “What makes you think you’re any less valuable than Ma’jah Kyr? We can’t risk you any more than we can her.”

“Besides,” Bana added, “you wouldn’t have time for that. The Rite takes a while in an ordinary Alametrian, longer in your average Luja. The Divyners who have been affected by this will take much longer than most.”

Ty sensed Kyr was about to argue, but he reached down and took her hand. The Lujas’ arguments were sound. He and Kyr were pressed for time as it was. That didn’t mean that they had to leave the Lujas with no options, though.

“When we get to the Dane megai, we’ll send as many Mynders as we can spare back here to help,” he said. “We can scan them to make sure they’re trustworthy and strong enough to handle this.”

When Avana’s eyes filled with grateful tears, Kyr’s did, too. She leaned into Ty’s side.

Thank you
, she thought.

The Lujas also offered their heartfelt thanks. Ty just felt he was doing what needed to be done, but he accepted their thanks before moving on to the next issue.

“If Vycor is having Divyners rounded up, have you considered seeking refuge in another megai?” Ty asked.

“Some have,” Avana replied. “But many Lujas have families here. They don’t want to uproot them when they don’t have any idea how long Vycor’s plans might take. There are so many differing visions on this that no one has any idea if it’ll happen tomorrow or three lunar cycles from now, if at all.”

How will we possibly protect so many?
Kyr wondered.

Ty knew she was overwhelmed by that thought. This was only one megai and they weren’t even sure how to keep them safe. Rescuing the planet seemed impossible by that measure.

We’ll do it together, one step at a time
, he told her.

She met his gaze and nodded, sitting straighter as his calm demeanor impacted her. “We’ll need horses,” she said out loud, turning to look at the group. “So we can cross the megai more quickly than on foot.”

“We can do one better than horses, can’t we, Deny?” Sill said with a wink at his brother.

“Right you are, Sill. I’m on it. We’ll be ready to go by morning.”

“If we find any Mynders along the way to the Dane megai, we’ll use our influence to override Vycor’s orders,” Ty said. “If they’re powerful enough, we can even recruit their help to start the Ruvex Rites.”

The relief that flowed through the Lujas also coursed through Kyr and into Ty. He felt Kyr’s body go limp. For the first time, he sensed how exhausted she was. She had been running on adrenaline since learning about Avana’s vision.

“I think we have a plan,” Avana said, her gaze also falling on Kyr. “And it’s getting late. Why don’t we let you two get your rest? I’m sure you need to restore your abilities before tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Avana,” Ty said before Kyr could argue. He wasn’t about to let her stay up half the night catching up with her friend. She needed her rest. He would make a point of getting the two of them together again once this was all over.

Kyr gave him a pouting look, but she didn’t argue. She accepted Avana’s hug before Avana left with the others. When they were alone, she stood up and stretched. Since she was smaller than most full-grown Alametrians, she didn’t even need to hunch.

“I’m afraid to ask, but do you suppose the plumbing works in this place?” she asked.

Ty eyed the water closet cordoned off with a sheet on a rope at the far end of the structure. “I have my doubts.”

She hesitated for another second or two, then shrugged and headed for the sheet. “It’s either this or climbing down that rope ladder in the dark. Cross your fingers.”

He shook his head at her as she disappeared behind the thin barrier. His attention turned to dousing the chemical fire and repacking the food containers in their satchel. Their meal hadn’t been huge, but Kyr seemed more tired than hungry.

“I am,” she confirmed over the sound of running water.

Evidently, the plumbing was functional.

They took turns cleansing their teeth and washing up with a cloth and the cake of soap they carried. Then Ty stretched out on the single cot in the room, dragging Kyr down on top of him. The cot looked relatively new, but it squeaked in protest beneath their combined weight. He had a vision of them crashing through the cot and the bottom of the flimsy structure and plummeting straight to the ground.

Kyr was overcome by a fit of giggles as that thought entered her head. He found himself smiling as she pressed her face against his chest and laughed until her sides ached. It felt great to share a moment of levity after everything they had been through.

His hand stroked her hair and back as she calmed herself. He dimly became aware that her thoughts had turned from humor to something else. Her head lifted, revealing an impish smile.

Think you could make love to me without bringing the place down or alerting all of the Mynders in the megai with this squeaky bed?

He lifted an eyebrow.
That sounds like a challenge.

By the time they fell asleep, she declared that he succeeded.

Chapter 19

They spent the next three days traversing the Luja megai. At first, Kyr and Ty hesitated to take so much time before continuing their journey. But then their efforts to help the Lujas became more successful than they had envisioned. They couldn’t in good conscience stop helping the Lujas just to pursue their own course, especially since their ultimate goal was to help their people.

The transportation that Sill and Deny had mentioned were called wizzers, and Kyr was enamored with them. The winged gliders were operated with large fans powered by foot pedals, so they didn’t count as motorized land vessels and fell outside of Vycor’s dictate. That reason alone made Kyr love using them. The fact that they moved swiftly and covered great distances with ease just added to her appreciation of them.

Ty had been skeptical when they first emerged from their shelter to find the two wizzers waiting on the forest floor. In truth, the gliders had both seen better days. The pink wings were a little tattered, the frames were bent in a few places, and the pedals tended to stick. Deny assured them they were completely safe, though, and that was enough for Kyr.

Each of the wizzers housed two riders, so Kyr rode with Ty. They had to secure themselves to the wizzer’s frame with safety harnesses. Their bodies were supported by the harness and a lightweight hand-bar. Their feet slid into mechanisms that allowed them to maneuver the pedals.

Due to the color of the wings and flight suits they had to wear, the wizzers were quite effective at managing clandestine flight. If someone looked up, it was hard to make out the pink suits and wings against the pink sky. Anyone who noticed the shadows on the ground generally assumed it was a passing bird, as the wings were shaped to cause that effect.

Kyr found flying on the wizzers an exhilarating experience. She and Ty worked with Avana and Deny, plotting a course each day across the megai. Bana and Sill stayed behind with the rest of the group to spread the word about their plans to everyone they could trust.

By midday on day three of their efforts, they had rounded up close to one hundred Mynders. Those Mynders had been scattered throughout the megai, some of them gathering Divyners, some of them searching for Ty and Kyr, and some of them guarding the borders. Kyr, Ty, Avana, and Deny scouted them out, then Kyr and Ty landed within the cover of the forest, hunted them down, and used their abilities to eradicate Vycor’s influence and impose their own.

They had discovered that their abilities only worked effectively at close range and one-on-one or two-on-two. It took a combination of both of their efforts, so they couldn’t split up—not that Ty would have even considered it, Kyr knew.

By the end of the day every day, they were utterly depleted of energy…but they both found it worth it. They knew they were saving some of the Divyners from a tortuous existence by sending them Mynders to conduct Ruvex Rites. They had also sent a few of the Mynders to neighboring megais, warning them of Vycor’s evil and instructing them to infiltrate his forces to protect as many Alametrians as they could. Most of them were so infuriated to learn what Vycor had done to them that they didn’t need any influencing. They just needed their minds protected against it happening again.