Songbird (32 page)

He smiled ruefully. “If I don’t survive, at least I will die for a worthy cause. I’d rather have your respect in death, than your sympathy in life.” At her stricken expression, he smiled. “Don’t be so glum. I don’t plan on losing. I know Korban better than you think, and I’m not without my own resources.” He glanced past her toward the border and his face darkened. “It looks like Bran is returning.”

Teya whirled around in anticipation, and spotted not two, but three riders. It took a moment to recognize the third rider. “It’s Jax!” She turned to Jesse, but he was gone. Her heart sank, knowing he was bound for the grove and nothing would change his mind.

She started after him anyway, and caught sight of him mounting his horse. Their eyes met across the distance, then with a shake of his head, he turned and galloped away.

“Jesse!” she called. He slowed and glanced over his shoulder, then spurred his horse toward the grove. Soon all that remained was the dust of his passing. She sighed, stricken that his perceived duty might also mean his death. His leaving left a hollow place in her heart.

She felt Bran’s presence behind her, and turned to see his jaw harden as he watched Jesse ride away. His face relaxed to catch her watching him, and he hurried to her side, with Hewson and Jax trailing behind.

“You look better,” he said in greeting. “I had to see if Jax was all right. He wanted to come back with me.” He seemed ill at ease. There was something he wasn’t saying.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I need to tell you what happened, because it’s not over.”

Her breath caught. “What does that mean?”

“When Jax and I escaped from Korban, we were captured by Turner’s men. The Chancellor wanted to stop Korban, and asked for our help. That’s why we joined him and attacked this morning. Chancellor Turner and everyone else who survived saw you fight the Destroyer. They saw your magic.

“Now they don’t know what to make of it. But Turner is afraid of your power. He’s afraid of what Korban might become. I convinced him that you and your people were going back to the grove where you belong, and that you would take care of Korban. He’s satisfied for now, but you won’t be welcomed back. None of you will.”

“Because of our magic?”

“Yes. He’s always been leery of your people. The power of your “unrestricted” magic could mean death and dominion for the rest of the human race. After Korban, he doesn’t trust any Kalorian. I know he planned to stop Korban, but now I think there was more to it. I think he was planning to stop all of you. Permanently.”

“You mean kill us?” Her eyes widened with shock.

“I think so, especially now that you’re all without collars. He’s seen what you can do with your power.”

“But it was a good thing, stopping the Destroyer. How can he think otherwise?”

“Think about what Korban has planned.”

She let out a big sigh and shook her head. “I see what you mean. Turner believes the worst of us, that we have the potential to be monsters and Korban is his proof. I suppose in a way he’s right. My own grandmother released the Destroyer, and look at how it ravaged the land.”

She didn’t want to talk about her own change. She didn’t understand what that made her, but it wasn’t evil. Urgency washed over her. She needed to return to the grove. Now. “Is Turner going to come after us?”

“Not right away, but he’s leaving some men behind to guard the way back and report your movements.”

A swell of protectiveness for her people washed over Teya, and she fought the urge to confront Turner. The magic grew inside her, threatening to overwhelm her. If she let it, the power would easily transform her again. What then? Turner was no Destroyer... only a man filled with fear. Feeding his fear was the last thing she wanted.

Korban and the grove awaited her. That needed her attention now. She would deal with Turner later. “Thanks for telling me. I need to get to the grove. Once I’ve dealt with Korban, we’ll figure this out.”

Bran nodded with relief. “I’m coming with you.”

“Good.” She smiled. “Because I need you by my side... always.” Teya took Bran’s hands and leaned into him. She raised her face toward his for a kiss.

Hewson cleared his throat. “We need to go now.” Teya sighed and pulled away to glare at Hewson. “What happened with Jesse?” he asked, ignoring her frown.

“He went on ahead.”

Hewson’s mouth curled in disgust. “You shouldn’t have let him go. Now he’ll help Korban.”

Teya winced. Jesse was right. Everyone viewed him with suspicion. “He’s gone to stop Korban, not help him. He wants to redeem himself, and show the rest of you that he’s changed.” Hewson’s brows rose in disbelief.

“Good,” Bran said.

Teya sent him a grateful smile. Then a pressing need to get to the grove as soon as possible came over her. “Let’s go... now.”

Hewson took charge, and soon everyone had gathered together, ready to leave. A stir of excitement rose over them, and why not? They were going home. If not for Korban, they would have started off long before now.

Teya greeted Jax with a warm smile, and although he smiled back, his hesitation gave away his unease around her. He looked at her differently. With his wide eyes, he seemed in awe. What did she expect? The power had altered her into the form of a bird. Could it do more and change her into something else?

A hot feeling of power curled in her stomach. Right at this moment, she knew she could sprout wings and fly to the grove. It made her different, and only in the direst need was she willing to widen the gap between them. She sensed the same reticence from Bran every time he glanced her way, and knew they needed more time for him to get used to this change.

Jax volunteered to get her horse ready, and Teya realized she’d left it behind.

“You can ride with me,” Bran offered.

He said it with such hopefulness that she smiled. That was exactly what she wanted. His answering smile quickened her breath, and with his help, she eagerly swung up behind him.

Hewson took the lead, and they were finally on their way. She sighed with comfort to be close to Bran again. His presence felt solid and reassuring. “I’ve missed you,” she said, holding him tight. “The pain…how did you bear it for me?”

He shook his head. “Easily... since it meant saving you. You don’t know how terrified I was. And before... when you changed.” He paused. “I thought…I don’t know what I thought, except that you had become something extraordinary. Like an avenging angel. I knew it was you, but something more. My heart stopped a thousand times when you flew at the Destroyer. I kept wondering how it was possible, but I couldn’t deny what I was seeing. The light streaming from you was blinding, but even so, I couldn’t pull my gaze away.”

He glanced over his shoulder as if reassuring himself that she was still there. “I don’t know what to think anymore. You’re you, but you’re more.”

“No, I’m still the same.” But was she? Could she honestly say she was the same person she was before? Bran didn’t speak, since he obviously disagreed. “What do you think I am? How do you think this has changed me?”

He took a deep breath and his brows furrowed, as if disturbed by his thoughts. “Some of Turner’s men thought you were an angel sent by the gods to conquer a demon. Your own people look at you differently. They bow to you with respectful submission. Your grandmother told me something before we left the grove that I didn’t understand. She told me that the Kalorians weren’t quite human.”

Teya swallowed. She remembered her grandmother saying that, but she thought she was referring to her magical abilities.

“I still don’t know what that means,” Bran said. “But when I think of the grove being the birthplace of life, I wonder if you are closer to the angels than you are to the world of men.”

His words brought a sharp denial. “No, we’re nothing of the kind. We’re a different race. We have magic, but we’re still human. The gods gave us this magic to protect the grove. The ability to use it in special ways, like changing me, is a gift from them, but we can still die.”

Her parents had both died, but her grandmother didn’t call it dying. She called it returning to the White City, a place of infinite beauty and peace. Then she remembered Korban’s words. With his restored magic combined with the immortality of the grove, he believed he could become a God.

Where was he now? Had he found her grandmother? Unless Leona led Korban to the tree and the water, he would not be able to find it himself. She couldn’t imagine her grandmother doing that. There was still time to stop him.

She rested her head against Bran’s broad shoulder. She would have died without him, but he wasn’t Kalorian. The grove was her home and where she belonged, but what about Bran? She loved him, and couldn’t bear the thought of living without him. Did he love her enough to stay in the grove? Did she love him enough to leave?

Chapter 14

The riders crested the hill and stopped in astonishment. The sun dipped toward the horizon, enveloping them with golden light. The blowing wind echoed melodic tones from Leona’s pipes, casting a strange accompaniment to the eerie scene beyond.

Teya’s heart pounded and a lump rose in her throat. This was not what she expected. The oasis of green grass had turned yellow and brown. The nearest trees slumped into twisted, black shapes. Further in, she strained to find green leaves above the blackened limbs.

In the golden light of sunset, the trees had a gray cast to them as if the light had been sucked out, and her heart faltered. After all they’d been through. The grove was dying, if not already dead. Even the tiny cottage lay ruined in a shrunken state of disrepair.

Her people seemed rooted to the spot, and several gasped in despair. Then someone started to sing. Softly at first, and soon all of them joined in. Magic pulsed in the air with the tones, and drew them forward to the grove.

At the outer edges, the yellow grass took on a hint of green. The Kalorians pressed on, passing the whistling pipes and coming to a stop at the edge of the tallest trees. They sang of life and new birth, filling the air with promise.

Around them, the blackened trees seemed to wake to a memory of life. They stirred and creaked, as if taking a deep breath, slowly filling with light where a void of darkness had been.

It was a small start, and would take days and days of healing magic to bring the grove back to what it once was. Was it possible? Could this terrible destruction be reversed?

The Kalorians pushed on, but some of the older ones had tears streaming down their faces. To see their once beautiful and sacred grove reduced to this broke their hearts. What about the Tree? Was it as still and silent as the trees here? And the water? Did it still flow? 

As Songmistress, Teya knew instinctively where to find the Tree, but hesitated to lead her people there. She had to find Korban first and stop him.

“Teya! Over here!” Hewson called.

Just inside the blackened trees Hewson knelt beside a fallen figure. Teya raced to his side, then hesitated to see Jesse lying in silent repose. He lay still as death, and Teya caught her breath as she knelt beside him. His ashen face was cool to the touch, but his heart still beat beneath her trembling fingers.

“He’s alive,” she breathed. “But just barely! Can you see a wound?” There was no evidence of blood or other injuries. Then Hewson turned him onto his side and Teya found it. Korban had stabbed him in the back and the ground was coated in sticky, red blood. “Quick, get me something to bind this with!”

“He won’t survive,” Hewson said. “Not without the combination of the healing waters and our magic. He’s too far gone.”

Teya could feel the life ebbing from him and knew Hewson was right. Iris came with bandages, and together they wrapped him up, singing the healing tones that would stop the bleeding.

“The Tree’s not far. Is there a way we can carry him?”

“Yes,” Bran said. “I can fashion a stretcher for him.”

“Thank you,” Teya said, gratefully.

“I’ll help,” Hewson said. “But I don’t want Korban following us. Why don’t you look for Korban? See if you can sense him with your power. If he’s anywhere near, you might feel his presence. I don’t want to start for the Tree until I know it’s safe. We’ll try to keep Jesse alive.”

“All right,” Teya said. She left Jesse to their capable hands and stepped further into the grove. With her eyes closed and the power humming in her blood, she reached out with her senses. She felt the wrongness immediately, but it was all around her. It wasn’t something that came from Korban. It was in the grove.

Pushing beyond the immediate vicinity, she felt the pulse of magic from the Kalorians’ singing. It was a powerful force, changing the wrong back to right. Within that force came another tiny tendril of power that she recognized as her grandmother.

Her small beacon of light pulsed from the direction of the Tree deep within the grove. But it was weak and erratic, like the fluttering heart of a dying bird, and surrounded with darkness. Teya caught her breath. Her grandmother needed her. Now.

She couldn’t wait. When Korban showed his face, she would be ready. Until then, she had work to do. She returned to find Jesse lying unconscious on a makeshift stretcher. “We need to go.”

“What about Korban?” Hewson asked.

“I can’t sense him anywhere and we can’t wait. Grandmother needs us. She’s keeping the Tree alive, but it’s using up her life force. We must go to her aid... now.”

Hewson sighed, but nodded with agreement. The five of them began the trek to the Tree, keeping close watch for signs of Korban. Teya took the lead, gathering her power in readiness, leaving Hewson and Iris to keep Jesse alive. Their footsteps rustled through the dead leaves, and echoed in the gathering twilight. It would be dark soon, and a gloomy shadow already seemed to overtake them.

The path lengthened unnaturally, seeming to grow beneath their feet and carry them beyond the normal boundaries of the valley. Teya stepped with unhurried determination, watching for movement in the shadows. Except for the low healing tones, all was silent and still. Nothing moved but the breeze that rolled over them like a cold wraith.

As the grove darkened, she held out her hand and whispered a soft melody of light. A small globe of light appeared and banished the shadows for several feet in all directions. With lighter steps they hurried forward.

Teya heard the spring before she saw it. The water fell from the tree as before, and trailed away into the small pool. The large tree overwhelmed them with its size and living presence. But the leaves had turned brown with decay and carried the smell of mold.

Teya almost missed her grandmother. Lying against the trunk with ashen skin and clothes, she appeared as part of the roots. A vine had grown around her still form and blackened leaves wreathed her dress and crown. If not for the slight movement of her chest, Teya would have thought her nothing but a wooden statue.

Panic tightened Teya’s chest. What had happened? Through her perception of magic, she could feel Leona’s life force draining into the tree, almost like it was being held captive. No, that couldn’t be right. Leona was keeping the tree alive through her own free will.

The others came beside Teya and lowered the stretcher to the ground, then stood in baffled silence. Teya set the globe of light to hover in the air near the tree. Empty glasses and the water pitcher were positioned appropriately there, as if awaiting guests. On an impulse, she picked up a glass and dipped it into the water, then carried it to Leona.

“Grandmother? Can you hear me? It’s Teya.” She sang a healing tone over Leona’s inert body. Leona stirred, and Teya’s heart quickened with hope. Something else shifted as well, something dark. Teya swallowed, then realized Leona’s eyes were open, but unfocused. Her lips moved, but Teya couldn’t make out the words. “Grandmother, I have some water for you to drink.”

To Teya’s chagrin, Leona moved her head away and wouldn’t drink it. Teya sat back in confusion, then noticed that Hewson had filled the pitcher with water and was pouring it into the glasses.

“Hewson,” she whispered urgently. “Wait. Grandmother won’t drink the water. Something’s not right. We need to find out what it is before we give any to Jesse or take any for ourselves.” His face drained of color. “Come,” she added. “And help me strengthen her.”

Hewson hurried to her side. With their voices combines in healing tones, Leona’s breath quickened, and her eyes focused with clarity. She reached out with gnarled fingers and touched their faces.

“You’re both here,” she whispered softly. “I hope there’s enough time. The Destroyer invaded everything. Even the Tree.” She stopped for breath before continuing. “The water is tainted. You must not drink it until it is purified by your magic.”

Again, she paused and Teya leaned forward to catch her words. “The Tree holds my life force, but the darkness is also there, battling for dominance. The Tree must be strengthened for the grove to survive.”

Teya finally understood. Even though she had defeated the Destroyer, it came too late to stop the darkness from infecting the grove. “The Kalorians are here, and strengthening the grove as we speak. Should I bring them to the Tree?”

“No. It is enough that you are here.” Leona searched Teya’s face. “I feel your power, it has changed you, and marked you as a true Daughter of Kalore.” Leona’s eyes filled with wonder. “The gods have not deserted us after all. Quickly now, you must save the Tree.”

A sudden splash broke the stillness and Teya jerked up to find Korban on the other side of the pool. He dipped his hand into the water and lifted it to his lips. “Don’t drink it!” Teya cried. “It’s poisoned!”

Korban hesitated, then his eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Of course you would say that.” Before she could stop him, he took several gulps of the water. “It tastes wonderful. Better than I remember.”

He drank more, and then splashed the water over his face before rising. His presence filled the grove as he reached his full height, and a smile of satisfaction crossed his dark features. He glanced at Teya with supremacy and a sneer tightened his lips.

As quick as it came, he gasped and clutched at his stomach. His eyes widened in astonishment before he fell to his knees. He groaned and fought for breath while his whole body shook. Spasmodic waves shot through him in short blasts, seeming to last forever.

It finally ended, but left him changed. Dark essence glowing with unnatural light framed his body. He straightened, and his eyes blazed red.

“I see clearly now. I thought I understood what the grove was, but now I see I was wrong. The gate between light and dark is here. All the powers of creation and death are held in this place. I see my destiny now, and the only thing standing in my way is you, Teya. Back away or die, the Tree is mine.”

Teya stepped in front of her grandmother and braced for Korban’s attack. “Not while I live.”

The notes flew from her mouth before Korban moved, pinning him to the spot. She strengthened her voice and felt the magic course through her like liquid fire. In a blinding flare of light, magic flew from her outstretched fingers toward Korban.

He held it back with a shield of blood-red fire, then pushed the power back toward Teya. His strength unbalanced her, and she fought for control. He pushed harder and with easy steps started around the pool toward the tree. She knew she had to keep him away, and doubled her efforts. It slowed him, but he still came on.

The loud crack of gunfire startled her, and Korban faltered. Bran stood at the edge of the pool and fired his gun again. Korban jerked from the impact, but with a sweep of his hand sent his power crashing into Bran. The blow sent Bran flying in the air where he landed with a loud crack against a tree. He lay unmoving and still. Teya’s heart constricted with a spasm of pain. “Bran! No!”

Korban straightened as a low wind whistled through the trees. Dark shadows coalesced around him like wraiths, and flowed to him in undulating waves. A small smile curved his lips, and when he opened his mouth, they disappeared down his throat. His body swelled again. With a gasp, the bullets fell out of his chest. He grinned in defiance, more powerful than before.

“I am sorry to have to destroy you,” he said. “But I can’t let you stop me. You stand between me and all I ever wanted. Everything I deserve after years of banishment and pain. In this sacred place, I can become a God. A God of death and life, darkness and light, joy and pain. This earth and everything in it belongs to me.”

“It will take more than a few wraiths to do that!” Teya shouted.

“But you forget the Tree. It is the conduit to all power. With the Tree, I can do anything.”

The Tree was also Teya’s only hope, but half-filled with darkness, how could she harness the light? She gently placed her fingertips, then her palm, on the smooth bark of the Tree, and felt an immediate response. Something stirred within it, like the shifting of a great door, and the balance of power changed. The darkness gave way to light.

Teya concentrated on drawing the light to fill the Tree, placing both hands on the trunk. Her clear voice rang out with startling purity, forcing the darkness to recede. Without warning, a driving shock shattered her focus and waves of pain lanced up her back.

She screamed from the pain, but didn’t release her hold on the Tree, knowing that in order to win this fight against Korban, she must change the balance of power to her advantage before he came any closer. With a moan of desperation, she managed to fling up a small shield of protection, and the pain receded.

Korban advanced with fierce determination, his contorted features a mask of death. Korban’s power pounded into her, halting her progress. In alarm, she wrenched one hand from the Tree and flung her own power at Korban.

He shrank back and she doubled her efforts, reaching deep inside for strength she didn’t know she possessed. Sparked by her power, a corridor opened in the Tree and sealed the darkness away. A blast of pure light coursed through her, and she glanced up to find the Tree smothered in a beam of light coming from above, like a conduit from the heavens.

Korban cried out in anger, and darkness pounded her, beating at her with unbroken fury. She dropped her hand from the tree, but the power stayed connected to her through the channel she’d formed. With light streaming into her, she sent a crushing wave into Korban. He flew back and landed in a tangled mass.