Souls of Aredyrah 3 - The Taking of the Dawn (18 page)

“Tell him what?”

“That you don’t appreciate him saving Torin,
and that you wish he’d just left you and your sister back on the
road. I’m sure some nice Jecta would have come along and helped
you, eventually.” Cora paused. “Oh…wait. Didn’t I hear something
about a Jecta man finding Torin in the mud, and after stealing from
him left you and your sister there?”

Gem’s brows slid up with surprise. “How did
you know that?”

“Reiv told me, and believe me, that Jecta had
better stay away from Reiv if he knows what’s good for him.” Cora
sighed. “I don’t know why Reiv bothers though. I mean, he’s
Tearian
. Why should he care about an injured Shell Seeker
and two unappreciative little girls?”

“You’re just trying to trick me into liking
him.”

“Am I?”

Gem rested her chin on her bent knees and
stared at her toes for a long moment. “Reiv’s helping you make
Torin well?”

“You know he is.”

“Who’s going to take care of me and Nely, now
that Mum is dead?” Gem asked.

“Torin, of course.”

“What if he dies.”

“He won’t. I won’t let him,” Cora said. “But
he has much healing to do. In the meantime, I will take care of you
and your sister. Would that be all right?”

A smile teased the corner of Gem’s mouth.
“That would be good.”

Cora nudged Gem with her shoulder. “How about
we wash this grime off, then go check on Torin. Maybe he’s awake,
and we can tell him how brave you have been.”

Cora rose and led the way to a patch of sand
bordering the shallows of the shoreline. She held out her hand.
“Come, Gem. Today we’ll only wade. There’s time enough to learn how
to swim.”

Gem studied the water, then set her face with
determination. “Today I’ll wade,” she said. “But tomorrow I’ll
swim.” Then she took Cora’s hand and stepped with her into the
river.

Back to ToC

C
hapter 16: Three Days

“
T
hree days,” Torin
mumbled.

Cora placed a cool rag upon his forehead,
then looked at Reiv who was sitting nearby. “What does he mean do
you think?” she asked.

“Probably just nonsense, from the fever or
loss of blood,” Reiv replied.

“I don’t know. He’s been saying it a
lot.”

“Do you think the girls might know?” Reiv
glanced beyond the open flap of the tent.

“Maybe. Why don’t you ask them.”

Reiv forced a laugh. “Like they will tell
me
anything.”

“Tell them I sent you to ask,” Cora
suggested.

Reiv rolled his eyes. “Fine.” He rose and
stepped out the tent and over to where the girls were chasing each
other beneath a tree.

“Gem.”

Gem stopped and glared at him.

“Cora sent me to ask if you know what Torin
means when he says ‘three days.’ We thought it might be
important.”

“That’s what the King said,” she answered

“The King? What else did he say?”

“I don’t remember.”

Reiv stepped closer. “Please, Gem. Try. Is
something supposed to happen?”

“I think so.”

“What, Gem? What is supposed to happen in
three days?”

She scowled. “I said I don’t know.”

Reiv turned his attention to Nely who was
several paces away. Perhaps she knew, but somehow he doubted it.
Worst-case scenarios scurried through his mind. Three days—and it
had already been two. What could Whyn be planning? Reiv suddenly
noticed that Nely’s crumbling expression was beginning to mirror
his own emerging fears. “Come, Nely,” he said, holding a hand out
to her. “You, too, Gem.”

Nely came to him readily, but Gem refused to
budge. Reiv bit back his aggravation. “Gem, I have a very important
job for you. I must go to Meirla and meet with the Shell Seekers.
While I am away, Cora will need your help.”

Gem nodded.

“You must also keep an eye on your sister,
and you may be asked to help take care of Torin. It is a big
responsibility. Do you think you can handle it?”

Gem nodded again, but then she narrowed her
eyes. “Why are you going to Meirla? You should stay here with
us.”

For a moment it sounded as if she actually
wanted him to stay, and Reiv’s spirits lifted somewhat. “I would
much rather stay and look after things here,” he said, “but I must
leave for a time.” Reiv placed a hand on her shoulder. “Gem, I
think you are big enough to hear what I have to say next. You have
shown yourself to be very brave, but now you must be even more so.
I fear the King is making new plans, and I will see no harm come to
you and your sister, or to Cora and Torin. That is why I must meet
with the Shell Seekers.”

“I will look after things while you are
gone,” Gem said.

“Thank you…and you, too, Nely. I know Torin
and Cora will take comfort in your help while I am away.”

Reiv let go of Nely’s hand and returned to
the tent.

“Cora, I must leave for Meirla,” he said as
he entered. “I have already told Gem and Nely. They are prepared to
help you.”

Cora rose with concern. “What is it? Why are
you leaving?”

“Gem said she heard the King say ‘three
days,’ but she knows nothing more. My brother is planning
something; I am sure of it. And if that plan is to happen in three
days time, then it has already been two. I must meet with the Shell
Seekers.”

“Will they let you enter the village?”

“They will.” He turned to leave, but then
stopped. “Can you handle Torin and the girls by yourself, Cora? I
hate to leave you, and I do not know how long I will be gone.
Hopefully not long, but. . .” As the words left his mouth, he
realized how very much he regretted leaving. In the brief time he
had been with Cora and the girls, he had come to feel responsible
for them, almost like the head of the household. It made him feel
needed, but when he glanced at Torin, the feeling turned to loss. A
family might be forming within these canvas walls, but it would be
Torin’s family, not his.

Cora stepped toward him. “Before you leave, I
want to thank you for everything you’ve done for Torin. I love you
for it, you know.”

Reiv nodded stiffly.

Cora wrapped her arms around him, and as she
did so he could not help but bury his face in her wild, sea-scented
hair. He longed for more, but Cora was not his to take. He eased
from her embrace.

“You may love me, but not the way you love
him,” he said, tilting his head in Torin’s direction.

“No, but it’s still love, isn’t it?”

Reiv smiled. “I suppose it will have to do.”
Then he stepped toward the exit and slipped through the flap.

****

The Shell Seekers that guarded the road
stopped Reiv only briefly. They trusted that he, as one who had
Transcended, was beyond the limitations of a mere mortal man;
surely the fever could not touch someone who had died and returned
to tell of it. But not everyone believed his former tale of
Transcension, and so when he arrived at the village, he was met by
a group that was far less trusting of him than the guards on the
road had been.

“Halt, Tearian,” Lyal’s voice commanded.

Reiv bristled as he turned toward the voice,
realizing several pairs of accusing eyes were aimed at him, as well
as half a dozen equally sinister blades.

Reiv stopped, keeping his focus on Lyal, who
was clearly the leader of the pack. He would have liked nothing
more than to fight the arrogant fool, but Reiv was outweaponed and
outmanned, and there were more pressing issues at hand.

“I appreciate your loyalty to the village,”
Reiv said, “but I have news of the King that must be relayed to the
clan.”

“Then you will relay it to me first,” Lyal
said, not lowering his blade.

“You are not the clan’s leader, Lyal. I will
relay it only to the person in charge.”

Lyal curled his lip. “Then that, Tearian,
would still be me. Torin, as you know, is indisposed.”

“You have been elected in his place?”

“In a manner of speaking.”

Reiv took a step toward him, shoving Lyal’s
short sword aside with a swipe of his hand. “What do you mean, in a
manner of speaking?”

But Lyal remained nonplussed. “I was assigned
to look after the village while the rest of the clansmen set up a
line of defense in the surrounding area. So for now you’d best get
used to the idea of dealing with me.”

Reiv glared at the cluster of young men at
Lyal’s back. Most of them were barely older than he himself was,
but he could tell by their expressions that they would welcome a
chance to prove their manhood. Reiv forced self-control into his
voice. “I need to speak with the entire council, Lyal, not just
you. Now, would you be so kind as to send one of your boys to fetch
them. We are wasting time debating the issue, time we do not
have.”

Lyal narrowed his eyes. “How much time
do
we have?”

“Hours…minutes…I do not know. But I am
confident of this much: we will have no more than a sunset to find
out.”

Lyal looked skeptical, but he jerked his head
for one of his cohorts to carry out Reiv’s instruction. “Get the
word out to the rest of the village,” he barked to the others.
“We’ll meet as soon as all are gathered.”

Reiv stepped in the direction of Jensa’s hut,
intending to give her a pre-meeting update on Torin’s condition,
but Lyal stopped him short. “Oh, no, prince. You’re coming with
me.”

“I have had enough of you,” Reiv said. “I
need to speak with Jensa.”

“You may speak with her later. She is
cloistered.”

“
Cloistered
?” Reiv said.

“The women and children have been instructed
to remain inside. The Elders thought it best, in order to decrease
the risk to future generations.”

Reiv scanned the area, realizing only men
were moving about, and most of them were too young or too old to
serve any real purpose at the lines.

“Brina, then. I need to speak with my aunt. I
doubt she is any threat to your future generations.”

Lyal opened his mouth to decline, but then
appeared to reconsider. “Very well,” he said gruffly. “I’ll escort
you to the Place of Observance first, then I’ll fetch her. But
you’ll wait there until I return, understand?”

Reiv growled inwardly at being ordered about
by Lyal, of all people, but he realized it would do no good to
antagonize him further. All that mattered was that the clan meeting
was being called. He nodded reluctantly and headed to the meeting
place, Lyal at his back and breathing down his neck.

* * * *

The Place of Observance was a massive
pavilion of bamboo poles woven together by marsh reeds and palm
fronds. Thousands of iridescent shells decorated its exterior,
making the place shimmer like a star. The entire compound was
situated on a tor, midway between the sandy village it faced, and
the dark rock cliffs that towered at its back. Though positioned to
rise above the village, it did not loom over it like a master to a
slave, but seemed to gaze upon it like a parent to a child. A wide
path ambled up from the village to the structure, and was lined on
each side by lush greenery and god-like statues carved from the
local coral. A large clearing surrounded the building, which was
where religious and communal ceremonies were held. Though the
pavilion itself could accommodate a hundred souls within, the area
that surrounded it could easily accommodate a thousand.

As Reiv was escorted toward the sacred place,
he could not help but recall the first time he had been there. It
sent pain to his heart and sweat to his brow, for it was there, not
all that long ago, that he had been poisoned and sent to the After
Place. Though he had returned intact and with great knowledge, he
would never forget the agony that had burned in his belly, nor the
terror that had possessed his soul. But he could not dwell on that
now; he had to stay focused on the matter at hand. Today his
concern was not the death of an individual, but that of an entire
race.

They soon reached the clearing and marched
across it toward the pavilion. As they did so, three spiritual
Elders stepped through the beaded portal to greet them. The three
bowed to Reiv, an honor usually bestowed only upon others within
the sect. This brought an immediate scowl to Lyal’s face.

“He is to remain inside until I return,” Lyal
said. “The King has declared war on the Jecta, and we mustn’t
forget this is the cur’s brother.”

“You go too far with your words, Lyal,” one
of the Elders said. “Reiv is beyond the royal blood ties. He is a
Transcendor. His ties are with those of a higher order.”

Lyal scoffed. “So you say, Yustes.”

“So we all say,” a second Elder replied.

“A clan meeting is being called,” Lyal said.
“Keep him here until the members arrive.”

“Reiv may stay here as long as he wishes,”
Yustes said. “But not on your order.” The old man’s voice grew
threatening. “Do not throw your arrogance in my direction, Lyal, or
your own transcension may take a turn in the other direction.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Call it what you wish.”

Lyal glared. “My concern is for this world,
not the next. Save your threats for someone else.”

“And you yours.”

“Your threats have no sway over me, old man,”
Lyal said. “You will see to it that Reiv stays.” Then he turned and
stormed back toward the path.

It did not take long for the Place of
Observance to fill with Shell Seekers. Some were men who had
previously been assigned to set up the perimeter to prevent
refugees from entering the village. Though most of the Jecta had
traveled the main road that led to Meirla, others had staggered
toward it through the hills, and were still doing so. Rather than
give up the line entirely, some of the men continued their patrols,
while the rest departed for the hastily called meeting. Other
residents attended also, but strangely there were no females. Reiv
found this most unsettling. Shell Seeker women had never been known
to sit back and let the men do all the work. They were a society of
equals, so why they had agreed to such an arrangement was beyond
him.