Now, she took the pain and the tears of Shia’s death and used them, shaped them, forging a bright, hard shell around that small part of her mind where she hid her secrets. She gave that part of her mind a name—it no longer belonged to the worthless, powerless umagi called “girl.” It belonged to the child Shia had held in her arms and sung to, the child Shia had named Melliandra.
Behind that bright, hard shell, Melliandra stored her memories of Shia and those too-short bells of brightness she’d found in the dark heart of Boura Fell. The High Mage would never get those memories. She’d die first.
Or he would.
Her eyes flashed open, cold and silver and filled with fierce purpose.
CHAPTER TEN
Tairen, tairen, soaring high
Undisputed king of sky
Which great god did fearless chance
To cast thy bold magnificence?
“Tairen, Tairen” by Kimall vel’En Belawi, Tairen Soul
The Fading Lands ~ Eastern Desert
High above the world, the light of the Great Sun turned the eastern sky watery. Streamers of wispy cloud hanging over the far horizon glowed pink in the slowly lightening sky.
Wind blew through the loose shields of Fire surrounding Ellysetta, whistling in her ears as she and Rain raced across the Fading Lands. Below them, the stark colors of the desert slowly gave way to a vast, gently rolling terrain covered with tall, waving grasses. Herds of grazing animals dotted the plains, scattering in fright as Rain’s tairen form swooped over them.
Beyond the wide expanse of golden plains, the smoking, snowcapped volcanoes of the Feyls rose up in impressive majesty. One tall peak dominated the rest, towering over its brethren by at least a third. Clouds encircled its snowy peak like a misty crown. Just below them, three large tairen rode the updrafts on outstretched wings.
«Is that Fey’Bahren?» Ellysetta asked.
«It is. Torasul, Fahreeta, and Steli are flying out to greet us.» The three tairen spewed jets of flame and spun around to fly towards Rain and Ellysetta with alarming swiftness.
She gulped. «Is that a good thing?»
«You are the truemate of the Tairen Soul, none of the tairen would dare singe a single hair on your head. But Steli is…fierce. She may try to frighten you. She thinks she is chakai, First Blade, of the tairen.»
«First Blade?»
«Fiercest of defenders. Celierians call them champions. Bel, Tajik, Rijonn, and Gil are all First Blades of the Fading Lands. Gaelen was, too, before he became dahl’reisen.»
«Oh.» Wonderful.
Ellysetta’s fingers tightened about the pommel of the saddle as the tairen roared. The great cats were enormous, their eyes glowing, opalescent wells of active power. One of them, a pure white beauty with deep blue eyes, sped ahead of the other tairen and roared a challenge, showing a fearsome set of sharp white teeth. Rain roared back but the white tairen did not slow.
«Is the white one Steli?»
«Aiyah.»
Steli’s ears were laid back against her head, her razor-sharp claws unsheathed and fully extended.
«Rain…» Ellie grabbed hold of the saddle, and her legs clamped tight around Rain’s neck. He and Steli were on a direct collision course, and neither showed the slightest sign of fear or concern. Neither showed any sign of slowing down either.
«Trust me, Ellysetta.»
Trust him. Trust him when a ferocious two-ton flying predator raced towards them at ramming speed. Ellysetta gulped, squeezed her eyes shut, and held on tight.
«Hold on.» That was all the warning Ellie received before Rain banked sharply to the left.
Ellysetta bit back a scream, and her eyes flashed open just in time to see the two tairen miss a head-on collision by a mere hand’s breadth. Steli passed so close, her furred tail brushed Ellysetta’s leg, and the wind generated by her pumping wings sent Ellysetta’s hair flying in all directions.
Rain righted himself in moments. «Are you well, shei’tani?» In hands white-knuckled from fear, Ellie clutched enormous tufts of tairen fur, and her legs clenched the saddle so fiercely that she’d all but melded herself to the leather. Slowly, her roiling belly and racing heart calmed and she managed to unfreeze her muscles enough to release Rain’s fur. «For the moment.» Except for the unfortunate feeling that she was about to lose what little food she’d eaten in Lissilin.
«You did very well.» Approval hummed along the threads of his Spirit weave. «Steli will not challenge us again. You did not scream and I did not falter. She was the first to turn away.» There was satisfaction in his voice, the prideful kind evinced by men and boys when they survived a test of manhood.
She relaxed her death grip on Rain’s pelt and shook her head. Steli was not the only one to believe herself First Blade of the tairen.
The other two tairen—one a gleaming gold and the other a deep, dark brown—banked in opposing circles, and Rain flew between them. He headed straight for the massive peak of Fey’Bahren, and as they neared, Ellysetta could make out the dark shadows of caves dotting the volcano’s steep sides. Rain landed on the wide ledge surrounding one of the largest caves. A shaft of Air plucked her from the saddle and set her on her feet, as Rain’s great black tairen form dissolved into mist. Then he was Rainier once more, tall, fierce, un-earthly beautiful.
“Come, shei’tani. Sybharukai and the others are waiting for us.”
“Are you sure it’s all right? I can wait out here if necessary.” A loud roar split the air, and she turned to see Steli spouting a great jet of fire. Ellysetta gulped. “Or not.”
Despite everything, the corner of Rain’s mouth lifted in a small smile. “You would be safe here, but Sybharukai says I should bring you.” He held out a wrist. “Come, shei’tani, and meet our soul-kin.”
He escorted her down a long, winding passage that seemed to go on forever. The passage was wide and tall enough to accommodate three fully grown tairen walking abreast, the stone dark and worn smooth by centuries of use. Numerous smaller tunnels branched off from the main passage, but they continued steadily downward. Once the cave entrance was out of sight, Rain summoned Fire to light the crystal globes that lined the pathway.
“The tairen use lights in their lair?” she asked in surprise.
He laughed softly. “Nei, but Feyreisen in their Fey form find it helpful. It’s said Feyreisen and their families once lived together in Fey’Bahren with the tairen, but it’s been long since that was true—if it ever was. Most fellana are too afraid of the tairen to be comfortable here.”
“Was your mother afraid of the tairen?”
His smile grew sad. “Nei. Nei, she never was.”
The passage finally opened into an enormous firelit cavern deep within the heart of Fey’Bahren. Dark, ledged walls soared ten tairen lengths high. A thick layer of hot black sand covered the cavern floor. Ellysetta could feel the heat through the soles of her boots as she and Rain entered. All around them, glowing eyes watched from the darkness of the encircling ledges. The cavern hummed with a low, mournful growling that made her want to weep.
A smoky shadow moved along the far side of the cavern, startling Ellysetta when two large glowing green eyes appeared in its midst. Then the shadow moved again, rising to pad silently across the sand. The illusory camouflage of the approaching great dark gray cat was astonishing. Even moving, it appeared more smoke than solid flesh. As the tairen approached, Ellysetta sensed a rich mix of welcome, strength, and a powerful calming stillness. Almost as if this one tairen were singlehandedly holding the grief of the others in check.
“Sybharukai.” Rain touched Ellie’s shoulder. «Wait here, shei’tani.» He continued forward alone to greet the matriarch of the tairen pride. His towering Fey height seemed dwarfed against the tairen, and the gentle welcoming nudge of Sybharukai’s massive head pushed him back several steps. He raised his arms and embraced the enormous cat, pressing his face against the furred jaw.
When they parted, Ellysetta saw what Sybharukai’s
body had previously hidden from view. Another tairen lay motionless upon the dark sands of the nesting lair. Its great head was cocked to one side, jaws parted to reveal once lethal fangs and a lolling tongue. Its eyes were open, but they had turned a flat, opaque white. The cat lay curled around six large eggs, protecting them even in death. Behind the dead tairen crouched a large, dark brown tairen who was the source of the mournful growls.
Every instinct urged Ellysetta to soothe the deep hurt that caused such overwhelming sorrow. She took a step nearer, then stopped. This was a place of mourning, and she was a stranger.
“That is Cahlah,” Rain said quietly as he returned to her side. “She is—was—the mother of those unhatched kits, and it is she whose passing we felt. The male behind her is her mate, Merdrahl.” Deep emotion thickened his voice, and his expression had grown stony.
Unlike the tairen, Rain was no stranger, and she needed neither invitation nor introduction to offer him comfort. She reached for his hand. As her fingers clasped it, she could feel the faint tingles of warmth passing from her body to his, healing magic, which she wove instinctively. Condolence, sympathy, gentle love.
“I’m sorry, Rain. This is my fault. If you hadn’t given me time with my family—if you’d flown me here straightaway—we could have arrived days ago. Maybe we could have found a way to save them.” Guilt lay heavy upon her. She tried to block the emotion so Rain would not sense it, but they were touching skin to skin. He read her guilt and grief as easily as if they were his own.
He drew a shuddering breath and pulled her into his embrace. “Nei, I will not allow you to blame yourself. The decision was mine. You would have come if I had insisted, but I did not. Even Sybharukai thought Cahlah was improving, and this…thing—whatever it is—that slays the kitlings in the egg has never taken an adult tairen before now. Sybharukai says Cahlah fought it cha, meicha, te seyani, fang, claw, and tail; but she had already lost too much strength, and she spent the last of it battling the thing that came to claim her kit.”
Ellysetta laid her hand on his chest. “I am the one the Eye of Truth sent you to find. I am the one meant to save them. If I am not to blame for Cahlah’s death, then how can you be?”
Sybharukai gave a purring growl that sounded to Ellie like both a gentle remonstration and a slightly impatient command.
Rain gave a small, rueful smile. «She who leads the tairen has no patience for guilt. What’s done cannot be undone.» He stepped back. Still holding her hand, he tugged her gently towards Sybharukai. “Come, Ellysetta, and meet Sybharukai, makai of the Fey’Bahren pride.”
They stood so close to the tairen that the great cat’s breath rippled through Ellysetta’s hair.
“Greetings, Lady Sybharukai,” Ellie murmured politely. She’d never been introduced to an animal before, but the sheer presence of this tairen was so magnificent that offering a polite greeting and attaching a noble honorific to the tairen’s name seemed only fitting.
A moment later, she was glad she’d been so polite. The glowing beacons of the tairen’s eyes fixed on her, and a wave of pure power enveloped her. It flowed through her body like a swift wind through the branches of a tree. Comforting warmth, followed abruptly by a brisk, forceful chill that left her gasping as though she’d been stripped bare and tossed into an icy lake. Hesitation. Surprise. Then another dagger-sharp probing. All the while Sybharukai’s eyes held hers, deep wells of knowing green, ancient and wise.
This was no animal, but a being of great power and intelligence.
There was a huffing sound—tairen laughter—and a low, vibrant voice filled her mind, not tairen song but words that simply appeared in her mind. In Celierian.
«We are all animals of one form or another, kitling.»
Ellysetta stared at the tairen in wonder. “I never knew the tairen could speak Celierian.”
“She speaks to you in your native tongue?” Rain seemed pleased. “That is a sign of great respect. The tairen can send their thoughts in any language they desire, but they consider words cumbersome and restrictive. Tairen song is much more beautiful.”
“Yes, but this is amazing too.” She couldn’t take her eyes off Sybharukai. “It doesn’t feel anything like the Fey mind-speech. It’s as if the words are all around me, absorbed by every part of my body.”
“Aiyah. It is not Spirit the tairen use, but some other form of communication.”
“She read my mind.”
“Do not be offended. The tairen do not put the same restrictions on their magic that the Fey do, and within the pride, there are no secrets.”
“I’m not offended.”
Sybharukai’s massive dark gray head nudged Ellie. Before Ellysetta realized what was happening, Sybharukai dipped her head and licked Ellie’s face. Her tongue was warm and rough, much like a house cat’s.
Sybharukai sat back on her haunches. From the ledges all around the cavern came quiet sounds of movement as the other tairen stirred. A sleek tawny beauty with golden eyes dropped silently to the black sands of the nesting lair, golden wings half extended to break her descent. Behind her, a slightly larger tairen with auburn fur landed. Together they padded towards Ellysetta.
“Xisanna and her mate, Perahl,” Rain murmured. “Now that Sybharukai has accepted you, the other tairen will greet you as well.”
Tawny Xisanna and auburn Perahl sniffed Ellysetta experimentally as, behind them, more tairen leapt and glided down from the ledges to the cavern floor.
“Greetings, Lady Xisanna, Lord Perahl.” She jumped as the two tairen, having finished sniffing her, licked her face, then moved off to let the others approach.
Alone and in pairs, more than a dozen tairen inspected her before granting her their lick of approval and welcome. Fahreeta, Torasul, and Steli returned from outside and came forward to add their greetings.
The dead tairen’s mate gave a mournful cry, the sound so full of pain that tears filled Ellysetta’s eyes. She made an instinctive step towards him, but Rain held her back. “Nei, shei’tani. The tairen and I will see to him.”
Even as he spoke, Sybharukai rose to her feet and padded across the black sands to where Cahlah’s body lay. The other tairen followed close on her heels.
“It is time, Ellysetta.” Rain lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss on her fingers. “Merdrahl agreed to wait for me, but he cannot stand to wait any longer. There are steps carved into the wall behind us. Climb to at least the fourth ledge, and do not come down until I tell you.”
Worry gripped her. “Rain?”
“I will be safe, Ellysetta, as will you, but you must do as I say. Hurry, please.”
The sense of urgency in his voice made her turn and run across the sands to the wide, flat steps hewn into the side of the cavern. Magic swelled as Rain summoned the Change, and when she glanced back over her shoulder, he was loping across the lair in tairen form to join the rest of the pride.
Ellysetta made her way to the second ledge high above the cavern floor. Below, several of the tairen took all but one of the eggs in their mouths and carried them to the other side of the lair. They deposited the eggs in a far corner and buried them in a heap of dark sand before returning to join the others, where they formed a ring around Merdrahl and the dead Cahlah.
All the tairen began to growl, the sound a single deep, throaty note that made the hairs on Ellie’s arms stand up.
«Higher, shei’tani.»
Rain’s silent urging sent her scrambling up another flight of steps. As she reached the third landing, the growling reached a higher pitch. The tairen circling Merdrahl and Cahlah rose to their hind legs, and their wings began to unfurl. Opalescent tairen eyes glowed bright with magic. Merdrahl released a haunting cry and laid his body over his dead mate’s motionless form. The mountain itself began to tremble as the voices of the tairen filled the lair, reverberating in the massive cavern. Several of the tairen stretched back their heads and roared. Gouts of fire escaped from their throats, and then she knew.
&nbs
p; She scrambled up yet a fourth flight of steps. The palms of her hands scraped against the rock, but she paid no heed to the pain. A sense of urgency had gripped her, spawned by a fierce, unshakable certainty.
Fire was coming, hot and glorious. Tairen’s fire to cleanse and purify. Tairen’s fire to slay and transform. Tairen’s fire, deep and deadly magic.
How she knew it, she could not guess, but she was certain. Her skin felt hot and full and tight, as if the fire were already inside her, fighting for release. Perspiration dewed her skin, and her breath came in ragged gasps. She stopped on the fourth ledge, unable to force herself higher. What was coming alarmed her, but now it also drew her, calling to her like a beloved friend.
Below her, the ring of tairen were all standing on their hind legs. Their wings were fully extended, the furless undersides glistening as though paved with diamond dust. Tairen song played in her mind, pure, endless notes that grew stronger and deeper, building to a crescendo, flooding her with emotions. Aching sadness, vast love, an agony of loneliness, the promise of peace. Tears spilled from her eyes. Merdrahl had lost his mate, and his suffering was unendurable. The tairen, his family, would release him.
The visceral notes of gleaming gold and silver music flashed and trembled in the air, resonance so pure and intense it assumed visual form. The music filled Ellie’s ears and mind and went deeper still to invade her blood, flesh, and bones, sinking into the very fabric of her being. Deep within, her own tairen shifted with unease. Feral, frightened, it hissed a warning even as desperate yearning filled her, an aching void, a soul-deep pain. It wanted…needed…what?
When the song reached its apex, the tairen on the lair floor flung back their heads and roared. With wings flung wide, fully extended and trembling, their massive chests expanded on a single, communal inhalation. In the center of the ring, Merdrahl bared his deadly fangs and screamed a final, fierce, earthshaking roar of love and sorrow, pleading and command.