33
(Fenjaday, part 6)
Irola – A’mara Complex
“I hear they aren’t even trying to put out the fires in the swamps,” Marosio said to Yewan.
“That’s because the swamps are so big and have so much fuel to burn, there is very little that can be done,” Yewan answered. “But this happens every year. Though it is unusual for the fires to be this big.”
“Do you think their thoughts of thinning the fire swamps is a good idea?” Marosio asked.
“It’s hard to say,” Yewan replied. “I am no scientist, but it seems to me that the more people mess with nature, the more we mess it up!”
Marosio nodded in agreement.
Towani City
Vanti, Coomar and Janika were exhausted from getting plants ready to travel to Omrill. Even Nina had turned up to give them a hand. Vanti wished she could get Samek to help. She would enjoy working with him.
Cyanus came in. “How is everyone doing?” he asked, giving Nina a kiss.
“We are almost done,” Coomar said. “I should be on my way tomorrow afternoon.”
Vanti could feel Janika struggling emotionally. Was Coomar unaware? Or was he uninterested? He seemed too guarded.
“Zarma wanted you to know that Ja’tel has been released from observation and Saraca is ready for visitors,” Cyanus informed the group.
“Denica?” Janika asked.
“No change there.”
Cyanus and Nina led the others to see Saraca and Ja’tel who sat at the bedside of his beloved.
“Where are Saisha and Lucao?” Vanti asked.
“They were in here earlier. They wouldn’t leave until they were happy their maqlas were on the mend,” Zarma said.
Vanti nodded.
“I can’t tell you how grateful we are for the part every one of you played in our rescue,” Saraca said as she smiled at each of them. “We are both alive, because of how well your operation was conducted.”
But Vanti could feel the tears and pain behind her perfect composure.
“What’s wrong?” she asked the woman.
The perfect composure crumbled for a moment as her distress flowed from her eyes. A moment later, she had regained it so perfectly that one could easily have missed the previous moment.
“She will never be able to carry our child,” Ja’tel said somberly. “She was tortured in such a way as to have her reproductive system destroyed.”
“We are so sorry,” Zarma said quietly. “Do you know anything about the man who did it?”
“He is my ex-husband,” Nina said, looking pale.
Several A’mara in the room were surprised at that information.
“It goes deeper than that,” Ja’tel said.
Saraca’s voice was shaky when she continued the story. “I knew Païsan long ago. He once wanted to date me. He frightened me and I wanted nothing to do with him – this is from before I met Ja’tel, about the time I became a chola. Païsan told me that I would one day regret spurning him.”
“Can you tell us anything about the way he managed to torture you?” Cyanus asked.
“He was able to somehow penetrate the magna-chamber; through the leya-dampeners. I’ve never seen anything like it. He offered to teach Denica, of course she refused. He threw her against the chamber wall a couple of times as punishment,” Saraca said.
“Very strange,” Zarma said. “It sure doesn’t seem to explain the injuries you and Denica have.”
“He used his fingers like knives inside me,” Saraca said, her composure wavering again.
Vanti felt moved to give the woman a comforting hug. In that instant, each had a revelation about the woman she was embracing. “Abári,” Vanti greeted. “You will one day be the mother to all A’mara!”
“And you. Even in your darkest days – yet to come – you will survive. You will be fine and will die an old and very contented woman. Remember this, all your days, for the dark times will soon be upon you,” Saraca prophesied.
Vanti shuddered in spite of herself. She looked around, but no one else seemed to have noticed the mutual prophesies. Even Zarma and Ja’tel were momentarily preoccupied with talking to Cyanus about Saraca and Denica’s conditions.
The group moved on to Denica. She was still unconscious. “What is her prognosis?” Zarma asked.
“We really don’t know. We have had every able-bodied healer in here,” the nurse replied. “Even surgeons have looked at her. No one has been able to find the source of her injury or even come close to healing her.”
Nina nodded. Vanti knew that Nina had tried too.
“Surely a Veleda blast is fairly normal?” Cyanus asked.
“Yes, a Veleda blast, if survived to begin with, is easily remedied,” the nurse explained. “We are unsure what truly plagues Denica. It is almost as if there is a dagger inside her body, slowly cutting off the blood to her mind, to her heart, to her very soul.”
“Sounds like what Saraca said it felt like to be tortured by this man,” Cyanus said.
Zarma pulled out her healing crystal and held it over the girl, hoping to get some healing done and maybe some answers. The crystal tried to get away from the girl, jumping out of Zarma’s hand and narrowly avoiding smashing into a million pieces as Nina caught it.
“What?!” Cyanus said loudly. “I’ve never seen that happen before!”
“Neither have any of us,” Zarma said. “Has Saraca been given the chance to try? Perhaps with Murin’s help? They are blood, afterall.”
“I have been trying to give Saraca a chance to recover from her own traumas,” the nurse said.
“If Saraca is anything like Denica, she would rather be given the chance,” Nina said.
“She is still very weak,” the nurse said. “But if you think it best, I will bring her in here and we can see.”
“I know she would appreciate that,” Zarma said.
Saraca was wheeled in, and Ja’tel came with her. Murin joined them. Saraca was filled in on the plan. She nodded gravely. “We will try.”
The three of them held the crystal over the girl. It did not like being so close to her, but they managed to hold it there long enough for Saraca to gain a clear image.
“This is strange behavior for a healing crystal,” Cyanus said, as they watched.
Zarma nodded. She looked strange, Vanti realized. She could feel the bad feeling settling in Zarma’s heart.
“What is it, Abári?” she asked.
“I don’t know. A very bad feeling, plus a feeling that I should already know the answer, but it refuses to form completely,” Zarma replied.
“They are too weak now,” Ja’tel said as he escorted his lover back to her room and gave some healing energy to her. He sat beside her when he was done.
“A strong love they share,” Cyanus muttered to Nina and Vanti.
Vanti nodded. “So sad the suffering though. What a high cost their love has had.”
“We do not know their love has been a bad thing. Perhaps she actually saved his life first,” Nina supposed.
Vanti nodded again.
Supplemental Materials
Character Guide and Glossary
Terrenden Atlas pages
Please catch up!
Rebound of Power –
Meet Iyva, a homeless teenager in Irola with a strong connection with the leya. Totally untrained, her power rebounds catastrophically, leaving her close to death. A Nameless hero saves her life, but hides. Anyone would be proud to teach her, but will she choose the safe, trustworthy A’mara or the shady ones who teach her what she wants to learn? Can she trust her hero… the Nameless One?
This story actually wraps around four other stories: Friendship on Fire,Courage to Trust, Elect to Change and Ocean of Empathy. Currently, they're only available separately, but I do plan to republish the collection as a whole - I just haven't got there yet.
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Image Credits:
Birth of the Neví cover art based on:
Shaze divider based on:
- Sword image from Wikipedia Commons
All maps/editing by myself on GIMP and Photoscape, both free programs.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Although the penalty of knowing me in real life is that you will influence the creation of my characters; any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Writing and artwork copyright myself 2005-2018 – all rights reserved.
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Author's Commentary:
I do love the mutual prophesies part. It seemed so appropriate - and even Rami had given a prophesy regarding Saraca's future which seems closer now. The one for Vanti will hopefully give her some hope when she needs it the most. She's committed to Samek now, so he has no reason to hold back his true self from her (that's been my personal experience.)
In writing in another story this week, I know why the attempts to heal Denica have not been successful, but I don't yet know why Kinokei doesn't know - there must be a reason - maybe that will come out later.
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