ANUNDR: THE EXODUS (24 page)

‘You were the one who kept the birch seed for us to find.’ Kalani said to her.

‘Shhh.’ she said, and pointed to the walls. ‘They mustn’t hear.’

‘Who?’

‘The walls.’

Kalani didn’t make sense of it and she wasn’t ready to be dragged into their world. She had had enough of it already. ‘So why am I here?’

‘I would like for us to talk but first, you must deliver this scroll to the blacksmith.’ she said, extending a long scroll to her.

‘Me?’

‘Yes, you.’ she said as Kalani took it, ‘When you return, we’ll have much to discuss. The blacksmith is in the next building. Hasten your steps.’

Kalani’s mouth fell as she left the room confused. Idonea sat on the steps outside and watched her as she walked to the next building. Kalani could hear the hammering of steel before she got to the door. She opened it and let out the heat from the room.

‘What do you want?’ said a young man as he dropped the hammer in his hand and walked towards her.

‘Lady Uriel told me to keep this here.’ she said, giving him the scroll.

‘Ah. You’re the maiden she said would come. I’ll keep it safe for you.’

‘Keep it for me?’

‘Isn’t it yours?’

‘Mine?’

‘Maybe you should ask Lady Uriel.’

‘I will.’ She hurried back to the next building and said as she opened the door, ‘The blacksmith said the scroll is mine.’

Lady Uriel remained where she had left her but she now wore a smile on her face. ‘I’m surprised you didn’t know it was. It seems your powers are still hidden from you. Amse hasn’t even told you yet.’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Did Amse ever tell you about your mother?’

‘No.’ Kalani moved closer to her as her heart raced. ‘You knew her?’

‘Yes, I did. She once lived amongst us.’

‘Who was she? What was her name?’

‘We cannot mention it. It’s forbidden for us to utter it.’

‘Why?’

‘Because she betrayed us. We helped her but she chose to bring shame on us. To the seers, that is an unspeakable evil.’

‘What did she do?’ Kalani said but she suspected Amse had already told her.

‘I will not speak of it.’ Uriel said, turning away.

‘Then answer me this. Was my mother’s name
Natalia
?’

Uriel turned to face her, her eyes blazed with rage. ‘How did you hear that name? Amse is telling you the tale, isn’t he?’

‘Yes, but--’

‘He’s not supposed to talk about it. He has no right.’

‘But I have a right to know about her. She’s my mother.’

‘Your mother?’ Her face changed to surprise. ‘He didn’t tell you, did he?’

‘Tell me what?’

‘The reason why those soldiers came to your village, burning and killing just to find you.’

Kalani’s mouth dropped. ‘They came for me? Why?’

‘Because of your parents. When you were born, we told Amse we would protect you but he refused to give you to us. He’s the reason why all this is happening.’

‘Why would you want to protect me when you’ve been trying to kill Fanndis?’

‘She should have been dead a long time ago if we had had our way but Amse is stubborn.’

‘But what about Idonea? You kept her alive.’

‘Two of them cannot stay alive. One must die for the other to live.’

‘Why? She’s done nothing wrong.’

‘Not yet but soon her entire being will cry out for evil. That was the purpose of her birth.’

‘What are you saying?’

‘That she is no friend of yours.’

There was a loud crash, shaking the earth.

‘It has begun.’ Uriel said, heading for the door.

‘What?’

‘Come with me.’ she said, opening the door. Kalani followed her out. The guards were running to the gates.

‘Quickly.’ Uriel said, hurrying her steps. Idonea fell in behind as they rushed to the main building. Before they could climb the steps, Fanndis burst out of the building crying and running past them.

‘Fanndis.’ Kalani said, running after her.

‘Come back, Kalani. She is lost.’ Uriel said but she ignored her. Idonea stared after them.

‘Let us go.’ Uriel said, pulling her arm.

‘No.’ she said and ran after them.

‘Idonea!’ she shouted, then rushed up the stairs into the main building.

Fanndis dashed to one of the towers and ran up the long spiral stairs. Kalani followed her, shouting her name. When she got to the top, she saw Fanndis sprawled on the floor weeping.

‘What happened?’ Kalani said, going to her side.

‘They hurt Amse. I think he’s dead, because of me.’

‘No.’ Kalani said, moving back. ‘No, they couldn’t.’

‘I saw them.’ she said, her face was red and the veins in her neck protruded.

Kalani shook her head. ‘No, it’s not possible.’

‘What happened?’ Idonea said, glancing at the faces before her.

Fanndis' face changed to fury. ‘Go away!’

‘I only want to help.’

‘We don’t want your help.’ she said. They heard another crash on the gates that shook the tower.

‘What was that?’ Fanndis said. They rushed to the window. There was a battalion of soldiers on the bank. Kalani recognized their banner. It had been the same one she had seen before Seti fell.
The Golden Bull
.

‘Kalani,’ Fanndis said, pointing, ‘what are they doing?’

There were seven men dressed in white robes standing in the water holding hands and chanting. The waters grew troubled and were thrashing about, rising and crashing on the gate. The men moved left and right in sync with one another as they chanted. In the middle was a bald man who unclasped his hands from the others and stepped out in front. He brought out a skin bottle from under his robes, uncorked it and poured out its contents into the water. The river grew dark. The men raised their clasped hands in prayer and their chanting grew louder. The river rose like a wave and crashed close to the gate. The waters rose from the drop behind the men and rushed towards the gates while the waters at the gate whirled around forming a black hole.

Kalani stepped back. Her mind flashed back to her dream.

‘We need to leave here now.’ she said.

‘Why?’ Fanndis asked, turning to her.

‘I said now!’ The water collided with the gate, causing the tower to tilt to the other side. Fanndis and Idonea fell out of the window but Kalani caught their hands just in time.

‘Don’t let go.’ she said to them as their weight bent her over. Another wave was about to hit. She wasn’t sure how she was going to pull them in. She felt Fanndis' hand slipping.

‘Fanndis.’ she shouted. She could feel herself being dragged down but she couldn’t let go. She couldn’t let either one die. She saw the fear in their faces as they tried to hold on.

‘Kalani.’ Fanndis said as the wave hit and she slid from her grasp.

‘No.’ Kalani shouted, watching Fanndis fall into the black hole. The gates broke apart, and the tower tilted in the other direction, making it easier for Kalani to drag Idonea in. They collapsed on the floor in the tower. Kalani shook with the realization of what had happened. The tears fell as she placed her hands on the sides of her face. Idonea knelt down crying. She pulled Kalani’s sleeve and said, ‘We can’t stay here.’

‘Go.’ Kalani said to her.

‘I can’t leave you.’

‘I said go! Or I would kill you as well.’ Idonea hesitated, then ran down the tower.

Kalani wept.
She killed Fanndis. She killed her sister!
She had nothing left to live for. Amse was dead and so was everyone she loved,
because of her.
She stared at her trembling hands. She didn’t care if the tower fell. She hoped it would. She pounded her hands against the floor and pulled at her hair. She needed to hurt herself. Everything else was like a fog to her. She wasn’t aware that the soldiers were ransacking the town and killing all who stood in their way, nor did she care that the Faran had hidden away in a secret chamber and engulfed themselves in a
Blue Flame
spell that would cause them to rise only when the scepter chose; but the spell had also steered the eyes of all the gods.

Kalani rose and looked out of the window facing the town. She saw smoke rising from the buildings and bodies lying on the floor. She covered her mouth as more tears flowed. The soldiers were everywhere. She made to turn away when her eyes caught two soldiers dragging a man out of the city. From the tunic she knew it was Amse. Her heart leapt.
He was alive
. She couldn’t let him go. She couldn’t lose him as well even if she had to be captured to be with him. She ran down the stairs and rushed to the gate. Someone grabbed her and she felt a blade on her neck.

‘I want an audience with your commander. I have something to tell him.’ she said quickly.

‘Move.’ she heard. He pushed her ahead of him, leading her outside the gate. She saw a man on a brown horse talking to Amse. The man's hair was dark and his expression calm but serious. She saw him lift his head and stare at her. The other men followed his gaze. Amse turned around. She saw the despair in his eyes upon seeing her. As she reached them, the man behind her pushed her to the floor.

‘My lord,’ he said, ‘look what I found. She seeks an audience with you.’ The soldiers laughed while the corner of the commander’s mouth curved into a smile. Kalani got up and turned around to see her assailant. He was dressed in a white robe--
like a rahi
, she thought.

‘You may speak.’ said the man on the horse.

‘Please, don’t harm him. I am whom you seek.’ she said. It seemed to pique his interest. He bent forward and said, ‘And who are you?’

‘My name is Kalani. I’ve been under his care all my life.’

‘Who are your parents?’

She paused and lowered her eyes. ‘I don’t know.’

‘How convenient.’ he said, rubbing between his eyes. He turned to his men, ‘Call the informant.’

Kalani looked up as Kaheem stepped out from behind the soldiers. She saw the rage on Amse’s face and she felt it boiling within her. She rushed at him. ‘How could you?!’

The soldiers restrained her as Kaheem moved back and said, ‘You should learn to control that temper of yours. You didn’t like the Faran, while I didn’t like their price, so I made everyone happy and got a good profit.’

‘We have no time for your bickering. Is she the girl?’

‘Yes, she is the spawn of Galian and Nayet the
Phyllamora
.’

‘Good.’ he said and tossed him a bag of gold.

Kaheem bowed. ‘Thank you, my lord, but if I may be so bold to ask, couldn’t you leave the man and take the girl?’

‘Our bargain ended the moment you took your gold. It’s of no concern of yours what we do with him.

‘Meldric, brother,’ said a man coming out of the gate, ‘we couldn’t find the witches.’

‘They couldn’t have gotten that far.’ the commander said.

Kalani’s mind raced. ‘Meldric?’

‘It’s Prince Meldric to you.’ he said.

‘Prince Meldric the second?’

He scoffed and said, ‘The one and only Prince Meldric, the first—tie her up. We leave for Helmford.’

She looked at Amse, ‘Helmford?! What is this? What have you been telling me?’

‘The future, Kalani, your future.’ he said, then turned and shouted as Kaheem walked away, ‘Kaheem.’ Kaheem turned around. ‘I never lost faith in your goodness but now I have.’

Kaheem's face twitched and he said, ‘I’m delighted to have finally changed your mind.’ He turned and stomped off.

Meldric turned to his brother, ‘Sigrun, tell the men to pull back. We leave now.’

Sigrun nodded and shouted to the soldiers still in the city.

Amse turned to Kalani. ‘Where is Fanndis?’

Kalani's voice trembled as she said, ‘Sh-she…fell.’

‘What do you mean?’ he said, his eyes filled with fear.

‘She fell into the river.’

‘No! That can’t be.’ he said, limping towards the water. The rahi that had held a knife to her neck kicked him. He fell into the water.

‘Amse.’ Kalani said, rushing towards him. The rahi pushed her down beside Amse. All the men who saw it laughed except Meldric and the bald rahi.

‘Akasha, what sort of game is this?’ Meldric said, turning to him.

‘Forgive me, my lord, I only wanted to give them a strong hand.’

‘I didn’t ask you to do so.’ He turned to the bald rahi, ‘Maris, you shall be in charge of the prisoners till we get to Helmford. I don’t want Akasha killing them on the way.’

‘Yes, my lord.’ Maris said, bowing. Akasha had a scowl on his face as he let Maris pass to help them to their feet. He helped Amse up first, and then he grabbed a hold of Kalani’s arm. His touch was moist and cold. She looked at his hands, then at him. He had an apologetic look on his face.