Destiny's Blood (41 page)

Avienne took a deep breath and focused on Zortan instead, reassuming her indifferent manner.

“How come your sword can kill those things?” Avienne asked.

“It’s the sword of the Captain of the Royal Guards. It’s meant to protect royalty against any attacker.” He shot Yoma a look, and added, “And it can track missing royalty.”

“No wonder I can’t shake him,” Yoma mumbled.

“Can’t someone else use it to track down the twins?” Avienne asked.

“The sword can only be used by those most loyal to the heirs. It can’t be used against them.”

“Oh.” Avienne sounded disappointed.

“My sister is coming from the other side. Can you sense that, Captain of the Royal Guards?”

Zortan hesitated. “Yes, but only faintly. The power is weaker, split in two.”

“I need you to promise me something, Zortan,” Yoma said, her footing more sure as her next words gave her strength. “Promise me that you’ll protect Layela before me. If you have to choose, protect her, not me.”

Zortan kept his gaze focused ahead as he answered. “I can’t promise that. If one of you is to die, my blood will also be spilled.”

“Oooooooooh,” Avienne murmured, her interest perked.

Yoma was about to reply angrily when they stepped out of the hills, and words were lost to her. Before them lay what could only be the capital. Domes and towers rose from the ground, woven into cliffs and mountains, glittering white in defiance of the red light. In the centre was a thin tower, tall and proud, bearing the emblem of Mirial on a cloth that flapped in the wind despite the heavy air.

The sight of it tugged at Yoma’s heart.

“This is where you and your sister were born,” Zortan said, stopping to look, as well.

“Looks pretty dead to me,” Avienne said. She kicked a rock in disgust. Yoma looked at Avienne in surprise. It was the most spectacular city she had ever seen! But when she turned back, she sucked in her breath as she saw how the city had changed from the vision that had shrouded it a moment before. The towers had long ago crumbled, the domes collapsed, and the high tower bore but a tattered, limp rag. The buildings were scorched and black, as though a great fire had raged and consumed all in its path.

“What happened here?” she whispered. She clung to the earlier vision in defiance of the broken wreck that now lay before her.

“Your mother died, ether was unleashed and people suffered.” Zortan resumed walking, but Yoma could not tear her eyes away from the rag, seeing the banner and its beautiful emblem so clearly in her mind. Flowers had been interwoven to form a giant flower which hugged a sun, filled with colours that would rival the best painter’s palette.

“Come on,” Avienne whispered urgently. A familiar gurgling was rising in the horizon, beyond the hills.

She moaned and they began walking. Zortan waited for them and let them pass first, his sword ready as the gurgling grew louder.

“The shields have to be taken down before we can pass,” he said casually, as though it were the simplest thing to do in the world. Yoma turned and looked towards the city, noting now that a faint blue shimmer blocked her path. When she held out her hand and touched it, energy coursed through the tips of her fingers and lights danced around them. Gingerly she pushed on the shield, but it was as ungiving as a brick wall.

“You’ll have to use your powers,” Zortan called back, the gurgling now louder. Yoma knew at any second the creatures would be slithering out from beyond the hills and they would be trapped.

Yoma took a deep breath. “I’ll try,” she said, putting her other hand out and looking up. The shields extended like a dome around the capital. She tried to see a weakness, but could see none. She closed her eyes and imagined it as a door. She had to pick the lock, only this time her mind was the tool. She let ether flow through her, the familiar mist clouding her vision. She gathered and held it within her until there was too much and it stopped her breath. Then she focused it and hurled it at the shield with all her strength. Her eyes opened and she watched blue ether flowing wildly across the shield’s surface.

“Blood and bones,” Avienne said.

The shield stopped flickering. Yoma pushed on it, and felt her blood leave her extremities. It was still solid.

Behind her, she heard Zortan move into action as the gurgling rose in pitch.

“Try again. Now,” Avienne said. She turned around, putting too much weight on her bad foot and almost falling. Knives flew free from her hand before she had even fully turned. Yoma couldn’t ignore the slight tremble in the smuggler’s usually confident arms.

Yoma took a deep breath. Her limbs were numb, her lips cold, her eyes blurry. She was running out of energy again and feared she would pass out. The sounds of battle raged around her and her breath turned cold. She realized that she had no idea what else to try.

i

“What do you think this is?” Ardin placed his hands on the blue energies. The shimmer travelled inside and up the dome it formed. “It’s at least ten metres deep.”

Layela was about to answer when blue light travelled the shield and they both took a step back, Ardin moving in front of her protectively. Layela gazed at the blue light, mingled with white, and gently urged Ardin aside. She stepped up to the odd dome, placing her hand on it.

“It’s a shield,” she whispered, placing her other hand next to her first, watching the blue lights dancing all around her skin. She gazed at the shield, and beyond it at the capital, and then her mind’s eye took her further still. The mists overpowered her vision and she saw, far away, her sister, Avienne and Zortan. They were locked in a battle, Avienne’s knives flying to the last and Zortan’s sword energized with ether, swinging swiftly at the creatures...but not quickly enough.

Her sister’s hands were pressed against the shields. The blue light tingled around her hands, and she said something, but Layela could hear nothing
 
—
 
not her sister’s words, nor the sounds of battle. She looked closer, past the white mist, into Yoma’s eyes. She saw fear and fatigue in them.

Layela smiled, knowing Yoma could see her too, and Yoma smiled back, her green eyes shining with unspent tears.

Layela screamed and flung the white mists against the shield, willing them down. She felt her sister do the same, felt their ether mingle and crackle like thunder in the night.

Layela fell to her knees, gasping as the vision of Yoma left her.

“Let’s move,” Ardin said. He half-carried, half-dragged her across the empty space where the shield had been. “We don’t know if it’ll come back up!” Layela found her footing and ran with him.

They heard another crack in the sky above them. Barely a metre from where they now stood, the blue shimmer returned, flickering angrily.

Ardin looked down at her questioningly, but Layela could not break away. Her eyes were locked on the capital, wishing she could still see her sister beyond it.

i

The shield buckled before Yoma. She fell head first, barely catching herself with her hands before she struck the ground. She rolled to her side and took deep breaths, fighting to remain conscious. The demons, frightened by the bursts of ether from Zortan’s sword, had retreated for the moment. A few still dared come near, only to be quickly downed by the blade.

“Go!” he shouted at them.

“You heard the man.” Avienne hobbled up to Yoma and offered her hand. Yoma reached up and Avienne pulled, almost toppling over from the force of it. All of Yoma’s blood seemed to drain from her head and she felt faint. She would have fallen again if not for Avienne’s strong grip.

“Come on, we have to move,” Avienne whispered urgently.
Yoma struggled to open her eyes, but she was so drained, and her lids were so heavy...

A slap rang across her cheeks, jerking her awake. Avienne still held her, barely, her right hand extended.

“I’m starting to like hitting you.” Avienne grinned. “Now stop snoozing and start moving! I can’t carry you!”

Yoma nodded, the sting in her cheek keeping the warm call of sleep at bay. Her limbs felt like lead as she moved, so slowly. After a single step, thunder clapped and the blue shimmer sparkled around them, catapulting them back towards the creatures, outside the reforming shields. The ether protecting the capital pulsated angrily.

“That’s hardly fair warning!” Avienne shouted at the shield and punched it, yelping in pain as she pulled her fist back. “Bones that hurts! Take it back down, Yoma.”

Yoma shook her head. It had taken all that she had left to give, plus Layela’s help, to take the shield down the first time. Zortan took a step back, losing ground quickly to the tar creatures.

“Guess we gotta fight them again.” Avienne sighed. “I’m still all tarry from the last time, and I’m down to three knives.” She cast a nervous glance at the creatures before grinning weakly to Yoma. “Should make things interesting, wouldn’t you say?”

Avienne let go of Yoma and leaned against the shields for support, flipping two knives in the air as though waiting for the right creatures to use them on. Yoma stared at the creatures, her arms still so tired, and she had no more weapons to use. She concentrated on gathering the ether around her. As she was pulling the mists into her, a light broke above them.

Bombs exploded in their midst and the creatures scattered. The light was blue, just like the shields of Mirial. Yoma looked up as a small ship landed before them. The door opened and Gobran Kipso waved madly at them to get on board.

Avienne laughed heartily. Zortan was beside them in an instant, Avienne refusing his help as she hobbled towards the ship. Yoma let him support her. The sounds and warmth of the ship lulled her the second they entered.

“I’m glad I found you, Lady Yoma,” Gobran greeted them as they took off again. Yoma was squished between Avienne and Zortan, their warmth like a blanket. Even the smell of tar clinging to Avienne was comforting.

“And Layela,” she mumbled as her eyes locked with his. A slight rush of adrenaline kept her awake for a moment longer; she remembered his desire to see one of them dead.

“Safe,” he answered and lowered his head respectfully. When he continued speaking, it was to Zortan. “They used their ether together, I could see from up above. Perhaps…perhaps I was wrong to assume that we need to keep all of Mirial’s traditions in order to save her.”

Yoma smiled and closed her eyes. Her head lolled back and forth as the shuttle rocked her into a deep, welcoming sleep.

C
HAPTER
40

A
familiar voice called Yoma from the heavy threads of sleep. She smiled before she had even opened her eyes.

“It’s good to hear your voice,” she whispered, her voice cracking a bit. Layela sat on the comfortable bed beside her and held a cup of water to her lips. Yoma drank slowly, remembering Zortan’s analogy about the moon and the ether. If their powers had grown so much with only the ether of the moon, she couldn’t fathom the strength they would reach under the light of the sun.

She met Layela’s eyes of night and smiled sadly, feeling pain clutching at her chest.
If we both live to see the sun
. Through the room’s small window she could see the sky. The red hues now mixed with blue, turning it electric purple like the nebula
 
—
 
the shields of Mirial
 
—
 
had been. Which meant the sun would soon rise.
Precious little time left.

Layela ran her hand along Yoma’s cheek, still swollen from Avienne’s strike. Yoma laughed at her sister’s inquisitive look, remembering Avienne’s quick anger.

“Yoma,” Layela’s voice held no laughter, only weariness. Yoma prepared herself for the blow she knew would come. Layela swallowed hard, searching for the right words. “Josmere’s dead.”

Yoma slowly sat up, leaned against the headboard of the bed and sighed deeply. She felt just a bit of her own life escape in the breath. She had seen Josmere’s death, and had thought she could stop it. Tears welled in her eyes as she remembered her vision of the wilted Berganda, and she closed her eyes and forced herself to remember how lively she had been instead.

Yoma’s short laugh came out more like a sob. She remembered Josmere’s own laughter, which crackled like electricity in the night air, and tears ran unchecked down her cheeks. She had wished to Mirial that they could meet again, and ached to see her friend one final time.

Layela hugged her and Yoma hugged back, each finding comfort in the other. The smell of sap still clung to Layela despite the clean clothes. Yoma whispered in her ear, “She died because I asked her to stay with you.”

Layela gently broke away from her twin, and Yoma looked into her deep eyes. There she saw the same strength that had resided there a long, long time ago, before three days at the hands of a Kilita had broken her.

“Yoma, Josmere died because she loved us both. She died fighting for what she loved.” The words were spoken with a calm reassurance that made Yoma smile. This was the Layela she had hoped would return to her one day. Not afraid of losing everything, not looking for a place to hide for the rest of her life. The woman before her was facing life. Yoma smiled, pleased, feeling her sister’s strength flow into her.
Josmere must have been so proud of you, Layela!

Layela’s eyes did not waver from Yoma’s. When she spoke again, her voice did not crack. “Yoma, we have to do this together. All the way.”

I just found you again, Layela
, she thought. Tears retreated as she looked deep into her twin’s eyes.

I just found you again. Why would I let you go?

i

The remaining ships of Gobran’s fleet were filling with calm civilians, a pleasant change from the chaos a few hours before. Gobran’s crews were busily making sure that they were space-ready, leaving behind whatever supplies the twins and the Malavants would need.

Gobran sighed. Each second he stayed on his decayed home planet made him feel older. He had argued with Ardin and Avienne that they should not stay behind, but they were adamant. Well, the boy was adamant and the girl wasn’t about to desert her brother. Even as he argued with them, he knew he was losing the battle. Radin and Sasha’s offspring were no longer the children he remembered. They were now stubborn adults like their parents, so it was not surprising that, in the end, he had lost.