Vulture (26 page)

30 - Betrayal

It was nearing nightfall when Kaliel broke through the trees and caught Pux on the trail, scouring the field of boulders for something. She pulled the mare to a stop and slipped off, leading it by the reins. She tried to smooth her face into a perplexed expression but she knew she looked upset, maybe even guilty. Pux looked relieved and a bit upset to see her. He wore one of the villager’s gray wool tunics, and it didn’t match the reddish brown fur covering his face and arms.

“What are you doing out here?” Kaliel asked as soon as she was within earshot. Tremors ran the length of her arms and legs, reminders of what she had to do. She tried not to stumble or stutter, but she worried about slipping up and ruining her one chance to fix everything before it got worse.

Pux kicked a stone out of the way and held his hands out, turning them over and inspecting them idly. His eyes met hers. “I was going to go after you,” he said nonchalantly.

“Nonsense, I wasn’t gone long.” Kaliel brushed past him. They weren’t far from the gates and she wanted to get inside before dinnertime. She hadn’t taken much food with her.

Pux trailed along behind her, rubbing the back of his neck with his palm. “Where did you go?”

Kaliel stopped and waited for the gates to open. They spread, the village coming into view in strips. She threw a waft of black hair over her shoulder and glanced at him. “I went to the river, you know, to get cleaned up,” she said, shrugging it off. Technically she did go to the river, but it wasn’t her only destination. They tarried down the dirt road, Pux walking beside the mare.

“You were gone a whole day,” Pux pointed out.

Kaliel glanced at him and caught only parts of his body amidst the horse head between them. “I fell asleep for a while, and it took longer than I thought to find my way back.” Her stomach doubled in knots as she thought about the sand cocoon and the buzzing sound, not to mention Cassareece.

Pux stroked the mare’s mane as they led it into the stables and left it with one of the villagers. “I was worried about you.”

Kaliel softened. She took his hands in hers and looked into his brown eyes. “I’m sorry, too. I haven’t been myself lately.” She shot him a meek smile and ducked her head to the ground. He nodded and slung his arm around her shoulders. He didn’t smell the way he used to; this was more like charcoal, swine, and eggs. She wondered if he had been helping the servants with the cooking. Pux led them around to the mess hall and sat her at one of the tables.

“Promise me you won’t do anything stupid?” Pux asked.

Kaliel sighed and looked away. There weren’t many others in the mess hall, mostly older folks as the young ones hadn’t finished work for the day. It was the way he said it that made her almost lose her cool confidence. She drummed her fingers on the wooden tabletop and cupped her chin in her palm.

“Stupid?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Pux sat straight and began what Kaliel could only call preening himself. He quickly pulled off the tunic to reveal a vest underneath, and rubbed his hands through his hair, trying to make it spiky instead of flat and boring. He shrugged. “You know what I mean. About Krishani.”

Jack joined them, sitting beside Kaliel, and she scooted down the bench to give him more room. Kaliel groaned inwardly at the mention of Krishani but tried to keep a smile on her face. “He doesn’t need my help. He’ll deal with the Horsemen himself.” All of a sudden it killed her to smile, to sit there pretending everything was okay. She stood, brushing her hands along her black dress. “I think I should speak to Elwen. It would be nice to dance in the hall for a change.” Before Pux had a chance to answer, she left and traipsed up the steps to the main hall. She nodded to the guards and they opened the doors for her.

Elwen slaved away at a table full of food, only he and Talina seated at opposite ends. They both looked up in surprise. Talina daintily put down the chicken leg she was holding and wiped her hands and face on a brilliantly decorated red cloth. It had a golden sun embroidered into the corner. Tonight she wore yellow, a color that suited her well. Her strong hazel eyes moved to Kaliel, as did Elwen’s, but he didn’t stop eating.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Kaliel began, tucking her head to the ground. She remembered the way it was with Atara, the woman who saw secrets in her eyes the moment she had them. She shuffled back and forth purposefully to look uncertain and held her hands behind her back.

“There’s no intrusion, Kaliel. What would you like?” Talina asked, piling her hands on her lap.

Kaliel looked at the door and sighed. “It’s just that I thought we could eat together. Us and the villagers …” She wasn’t sure if she was overstepping her bounds. Elwen snorted and said something Kaliel couldn’t understand, but Talina held a hand up to silence him and he began tearing into his turkey leg.

“I think it’s nice of you to think of us. The hall is usually used during the Solstices, but, we could make an exception. Elwen? What say you?” Talina asked, her hand stretched towards him but he was too far away for her touch.

He shot a glare at Talina but his eyes softened when they fell on Kaliel, and he smiled ruefully. “You can stay, and the guards can round up the villagers.” Elwen patted a seat near him at the table. Kaliel gravitated cautiously towards him as the guards disappeared from the hall. She wanted to say something about Samhain, but she wasn’t too sure if it actually was near the Fire Festival she was used to.

“The musicians, too?” she called after the guard. It was only after she spoke she realized she was being too loud. She dropped her hands to her lap and began picking out some of the yellow and green vegetables. She folded them into her mouth and chewed, but she felt more and more lightheaded. The Flames were hidden in Talina’s room. She could feel them. All she had to do was get sick enough to warrant being taken to Talina’s quarters again. She yawned loudly as the villagers trickled in, Pux bounding behind Jack. He took post next to her and nudged her in the ribs.

“Good idea,” Pux said, taking a piece of white breasted chicken. Kaliel glanced over his shoulder. Jack was with his parents, not paying any attention to Pux anymore. Elwen stood and addressed the crowd quietly, explaining the feast had been laid, and ushered the musicians into their corner. It took a few more minutes as the noise inside the hall grew to a crescendo. Kaliel felt claustrophobic and nauseous. She was sure it was the guilt, but she continued eating, long after cramps formed in her stomach. When the musicians finally began playing, Pux pulled her up and began the first jig.

Kaliel twirled around and around in his arms growing more and more dizzy. Other villagers she recognized began dancing, too; everyone was in high spirits. Pux acted like they’d never fought; the villagers acted like they’d never seen hardship in their lives. Kaliel tried to let the nausea die down but she caught Klavotesi watching her from one of the pillars.

“Wait,” she said to Pux breathlessly. Pux tried to pick up the pace, matching the speed of the fiddler’s notes. She stopped and put a hand on his chest, pushing him away lightly. “I need to talk to Kla.” She hiked up her skirts, wending her way through the people.

“You left without my permission,” Klavotesi said flatly.

Kaliel tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and took a deep breath. “I was angry.”

Klavotesi nodded. “I was harsh. I’m sorry,” he said abruptly.

“It’s okay.” Kaliel dared a glance at the dance floor. Pux was trying to get Jack’s attention, but the younger boy was dancing with a girl no more than five summers old.

“If you’re ready to go back to your lessons, I thought I could teach you some magic. Homegrown–it might help strengthen the Flame.”

“I would like that.” Kaliel glanced back at the dancing. Pux was with one of the other girls. Jack wasn’t anywhere near him; he danced with one of the little girls, both hands in hers, skipping around in circles.

“Magic is fragile, like the Flame. If you aren’t careful about your intentions, it could change the outcome,” Klavotesi said, pulling her back to the conversation with him.

Kaliel frowned. “The Flame is like magic?”

Klavotesi nodded. “I’ve failed to tell you a lot of things you need to know about the Flames themselves. They are the embodiment of magic. You could say it originates with us, although that’s only a half-truth. The full truth is much more complex.”

“Oh.” She felt sick to her stomach while she thought of Cassareece waiting for her at the cabin by the lake. She couldn’t cross the woman; she had to bring her what she wanted and stop the Valtanyana from mounting an attack that would destroy them all. Cassareece wasn’t like the others; she was gentler and kind. Kaliel knew Cassareece had no interest in destroying the land, but how she knew was beyond her. Something pricked at the back of her mind, something from the First Era, a memory she couldn’t quite conjure.

“You want to dance,” Klavotesi said knowingly. He nodded, sending her off to the crowd, and Kaliel exhaled loudly, glad she didn’t have to explain herself, glad he didn’t read her thoughts and know all about her run-in with Cassareece. She stumbled away and tried to get back into the jig but pain lanced across her temple, mushrooming through her skull. She bent over and someone caught her arm.

“Careful, child. You’ve looked pale since you came into the hall. Come with me.” Talina’s gentle tone cut through her mind-numbing headache. Kaliel couldn’t see straight as Talina pulled her down the hall. She pushed Kaliel into the soft covers and fluttered away for a moment. Kaliel stayed still, realizing too late she wasn’t faking it. Her eyelids slid shut and she fell into blackness.

Kaliel woke up hours later, the room deserted. It wasn’t the feeling she wanted to have. Talina trusted her because she was a Flame, because she had no reason to believe Kaliel would ever do anything wrong. The headache was gone; a faint throbbing in her stomach persisted as she forced herself up and slipped soundlessly onto the floor. She scoured the room, checking the drawers in the bureau and the end tables. She found nothing and decided to try the floor boards. She checked each of them until she found the one that slid open. The box was wrapped in a black silk scarf that fell away when Kaliel lifted it out. It wasn’t very big, but beautiful panels of jewels covered it all in squares or triangles. She lifted the lid and her breath caught as she gazed at the six of them nestled into the red velvet. She shut the box and slid the slip around it.

Kaliel didn’t say goodbye to Talina, Pux, or Klavotesi. When she left the hall the villagers were all drunk and she felt dizzy. She kept her eyes to the ground, her feet moving to the stables. She mounted the brown mare and took off into the night.

• • •

Kaliel saw Cassareece pacing the sand, the moon casting faint light on the surface of the lake. The woman looked too confident, like something sinister was hiding behind her sapphire eyes. They snapped, challenging her to approach. Kaliel shook, thinking about the others, names she’d heard while stuffed in Mallorn’s cabin. She never expected them to threaten her existence forever. She took a deep breath. Only six of the Flames were in the box, so somehow she’d have to negotiate Clamose’s, Klavotesi’s, and her own freedom. No matter what it took, right? She couldn’t fight them; this war, it had to end before it began.

Her black hair waved in the wind as the mare tarried down the thin, rocky path and landed clumsily in the sand. She slipped off the horse with the box pressed tightly to her palms.

Cassareece smiled viciously, her eyes on the box. “You didn’t lie to me.”

Kaliel stiffened. She didn’t feel sick anymore but she did feel nervous and unsure. The entire ride she played with the puzzle box, twisting the compartments back and forth until she knew how the box opened and how it closed. She lifted a shoulder, trying to appear confident.

“I brought them.” She snapped the lid open for a moment, then closed it, hoping Cassareece saw eight and not six. Cassareece salivated and Kaliel smiled, her eyes blazing a fiery amethyst.

“You don’t disappoint and neither do I,” Cassareece said. She stepped away from the shore and revealed four stone jars curved against the waterline.

A wave of nerves washed over Kaliel as she glanced at the jars, afraid of their contents. Cassareece gazed at them, a serendipitous expression on her face. Kaliel twisted the box into the puzzle. She didn’t trust Cassareece, and the idea of the jars made her regret her decision to bring the Flames in the first place. “What are those?”

Cassareece beamed. “You asked me for two things, and there are four jars. Two of them will give you the two things you asked for, and two of them will give you other things you didn’t ask for.”

“You didn’t say anything about games,” Kaliel shot, taking a step towards the mare.

Cassareece glared at her. “And you didn’t say anything about puzzles.” She pointed at the box.

Kaliel turned white, her stomach plummeting. She shook her head. “I don’t want to play.” Her mouth watered against her will, knowing one of those four jars could ensure Krishani would no longer be a Ferryman. And a land like Avristar tickled her with nauseating glee. Ending the war slipped to the back of her mind, ensuring Kalvotesi’s and Clamose’s safety was something she didn’t care about as much as she cared about Krishani.

Cassareece put a hand on her hip. “You know what’s at stake if you don’t.”

“War.…Death,” Kaliel whispered. She hated this. Krishani would be forced to follow death forever. Not only that, but the Valtanyana wouldn’t stop bringing death to his doorstep. They’d destroy every living thing and turn the Lands Across the Stars to chaos. He’d never have a chance to be free, never have a chance to be the boy he used to be. Her palms got sweaty and the box dropped into the sand.

“You can end it, Kaliel,” Cassareece said, her voice high pitched. She looked behind her at the jars.

Kaliel paused. “What about me?” She left the Obsidian and Azurite Flames out because maybe Cassareece wasn’t as smart as she seemed.

Cassareece’s sapphire eyes cracked with a single bolt of lightning, and Kaliel almost jumped out of her skin. She stalked to the girl and grabbed her by the arm, her eyes knifing through her, making her feel transparent. Kaliel couldn’t help but think about Crestaos, how when he was this close to her all he wanted to do was discard the shell and trap her inside a little orb. Kaliel leaned back as Cassareece licked her perfect pink lips.