Wings of Tavea

Chapter FOUR

The Test


KIORA WAS USED TO TESTS, although they still annoyed her. Alcander had held the bubble for the last hour and her magic had built up. She was aching for a release. Raising her hands, her magic leapt eagerly from her fingertips. Under her command, the water of the falls elegantly parted down the middle, much like a crystalline set of drapes.

Drustan laughed out loud. It was the first joy she had seen from him all day. “She did that with flare, wouldn’t you say, Alcander?”

Kiora saw the shock on Alcander’s face a second before he managed to wipe it off.

“What?” Kiora yelled to Drustan who was already riding his horse forward, howling with laughter.

“By the look on our friend’s face,” Drustan yelled back with a flourish of his hand, “I would say he was not expecting such a show.”

Kiora looked at the falls to admire her handy work. She had done a nice job. The water flowed out and to the side, clearing a majority of the stone left behind it. Smiling, she urged her horse forward, following Drustan and Emane. Alcander fell in silently behind her. They rode through the now wide-open entrance into the cavern behind the falls. Letting her magic flow unrestrained had felt wonderful. It lit up her body with a flowing sensation of spine-tingling freedom she was unable to get any other way. She wasn’t ready to lock it down. But as the horses struggled up the wet stones, Kiora reluctantly let the water fall back into place.

The sound of the horses’ hooves echoed loudly in the cavern. Why caves? she thought. Ever since I discovered magic I spend half my time in caves. The back of the cavern opened into a living area. There were ten beds, food, and supplies. The cave was well used by the look of it.

“What is this place?” Kiora asked, sliding off her horse.

“We need somewhere to hide while traveling,” Alcander answered, dismounting with inhuman grace, his feet never touching the stirrups.

Kiora wanted to ask more but decided not to push

“How long will we be staying?” Emane asked.

Alcander looked at him in a way that said he was still surprised Emane could speak. “If it’s safe, we leave in the morning. If not, we will stay until it is.”

“How will we know if it’s safe?” Kiora asked.

“I will monitor the situation while you three rest.”

“What about you, don’t you need rest?” she asked.

“None of you know what you are looking for. I don’t see a choice.” Alcander turned on his heel, leading his horse out of the cavern. “The horses stay back here,” he shot over his shoulder. “When you have unloaded what you need, there is hay and water waiting for them. I will be outside monitoring.”

Kiora, Emane, and Drustan quietly unloaded as they listened to Alcander’s footsteps disappear.

Drustan waited until he was sure that Alcander was on the other side of the falls. “I don’t think I am very fond of this Tavean,” he said, throwing his saddlebag on the floor near one of the beds.

“Me either,” Emane agreed. “What’s a Tavean?”

“It’s what he is. I am a Shifter, you’re a Human, he is Tavean.”

“He is a Tavean with an attitude,” Emane corrected as he set his blanket on a bed.

“That he is,” Drustan agreed.

Kiora looked back and forth between the two of them. “The world must be ending. The two of you are agreeing.”

* * *

KIORA’S HEAD HAD BARELY touched the pillow when the dreams started. Beetles scuttled over her, whispering, “Do not forget.” Her sister’s face flashed periodically, filled with hate. Emane whispered that he loved her. And then something new—the Illusionist’s black face, followed by the giant Aktoowa bird, screeching and snapping its beak. Sitting straight up in bed Kiora gasped, jerking her arm out of the Aktoowa’s way before realizing it was a dream.

Sighing, she wearily dropped her head into her hands. These nightmares followed her everywhere, and every new thing she met seemed all too willing to join in.

Envy stabbed her as she glanced at Emane and Drustan who seemed to be, as usual, sleeping peacefully. Pulling her knees up to her chest, Kiora rested her chin and allowed the pounding of the waterfall to soothe her frazzled nerves. Alcander must be exhausted, she thought. Might as well see if she could relieve him. She was up anyway.

Setting her feet on the stone, Kiora shivered. It was freezing. She slipped on her boots and tiptoed out of the room as softly as she could, making her way to the waterfall. Reaching out, she opened a small hole in the middle of the falls and stepped through.

Alcander leaned against a tree near the edge of the water, the moon highlighting the strong planes of his face. “Don’t hold back on my account.”

Kiora shyly smiled, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “I wasn’t trying to make a scene.”

“It wasn’t a scene,” Alcander clarified. “It was a surprise.”

Picking her way across the rocks, Kiora sat on the ground a fair distance from Alcander. “What were you expecting?”

“Closer to what you just did,” he said, nodding at the falls.

“Oh.” Kiora fiddled with the grass. “I’ll try to rein it in next time.”

“Don’t,” Alcander said, crossing his arms. “I would like to see what you can do. You have more power than I realized,” he admitted.

Kiora shrugged, jerking a blade of grass out before tossing it aside. “I think I have more than I realize. It’s all so new, I can’t keep up with myself.”

“New?” Alcander’s eyebrows rose.

“I didn’t know magic existed until six or seven weeks ago.” Kiora kept her head down, until Alcander’s silence finally forced her to look up. He was staring at her with those crystal blue eyes, and not pleasantly.

He scoffed. “How is that possible?”

Kiora stared back, swallowing her rising irritation. “I told you I would explain what I was when you were ready to know.”

Alcander skimmed over her statement. “What else can you do?”

Kiora blushed a bright red. “I haven’t found much that I can’t do.”

Alcander’s head tilted quizzically to the side. “You are embarrassed?”

“A little.”

“Why?”

“I don’t like talking about myself,” she said, tucking the same piece of hair behind her ear and furiously attacking the grass, her fingers picking and pulling at the strands. Something about his piercing gaze sent nervous butterflies rolling through her stomach.

“Is it less embarrassing for you to admit flaws rather than strengths?” Alcander asked peevishly. “What can’t you do?”

“I can’t heal.”

“What else?”

“That’s it so far.”

Alcander’s voice turned steely. “You expect me to believe you can control all four elements?”

She looked up, caught off guard by his tone. “Why does that make you angry?”

Something flared behind his eyes. Leaning forward he said, “I do not like being lied to.”

Kiora stood, trying to breath past the lump in her throat. “I believe you are the one who told me you’re not narrow-minded,” she snapped.

Coming out here was a mistake; she should have stayed inside and stared at the ceiling. Shaking her head she turned to leave.

“Prove it,” came the challenge from behind her.

Kiora clenched her fists. “Why? You can feel my thread.” She spun to meet Alcander’s stare.

His flaring eyes softened slightly. “You are angry because I asked you to prove it. That leads me to believe you cannot.”

“I do not need to prove myself. You have not shown me anything of your abilities either. I know nothing about you.” Alcander raised his eyebrows, crossing his arms in a challenge. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in through her nose. “I am tired of being tested, that is all.”

“How old are you?”

Kiora’s eyes fluttered open. “What?”

“You said you have known of magic for less than a year. How old are you?”

“Almost seventeen.”

He sneered, falling back against the tree. “You are but a child.”

Kiora rolled her eyes. “That’s what they tell me.”

Alcander took a few steps closer, and Kiora forced herself to hold her ground under his advance. Stopping in front of her, Alcander crossed his arms again. He wore a smirk that looked out of place on his distinguished face. Something about the way his mouth turned to one side didn’t match the hard angles of his nose and cheekbones.

“You show me that you can control all four elements, and I will believe whatever you tell me.”

“Fine,” Kiora said, placing her hands on her hips. “How big of a show would you like, Alcander?”

“Interesting attitude change for one claiming such embarrassment,” he observed, the smirk firmly in place.

Kiora’s hands formed fists at her side. Huffing, she turned away from him, taking two steps before whirling back. She kept her eyes locked on his while she lifted two hands to the sky. The magic inside her flowed eagerly to her fingertips, and as her eyes slid from Alcander’s to the clear sky above she felt the first rain drop on her face. Willing it, she called down more. The rain increased until she could hardly see Alcander through the thick grey sheet of water. Waving her hand, she cut off the flow and the rain ceased abruptly, the moon bright in the sky again.

Turning, she extended her other hand, pulling the wind out of the east. It came, roaring past her and slamming into Alcander. He stumbled backwards a good two steps before righting himself. She squinted as her hair whipped across her face. Pulling both arms together, she forced the wind into a small funnel cloud and sent it zipping around the base of the falls, sucking up water as it went. The funnel collapsed when she closed her fist. Her hair fell back down over her shoulders.

Alcander’s smirk was gone.

Stalking past him she knelt on the bank of the river. Touching her fingers to the water, she sent rivulets of flame racing across the top of the unburnable surface. With a glance over her shoulder at Alcander, Kiora used her other hand to create a wave—pulling it up and over the top of the fire, extinguishing it. She scanned the other bank, breathing hard as the magic coursed though her. Catching sight of what she needed she thrust her hand out, concentrating on several of the larger rocks embedded in the bank. The ground rumbled, sending dirt pouring into the water as the rocks ripped themselves free and rose into the air. Pulling her arm across her body the rocks followed, flying past the falls and landing neatly at her feet.

Kiora breathed in deeply, closing her eyes. It felt amazing. She rarely allowed herself to open up like that. Her body tingled with the rush of magic flowing freely through her. The hard part was shutting it off. Her fingers were actually twinkling with power. They’ve never done that before, she thought, tilting her head to examine them. With a sigh of regret she dropped her hands to her sides, closing down the magic.

She stared out at the water for a minute, trying to calm her breathing. When she turned to Alcander, he stared at her with a look she could not decipher. His chest heaved, but the rest of his body was rigid. His eyes held the most emotion she had seen in them, although she could not tell if it was hatred or fear. The good feeling from using her magic slipped away. Suddenly, Kiora had no desire to finish this conversation. She split the water of the falls and sprinted back to her bed.

She could feel Alcander following her, slowly and deliberately. Sliding to a stop just short of the room where the others were sleeping, she turned to face him. He walked towards her, his eyes glued to the ground in front of him.

“What?” Kiora demanded, her legs shaking. “Was that not enough proof for you?” Her voice bounced off the cave walls. She flinched—it was too loud. She heard Emane stirring and felt his wave of concern.

Stopping in front of Kiora, Alcander finally looked up. “Who are you?”

“Are you asking me because you are ready to know or because you are angry?” Kiora asked, swiping hair out of her face. She felt tears trying to form but refused to let them come.

He stepped even closer, leaning nearly over the top of her. “I am asking you because I need to know.”

Emane came out of the room, shirtless. “What is going on?”

“Who are you?” Alcander nearly yelled, his voice cracking.

“Hey!” Emane said, pushing his way between Kiora and Alcander. “Leave her alone.”

Alcander’s eyes widened at the sight of the green metal snake wrapped around Emane’s arm. “Where did you get that?”

“That is none of your concern,” Emane said tightly. “I am telling you, leave her alone.”

“What are you?” Alcander yelled to Kiora over Emane’s shoulder, his cool facade crumbling.

“Leave them alone, Alcander, she is but a child.” Drustan’s voice came from behind Kiora. “A child and a Witow.”

Alcander stepped sideways to watch Drustan as he strolled nonchalantly in, his dark hair floating behind him, the red streak muted in the darkness. “What did you say?”

“I said, leave them alone. She is but a child and he is but a Witow.”

“No,” Alcander whispered. “It’s not possible.” His face went even whiter than it had been. “It’s just a legend.”

Drustan joined the group. “No, it is not. It is a prophecy.”

Alcander’s eyes flashed over to Drustan. “It has been thousands of years. The world has threatened to end itself a hundred times. No one came.” His voice shook with anger Kiora didn’t fully understand. “No one ever came,” he yelled.

“She is here now,” Drustan said calmly.

As quickly as it came, Alcander’s emotional outburst vanished—replaced by a

mask of indifference. His breathing returned to normal. It was if he just- turned the emotion off.

“Come,” Alcander said, walking past them and heading further into the cave.

The caves at home were not usually as bad as Kiora expected them to be; they’d been more like carved-out homes. But this one was a cave in the traditional sense. The walls narrowed as they went deeper, until her shoulders were rubbing cold stone in places. The breeze generated by the falls quickly gave way to stale and musty air so thick Kiora could taste it. The group was silent as their feet crunched along.

“Kiora,” Alcander said, coming to a stop. “Would you mind providing some light?”

Crouching, Kiora lit a small fire next to her.

“We will need more than that.”

She increased the size of the flame, then moved forward and lit two more.

“What is this?” Emane whispered.

Kiora looked around. They had entered a larger cavern, and the walls were covered with ancient paintings. The paint was fading in sections but the pictures were still clear—battle scenes. Kiora turned in a circle, taking in the full scope. The ranks on both sides stretched across the walls. Taking a step closer she squinted, and then wished she hadn’t. Creatures lay bloodied and dying throughout the scene. Fires burned, taking victims with it as well. Kiora’s hand moved to her mouth, stifling a cry.

“What is this place?” Emane repeated, scanning the panoramic paintings.

Alcander kept his eyes focused, not on the painting, but on Kiora. “This is where the ancient prophet Lomay spent much of his time painting the things he saw.”

“Lomay?” Kiora tore her eyes away from the devastation. “You know Lomay?”

Alcander’s eyes tightened. “Yes.”

Emane walked past Kiora, running his fingers over the rock. “Why are you showing us this?”

Alcander crossed to the far wall. “Because of this,” he said, jabbing his finger towards a specific section.

The lights and shadows flickered across the old paint, forcing Kiora, Emane, and Drustan to walk closer. Painted there was a large, dark, faceless Shadow looming over two people. Two people that looked almost exactly like Kiora and Emane. Slight differences in facial features, but there was no denying who it was supposed to be. Kiora was lying on the ground, hand outstretched, a look of horror on her face. Between her and the Shadow stood Emane, shield in hand, sword pointing at the darkness with a green snake wrapped around his arm and shoulder. Kiora gasped. Even the sword in the painting was an exact match to Emane’s. It was gold, with a heavily jeweled hilt. If you looked closely you could see the outlines of the Wings of Arian on it.

“Whoa.” That was all Emane could muster.

The tremors started in Kiora’s hands, moving up her arms and through her body. This is what awaited them. She had thought for a brief foolish second the scene had already happened, a past she had never known. But this was the future. These paintings—prophecies—made the battle with Dralazar look miniature in comparison. Her heart shuddered and threatened to cleave in two. Grabbing at her chest with a groan, Kiora sunk to her knees. Emane was at her side a moment later, wrapping his arms around her.

“It’s too much,” Kiora gasped. “So much worse than before.” She felt the weight of her calling settle further on her shoulders, weighing her down. So many lives resting in her hands. “Look at it, Emane, so much pain.” She buried her head in his shoulder, sobbing. “I can’t bear it.”

“Is it true?” Alcander demanded loudly. “Are you the Solus?”

Emane glared at Alcander as he pulled Kiora closer to him. “Now is not the time, Alcander.”

“No,” Kiora said through a sob, pushing gently off Emane’s shoulder. “It’s all right.” Wiping her eyes, she took a stuttering breath. “Yes. I am.”

Alcander’s eyes flickered between them, processing. “You!” He pointed his finger accusingly at Emane. “You are the Protector?”

Emane inclined his chin. “I am.” Rising to his feet, he pulled Kiora up with him. “And I will protect her in every way.”

“And none of you had any idea about any of this?” Alcander asked in angry disbelief.

Every inch of Kiora was screaming to run, to escape the pain these paintings were causing her. But she had to know. Taking a deep breath, she turned back around.

“Kiora,” Emane whispered, placing his hand on her shoulder.

“We need to know this.” Walking forward, she felt Emane’s hand slowly slide off her shoulder and back to his side. She lit another fire below the scene she had just looked at, illuminating the Shadow that loomed over their future. “Alcander,” she asked, “you mentioned we were going through the Shadow’s land. Is this the Shadow?”

“Yes.”

Kiora reached up, wondering what it was so desperate to hide that it wrapped itself in Shadow. Her finger trailed to the image of her and Emane. She had one hand out. Kiora wasn’t sure if she was trying to protect herself, or calling out to Emane. Her other hand was wrapped around something that hung on a chain from her neck. She squinted and leaned closer, but all she could see was a splash of gold paint. The rest lay clenched beneath her fingers. She sighed. No answers, just more questions.

“Where does this take place?” she asked.

“We don’t know. None of Lomay’s paintings have been specific.”

“This looks pretty specific,” Emane mumbled, staring at a picture of a man with short, white hair thrusting his sword through a creature that had large, white wings sprouting out of its back. Emane turned his head to the side. “Why does he have a sword?”

“What are you talking about?” Alcander asked, sounding annoyed at the mere sound of Emane’s voice.

“Here,” Emane said, pointing. “I didn’t think those of you with magic used swords?”

Alcander and Kiora both moved to where Emane stood.

Alcander peered at the wall, his brow furrowing. “That would be completely useless in battle.” He reached out to touch it before stopping and thrusting his hand down , as if touching it would have somehow offended his senses.

“It doesn’t look useless to me,” Emane said. “It looks fairly effective if you would like my opinion.”

“I wouldn’t,” Alcander said coolly.

Kiora’s eyes strayed from the sword to the rest of the scene. This is what awaited her, what she was here for. The knowledge did little to calm the unease of not knowing. Turning away from the painted blood that ran in rivers through the mural, she moved back to the scene with her and Emane. Upon closer examination, she noticed a man behind the Shadow. Although he was crouched low, she could tell he was tall, with long pale hair spilling over his shoulders. He looked very much like Alcander.

“Alcander,” Kiora asked. “Is this you?”

His face was stone. “No.”

He hadn’t even bothered to look where she was pointing.

* * *.

KIORA HAD TRIED TO insist she was fine, but her trembling hands had given her away. Emane had forced her back to bed.

She fell asleep almost the second Emane laid her on the bed. Lying next to her, Emane rolled his eyes. He didn’t need threads to feel Alcander’s stare boring into the back of his head. Carefully he extracted his arm from beneath Kiora, trying not to wake her. Sliding off the bed, he strode across the room under Alcander’s icy gaze.

“What do you want?” Emane asked.

“I have questions.”

“You will have to wait. She needs her rest.”

“Why didn’t you tell me who you were, who she was?” Alcander’s head jerked towards the sleeping Kiora.

“Me?” Emane snorted, falling against the arched stone door. “You were too busy questioning my intelligence to ask me anything.”

Alcander’s nostrils flared. “She could have told me.” Drustan strode up and Alcander whirled on him. “You could have told me.”

“Look,” Emane said. “You think she would just blurt out that she was the one prophesied about, and she had come to save you all?” Emane cocked his head to the side, eyebrows raised. “I don’t think it’s my intelligence we should be questioning.”

“What are you then?” Alcander pushed, taking a step forward. “I have never seen anything that looks like the pair of you.”

Emane looked to Drustan.

“Do you really know where to find Lomay?” Drustan asked.

Alcander lips tightened into a thin line. “Yes.”

“How do you know?”

“I live there,” Alcander said, crossing his arms in front of him.

“You live with Lomay?” Drustan asked suspiciously

“It is not something I regularly admit these days, but yes. He is protecting the families of our recruits.”

“Recruits? For what?” Emane asked

“How is it possible that the group of you knows nothing of what is going on?” Alcander demanded.

Drustan hesitated for a second. “Follow me,” he said, walking past Alcander and heading towards the falls.

Once clear of the water, the group climbed the grassy slope to the top of the falls. The sun was just peeking over the horizon.

“Look there,” Drustan said pointing to the north.

Illuminated by the sun’s rays was a jagged piece of mountain poking through the fabric of the illusion. Without knowing what it was, it looked like a mountain peak was floating in the clear blue sky, with nothing to support it, over the desolate landscape to the north.

“What is going on?” Alcander whispered.

“That is where we are from, the other side of those mountains. The illusion is fading as the magic that kept us trapped behind them fades.”

No sooner had the words left Drustan’s mouth than the craggy peak began to disappear.

Emane sighed in relief. Eleana was already repairing the illusion. He had no idea what state the world would be in on this side of the mountain. The thought of it all filtering through the pass into Meros was terrifying.

“That is enough,” Alcander sputtered, trying to regain his composure. “That is enough. We are waking her up and she will explain everything.”

Drustan put his hand on Alcander’s shoulder. “It is a long story, one that I would rather tell only once. How long will it take us to reach Lomay?”

Alcander coldly eyed the hand on his shoulder until Drustan removed it.

“You know she is the Solus,” Emane said. “Why does it matter what we are?”

“I am sure Kiora will tell you when she wakes,” Drustan reassured him.

Alcander huffed in annoyance. “It is only a day by air to get to Lomay. But if we travel by land it will take three to four, depending on how many things we need to avoid.” Tilting his head he asked, “So, Shifter, how will you transport us?”

Drustan’s eyes narrowed. “You have yet to ask if I will transport you at all.”

Alcander raised an eyebrow. “You maintain your freedom?”

“I am quite free.”

“Very well, Shifter, how will we go? By air or by land?”

“I will fly us.”

“Then we will leave as soon as you’re ready.” Alcander leapt nimbly down the hill to the base of the falls, Drustan and Emane following suit. He reached out his hand, parted the water, and allowed Emane to pass through ahead of him. Dropping the water back in place, he turned to Drustan. “Oh, and Shifter . . . I would not go around announcing your freedom or you might lose it.”

“Alcander.”

“Yes?”

“I have a name, and it is not Shifter.”

Alcander smirked. “Very well, Drustan. But I am warning you, you may prefer Shifter when you hear what Lomay has to say about your kind.” He parted the water with a wave of his hand, distracted by the chuckling from over his shoulder. “What?” Alcander demanded.

“Nothing, Tavean, I just noticed your water-parting is less dramatic than the one we saw earlier.”

Alcander shook his head in disgust, stepped through the water, and dropped it before Drustan could get through.

Alcander wasn’t but a few steps down the hall when an otter burst out of the water, still laughing in Drustan’s hearty tone. “Touchy, aren’t we?” Drustan said, dragging himself onto the rocks before shifting back to his normal form.