Shieldwolf Dawning (32 page)

"Please don't die," Samarra begged. "I've just found you."

"Promise me, Samarra," Eshgranna insisted.

With a heavy heart, Samarra nodded her agreement.

"Your brother will tell you whatever there is left to tell." Eshgranna looked like she wanted to say more, but she was interrupted by a violent seizure. When it passed, she lay quietly. "I am happy to have had the chance to see you again," she said so softly that Samarra had to lower her head to hear. "I love you."

Samarra rocked back and forth and comforted her mother as best she could. When Eshgranna exhaled for the last time, the world around her seemed to sigh in release. Samarra placed her mother's right hand over her chest, the custom when a Kairu had passed. With a soft "Goodbye," she leaped over the huge crack in the ground that separated her from Shieldwolf Longmane.

Rocks rained down with more force. She had barely reached him when a loud rumble forced her to turn around. The area around Eshgranna was caving in. Samarra could not bear to watch it happen.

"On the count of three..." Shieldwolf Longmane took a diamond sphere from his pocket and whispered a spell. The air pulsed with energy. "One… Don't be scared."

Samarra held onto him tightly.

"Two… Don't forget to breathe."

On the count of three, he smashed the fruit of sublimation on the ground. The last thing Samarra remembered was the ceiling caving in and a flash of white light.

The Sun

A healer took Samarra by the hand. She splayed her webbed fingers and checked Samarra's head for signs of trauma. Brin watched from a distance. His head and tail had been freshly bandaged and his right arm was in a splint.

"You have minor scratches and bruises," the healer said.

"Leave me alone," Samarra grumbled. "I'm okay."

The healer ignored her and checked Samarra's temperature. Her hand hovered over Samarra's heart. "Your vital signs are fine, yet you are filled with incredible pain."

Samarra slapped her hand away. She didn't want to talk about how she felt with someone she barely knew. The healer bowed apologetically and moved on.

Shieldwolf Longmane was nearby. More cooperative than Samarra, he allowed the healers to poke and prod and move him onto a stretcher. He was taken to a makeshift shelter that had been set up for the wounded. More than a few female Shieldwolves hovered around, asking shyly if they could help. One of them sobbed when she saw his battered body. Samarra watched the commotion with interest on her way to Brin.

The moment Brin smiled, the weight of recent events hit her. Samarra didn't know whether to laugh or cry — so much had happened in the last while. She threw her arms around him in relief. "I thought you were a goner," she said into his shoulder.

Brin hugged her back with his good arm and listened as she spoke of her loss. How she had finally found her mother only to have it all taken away in a heartbeat. Sometimes life just didn't make sense. Sometimes life just wasn't fair.

"How can I help?" he asked.

"Tell me what to do next. I'm so lost."

"I can't tell you what to do, Samarra." Brin wiped the tears from her face. "You wouldn't want that, anyway. Would you?"

"You're right, I wouldn't." Samarra rested her head on his chest and listened to the rhythm of his heart. The steady pulses gave her comfort while she pondered her next course of action. Samarra wasn't sure how long she stayed that way, but Brin didn't seem to mind. She sighed heavily. "Brin, there's something I have to do."

"What is it?"

"I can't say." He tensed his muscles. She knew he was upset. "I really wish I could tell you, but I can't get you involved this time. It's for your own good. Please trust me."

Brin was disapproving, but he agreed.

"Shieldwolf Longmane's in the shelter for the night," Samarra pointed out. "The Shieldwolves are tired and weak. They won't notice if I disappear for a bit. If anyone asks you where I am, tell them I'm… I don't know. Just make something up." With that, she hugged him. "I'll see you soon."

Samarra made sure the Shieldwolves weren't paying attention when she crept away. She walked into the night until she was at a safe enough distance from camp to summon the Watcher without being found out.

"Asâêl…" Samarra's voice was faint and shaky. She shivered and convinced herself that it was because of the weather — the sun had set and the canyon was chilly. "Asâêl," she called out a little louder than before.

Samarra smelled the sulphur emanating from his body before the Watcher appeared in the air above her. He landed in front of her with a light thud and his skin phaseshifted from flux to solid. Samarra was determined to be brave. She knew the Watcher wouldn't do anything bad to her even though his eyes told her he wanted to break her in two with his powerful jaws. Asâêl kneeled down and bowed his head. The tips of his golden horns almost touched the ground.

"What would you wish from me?" His words flowed into each other like waves of dark chocolate.

Samarra was taken aback. "Pardon me?"

"How shall I serve you?"

"Serve me? You don't have to serve me."

The Watcher raised his head. He looked confused, but said nothing.

Samarra tapped him on the shoulder. His glistening black skin was surprisingly warm and smooth. "You don't have to do that. Please stand up. I'm not the boss of you."

The Watcher stood up obediently. His muscular frame towered over her. His powerful wings added even more to his immense size. "Would you please take me to my brother?"

Asâêl nodded. "As you wish." He motioned for her to approach. Samarra went to him hesitantly, hardly understanding why she felt she could trust the monster with her life, yet be scared to death of him at the same time. The Watcher was gentle when he placed her in the crook of his arm. When he was certain she was secure, he launched himself into the air and flew up and up to the city in the sky.

When Asâêl reached the thickest clouds, he stopped. Directly before them was a golden city floating in the air. The fluxing dark energy that kept it aloft pumped in and out of its core through the bottom of the structure. On Asâêl's approach, the magical shield protecting the Ikajarri community dissipated, allowing entry to the city. Asâêl circled around twice before finding open area to land. The delay gave Samarra the opportunity to take in more of her surroundings.

Gold and glass houses shaped like domes had been erected on the outskirts of the city. In the middle was a central square lit by crimson lanterns hanging from flowering trees. Flying snakes crackled with colour and chased each other through the branches. They spat at anyone who ventured too close.

A market took up the rest of the hub. The merchants had gone home for the night and a handful of Ikajarri wandered the moonlit streets. One group had congregated by a fire twirler and watched in both awe and sorrow. Beyond the main square, a gold and glass watchtower loomed over the area; above its peak spun twisting ribbons of black light.

On the opposite end was another tower. This building was guarded by a group of Watchers, heavily armoured Ikajarri males and females of various species. Samarra knew instantly she would find Cassian there. Asâêl helped her to the ground and beckoned her to follow him into the building.

The guards parted when Samarra walked in. They passed many onlookers on their way to Cassian, but nobody said a word to her. Asâêl went up a winding gold staircase and indicated for Samarra to wait when they reached the top level of the building. He opened the door and announced her arrival before he gave her permission to enter.

Samarra could barely contain the happiness bubbling inside her at the prospect of seeing her brother. She tidied her dreadlocks and stepped into a great room decorated in gold, crimson, and white silks. Marble floors were covered with heavy rugs. Rich tapestries lined the walls, weaving stories of old from colourful threads. To one side of the room was a table laden with platters of fruit and nuts. There were also crystal pitchers of wine and water and assorted candies.

The Ikajarri were scattered around the room on comfortable pillows. A few of them were caught in the throes of grief and were sobbing quietly. One group lowered their conversation to a whisper when Samarra walked past them. Most of the others watched her quietly and curiously. Samarra counted three more Watchers when a movement on the dais at the far end of the room caught her attention.

Cassian stood up. Two Watchers flanked him on either side. Samarra hadn't noticed him there when she had first entered. Where had he come from? She broke into an enormous grin and ran to him with her arms flung wide open. "Cass!" she exclaimed, her chest nearly bursting with joy. She wanted to hug him tight and tell him she'd missed him, but Asâêl stepped between them and knocked her away.

Samarra was flung backward in surprise. "Why?" she gasped, and then "Ouch!" when she landed on hard ground.

"You may go, Asâêl," Cassian said.

Asâêl nodded and left the room. The Watchers guarding Cassian did not move.

Cassian crouched down and took her hand. "Are you hurt?"

Samarra shook her head and forgot about everything the moment she looked into her brother's eyes. "I'm so sorry for what I've done." She could barely hold herself back from hugging him like she wanted.

"It's all in the past. No need to be sorry." Cassian smiled and helped her up, but Samarra couldn't stop thinking it was a different kind of smile to the one she was used to seeing. He also held his body more tensely; there seemed to be a lot on his mind. Samarra's eyes told her that this was Cassian. Her heart told her something else.

"It's only been a couple of days. What have they done to you?" Samarra touched his arm, but he moved out of her reach. "Cass?"

"They haven't done anything bad. They've helped me a lot." Cassian twitched and his body phaseshifted in and out of flux form.

"Have they?" Samarra asked a little hysterically. "Look at you. You're not the same. I almost don't recognize you anymore. Something happened… I know it did. Bring me back my little brother. Please?"

Cassian settled into a more stable solid form. "Stop worrying about me. I can't control it yet, but I'm getting there."

"What exactly are you controlling? What's gotten into you?"

There was a long silence.

"We need to talk." Cassian put his arm on her shoulder and they walked around the room.

"Is it something I've done?" Samarra hesitated.

"Just listen, okay?"

Samarra nodded.

"I'm not sure where to start."

"How about from the beginning? I've got all night."

"Okay… From the beginning." Cassian took an unsteady breath. "Sammy, Mrs. Sairfang was the only mother I ever knew until you brought me here. Merganser killed her. None of that would have happened if you hadn't been playing with the green tablet, right?" He searched her eyes and waited for her to respond.

"I...I don't know what to say. I didn't do anything to her." Samarra spoke softly. She was keenly aware that everyone in the room was listening to their conversation even though they were pretending to do their own thing.

Cassian's grip on her arm tightened. "Then I find my real mother here and the Shieldwolves take her away, too. Worse still, all this time they've been training me to bring her down. Did you know that?" His voice was dark and icy.

Samarra couldn't look away. "I just found out. I was with her when she died."

"This is all messed up," he spat out. "And you've had a huge part to play."

"What do you mean?" Samarra tripped over her words. She had never seen her brother this furious about something. He was a little frightening. "I didn't have anything to do with what happened to Eshgranna—"

"Did you help the Shieldwolves reach her?"

"Sort of… No… Not really… I don't know."

"Did you bring me to Kairuhan when I was the sickest I've ever been and probably not thinking straight because of a fever?" He let her go.

Samarra stared at her boots. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

Cassian shook his head. "No, you weren't, were you? The thing is, I can't bring myself to stay angry with you because I know you think you're doing the right thing." Although his anger had subsided, he was still visibly agitated. "Come with me."

The Watchers trailed him downstairs.

"I didn't want to join the Shieldwolves," he said on his way outside. "I've been telling you that for a long time, but you never took me seriously. For as long as I can remember, you've had your mind set on finding us the perfect home, but you weren't paying enough attention to the things that really mattered."

Samarra listened to him attentively.

"I may have the mark of a Shieldwolf on my arm, and on my birth map, and on whatever else they say, but I'm not a Shieldwolf on the inside. Eshgranna — our mother — told me everything. I'm not going to hide the truth because I'm scared of the consequences." He stopped at a flowering tree and watched the snakes shooting bolts of electricity at each other. "The Shieldwolves want to control everything — access to information, forms of magic, what we can and can't believe in. They even want to control the meaning of words, but things aren't meant to stay the same forever."

"What do you mean?"

Cassian phaseshifted in and out of flux form again. Samarra wouldn't look at him until he had stabilized himself.

"Before I met Eshgranna, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do when I grew up," he said. "The Sairfangs used to tell me that I would take over their cybotics business when I was old enough. I accepted that without question. When I got here, the Shieldwolves expected me to accept my fate according to a book of laws written long before I was born. Everybody was telling me how to live my life. I listened to them for a while until I figured out the truth. There's more to this place than what the Shieldwolves tell us. I know exactly what I want to do. I'm not scared."