Coil of Worlds

Skye’s sleep was fitful that night, aware the next day could be his last. The information Eiren shared was difficult to absorb with all its consequent intrigue. The potential for catastrophe was substantial for every person involved in the war. He had tried to analyze the Malirran presence from an objective viewpoint, but he needed more facts. His instincts told him, though, that the Malirran invaders came with a specific intent. Whether their intent was to conquer parts of the continent or all of it, he wasn’t sure. He lay awake long after Eiren’s breathing changed to a slow, even rhythm. Watching her stomach rise and fall with every breath provided him with a diversion from his disheartening thoughts.

He brooded about Eiren’s decision to return, fully aware of what the following day’s verdict could mean for them both. Her tenacious courage was inspiring. He only wished the coming day’s events were not as they were. Although he hadn’t told her, Skye was grateful for her companionship. Even with the news she brought back, the small paka had provided a bit of relief for him. Having her in his lap and touching her allowed his body to relax for the first time in days. Knowing he would not have to face a foreign council alone gave him a small amount of hope.

Eiren believed the Goddess would never desert them to such a fate. Skye wasn’t so certain, or rather, he wasn’t sure this trial skirted the Goddess’s plan for him. His religion proclaimed the God and Goddess worked in ways that men could not understand.

His thoughts turned to his friends who he’d left behind in Pyran. He realized his beliefs had changed since the first days of his captivity. The events that had occurred during that time had molded him into someone he barely recognized, though Eiren did not seem to mind. Skye placed a hand on the paka sleeping beside him, needing the comfort she provided with her mere presence. With both Eiren and him sharing their body heat, Skye finally fell into a deep sleep just as nighttime edged into early morning.

Chion’s low warning had both Eiren and him sitting up and looking toward the cell’s opening, fully awake. A thin, middle-aged woman entered the tight quarters between three guardsmen. When they peered at the intruders in curiosity from their positions on the floor, the woman cleared her throat meaningfully. The two guards standing in front of the woman shared a look and moved aside with obvious reluctance, giving Skye his first full look at the woman. He’d never seen a man or woman with the level of calm composure this Kurite had wrapped around her. When she flashed her golden eyes at him, he recognized the woman as one of the Tal’Ai.

She gave a slight bow to each of them. After bowing to Eiren, she said with an enigmatic smile, “I see.”

Eiren explained the woman’s behavior after returning the bow. This is the healer that attended to my injuries.

A paka exchanged places with the third Kurite guard, coming to stand beside the woman. The female paka’s delighted laugh filled the small room.

I see as well, My Lady. You managed to heal the very paka that has an entire battalion of guards scouring the city. Somehow, this same paka is asleep in the cell the outer guards swore had vanished. Indeed, I am deeply curious.

“Hush, Ramala,” admonished the woman, shaking a finger at the paka. “We are here with a task and not to satisfy your never-ending curiosity. Our task must be completed before they can be brought before the High Council.” She turned back to their group and said with a small smile, “I have come to heal the woman.”

Skye shifted his gaze to the other side of the chamber. Chion stared at the woman, and Skye knew the paka was debating the woman’s motive. Chion, like Eiren, no longer trusted the Kurite people with the life of his Ai. Making a decision, Chion rose to his full height and in the process unveiled Lara’s physical state to the healer. The healer hissed out a breath and ran forward. She demanded, “Why did no one call for me?”

With barely masked rage, Chion replied, In the last two days, I have pleaded with the men standing guard beyond our cell to send for a healer. My pleas were disregarded.

Both the healer and her bonded paka didn’t hesitate to show their disapproval. All the while, the woman checked over the unconscious woman with careful hands. She asked them, “How long has she been unconscious?”

She has not opened her eyes since the first day of our imprisonment. We were able to feed her a small portion of gruel this past evening.

The woman nodded her head, her eyes never leaving her patient. “Is the head injury the only wound?”

Yes. We have made several attempts to wake her, but she has resisted our efforts.

After the healer swept her hands impersonally over the woman’s entire body, she nodded again—this time with relief. She murmured, “You are correct. The only wound I find is on the side of her skull. I fear a concussion, which can result in complications if not treated soon.”

Even though Chion peered at her, his ears and tail showing his concern, the woman didn’t expand further. With one hand on Lara’s chest, the healer turned with a resolute expression. She glared at her escort and demanded, “I require this cell to be emptied immediately. I cannot work with so little space. My Lady, Ramala, has orders from the Triad to provide baths, clean clothing, and food to these prisoners.” She jerked her head at Chion and directed the guards, “He may stay. Please take this man and the spunky, little paka to the baths on the main floor. Remember, after the debacle of losing the paka, the Triad will have you demoted if you allow them to stray.”

Ramala said to her Ai, I will return as soon as the Pyranni and paka reach the bathing chamber.

The healer turned her attention back to her patient. Skye heard the healer sigh before she hunched herself over the woman’s head. In the silence that followed, both Skye and Eiren were forced to leave the small cell with both guards wordlessly threatening blood with their daggers if they moved in a direction other than commanded.

Remembering something the healer had mentioned, Skye asked, I thought we were being brought before the High Council?

She tilted her head to look up at him. We are.

Then why did the healer mention a triad?

No, My Lord. The Triad. Eiren emphasized the word, causing him to realize a difference in meaning. The Triad is part of the High Council of Nine. The Triad is similar to your King. The Triad… My Lord, this explanation should probably wait until both you and Lara can listen together.

Reluctant to drop the subject, he asked with a frown, Will there be time to explain before the trial begins?

I believe there will be time. If not, I will explain on the way to the council chamber.

They were guided into a large room with two pools of water. The larger one had steady amounts of steam rising from its surface while the smaller body of water did not. The room they entered was noticeable in its lack of inhabitants. At a glance Skye knew this room was visited on a daily basis. The walls were smooth from the constant touch of hands, and the floors were worn down into darker grooves. The empty room made their footsteps echo in the vaulted chamber.

When Skye approached the one bench covered with items, he saw that it held folded tunics—clothing similar to what the Kurites wore—and a sculpted pitcher holding a liquid soap. From behind him, a guard poked him with his dagger, forcing Skye to take a step forward unless he wanted to be skewered.

When he turned to face the scowling guard, the man spoke one word, his upper lip curling in distaste, “Strip.”

Skye hesitated for a brief moment, not because he was shy about bathing in public, but because he disliked the vulnerability his nakedness exposed. His clothing provided at least some protection against a knife.

Seeing him averse to disrobing in front of his enemies, Eiren quickly shared a possible compromise with Skye. While you take your time disrobing, I will clean myself in the smaller pool. I won’t be long as I frequented another public bath with the purpose of garnering information yesterday.

A large splash followed her words. Eiren had jumped into the cool water instead of using the steps that led down into the water’s depth. He didn’t do anything overt to show his agreement, but he did remove his clothing at a slower pace, knowing the guards watched his every move. With a quick glance, he noticed Eiren swimming toward the stairs leading out of the pool. He picked up his clothes, a pang filling him. He knew the clothes he held in his hands would be destroyed. It was the last remnants of his home, his other life.

After folding the clothes into a neat pile, he shrugged his shoulders. His life was now in the hands of his enemy’s council. As much as Eiren believed otherwise, Skye knew his life would meet its end this day.

The small amount of hope he had had while sitting in the cell evaporated alongside the steam rising above the water. Stretching his hands above his head and bringing them down in a wide arc to touch his thighs, he blew out a deep breath. His mind centered on the upcoming ordeal, dismissing the guards that watched him with unwavering intensity.

Before lowering his feet to the next step in the water, Skye made sure his footing wouldn’t slip on the slick fungi growing along the stairs. With each subsequent step, he accepted the fate the Goddess had laid out for him. When both feet touched the bottom, his toes digging into the soft mud, he said to himself—almost a vow—in a soft, somber voice, “So be it.”

As he swam over to the short bench to reach for the pitcher, he realized his only regret was that Eiren would have to watch him die.

<< >>

Lara emerged from a deep well, feeling cool fingertips on her forehead and cheekbones. The touch gave off tranquil energy. While she could feel the constant thread of energy entering her from the hands—like a low electrical charge, the energy also radiated a soothing balm to her shredded emotions and tattered spirit.

Before she opened her eyes, she took a minute to acclimate herself to her location and the potential threats around her. The cold, damp floor had soaked into her clothing, chilling her entire body to the bone. She must have lain on a floor for some time. But where was she, and why?

When she tried to open her eyes, her head began throbbing like a drummer was beating on her skull. The intensity made her grimace even as her eyes had trouble focusing on the face peering down at her. When the blurry lines of the woman’s face came into focus, she was even more confused and scared. Who was she? Why was the woman touching her? Her gaze widened when she realized behind the stranger was a low-lying ceiling. Where was she? She reached up with both hands and pushed the woman’s hands off her face. Then she heard the most beautiful sound in the world.

My Lady, Yumaya is a healer. She was sent by the High Council to treat your head wound.

When she lifted her head off the floor, she moaned at the lights that flashed behind her eyes. Lara’s head sank back down to the hard floor. Lara practiced taking shallow breaths as she waited for the sudden urge to vomit to recede. The pain was excruciating, overpowering any thoughts she might have had. When she finally tried to speak, she found out speaking above a whisper was too much for the migraine pounding the inside of her skull. After several tries, she croaked, “Painkillers. I need painkillers.”

With her eyes squeezed shut, she missed the consternation that swept across the healer’s face. After a moment’s pause, she felt the cool, dry hands smooth away the wrinkles of strain from her forehead. The dots of perspiration that sprinkled her forehead were spread across her skin by those calming hands. With every slow sweep, the pounding in her skull diminished until Lara felt only a dull throb. Her eyes popped open in astonishment when she realized the woman was healing her with her hands.

The woman smiled down at her in satisfaction before giving her a warning, “I have healed as much of the wound as I can without inadvertently causing damage. You will experience a slight headache for a few days, but this too will disappear in time.”

Not sure what to say in response, Lara murmured her gratitude. The woman nodded toward Chion as she swept her loose hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ears. She said as she stood to her full height, “Now, I believe you require a bath. Follow Ramala and me to the bathing chamber.”

Without the woman hovering above her, Lara was able to examine the room in more detail. She was in jail? It looked like a medieval-style jail, anyway. What did she miss while unconscious from a concussion? How did she get a concussion? Although unsteady from her lengthy stay on the cold floor, she was able to stand without too much trouble. Chion moved up beside her, giving her his back to lean on as they left the cell. Weak from illness and lack of food, she accepted his assistance as they walked. The last guard kept pace behind them. Pieces of her memory returned to her as they walked down the hall.

She had attacked a guard at the city gate.

Why had she attacked the guard? That made no sense. She was not a violent person. It took a moment, but the emotion she felt when the man had grabbed her came back in hazy pictures. Berserker. She had acted like a berserker. Not sure she wanted to know, Lara made herself ask, What have I missed?

She didn’t understand the harsh chuckle that left him. Much has occurred in these past three days.

“Three days?!” The Tal’Ai pair turned to look at them, not sure who she was speaking to. She loosened her hold on Chion’s neck and scratched him in silent apology. She asked again in a more subdued voice, Three days?

Once you were knocked unconscious, we were taken to my captain’s office. After a rather short exchange, Captain Sateri had us summarily imprisoned. We now await a trial at the pleasure and authority of the High Council of Nine later this day.