Speechless in Achten Tan: Book 1 of The Sands of Achten Tan, page 26
Kaii doesn't answer, but his body language is a clear response. His grip on the staff is white-knuckled, holding it far away from his body like a poisonous snake, radiating revulsion from every pore. The staff's power doesn't tempt him. If I ever doubted Kaii isn't cut from the same cloth as his father, this is my proof. He doesn't want to rule or to control other people. To Kaii, power is a burden, not a gift. The staff is a weapon of destruction, not an opportunity.
On second thought, he's right. I hate the cursed thing. I touch his shoulder.
"I have my power. I don't need it anymore. It's your legacy. If you want to destroy it… it's your call," I say.
He doesn't need my permission, but it feels like my opinion was the only thing holding him back. Kaii doesn't hesitate. Heaving the staff into the air, he tosses it like a spear towards the center of the tar. It hits base first. For a moment, it teeters upright, standing in the muck as if it can't pierce the sticky substance, as if even the tar rejects the vile thing. Then, with a sucking sound, the tar engulfs it and it's gone.
"Good riddance," Kaii says, wiping off his hands on his pants as though the evil in the staff tarnished them.
"Don't you think you'll ever want it? To enhance your power?" Geb asks.
"No," Kaii answers without hesitation, but there's a swift pang of indecision in his mind, wondering if he did the right thing.
I squeeze his hand. "You did the right thing."
He smiles, then tugs on my arm. "Enough delay. Let's go warn your families.”
We reach the Undercity in record time.
We're challenged at the entrance to the vertebrae. The cavern gnomes may be backwater bumpkins, but we know enough to post guards while the company sleeps. The two gnome guards glow softly under the bone arch.
"You get to go out partying, and I get stuck with guard duty," Zand greets us with a grin and a pat on Geb's back, but his jovial expression disappears when he sees Geb's torn and bloody clothes. We must look frightful, with our hands and faces smeared in remnants of blood and tar.
"What the gast happened? Are you all right?" Zand pulls his younger brother closer, checking for injury.
"Yes. I'm okay now." Geb says, but then he shudders. His amiable smile falters as his mind replays the horror of being run through and the pain he felt.
Kaii cringes. "I'm so sorry," he thinks at Geb. "I'll do anything I can to make it up to you."
"Just don't stab me again," Geb replies, clamping his hand onto Kaii's shoulder and squeezing until Kaii grunts.
"That's fair."
Zand watches them curiously, unable to follow their exchange. "What's going on?"
"There's trouble coming," I say. Zand's golden eyes snap wide in surprise.
"Mila. You got your voice back?"
I nod. "And my magic." I let a tiny purple light flicker between my fingertips just to show off. "We need to wake everyone and leave Achten Tan. Tonight. Right now. It isn't safe."
"When was it ever safe?" Zand retorts, his companion already hurrying down the tunnel to sound the alarm.
"What do we do? Go help them pack up, or stand here and wait?" Kaii asks.
"Are we leaving through the city?" Zand looks wary. "Who's coming for us?"
"Possibly my father." Kaii looks apologetic, as if he's to blame for his father's actions.
"Is there another way out of the Undercity?" Geb asks Kaii. "After the flood, the water seeped through to the caverns below. Could there be another way out of Achten Tan that goes under the tar moat?"
"That's a great idea." I yank Geb down by the lapels to give him a quick kiss. "Can you two stay here and keep me informed? Let me know if anyone shows up?"
Geb grins at me, glowing brightly. Kaii nods. I turn and pull my hair out of its braid, sprinting down the dark tunnel into the Undercity.
Chapter 31
The Belly of the Beast
When I reach the cavern where the gnomes are sleeping, Zand's companion has already woken my parents, and hurried on to wake the others.
“Mila." My mother embraces me, pulling her robe around her. Her hair is disheveled and her voice is rough with sleep. "What's wrong?"
"We may have trouble coming," I say, crushed with remorse at bringing this trouble down on my community. I'm also bracing for her reaction to my speaking out loud.
"You got your voice?" I nod, and she blinks several times in astonishment. "And your magic?" she asks in a small voice, as if fearful I may have one but not the other.
I wave my hand around the small cave where they were sleeping and say, "PACK." My parents' belongings whisk up from the ground, depositing themselves neatly in their travel sacks.
"What? How?" she asks.
"I did something. Something I'm not proud of," I admit. "I didn't really think of the consequences. Somebody almost died…" I stop and gulp, the pain hitting me all over again. Kaii died, and Geb came close.
Kaii and Geb broadcast reassurance into my mind like a warm hug enveloping me.
"We're here, Mila," Geb thinks. "We're fine. You saved us both."
"I'm sorry I was so selfish," I reply. "I'll make it up to both of you."
Geb punches Kaii in the shoulder, distracting him before he can list any dirty requests. "Don't. That's my future wife you're propositioning," he growls good-naturedly.
"And you, too," Kaii adds.
"Thanks, but no," Geb replies. I can feel his cheeks heating.
"Ok, we'll definitely need to talk about the wife comment, but after we get out of this mess." I pop a lid on the subject. My mother is staring at me as I gaze off into space, having conversations in my mind. Plus, it's hard talking to individual people with the entire group still inside my head.
I grab my mother's shoulders. "Mother, I promise to explain everything after we get out of Achten Tan safely. But for now, I need to concentrate for a few minutes to find an escape route."
My mother nods, all business, hurrying to change into her traveling clothes.
I plant myself on a raised rock in the middle of the cavern, pulling several items out of my braids. Feathers, straw, dried flowers, anything light enough to float easily. I hold them in the palm of my hand and breathe magic onto them.
"SEEK," I say.
The items take flight. My already split vision is further taxed, guiding the floating objects around the cavern, seeking openings in the floors and wall. I'm looking for any tunnels that lead down. The cavern was created in the belly of the leviathan that houses Achten Tan. Over the millennia since its death, the ribs have sunk deep into the ground, creating pathways and rifts in the earth.
I'm distracted when a group of ten An’chers, led by Kamal, arrive and take up position in the entrance to the vertebrae. A few minutes later, D'or arrives with more reinforcements. I pray they're enough to halt Opu Haku. I hope they won't cave to his authority as chief or be harmed by his bone magic.
One by one, my feathers and flowers run into obstacles and dead ends, until only one remains. It travels southeast, as if drawn back to our caverns beneath the Everfalls. I follow it till I find an opening into the ravine that split the countryside when the Everfalls overflowed. Beyond the moat, outside Achten Tan.
"I've got it," I broadcast to my friends. "I've found a way out."
"I'm coming," Geb answers, dashing down the tunnel. My mind fills with discontent as the others protest.
"We don't get to say goodbye?" Valla mopes. Sozi adds his disappointment.
Kamal is torn. "I can't just let you go. And what about Mother and Father? I need to say goodbye."
Kaii remains silent.
"Don't you have anything to say?" I wonder.
When he answers, it's with his take-charge tone. Though he'll never admit it, he was born to lead. "We can't run away from this fight. I won't abandon these people who helped us. We'll come with you to protect your retreat. That way, if my father arrives, he won't find anyone up here."
"Good thinking," I affirm. The group hurries in our direction, leaving D'or as a lookout. He takes a position out of sight, to let us know if Opu Haku shows up seeking revenge on our families.
Gnomes travel light. The group is ready to go by the time Kaii and the An`chers reach us, taking only enough food to make it back to the caverns.
Jem grabs hold of Karak's hand. "Let people know we've left food for them down here."
"Of course," he promises. "I'll bring my team here as soon as we get back to town, and distribute it myself."
My father organizes the community in a neat line, keeping order despite our hurry. I grasp Geb's hand, leading the column of gnomes through the narrow crack in the cavern floor. The opening widens into a long, dark tunnel that smells musty and dank. The gnomes' natural glow lights the gloom with an eerie glitter. Kaii brings up the rear with a consignment of An'chers and Tar-tule riders. To Kamal and D'or's surprise and joy, the two groups cooperate to steer us to safety, setting their long-term rivalry aside.
We're nearing the end of the tunnels when D'or cries out. "Opu Haku is here. He looks angry."
"Stay hidden, don't engage him," Kamal begs his boyfriend.
"I wouldn't dream of it," D'or reassures him. "I want to live to see you again."
Opu Haku marches into the vertebrae and down the tunnel, out of D'or's sight.
"We need to hurry," I urge my parents. They pass the message down the line while Kaii hustles the group from the back.
Opu Haku has already reached the deserted cavern we left behind. His shout of annoyance echoes through the empty tunnels as he realizes we've fled. The surrounding bone shudders once, as if jostled by a giant hand, then again, almost throwing us off our feet.
"Do you think he knows where we went?" my father asks.
Kaii chews his lip before answering. "He may guess. Or he may sense our bones underground."
"We took away his staff." Geb runs a hand through his tar-streaked hair. "How does he still sense us?"
"It's an innate ability," Kaii explains. "His staff enhanced his ability, but he's still powerful without it."
A wrenching sound echoes through the tunnel behind us. Bones split and crack as Opu Haku carves a path for himself through the base of the ribs, tearing an opening into our tunnel. The gnomes sprint ahead as the An’chers turn and raise their weapons. Kaii strides to spearhead the defense force.
Opu Haku falls through the ceiling, landing on his feet. The thud of his drop reverberates through the bone under my feet. He grinds his teeth when he sees Kaii.
"How. Many. Times. Do. I. Need. To. Kill. You?" He punctuates his words with flicks of his hands, throwing An`chers and Tar-tule riders aside, smashing their bodies into the walls of the tunnel with every step, as he advances on Kaii until Kaii stands alone.
"Where is my staff?" Opu Haku asks, his fingers twirling, threatening.
"Gone." Kaii's grin is wide and cocky. "And C'naga says hello." Always with the taunting. Why Kaii, why?
I need to help Kaii before Opu Haku figures out a way to hurt him. Abandoning my place at the head of the column, I barrel back down the tunnel, past the hurrying gnomes.
"Keep going! Get out of here,” I shout as I pass them.
Opu Haku thrusts out his hands, trying to grab Kaii and break him. Kaii laughs, the magic falling harmlessly off of him.
I engage my magic, propelling myself faster than I could run normally, my feet almost carving a groove into the tunnel floor.
"I'm coming, Kaii," I think, rounding the bend. Finally, I can see them both.
Groaning An`chers and Tar-tule riders are strewn against the sides of the passageway, struggling to sit up. Opu Haku lifts his head in time to see my glowing form streak down the tunnel like a bolt of lightning.
"Do you want to do the honors?" I ask Kaii. I send him an image of my idea.
Kaii sends, "YES. He's not wearing protection from bone magic. I can feel his bones."
"On my mark. Three, two, one."
Kaii thrusts out his hands, grabbing Opu Haku's bones with his magic. He lifts his father, propelling him back down the tunnel till he slams into the rock.
"CAGE!" I scream.
The rock surrounding Opu Haku yawns wide like a mouth with teeth made of stone, snapping closed around him. He's alive, trapped in a cage of rock, unharmed but furious. Visible through a sliver in the rocks, he stretches his arm through the cracks, flexing his hand, but he's too far away to do any damage.
"Let me out of here," he shouts. "I'm the chief of Achten Tan. You can't do this to me!”
Kaii and I exchange glances. "I think we just did."
Ignoring Opu Haku's protests, we help fallen An’chers and Tar-tule riders to their feet. Kaii places his hand on broken bones, mending them with far less pain than his father had done for him. The warriors thank him profusely, and Kaii promises they'll be paid handsomely from his father's coffers for their help.
"Come back! You can't leave me down here," Opu Haku shouts as we turn to leave.
"Goodbye, Father," Kaii says, loud enough for Opu Haku to hear him. He doesn't feel triumph, only sadness.
Nobody wants to go any closer to the caged Bone Master, so the entire group proceeds towards the end of the tunnel, leaving Opu Haku alone in the darkness of the belly of the beast.
Since the gnomes have gone on ahead, and I don't glow brightly enough to light up the tunnel for everyone, I whisper, "LIGHT." A silvery radiance spreads out around me, lighting the tunnel in a soft, sparkling glow.
“Now you’re just showing off,” Kaii says, pulling me under his arm as we walk towards the exit.
“You think?” The smile on my lips feels as bright as the sun on the Everfall. I’m going to miss this guy, I think, before I can curb my mind. Kaii radiates warm feelings, a type of gentle satisfaction he tries to keep hidden to preserve his image, but we’re all in each other’s minds. We have no secrets.
“I’ll miss you too,” he thinks back, squeezing my side.
“You know, I think even I'll miss him a bit,” Geb adds. There’s a wave of surprise and gratitude from Kaii.
"You could come with us," I say. "I don't know what the plan is with your father. It's up to you, or the people of Achten Tan, but if he ever gets free…" I shudder.
"Can you really imagine me on an algae boat?" Kaii laughs. "I'd go mad within the week. Drive you crazy in two."
"Oh, you'd drive us crazy faster than that," Geb quips.
“Besides." Kaii halts his pace. The rest of the group is filing through the crack in the wall that leads out to the bone desert. Jelthune's rays filter through the opening, competing with my silvery light in the darkness of the tunnel. When Kaii and I are the only ones left, he looks down at me, the moon's silver sparkles reflecting in his gray eyes, lighting them up like fireworks. "You two need to get to work making all those gnome babies on your houseboat."
"How did you… know about that?" I swallow. I hadn't thought he'd been paying attention to my parents' unsubtle nudges.
He chuckles. "Geb can't stop thinking about it… mostly about the making process," Geb's eavesdropping thoughts are suspiciously silent, "but also about the after. It's sweet and wholesome. You two are meant to be together. I’d only get in the way."
"You're a good man, Kaii Haku," I say, threading my arms around his waist and pulling him in for a hug, "and saying otherwise doesn't make it so." His hand on my back is warm and solid. I hate to say goodbye. "I don't know what Gerwyn meant about you being my future, but I know it means we'll meet again."
He squeezes me tightly, holding me and taking deep breaths. I blink away the tears that keep trying to fill my eyes. After a long beat, I lean back and tilt my chin up to meet his eyes.
"Can I kiss you goodbye?" he asks. His face is so close to mine, the heat of his breath ghosts over my face.
"Didn't you kiss me in the treasure room?" I tease, but it comes out breathless.
"That wasn't me, it was C'naga. I would never do that... without your consent."
I feel Geb's anxious energy in my mind, but he doesn't object. I suck in a breath as Kaii dips his face closer… and plants a gentle kiss on my cheek.
"Until we meet again," he whispers. "Or if Geb ever changes his mind about that three-way…"
"Not going to happen," Geb growls. "Give it a rest already."
I cock an eyebrow at him. "I never said I agreed to a three-way…"
"That's the fun thing about glowy gnome arousal.” Kaii's hand slides down my spine to the small of my back, guiding me towards the opening. "You don't need to say anything."
Ducking my red face from his view, I squeeze through the crack in the rock to exit the underbelly of Achten Tan and finally leave this cursed town behind.
Sadly, there's nothing I can do to hide my glow.
Epilogue
The ray of light parts the mist rising from the Everfall, sparkling in the pool’s water at the top of the falls. Ten years ago, I lost my brother over the edge of this pool, and I have shunned it ever since. But today Geb coaxed me to return to what was once our favorite spot.
The rippling pool is tranquil and unchanged, looking as if we'd been here for the last time yesterday. Leafy trees and bushes surround the edge, granting the bathers a private space. As children, it hid us from demanding parents and nosy siblings, but now, fully grown, I see it with fresh eyes.
I slip off my tunic, placing it on a sunny rock, then I remove my leggings and undergarments. Geb gulps, his eyes opening wide, as I place one foot, then the other, into the shallow end of the pool. The warm water laps at my body, embracing me as I wade into the water step after slow step. When the water wets my shoulder blades, I cast a glance over my shoulder at Geb, still standing mesmerized by the water's edge.
"Coming?" I ask, before ducking my head under the water and emerging, my braids floating around me. Geb shucks off his clothes, left and right, as if there's a time limit to my offer. Silly boy. I'd wait for you forever.
He slips into the pool. Now it's my turn to lick my lips and admire his rippling muscles and tanned physique. He reaches me in a few long strides and I loop my arms around his neck, plastering my chest to his. Drops of water sparkle in his long lashes and his golden eyes are heavy with lust. I wrap my legs around his waist and dip my head to taste his lips. Geb moans and tilts my head, tugging lightly on my braids to improve the angle and deepen the kiss. I lose myself to the sensation, but I'm jolted out of my haze as the bushes around the pool rustle wildly, as if a giant creature is thrashing its way through.
