Speechless in Achten Tan: Book 1 of The Sands of Achten Tan, page 7
The chairs drop till they are almost upon us. I expect the whole contraption to break apart on impact, but it stops two feet off the ground, lurching and spinning. Valla grasps the side and swings part of the mesh open, gesturing towards the enclosed chairs.
NO. I tap my tattoo, clenching my fists till my nails almost pierce my palms, shaking my head. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO.
"I'll climb," I sign.
"No, you won't." Gerwyn snaps, grabbing my arm with an iron grip and dragging me towards the basket. I dig my heels into the dirt, trying my best to grow roots, but Gerwyn is solid and determined to kill me—if not with the fall, then with the fright.
"Sit down," she snaps, "and buckle up." Slamming me into a seat, she climbs into the adjoining one and ties a rope around her waist. My trembling hands fumble till I find the ends of the rope surrounding my seat. It takes several tries to tie the knot. Finally, Valla swings the mesh closed and mumbles, "Good luck."
"Luck?" I sign at Gerwyn. "We need luck? If I had any luck, I wouldn't be in this contraption."
"Don't be silly." Gerwyn grunts, then huffs in surprise as the first yank tugs us into the air. I clutch Gerwyn’s hand, leaving white marks on her wizened skin around my fingers. I can't squeal, but I can shake just fine.
The seats lurch higher. Now we're above the covered awnings of street level. I can see over the rooftops. The denizens of Achten Tan scurry away, giving the space below our cage a wide berth. The desert wind, unencumbered by the buildings, whips into us, making the seats spin. I clap a palm to my mouth. I think I might be sick.
"Don't you dare throw up on me," Gerwyn mutters.
We spin again, and we're facing the desert again. An An'cher patrol scuttles away from the town, across the dusty plains. I wonder if Kamal is out there. Looking down makes me quiver, but looking out over the desert is strangely peaceful. If I squint, could I see all the way to the cursed caverns from up here? A bout of homesickness buffets me, then more nausea, and then, unexpectedly, we arrive.
A man grabs the edge of the basket and pulls it towards a wide ledge carved into the bone. He opens the mesh and helps Gerwyn out with a respectful nod. When she's been deposited safely, he reaches his hand out to me. I must be as white as the ribs because he hesitates, then grabs me around the waist and lifts me out. Normally I'd be indignant at being manhandled, but my knees are so shaky I'm actually grateful.
As I turn to follow Gerwyn, my knees still knocking, a G'ant scuttles past the opening in the rib’s side. Karak, the An'cher captain, clings to its harness with another An'cher fastened securely behind him, their backs to the dizzying drop.
"Would you have preferred to ride a G'ant?" Gerwyn chuckles.
NO, I tap. "The stairs."
"There are no stairs to the top." Gerwyn points down and I dare a peek. The stairs winding around the rib stop a long way from the chief’s residence. "Haku takes his security very seriously. You can't walk up here."
I gulp and turn away from the edge, trailing Gerwyn into the chief's hall, carved into the horizontal part of the rib. At the far side of the room there’s a throne made of bones fused together, decorated in dozens of glittering mirror shards. Above the sharp shards, the throne is piled with furs and pillows. The man on the throne is as sharp and pointy as his seat. Piercing gray eyes take us in as we approach. His beard is long and twisted into a braid. His robes are the color of flint, the buttons ornate carved bone.
A man leans whispering in Opu Haku's ear. His skin is a dusky orange tone, his eyes intense and dark. He only spares me a glance before dropping his eyes in dismissal, yet the gaze sears through me, making me feel small. Haku nods several times, twisting a bracelet of polished bone around on his forearm. Gerwyn tugs me down to speak in my ear.
"Watch out for his right-hand man, Rapaecio Pallor. He's silent as a sand viper and twice as deadly." Her golden eyes rake me over. "You, more than anyone, should always be aware of the hidden power of silent things."
I wish I had power. Here in this hall, amongst the rulers of Achten Tan, I feel weak and useless.
"Few are invited to Opu Haku's inner sanctum, and even then, rarely. He doesn't like the world to see the ancient artifacts he hoards here." She indicates the seat and its glittering adornments.
The chief sits at the head of a long table. At first glance, it seems like a single slab of bone. As we draw closer, I notice a myriad of tiny cracks in the smooth surface.
"A demonstration of his power," Gerwyn mutters.
Kaii sits at his father's side, slouching in his chair, looking bored. He sits up straighter when we enter and flashes his luminous smile in my direction. I give him a little wave.
Gerwyn frowns. "Remember what I told you," she hisses. I reluctantly turn away from Kaii.
The members of Opu Haku's council mill around the room, conversing with each other. Each of the delegates has brought an aide or two. Do they fear coming here alone, or is it a demonstration of their importance?
Olde Crawman is talking to a voluptuous woman in a purple dress, cut dangerously low, and held up by hope and prayers.
"The proprietress of Jezebone's," Gerwyn says in an undertone, “and Dagen.” She leers at a beautiful man with brown curls wearing only a pair of low-slung pants who shadows Jezebone. His broad chest is bare and glistens with oil.
Gerywn points out Karak, the head An’cher, who is accompanied by Balak, a younger An'cher. The stately woman in dove-gray robes is Tyila, the librarian. Her aide is a jittery young man called Sozi. His wavy crimson hair and soft green eyes are typical of folk from the mysterious Darkmere forest beyond the Everfall. He's busily scribbling into a large leather-bound ledger.
Drizko, Achten Tan's alchemist, is a small human scientist who hobbles to his chair with the use of bone arm crutches, whispering to his gnomish assistant, Frizzlewink. It's good to see another gnome here. I raise a hand to get her attention and Frizzlewink responds with a friendly wave.
Suddenly my heart skips a beat, then speeds up and my skin shines brighter. Geb is right in front of me, in a group of three young people in healers' robes. They're accompanying a woman with gray hair curled into a bun atop her head, wearing a tan healer's cloak. That must be Otara Subjuvate–the city’s head healer. Kamal's adoptive mother. Geb looks fresh and clean and much more like himself. Relief courses through me at the sight. I wave at him and his eyes widen, his glow brightening, pulsing softly in the dim throne room. I'd love to go to him, but I'd rather Gerwyn doesn't learn of our connection, so I smile at him from behind Gerwyn's back and sign, “I’ll talk to you later.”
Opu Haku pounds on the floor with a staff made of bone. The ends curl in an intricate pattern, surrounded by large purplish crystals glowing with inner light.
“Order. Please be seated.”
The council members fill the table, the aides occupying a row of seats behind them. As we approach the table, I take a place behind Gerwyn, slightly to her left. I’m seated almost opposite Geb and I keep peeking at him. His joyous smile makes me glow brighter. My skin prickles at the sensation of eyes on me. I glance to my right, meeting Kaii’s stormy gaze. He lifts an eyebrow, his eyes darting from Geb to me and back. That boy doesn’t miss a thing.
I shrug, fixing my gaze on my hands to slow my racing heart and dim my glow.
When the delegates have settled, Opu Haku clears his throat.
"We gather today to discuss the upcoming celebration of Reebfest—the night of the traveler. When the comet returns, we must gather at the foot of the God Tree and pray."
"Or at the taverns and drink…" Kaii mutters under his breath, loud enough that everyone in the silent hall can hear. Judging by his scowl, that includes his father.
"Do not make light of this," Opu Haku scolds his son. "The God Tree protects us."
Balak, the young An'cher, clutches his wooden amulet, and makes a sign warding off evil. Geb catches my eye and winks. Gerwyn intercepts the look passing between us and signals at him, "Show respect." Geb looks surprised at her proficiency in our sign language. I am too. She rarely uses it.
I look away from Geb to avoid more of Gerwyn's anger. Sunlight from a window behind me hits an object on the opposite wall, refracting into my eyes. I squint and realize there's a mirror on the wall. Its frame is a fusion of bones. The mirror's surface is an amalgamation of shards, painstakingly pieced together into a whole. Mist swirls in its depths. I can't look away. The reflection of the room blurs, though I can see myself, and something is moving behind me. I peek over my shoulder, but there's nothing but smooth bone. I look at the mirror again. The mist thickens and dark shadows emerge from it, like jagged rips in the fabric of reality. It hurts my eyes and my mind to look at them.
The shadows form ominous, ghostly figures, with dark holes gaping where their eyes and mouths should be. The shadows hover around me in the reflection, never touching, and I shrink into my seat, incapable of moving. Then their attention shifts. They drift over to surround Geb. He's unaware of them, listening to the meeting. One shadow meets my eyes, its torn mouth opening in a terrible smile as if we're sharing a joke. Terror grips my throat with an icy hand. Not again. This isn't like the desert. I know he's real; Geb is actually here. They could hurt him.
I'm out of the chair before I know I'm moving, rounding the table to stand between Geb and the mirror. The wraiths swirl eagerly.
"Yessssss," they hiss, "come closssssser."
People look up curiously as I pass, but nobody looks scared. I'm the only one who sees the danger.
A tendril of darkness snakes out of the mirror towards me, towards Geb. Last time they couldn't touch me inside the bones, but here they are, in the heart of town, inside the rib, in the heart of the Bone Master's own throne room. I don't know how they're here, but I must stop them.
STOP, I mouth, running my finger over my tattoo. The tendril swirls closer, touching my skin just above my heart. Clammy fingers drag down my throat.
STOP. I try again, but the hand moves through me, cold as ice, scraping through me like jagged shards, moving closer and closer to Geb, who stares at me, golden eyes open and vulnerable to the evil in the room.
“STOP!" I shout. The word echoes through the room. The mirror explodes. Shards of glass fly towards me like dozens of tiny knives glittering in the air. I inhale, but I have no time to cast a spell before the glass hits. I raise my arms to protect my face, anticipating the slice and bite of slivers into my skin.
Everything stops. The mirror shards freeze midair. The conversation around the table, surprised cries and distressed warnings cease all at once. Nothing moves, except Gerwyn. Her hands fly up, making a ward. Her power shimmers out in a crimson bubble, encasing the table and its occupants.
"SAFE," she says.
Time resumes.
The mirror shards ricochet off the crimson shield, some embedding themselves in the bone walls, others in the floor. Shocked council members watch the fury expend itself from the safety of the shield.
As the bubble dissipates, I slide to the floor, my throat raw as though I've swallowed every single glass sliver in the room.
Chapter 9
The Bone Master
Geb is on his feet the instant the spell breaks. He's close enough to catch me before I hit the floor, which is good because I already have a full set of bruises from yesterday. At the rate things are going in Achten Tan, I might need to wear padding.
Geb's solid arms wrap around me, and I get a lungful of his pleasant, minty scent. I'm thankful he's cleaned up, but I can't react. All my senses are firing at once.
"Mila, Mila, can you hear me?" Geb gasps in my ear. "C-can you speak?"
I don't know. I don't know how I did it and my throat is so raw I couldn't do it again even if I wanted to.
"Bring her through here," a gruff voice says, and Geb lifts me up, cradling me to his chest. So much for not showing Gerwyn what we mean to each other. I'm too wrung out to do more than snuggle limply in Geb's arms. The scenery changes around me. Now we're in a large room with windows overlooking the town.
"Lay her here," the voice says again, and Geb deposits me on a wide comfortable divan. Crouching beside me, he brushes my hair back from my face.
"How are you feeling?" he asks, gazing into my eyes as though we're the only two people in the room.
BAD. I tap. The surrounding people may read my tattoos, but my condition is pretty much common knowledge at this stage. No use in trying to hide it.
"What happened?" Geb asks.
"There were wraiths in the mirror, trying to reach you," I sign.
Geb pales, his golden skin losing its tone so fast it looks like he's about to keel over too. I grab his arm, afraid he's going to fall. He sits down hard on the floor.
"Move aside," Gerwyn orders in a gruff voice. People scurry out of her way. Half the participants from the meeting had followed us into the room. Kaii's face hovers above me, leaning on the back of the divan.
"Well, that's one way to get people to notice you," he murmurs in a wry tone.
"Everybody out," Gerwyn orders, "unless you're a healer, a relative, or the chief."
There's some grumbling as people leave the room. Kaii doesn't budge, and Gerwyn ignores him. Geb remains by my feet, trembling and pale. I grasp his shoulder, trying to comfort him.
Otara, the healer, weaves past the dignitaries with quiet grace. She bends down by the divan, her nut-brown eyes sweeping from me to Geb. She places a hand on his shoulder. "Sympathy pains?"
"No, I…" Geb sighs, his eyes clouding over. "It's a long story."
"Tell me later," she says. One of Otara's assistants hands her a cup, glancing between me and Geb, then mutters, "I'd better get another." Otara hands me the cup of cool water. I take a sip, but it pains my throat too much to drink. I tap, PAIN, handing the cup to Geb. He grimaces but drinks. Otara stands up, examining my eyes and placing her fingers on my wrist and neck for a moment. Then she turns to Gerwyn.
"Gerwyn, what is this? It's obviously magic-related. Can you tell me anything?"
Gerwyn frowns. "Her magic is emerging… but it isn't supposed to cause pain or fainting."
Geb gulps. "She said she saw… wraiths. In the mirror. But that's impossible, right?" His question is a plea.
Opu Haku moves into my line of sight.
"Wraiths? C'naga's shadow wraiths?" He scoffs. "Inside Achten Tan? In my council room? Nonsense. My magic keeps them out. The bones keep them out."
"She saw what she saw," Gerwyn mutters.
"Why bring this untrained girl into my council?" He huffs at Gerwyn. "She could have injured the town's dignitaries. She's obviously unstable."
Geb moves under my hand, as though he means to get up and defend my honor against the chief of Achten Tan. I press down, stilling his movement. Gerwyn can fight her own battles and my honor doesn't need defending. Opu Haku is right. I am unstable.
"So, she blew up a mirror…" Gerwyn begins.
"A priceless mirror!" Opu Haku corrects, his eyes blazing.
"So, she blew up a priceless mirror…" Gerwyn continues. "Every apprentice causes a bit of damage while they are learning. I will ensure she makes it up to you."
I look up at her in surprise.
"Really?" Opu Haku crosses his arms over his chest. "And how will she do that?" He stands tall, his frame taut with hardened muscle, forearms covered in swirling tattoos of bone magic runes. Not so different from my own. "I have no need for another girl to warm my bed. Jezebone's takes care of my needs in that department."
Geb eludes my grasp. His fists clench as he struggles to his feet and strides towards the bone master. To my surprise, it's Kaii who gets in his way, dragging him off and pinning him to the wall.
"You don't want to do that," he cautions, holding Geb as he squirms. Geb is half a head taller than Kaii, but Geb isn't at his full strength, whereas Kaii is all muscle. A fact I notice all too clearly as they strain against each other.
Gerwyn's brittle voice snaps them out of the struggle.
"Enough. Those aren't the wares I peddle, Haku, and you know it. She can repay you for the damage by continuing your legacy. You have no apprentice of your own to teach magic to. Do you want your ability to die out when you do? Take the girl, train her in the way of bone magic. She is powerful, as you just saw. Leave Achten Tan a new Bone Master, so bone magic continues when you're gone."
"An interesting proposal, Gerwyn." The Bone Master's granite eyes flick over me and I sit up. "How do you know I'm not training Kaii to be the next Bone Master?"
Gerwyn snorts. "Please. We both know that boy doesn't have a magical bone in his body…"
Kaii huffs. "That’s not what the girls say. In fact, they already call me Bone Master."
"That's not a bone," Geb mutters.
"Might as well be," Kaii replies.
"Silence," Opu Haku rumbles at them both. "You'd like that, Gerwyn. I give your little witch access to my secrets and then you know everything I know."
"Suit yourself," Gerwyn mutters. "In fact, I changed my mind. You can't have her. Take your magic to the grave."
"Now wait a minute." Opu Haku suddenly seems less confident in his dismissal. "I'll think about it and let you know."
Gerwyn nods.
"Let us finish our meeting and then we can discuss the subject some more."
Otara stands. "Geb, stay with Mila till you both feel better, then rejoin us in the council room."
Opu Haku looks uncomfortable at leaving us alone in his private chamber.
"I'll stay too, Father," Kaii announces. "I'm not useful to the meeting."
Opu Haku narrows his eyes, apparently trying to decide where Kaii can cause the most damage. Then he nods. “Stay.”
Kaii pushes away from the wall and flops down on the other end of the divan. Geb eyes him warily and seats himself in the center between me and Kaii. Gerwyn gives me one more pointed look and then follows Opu Haku out the door, leaving me alone with the two boys.
