Darkness Risen (The Ava'Lonan Herstories Book 4) by Ako Emanuel Page B

stiffly, to show that she
had reached the end of her report.
    A long sils followed, wherein no one else had
anything to put forth. Dariaku considered, then decided it might be best to
speak to Audola alone, if the opportunity arose.
    Jeliya waited through the five heartbeat sils, then
sat up straight and bowed.
    “As High Heir to the High Queen, I wished to be last
to report.” The attention of the group was like a weight on her, a burden she
didn’t want to bear. She shook of the feeling and continued. “Mother, I have
much to tell. But first, as I have told Otaga, I found out the cause of the
Zehj’Ba.”
    Of the surprises already dropped in the group so
far, this was far and away the most incredible to those who had not gone on the
search. None seemed to dare say anything lest she take the statement back. She
raised her eyes and glanced around. Their wonderment was almost funny to
behold. She drew a breath.
    “I went in search of the being called the Lor’av’ona.
This was after I had found the journal of the High Queen Jenikia’s maddi.
Following a trail of hints and legends, I tracked him to the sor’n-weste most
of the unclaimed lons. There I sent most of my escort away - I figured that
such a large number of people would surely alert - this being, if we ever
managed to get close to him. I took only one, whose fate is unknown to me.” She
felt a deep shame and anger over the lost warru - he was as much her responsibility
as she had been his. Her duties permitting, she would learn his fate and avenge
him if possible or necessary. She had a feeling it would be necessary.
    “We set up a camp, and I bid him to stay while I
went out to search alone. He didn’t like the idea, but I didn’t give him much
choice. For two ten’turns I found nothing. I was about to give up when I picked
up his trail - the Lor’av’ona. For another ten’turn I tracked him, and set
non-lethal, non-injuring traps so that I could question him. But he evaded all
of them. Always I was two paces behind, but I could never close the distance.
Finally, in desperation, I set up a Katari mating snare for him and lay in
wait.” R’Kyl looked startled to hear this and gazed wonderingly at her. But no
more wonderingly than the others.
    “The idea was Pentuk’s” Jeliya admitted, smiling at
her friend. “And it worked. Or it would have worked. The fruit enticed
him and he entered the circle. But - I was unprepared for the sight of him. He
was breathtaking.” She stopped a moment in remembrance, the worried glances
moving around her unnoticed. “I, stationed in a ferr’flambeaux tree, leaned
forward inadvertently-” Otaga clucked her tongue disapprovingly “-and the
branch broke. I fell into what at first glance appeared to be an ordinary patch
of thrista nettle. But it was not. It turned out to be a new, created variety of the plant, the effects of which were magnified ten to twelve times.”
She paused and drew a sigh, already tired. Her rapt audience waited impatiently
for her next words. She looked at her hands.
    “I - the next part is rather - confused. I was in
fever delirium. I was rescued and treated - by him. By the one I was trying to
trap. If I had uttered the catch-phrases of the trap, and then fallen -
I would have died, and he would have been powerless to aid me.” There were
inarticulate sounds at the very close margin by which she had survived.
    “But he rescued me. And treated me for the poison.
It seems he is something of a natural healer, with some skills of an ol’bey’one,
and other skills I’ve never heard of before. At one point I did actually come
close to death-” it was like the story of someone else, of some other one’s
life, it seemed to have happened so long ago, “-I saw the face of the Beloved-”
    Audola’s sharp intake of breath made Jeliya stop and
glance up. And her mother’s eyes showed the haunted shadows of the memory of
that instant when she knew her daughter walked the thin line