the fiends. At this point, she wasn’t even concerned about the Death-Knower and his Tugars. Instead, it was her granddaughter who consumed Vedana’s attention. Laylah contained the key that would unlock the door to Vedana’s prison. The raven stared at the sorceress’s stomach with obsessive fascination.
To Vedana’s eyes, Laylah’s body was a cataclysm of color. Part of her granddaughter was crimson and white. These colors were joined by blue from Laylah’s recent Death Visit. And the Vijjaadharaa also were present—invisible to the living but not to the undead—flooding the sorceress with green fire. Still, Vedana wasn’t interested in crimson, white, blue, or green. Sizzling on the sorceress’s stomach was a layer of gold, and it was there that Vedana focused her formidable gaze.
The being that grew within her granddaughter’s belly was already beckoning Vedana. There was damage there—to the infant brain—that would play into Vedana’s hands, exactly as Peta had foretold. Once freed from his mother’s womb, the boy would grow large and strong in an extraordinary hurry. But his mind would be dull, his demeanor compliant. This time, Vedana would not fail in gaining full control. Isn’t that right, Peta? You had better not have been lying!
Vedana would be freed.
Her excitement was so great, she could barely resist squawking.
But resist she did. Now was not the time to get sloppy. There was far too much at stake.
21
THE DEMISE OF Invictus should have filled Jord with joy—or at least what level of joy a Faerie was capable of experiencing—but she was aware of too much of what was yet to come to take any satisfaction in what already had already been achieved. This was the trouble with knowing even small portions of the future. It took the fun out of the present.
In her incarnation as Sakuna, the Faerie flew above the eastern peaks of Mahaggata, the air cold but not as frigid as it had been when the darkness had encompassed the world. Even early in her existence on Triken—back before she had acquired some of the emotions of the living—she had enjoyed the sensation of flying. To a creature her size and strength, it was effortless and peaceful, offering a wide vista from which to view the world.
By dawn she had reached Nissaya, and she circled the massive fortress from high above. Now that the dracools were gone, the black-feathered hawks had dared to return to the skies, hunting the voles, snakes, and songbirds that inhabited the crannies in the stone. The hawks paid Sakuna little heed, sensing no danger in her presence. And indeed, she had no interest in them other than to admire their grace and beauty.
The Faerie sensed that Ugga was no longer at Nissaya, but traces of his essence remained, and she followed them from above. The sparkly trail the bear had left led her back to the mountains, and by noon she found him, lying on his side next to a fallen tree that a bolt of lightning had long ago split asunder—just as Peta had described.
Sakuna landed and transformed into Jord, naked and pale. As she walked toward Ugga, she was surprised to find that her eyes were filling with tears. The emotion called sadness was one of the most difficult to endure, yet living beings did just that countless times over countless lifetimes.
A rattlesnake as long as Jord was tall had bitten the bear on his only vulnerable spot—the jugular vein. The remains of the snake were strewn nearby. Ugga had managed to chomp it in half before collapsing. But too much damage had already occurred. The bear lay in a heap, panting heavily, his bodily functions succumbing to the venom he had absorbed. Now Jord was crying . . . sobbing, really. And she knelt and pressed her face against the bear’s snout.
“Oh, Ugga,” she said. “I am so sorry. I could have prevented this, but Peta told me it would be better for you if I did not.”
She kissed the bear on his nose. Ugga’s small eyes opened in recognition.
“I love
To Vedana’s eyes, Laylah’s body was a cataclysm of color. Part of her granddaughter was crimson and white. These colors were joined by blue from Laylah’s recent Death Visit. And the Vijjaadharaa also were present—invisible to the living but not to the undead—flooding the sorceress with green fire. Still, Vedana wasn’t interested in crimson, white, blue, or green. Sizzling on the sorceress’s stomach was a layer of gold, and it was there that Vedana focused her formidable gaze.
The being that grew within her granddaughter’s belly was already beckoning Vedana. There was damage there—to the infant brain—that would play into Vedana’s hands, exactly as Peta had foretold. Once freed from his mother’s womb, the boy would grow large and strong in an extraordinary hurry. But his mind would be dull, his demeanor compliant. This time, Vedana would not fail in gaining full control. Isn’t that right, Peta? You had better not have been lying!
Vedana would be freed.
Her excitement was so great, she could barely resist squawking.
But resist she did. Now was not the time to get sloppy. There was far too much at stake.
21
THE DEMISE OF Invictus should have filled Jord with joy—or at least what level of joy a Faerie was capable of experiencing—but she was aware of too much of what was yet to come to take any satisfaction in what already had already been achieved. This was the trouble with knowing even small portions of the future. It took the fun out of the present.
In her incarnation as Sakuna, the Faerie flew above the eastern peaks of Mahaggata, the air cold but not as frigid as it had been when the darkness had encompassed the world. Even early in her existence on Triken—back before she had acquired some of the emotions of the living—she had enjoyed the sensation of flying. To a creature her size and strength, it was effortless and peaceful, offering a wide vista from which to view the world.
By dawn she had reached Nissaya, and she circled the massive fortress from high above. Now that the dracools were gone, the black-feathered hawks had dared to return to the skies, hunting the voles, snakes, and songbirds that inhabited the crannies in the stone. The hawks paid Sakuna little heed, sensing no danger in her presence. And indeed, she had no interest in them other than to admire their grace and beauty.
The Faerie sensed that Ugga was no longer at Nissaya, but traces of his essence remained, and she followed them from above. The sparkly trail the bear had left led her back to the mountains, and by noon she found him, lying on his side next to a fallen tree that a bolt of lightning had long ago split asunder—just as Peta had described.
Sakuna landed and transformed into Jord, naked and pale. As she walked toward Ugga, she was surprised to find that her eyes were filling with tears. The emotion called sadness was one of the most difficult to endure, yet living beings did just that countless times over countless lifetimes.
A rattlesnake as long as Jord was tall had bitten the bear on his only vulnerable spot—the jugular vein. The remains of the snake were strewn nearby. Ugga had managed to chomp it in half before collapsing. But too much damage had already occurred. The bear lay in a heap, panting heavily, his bodily functions succumbing to the venom he had absorbed. Now Jord was crying . . . sobbing, really. And she knelt and pressed her face against the bear’s snout.
“Oh, Ugga,” she said. “I am so sorry. I could have prevented this, but Peta told me it would be better for you if I did not.”
She kissed the bear on his nose. Ugga’s small eyes opened in recognition.
“I love
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