Burning Bright
Aug. 29th, 2006 06:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
maderrHere's the last two chapters and the epilogue ^_^
Sky, I tried to fix those things you had problems with. Don't know if I succeeded, I think I did, but I tried.
Frack, running late now.
Chapter Nineteen
“Someone had better start explaining all this to me right now,” the angry woman said, eyeing Nikolai and Zholty where they were locked in argument, Raz and Dym, Ailill embracing Ivan.
Raz almost wished he’d chosen to run away, because from this moment on there was no going back. Whatever the outcome, he was going to die. But he could feel those green eyes on him, dark and haunted but so calm, and somehow they made him feel better for all that they still caused him so much pain.
“Dym,” the woman said, voice more level but still full of anger. “Explain, please. You are perhaps the only man here that I both know and do not want to strang…” her words faded as her gaze landed on Ailill again. “You—I know you. What are you doing here?”
Ailill stood up, brushing what dirt he could from his clothes. “Princess. Queen, pardon me. I was here on a secret mission to track down something that was stolen. I had intended to keep my presence quiet, so as to cause as little trouble as possible.”
Queen? Fire and ash, this was too much for him.
“I see,” the Queen said, sounding not at all pleased.
“They said the Beast was dead,” Zholty’s cold voice cut across the room.
Ivan laughed, smug and gloating. “They lied. Maybe they were hoping to shake you into doing something stupid, like admitting that you knew your men had killed someone important.”
“Nearly,” Ailill said. “If not for Duke Krasny I probably would be dead.”
“And we would have much to answer for to Verde,” the Queen said grimly. “Zholty, what is this about you knowing?”
“I can explain that, Majesty,” Ailill said. “I can explain a great deal of everything.”
“Then explain.”
Slowly Ailill began to tell all that he knew, from hiring Raz to steal the comb to helping Ivan with the curse, on through to the end, where he’d nearly been killed by soldiers sent on Zholty’s orders.
Silence fell as he finished, heavy and oppressive.
“You say Raz managed to obtain a feather that broke this curse,” the Queen finally said. “I do not see how that is possible.”
“I gave it to him,” Dym said quietly. “He ran into me sneaking around the Cathedral, and I persuaded him to tell me his purpose. I cast the spell that broke the curse.”
“Then you—“ Zholty abruptly cut himself off.
“Then I what?” Dym challenged. “Cast the protective barrier that has probably kept you from harming him again? Is that what you were going to say?”
“Fire and ash!” Zholty roared, face flooding with red as his temper finally snapped. “How did you do that? Not even I can manage such spells! It’s impossible! I possess every book that still exists on the matter and those spells are not in them! What manner of traitor are you?”
“I am no traitor,” Dym said, voice hard, green eyes blazing as he stared down Zholty until the Earl dropped his gaze. “I am not the one who has been trying to hunt down Candidates and murder them in the streets.”
“The location of a murder does not change the fact that it is murder,” Zholty countered.
“By doing so you are preventing the sacrifices,” Dym said. “That is treason. Nor do I use illegal magic to force men to do my bidding.”
“But you obviously use illegal magic.”
Dym shook his head. “There is nothing illegal about a protective spell, Earl. It is merely the fact that I can cast it and you cannot that has you vexed. Even had you succeeded in making magic legal in this country, in increasing your magical prowess, you would never have mastered the harder spells. You are cruel and cowardly, hardly the makings of a true sorcerer.”
“I am no coward, you pompous little—“
“Only a coward would use poison and curses, Earl.”
“Poison?” Zholty repeated. “When did I ever use poison?”
The Queen gasped. “Dym, please don’t say…”
“It’s possible,” Nikolai said slowly, clearly startled, and he looked at Zholty as though he’d never seen the man before. “Zholty and I have long believed this country holds itself in a position of weakness by eschewing magic.”
“Yes,” the Queen said. “You’ve hardly spoken of anything else for months on end. What has that to do with this?”
“As you say,” Krasny said dryly, “I have hardly shut up about it. Zholty is not so patient, nor so clever. It is, after all, his job which will be at stake when the Sacred Firebird is finally dead. He has been taking matters into his own hands, trying to kill the Candidates before the High Priest could to ensure magic stayed around for several more years, ideally for several more decades.”
The Queen crossed the room and stopped in front of Nikolai – then in a flash of movement reached up and slapped him across the face. “Why did you mention none of this before?”
“Because then he would have to admit that he once tried to do the same thing himself.” Zholty sneered. “Then his blood turned cold and he lost his nerve.”
Nikolai gave no indication that he’d felt the hard slap to his face. “I should have said something, you’re right. I am sorry. But I was trying to stop him.”
“You should have said something, Kolya.” Sonya turned away and faced Zholty. “You deny none of this?”
Zholty shrugged and removed his monocle to polish it, not replying until it was once more in place over his eye. “There seems to be very little point in doing so now.”
“My brother?” Sonya asked tightly.
“Was a threat to this country,” Zholty said.
“Vlad…” Sonya whispered, staring wide-eyed at the Earl as tears began to trail down her cheeks.
“You scorching bastard,” Nikolai roared, and launched himself at Zholty, only to cry out in pain and fall to the floor unconscious, a hole burned through the fabric of his jacket where Zholty had touched him.
“Kolya!” Sonya screamed, dropping down before her cousin, tugging him close.
Dym turned to face Zholty. “I’ve had enough of you.”
“Try and stop me,” Zholty said. “That’s the least of my power, and I guarantee your scorching barriers won’t be able to protect everyone.”
“Those are not the only spells I know,” Dym said softly, voice as calm as his eyes were blazing, “and I do not need fire feathers to cast them. In my eyes, Earl, you are nothing but a foolish little boy playing with things best left to adults.” Dym held up one hand even as Zholty made to cast a spell of his own. “Nichevo.”
Zholty screamed in pain, holding his head as though it were being torn apart, dropping to his knees. He was trembling, shaking so hard that he finally had to let go of his head to brace his hands on the floor. He looked at Dym. “What did you do to me?”
“Stripped you of your magic. A bit of information for you – using a fire feather to banish magic from people really only puts it to sleep. With effort, it can be awakened again. You, however, will never be able to use magic again.”
Raz shuddered, wishing he was anywhere else in the world, away from the hate and fear and hurt that filled this room. Shaking himself, he forced his limbs to work and pulled a lock pick from his boot, then moved to start freeing Ivan and the others. They were loose within minutes.
None of the nobles seemed to have noticed. “You need a bath,” he told Ivan. “Honestly, the alleyway behind the whorehouse in the pavilion smells better than you lot.”
“Well now, Raz, I didn’t think you’d be the sort to know what a whorehouse smelled like. Nevermind the alleyway behind one.”
Raz grimaced. “I had to steal a pearl broach once. Now be quiet before they figure out you’re free. Make a break for it as soon as you think you can. Where are my girls?”
“In the dungeon. Ransom in case we tried to scorch the Earl. Pointless, now. We’ll get them out.” Ivan frowned suddenly. “Why are you here? You shouldn’t be here, Raz… don’t you know…”
“That I’m the last Candidate?” Raz said with a weak smile. “I know. How did you?”
Ivan shook his head. “Doesn’t matter.”
He said something else but Raz didn’t hear him, eyes locked on the way Dym knelt before Nikolai, pressing fingers gently to his chest, murmuring softly, a gentle warmth washing through the room like a warm summer breeze.
Sonya gasped. “I’ve never…” She didn’t seem to notice the tears still streaming down her face. “I’ve never seen magic like I’ve seen today. How do you three know so much of what no one should know? Has everyone played me for a fool?”
Dym took her hand and squeezed it, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to her cheek. “Never, Queen. Earl Zholty played us all for fools, but I think the Duke and I were unwittingly united in wanting only to protect you.”
“You’re all fools,” Zholty said.
“Be silent,” Sonya snapped. “It is only because I think death too easy for you that I have not ordered your head removed.”
“It’s against the law to kill me without a trial,” Zholty sneered.
“The law is what I say it is,” Sonya replied, voice so frigid that Zholty fell silent. She crossed the room and yanked the door open. “Guards!” Raz heard her snap, and a second later four soldiers strode into the room. Sonya motioned to two of them. “Take him away,” she said. “Make certain he is securely chained and locked up where he can cause no trouble. He is to receive no special treatment, and is marked as a criminal of the highest order.”
“Queen,” Dym interrupted. “There are still two prisoners down there, arrested by Zholty in your name. Two women, natives of Kundou.”
Sonya nodded and motioned to the guards. “After you have seen to the former Earl, free the two women who should be locked up down there. Escort them here at once.”
“Yes, Majesty!” the Guards snapped sharp salutes, and though obviously confused and curious, they obeyed without question, using discarded by Ivan’s group to bind Zholty and carry him away.
Sonya motioned to the remaining two, then to Nikolai, who still lay unconscious on the floor. “Take him to his room, see that he is well-tended. Fetch me the moment he wakes up.”
“Yes, Majesty,” the Guards bowed and quickly obeyed, gently lifting Nikolai and carrying him away.
Dym crossed the room and took Sonya’s hand, then led her to a seat. “All will be well, Queen.”
“I sincerely doubt that,” Sonya said sadly. “Will Kolya be all right?”
“He will be fine,” Dym said. “Zholty hit him hard, but I’ve repaired whatever damage was done.”
Sonya nodded. “I want very badly to know how you and Zholty, and likely my cousin, know so much complicated magic. Yet I do not think I could bear to hear the answers right now. It will keep.” She finally looked towards Raz and the others. “You are all free to go. Whatever crimes you may have committed, I am clearing all charges. I apologize profusely that men who are meant to serve Pozhar, and who have been doing so in my name, would treat you so callously.” Her eyes flicked to Ailill, who had been standing close to Ivan, speaking quietly. “I don’t quite know what to do with you, yet, my dear Marquis.”
“Simply let me be on my way? I arrived here intending to cause as few problems as possible, I promise you. We were planning to leave right when Zholty attacked us.”
“Very well,” Sonya said tiredly. “Though I hope you are the last foreigner of great importance I see in my country for awhile.” She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the chair.
Raz felt a sick knot of dread begin to form in his stomach. He finally made himself look up, and gray eyes met with green and could not look away. “I guess this is it, then.”
“If that is the course you have chosen to take,” Dym said softly, leaving the Queen’s side to stand before Raz, stopping just short of being able to touch him. “If you wanted to leave, I would not stop you.”
As though from far away, Raz could hear his friends talking, murmuring, and he saw from the corner of his eye as the Queen moved, looked at them. Distant. The only thing he could really see was Dym. “I want to know why looking at you hurts. I think this is the only way I’ll know.”
“Yes,” was Dym’s soft reply.
“Dym…” Sonya’s voice broke the strange spell that had fallen over them. “Is he…I thought his face was familiar, but I was so angry…”
“Yes, Queen,” Dym said, and turned to face her. “This is Raz, the last Candidate.”
“Fire and ash,” Sonya whispered. “How can so much happen in one day?”
Ivan grunted as the others lapsed into silence. “I hate to point out the obvious, but the day is far from over. In my experience, the sooner trouble starts, the longer it lasts.” He slid a look at Raz. “Are you sure, Raz?”
“Yes,” Raz said. He turned to Dym, the Queen. “I have a request.”
“Granted,” Sonya said promptly. “I do not care what it is, you are entitled to it.”
Before Raz could speak, the doors opened and two lithe figures, one with lavender hair, the other with green, spilled into the room and ran straight for Raz, clinging to him as though their lives depended on it. Shio and Shinju began sobbing, choking out apologies and exclamations, words so jumbled that no one could really make them out.
“It’s all right, my lovelies,” Raz said with a smile, giving each of them a kiss. “Cause plenty of trouble for me, all right?” He kissed them again, then once more addressed the Queen. “If they’re willing, I want all my friends with me when I die.”
Sonya nodded. “As I said, whatever you want is yours for the asking. Dym?”
“Of course, Highness, though it’s never been done before.” Dym smiled faintly, briefly. “Might I at least ask the concession that everyone be clean for the ceremony?”
Raz laughed softly, but stopped when he realized no one else found it funny.
Sonya stood. “I am going to go clear my schedule, for I have been cowardly long enough. If Raz is the last, then I should be there. We meet in the Cathedral in an hour.” She crossed the room and stopped in front of Raz, and after a moment of hesitation reached and embraced him. “I…” She held him tighter for a moment, then let go and all but ran from the room.
“She seems too nice to be a Queen,” Raz said.
“All roses appear fragile until you go to pick one and find your fingers bloodied,” Dym answered. “Come,” he said, beckoning to them all, “I will take you to get cleaned up.”
Raz barely heard the exclamations of the others, too absorbed by his own awe.
The room was the most magnificent thing he’d ever seen. Like a living spell. Carved entirely from black marble – the walls, the floor, even the enormous altar at the far end. All of it covered with what looked like calligraphy, so intricate and complicated, scrolling along the walls and floor, around the edge of the altar. Yet despite the marble, which Raz had always thought of as cold, the room positively radiated warmth. The scent of fire, smoke, and ash permeated it, as though he had stepped into the heart of a black flame.
Yet looking around at it, Raz couldn’t help the niggling sense that black wasn’t right. That it should be some other color. Like he wasn’t accustomed to black. But he knew he’d never been in this room before. What had Dym called it?
The Chamber of Night.
“Raz…” Shio said, voice still rough from all the crying she’d done before. So strange, to see his beautiful ladies cry. He hoped when all was said and done they went back to their ocean, to a world that made sense to them. They didn’t belong on land, he knew that now. Reaching out, he tugged them close and kissed each one on the lips, a soft goodbye. “Thank you,” he said. Letting them go, Raz moved on before they could say anything more. “Thank you,” he said again, this time to Ivan and his men. “None of this would have been possible without you.”
“I wish we’d made something else possible,” Ivan said, looking more miserable than Raz could ever remember seeing him.
Lastly Raz managed an awkward bow to the Queen, and when she again hugged him he kissed her cheek.
It was strange. The longer he was in this room, the calmer he felt. The more at peace. Almost, he thought, as if he were right where he was supposed to be. Shaking his head at himself, Raz let go of the Queen and finally moved toward Dym, who waited silently halfway toward the altar. Raz locked gazes with eyes so green they made his breath catch every time he saw them.
Why does looking at you hurt?
He wanted to know why. That’s why he was here. He didn’t care about saving the country, he didn’t care if he killed a god or whatever. What he wanted to know was why those green eyes wouldn’t leave his mind, why his heart ached every time he thought of the sadness that made them so dark. The High Priest mattered, and he wanted to know why. Raz drew close, holding out a hand, not quite sure what he wanted to do with it – then cool, calloused fingers wrapped around his own much warmer hand, holding it close. Raz could feel his heart beat, could feel a burning heat beneath the red robes.
Finally Dym let his hand go, and reached into his robe. The feather he pulled out was beautiful – blazing, like Dym had somehow managed to capture a flame. “Are you certain?”
“Yes,” Raz said, and took the feather from him. He wouldn’t make the High Priest kill him. This was his choice, he’d do it himself. He hesitated, feeling he should say something, but in the end settled for only shaking his head. Holding the feather tight, he strode toward the alter and vaulted onto it. Not quite certain what to do, he clutched the feather close.
There was a brief flash of pain.
With a wave of heat, a burst of light that were flames flaring to life, Raz was consumed. In the span of what seemed no more than second, but must have been several, nothing remained of him but ashes.
Only Dym seemed unaffected, having done nothing but stand stone still and watch once Raz vaulted onto the altar. Even now he was unmoving, and even had the others felt capable of moving, his absolute stillness kept them in place.
Just as the Queen started to speak, drawing a ragged breath, throat choked with sobs she would not let out, heat began to fill the room in almost unbearable amounts.
Then light, and everyone realized it was the walls and the floor and the altar which were glowing – rather, the scrollwork, the gold writing. It flared ever brighter, until they were so blinded they had to look away.
Ivan heard startled gasps, shouts of surprise, and knew one of them was his own. All around them the black marble had changed – here red, there turning orange, shifting and sliding between brilliant shades, making it look as though they stood inside a flickering flame. Soft, gentle, familiar laughter captured his attention, and he looked towards the altar.
Raz sat upon the altar, one knee drawn up, an arm hooked lazily around it, the other leg dangling. Yet…it wasn’t quite Raz either. His hair was different, the ends lighter, golden, the length a bit longer.
And the eyes. They glowed like a banked fire, shifting from gold to orange to red, hints of blue and violet and whites, flames hot enough to melt anything. He was still dressed in the simple brown breeches and white shirt that had been provided to him, his same old knee-high brown boots.
But the way he held his head was different. There was a level of confidence, of awareness, there that Raz had never possessed. “Who are you?” Ivan asked, not able to make his voice speak much above a whisper.
The man that was and wasn’t Raz laughed again, and slid gracefully from the altar. “Do my children not recognize their father?”
Chapter Twenty
“But—“ Sonya spoke up. “You—Dym was—you’re supposed to be dead. How are you alive?” She looked at Dym, who still stood facing Raz and would not look at anyone else. “You betrayed us? Why Dym?” Her tears began to fall anew as she again looked at Raz. “You’re going to kill us all.”
Raz shook his head, smiling sadly, and it grew sadder still when they all looked away. “I’m Zhar Ptitka, a god of life. I’d no more burn my people down than I would sell an esmeralda for less than twice what it’s worth.” He grinned briefly.
Sonya dropped her head, and said nothing more.
“I don’t understand,” Ivan said. “The prophecy said you would destroy us, should you ever return. And we’ve been killing you this whole time.”
Raz laughed, but it was hard to tell if he was laughing or crying. “It’s pretty sad everyone believed such an obvious lie so easily.” He motioned to Dym. “It was the best way to do things, however…”
“Yes, Eminence,” Dym said into the silence that fell. “At the time, I had no other way to ensure that all the pieces would be brought back together. Everyone feared you. If they feared you more, I could get them to do what I wanted.” Though his expression remained composed, it was obvious his own words distressed him.
Raz finally shattered, oblivious to the gawking onlookers as he drew close to his Priest of Ashes. “Dym,” Raz whispered, drawing close to the High Priest and reaching out a hand – but he let it fall before he could touch the High Priest. “Dearest Dym, how are you still alive after all this time?”
Dym’s voice, when he spoke, sounded strange. Unsteady, thick with pain. “We fought, Eminence. I wanted to make amends.”
“Dym…” With a faint, almost soundless cry, Raz reached out and held fast to Dym’s robes, comprehension flooding him as he realized what must have passed the night he’d been slain. “Dym, dearest, beloved Dym, can you ever forgive me?” He slid to his knees, hands and face buried in Dym’s robes, ignoring the gasps of the others as they watched a god kneel before a mortal. But Dym, more than anyone, had every right to hate him.
“W-what?” Dym asked, voice trembling, and the longing and hope were so plain in his tone that it tore Raz’s heart anew. “Eminence?”
Raz’s voice was hoarse. “The sigh of you has never pained me, Dym, not the way you think. I was angry over the murders. Furious. But not with you. I shouldn’t have said the things I did. My beautiful Priest of Ashes, I don’t deserve you. Can you ever forgive me for the way I treated you? My last thought was that my cruelty towards you had probably spelled your death that night. I never thought to see you again.”
“If I had not let anger drive me from my post, Eminence, I would have been there to protect you,” Dym said, falling to his knees and into Raz’s arms. “If I had not neglected my duty…”
“No, Dym,” Raz said quietly, holding the High Priest close. “It was my fault. I accused my children of acting foolishly, cruelly, without thought, and the whole scorching time I was guilty of the same. I cannot believe you are still alive…”
“I could not die. I live to serve you, Eminence. It was my duty to protect you and, failing that, to see to your return.”
“Dym,” Raz breathed his name, and tilted his head up to kiss him softly, as he should have long ago, instead of constantly ignoring what Dym had always tried to offer.
Around him he could hear the others growing restless, their confusion and unhappiness thick in the air, almost making him smile. Only minutes ago he’d been a thief, now he had more children than he could count to attend, especially the group gathered before him. “I suppose an explanation is in order,” he said at last, standing up and drawing Dym up to stand beside him. “Noble Queen, I assure you the High Priest never once meant to betray you.”
Sonya remained silent, but managed a weak nod, obviously awaiting more of an explanation.
“Roughly a thousand years ago,” Raz said, “the fall of my Storm brothers inspired my children to rebel. I deserved it. I was bitter, angry, spiteful, and had very little patience left for the children I felt had lost all love and appreciation for the things which I had given them. I refused to see that I was just as guilty.” He squeezed Dym’s hand. “One person tried to tell me, but as usual I didn’t listen. In his absence, my children managed to gain the upper hand and nearly killed me. Actually killing a god, however, is scorching harder than that. Dym knew this, and managed to trick an entire country to bring me back.”
Ivan shook his head, looking at Dym. “Who are you?”
“He is my Priest of Ashes,” Raz answered. “It was his duty to protect my ashes until I was reborn, and to oversee the Cathedrals. He is also one of the most powerful sorcerers in the world; only the gods, I suspect, would be able to best him. Not even the White Beasts of Verde,” Raz’s gaze landed briefly on Ailill, “could do more than almost come equal.”
“But the prophecy,” Sonya said, “I don’t understand…”
“A lie,” Raz said. “One that worked. Dym, tell them the true prophecy.”
“Flames will rise across the world, filling all with warmth, and thus will the Sacred Firebird reclaim dominion over fire.”
Raz nodded. “As I said, I am a god of life. I don’t like vengeance. It’s a waste of energy.” Letting go of Dym, Raz strode over to Sonya, who had sunk to her knees, and urged her back to her feet. “In the course of your existence you have been a stern priest, a gentle peasant woman, a playful cat, a pale, perfect rose, and a diligent farmer. Now your soul has been born into the life of a Queen. Part reward, part price, but in every life your strength shines. Don’t falter now, you’re a fine Queen.” Raz smiled and lifted her hand, dusting a soft kiss across the knuckles before leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to one fine cheekbone. “You will live a long time, my Queen, for as I said – my children need one such as you. Be brave, be strong, and one day you’ll look across a crowded room and see a familiar smile.”
Ivan stilled as Raz approached. “Are you still Raz at all?” he asked. “You do and don’t look like him…and you act and don’t like act him. Is anything of our Raz left?”
“I still remember how you tried to cheat me out of my pay, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Raz said with a smirk. “That Raz was merely the last piece. So yes, I’m still that Raz. Just now it’s much easier to get away with things. And I seem to have a great deal more to do than simply wonder where the next job will come from.”
“So I see,” Ivan said with a smile, shaking his head. “And you were the one overcharging.”
Raz chuckled. “In all your lives, you never really change. Now you’re a mercenary, rather than a king or lord or wealthy merchant, but always a fighter, always a leader.” His brilliant eyes flicked to Ailill. “My blessing upon you both remains, though one has found his way to the country of Verde in this life.”
Ailill gave a deep bow. “Eminence. Seeing you gives me hope for my own land.”
“Your already one step ahead of Pozhar,” Raz said. “You’re entire country wants the gods to return.” He winked.
“That is true,” Ailill said. “Might I ask what has become of the other pieces that were sacrificed to bring you back?”
Raz smiled. “Pieces of them were, of course, me. Those pieces have all come together. But the rest of the soul will be reborn. If you mean Pechal…” Raz smiled sadly, missing his friend though he knew very well that all would be well. “I do not control the lives of my children, but I can see them, sense them, and I believe my brother will find himself with a much more stable life when he’s born again.” Raz looked past Ivan and Ailill to the six men still standing quietly, unable – or unwilling – to speak. “Luka. Karp. Ferapont. Gleb. Maksim. Isidor. Thank you.” Raz went to each one in turn, touching his fingertips gently to their foreheads, smiling gently. “You’ll need my magic if you’re to travel with Ailill and your troublemaking boss.”
At his words, the men chuckled, still looking terribly uncertain but unable to resist a jest made at Ivan’s expense. They ignored the glares sent their way. “That’s true,” Luka said. “We’ve never let him out of Pozhar before.”
“Precisely,” Raz said, grinning. “Use my magic to keep him in line. I also bestow upon you the blessing I once bestowed upon a king and his wolf – that no matter what your situation in any life, always you six will find each other, your souls forever bound, and I sense that even a god could not keep you from finding Ivan again.”
“What of Nikolai?” Sonya asked when Raz had finished speaking. “I know there are precious few who like my cousin, but he does what he thinks is best, in his own way. He did try to save you…”
Raz’s mouth curved in an amused smile that seemed to say he knew something no one else did. “Nikolai will be fine, and get all that he has earned and deserves. You need not worry on that count. Only when he says that he is leaving, do not stop him.”
Sonya opened her mouth, to either protest or ask a question, but settled on closing it, words unspoken, and simply nodded. “Yes…Eminence.”
“Stop calling me that,” Raz said, shaking his head. “I like Raz better.”
“Raz!” Shio and Shinju cried together as he finally reached the mermaids. “We’re so sorry.”
Raz kissed them. “There is nothing to be sorry for, my lovelies. I’m sorry those scorching dragons placed such a terrible burden on you, but I am not sorry it meant I got to meet you." He kissed them again, tenderly, on the forehead, and where his lips had touched lingered a mark like a small, tattooed feather that soon faded into their skin. “Never fear being away from water too long, my beauties. By my blessing, you will be as able to live on land as on water. I’ll tell my idiotic brothers never to treat you so harshly again.”
The sisters smiled, laughed.
Smiling with them, Raz embraced them one last time and then let them go, wandering back over to Dym, who stood silent and still, as if patiently waiting for something.
“Dym,” Sonya asked, “Is this what you meant, when you said that there are some things you can’t help, no matter what the cost?”
“Yes,” Dym said, and moved to Sonya, “but I regret that I’ve hurt you. In a thousand years, I’ve never regretted anything as much as that.”
Sonya leaned up and kissed his cheek. “If I could have done anything to save my husband, I would have done it. You’re leaving, aren’t you? Won’t you come and visit me?”
“Of course, my Queen. I am ever a priest of Pozhar.”
“You are the High Priest of Pozhar,” Sonya corrected.
Dym smiled – not faintly or briefly, but a real smile that made him look suddenly boyish, and made his eyes as brilliant as an esmeralda caught in the sunlight. “As you say, my Queen.”
“We are leaving,” Raz said once Dym had returned to his side, “but I will always be nearby. If you need me, I will be here, Queen. Always you can call upon your High Priest. So may any of you,” he nodded to Ivan and the others. “Stay alert on your travels.” With nothing more than a wave of warmth and a whispered word, Raz and Dym vanished from the room.
“Fire and ash, boss,” Luka said. “The next time you make us save a thief, I’m going to quit.”
Ivan glowered. “I seem to recall, you scorching idiot, that I was the one against it.”
“You’re the boss,” Maksim said, “so it’s all your fault no matter whose idea it was.”
“You’re all fired,” Ivan retorted.
The bickering was interrupted by Sonya’s laughter. “Are any of you hungry? I’m sure you’d like to be going, but I would like to offer you a good meal to send you on our way.”
“Majesty,” Ailill answered, “we will gladly accept that offer. Especially if that meal includes wine.”
“Definitely,” Sonya said fervently. “There will most definitely be wine and possibly a good bit of brandy.”
Ivan’s men cheered, and even Shio and Shinju could not help but laugh, as they followed the Queen from the Chamber of Day, through the Cathedral and into the palace proper.
Ivan wondered how long they had before they were thrown overboard, but he found it hard to really care while Ailill was kissing him. “Are we allowed to do this?” he asked when Ailill finally broke the kiss.
“I don’t recall anyone telling us we couldn’t,” Ailill said, leaning in to nip playfully at his nose before dropping another kiss on his mouth.
Ivan rolled his eyes. “I doubt anyone tells you no very often, my fine Marquis.”
Ailill laughed. “You might be surprised. I was certain you were going to tell me no.”
“It’s hard to tell a giant cat no when it’s lying on top of you,” Ivan said. “As a matter of fact, it’s hard to say anything in that situation. Breathing was difficult enough, as I recall.”
Ailill nipped his ear, chuckling low. “But I like lying on top of you.”
“So long as you’re not a cat when you do it,” Ivan groused, fighting a smile. Truly, he was hard pressed to be upset about anything these days. He wasn’t under arrest, Ailill was alive, Raz was alive – and Pechal? Sort of? His men were safe, and if he wanted to express that happiness by leaning up to kiss Ailill, and maybe indicate they should find their quarters, no one in the world could stop him.
Someone coughed. “Could you two please take that below deck? You’re starting to embarrass the fish,” Luka complained.
“No, no,” Shio said. “The fish don’t mind at all.”
Ivan broke the kiss with a muttered curse and glared at his men. “Don’t think I won’t shove you miscreants overboard.”
“That’s all right,” Isidor said with a grin. “The girls will save us.”
“Maybe,” Shinju murmured. “Though on that note, it is time for us to be going. We need to go home.”
“We’ll miss you,” Luka said. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay with us for a while?”
Shio laughed. “Silly boy, you’re going to be traveling on the sea for months to reach Kundou – at least three, possibly more if you hit any storms along the way, or go dead in the water. We’re mermaids. You’ll see us again. We just need to return to the sea, and our sisters, for a little while. You’ll see for yourself, soon, how hard it is to be away from home for so long.” She reached out and jerked him close, kissing him hard, not letting go until everyone else was howling.
Shinju rolled her eyes at her sister, laughing softly.
“I suppose we’ll finally figure out what you’re always talking about,” Ivan said with a laugh. “Sharks and starfish, guppies and lightning eels.” He shook his head. “You women are strange.”
Shio smirked. “At least we do not take animals for lovers.”
“Hey!” Ivan said, cheeks burning as his men roared with laughter. He reached out and kicked Gleb’s feet out from under him, which sent the smaller man crashing into Isidor, who then knocked over Karp, who took out Luka – Ferapont and Maksim just barely got out of the way in time.
Ailill laughed and draped an arm over Ivan’s shoulders. “Have fun, ladies, we will look forward to your visits.”
“Farewell!” the sisters chorused, then leaped off the ship they were all on, diving into the water and almost immediately vanishing from sight.
“So what do we do now?” Ferapont complained. “I don’t like this being surrounded by water.”
“I like it,” Luka argued. “Look at all that water. It’s like the entire world had vanished.”
“I think you just miss the mermaid,” Karp replied. “How are we going to make any money trapped like this?”
Ailill chuckled. “It’s not as bad as it seems.”
“Yes, it is,” Maksim said, looking distinctly green. As the ship heaved over a choppy wave, he abruptly ran for the side of the ship and leaned over it.
“Yuck,” Isidor said. “Better him than me.” He turned to Ailill. “So what’s Kundou like?”
Ailill grinned. “I hope you like fish.”
All around him, seven men heaved one great sigh.
“You’ll learn to like it,” he said. “Or you can always be like me and avoid any sort of meat.”
“Fish it is,” Luka declared. He looked around the ship as if searching for something. “Please tell me I can find an ale on this ship – good, bad, or highly questionable. I’m not picky.”
A loud laugh cut off any forthcoming reply, and all eight men turned toward the source.
The man was tall, taller even than Ailill, and looked like he belonged in some exotic tale told by storytellers and old wives when winter locked everyone indoors. His hair was a rich, dark, blue, falling to his shoulders and kept out of his face by a brightly colored green and yellow bandana. His ears were pierced, three jewel studs in each, every one a different color. His clothes were as colorful as the bandana, long jewel-green robes held shut by a sash of green and yellow stripes. He winked at the group. “There is always ale, and more besides, available on my ships. Only a fool would travel without appropriate means of keeping his crew and passengers happy.” He swept them a graceful bow. “My name is Raiden, I am the owner of this vessel. Welcome aboard the Fuujin, gentlemen.”
Epilogue
“Ah, Dym, always so well-prepared. The house is beautiful.”
“Thank you, Eminence. I worked on it whenever I had to vanish for a little while, between my times as High Priest.”
Beautiful was too simple a word for the house. It was made of stone that seemed to flash in the sunlight, as if jewels sparkled from deep within. Windows were lined with more of the same, the front yard an array of trees and flowers, a winding path leading to the front door, eventually vanishing into the road that would eventually lead down the mountain. The roof was dark gold, a perfect compliment to the stones that built the house itself. So very much like the home that had once been his place to relax when life in the Cathedral grew taxing. Raz did not doubt there was a walled a garden behind it, filled with every plant and flower he had ever loved.
Save one, which had probably been burned to the ground, not even a seed left from which to create a new tree. He could recreate it in time, of course…but if it was gone, it was probably best left that way. Raz shook his head, clearing his thoughts. “Come, my priest, I’ve a meeting to attend.” He smiled fondly and took Dym’s hand to yank his quiet priest close, then dropped his hand to wrap an arm around Dym’s waist. They were not quite equal in height, for he liked too much being able to rest his head against Dym’s shoulder.
How had he gone all those years without admitting, even to himself – until too late – how much this boy, this man, meant to him? Raz leaned against his priest, breathing in the scent of mint that clung to the smoke-colored robes his priest now wore. He smiled as Dym hesitantly brought an arm up to rest across Raz’s shoulders.
Raz guided them to a large field, one so deep in the mountains, and close to the border between Pozhar and Schatten. As they reached the center of the field, Raz tilted his head up to the sky and waited.
Slowly the clear sky began to fill with clouds – white at first, but they rapidly turned dark, nearly black, and thunder broke the deep silence of the mountains.
“Show offs,” Raz muttered, rolling his eyes. But the thunder never broke into a storm, merely crashed once more as lightning split the sky, raced toward the earth, and in a blinding flash of light three men stood before Raz and Dym.
One looked like an exotic pirate, or perhaps a merchant with a penchant for showing off his wealth, dressed in brilliant greens and yellows, and he grinned like he was quietly laughing at some grand, private joke. The second man was far more slender than either of the other two, startlingly beautiful, with hair that fell past his waist, the very color of the sea, threaded with a rainbow of jeweled beads. The last man was rougher looking than his companions and remarkably plain next to their flamboyance. His skin and hair were so pale as to be nearly white, and he was dressed in the simple clothes of a sailor. A large black pearl in his right ear and a jeweled dagger in his sash were the only bits of flash he wore.
“I see the centuries have not changed the nature of the Storms much,” Raz said dryly, but he looked sad as he continued. “Though I can see the souls of two of my brothers have changed. What happened to Typhoon and Arashi?”
Raiden shook his head. “Dead. All that is left of them resides in me, in what I have dispersed to my new brothers – Nankyokukai and Kindan. And I prefer to go by Raiden these days.”
“Brothers new and old,” Raz said softly, and embraced each dragon in turn. “How do things go?”
“Kundou is stable, the new Queen growing more confident by the day,” Nankyokukai replied. “We keep the seas and sky as free of the taint of Schatten as we can. It is up to you to keep the barrier of the Jagged Mountains in place.”
“I will,” Raz said firmly. “It has weakened only slightly in my absence; I will begin to strengthen it immediately.”
Raiden’s eyes flicked to Dym. “You are…the same Priest who once watched over Zhar Ptitka before his fall.” He tilted his head. “How is it that you’re still alive?”
“That’s our secret, my brothers,” Raz said.
Kindan sighed. “These two cause enough trouble. I was rather hoping your return would provide another level head.”
“So you don’t want any more trouble?” Kyo asked, tilting his head up to look at Kindan, smirking.
“I don’t recall that falling under the heading of trouble,” Kindan retorted, pinching him hard. “Behave.”
“No fun at all.”
Raz laughed. “If you want a level head, you’ll have to wait until the Basilisk returns to us.”
Kindan grunted. “If he returns. The Basilisk killed himself.”
“To save his people, or so we hope. Have faith. If I can be reborn after being broken into a thousand pieces…if three dragons can be restored after two were lost forever, then our stone brother will return.”
“You are, as ever, the most optimistic,” Raiden said with a smile. “Enjoy the peace while it lasts.” He winked. “We’ll be sure to harass you as often as possible. See to the barrier. Now if you don’t mind, I have left my treasure alone too long. Farewell.” With a rumble of thunder and a flicker of lightning, Raiden vanished.
“It’s good to have you back,” Kyo said. “Don’t die again.”
“Take your own advice,” Raz replied. Thunder rippled once more through the sky, and with a breeze that smelled of the sea, Kyo and Kindan vanished. Within seconds, the dark clouds had cleared from the sky, nothing but a hint of the coming autumn on the air.
Laughing in delight, Raz spun around in the field and then collapsed beneath a large tree, beckoning Dym close. “You’ve been so quiet, Dym. Is something wrong?”
“No…” Dym said, but still he hesitated. “I…have a gift for you.”
Raz blinked. “A gift? Dym…I have you. That’s more than I deserve.”
“I live for you, Eminence,” Dym said softly. “When you said it hurt to look at me, I thought you hated me for failing to protect you.”
Pain ripped through Raz. “Never, Dym. It hurt because I thought I’d lost you.” Raz smiled. “I love you, my priest, that’s why it hurt.”
Dym smiled, green eyes more stunning to Raz than even the splendor of the forest around them. Even as a mortal, with no memories, those eyes had drawn him. He reached into his robes and pulled something out, smile widening as he presented his gift. “For you, Eminence.”
Raz could only stare, eventually shifting his stunned gaze to Dym. “But – they must have burned it down.”
“Did I not eat one to gain immortality, Eminence? There were seeds, and though it took me three hundred years, I managed to grow a new tree for you.” His smile faltered as Raz only continued to gape. “Eminence?”
Raz reached up, but instead of taking the golden apple, he grabbed Dym’s slender wrist and yanked hard, bringing Dym down to sprawl across his lap, catching the apple before it could fall.
“Eminence!” Dym said, twisting around to glare up at him.
Raz chuckled and ducked his head to brush Dym’s lips softly with his own. “You’re always so flawlessly dignified, I like seeing you flustered. It was much easier to shake you when you were a little boy.”
“I am your priest, Eminence, my behavior should reflect that.” Dym attempted to maintain his glare, but it crumbled against the kiss.
“Not when we’re alone,” Raz said, and winked. He bit into his golden apple, humming in pleasure. “Tell me, Dym, did you ever figure out what spell I placed around my apple tree?”
“No, Eminence.” Dym’s expression said this was still a point of frustration.
“Apples of life, my brothers would be, hmmm…something very much like livid if they knew I kept them after all this time… No one who wanted immortality would have ever been able to cross the barrier I placed around the tree.” Raz stroked Dym’s cheekbone, brushed his lower lip. He bit into his apple again, relishing the taste – it was never quite the same twice, sometimes sweet or sour, salty or tangy, cool and sharp, warm and mellow. He held the apple to Dym’s lips. “A bite?”
Dym shook his head, and tried once more to twist away and sit up, failing miserably as Raz held him in place. Giving up, he finally settled more comfortably across Raz’s lap. “It’s your apple, Eminence. I only ever wanted to give them to you, and listen to you sing.”
“The more time passed, the less I did that…” Raz sighed softly and bit into his apple. After a moment he smiled. “If you will not share the apple, dearest Dym, then how about a kiss? Then I shall sing for as long as you like.”
“Yes, Eminence,” Dym said, and wrapped his arms around Raz’s neck as Raz leaned down to kiss him, the sweet tang of golden apple mingling with the traces of the mint that ever lingered on his priest.
“Beautiful Dym, I do not deserve you,” Raz whispered against his mouth.
“You shall have to get used to me, anyway,” Dym said with a laugh, eyes sparking with rare mischief. “I waited a thousand years, Eminence, I’m not going to leave unless that’s what you really want.”
Raz shook his head and stroked Dym’s short, dark hair. “You are mine, Dym. When I was at my darkest, when I finally fell, you were there. You kept my fire burning bright. None shall ever have you but me.”
“Yes, Eminence,” Dym said, and relaxed in Raz’s arms, closing his eyes and resting as Raz began softly to sing.
Sky, I tried to fix those things you had problems with. Don't know if I succeeded, I think I did, but I tried.
Frack, running late now.
Chapter Nineteen
“Someone had better start explaining all this to me right now,” the angry woman said, eyeing Nikolai and Zholty where they were locked in argument, Raz and Dym, Ailill embracing Ivan.
Raz almost wished he’d chosen to run away, because from this moment on there was no going back. Whatever the outcome, he was going to die. But he could feel those green eyes on him, dark and haunted but so calm, and somehow they made him feel better for all that they still caused him so much pain.
“Dym,” the woman said, voice more level but still full of anger. “Explain, please. You are perhaps the only man here that I both know and do not want to strang…” her words faded as her gaze landed on Ailill again. “You—I know you. What are you doing here?”
Ailill stood up, brushing what dirt he could from his clothes. “Princess. Queen, pardon me. I was here on a secret mission to track down something that was stolen. I had intended to keep my presence quiet, so as to cause as little trouble as possible.”
Queen? Fire and ash, this was too much for him.
“I see,” the Queen said, sounding not at all pleased.
“They said the Beast was dead,” Zholty’s cold voice cut across the room.
Ivan laughed, smug and gloating. “They lied. Maybe they were hoping to shake you into doing something stupid, like admitting that you knew your men had killed someone important.”
“Nearly,” Ailill said. “If not for Duke Krasny I probably would be dead.”
“And we would have much to answer for to Verde,” the Queen said grimly. “Zholty, what is this about you knowing?”
“I can explain that, Majesty,” Ailill said. “I can explain a great deal of everything.”
“Then explain.”
Slowly Ailill began to tell all that he knew, from hiring Raz to steal the comb to helping Ivan with the curse, on through to the end, where he’d nearly been killed by soldiers sent on Zholty’s orders.
Silence fell as he finished, heavy and oppressive.
“You say Raz managed to obtain a feather that broke this curse,” the Queen finally said. “I do not see how that is possible.”
“I gave it to him,” Dym said quietly. “He ran into me sneaking around the Cathedral, and I persuaded him to tell me his purpose. I cast the spell that broke the curse.”
“Then you—“ Zholty abruptly cut himself off.
“Then I what?” Dym challenged. “Cast the protective barrier that has probably kept you from harming him again? Is that what you were going to say?”
“Fire and ash!” Zholty roared, face flooding with red as his temper finally snapped. “How did you do that? Not even I can manage such spells! It’s impossible! I possess every book that still exists on the matter and those spells are not in them! What manner of traitor are you?”
“I am no traitor,” Dym said, voice hard, green eyes blazing as he stared down Zholty until the Earl dropped his gaze. “I am not the one who has been trying to hunt down Candidates and murder them in the streets.”
“The location of a murder does not change the fact that it is murder,” Zholty countered.
“By doing so you are preventing the sacrifices,” Dym said. “That is treason. Nor do I use illegal magic to force men to do my bidding.”
“But you obviously use illegal magic.”
Dym shook his head. “There is nothing illegal about a protective spell, Earl. It is merely the fact that I can cast it and you cannot that has you vexed. Even had you succeeded in making magic legal in this country, in increasing your magical prowess, you would never have mastered the harder spells. You are cruel and cowardly, hardly the makings of a true sorcerer.”
“I am no coward, you pompous little—“
“Only a coward would use poison and curses, Earl.”
“Poison?” Zholty repeated. “When did I ever use poison?”
The Queen gasped. “Dym, please don’t say…”
“It’s possible,” Nikolai said slowly, clearly startled, and he looked at Zholty as though he’d never seen the man before. “Zholty and I have long believed this country holds itself in a position of weakness by eschewing magic.”
“Yes,” the Queen said. “You’ve hardly spoken of anything else for months on end. What has that to do with this?”
“As you say,” Krasny said dryly, “I have hardly shut up about it. Zholty is not so patient, nor so clever. It is, after all, his job which will be at stake when the Sacred Firebird is finally dead. He has been taking matters into his own hands, trying to kill the Candidates before the High Priest could to ensure magic stayed around for several more years, ideally for several more decades.”
The Queen crossed the room and stopped in front of Nikolai – then in a flash of movement reached up and slapped him across the face. “Why did you mention none of this before?”
“Because then he would have to admit that he once tried to do the same thing himself.” Zholty sneered. “Then his blood turned cold and he lost his nerve.”
Nikolai gave no indication that he’d felt the hard slap to his face. “I should have said something, you’re right. I am sorry. But I was trying to stop him.”
“You should have said something, Kolya.” Sonya turned away and faced Zholty. “You deny none of this?”
Zholty shrugged and removed his monocle to polish it, not replying until it was once more in place over his eye. “There seems to be very little point in doing so now.”
“My brother?” Sonya asked tightly.
“Was a threat to this country,” Zholty said.
“Vlad…” Sonya whispered, staring wide-eyed at the Earl as tears began to trail down her cheeks.
“You scorching bastard,” Nikolai roared, and launched himself at Zholty, only to cry out in pain and fall to the floor unconscious, a hole burned through the fabric of his jacket where Zholty had touched him.
“Kolya!” Sonya screamed, dropping down before her cousin, tugging him close.
Dym turned to face Zholty. “I’ve had enough of you.”
“Try and stop me,” Zholty said. “That’s the least of my power, and I guarantee your scorching barriers won’t be able to protect everyone.”
“Those are not the only spells I know,” Dym said softly, voice as calm as his eyes were blazing, “and I do not need fire feathers to cast them. In my eyes, Earl, you are nothing but a foolish little boy playing with things best left to adults.” Dym held up one hand even as Zholty made to cast a spell of his own. “Nichevo.”
Zholty screamed in pain, holding his head as though it were being torn apart, dropping to his knees. He was trembling, shaking so hard that he finally had to let go of his head to brace his hands on the floor. He looked at Dym. “What did you do to me?”
“Stripped you of your magic. A bit of information for you – using a fire feather to banish magic from people really only puts it to sleep. With effort, it can be awakened again. You, however, will never be able to use magic again.”
Raz shuddered, wishing he was anywhere else in the world, away from the hate and fear and hurt that filled this room. Shaking himself, he forced his limbs to work and pulled a lock pick from his boot, then moved to start freeing Ivan and the others. They were loose within minutes.
None of the nobles seemed to have noticed. “You need a bath,” he told Ivan. “Honestly, the alleyway behind the whorehouse in the pavilion smells better than you lot.”
“Well now, Raz, I didn’t think you’d be the sort to know what a whorehouse smelled like. Nevermind the alleyway behind one.”
Raz grimaced. “I had to steal a pearl broach once. Now be quiet before they figure out you’re free. Make a break for it as soon as you think you can. Where are my girls?”
“In the dungeon. Ransom in case we tried to scorch the Earl. Pointless, now. We’ll get them out.” Ivan frowned suddenly. “Why are you here? You shouldn’t be here, Raz… don’t you know…”
“That I’m the last Candidate?” Raz said with a weak smile. “I know. How did you?”
Ivan shook his head. “Doesn’t matter.”
He said something else but Raz didn’t hear him, eyes locked on the way Dym knelt before Nikolai, pressing fingers gently to his chest, murmuring softly, a gentle warmth washing through the room like a warm summer breeze.
Sonya gasped. “I’ve never…” She didn’t seem to notice the tears still streaming down her face. “I’ve never seen magic like I’ve seen today. How do you three know so much of what no one should know? Has everyone played me for a fool?”
Dym took her hand and squeezed it, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to her cheek. “Never, Queen. Earl Zholty played us all for fools, but I think the Duke and I were unwittingly united in wanting only to protect you.”
“You’re all fools,” Zholty said.
“Be silent,” Sonya snapped. “It is only because I think death too easy for you that I have not ordered your head removed.”
“It’s against the law to kill me without a trial,” Zholty sneered.
“The law is what I say it is,” Sonya replied, voice so frigid that Zholty fell silent. She crossed the room and yanked the door open. “Guards!” Raz heard her snap, and a second later four soldiers strode into the room. Sonya motioned to two of them. “Take him away,” she said. “Make certain he is securely chained and locked up where he can cause no trouble. He is to receive no special treatment, and is marked as a criminal of the highest order.”
“Queen,” Dym interrupted. “There are still two prisoners down there, arrested by Zholty in your name. Two women, natives of Kundou.”
Sonya nodded and motioned to the guards. “After you have seen to the former Earl, free the two women who should be locked up down there. Escort them here at once.”
“Yes, Majesty!” the Guards snapped sharp salutes, and though obviously confused and curious, they obeyed without question, using discarded by Ivan’s group to bind Zholty and carry him away.
Sonya motioned to the remaining two, then to Nikolai, who still lay unconscious on the floor. “Take him to his room, see that he is well-tended. Fetch me the moment he wakes up.”
“Yes, Majesty,” the Guards bowed and quickly obeyed, gently lifting Nikolai and carrying him away.
Dym crossed the room and took Sonya’s hand, then led her to a seat. “All will be well, Queen.”
“I sincerely doubt that,” Sonya said sadly. “Will Kolya be all right?”
“He will be fine,” Dym said. “Zholty hit him hard, but I’ve repaired whatever damage was done.”
Sonya nodded. “I want very badly to know how you and Zholty, and likely my cousin, know so much complicated magic. Yet I do not think I could bear to hear the answers right now. It will keep.” She finally looked towards Raz and the others. “You are all free to go. Whatever crimes you may have committed, I am clearing all charges. I apologize profusely that men who are meant to serve Pozhar, and who have been doing so in my name, would treat you so callously.” Her eyes flicked to Ailill, who had been standing close to Ivan, speaking quietly. “I don’t quite know what to do with you, yet, my dear Marquis.”
“Simply let me be on my way? I arrived here intending to cause as few problems as possible, I promise you. We were planning to leave right when Zholty attacked us.”
“Very well,” Sonya said tiredly. “Though I hope you are the last foreigner of great importance I see in my country for awhile.” She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the chair.
Raz felt a sick knot of dread begin to form in his stomach. He finally made himself look up, and gray eyes met with green and could not look away. “I guess this is it, then.”
“If that is the course you have chosen to take,” Dym said softly, leaving the Queen’s side to stand before Raz, stopping just short of being able to touch him. “If you wanted to leave, I would not stop you.”
As though from far away, Raz could hear his friends talking, murmuring, and he saw from the corner of his eye as the Queen moved, looked at them. Distant. The only thing he could really see was Dym. “I want to know why looking at you hurts. I think this is the only way I’ll know.”
“Yes,” was Dym’s soft reply.
“Dym…” Sonya’s voice broke the strange spell that had fallen over them. “Is he…I thought his face was familiar, but I was so angry…”
“Yes, Queen,” Dym said, and turned to face her. “This is Raz, the last Candidate.”
“Fire and ash,” Sonya whispered. “How can so much happen in one day?”
Ivan grunted as the others lapsed into silence. “I hate to point out the obvious, but the day is far from over. In my experience, the sooner trouble starts, the longer it lasts.” He slid a look at Raz. “Are you sure, Raz?”
“Yes,” Raz said. He turned to Dym, the Queen. “I have a request.”
“Granted,” Sonya said promptly. “I do not care what it is, you are entitled to it.”
Before Raz could speak, the doors opened and two lithe figures, one with lavender hair, the other with green, spilled into the room and ran straight for Raz, clinging to him as though their lives depended on it. Shio and Shinju began sobbing, choking out apologies and exclamations, words so jumbled that no one could really make them out.
“It’s all right, my lovelies,” Raz said with a smile, giving each of them a kiss. “Cause plenty of trouble for me, all right?” He kissed them again, then once more addressed the Queen. “If they’re willing, I want all my friends with me when I die.”
Sonya nodded. “As I said, whatever you want is yours for the asking. Dym?”
“Of course, Highness, though it’s never been done before.” Dym smiled faintly, briefly. “Might I at least ask the concession that everyone be clean for the ceremony?”
Raz laughed softly, but stopped when he realized no one else found it funny.
Sonya stood. “I am going to go clear my schedule, for I have been cowardly long enough. If Raz is the last, then I should be there. We meet in the Cathedral in an hour.” She crossed the room and stopped in front of Raz, and after a moment of hesitation reached and embraced him. “I…” She held him tighter for a moment, then let go and all but ran from the room.
“She seems too nice to be a Queen,” Raz said.
“All roses appear fragile until you go to pick one and find your fingers bloodied,” Dym answered. “Come,” he said, beckoning to them all, “I will take you to get cleaned up.”
Raz barely heard the exclamations of the others, too absorbed by his own awe.
The room was the most magnificent thing he’d ever seen. Like a living spell. Carved entirely from black marble – the walls, the floor, even the enormous altar at the far end. All of it covered with what looked like calligraphy, so intricate and complicated, scrolling along the walls and floor, around the edge of the altar. Yet despite the marble, which Raz had always thought of as cold, the room positively radiated warmth. The scent of fire, smoke, and ash permeated it, as though he had stepped into the heart of a black flame.
Yet looking around at it, Raz couldn’t help the niggling sense that black wasn’t right. That it should be some other color. Like he wasn’t accustomed to black. But he knew he’d never been in this room before. What had Dym called it?
The Chamber of Night.
“Raz…” Shio said, voice still rough from all the crying she’d done before. So strange, to see his beautiful ladies cry. He hoped when all was said and done they went back to their ocean, to a world that made sense to them. They didn’t belong on land, he knew that now. Reaching out, he tugged them close and kissed each one on the lips, a soft goodbye. “Thank you,” he said. Letting them go, Raz moved on before they could say anything more. “Thank you,” he said again, this time to Ivan and his men. “None of this would have been possible without you.”
“I wish we’d made something else possible,” Ivan said, looking more miserable than Raz could ever remember seeing him.
Lastly Raz managed an awkward bow to the Queen, and when she again hugged him he kissed her cheek.
It was strange. The longer he was in this room, the calmer he felt. The more at peace. Almost, he thought, as if he were right where he was supposed to be. Shaking his head at himself, Raz let go of the Queen and finally moved toward Dym, who waited silently halfway toward the altar. Raz locked gazes with eyes so green they made his breath catch every time he saw them.
Why does looking at you hurt?
He wanted to know why. That’s why he was here. He didn’t care about saving the country, he didn’t care if he killed a god or whatever. What he wanted to know was why those green eyes wouldn’t leave his mind, why his heart ached every time he thought of the sadness that made them so dark. The High Priest mattered, and he wanted to know why. Raz drew close, holding out a hand, not quite sure what he wanted to do with it – then cool, calloused fingers wrapped around his own much warmer hand, holding it close. Raz could feel his heart beat, could feel a burning heat beneath the red robes.
Finally Dym let his hand go, and reached into his robe. The feather he pulled out was beautiful – blazing, like Dym had somehow managed to capture a flame. “Are you certain?”
“Yes,” Raz said, and took the feather from him. He wouldn’t make the High Priest kill him. This was his choice, he’d do it himself. He hesitated, feeling he should say something, but in the end settled for only shaking his head. Holding the feather tight, he strode toward the alter and vaulted onto it. Not quite certain what to do, he clutched the feather close.
There was a brief flash of pain.
With a wave of heat, a burst of light that were flames flaring to life, Raz was consumed. In the span of what seemed no more than second, but must have been several, nothing remained of him but ashes.
Only Dym seemed unaffected, having done nothing but stand stone still and watch once Raz vaulted onto the altar. Even now he was unmoving, and even had the others felt capable of moving, his absolute stillness kept them in place.
Just as the Queen started to speak, drawing a ragged breath, throat choked with sobs she would not let out, heat began to fill the room in almost unbearable amounts.
Then light, and everyone realized it was the walls and the floor and the altar which were glowing – rather, the scrollwork, the gold writing. It flared ever brighter, until they were so blinded they had to look away.
Ivan heard startled gasps, shouts of surprise, and knew one of them was his own. All around them the black marble had changed – here red, there turning orange, shifting and sliding between brilliant shades, making it look as though they stood inside a flickering flame. Soft, gentle, familiar laughter captured his attention, and he looked towards the altar.
Raz sat upon the altar, one knee drawn up, an arm hooked lazily around it, the other leg dangling. Yet…it wasn’t quite Raz either. His hair was different, the ends lighter, golden, the length a bit longer.
And the eyes. They glowed like a banked fire, shifting from gold to orange to red, hints of blue and violet and whites, flames hot enough to melt anything. He was still dressed in the simple brown breeches and white shirt that had been provided to him, his same old knee-high brown boots.
But the way he held his head was different. There was a level of confidence, of awareness, there that Raz had never possessed. “Who are you?” Ivan asked, not able to make his voice speak much above a whisper.
The man that was and wasn’t Raz laughed again, and slid gracefully from the altar. “Do my children not recognize their father?”
Chapter Twenty
“But—“ Sonya spoke up. “You—Dym was—you’re supposed to be dead. How are you alive?” She looked at Dym, who still stood facing Raz and would not look at anyone else. “You betrayed us? Why Dym?” Her tears began to fall anew as she again looked at Raz. “You’re going to kill us all.”
Raz shook his head, smiling sadly, and it grew sadder still when they all looked away. “I’m Zhar Ptitka, a god of life. I’d no more burn my people down than I would sell an esmeralda for less than twice what it’s worth.” He grinned briefly.
Sonya dropped her head, and said nothing more.
“I don’t understand,” Ivan said. “The prophecy said you would destroy us, should you ever return. And we’ve been killing you this whole time.”
Raz laughed, but it was hard to tell if he was laughing or crying. “It’s pretty sad everyone believed such an obvious lie so easily.” He motioned to Dym. “It was the best way to do things, however…”
“Yes, Eminence,” Dym said into the silence that fell. “At the time, I had no other way to ensure that all the pieces would be brought back together. Everyone feared you. If they feared you more, I could get them to do what I wanted.” Though his expression remained composed, it was obvious his own words distressed him.
Raz finally shattered, oblivious to the gawking onlookers as he drew close to his Priest of Ashes. “Dym,” Raz whispered, drawing close to the High Priest and reaching out a hand – but he let it fall before he could touch the High Priest. “Dearest Dym, how are you still alive after all this time?”
Dym’s voice, when he spoke, sounded strange. Unsteady, thick with pain. “We fought, Eminence. I wanted to make amends.”
“Dym…” With a faint, almost soundless cry, Raz reached out and held fast to Dym’s robes, comprehension flooding him as he realized what must have passed the night he’d been slain. “Dym, dearest, beloved Dym, can you ever forgive me?” He slid to his knees, hands and face buried in Dym’s robes, ignoring the gasps of the others as they watched a god kneel before a mortal. But Dym, more than anyone, had every right to hate him.
“W-what?” Dym asked, voice trembling, and the longing and hope were so plain in his tone that it tore Raz’s heart anew. “Eminence?”
Raz’s voice was hoarse. “The sigh of you has never pained me, Dym, not the way you think. I was angry over the murders. Furious. But not with you. I shouldn’t have said the things I did. My beautiful Priest of Ashes, I don’t deserve you. Can you ever forgive me for the way I treated you? My last thought was that my cruelty towards you had probably spelled your death that night. I never thought to see you again.”
“If I had not let anger drive me from my post, Eminence, I would have been there to protect you,” Dym said, falling to his knees and into Raz’s arms. “If I had not neglected my duty…”
“No, Dym,” Raz said quietly, holding the High Priest close. “It was my fault. I accused my children of acting foolishly, cruelly, without thought, and the whole scorching time I was guilty of the same. I cannot believe you are still alive…”
“I could not die. I live to serve you, Eminence. It was my duty to protect you and, failing that, to see to your return.”
“Dym,” Raz breathed his name, and tilted his head up to kiss him softly, as he should have long ago, instead of constantly ignoring what Dym had always tried to offer.
Around him he could hear the others growing restless, their confusion and unhappiness thick in the air, almost making him smile. Only minutes ago he’d been a thief, now he had more children than he could count to attend, especially the group gathered before him. “I suppose an explanation is in order,” he said at last, standing up and drawing Dym up to stand beside him. “Noble Queen, I assure you the High Priest never once meant to betray you.”
Sonya remained silent, but managed a weak nod, obviously awaiting more of an explanation.
“Roughly a thousand years ago,” Raz said, “the fall of my Storm brothers inspired my children to rebel. I deserved it. I was bitter, angry, spiteful, and had very little patience left for the children I felt had lost all love and appreciation for the things which I had given them. I refused to see that I was just as guilty.” He squeezed Dym’s hand. “One person tried to tell me, but as usual I didn’t listen. In his absence, my children managed to gain the upper hand and nearly killed me. Actually killing a god, however, is scorching harder than that. Dym knew this, and managed to trick an entire country to bring me back.”
Ivan shook his head, looking at Dym. “Who are you?”
“He is my Priest of Ashes,” Raz answered. “It was his duty to protect my ashes until I was reborn, and to oversee the Cathedrals. He is also one of the most powerful sorcerers in the world; only the gods, I suspect, would be able to best him. Not even the White Beasts of Verde,” Raz’s gaze landed briefly on Ailill, “could do more than almost come equal.”
“But the prophecy,” Sonya said, “I don’t understand…”
“A lie,” Raz said. “One that worked. Dym, tell them the true prophecy.”
“Flames will rise across the world, filling all with warmth, and thus will the Sacred Firebird reclaim dominion over fire.”
Raz nodded. “As I said, I am a god of life. I don’t like vengeance. It’s a waste of energy.” Letting go of Dym, Raz strode over to Sonya, who had sunk to her knees, and urged her back to her feet. “In the course of your existence you have been a stern priest, a gentle peasant woman, a playful cat, a pale, perfect rose, and a diligent farmer. Now your soul has been born into the life of a Queen. Part reward, part price, but in every life your strength shines. Don’t falter now, you’re a fine Queen.” Raz smiled and lifted her hand, dusting a soft kiss across the knuckles before leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to one fine cheekbone. “You will live a long time, my Queen, for as I said – my children need one such as you. Be brave, be strong, and one day you’ll look across a crowded room and see a familiar smile.”
Ivan stilled as Raz approached. “Are you still Raz at all?” he asked. “You do and don’t look like him…and you act and don’t like act him. Is anything of our Raz left?”
“I still remember how you tried to cheat me out of my pay, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Raz said with a smirk. “That Raz was merely the last piece. So yes, I’m still that Raz. Just now it’s much easier to get away with things. And I seem to have a great deal more to do than simply wonder where the next job will come from.”
“So I see,” Ivan said with a smile, shaking his head. “And you were the one overcharging.”
Raz chuckled. “In all your lives, you never really change. Now you’re a mercenary, rather than a king or lord or wealthy merchant, but always a fighter, always a leader.” His brilliant eyes flicked to Ailill. “My blessing upon you both remains, though one has found his way to the country of Verde in this life.”
Ailill gave a deep bow. “Eminence. Seeing you gives me hope for my own land.”
“Your already one step ahead of Pozhar,” Raz said. “You’re entire country wants the gods to return.” He winked.
“That is true,” Ailill said. “Might I ask what has become of the other pieces that were sacrificed to bring you back?”
Raz smiled. “Pieces of them were, of course, me. Those pieces have all come together. But the rest of the soul will be reborn. If you mean Pechal…” Raz smiled sadly, missing his friend though he knew very well that all would be well. “I do not control the lives of my children, but I can see them, sense them, and I believe my brother will find himself with a much more stable life when he’s born again.” Raz looked past Ivan and Ailill to the six men still standing quietly, unable – or unwilling – to speak. “Luka. Karp. Ferapont. Gleb. Maksim. Isidor. Thank you.” Raz went to each one in turn, touching his fingertips gently to their foreheads, smiling gently. “You’ll need my magic if you’re to travel with Ailill and your troublemaking boss.”
At his words, the men chuckled, still looking terribly uncertain but unable to resist a jest made at Ivan’s expense. They ignored the glares sent their way. “That’s true,” Luka said. “We’ve never let him out of Pozhar before.”
“Precisely,” Raz said, grinning. “Use my magic to keep him in line. I also bestow upon you the blessing I once bestowed upon a king and his wolf – that no matter what your situation in any life, always you six will find each other, your souls forever bound, and I sense that even a god could not keep you from finding Ivan again.”
“What of Nikolai?” Sonya asked when Raz had finished speaking. “I know there are precious few who like my cousin, but he does what he thinks is best, in his own way. He did try to save you…”
Raz’s mouth curved in an amused smile that seemed to say he knew something no one else did. “Nikolai will be fine, and get all that he has earned and deserves. You need not worry on that count. Only when he says that he is leaving, do not stop him.”
Sonya opened her mouth, to either protest or ask a question, but settled on closing it, words unspoken, and simply nodded. “Yes…Eminence.”
“Stop calling me that,” Raz said, shaking his head. “I like Raz better.”
“Raz!” Shio and Shinju cried together as he finally reached the mermaids. “We’re so sorry.”
Raz kissed them. “There is nothing to be sorry for, my lovelies. I’m sorry those scorching dragons placed such a terrible burden on you, but I am not sorry it meant I got to meet you." He kissed them again, tenderly, on the forehead, and where his lips had touched lingered a mark like a small, tattooed feather that soon faded into their skin. “Never fear being away from water too long, my beauties. By my blessing, you will be as able to live on land as on water. I’ll tell my idiotic brothers never to treat you so harshly again.”
The sisters smiled, laughed.
Smiling with them, Raz embraced them one last time and then let them go, wandering back over to Dym, who stood silent and still, as if patiently waiting for something.
“Dym,” Sonya asked, “Is this what you meant, when you said that there are some things you can’t help, no matter what the cost?”
“Yes,” Dym said, and moved to Sonya, “but I regret that I’ve hurt you. In a thousand years, I’ve never regretted anything as much as that.”
Sonya leaned up and kissed his cheek. “If I could have done anything to save my husband, I would have done it. You’re leaving, aren’t you? Won’t you come and visit me?”
“Of course, my Queen. I am ever a priest of Pozhar.”
“You are the High Priest of Pozhar,” Sonya corrected.
Dym smiled – not faintly or briefly, but a real smile that made him look suddenly boyish, and made his eyes as brilliant as an esmeralda caught in the sunlight. “As you say, my Queen.”
“We are leaving,” Raz said once Dym had returned to his side, “but I will always be nearby. If you need me, I will be here, Queen. Always you can call upon your High Priest. So may any of you,” he nodded to Ivan and the others. “Stay alert on your travels.” With nothing more than a wave of warmth and a whispered word, Raz and Dym vanished from the room.
“Fire and ash, boss,” Luka said. “The next time you make us save a thief, I’m going to quit.”
Ivan glowered. “I seem to recall, you scorching idiot, that I was the one against it.”
“You’re the boss,” Maksim said, “so it’s all your fault no matter whose idea it was.”
“You’re all fired,” Ivan retorted.
The bickering was interrupted by Sonya’s laughter. “Are any of you hungry? I’m sure you’d like to be going, but I would like to offer you a good meal to send you on our way.”
“Majesty,” Ailill answered, “we will gladly accept that offer. Especially if that meal includes wine.”
“Definitely,” Sonya said fervently. “There will most definitely be wine and possibly a good bit of brandy.”
Ivan’s men cheered, and even Shio and Shinju could not help but laugh, as they followed the Queen from the Chamber of Day, through the Cathedral and into the palace proper.
*~*~*~*
Ivan wondered how long they had before they were thrown overboard, but he found it hard to really care while Ailill was kissing him. “Are we allowed to do this?” he asked when Ailill finally broke the kiss.
“I don’t recall anyone telling us we couldn’t,” Ailill said, leaning in to nip playfully at his nose before dropping another kiss on his mouth.
Ivan rolled his eyes. “I doubt anyone tells you no very often, my fine Marquis.”
Ailill laughed. “You might be surprised. I was certain you were going to tell me no.”
“It’s hard to tell a giant cat no when it’s lying on top of you,” Ivan said. “As a matter of fact, it’s hard to say anything in that situation. Breathing was difficult enough, as I recall.”
Ailill nipped his ear, chuckling low. “But I like lying on top of you.”
“So long as you’re not a cat when you do it,” Ivan groused, fighting a smile. Truly, he was hard pressed to be upset about anything these days. He wasn’t under arrest, Ailill was alive, Raz was alive – and Pechal? Sort of? His men were safe, and if he wanted to express that happiness by leaning up to kiss Ailill, and maybe indicate they should find their quarters, no one in the world could stop him.
Someone coughed. “Could you two please take that below deck? You’re starting to embarrass the fish,” Luka complained.
“No, no,” Shio said. “The fish don’t mind at all.”
Ivan broke the kiss with a muttered curse and glared at his men. “Don’t think I won’t shove you miscreants overboard.”
“That’s all right,” Isidor said with a grin. “The girls will save us.”
“Maybe,” Shinju murmured. “Though on that note, it is time for us to be going. We need to go home.”
“We’ll miss you,” Luka said. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay with us for a while?”
Shio laughed. “Silly boy, you’re going to be traveling on the sea for months to reach Kundou – at least three, possibly more if you hit any storms along the way, or go dead in the water. We’re mermaids. You’ll see us again. We just need to return to the sea, and our sisters, for a little while. You’ll see for yourself, soon, how hard it is to be away from home for so long.” She reached out and jerked him close, kissing him hard, not letting go until everyone else was howling.
Shinju rolled her eyes at her sister, laughing softly.
“I suppose we’ll finally figure out what you’re always talking about,” Ivan said with a laugh. “Sharks and starfish, guppies and lightning eels.” He shook his head. “You women are strange.”
Shio smirked. “At least we do not take animals for lovers.”
“Hey!” Ivan said, cheeks burning as his men roared with laughter. He reached out and kicked Gleb’s feet out from under him, which sent the smaller man crashing into Isidor, who then knocked over Karp, who took out Luka – Ferapont and Maksim just barely got out of the way in time.
Ailill laughed and draped an arm over Ivan’s shoulders. “Have fun, ladies, we will look forward to your visits.”
“Farewell!” the sisters chorused, then leaped off the ship they were all on, diving into the water and almost immediately vanishing from sight.
“So what do we do now?” Ferapont complained. “I don’t like this being surrounded by water.”
“I like it,” Luka argued. “Look at all that water. It’s like the entire world had vanished.”
“I think you just miss the mermaid,” Karp replied. “How are we going to make any money trapped like this?”
Ailill chuckled. “It’s not as bad as it seems.”
“Yes, it is,” Maksim said, looking distinctly green. As the ship heaved over a choppy wave, he abruptly ran for the side of the ship and leaned over it.
“Yuck,” Isidor said. “Better him than me.” He turned to Ailill. “So what’s Kundou like?”
Ailill grinned. “I hope you like fish.”
All around him, seven men heaved one great sigh.
“You’ll learn to like it,” he said. “Or you can always be like me and avoid any sort of meat.”
“Fish it is,” Luka declared. He looked around the ship as if searching for something. “Please tell me I can find an ale on this ship – good, bad, or highly questionable. I’m not picky.”
A loud laugh cut off any forthcoming reply, and all eight men turned toward the source.
The man was tall, taller even than Ailill, and looked like he belonged in some exotic tale told by storytellers and old wives when winter locked everyone indoors. His hair was a rich, dark, blue, falling to his shoulders and kept out of his face by a brightly colored green and yellow bandana. His ears were pierced, three jewel studs in each, every one a different color. His clothes were as colorful as the bandana, long jewel-green robes held shut by a sash of green and yellow stripes. He winked at the group. “There is always ale, and more besides, available on my ships. Only a fool would travel without appropriate means of keeping his crew and passengers happy.” He swept them a graceful bow. “My name is Raiden, I am the owner of this vessel. Welcome aboard the Fuujin, gentlemen.”
Epilogue
“Ah, Dym, always so well-prepared. The house is beautiful.”
“Thank you, Eminence. I worked on it whenever I had to vanish for a little while, between my times as High Priest.”
Beautiful was too simple a word for the house. It was made of stone that seemed to flash in the sunlight, as if jewels sparkled from deep within. Windows were lined with more of the same, the front yard an array of trees and flowers, a winding path leading to the front door, eventually vanishing into the road that would eventually lead down the mountain. The roof was dark gold, a perfect compliment to the stones that built the house itself. So very much like the home that had once been his place to relax when life in the Cathedral grew taxing. Raz did not doubt there was a walled a garden behind it, filled with every plant and flower he had ever loved.
Save one, which had probably been burned to the ground, not even a seed left from which to create a new tree. He could recreate it in time, of course…but if it was gone, it was probably best left that way. Raz shook his head, clearing his thoughts. “Come, my priest, I’ve a meeting to attend.” He smiled fondly and took Dym’s hand to yank his quiet priest close, then dropped his hand to wrap an arm around Dym’s waist. They were not quite equal in height, for he liked too much being able to rest his head against Dym’s shoulder.
How had he gone all those years without admitting, even to himself – until too late – how much this boy, this man, meant to him? Raz leaned against his priest, breathing in the scent of mint that clung to the smoke-colored robes his priest now wore. He smiled as Dym hesitantly brought an arm up to rest across Raz’s shoulders.
Raz guided them to a large field, one so deep in the mountains, and close to the border between Pozhar and Schatten. As they reached the center of the field, Raz tilted his head up to the sky and waited.
Slowly the clear sky began to fill with clouds – white at first, but they rapidly turned dark, nearly black, and thunder broke the deep silence of the mountains.
“Show offs,” Raz muttered, rolling his eyes. But the thunder never broke into a storm, merely crashed once more as lightning split the sky, raced toward the earth, and in a blinding flash of light three men stood before Raz and Dym.
One looked like an exotic pirate, or perhaps a merchant with a penchant for showing off his wealth, dressed in brilliant greens and yellows, and he grinned like he was quietly laughing at some grand, private joke. The second man was far more slender than either of the other two, startlingly beautiful, with hair that fell past his waist, the very color of the sea, threaded with a rainbow of jeweled beads. The last man was rougher looking than his companions and remarkably plain next to their flamboyance. His skin and hair were so pale as to be nearly white, and he was dressed in the simple clothes of a sailor. A large black pearl in his right ear and a jeweled dagger in his sash were the only bits of flash he wore.
“I see the centuries have not changed the nature of the Storms much,” Raz said dryly, but he looked sad as he continued. “Though I can see the souls of two of my brothers have changed. What happened to Typhoon and Arashi?”
Raiden shook his head. “Dead. All that is left of them resides in me, in what I have dispersed to my new brothers – Nankyokukai and Kindan. And I prefer to go by Raiden these days.”
“Brothers new and old,” Raz said softly, and embraced each dragon in turn. “How do things go?”
“Kundou is stable, the new Queen growing more confident by the day,” Nankyokukai replied. “We keep the seas and sky as free of the taint of Schatten as we can. It is up to you to keep the barrier of the Jagged Mountains in place.”
“I will,” Raz said firmly. “It has weakened only slightly in my absence; I will begin to strengthen it immediately.”
Raiden’s eyes flicked to Dym. “You are…the same Priest who once watched over Zhar Ptitka before his fall.” He tilted his head. “How is it that you’re still alive?”
“That’s our secret, my brothers,” Raz said.
Kindan sighed. “These two cause enough trouble. I was rather hoping your return would provide another level head.”
“So you don’t want any more trouble?” Kyo asked, tilting his head up to look at Kindan, smirking.
“I don’t recall that falling under the heading of trouble,” Kindan retorted, pinching him hard. “Behave.”
“No fun at all.”
Raz laughed. “If you want a level head, you’ll have to wait until the Basilisk returns to us.”
Kindan grunted. “If he returns. The Basilisk killed himself.”
“To save his people, or so we hope. Have faith. If I can be reborn after being broken into a thousand pieces…if three dragons can be restored after two were lost forever, then our stone brother will return.”
“You are, as ever, the most optimistic,” Raiden said with a smile. “Enjoy the peace while it lasts.” He winked. “We’ll be sure to harass you as often as possible. See to the barrier. Now if you don’t mind, I have left my treasure alone too long. Farewell.” With a rumble of thunder and a flicker of lightning, Raiden vanished.
“It’s good to have you back,” Kyo said. “Don’t die again.”
“Take your own advice,” Raz replied. Thunder rippled once more through the sky, and with a breeze that smelled of the sea, Kyo and Kindan vanished. Within seconds, the dark clouds had cleared from the sky, nothing but a hint of the coming autumn on the air.
Laughing in delight, Raz spun around in the field and then collapsed beneath a large tree, beckoning Dym close. “You’ve been so quiet, Dym. Is something wrong?”
“No…” Dym said, but still he hesitated. “I…have a gift for you.”
Raz blinked. “A gift? Dym…I have you. That’s more than I deserve.”
“I live for you, Eminence,” Dym said softly. “When you said it hurt to look at me, I thought you hated me for failing to protect you.”
Pain ripped through Raz. “Never, Dym. It hurt because I thought I’d lost you.” Raz smiled. “I love you, my priest, that’s why it hurt.”
Dym smiled, green eyes more stunning to Raz than even the splendor of the forest around them. Even as a mortal, with no memories, those eyes had drawn him. He reached into his robes and pulled something out, smile widening as he presented his gift. “For you, Eminence.”
Raz could only stare, eventually shifting his stunned gaze to Dym. “But – they must have burned it down.”
“Did I not eat one to gain immortality, Eminence? There were seeds, and though it took me three hundred years, I managed to grow a new tree for you.” His smile faltered as Raz only continued to gape. “Eminence?”
Raz reached up, but instead of taking the golden apple, he grabbed Dym’s slender wrist and yanked hard, bringing Dym down to sprawl across his lap, catching the apple before it could fall.
“Eminence!” Dym said, twisting around to glare up at him.
Raz chuckled and ducked his head to brush Dym’s lips softly with his own. “You’re always so flawlessly dignified, I like seeing you flustered. It was much easier to shake you when you were a little boy.”
“I am your priest, Eminence, my behavior should reflect that.” Dym attempted to maintain his glare, but it crumbled against the kiss.
“Not when we’re alone,” Raz said, and winked. He bit into his golden apple, humming in pleasure. “Tell me, Dym, did you ever figure out what spell I placed around my apple tree?”
“No, Eminence.” Dym’s expression said this was still a point of frustration.
“Apples of life, my brothers would be, hmmm…something very much like livid if they knew I kept them after all this time… No one who wanted immortality would have ever been able to cross the barrier I placed around the tree.” Raz stroked Dym’s cheekbone, brushed his lower lip. He bit into his apple again, relishing the taste – it was never quite the same twice, sometimes sweet or sour, salty or tangy, cool and sharp, warm and mellow. He held the apple to Dym’s lips. “A bite?”
Dym shook his head, and tried once more to twist away and sit up, failing miserably as Raz held him in place. Giving up, he finally settled more comfortably across Raz’s lap. “It’s your apple, Eminence. I only ever wanted to give them to you, and listen to you sing.”
“The more time passed, the less I did that…” Raz sighed softly and bit into his apple. After a moment he smiled. “If you will not share the apple, dearest Dym, then how about a kiss? Then I shall sing for as long as you like.”
“Yes, Eminence,” Dym said, and wrapped his arms around Raz’s neck as Raz leaned down to kiss him, the sweet tang of golden apple mingling with the traces of the mint that ever lingered on his priest.
“Beautiful Dym, I do not deserve you,” Raz whispered against his mouth.
“You shall have to get used to me, anyway,” Dym said with a laugh, eyes sparking with rare mischief. “I waited a thousand years, Eminence, I’m not going to leave unless that’s what you really want.”
Raz shook his head and stroked Dym’s short, dark hair. “You are mine, Dym. When I was at my darkest, when I finally fell, you were there. You kept my fire burning bright. None shall ever have you but me.”
“Yes, Eminence,” Dym said, and relaxed in Raz’s arms, closing his eyes and resting as Raz began softly to sing.
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Date: 2006-08-29 11:41 am (UTC)*love, love, love*
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Date: 2006-08-29 12:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-29 01:23 pm (UTC)Ailill and Ivan and crew were as fun as always, and it was nice to see the dragons again, even if only for a bit. :D I'm sad that it's over, of course - I think I read each paragraph/line at least twice as I went through in an attempt to put off getting to the end for as long as possible - but I certainly can't complain about the ending. Always nice to finish a story feeling all warm and fuzzy. ^_______^
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Date: 2006-08-29 01:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-29 02:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-29 04:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-29 04:50 pm (UTC)You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
Sincerestly,
Sabrina "Sucker For A Happy Ending" Smith
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Date: 2006-08-29 06:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-29 06:46 pm (UTC)And Raz's lockpicks are still Too Funny and Sonya still rocks and .. and... o.o; wait, how'd I miss this one?
using discarded by Ivan’s group to bind Zholty
You lost a 'chains' in there... o.o;
You also forgot to bold Chapter Twenty. >.>; And you lost a t: “The sigh of you has never pained me
“Your already one step ahead of Pozhar,” Raz said. “You’re entire country wants the gods to return.”
o.o .... >.> .... Those two 'your/you're's need to be swapped. ^^; Did I mess that up? *wince* Bad Kitty... No more betaing at 3am...
SO MUCH LOVE for Raz dissing the storm dragons to Shio & Shinju.. *snicker*
And the way Ivan gets bullied by his own men..... ^_______^
“No, no,” Shio said. “The fish don’t mind at all.”
That line kills me every time. The fish don't mind indeed.... *giggle*
I hope we see more of ShioxLuka. ^^ They're silly. ^.^
“My name is Raiden, I am the owner of this vessel. Welcome aboard the Fuujin, gentlemen.”
*________________* Yup, that definitely has much more of an impact now.... WAI! *bounces around gleefully*
Raz did not doubt there was a walled a garden behind it
walled garden. >.> HTF did I miss all these? ;_; ... >.> .... granted, at this point I was probably a little happy melted puddle in my chair, but still...
*ponders* If the Storm Dragons always cause lightning when they go zooming around, that must make it awfully hard to remain descreet... o.o;; .... >.> .... or they could just be exactly what Raz pinged them as: Show-offs. ^^;
..... NOW I may commence with the melting into a puddle of HappyGoo.....
*________________________________________________* Mew. Purr. Sparkle.
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Date: 2006-08-29 09:48 pm (UTC)Dude, this was my morning:
Wake up, realize slept in half hour, wake up, turn on comp, proceed to edit, takes longer than thought, realize have to leave early, skip breakfast, dress, run. I'm amazed there are more errors, but how depressing the last chapter is still in such bad shape *sigh*
Heh. The Dragons are just showoffs. They could be discreet if they really wanted. They just don't want.
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Date: 2006-08-29 10:38 pm (UTC)Yay for showoffs! ^___________^ Adorable snuggly snarky showoffs! ^_______________________^
*sigh*
Date: 2006-08-29 07:30 pm (UTC)Dym and Raz are just so damn cute. You win the internets.
*happy snug*
Re: *sigh*
Date: 2006-08-29 09:49 pm (UTC)You ate cotton candy instead? XD
<3 Thanks, Cookie ^__^
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Date: 2006-08-29 11:12 pm (UTC)And yeah, I think you succeeded too. ^___________^ Raz seems more of an interesting cross between old Raz and Zhar Ptitka. And I really do love how that whole scene throws both his character and Dym's into an entirely new life. *twirls and tackle glomps* I so love the two of them. *________________________________________*!!!
“Do my children not recognize their father?”
*tackle hearts* As much as he rags on the dragons, he's got just as much of a mischevious streak, I think. ^_^
I still want to see Pechal reborn somewhere sometime in the future. ;_;Raz shook his head and stroked Dym’s short, dark hair. “You are mine, Dym. When I was at my darkest, when I finally fell, you were there. You kept my fire burning bright. None shall ever have you but me.”
*flying tackle glomps* They are so damned cute. :D
I'm sad to see the story come to an end, but since there's always the hope of Book three and the stone prince...*____________*
You rock the universe. ^____________^
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Date: 2006-08-29 11:37 pm (UTC)The golden apples was what hit me the one day at work, and from there the rest started falling into place. It's my favorite part, as cheesy as it is. I'm glad others like it so much <3
Heh. I could probably arrange for you to see Pechal ^_~ I'll think on it.
Book three is in the works! ^__^
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Date: 2006-08-30 01:15 am (UTC)Anyway, as I was saying, I adore the whole apple-boy thing. Oh, how so very lovely! I really liked that story when he told it, and the fountain had struck me even before then, but now, NOW!!! I think this is my favorite story ever.
I'm still sad about Pechal, but now a happy rebirth is promised, so I feel better.
Oh! I love that it was the Chamber of Day as they were leaving. That made me ridiculously happy for some reason. And the prophesy!! EE! I love that. I couldn't imagine Raz killing everyone, not the way he talked about killing. Or, even as disgusted as the Firebird was... I couldn't imagine him wasting his own gift of life, the way he accused his children. But Dim's reasons made sense. I had wondered if he was the priest... well, I guess I knew he was, but that's why I was pretty sure that the killing of the candidates was really collecting them. Plus Dym's words to Raz, and about Raz. Yes, all those lovely details all throughout... absolutely wonderful. You exceed even my high fangirl expectations of you.
And the Apples is just the cherry on top.^_^
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Date: 2006-08-30 05:01 am (UTC)seems Raz will lead a more peaceful life than the Dragons.
I liked that the stories from the glass window were tied into the ending.
though I wonder that the stained glass window depicting the Queen's life was made long ago. Are the windows spelled?
Wonder about Nikolai... I'm guessing he will be turn up in book 3?
I've always thought he was just an annoying side character.
so he's been frozen, then burned... maybe in the next books he will be turned into stone and then mauled by some beast *snickers*
missed the dragons and Taka... Are we going to see more of them in the next book, seeing as how Ivan and co are on Raiden's ship.
Very curious about the next book and why the basilisk has to kill himself to save his people. ^__^
*hearts you and your brain madly*
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Date: 2006-08-30 05:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-30 03:19 pm (UTC)I've just begun my first year of college, and have been very pressed for time, hence lack of comments, and lack of time. I can't stop reading, though, because I just could not tear myself away.
Right. Irrelevant. Point. One word. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!
(By the by, I've been plugging your stories to new friends in college ^-^ heh.)
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Date: 2006-08-31 05:21 am (UTC)So...the Basilisk is next? I can't wait! ^_^
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Date: 2006-08-31 07:59 am (UTC)You rock so hard! I loved this story. And ooooh, Nikolai gets to be in one? ^__________^. I can't wait till the next one, OMFG
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Date: 2006-09-04 10:05 pm (UTC)