Embers at Galdrilene (64 page)

Gideon and Serena stared at her. Serena was the first to speak, “Why did you send her away? How can we reason out which weave will work if we aren’t looking at the problem?”

Anevay started for the records room. “We’re looking at it wrong. We don’t need a weave from the past. We need a new weave.”

Gideon hurried after her. “What do you mean a new weave?”

“I mean that we aren’t going to find it in the scrolls or the Ka’ti. This has never happened before so there can’t be a weave made for it already.”

Anevay made quick strides through the hold until she reached the records room. She stopped in the middle of the room, her eyes raking the shelves. She needed a few things for this. After pulling several scrolls from their holders she opened the Ka’ti. The heavy wooden cover thumped against the table. No wonder Loki couldn’t get both books. If the Kor’ti was half as big as the Ka’ti, it would’ve taken two people to carry them out. Uncertain where everything in the massive tomb was located, she worked through the book slowly. Only eight days since it returned; not nearly enough time to know everything in it. She stopped and used a quill dipped in ink to make quick, neat notes on a small piece of parchment.

Serena came to stand next to her as she turned pages and made notes. “What are you thinking to do?”

Anevay stopped. How to explain it? She took a deep breath. “The Ka’ti and these scrolls are more than just history and weaves. They are recipes. Each weave contains the ingredients to make it. We need a new weave, but we don’t need new ingredients. We just need to mix them up in a different way. So I’m working through the different ingredients we might need.” She couldn’t help the excitement welling up in her at the challenge that making a new weave presented. “Each symbol represents something. Each line in a symbol tells which ingredient should be laid next to which to get the result you want. If you use everything it tells you, yet put a single thread out of place, you will end up with something different than what you intended.”

Serena stared at her. Gideon rubbed his goatee thoughtfully. He nodded in approval. “I’m impressed. How will you know if you have the weave right?”

Anevay faltered. “I’m not sure other than trying it.”

“Can I help?”

Anevay looked up to see Taela standing in the doorway. “Of course. I think we can use any help possible.” Her initial flush of disappointment had been washed away after meeting Taela. The woman was sweet natured and fair. Anevay had kind of hoped there might someday be more between herself and Kellinar, but to his credit he had never offered anything more than friendship and she couldn’t begrudge him such a lovely bondmate.

Taela strode toward her. “Did I hear you right? You’re going to try creating a new weave?”

Anevay nodded. “We have to, there is nothing for this situation.”

Serena sighed. “It might work. How do we test it? I mean, I really don’t want to start throwing things at Paki without knowing what it will do. What if it hurts her or worse?”

Taela scanned the scrolls Anevay had laid out. “I think I can help with that.”

Intrigued, Anevay turned her full attention on Kellinar’s bondmate. “How?

“Did you forget I spent a week in the Kormai? I had no choice except to learn what they wanted me to. I had to pretend to be one of them to protect Paki. I’ve also seen several of the weaves in the Kor’ti, this book’s opposite. I remember everything I read. I didn’t have time to learn much, but I know enough that I can lay a weave on an inanimate object. Then we can try removing it.”

A thrill of excitement ran through Anevay. “Really?” A sobering thought doused the excitement. “Will weaving dark magic hurt you?”

“It will be painful, yes, but worth it for Paki’s future.”

Anevay smiled. Yes, this woman was definitely worthy of her friend.

Kellinar paced back and forth in the records room while Taela worked to make a dark weave. Pain beat at her, he felt it pounding in her head. He stopped close, watching to see if it became too much. This was her third weave as she tried to emulate the stain.

He watched the silver statue of a horse Taela worked on. It shimmered and rippled, alternating between silver and gray. Tears streaked down her face, yet she never faltered in her efforts. Concern fluttered in his chest. “Taela, you’re going to have to stop.” How in the name of the Fates had he come to care about her so much in the eight days since their return to Galdrilene?

She shook her head and took a ragged breath. “I can’t. I have to do this for Paki. As long as she is willing to endure the pain, I am willing to work to help her.”

Kellinar turned to Serena and Anevay. They both watched Taela with worry in their eyes. Anevay’s dark eyes met his. She took a step toward Taela. “Maybe you should stop and rest for a little bit.”

Taela didn’t answer, her eyes glued to the statue. Kellinar looked at it again. The shimmering slowed and the silver gleam dulled to gray. The pain rolling off his bondmate intensified. He wished he could pull away some of it, but it didn’t work with pain caused by her own magic.

“It’s too much. She needs to stop,”
came Shryden’s sending. Kellinar felt the worry in the dragon.

“She refuses as long as Paki is willing.”

“They are both far too stubborn. Paki is too young to bear such pain. This can be done later when she is older if it has to be done.”

Kellinar agreed with the dragon.

Moments crept by. More tears coursed down Taela’s cheeks. Her hands trembled. She sucked in a breath and swayed. Blood trickled from her nose as she sank to her knees. Kellinar knelt on one knee beside her. “That’s enough for now.” He grabbed her face in his hands and forced her to look at him. “Enough!”

A sob broke past her lips and she sagged into him. He wrapped his arms around her trembling body. “I did it,” she said through her tears.

Kellinar looked at the horse. It stood iron gray in the light. He tightened his arms. Yes, she’d done it. He admired her determination, but the admiration warred with fear. He glanced down at her face. Blood still spilled in a stream past her lips. It had nearly been too much. What if it had somehow killed her? His chest tightened at the thought.

Anevay and Serena rushed to them. He released Taela as both women reached for her. The bleeding stopped within seconds. Anevay fixed her eyes on Taela’s. “You won’t do that again. We will work with this. If it’s not enough then Paki will remain gray. We’ve become very good friends over the past several days and Kellinar and I already great friends. I won’t take part in you harming yourself.”

Taela nodded. “We will have to be careful with what we throw at this one. I don’t want to ruin it. Especially if I can’t make more.”

Serena stood. “Anevay can work on it from here. You helped with the making of the possible weaves, but you can’t work Healing magic. Go rest, visit with Maleena, watch the dragons swim–something.”

Taela sighed as Kellinar helped her stand. “Are you sure? I can stay in case–”

Anevay narrowed her eyes. “In case what? You aren’t making another dark weave.”

“Maybe if Maleena and I link it won’t be so bad.”

Kellinar couldn’t help laughing. “Mckale wouldn’t let her even if he had to throw her over his shoulder and carry her out of here. He came too close to losing her. And there is no way she would put him through the worry right now.”

Taela turned her deep blue eyes on him. “I’m sorry, Kellinar. I know this wasn’t easy on you either.” She took a deep breath. “No more dark weaves.”

Ten days later, the Healing mages gathered in a circle around Paki. Led by Serena, Anevay and Gideon they worked to remove the taint of shadow from the draclet. Kellinar leaned against Shryden and watched both Paki and Taela. He felt the happiness and worry that warred within Taela. She stood in front of him watching Paki intently. She was so tense he sensed knots forming in her shoulders.

The other riders and their dragons looked on. Maleena leaned back into Mckale as he stood with his arms around her. Emallya, wan though on the mend, sat on the inner terrace with Bardeck and Mernoth. Kirynn lounged against Syrakynn. Vaddoc stood next to Namir. Miya, her yellow scales reflecting the sun, stood behind Serena lending her both her strength and the reassurance of her physical presence.

Time dragged on. Kellinar couldn’t see what they were doing of course, but he wished he could. What was taking so long? As he began to worry it wouldn’t work, the dim veil fell away from Paki and she glittered clear silver in the sunlight. Serena slumped against Miya and several of the mages had to sit down.

Serena looked at Taela. “It wasn’t easy, however, your Paki is clean of the taint now. She is truly a silver draclet of the Guardians.”

A cheer went up and Bardeck stood and announced, “We will have the Welcoming Ceremony tomorrow where you, Taela, will receive your pendant and you will both be introduced formally to all of Galdrilene.”

Kellinar felt pure elation rolling off Taela and Paki and even Shryden. He looked fondly up at the big blue.
“I think we are going to have to rethink our lair location soon, my friend.”

“There are plenty of double lairs open,”
Shryden sent back.

The next day Kellinar, Shryden, and the other Guardians arranged themselves around the outer terrace and on the massive stone steps of the stairway as Taela stood in front of Emallya as the older woman’s voice rang out, “You are no longer Taela Shamira, first daughter of the King of Haraban. You are relieved of your old life and the duties that went with it so you can take your place as a Dragon Rider.”

She lifted the silver chain over Taela’s neck and the pendant caught the sunlight as it settled above her breasts. “You are now Di’shan Taela Shamira, bonded to the Silver dragon, Paki, and a Guardian of Galdrilene where the rose blooms eternal. May peace favor you and your dragon all the days of your lives.”

Taela turned away from Emallya and with Paki glittering silver beside her, walked to stand on the stairs before the cheering people of Galdrilene. The adult dragons raised their voices in a thunderous roar.