Kindred and Wings (39 page)

Just as it seemed the heat would cook them all from the inside, the wind from it suddenly turned cold, and now it was the relentless whine of the Void that came at them. It was as terrifying as her ancestors had said. It spoke of so many worlds, so many pains. Talyn held onto one fact: in there, scions and Vitus had survived. They had none of the Gifts that the Vaerli had, and somehow had managed it.

When she spun around, it was to kiss Finnbarr, the Fox, the talespinner and the seer. He and his brother would indeed be the anchor. “My compass,” Talyn whispered into his hair as she drew in the smell of him. “I will come back to you when I can. Make Conhaero what it needs to be, for me and for all its people. I believe you, of all the souls in the chaos, can do that.”

At that moment, Wahirangi CloudLord descended. Even the dragon had not come away unscathed; one of his wings was torn, and many of his scales were scorched, yet he preformed an admiring bow to the female seers. For an instant Talyn thought she saw the impression of another dragon in his place, one silver with blue eyes.

Perhaps it was a before-thought, or one from her ancestors. She would take it as a blessing for what they had to do next.

Then, before her courage could desert Talyn called into the crowd. “Syris!”

The nykur came to her, tossing his shaggy green head and not looking one bit daunted by the White Void before them. He too had blood on him, some was even his, but none of his spirit was broken. Already he was rolling his eyes and tossing his head.

She climbed onto his back, and then, turning around, held out her hand to Nyree. They were sisters of a sort now. When she was seated behind her, Talyn looked to their people.

She had never been more afraid than when she next spoke. “We need to answer the call. Sing in the Void as we were meant to.” Talyn ran her eyes over all the people she had dreamed for so many years of seeing again. It was hard to judge their faces, marked as they were by sadness, deprivation and loss. “Some must stay here and rebuild, but I hope some of you will come with me. Will you?” she asked them, her heart hammering in her chest.

Slowly, Vaerli picked their way out of the crowd, and she could tell every one of them was a warrior through and through. Like her, after years of being alone, they were looking for community and purpose.

The last thing she saw was Finn standing at the end of reality, Ysel at his side. The talespinner’s eyes were full of stars and a bright smile was on his lips. At that moment, Talyn realized that she was suddenly an optimist. Yes, she would walk the White Void as the Pact demanded, but one day she and her warriors would come back to Conhaero and those who waited for them.

Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Philippa has always had her head in a book. She first earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Political Science, and then a Bachelor of Applied Science in Library and Information Science. After a being a librarian for many years, she turned her hand to writing.

In addition to the Shifted World series, Philippa is the author of the Books of the Order, and co-author of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series with her husband Tee Morris. Her awards include an Airship, a Parsec, and a Sir Julius Vogel.

When not writing or podcasting, Philippa loves reading, gardening, and whenever possible traveling. With her husband and her daughter, she is looked after by a mighty clowder of cats in Manassas, Virginia.