Stormsinger (Storms in Amethir Book 1) (3 page)

CHAPTER SEVEN

He sings from desperation.

So many years has he journeyed alone. He has at times felt the presence of others like him, but they have never acknowledged him. He remembers from long ago, when he was a tiny youngling, that there were many like him. They passed their lives together, living in companionship and singing together.

Yet no one sings with him.

The years pass. He ages. He feels the wind on his skin, the water cool against him. He feels the ships pass near. He sings at the storms and thrashes in his solitude.

And then, a single call. One word out of the void.

WHO?

Joy suffuses him. He strains to answer, injecting that one word--Companion--with all the longing and loneliness and hope that is in him. But he is denied. He is pushed away.

Undiscouraged, he calls again, but again she denies him.

But he will not be ignored. He cannot be ignored. He follows the call, singing his journey to her.

His solitude has been shattered, and he will not allow it to build up again.

CHAPTER EIGHT

The deck pitched and Arama swore. "What is this? We're in the middle of the dry season!" she snapped. "Find the stormwitch--sharp!"

She didn't watch as her first mate scurried across the deck. Though there were no clouds overhead, the
Dawn Star
  was pitching and rolling as if they were in the middle of a fierce blow. What did they have stormwitches for, if it wasn't to keep the seasons in order?

"Step lively there!" she called. "Get the sails trimmed!"

Prince Vistaren and General Lozarr were sitting on the foredeck, the prince leaning casually against the railing. They were having a lively chat, the prince waving a hand. Arama tried not to notice the easy smile on Lo's face. In frustration at her failure, she shouted. "Away from the rail in heavy seas!"

Vistaren and Lo both jumped and looked at her. Arama shoved away the guilt at how Lo bowed his head, the smile fading from his expression. She was trying to keep them safe, and they weren't helping. Taking ridiculous risks and ignoring common sense.

"Captain."

"What?" she snapped, then realized it was the stormwitch. Thank the gods Arama hadn't been looking straight at her. "Sorry. Stormwitch Ardelis. Can you tell me what is happening with the ship?"

Kinnet squinted her eyes. Arama studied her. The woman looked frightened of something. That was odd. She would have been willing to bet Kinnet Ardelis didn't comprehend fear.

"Well?"

Kinnet folded her arms across her chest. It emphasized the low cut of her dress. "I have...felt...something."

"Oh, that's useful," Arama said before she could stop herself. "What sort of something? Is it dangerous? Is it nearby? What does it want?"

Kinnet flapped her hands. "Slow down."

Arama snorted but repeated herself more slowly. Kinnet shook her head as Arama blurted out the questions.

"I don't know if it is dangerous to us. It is..." She paused, searching for words. "Immense. But not malicious. Lonely, I think. If I had to pick a single word, I would say lonely."

Gods. Didn't Arama understand that. She sucked in a breath. "What does it want?"

Kinnet's answer was prompt. "To not be lonely."

Arama supposed she deserved that. She shook her head. "Whatever it wants, it won't find it here. Tell it to leave us alone."

Kinnet frowned. "I tried. I don't know if it listened."

"Damn. Well, we'll just have to make it listen." Arama looked up to where Vistaren and Lo were now standing on the quarterdeck. "Does it know about the prince?"

"I don't know." Kinnet cocked her head to one side. "I don't believe it would care about the prince even if it did. It just wants a companion."

CHAPTER NINE

"I hope she isn't always this cranky," Vistaren said. He dusted off his trousers and looked across the ocean. As far as he could see, there was nothing but water and sky and clouds.

Lo's laugh was rueful. "Usually. But she doesn't mean anything by it."

Vistaren snorted.
Better you than me
, he wanted to say, but didn't. After all, who knew what Azmei would be like? And Vistaren was going to be married to her. He had no choice about it, no say in the matter at all. He would be tied to her forever, all in the interests of securing a lasting peace. At least Lo had a choice.

Beneath them the deck shuddered. Vistaren stumbled and widened his stance. "What the--"

"Hang on to something," Lo ordered. His voice was taut as a bowstring, all humor fled. "She was right. We're too close to the rail."

"Wait--" Vistaren's fingers were tight on the rope that served as a ship's rail. The sea just off the starboard bow was roiling and churning. "What is that?"

Lo came up next to him, one arm on either side of him and gripping the railing. Lo was shielding him with his body, holding him steady. A year ago it would have thrilled Vistaren. Now it just embarrassed him. No man, not even a prince, should be worth so much. "What is what?"

"There." Vistaren pointed. "See where the water's a lighter shade of--"

A vast shape broke the surface, lunging upward with such force the water exploded around it. Vistaren felt cold spray hit his face even as he reeled backwards. The ship bucked. Someone screamed. Someone else was chanting something. A prayer? It couldn't be witchery, could it? He didn't know witchery had words.

"Vistaren!" Lo's voice was frantic. Strong arms closed around him, then he was falling backwards, away from the railing. They were both falling. He thought Lo had thrown himself backwards as soon as he grabbed Vistaren. He relaxed, letting the general have his way. They landed amidships hard enough to bruise Vistaren's hips, but they hadn't gone overboard.

"What the blazing hells is that?" Arama roared. She sounded angry more than anything, and at that, some of Vistaren's fear faded. He tried to sit up, discovered Lo's arms were locked tight around him, and set about trying to work his way free.

"Are you all right?" he demanded.

Lo coughed and let go of him. He opened his mouth to speak, coughed again, and nodded. "Got the wind knocked out of me. You?"

"I'm fine. I had a nice cushiony landing." Vistaren gave him a half-grin and pushed to his knees, craning his neck. What had happened?

"It's a leviathan!" Lo breathed next to him.

Vistaren's head whipped around. "They're real?"

"Real enough. Arama told me she saw one once, from far off." Lo's voice was so hushed he was nearly whispering. "They're shy of boats. The stories say they travel in herds. Arama only saw one, though. She said it blew a stream of water as high as the mast into the air."

"Do they eat people?" Vistaren hoped his voice didn't quaver.

"I don't know. It looked like it was trying to eat us." Lo had rolled to his feet and was half-crouching, looking around them.

Kinnet Ardelis dashed across the deck to the railing. "Go'way!" she howled. Vistaren tried not to wince. He knew she couldn't hear herself, but how could she have no idea of just how loud she was? She'd shouted almost in his ear. "Go'way! Go'way!"

Something about her behavior struck him as odd. He couldn't say just then what it was, but he held out a hand to Lo. After a moment's hesitation, Lo pulled Vistaren to his feet. Vistaren grinned at him and followed Kinnet to the railing. He could see the lightning crackling around her fingertips, but she didn't look like she was afraid the leviathan was going to eat them.

He gripped her upper arm. When she looked at him, he mouthed, "What is it?"

Her gaze was fierce and hard. For too many heartbeats, those silver eyes pierced him. Then she said, "Lonely."

Vistaren's heart broke.

CHAPTER TEN

Leave me alone! I'm not what you think!
Kinnet pushed the thoughts as hard as she could, fingers so tight around the sea-glass pendant that it cut into her.

Companion
. The word ached with such loneliness that Kinnet felt tears slip from her eyes. How could such a magnificent creature be lonely? Why had it reached out to her?

I'm no one special. I can't be your companion.
She wondered if it even understood. The leviathan had retreated beneath the surface, but she could feel it there. It brushed the ship, ever so delicately, and
Dawn Star
shuddered. Behind her, Arama was shouting. Prince Vistaren stood at the railing next to her, that general holding him in place like they might both fall down if he let go.

Help me.

Oh gods. How could she not? Kinnet squeezed her eyes shut and stretched one hand forth as if she could touch it.
How? You are so much greater.

It didn't answer. She felt its presence, determination laced with confusion. It hummed through her ribs, making her feet tingle, but no words came through to her. Then something made her bones catch fire.

Kinnet jumped, letting out an involuntary shriek. What was that? Then she realized her hair was prickling, trying to stand on end. Lightning flashed above them in clouds that were gathering from thin air. What was happening? Another lick of fire ran through her bones.

Where was the leviathan? She leaned over the railing, peering into the sea. Rain lashed at her face, soaking her hair and making it stick to her cheeks. Lightning flared again. It made Kinnet realize how dark it had grown.

Companion!
The word crashed into her just as fire licked through her again. The leviathan was singing! Kinnet looked up, her gaze surprising a dumbfounded expression on Prince Vistaren's face.

"What?" she demanded.

He shook his head, mouth open.

"What?"

"Ah--it's singing," he said.

"You hear it?"

"Don't y--oh. Yes. Sorry. I hear it. It's almost like it's singing up the storm." Vistaren rubbed the back of his head. "That is, you didn't call that, did you?"

"No!" Kinnet shoved her hair back from her face and hung over the railing. She could just see the leviathan through the frothy surface of the waves.
Stop
, she implored. She could tell at once that it couldn't hear her.

An arm seized her around her midsection. Kinnet flailed and the back of her hand struck something. The arm didn't let her go, so she hit again, harder this time. A hand seized her shoulder and wrenched her around.

"What are you doing?" Arama demanded. "Get belowdecks!"

"I can talk to him," Kinnet insisted. "Let me go!"

"You're insane."

Kinnet found herself grinning. "Maybe I am."

"If you sink this ship, I'll have your guts for a harper to play on." Arama's eyes blazed, her lips thin and white. Kinnet shook her head. She pulled out of the captain's grasp and knelt against the railing, looking between the braided ropes at the sea below.

Please, talk to me.

Stubborn silence. She hadn't wanted to hear him before, so why should he speak to her now? Kinnet shoved aside her frustration and reached up to rip the sea-glass rings from her ears. She curled her fingers around them, thrusting her will through them.

I am not your companion. But we can find one. There are others, aren't there? Other leviathan?
She couldn't tell if she was still crying. The rain was cold and it needled into her cheeks.
I feel your song.

It was singing up the storm. Kinnet gasped. Leviathans had once been called stormsingers. There were bits of lore in the college that suggested the stormsingers had taught the first stormwitches, back when humans had first conquered Amethir. Maybe there was truth to those legends.

She extended her awareness, touching the storm, skimming the very surface of the power.
Stormsinger, welcome
, she thought.
May I join your song?

CHAPTER ELEVEN

He feels her, this human stormwitch that answers his call. Now that he is close, he can tell she is not his kind. He can tell she is small, weak--though not as weak as many--and landbound.

But she speaks to him.

She hears him.

He sings for her, sings all his loneliness and rage and sorrow. He sings his aching for companionship, his urge to raise younglings of his own, his wish to teach the stormsongs to others. He sings his disappointment and grief that no one has answered his calls until now. He sings his confusion that the others of his kind ignore him so profoundly.

To his shock, she sings with him.

He feels her song against his skin, in the brush of the water against him and the push of the air pressure over him. He throws himself into the air and crashes back to the waves, seeing the lightning flicker over him and laughing to himself at the spike of delight he feels from her. He shows himself to her and feels her awe and--yes, even love.

And when he thinks he is at the end of his surprise, she
changes
his song.

And everything else changes with it.