The Broken Kingdom (12 page)

Chapter 15

V
ann looked up as two
people came down the beach towards them. Aerlid and… Riley. But not
Riley, just her body. And she was wearing a beautiful dress. It was
delicate and flowing, yet modest as well. It shone, as if it was
made from moonlight. He glanced at Riley, at Strong Swimmer. Vann
felt dizzy.

Aerlid’s eyes widened as he saw all who were
arrayed on the beach. Riley, or Seta, did not even raise an
eyebrow.

‘Aerlid.’ Adila stood and faced them. ‘The
body is done. I will return Riley to her own body. And then… then
you must be judged.’

Aerlid said nothing. He was pale and
silent.

Seta spoke, ‘Sunsinger, that hardly looks
like a body.’

‘It will take whatever form you like once
you enter it, Seta, or Onsa.’

‘No!’ Aerlid finally cried, ‘it’s Seta.
Maybe Onsa is there too, but I know Seta is as well. I saved her,
Adila, I didn’t kill her. I didn’t kill Seta.’ he nearly
pleaded.

Adila shook her head but she turned to Seta,
‘please, leave this body now.’

Seta walked over to the thing lying on the
ground that was to be her new body. ‘Hmm…it does not look very
powerful.’

‘It is valkar made. You will not be able to
kill with it. But it will last.’

Seta looked up at her for a moment. ‘It will
do for now.’

And then she slumped forward.

Adila moved fast. She grabbed Riley’s body
and carried it to a wildly splashing Riley. And then… then Riley-
or Strong Swimmer- slumped forward.

There was a flash. Vann didn’t see what
happened. And then Riley, in her own body, jumped up. The silvery
dress she was wearing was gone, Adila had replaced it with clothes
in a style more suited to Riley, made from sunlight.

Riley stumbled. Vann got to his feet, went
to help her.

And then she let out a wild scream and
launched herself at Aerlid. Aerlid took a step back, a startled
look on his face.

Vann tried to grab her. He got an elbow in
the face for it. He fell back.

He heard shouting. Didn’t know what was
happening. He put a hand to his face.

And then Riley was in front of him. He saw
Adila standing between her and Aerlid.

‘What’s wrong with your face?’ Riley
demanded.

‘You hit me!’ he mumbled. ‘I think you broke
my nose!’

Her brows rose in surprise. ‘Well why did
you get in my way?’

‘It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Oww…’

Zap Zap was splashing behind him, ‘Vann
hurt!’ he was saying, ‘Why Riley hit Vann!’

Riley helped him up. To Zap Zap, she said.
‘Strong Swimmer died when I was forced into his body. Aerlid and
that monster killed him.’ she turned to Aerlid then. Her brows
lowered dangerously.

‘You say he will be judged?’ she demanded of
Adila.

‘Yes, I assure you. Rose is coming, she will
do it.’

‘And he will be punished?’

‘It will be a terrible punishment. So
please, don’t kill him.’

‘I’ll think about it.’ her voice was harsh
with rage.

Vann only then noticed another woman
standing nearby. Her hair was black and glossy, her skin white. Her
eyes were big and dark and framed by long lashes. There was a
forlorn, lost look to her.

Aerlid noticed her too. ‘Seta!’ he
gasped.

And then it changed. The woman’s hair was
still black, but now it was coarse. Her skin pale, but it was not
such a healthy look. Her eyes were dark, but not beautiful. And her
mouth, there was a cruel lift to her mouth.

Aerlid’s words choked off.

‘Onsa.’ Adila greeted her.

She shrugged. ‘Who knows?’

‘No, Seta is there, Seta is somewhere, maybe
still,’ suddenly he looked at Riley, ‘maybe she’s still there.’

Riley clenched her fists. She had a rock in
her hand, where it had come from, Vann didn’t know.

The woman chuckled, bringing attention back
to herself. ‘Perhaps you should ask Riley dear what happens when
you force a soul into another’s body.’

‘I rescued Seta,’ Aerlid insisted. ‘I didn’t
kill her. She’s still alive.’

‘Hmm… well, I think we’ll part ways here,
Moonsinger. I know what punishment the valkar will give you, and so
you can no longer be useful to me.’

‘You may go where you will.’ Adila said to
her. ‘I will not stop you.’

The woman nodded, then she turned to Riley,
‘no need to look so murderous, dear. I
did
save you. If it
weren’t for me, you’d be pulp beneath a mountain.’

‘What are you talking about?’

The woman shrugged, ‘no matter.’ she turned
and began walking up the beach.

Aerlid watched her go, made a move to
follow. But Adila stopped him, ‘Aerlid,’ she said, ‘Onsa has used
you. She is very weak now, she has suffered at least two deaths.
She needed your help and used your feelings for Seta. You rescued
Onsa, Aerlid.’

‘Maybe.’ he said, ‘but Seta too. I know I
did.’

Adila looked at him with pity. ‘Please, just
go wait. Rose is coming.’ Adila turned back to Riley. ‘I assure
you, he will be punished.’

‘Why can’t you judge him?’ Riley
insisted.

‘Because I am not the Judgement Master, and
his crime is grave. But more than that, Aerlid is, was, my friend.
It is difficult to judge one you are close to fairly.’

‘And the fish people? He murdered one of
their kind.’

Adila closed her eyes a moment. Then she
walked past her to Zap Zap.

Zap Zap and the other fish people were
gathered around Strong Swimmer’s still body. ‘I fear she is right.’
Adila sighed. ‘The man who lived here is gone. Aerlid will be
judged for that as well. But is there anything I can do for you
now?’

Zap Zap shook his head sadly. ‘No… Harsh
Wave clan will take him, they feared he would not survive. He has
been so strange and unwell. I keep some secrets from them. It would
upset and confuse them.’

Adila nodded. ‘I am truly sorry.’

Zap Zap turned to Vann, ‘I go with Harsh
Wave clan, say goodbye to Strong Swimmer. Then I return.’

‘I’m sorry, Zap Zap.’

He merely nodded. And then the fish people
turned and swam out to sea, taking Strong Swimmer’s body with
them.

‘Master?’ a lonely voice spoke.

Vann looked towards Karesh, who now had
Riley’s attention.

‘Yes, Karesh?’

‘Are you well now?’

Riley rubbed her face. ‘Better. I’ll be even
better once Aerlid is dealt with. What are you all doing here
anyway?’

Vann shook his head fervently at Karesh.
Riley clearly didn’t know what had happened, and now was not the
time to tell her.

Karesh saw him. ‘Later, Master. I think
there is enough to deal with now.’

‘Fine.’

‘Can you speak to the gemengs with me? They
are worried.’

‘Of course. Where are my swords? And my
clothes? Do you have them?’

‘I will bring you new weapons and clothes
from the city.’ Adila spoke up. ‘Whatever you need.’

‘Why would I need that? Surely not all my
clothes have been lost? Did the monster really lose my
weapons?’

‘Do not concern yourself, Riley, I will
bring you things.’ Adila replied hurriedly, realizing as well that
the collapse of the mountain was to be kept from Riley for now.

Riley shot a look over her shoulder at
Adila. Presents will not make me forget this, the look seemed to
say. But she turned back to Karesh and let him lead her to the
cave.

Vann looked over at Adila. ‘Can you fix my
nose?’ he mumbled.

‘Oh!’ Adila seemed to have forgotten him.
‘Aerlid would do it better. But if you prefer, I can try.’

‘Let me,’ Aerlid said from where he had
gone, further up the beach. He approached them now that Riley had
left. ‘You’ll fix it wonky.’

Vann watched him approach, suspicion in his
eyes.

‘I am here.’ Adila said. ‘You may not trust
him, and that is fair. But I am here.’

Vann remained silent. The pain was intense.
He let Aerlid do what he could. After a few moments, Aerlid leant
back.

Vann sighed in relief. He felt his nose, it
was right again. He went to wash his face in the ocean.

And then he waited out on the beach, mostly
alone. Riley was with the gemengs, Zap Zap was gone. Aerlid and
Adila were further away.

He didn’t mind. Riley was alive, and that
was enough.

Chapter 16

E
veryone else had gone
now, they were alone.

Adila gazed at Aerlid with pity. ‘You used
something to carry Seta and Onsa around between hosts. Where is
it?’

‘Just Seta, Adila. I only meant to save
Seta.’ But he pulled something from the neck of his shirt. It was a
necklace with a clear sphere hanging from it.

Adila took it. She gazed at it for a moment.
Then she sung one word. It disappeared, faded away into the
sunlight. ‘Those other children, Aerlid, did you try this with them
as well?’

Aerlid nodded. A flash of despair passed
across his face. ‘I tried so many times. Babies, pregnant women, it
never worked.’

‘What happened to them?’

‘I thought someone young would be better,
then she wouldn’t have to fight with the original owner of the
body. But Seta was so angry at being in a body that could barely
move. And I couldn’t explain to her in between. They all went mad,
none lived past a year.’ He spoke almost calmly, as if eager to
explain himself and prove that he had been right. Only a trembling
of his voice, the shaking of his hands, indicated anything was
wrong.

‘And the Queen’s daughter? When you offered
to look after her, take her somewhere she would not be an outcast?
When is it you did this to her?’

‘I waited, Adila. I waited til she was about
six. I thought that would be old enough, and she was part valkar,
none of the others had any valkar in them. She was very calm, I
hoped her mind would be a peaceful place for Seta to recover. She
never suffered, never showed any sign there was anyone but herself
there.’

‘She suffers now. And who knows what damage
could have been done, damage you never noticed?’

‘Seta, Onsa, both, have been dormant,
sleeping. They never harmed her. No, if she had not been so gravely
injured, or perhaps dying, when the mountain fell, they might never
have surfaced. They saved her life, Adila. Seta kept her body
alive, got her out of the mountain.’

Adila’s eyes narrowed. ‘That does not redeem
you.’

‘I know I have done wrong, I know that. But
I had to save Seta first, bring her back. I didn’t kill her, Adila,
I
didn’t
.’ he was starting to sound panicky. He stopped
talking for a moment, calmed himself down. ‘I had to fix that
first. I don’t care what Seta does now, as long as she lives, as
long as I have undone what I did. I can fix everything else…
later.’ He wiped his hands over his eyes. ‘But my first debt is to
her.’

Adila shook her head. The other children
were long dead now, for centuries. That could never be fixed. ‘Rose
will judge you.’ she said.

‘You know, I am not the only one at fault
here.’ his voice hardened. ‘Everyone was so eager to get rid of
Riley. You all knew where I was, but not once did anyone come to
check up on her. To make sure she was happy, or even alive!
Rilodana doesn’t even know her! She could have come visited, Adila.
And so could you. How can you claim to care about her now?’

‘You cannot put the blame for this on
Rilodana. She barely knows her own name.’ Anger flashed in Adila’s
eyes. ‘You took advantage of our discomfort around humans, around
mixed. You took advantage of my trust of you, Aerlid. I must bear
the blame for that. I never judged you after Seta died. Perhaps I
should have but…’ she closed her eyes, ‘you were so upset, I didn’t
think I would find anything, and you were my friend besides. Not
even in my darkest nightmares did I imagine you could do something
so…’ she opened her eyes, fixed them on him. ‘I was wrong, terribly
so. And now Rose will judge you.’