Thread Slivers (Golden Threads Trilogy) (47 page)

Elven warriors, in their shining silver armor, burst into the room and began killing everyone present, but the brutes soon pushed them back out. Kliasa, still clinging to life, managed to roll out of the fire, burnt almost beyond recognition. She lay on the ground, trying to gather some magic to heal, but was too tired and damaged to succeed. The fight continued while Kliasa’s breathing slowly became shallower as she died. Ticca watched helplessly, her head pounding. Ticca wrapped her arms around her chest and shoulders, in a futile attempt to comfort herself.

The elves fought hard, but the creatures were too many. Then Shar-Lumen came running into the room, his clothes caked in snow, as if he had somehow come from the top of a mountain, to this hot forest. He slew every creature in his path, running straight to Kliasa. He screamed, and pulling an emerald out of his pouch, bent close to Kliasa, as the emerald began to glow. Kliasa opened her one good eye and smiled at him, cracking her burnt lips. Pain was evident in her contorted face. Through mangled lips, she managed to cough out, “You are too late. I will await you, my love. Don’t forget to wear my boots.” The emerald in Shar-Lumen’s hand blazed white, and then broke into pieces. Shar-Lumen screamed his anguish at the Gods as Kliasa sighed deeply, and then breathed no more.

Shar-Lumen went berserk. He killed every creature in the village, even the women and children, constantly screaming his heart out. The elven rescue party stood back, in shock and horror.

Orcs, these are orcs. I heard they were ugly and the Nhia-Samri hunted them to extinction.
She shuddered at the implication.
Shar-Lumen took out his revenge on the entire race. My uncle told me there was a standing bounty of one cross for every pair of orc ears and scalp delivered to the Nhia-Samri. Every bad-mouthed mercenary in the world tried to cash in on that bounty. The entire world hunted orcs for years. The entire race was made to pay for the death of one.

With tears still flowing from Ticca’s aching eyes, she fell to the ground.
This is too horrible. How could this have happened? Why did they take Kliasa, only to kill her? An entire race, good and bad, paid a terrible price. It is too much.

“They were brutal, wounded beings. The council had blocked them from moving into our forest. There had been a meeting that had not ended well. The orcs swore to teach the council a lesson. As I was sitting at the high table, they thought I must be one of the council. If it hadn’t been me, it would have been another.” Ticca looked up, and Kliasa was standing there crying, even though her burnt body was also on the ground in front of her. “Millions have died because of where I sat.”

“Kliasa, I am so sorry. This was far more than I ever imagined!”

“I tried to warn you. But now that you have seen this, you need to see one thing more.”

“There is more? I know what happened; I know why Shar-Lumen hunted orcs. It was blood revenge, an honorable cause, but the scale…” She shook her head, unable to find more words.

“Yes, the scale. You need to understand the scale.”

Ticca stood on a hill. The burnt body of Kliasa was gone. Kliasa stood whole and safe next to her. “Where are we?” Kliasa only pointed to a small village on the edge of a lake or sea. There were human peasants farming, children running in fields, laughing. By the water, old men were busy repairing fishing poles and making new line. A number of fishing boats were just pushing out for the morning. It was absolutely beautiful, peaceful, and almost perfect.

A movement caught her eye. She saw warriors moving out of the forest. Behind her, a man stepped out, and on his belt, were two odassi blades. Another ran up to him. “Sir, scouts have located the hunting party. They report that the objective is in the second house. The hunting party did not survive the interrogation.”

“Well done. Signal the attack ships to take out the fishing boats, once we have secured the objective. We do this by the numbers. Precision, lieutenant, precision.”

“Yes sir.” The lieutenant ran off as more warriors appeared out of the woods, on the far side of the village.

This vision did not have the same quality as every other thing she had experienced. It was clear, but it became blurred at the edges of the village. Only the area to the surrounding forest around the village, and the village itself, was clear and sharp. Ticca looked at Kliasa. “What are they going to do?”

Tears still flowed freely from Kliasa’s sad eyes. “You must see.”

Shivers running through her body, Ticca reluctantly turned back. It didn’t take long. At a signal from the commander, men marched down on the village from all sides. As they approached, the kids stopped playing and ran for their parents. When the warriors reached the villagers, they pulled their odassi and slaughtered everyone. Women screamed and ran, carrying babies or children, but warriors ran them down and slew all of them without pause. Men tried to fight back with gardening equipment, and were simply cut down. There was no one capable of standing against one, let alone dozens, of these highly-trained warriors. Bile rose in Ticca’s throat, and her stomach cramped, as she choked out cries of anguish at the scene.

An officer ran up to the commander. “Sir, the enemy is resisting, but we are winning the objective. So far, no casualties.”

Resisted? Enemy? These farmers are being spoken of like a veteran army! How could anyone accept these kinds of orders?

The commander pointed at the fishing boats. “Make sure those enemies do not get away.”

The other bowed and ran off, shouting more orders.

It took only minutes, and everyone visible in the village was dead. The warriors then broke into the houses, where more screams could be heard, but suddenly ended. Finally, a group of warriors dragged a fishing net filled with orc children up the hill, to the commander. “Sir, objective confirmed. All targets have been dealt with.”

The commander looked at the frightened orc children. He pulled out a golden sphere with a crystal mounted on it. It glowed, and Shar-Lumen was standing there. The commander bowed. “Lord, objective achieved, these are the last.”

Shar-Lumen walked around the children, his eyes cold and merciless. “Burn them.” Looking at the village, he continued, “Burn it all. To think these animals managed to infect others to try to help them. Yes, we’ll have to burn it all, Commander. Burn it to ashes. Burn as my love burned to death after being brutally raped and stabbed. Raped, stabbed and burned to ashes. That will be a complete blood revenge, Commander.”

The commander motioned, and oil was dumped on the screaming orc children, followed by a spark. Ticca, gasping and sobbing, watched the children writhe in the fire. When she could take no more, she spun around, turning her back and covering her ears, trying to block out the torturous cries of the children, as tears continued to flow across her face. Still, she heard Shar-Lumen, “Once it is all burned, return to Outpost Thirty-five. You and your men are to be commended for your excellent performance and commitment.”

Ticca was back by the silver lake. Kliasa was holding her gently, and they both cried for a long time.

Kliasa kept her in Rea-Na-Rey for almost a year. They practiced knives and walked the forest paths. They talked little, and slowly, Ticca managed to regain herself. The knowledge was almost too much for her to bear. But she knew. She knew why Kliasa was holding herself here. Originally, it was just to wait. Then, it was in the hope of healing her love back to the good man he had been. She also knew that the origins of the Nhia-Samri were rooted deep in the past, with skills and knowledge thought forgotten or lost.

Finally, Ticca was sitting by the silver lake enjoying the sun, when Kliasa walked up. “You have healed. Your spirit is bright, and though not as cheerful as it once was, I don’t see any darkness.”

“Must be handy, being able to read people like that.”

Kliasa laughed. “You might be able to do the same one day. But it will take many years to develop.”

“Well, you are right. Thank you for keeping me here ‘til I dealt with what you showed me.”

“Time is something I can give you here. The elves have always been good at healing wounds; even those of the spirit. It took me longer than you might think to recover myself, even in this place. But I am well again, and I have forgiven.”

“If that is so, why is Shar-Lumen still bleeding from the heart? Why doesn’t he heal?”

“Because he is stubborn and refuses to be consoled. He took my boots off the day I died. By the time I had healed myself, and learned how to communicate through my creations, he had removed everything I ever made for him, from his body. He has never put anything I made for him on since then. I think he has them in his chambers, where he can cry over them every night. If only he had put them on, or held them and slept, I could have tried to mend his soul. Now, I think it is too late. The evil has destroyed all the good in him.”

“So whatever is going on, he is at the center, and I need to find a way to stop him.”

Kliasa nodded.

“What is this thing Vestul was working on? Why does Shar-Lumen want it? If we destroy it, will that stop Shar-Lumen?”

“I don’t know. No one knew Shar-Lumen was involved until you exposed the Nhia-Samri. I only know some of the details, because Vestul wore my boots or wrote in my journal often. He never slept with them, and his mind was too shielded for me to penetrate when awake. So he never knew I was still here and watching. In fact, it wasn’t until you came along that I even knew I could communicate with someone in the physical realm. Your first night was simply me wishing I could talk with you, because I saw in you a kindred spirit, and it has been a long time since I talked or shared with another lady.”

“But you now believe the Nhia-Samri to be central in whatever is going on?”

“It is very possible. There are still a few things I know I cannot say; the Gods themselves warned Vestul, and thus me, as well.”

“Well, I doubt we can kill him, which would be a quick end, unless he has embedded his orders into the Nhia-Samri. There is no way I could beat him in a fight, fair or not.”

Kliasa shook her head. “No, do not try to best him or kill him from surprise. He cannot be surprised, and he is the best there is. Not even the Gods could beat him in a fight now. He has almost become a God himself. His powers have expanded, and he has gathered knowledge and applied it in scary and ingenious ways for over a thousand years. He may even be immortal, like Duke. None can say.”

“The key is the Nhia-Samri. If I can convince them he is no longer honorable, they will not follow him.”

Kliasa shrugged. “It might be the answer. But again, we do not know. I love you, Ticca, and I trust you more than you will know for a very long time. I hope you and Lebuin are the keys to salvation. I don’t know how. But I have done all I can to help you two grow, and to have the ability, knowledge, commitment, and courage to do what is needed. Like the Gods, I am launching you like arrows at the heart of a catastrophe which I cannot see clearly. It might mean I am sending you to kill the love of my soul, because we must stop what is happening. If that means sending him to meet me here, then my long wait will be over. You have my blessings and my prayers to do what you feel to be right. If you need me, I’ll be here for you, at least, ‘til the end, and perhaps longer.”

Ticca nodded and hugged Kliasa. “Thank you, sister, for everything.” She lay down on the soft grass and closed her eyes.

- - -

When Ticca opened her eyes, the sun was streaming through the cracks in the window shutters. It was early morning, and she was in a Nhia-Samri trap. She stood up feeling marvelously rested. She did her morning stretches and a short version of the Patterns that could be done in the smaller space of the room. Grabbing her gear, she packed quickly and made sure all her knives were in the right place.

Unlocking the door, she headed to the main room of the inn.
Time to see what they have planned.

In the main room, a few patrons were quietly eating breakfast. She took a table and was brought a platter containing fruit and porridge. The girl from the kitchen came out and handed her clean clothes, and started to count out three rings’ change. “No, you keep that.” The girl smiled, curtsied, and went back to the kitchens.

After she ate, Ticca put the clean clothes in her pack and walked out to the front. Her horse was already there and ready.
This is a good inn. I’ll have to stay here again if I come this way.
She tied her saddle pack to the horse and climbed up, taking the reins from the lad. “Which way to the mayor’s residence?”

“You can’t miss it, lady. Just follow the road to the center of town, and on the right of the central square will be his residence.”

“Thanks, and don’t give up on that dream. If you come to Llino and I am still there, you’ll find me at the Blue Dolphin.”

The boy’s eyes widened in surprise. “You’re a Dolphin Dagger?! Lady Ticca, I shall find you, I promise!”

“Careful with your promises. Daggers take them very seriously.”

“Yes, milady, I know.”

“Good. Then I expect to see you there in about five years. Make sure you learn well, what the guard has to teach first.”

Turning, she rode out of the courtyard and headed for the center of the city. It was still early, and there was almost no traffic, except the early deliveries from the mills and bakers. As she rode, she felt as if she were being followed, but she made no indication of her suspicion. Pretending to be doing a little sightseeing, she tried to spot her follower.

At the center of the city, was a large park square with a wide road around it. The entrance to the mayor’s residence was very conspicuous. Its lovely white walls were of the same material as the wall of the city, and it had an ornate gateway.

Riding into the mayor’s courtyard, she was met by servants who took her horse off to the side, and then took her name and business need. She was asked to wait in a comfortable room with large windows that overlooked the courtyard. The mayor, himself, came in promptly. He was much older than Ticca imagined, but he walked straight and tall. He wore an excellent, double-breasted jacket over an older-style shirt of cotton, with a stiff collar and thin, black, silk tie. He approached her, holding his hand out.

“Lady Ticca, I am Rualli of Algan, the Mayor of Algan.”

Ticca stood and took the offered hand. “I am Ticca of Rhini Wood, Dagger in service to Ditani of Karkaia.”

“Please, come this way. My office is just across the hall. May I offer you some arit or tea?”

Ticca smiled. “Arit, please.”

The Mayor smiled widely at that, and showed her to a large office lined with bookshelves, which were white, like the walls of his home. On one shelf at shoulder height, she noted there was a gold-bound book in a recess all to itself. It rested on a holder that kept it elevated at a good angle for display, as well as reading. The book looked almost identical to a book her uncle had. The mayor stepped around his desk, indicating a chair for her to take. Once they were seated, a tall, balding servant in well-worn, well-maintained clothes brought in a large platter with some cheese and a pot of steaming arit, with two cups. He placed the platter on a sideboard and poured two drinks, offering one to Ticca, and the other to the mayor, who took his, and sipped a little right away.