"We need to find the reason for their war," Gavril brought me back to the present.
"Wars are usually over land, religion, money or something of that nature," I leaned my cheek on Gavril's shoulder.
"I should have known I'd find you two together." Lissa walked into Gavril's bedroom. His room had turned into our favorite place to study. My stomach felt queasy, suddenly—this is how I'd learned the last time that the Vice-Director wanted to see me. "Reah, Vice-Director Schaff wants to talk to you in my office. Do you need assistance getting there?" This time was no different from the last, except too many things had happened since then.
I didn't need assistance, as much as I might want Gavril or Tory to go with me. I shivered at the mention of Lendill Schaff's name. At least my strength was returning and my shoulder wound was much better. Lendill couldn't hurt me as badly this time. Karzac kept reassuring me that the scar from the ranos pistol wound would disappear completely in a few weeks. Tory's claiming marks would be with me forever.
"Re, don't worry," Gavril whispered as I slid off his bed. While most boys his age might have coverlets depicting sports teams or musicians or some such, Gavril's was a studious deep green with matching pillows. He'd picked it out himself—I'd asked about it.
"Thanks, Chash." I gave him a quick hug before walking past Lissa and out Gavril's door.
"Reah, we'll be sending you to Pheslik—drakus seed is showing up there," Vice-Director Schaff got right to business. He had such a handsome face and it covered the demeanor and cruelty of a viper. I did my best not to shiver in his presence, or give myself away when all I wanted to do was weep. I also wanted to ask him about Bel, Hish and Max, but that might bring about more abuse.
Gavril might know if the wizards from Mandil were still being held in the palace dungeons. I hoped so—I wanted to see them. Alone. I had my doubts, somehow, that Bel was in this as deeply as Director Keef seemed to think. I worried about Bel and the others—were they being mistreated? Vice-Director Schaff had certainly done his best to mistreat me. I'd never had a seizure in my life, even when Edan was doing his worst.
"You'll be going out again with Rylend and Torevik, but under an assumed name this time. I'll have your new ID and credit chip waiting when the healer releases you." That was my dismissal so I rose, gave the best respectful dip of my head I could and walked out, my legs feeling like rubber.
"How did it go?" Norian Keef walked in only moments after Reah had gone.
"She'll never trust us again," Lendill sighed.
Aurelius was leaping from one tree to the next, using vampire speed. Spawn were littered throughout the jungle, but he couldn't take all of them at once. He couldn't risk folding away from them, either—that could attract the attention of a hidden Ra'Ak. He also couldn't fold away from the planet—a Ra'Ak could track him by the use of that power, which in turn would place others in immediate danger.
Aurelius was glad these spawn were easily confused—they were young, having been taken from the local population not long before. Aurelius figured they were less than a month old—barely having sloughed away their human appearance. A concentrated effort had been made to take over this portion of the planet; Birimeran technology was in its infancy but it was there, in the highly populated areas in the north. In the southern jungles, the native population was less educated and more superstitious. Those still retaining their humanity spoke of the spawn as gods or godlike, with the speed and agility that any Ra'Ak spawn gained when turned. Aurelius had already sent mindspeech, asking for help. It was scheduled to come soon. He hoped it came—now.
Something didn't feel right on the way back to Gavril's room. It wasn't just the discomfort I felt after listening to Vice-Director Schaff. This was wrong, somehow. Really wrong. As in, someone was in trouble or something. It only got worse as I walked along until it had my stomach cramping. I'd never felt anything like this before, unless it had been—well—on Mandil. I had to think back; it seemed a lifetime ago, although it hadn't been very long at all. People I cared for had been in danger, and then, "Aurelius!" I was shouting his name as something happened that I never expected to happen. Not without help or instruction.
Aurelius was backed against the bare cliff face—he realized that the spawn had only been herding him through the trees when he reached that spot. More had been waiting there and he was cut off. Piles of spawn dust littered the rock and shale around the cliff, but there were too many of the creatures remaining for Aurelius to turn his back on them and attempt to climb. More could be waiting at the top, he realized; he was too afraid to use the ability he had to Look and find out.
Six spawn attacked at once, forcing Aurelius to use his speed and vampire claws to behead them. His eyes were red and he was hissing, he knew. While that might frighten any normal humanoid, it had no effect on spawn. If they were instructed to attack, then they would attack, with no fear for their lives. Aurelius knew something was directing these—they never acted in concert like this without something more intelligent behind them. More came walking out of the jungle, stalking him. Aurelius might have been able to take down fifty or so alone, but there were more than that. Many more. Aurelius prepared himself for what was to come.
"Aurelius!" I was shouting his name and my Thifilatha was running through a rainforest, even as I swept spawn aside with my arms. I was burning them, too, whenever I touched them—they were screeching and dusting if they came in contact with any part of me. There had to be hundreds of them, at the very least. With my height as Thifilatha, I could see Aurelius backed against a rocky cliff, fighting them off as best he could.
If Gavril hadn't described what vampires looked like when they fought, I might have been frightened. Aurelius' fangs were showing, as were his lengthy claws. His eyes were red, too—Gavril explained that it happened whenever a vampire fought or was in danger. Aurelius was dealing with both those things.
"I'm coming, my love!" I was using Aurelius' endearment for me. Stooping low, I flung out my arms and killed another swath of spawn. Some thought to attack me. It was their last thought. Aurelius was still fighting—I think he was regaining hope that he might live over this. I was nearly there, too, when the spawn that had been waiting at the top of the cliff leapt over the edge, dropping down upon Aurelius.
Aurelius stared in shock as Reah, in full Thifilatha, leapt toward him, her beautiful, translucent gold wings spread out, catching the spawn that now fell from the sky. The ones that hit her wings burned and winked out of existence, like fireworks on a clear, summer night. It might have been lovely to watch, except for the shrieks the spawn made before they dusted. Aurelius stood at the foot of the cliff while Reah stood over him at fifteen feet in height, spawn striking her wings by the dozens, bouncing against her head and body before screaming, burning and dusting.
Spawn dust hit the cliff face like a sandstorm, causing Aurelius to hunch down and cover his head to keep blasting particles from his eyes. He hoped the mass dusting wasn't blinding Reah—she'd come to protect him. There wasn't any way he might have lived through this, otherwise.
"Reah my love, are you going to change back now?" Aurelius patted one of my huge, gold-scaled arms. I'd sat down wearily against the cliff face after the last of the spawn had been killed. The piles of spawn dust surrounding us were several hands high. I'd learned, too, after changing this time, that I truly could burn what I chose and hold back the burning if someone I trusted wished to touch me while I was Thifilatha. Aurelius was touching me now.
"Four feet," Aurelius read my thoughts and nodded at my estimation of how deep the spawn dust was that lay about us. "And I am grateful you can hold back that talent you seem to have," he added with a tired smile.
"Auri, please teach me your measurements sometime," I sighed. I wanted to hold my head in my hands—it hurt. Karzac was going to have a fit when we got back—he hadn't released me yet, but there wasn't any way I would leave Aurelius to die. I loved him. I knew that for certain, now—my heart had squeezed horribly when I'd seen him fighting off hundreds of spawn, trapped against the cliff face as he was. "Are there any more spawn?" I asked after a moment, when Aurelius hadn't answered me.
"No, love. You killed them all."
"You got your share."
"I got what I could. Now, change back, please. I can't hold you when you're like this." He looked up at me.
"She doesn't know how." Someone else was there with us, suddenly. Someone I didn't recognize. "I have seen you, young one, but each time you were asleep or unconscious."
I blinked at him; he was beautiful to look upon. I could also see the aura and power surrounding him. Struggling into a kneeling position, I placed my forehead on the ground at his feet. Somehow, I knew what he was, even if I couldn't put a name or words to it.
"Few know to bow to me nowadays," he said, smiling a wondrous smile. "My fault, I'm sure. Young one, rise up. I will teach you to come back to yourself."
"I am Kifirin, Lord of the Dark Realm," the god told me later, after he'd shown me how to regain my normal shape. Aurelius had watched both of us carefully as Kifirin had worked with me. It only took concentration on my part—visualizing what I wanted—and it happened. Kifirin was more than handsome as a man—he was the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen.
"Little one, you were foretold long ago," Kifirin said as I searched for something to cover myself. Turning Thifilatha destroys whatever I am wearing, and coming back to my humanoid form leaves me quite naked. Aurelius and Kifirin appeared to be coolly indifferent to that reality.
"That sounds like a child's tale," I muttered at Kifirin's statement as I attempted to slip behind Aurelius. Aurelius smiled slightly and moved forward so I could hide behind his muscular frame.
"But this foretelling only came to me." Kifirin's smile might stop many a heart, I think, even if he were smiling at my embarrassment. "It is not time, yet, to explain that tale," he went on. "Spawn Hunter, there is no Ra'Ak here. I would know if there were. You may use your folding ability to take this one home." Kifirin disappeared as quickly as he'd arrived.