Chapter 47
Iyana
While she was happy to leave the cold and snow of Northern Arinem behind, Iyana was not pleased about her change of scenery. Everything was brown, and almost all the same tone. It would make for a terrible sketch; there was no depth, no contrast. The land was flat, the only landmarks dead, scraggly trees which all appeared the same. Unlike the desert of Imothia, this barren landscape lacked not only color and sound, but an aroma as well. There was a faint smell of dust with an underlying stench of death, but like everything else, it was muted. The air was an oppressive, humid haze hiding the sky from view, making it impossible to know what time it was or how long they’d been wandering.
Once they had left the ocean, it hadn’t taken long to realize there was absolutely no technique to determine which direction they were heading. A heading might not have been helpful anyway, as they had no clue where the tomb might be located. Nobody knew how much area the Dead Lands actually spanned—there weren’t exactly explorers willing to map the place. Iyana was following a gut instinct and walking towards where she felt her soul was guiding her.
For all she knew, Iyana was leading them in circles.
The wailers’ screeching followed them. First on their right, then their left, then behind. There was no way for them to know how many there were, how close they were, and if they were aware that living beings walked on their land. Iyana would bet the creatures knew exactly where they were and simply enjoyed playing with their food. An eternity in this place could drive anyone mad, and these creatures were starving—not only for a meal, but for entertainment.
Their group barely spoke, hoping to keep the wailers away as long as possible. Even Kaz was reserved. The shifter hadn’t cracked a joke since they’d arrived on this godsforsaken piece of land.
Everyone stole little glances at Iyana. She’d catch them out of the corner of her eye, but they’d look away when they realized she’d caught them. They didn’t trust her sense of direction. And for good reason, Iyana thought. She wished Altair would take charge as he had in the past and confidently lead them to the entrance of the tomb with a little flourish of his hand, and maybe a ‘ta da’ for good measure. But she recognized they were following her lead because she was the Aztia and she had left the shore confidently, like she knew exactly where they needed to go.
Now that little niggle of intuition seemed insufficient. Iyana couldn’t blame the others for not having confidence in her; she didn’t believe in herself at the moment. To be honest, she hadn’t believed in herself for most of this whole crazy debacle her life had turned into. Potions, tinctures, and medicine? That was easy; she’d been doing it her whole life. Being the ‘chosen one’ was completely different and much more daunting. Time had slipped through her fingers—it simultaneously felt much longer and also like she had met this crazy group of people yesterday. But it had only been one moon and some number of days since she’d learned she was the Aztia and had a cosmic destiny bigger than she was. It was not enough time to build any sort of confidence. Uther had been an emperor for longer than she’d been alive. How in the name of the old gods was she supposed to defeat him? She had no military training, no weapons training, and at best a basic understanding of her magic. While she had been improving by leaps and bounds since leaving the library—something had unlocked within her when she saved Emmeric—Iyana was starting to regret that she hadn’t let Talon teach her how to use a dagger or bow. Her stubbornness had won out, and hopefully it wouldn’t come back to bite her in the ass.
After some amount of time of the others glancing surreptitiously at her, she’d had enough. Whirling on her small family, she hissed, “Stop.” They all abruptly halted in their tracks. Iyana kept her voice in a whisper. “If any of you want to take over leading this little expedition, please be my guest. Otherwise, stop looking at me like I’ve lost my fucking mind.”
A pulse of calm and serenity wound its way down the bond. She jabbed a finger in Emmeric’s direction. “Cut it out.” He frowned but raised his hands in surrender. Iyana didn’t appreciate the sass his expression conveyed, though. Before she could chastise him further, however, she was thrown to the ground. As the wind was knocked out of her, she gasped deeply, trying to return air to her lungs. One of her ribs groaned in pain.
That’s when she noticed the gangly white thing on top of her. Enough oxygen reentered her to scream as its gigantic mouth descended towards her face. Frantic, Iyana fought, scratching at its arms and chest, scrambling her legs to escape from underneath, but it had her firmly pinned to the ground. An ear-piercing shriek rang through her ears as dark blood splashed on her face. Then Emmeric was there, replacing the horrendous creature about to swallow her. He hauled her to her feet, giving her a once over and, deciding she was mostly uninjured, dove back into the fray.
It was only then that she saw five other monsters circling them, besides the one now lying dead at Iyana’s feet, black blood oozing into the dehydrated ground. Her four companions had formed a ring around her to keep her protected, Kaz in her beautiful black leopard form. The creatures—wailers, her brain whispered to her—were at least seven feet tall, fully white, with arms so long they almost brushed the ground, ending in sharp claws. Their frames were those of starving animals—all sinew and bone, their ribs protruding, joints knobby. The tattered remains of human clothing hung off their body as a reminder of what they once were. But the worst was their faces. Mostly balding, with thin, scraggly hair jutting out at all angles, their foreheads melted directly into a mouth. They had no eyes, not even sockets where eyes once were. It was a blank surface of white with slits for noses. And their mouths… Their mouths took up more than half of their faces, large ovals of black with rows of teeth on display. Dimly, from the recesses of her brain, it reminded Iyana of the description of a shark’s mouth. Shrill screeches filled the air, the same ones they’d been hearing following them. Hunting them, Iyana now realized.
A slice of pain along her thigh almost brought her to her knees. Looking down, she expected to see the thirsty ground greedily drinking her blood, but her skin was unmarred.
Emmeric.
Iyana found him quickly. A wailer had slashed at his leg with long talons, but her warrior continued to stave the monster off with a sword in each hand. He was faltering, though, and she didn’t know how much longer he’d last. The other three were fighting their own battles—Altair taking on two with his sword of fire, while Kaz and Talon fought one each. They were all on the offense, but none were available to come to Emmeric’s aid. She felt him weakening and understood none of her other friends would reach him before one of those things killed him. Iyana would not allow Emmeric to become one of these creatures.
Magic surged through her, and as she drew from her Kanaliza, she willed him to be healed. The pain in her own leg abated, and she wanted to celebrate the fact she’d healed Emmeric without touching him and without blood being exchanged.
Drawing from him, injured and unsuspecting, had cost Emmeric an advantage, and the wailer moved faster than humanly possible. Harnessing air, without really knowing what she was doing, she made a slicing motion towards the creature. It stopped dead in its tracks, that unnerving, eyeless face turning to Iyana. Its nostrils flared, as if catching her scent. Fear blazed through her, her heart drumming out a fast beat. As it picked up a deadened white foot to take a step towards her, Emmeric attempting to regain his composure, blood seeped down its body from a cut in its torso. It glanced down at the darkness now dripping onto the dirt, and then the top half of the monster slid free from the bottom half and it dropped to the ground dead.
Iyana rushed to Emmeric, shaking hands checking the tear in his breeches to see his skin had closed. Dried blood was there, but none was fresh. The wound had healed. She choked on a sob. Emmeric’s hands were on her shoulders as he stared into her eyes.
“I’m fine, Mouse. I promise.” He squeezed her shoulders gently. “Thank you,” he whispered.
They turned to find the other four wailers also dead, their friends exhausted but alive and uninjured. Kaz shifted in a flare of light and spat black blood onto the ground.
“Disgusting,” she said with a curl to her upper lip.
Iyana began laughing. She wasn’t quite sure why; she was just so grateful her family was safe. Soon everyone joined in her mirth, and they inwardly hoped no more of the creatures were within earshot.
When the mood had sobered, Iyana set off again, at a faster pace this time, following the small voice inside her telling her where to go. At some point, Altair began walking next to her and intertwined their fingers together. A little thrill shot through Iyana at the idea of holding his hand in front of everyone. He was claiming her as his, and she loved it.
She thought back to their time on the ship and deeply wished they could return to that short-lived life. They’d spent most of their time in their cabin, tangled in the sheets and each other, whispering their love between sweet kisses. When they were spent, they would cuddle with Iyana wrapped up in Altair’s arms, the star drawing idle pictures with his fingers on her back. They spoke of the future, carefully avoiding the topic of winter solstice. But Iyana truly saw herself with Altair for an eternity. He made her heart and soul sing. She imagined a thousand different scenarios—she brought him back to Imothia, and they spent their days aiding the village. Or they returned to Athusia, where she could finally attend school to further her craft. Or they simply traveled the world together. No matter which way she imagined her future, he was there by her side, supporting her in her dreams while he enjoyed a quiet, free life on the earth. Iyana had never seriously considered children, instead choosing to focus on her studies, but with Altair, she found herself longing for that life. It might not even be possible for a star and a human to have children together, but she was too terrified to ask. Too worried about the implications of the question.
Altair leaned over until his lips brushed over her ear, his tall frame towering over her petite one. A shiver ran through Iyana as it did whenever he was near her. “That was impressive, astalle,” he murmured, the praise caressing her soul. She smiled up at him, eyes dipping to his lips momentarily before reminding herself this was definitely not the time to lose herself in Altair. Plus, remnants of wailer blood still speckled her face. His smirk let her know he’d noticed the glance.
“Once you get the amulet, you’ll be unstoppable,” Altair said, a hint of something akin to awe in his voice. Iyana’s stomach flipped. The idea of such extraordinary power terrified and thrilled her. What if she couldn’t control it? Seeing her doubt shining through, he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
The sounds of wailers continued to follow them. Hunting. Iyana really would rather avoid another conflict with them. Time trickled by without being able to tell how much. They ate and rested when their bodies told them to, continuing to follow that niggling intuition within Iyana. It took so long that the doubt creeped back in.
The more she concentrated on the feeling, the more it seemed familiar. And then she finally placed it.
The little woman made of fire that Iyana associated with her magic. She was what was guiding them. Once Iyana had figured it out, her trust swelled, and she picked up their pace. They were all exhausted, and moving faster certainly didn’t help, but if the wailers found them in their current state, they’d all be dead and cursed to wander these lands forever. Iyana refused for that to be the fate of anyone in her family. She needed the amulet to protect them.
The fire inside her burned brighter and hotter. She assumed it meant they were getting closer to the tomb. Suddenly, there was a change to the landscape. A large cluster of rocks appeared in the distance. They all slowed as it came into view, realizing exactly what they had stumbled across.
Iyana broke into a run.
Emmeric cursed behind her, but all their footsteps followed closely, the ground absorbing most of the sound. She pulled up short at the front of the outcropping, her chest heaving with the exertion. It was taller than she would have thought from the distance, with a black hole for an entrance which had a faint golden sheen covering it. But if Iyana focused on it too hard, it disappeared. The others’ arrival distracted her from the glittering curtain.
“Damn, Smalls,” Talon said, panting. “I thought you hated running.”
“I do,” she said, not taking her eyes off the tomb. Etched into the stone over the entrance were words in a language Iyana didn’t understand.
sobe ill om bozente te pyrsino wa trare
“Only those who possess the fire may enter,” Altair translated.
That explained the shimmery screen. Magic.
“I possess fire,” Iyana said. “I could probably get in.”
Altair’s eyebrows pinched together. “I also have fire, but for some reason, I don’t think it’ll let me pass.”
Kaz and Talon were off to the side together. Iyana glanced over at them, and Talon shrugged. “We’re both in agreement that neither one of us is going in there. Regardless of my hair color, I know I don’t possess fire.”
“I’m going in,” Iyana announced.
Somewhere off to her right, Emmeric said something about waiting and making a plan, but she was already striding forward. Iyana reached out her hand, and it passed through the magical curtain without resistance. As she started walking forward—uncaring if anyone was coming with her, she’d do this on her own if she had to—someone clamped down on her wrist. But she was on the move, and whoever it was couldn’t stop her momentum. Once she was fully in the cave, she turned to find Emmeric still attached to her wrist with his eyes firmly shut, breaths coming in short bursts. Slowly, he peered at the cavern and sighed when he recognized they were both still alive. Altair, Talon, and Kaz were all on the other side of the veil. Altair reached out a tentative finger, but immediately yanked his hand back. Iyana saw the tip of his finger had blackened. She stepped to go to him out of concern, but he shook his head.
“I’ll heal, astalle.” Looking at Emmeric, his golden eyes ablaze, he added, “You watch her back, Sullane.”
“Sir, yes, sir,” Emmeric said, giving the star a mocking salute. Altair frowned and might have murdered Emmeric for the slight if there wasn’t an impenetrable barrier between them. “I know you can take care of yourself—you more than proved that with the wailers—but I’ll always watch your back, Mouse,” he told her under his breath so Altair wouldn’t overhear. “I don’t need this asshole telling me to do my job.”
Iyana’s heart lightened with his words, and she didn’t even care if he sensed her gratitude through the bond.