Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Lila
The houses are these adorable, foliage-covered, dome-like buildings that have cute little round windows in them.
If they can fold down into one pocket-sized thing, then maybe we can get one to put at home on Skarr as a cubby for the kids to play in—though I’m not even sure they are going to stay kids long enough to make use of it.
Maybe they need to be granny units for the teenagers they will be in a few, short years.
The door is wide open as we approach the one Zala entered. Her golden larnuk’s body is half in and half out of the doorway, making it so neither Xavier nor I can enter.
“Hey, Zala, do you want to move your horse’s ass?” Xavier calls.
“Dhahabi, back,” she calls, and the larnuk backs out of the doorway, snorts at us, and shows its teeth, which has me shrinking backward. It gives us a horsey grin and ambles off.
“Come on.” Xavier tugs my hand and enters the dwelling.
The interior is more like what I expected, with soft furnishings covering all the walls and an abundance of cushions on the floor.
Zala is sitting at a small coffee table on the floor, a steaming mug of something in front of her.
In the corner, I can see a bed area surrounded by more gauzy curtains.
There’s another, more solid wall blocking off another area of the dwelling, which I’m going to assume is the bathroom.
The room is cool compared to the outside, and a shiver runs down my spine.
Zala is eyeing me with interest, her watery blue eyes not hostile but not exactly warm with welcome.
“You look like one of us,” she comments offhandedly as Xavier leans down, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
She waves a hand absently at the cushions before turning her attention to the warlock.
“How did Zilla end up as your guide? She doesn’t leave the city unless Father makes her.
I’m surprised her larnuk could make it all the way out here. ”
I move over and take a seat. Xavier joins me, his descent so much more elegant than mine. He leans over and pours a mug of the steaming beverage into a cup for both of us and hands it to me.
“Thank you, but I’m still a bit warm,” I tell him, flapping a hand at my face in the hope to cool down somewhat.
“Barid,” Zala calls out, and the room is instantly flooded with a cool breeze.
“Oh, thank you. It really is rather warm. I’m not sure how you and Silac can cope,” I say to my fiancé who grins.
“Cooling protection spell.” He waves a hand at his body, and I frown.
“But don’t you need to be with Silac to protect him too? Is he out there becoming roast snake?” I go to scramble to my feet so I can check on him, but Xavier stops me.
“No, the spell is still on him.”
I narrow my eyes on the warlock. “So why did you need to ride with him?”
A mischievous grin crosses his face. “Because I could.” I huff out an amused laugh at his ridiculousness. “Zala, I don’t think you’ve been properly introduced to Lila.”
“It’s lovely to finally meet you,” I say to the girl who just studies me for a moment before grinning.
“You too, Lila. I can tell that there is never going to be a dull moment when you’re around. Although the drink steams, it’s cool,” Zala says, waving a hand at the beverage Xavier placed in front of me. “Try it, it is good.”
I lift the steaming mug to my mouth and blow on it, but when I place my lips on the cup and take a sip, it’s not hot at all. It’s cool and refreshing and sweet, kind of like a sweetish peppermint tea.
“Zilla graciously offered to be our guide out here,” Xavier says, answering the question from before, and it’s hard to miss the sarcasm in his voice.
Zala rolls her eyes. “I bet it was only after she heard that Tirrian was with your party.” Speaking of the dragon, both him and the snake enter the little dwelling, followed by the aforementioned sister who wrinkles her nose.
“God, it’s so small in here,” she grumbles, and I gaze around the room in amazement. It really isn’t. There’s plenty of room for all of us to lounge around Zala’s table, and apart from the curtained off bed and bathroom area, there are a couple more mounds of pillows for relaxing.
“Zilla, it’s been a while. Dad expected you to come and have dinner with the family when I first returned home, but you didn’t show up,” Zala says blandly, and Zilla wrinkles her nose.
“And listen to everyone fawn all over you all evening? No thanks. I hear enough about how wonderful you are and how you are going to be such a great leader one day.” A sly look emerges on her face.
“How is the opalescent bonding going? Don’t think I don’t know what you are doing out here.
This is where their herd was last seen.”
Zala’s eyebrows jump in surprise. “It is? Nobody told me that. Last time I was home, they were living on the other side of the planet.”
“Yes, they moved here about six months ago. Don’t tell me this wasn’t all a well-coordinated attempt to finish the collection and surpass Father.”
“No, it really isn’t, Zilla. I’m here for the flower and the flower only. I’ve only been out here a few days. I was at home with Mom and Dad, visiting with Grandma. She says you haven’t been to visit in a while.”
“That woman gives me the creeps.” Zilla shudders, and Zala’s mouth purses in annoyance as she sits upright, her spine stiff as a board.
“Well, she is still our grandmother and deserves your respect. Everyone else would kill to have her wisdom and advice, but you just shun it. You can’t avoid it because she is here.”
Zilla’s face pales, and she looks around the room like her grandmother is going to pounce on her at any second. She fidgets, her gaze going between Tirrian and the doorway, and then she starts stepping toward the latter.
“I better get back to the city. The larnuks that brought you here will be able to see you safely back when you are done.”
Zala jumps to her feet. “No you won’t. Your larnuk must rest for at least a couple of hours before you attempt that return flight. It would be dangerous for him to return straightaway. Stay here while I take Lila into the cavern. You can’t avoid her forever.”
“Watch me.”
“Sit down, Zilla.” A voice in the doorway has us all turning, and I watch Zilla’s complexion pale considerably.
This woman looks old. She is short and slightly hunched in stature, and her dark skin is wrinkly and looks paper-thin.
The expected watery blue eyes are completely white, but I have a feeling this woman sees more than most. She gives off an air of wisdom and grace as she moves into the room easily despite her lack of sight.
Finally, someone who ages somewhat normally.
Her silver hair is also streaked with many different colors, almost the same amount as Zala.
Tirrian, Silac, and Xavier all jump to their feet and bow to the woman with reverence.
“Zamala, it is lovely to see you again,” Tirrian says politely, reaching for her hand and bowing over it.
“Ah, young dragon, it is I who am pleased to see you.” Her lips part, and she laughs at her joke as she pats his hand before turning her body to the other men.
“And the serpent king and the warlock prince. Well, this is a treat. Sit down, you don’t need to stand for me.
” She stops, and her focus turns to me, her unseeing eyes widening with surprise.
“A mimic. It has been a long time since the Skarrians had a mimic present itself. Trouble must be coming.” Her words are said carefully, like they hold weight and she knows what’s coming.
A shiver runs down my spine at her words, and Zilla pales even more. As Zamala’s attention turns to her.
“Ah, child. You need to stop pining for what is not yours and find peace with it. Otherwise, your life is going to be so very sad.”
“Ugh. I am out of here. I’ll be in the communal tent until it is time to leave.” Zilla leaves in a huff. I can’t believe how rude she is to her grandmother.
“Ah, that girl is going to be nothing but trouble for this family. It is inevitable. I try to steer her back onto the right path, but she believes my words are the ramblings of an old woman. Her end will not be pleasant, but all I can do is comfort my son when he grieves.” Zamala turns her attention back to us.
“You need to go now. The flower will start blooming in the next hour, and it will only last for a few hours after that. To preserve its magic, you need to wrap it in this.” She pulls a fabric bag from the pocket of her long tunic and passes it to me.
“No one but you should touch it, Lila. Make sure of it, and make sure you are in your Celestian form when you do.”
I stare in shock at the old woman, and she waves the bag at me, so I reach out and take it. How did she know I have a Celestian form? Or that I’m even a mimic in the first place?
As I reach for the bag, my hand brushes across hers, and she strikes like a snake. Her hand latches onto my wrist and won’t let it go. Everything fades away, and a crooning, keening cry echoes inside my mind.
“Your grandmother is still alive. Until recently, she was being held in this very cavern by an unsavory faction, but she was recently moved to another location when they learned you were coming for the flower.”
I frown at the old woman and snatch my hand away. “Why didn’t you tell my grandfathers this?” I demand as excitement and annoyance war inside of me at the information the old woman just revealed.
She sighs. “That is not how my visions work, unfortunately. It was only seeing you just now that caused the knowledge to come to me.”
“Did your vision show you where they took her?” Xavier asks gently, and Zamala shudders.
“Yes, they have her in stasis, and they have placed the box in the middle of the death forest on Husadavia.”
Everyone in the room gasps, and I frown. I’ve heard the name of that planet before, but I can’t remember where or what the big deal is.
“How did they even get her there?” Silac asks, and Zamala furrows her eyebrows in a deep frown.
“The people who were tasked with placing her there did not make it out.”
“That is a suicide mission,” Zala argues. “There’s no way anyone will survive to retrieve her.”
“That’s not actually true. There are the halla fruit harvesters. They come and go from the planet with relative ease,” Tirrian points out thoughtfully.
“Focus on today’s task and worry about the future task later. You will need one petal of the flamegem flower to be saved to revive your grandma, and you will need a carevasta bear to break that stasis box they have placed her in.”
“Why didn’t anyone know about this before? She has been missing longer than I’ve been alive. How come none of your people have found her before this?” I’m so confused.
“This cavern is a no-go zone for Rilunese. It is sacred and guarded by this village. No one has been inside it since the last time the flower was needed, which was back during the time of the Una’s and Aaz’axian war,” Zala explains much more patiently than I would, that’s for sure.
“So you’ve never actually been where we need to go?” Xavier says dryly, and she shrugs.
“The knowledge of the path is in my mind. Apparently we will be guided there by the cavern itself if the one seeking the flower has pure intentions.” Her gaze slides to mine, and I flinch.
“You mean we may not get it at all? That Grandpa John may end up succumbing to the unknown virus?”
“I hope for your sake it doesn’t happen, but that is in the hands of the gods now,” Zamala says as she and Zala bow their heads.
“Do not worry, phoeall. You will get the flower, and all will be right again. I have no doubt.” Xavier reaches out and gives my hand a squeeze.
“Well, I guess there’s no point in hanging around and waiting. Let’s get this done. We will either die in the process or come out triumphant, but neither is going to happen if we sit around here.” Tirrian stands up and bows his head to the old woman. “It was a pleasure seeing you again, ma’am.”
“You too, young dragon, and take care to listen to your inner beasts. They know what they are talking about. Stubbornness is not going to get you anything but pain and sadness.”
Tirrian frowns at her message, and smoke wafts out of his nose as she turns her unseeing gaze to Silac, who has been relatively quiet.
“Serpent king, take the warlock’s offer, if not for anything but freeing the galaxy of the influence of that terrible family.
Many times they come here searching for gems. Many Rilunese, good men and women, have lost their lives to the greed that infests that family.
It is time to put an end to it.” She looks back and forth between Xavier and Silac, and both of them nod their heads reverently.
“It will be as you say,” Xavier promises her, and she smiles broadly.
“Zala, have care. What you seek is not for you but for another, but be at ease with this knowledge, for you will be very happy with your lot in life, I promise.”
Zala looks a little confused and somewhat stunned at Zamala’s revelation, but unlike Zilla, she takes it to heart.
“Thank you, Jadati.”
Finally, she turns to me. “Love hard and love well, Lila. Your time will be filled with challenges, but I see you meeting them with grace and dignity, even as trouble lashes at you from all sides. Stay true to yourself and your mates, and you will triumph. Oh, and forgive the can of tuna, he is a product of his upbringing, but you will be able to put him on the right path.”
With that, she bows her head to us and takes her leave, shuffling out of the dwelling as quickly as she shuffled in.