Chapter Ten
Tairen, tairen, soaring high
Undisputed king of sky
Which great god did fearless chance
To cast thy bold magnificence?
“Tairen, Tairen” by Kimall vel’En Belawi, Tairen Soul
The Fading Lands ~ Eastern Desert
High above the world, the light of the Great Sun turned the eastern sky watery. Streamers of wispy cloud hanging over the
far horizon glowed pink in the slowly lightening sky.
Wind blew through the loose shields of Fire surrounding Ellysetta, whistling in her ears as she and Rain raced across the
Fading Lands. Below them, the stark colors of the desert slowly gave way to a vast, gently rolling terrain covered with tall,
waving grasses. Herds of grazing animals dotted the plains, scattering in fright as Rain’s tairen form swooped over them.
Beyond the wide expanse of golden plains, the smoking, snowcapped volcanoes of the Feyls rose up in impressive majesty. One
tall peak dominated the rest, towering over its brethren by at least a third. Clouds encircled its snowy peak like a misty
crown. Just below them, three large tairen rode the updrafts on outstretched wings.
?Is that Fey’Bahren?? Ellysetta asked.
?It is. Torasul, Fahreeta, and Steli are flying out to greet us.? The three tairen spewed jets of flame and spun around to fly towards Rain and Ellysetta with alarming swiftness.
She gulped. ?Is that a good thing??
?You are the truemate of the Tairen Soul, none of the tairen would dare singe a single hair on your head. But Steli is . . .
fierce. She may try to frighten you. She thinks she is chakai, First Blade, of the tairen.?
?First Blade??
?Fiercest of defenders. Celierians call them champions. Bel, Tajik, Rijonn, and Gil are all First Blades of the Fading Lands.
Gaelen was, too, before he became dahl’reisen.?
?Oh.? Wonderful.
Ellysetta’s fingers tightened about the pommel of the saddle as the tairen roared. The great cats were enormous, their eyes
glowing, opalescent wells of active power. One of them, a pure white beauty with deep blue eyes, sped ahead of the other tairen
and roared a challenge, showing a fearsome set of sharp white teeth. Rain roared back but the white tairen did not slow.
?Is the white one Steli??
?Aiyah.?
Steli’s ears were laid back against her head, her razor-sharp claws unsheathed and fully extended.
?Rain . . . ? Ellie grabbed hold of the saddle, and her legs clamped tight around Rain’s neck. He and Steli were on a direct collision
course, and neither showed the slightest sign of fear or concern. Neither showed any sign of slowing down either.
?Trust me, Ellysetta.?
Trust him. Trust him when a ferocious two-ton flying predator raced towards them at ramming speed. Ellysetta gulped, squeezed
her eyes shut, and held on tight.
?Hold on.? That was all the warning Ellie received before Rain banked sharply to the left.
Ellysetta bit back a scream, and her eyes flashed open just in time to see the two tairen miss a head-on collision by a mere hand’s breadth. Steli passed so close, her furred tail brushed Ellysetta’s leg, and the wind generated by her pumping wings sent Ellysetta’s hair flying in all directions.
Rain righted himself in moments. ?Are you well, shei’tani??
In hands white-knuckled from fear, Ellie clutched enormous tufts of tairen fur, and her legs clenched the saddle so fiercely
that she’d all but melded herself to the leather. Slowly, her roiling belly and racing heart calmed and she managed to unfreeze
her muscles enough to release Rain’s fur. ?For the moment.? Except for the unfortunate feeling that she was about to lose what little food she’d eaten in Lissilin.
?You did very well.? Approval hummed along the threads of his Spirit weave.
?Steli will not challenge us again. You did not scream and I did not falter.
She was the first to turn away.? There was satisfaction in his voice, the prideful kind evinced by men and boys when they survived a test of manhood.
She relaxed her death grip on Rain’s pelt and shook her head. Steli was not the only one to believe herself First Blade of
the tairen.
The other two tairen—one a gleaming gold and the other a deep, dark brown—banked in opposing circles, and Rain flew between
them. He headed straight for the massive peak of Fey’Bahren, and as they neared, Ellysetta could make out the dark shadows
of caves dotting the volcano’s steep sides. Rain landed on the wide ledge surrounding one of the largest caves. A shaft of
Air plucked her from the saddle and set her on her feet, as Rain’s great black tairen form dissolved into mist. Then he was
Rainier once more, tall, fierce, unearthly beautiful.
“Come, shei’tani. Sybharukai and the others are waiting for us.”
“Are you sure it’s all right? I can wait out here if necessary.” A loud roar split the air, and she turned to see Steli spouting
a great jet of fire. Ellysetta gulped. “Or not.”
Despite everything, the corner of Rain’s mouth lifted in a small smile. “You would be safe here, but Sybharukai says I should bring you.” He held out a wrist. “Come, shei’tani, and meet our soul-kin.”
He escorted her down a long, winding passage that seemed to go on forever. The passage was wide and tall enough to accommodate
three fully grown tairen walking abreast, the stone dark and worn smooth by centuries of use. Numerous smaller tunnels branched
off from the main passage, but they continued steadily downward. Once the cave entrance was out of sight, Rain summoned Fire
to light the crystal globes that lined the pathway.
“The tairen use lights in their lair?” she asked in surprise.
He laughed softly. “Nei, but Feyreisen in their Fey form find it helpful. It’s said Feyreisen and their families once lived together in Fey’Bahren
with the tairen, but it’s been long since that was true—if it ever was. Most fellana are too afraid of the tairen to be comfortable here.”
“Was your mother afraid of the tairen?”
His smile grew sad. “Nei. Nei, she never was.”
The passage finally opened into an enormous firelit cavern deep within the heart of Fey’Bahren. Dark, ledged walls soared
ten tairen lengths high. A thick layer of hot black sand covered the cavern floor. Ellysetta could feel the heat through the
soles of her boots as she and Rain entered. All around them, glowing eyes watched from the darkness of the encircling ledges.
The cavern hummed with a low, mournful growling that made her want to weep.
A smoky shadow moved along the far side of the cavern, startling Ellysetta when two large glowing green eyes appeared in its
midst. Then the shadow moved again, rising to pad silently across the sand. The illusory camouflage of the approaching great
dark gray cat was astonishing. Even moving, it appeared more smoke than solid flesh. As the tairen approached, Ellysetta sensed
a rich mix of welcome, strength, and a powerful calming stillness. Almost as if this one tairen were singlehandedly holding
the grief of the others in check.
“Sybharukai.” Rain touched Ellie’s shoulder. ?Wait here, shei’tani.? He continued forward alone to greet the matriarch of the tairen pride. His towering Fey height seemed dwarfed against the
tairen, and the gentle welcoming nudge of Sybharukai’s massive head pushed him back several steps. He raised his arms and
embraced the enormous cat, pressing his face against the furred jaw.
When they parted, Ellysetta saw what Sybharukai’s body had previously hidden from view. Another tairen lay motionless upon
the dark sands of the nesting lair. Its great head was cocked to one side, jaws parted to reveal once-lethal fangs and a lolling
tongue. Its eyes were open, but they had turned a flat, opaque white. The cat lay curled around six large eggs, protecting
them even in death. Behind the dead tairen crouched a large, dark brown tairen who was the source of the mournful growls.
Every instinct urged Ellysetta to soothe the deep hurt that caused such overwhelming sorrow. She took a step nearer, then
stopped. This was a place of mourning, and she was a stranger.
“That is Cahlah,” Rain said quietly as he returned to her side. “She is—was—the mother of those unhatched kits, and it is
she whose passing we felt. The male behind her is her mate, Merdrahl.” Deep emotion thickened his voice, and his expression
had grown stony.
Unlike the tairen, Rain was no stranger, and she needed neither invitation nor introduction to offer him comfort. She reached
for his hand. As her fingers clasped it, she could feel the faint tingles of warmth passing from her body to his, healing
magic, which she wove instinctively. Condolence, sympathy, gentle love.
“I’m sorry, Rain. This is my fault. If you hadn’t given me time with my family—if you’d flown me here straightaway—we could
have arrived days ago. Maybe we could have found a way to save them.” Guilt lay heavy upon her. She tried to block the emotion
so Rain would not sense it, but they were touching skin to skin. He read her guilt and grief as easily as if they were his
own.
He drew a shuddering breath and pulled her into his embrace. “Nei, I will not allow you to blame yourself. The decision was mine. You would have come if I had insisted, but I did not. Even
Sybharukai thought Cahlah was improving, and this . . . thing—whatever it is—that slays the kitlings in the egg has never
taken an adult tairen before now. Sybharukai says Cahlah fought it cha, meicha, te seyani, fang, claw, and tail; but she had already lost too much strength, and she spent the last of it battling the thing that came
to claim her kit.”
Ellysetta laid her hand on his chest. “I am the one the Eye of Truth sent you to find. I am the one meant to save them. If
I am not to blame for Cahlah’s death, then how can you be?”
Sybharukai gave a purring growl that sounded to Ellie like both a gentle remonstration and a slightly impatient command.