Truth - Hidden Truth Part 27

Talo-Toecan braked in a huge clap of noise, back winging to hover over the spot. He enjoyed water only in tame amounts he could easily consume and had never heard of such a thing. The disturbed water settled until even the ripples disappeared, showing only his image circling in worry. She wouldn't kill herself to escape him, he a.s.serted firmly, but as the moments acc.u.mulated, he began to wonder.

Dropping lower, he skimmed over the spot she went down, peering into the blackness. There was nothing to see, especially when small waves began to disturb his vision. Ripples, he mused, his eyes narrowing. She couldn't have swum under the water, could she? He raised his gaze in disbelief and caught sight of the tip of her tail, vanishing between the far sh.o.r.e and scrub.

With a roar of frustration, he was after her, her squeal of protest as she took flight only adding to his fervor. She almost tricked him again. Enraged, he sped after her, determined to bring her down.

At the sight of the Hold, the beast surged ahead. Talo-Toecan dropped back, thinking she might be seeking refuge, then cursed himself as she flew over it and beyond. She was not running to it. She was running from it. Snarling, he reached out a clawed foot and grabbed the first thing he could get. It was her impossibly long tail and probably the worst thing he could have done.

She pivoted on a wing tip with a short cry of outrage, slamming her feet into him with enough force to knock them both from the sky. His breath hissed out in pain and surprise, and he found himself tumbling end over end as, in her rage, she refused to let go.

Talo-Toecan struggled to halt their fall and fend off her attack. He, too, refused to let go, and he suffered hard blows. "Cease!" he ordered, forgetting she wouldn't understand. It only made matters worse. Her kicking shifted to slashing, and her claws raked him painfully as they slowly lost alt.i.tude. He thought he was finally beginning to get the upper hand when she changed tactics and went limp.

Her sudden deadweight caused his grip to slip, and she fell away. She was too close to the ground to recover and smashed into it with enough force to shiver the nearby trees. Clearly dazed, she staggered to a stand in the clearing she had fallen into.

Talo-Toecan was unsatisfied with her state of confusion and barreled in behind her. He swung his tail with enough strength to shatter a lesser being's skull. There was a dull thud as it met the back of her head, flinging her face into the ground to plow a lengthy furrow. Pivoting in a tight arc, he landed gracefully before the bewildered raku. Lungs heaving, he lowered his head and hissed. Hurry, Lodesh, he thought, breathing hard. He couldn't keep her here alone for long. Already her confused look wasbeing replaced by a virulent hatred. Her breathing, though fast, was slowing. Soon she would be away again, and this time, she would be harder to catch. He opened his wings and roared in a hopeless attempt to cow her.

"Play, Piper. Play!" he heard distantly, and then the gentle notes of a lullaby. The beast heard it as well, and pausing, she c.o.c.ked her head to listen to the slow rise and fall of the music as Strell and Lodesh appeared from under the trees.

Chapter 34.

She watched, totally unconcerned, as the two small figures came into view. The noise of their rustling approach had been obvious, and despite her earlier state of confusion, she was prepared to leave. But now there was music. She couldn't help but pause.

"Easy," the first advised. "I'll stay here. You move to the other side so she is surrounded. I suggest you not cease your playing until we're all in position." His green eyes never left her as he spoke. He seemed overly confident.

This pale one-as she named him-couldn't keep her grounded. Neither could the old one. He had brought her down, though it cost him several long scores that oozed a bright red. She could slip from him easily, and the last one that made the lovely music was no threat at all. She would allow them to circle her like wolves.

Fascinated by the music, she watched the maker of music move between her and the old one. She could smell the fear in him as he stepped carefully between the old one's feet, too frightened to come any closer to her. It was pleasing, and she showed him her teeth. The music faltered as he balked at the sight.

Annoyed at the lapse, the tip of her tail twitched. She would fly the instant the wonderful sounds ceased.

"Strell?" the pale one called. "Perhaps if you tried stopping for a moment?"

The player of music went ashen at the foolish suggestion.

"You can't play forever," the pale one complained. "Music won't bring her back. You must talk to her."

Never ceasing his playing, the musician fervently shook his head, and she agreed, her tail moving back and forth in agitation.

"What if you slipped out of it gently?" the pale one pressed. "Try slowing down."

She liked this not at all, but despite her warning look and low growl, the pace of the enrapturing sounds began to ease. As the last note drifted away and died, she extended her wings and looked longingly at the open sky.

The old one rose up to thunder a challenge that echoed off the nearby peaks. She reacted instinctively, having forgotten he was even there. Lowering her head, she hissed, thrashing her tail at the two small figures behind her. It was time to go. But first she had to back away from the old one to find the room to clear the trees.

The two men nimbly dodged her, but they didn't move enough to allow her escape. Aiming for the music maker, she whipped her tail in a sharp arc to knock him out cold. At the last moment, she changed her mind, and it went hissing harmlessly over his head. She didn't need to kill him, she rationalized, only scare him away. Sending her weapon in another direction, she struck it against a nearby rock buried halfinto the wet earth. It fractured into uncountable fragments. That, she thought, should be enough to frighten him.

But the musician stood firm. He was playing again, but it made no difference. She wanted out. She couldn't force her way past the old one. One of the men would die. She had warned them. It was their fault if they ignored her. With a savage growl, she raised her foot to crush the maker of music. He was clearly the weakest.

"Alissa! No!" he cried, taking a faltering step back as his instincts finally overpowered his sensibilities.

It was the first time he had spoken, and she halted in confusion. She knew that voice. It was from her dreams. He stood beneath her upraised foot, trembling from his fear, but he wouldn't move. "Please, Alissa. Come back to me," he whispered.

She drew away with a start. His words had started an uncomfortable feeling of disconnection.

Avoiding it, she turned to the pale one instead. This, she reasoned, was a better choice. If she spared the musician, someday she might hear those wonderful sounds again.

Snarling fiercely now that her confusion was gone, she prepared to dispatch the pale one. The longer she remained on the ground, the more uncertain she became. But as she turned to him, he changed. His clear eyes grew thick and dusky, and he extruded a threatening stillness that sent a shock through her.

This was not just a man. This one carried death!

"Come," the pale one invited sweetly, "I dare you."

She backed away, snorting in fear. The old one, too, could see the change and was staring in surprise. He wasn't afraid though, and that gave her courage. Frustrated, she howled and swung her tail in an arc to smash him like the rock.

"That's right," the pale one murmured seductively. "Strike me. I've become as Death's brother; she has loaned her talents to me. Pa.s.s me or strike me down, and I'll take you to her. Death has marked you. She'll allow me to claim you in her name. Come.... I dare you." The man who was Death's brother beckoned gently, his eyes glinting with a black sheen.

Rearing awkwardly, she backed up. Somewhere inside her, his invitation struck a response, and she knew his words were true. She was marked for death. Almost, she could remember how. In an absolute panic, she smacked her tail to the ground between them as a firm refusal. She wouldn't touch or try to pa.s.s him.

The man who carried her death ceased his advance to stand patiently. Death could afford to be generous; she always won.

She turned to the other man. No, she thought wildly, she couldn't hurt him, but why she couldn't was beyond her. Desperate to be away she looked at the old one again. He growled fiercely, thrashing his tail in quick thumps against the ground to make it tremble. She needed more room to slip past him. The maker of music would die for her freedom.

Must fly, she thought. Must be free. Head weaving, she lunged at the insignificant figure. He gasped, wide-eyed as she landed a hand's breath away, hissing her anger. His pipe slipped from his fingers, and trembling, he reached out to touch her.

"Please, Alissa," he pleaded. "I want this to end."

At his gentle caress, she drew back as if stung.

"That's it, Piper," Death's brother encouraged. He was standing casually, as if confident she wouldn't try his strength again. "Remind her of her past," he advised. "She knows you better than anyone."

"I have known her for six months," the man said raggedly."She has known me for two days," the pale one answered.

The musician took a shaky breath. "Alissa, please. You must come back. Do you-do you remember your swim? When we were traveling through the mountains?"

She paused, drawing her head back. Her impetus to flee was postponed by the strange visions his words invoked. Dreams of cold water and gliding forms, and a strange fascination with the warmth of a fire. Her whirling eyes slowed as she considered what it might mean.

Seeing her reaction, the man straightened. "The water was so cold," he said softly. "Your lips were blue when you came back. I put extra wood on the fire, knowing you would like it."

She had never been cold, she thought. Her swim was to escape. There was no fire. But another part of her was puzzled. She had once dreamed of a still lake, purple with the setting sun. Snorting, she shook her head to free herself from the conflict.

"And the gully where we met," he continued, his voice soft with emotion. "You were cold then, too.

Your feet were like ice when I felt to see if your ankle was broken. You pa.s.sed out, so you wouldn't know how I hoisted you from the ravine and carried you to your campsite."

Freedom, she breathed, looking to the sky. Yes. Free to fly from the cold prison. Her wings trembled with her desire to flee from his confusion.

His face went white with her reaction, and the man rushed to capture her attention again. "And Talon?" he cried. "She tore my hat to shreds that night."

Talon, she mused, her vision distant. Talon flies. She remembered now.... Talon flies, too! Finally finding common ground between her conflicting thoughts, she stretched her wings.

The old one growled softly, and Death's brother stood ready to make good his promise. "Piper," he warned nervously, "your choice of topics is getting dangerous."

"Alissa! Listen to me," the musician shouted. "She attacked me because we were arguing over whose homeland had the better crafting skills!"

She paused. She cared for nothing beyond an open sky, warm sun, and moonless nights with star-filled skies. This man was spouting absurdities, but slowly her wings drooped.

"You were right, Alissa," he said, his eyes turning from anxious to relieved. "Your people possess talents plainsmen can only envy."

That's right, she thought suddenly. Those ignorant dirt eaters were so impressed with status and show, they continually missed what was under their stuck-up noses. Shifting uneasily, she wondered where her strange thoughts came from. If only, she lamented, she could fly. She knew she could outdistance the discomforting visions forever if she could lose herself to the sky.

"You even managed to fix my old hat," the man continued, shaking his head in disbelief. "I was so angry at the time, I could have tossed you back into that ravine. Remember? You laughed and gave me yours. It took weeks for you to mend my old one. I knew you wanted to trade back but were afraid to ask." The musician took on a tender look, frightening her. "I wouldn't trade your hat for the most precious object in all the world," he whispered.

No! she a.s.serted, her panic returning full force at the visions his words provoked, images of peaceful evenings spent before a fire with a presence she needed more than the air itself. It couldn't be! she demanded. She needed no fire other than the sun, no companion but the wind. She must flee. She must fly. To remain alive, she must escape!

"Quickly, Piper. Something else," Death's brother whispered.

"Alissa," he called desperately, "remember your home with your mother? The smoke from her burntsuppers darkened the ceiling, but her smile was as pure and as honest as the rain. I met her before I met you. You're as strong as your mother, Alissa."

Dreams, she moaned, weaving her head in a frantic arc. How did he know of her dreams?

Seeing her indecision, the supposedly weak link exclaimed, "I got my map to the Hold from her!"

"It's my map!" she cried in anguish.

The old one jumped, his eyes going wide. His posture suspiciously confident, he looked to Death's brother. "I heard her, too, old friend," the specter murmured in astonishment, and then louder, "It's working, Strell. Her thoughts are becoming coherent."

The insignificant-seeming man stepped closer. "And our argument over Talon's shelter?"

"It was a dream," she wailed, shutting her eyes in pain. There was a terrible feeling of double vision, but the absence of sight only made it worse.

"It had rained for three days," her tormentor continued gently, "and you let your boots get soaked.

Talon found that overhang." He shook his head. "I'll never forget the look on your face when you sat down and refused to move. I was so angry, worried really, the rain would turn to snow. But you were right. We both needed the rest."

"Let me go," she begged. "I will be lost to the skies if you don't stop!" But either he didn't hear her, or he didn't care. Sending her tail in great sweeps, she cleared a large swath of scrub and saplings, and the sharp smell of their sap rose to fill the clearing. She was bound by his words, her need to know if it was true. The old one shifted uncomfortably. He apparently could hear her pleading, but he remained firm and didn't let her pa.s.s.

"And the chair, Alissa," the man said, his eyes full of a past torment. "Remember my chair? I didn't move it from your hearth. I thought you had thrown it into my room to tell me to leave you alone."

"No!" she cried soulfully, lifting her eyes to the sun. "I thought you had!"

"Careful, Piper," Death's brother warned. "She balances on the edge."

Her persecutor stepped closer. "You must come back to me, Alissa," he said firmly. "Who will I snitch bread dough from if you leave me?"

"I can't. I am... I must be free!" It was a piteous Cry, and the old one winced. Even Death looked uncomfortable.

"And our evenings?" the man continued mercilessly, smiling all the while. "I would practice my craft, and you would practice yours."

Gnashing her teeth, she swung her head in a great arc. "I won't go back. You can't force me," she a.s.serted, but she was unable to strike him.

"Please," the man pressed, obviously seeing his victory. "You must know it's been I who has gentled you back to slumber every night as you tossed in someone else's dreams of abandonment and search."

"I will not be forced," she cried, shaking her head frantically. "I am..." Lashing her tail, a twisted oak near the piper exploded, sending heavy slivers to stab at the air. "I won't!" she screamed silently to the sky.

Stunned at the show of strength, her tormentor ceased his onslaught. For a moment, all was still. A shudder rocked her, and her head bowed to the earth. He had chained her with doubt, nailed to the earth as if part of the ground itself. "Please," she begged quietly, desperately, heard by all but her torturer.

"Make it stop. I must be free to be alive. I won't allow myself to be forced." Her wings collapsed, and the brilliant gold of her hide dimmed to almost gray. She would die before being dominated.A look of horror washed over the music maker. "By the Navigator's Wolves," he whispered. "What have I done?" He took a faltering step forward, then another, his hand raised. Gently he touched her shoulder, and a shudder ran through them both. "Alissa, I'm sorry," he said raggedly. Taking a breath that was almost a sob, he looked up at the uncaring sky. "Look what I've done to you!" he cried.

She slumped farther, her head nearly to the ground, willing herself to death.

"Listen," he pleaded. "Please. You belong to the Hold. I can see this more clearly than ever, but it must be your choice, not one forced upon you. I could never stand in your way, even though I can't live without..." His voice broke, and he roughly caught his breath. "No," he whispered to himself, "I can't say that. Your freedom is more important."

At the word "freedom," a violent shudder rocked her. The old one and Death's brother exchanged glances across the clearing. "Piper," the pale one warned, "what are you doing?"

"Can't you see she will die before being forced into something she doesn't choose herself?" he shouted.

The old one and the one who carried death looked at each other nervously. They could do nothing, completely at the music maker's uncertain mercy. If they moved, she would fly. The one who had seemed to be the weakest was the strongest, and it was no longer clear where his loyalties would be. She waited, a thin hope making her muscles tense.

He tenderly pa.s.sed his hand over her dulling hide. "Alissa," he said, his voice thick with pain. "I would like nothing more than to keep you so you would always be beside me. Ever since we met in that ravine I have only been happy when you were near. But look at you!" he exclaimed. "You don't need me. You're the wind and mountain made real!"

"Piper!" Death's brother shouted. "What are you doing?"

She quivered, seeing her freedom within reach.

The man closed his eyes, torture etched deep into his face. "I have no right to lay a claim to you," he agonized. "No one has. I must..." he choked, his hands clenched and his breath coming in a haggard gasp. "Oh, Wolves," he whispered roughly. "Alissa, I loose you."

The old one's roar of denial thundered, drowning out the pale one's cry of despair. They were undone. There was nothing they could do. She tensed to leap, to be free, but her strength left her, pulled away by something stronger than her need to fly. "No!" she screamed, reaching for the sky, not knowing why. "I must be rid of the beast!"

Tears of loss and regret slipped unknowingly from Strell as he turned away, unable to hear her cry of desperation. "It's your choice," he whispered. "I won't force you to take a path you don't want. Just know that I love you.... I always have." Looking broken, he bent to retrieve his pipe and slowly walked away, his head bowed by what he had done.

"Strell!" she cried, her dreams shattering back into reality. "Don't leave me. I love you!"

His eyes round in astonishment, Strell whipped around to see her last, longing reach for the sky. For a moment she hung, vibrant and alive once more, poised for flight, wings outstretched, her eyes to the sun, a shimmering vision of grace and beauty, and then, with a soulful cry, she collapsed into a crumpled ma.s.s of golden wing and hide.

Chapter 35.

contents - previous next Lodesh watched Talo-Toecan shift in a swirl of gray from an agitated raku to an angry, tired-looking man. "By my Master's Wolves!" Talo-Toecan shouted. "What did you think you were doing, Piper!"