A/N: Wow, sorry for such a long wait in between updates! With spring break, back to school work, and all that other good stuff, I haven't had time to write. And now, with exams in less thantwo weeks, this may be my last update until school is out for the the summer. Thanks to all my reviewers, and sorry for making you wait this long!
A/N: In this chapter, we meet Aly's children, as well as Nawat. As Nawat is not mine, I'm sorry if he is OOC, but please bear with me.
Disclaimer: I own nothing other than Shyam, Dani, Rhia, and Mingan.
Flickering Flames: Chapter 3
"Tell me again why we brought our own mounts?" Shyam grumbled as he followed his sister and Rhia down the gangplank of the Firedancer, Mingan at his heels. Dani didn't answer as she continued down the plank to the remote village harbor that the Trickster had guided them to.
The second Shyam's feet hit the ground, it seemingly began to lurch as he tried to regain his balance after being on the ship for so long. Dani and Rhia swayed dangerously, caught off guard. The ground stopped spinning shortly, and all three regained their balance, smoothing at their clothes and trying to appear as if nothing had happened.
All three were tanned by the long sea voyage, but none of them were the burnished shade of the native raka. Dani and Rhia were dressed in a short-collared tunic, as well as a sarong, while Shyam wore his customary tunic and breeches, preferring to go barefoot. They didn't look out of place amongst the raka that were bustling around the docks, but something else did.
Shyam stared in wonder at the number of large, black birds that populated the docks, ships and village grounds, carpeting them in what seemed to be a blanket of glossy-black feathers.
"Hello," he heard Dani murmur to someone. He looked around, surprised to see a large black crow wander over to stare at Dani with intelligent blue-black eyes. His twin crouched down to be on eye level with the bird, ice-blue eyes meeting a sharp blue-black gaze.
Mesmerized by the intelligence in the crow's gaze, Dani didn't even start when a young woman about the age of seventeen stepped seemingly out of nowhere, smoothing down her orange sarong that shimmered with golden threads. Her short-collared tunic was a deep red, and a least a half-dozen gold necklaces adorned her neck. Gold bracelets glittered on her wrists and arms, while her golden-streaked straight black hair was down, reaching the middle of her back.
Taking in her appearance, Shyam lifted his gaze to her face. He gasped, hazel eyes widening in shock. He had never seen someone so…oddly beautiful.
There really was no other way to describe it. The girl was three inches shorter than him, and her golden-streaked hair accentuated a full face, contrasted by sharp cheekbones. Her face led into a round chin, while a full nose and mouth just made her even more exotic. Her skin was the same burnished shade as the native raka, and accentuating her slender neck was a black choker with strange, almost transparent beads on it.
Instinctively, Shyam grasped Mingan's ruff, entwining his fingers into the thick fur. As the wolf-dog raised his nose to draw in the young woman's scent, Shyam asked silently, Is she here to hurt us, wolf-brother?
Unknown to even Dani, Shyam could speak mind-to-mind with Mingan. He did not have wild magic, but when Shyam Alden have gifted his namesake with the puppy eight years ago, he had given them a bond so strong it would tie them together forever and allow them to speak mind-to-mind.
The young Shang Wolf shifted, wary, until Mingan's response came to his mind. She is friendly. Sensing his friend's doubts, he added, Use your Light. You will see what I mean.
Releasing the canine's ruff, Shyam slowly released a tendril of his Gift towards the girl. Exposed to his magic, he could see clearly the shifting pattern of feathers that seemed to be tattooed on her skin.
"A crow-human?" Shyam wondered aloud, staring at the girl. The young woman's hazel gaze focused on him and sharpened. At her feet, where Dani and the crow still sat in their silent staring contest, the crow squawked in approving way and tugged on a loose lock of Dani's raven-black hair.
Smiling, Dani made a half-hearted attempt to swat the crow away, but the bird merely evaded her waving hand and hopped back, tugging on yet another loose strand. Chuckling, Dani's eyes changed to a robin's egg blue as she stroked the crow's feathers softly.
Looking up, Shyam found they were surrounded by crows. Beside him, Rhia petted one of the large birds that had come to rest on her shoulder, green eyes delighted.
"You are marked by the Bright One." Shyam looked up, surprised by the young woman's words. Instead of the rough voice he had been expecting, her voice was light and almost musical.
"What?" He asked stupidly, trying to figure out what was going on. The crow-girl walked towards him, a smile curling her lips. The crows moved out of her way, flapping their wings and cawing, throwing up a cloud of dust.
"You have the mark of the Bright One." The girl was in front of him now, and Shyam met her sharp gaze, astounded and entranced by the multitude of greens and browns that flickered in her eyes.
Mingan reared to his full height, breaking their staring constant and wanting attention. Grateful for something to cover his blush, Shyam watched as his wolf-dog panted happily.
"Hello." The girl crooned, ruffling the canine's fur. Shyam watched in amusement as Mingan's tail wagged until it became a blur.
"The Bright One?" Dani asked from where she now stood at Shyam's side. "Who's the Bright One?"
The girl's hazel gaze locked on Dani, then looked at the crow that had come to rest on the other girl's shoulder. Looking closely now, Shyam could see the crow had a curious lightening shaped white mark on its chest.
Clearly speaking to the crow now, the girl said irritably, "Elsu, will you please go change? Can't you see these are the ones Ma sent us here for?"
The crow on Dani's shoulder gave an irritated hiss in the crow-girl's direction, taking flight. At ten feet above their heads he dove, straight for the crow-girl. The girl however, didn't flinch—she didn't move, even though Shyam knew she saw the crow coming towards her.
A foot from the girl's head, the crow pulled up short. Apparently giving up, he flew away to a clump of nearby bushes just up the dusty road the village was on.
Turning her gaze back to the newcomers, the girl introduced herself. "I'm Junai Crow," she told them, and then motioned to the bushes where the crow had disappeared. "That was my brother, Elsu Crow."
No sooner had she said this then her brother—and twin, Shyam was guessing—appeared. They looked alike, but Elsu looked more like a crow-turned-human. He had a full face, full mouth and sharp cheekbones like his sister, but he had a sharp chin, brown eyes, and a slender nose. Around his neck was an inky black choker, which seemed to be an odd necklace to wear on such a long neck. He was the exact same height as Shyam, with short, tousled black hair. He wore a lurain style breeches and tunic, and he too went barefoot.
Shyam watched as Elsu approached, and then he reached out with his Gift. Like his sister, Elsu was patterned with feathers, seeming as if he could fly away. Dani's eyes changed to a sudden blue-green in surprise, making her seem, for an instant, more like their mother than in any other way possible.
Junai drew their attention back to herself by clearing her throat, and Shyam remembered what he was going to ask.
"Who's the Bright One?" He questioned.
Junai grinned, her hazel eyes sparkling mischievously. "I believe in Tortall you call him the Trickster," she told him, "but here, to those who know him personally, he is the Bright One."
Shyam's thoughts whirled with this information, but he remembered one part of his conversation with his mother. The Crow family…He gazed at Junai with newfound respect. So her mother was the spymaster for the Copper Isles.
"Are we going to stand around all day?" Elsu's smooth voice jerked him out of his reverie, and Shyam glanced at the other young man.
"Let's go," he murmured, and turned to Junai, bowing. "Would you lead the way?"
Junai smiled slightly, and took the lead. They hadn't gone far when a man came from the opposite direction, carrying a satchel and walking barefoot.
This man that was approaching them was over six feet, and thin. Seeing the black hair and the sharp features from a distance, Shyam guessed that this must by the Crow twins' father.
When the man drew even with them, he slowed, a smile shaping his mouth. "Junai. Elsu." He greeted his children solemnly, pulling them into a hug. Releasing them, he regarded the newcomers with interest. "Who are you?"
"These are the Bright One's new Chosen, Da," Junai explained. "They came to help us." Nawat's face lit in a broad smile, and he looked at the newcomers with welcome.
"We will need your assistance," he told them gravely, setting down his satchel with care. Suddenly, Shyam noticed something moving out of the corner of his eye, he say something moving.
Reacting on the instinct that had saved his life and his sister's life numerous times, Shyam tracked the moving shadow. When the figure got close enough to pass out of the stand of trees that was beside the road, the Shang Wolf struck.
Grabbing the man behind the neck, Shyam carefully applied pressure to the two nerve points in the person's neck. He was rewarded when the man's eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped to the ground, unconscious.
The next second, lean arms had wrapped around Shyam's arms and neck, pinning him to where he stood. One lean arm wrapped around him arms, effectively pinning them behind his back, while one wrapped around his neck, preventing him from moving.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Shyam saw Dani draw her wrist knives, while Rhia had her crossbow trained on the assailant's back. Both were afraid to use their weapons, afraid they would hurt Shyam.
Suddenly, Shyam's attacker stopped trying to squeeze the life out him, standing stock still. Twisting his head so he could see what was going on, Shyam saw Mingan had his teeth clamped around Elsu Crow's upper arm.
In a mind voice that demanded obedience, the wolf-dog snarled, Release my pack-brother or I'll tear your arm to pieces. Slowly, Elsu released his grip on Shyam, and Shang Wolf fell forward, coughing and massaging his throat.
Rhia helped him up, green eyes concerned, then turned to Elsu, her glare murderous. Elsu merely glared back, and then stepped forward, intending to yell at the foreigner, but a snarling Mingan planting himself in front of Shyam prevented that.
Glaring at the other man a short distance away, Elsu seethed, "What were you doing, attacking our servant like that?"
"I didn't know he was your servant!" Shyam shot back, "I saw a man moving and I reacted to save my sister and her friend!"
"You couldn't let us handle it, could you?" Elsu retorted, brown eyes sparking with hatred.
Shyam glared, opening his mouth to retort, but Junai intervened. "We need to get to the palace," she told them, glancing at the sun's position. "It's getting late and Ma is expecting us."
Nawat nodded in agreement. "We need to leave." Turning towards the trees, he whistled three short notes. Wondering who he was summoning, Shyam jumped when six winged horses soared out of the trees.
"What are they?" He asked in awe, staring. The horses were large, and they stared at the strangers with distrustful eyes. There were six of them, in colors ranging from white to chestnut. At Nawat's beckoning hand, four more footmen stepped out of the trees, wearing the uniforms of guards.
"Please get their belongings and mounts from the Firedancer, which is still in the harbor." Nawat instructed them, and bowing, the men turned away and started back down the path. Mingan took one look at the winged horses and thrust his nose into Shyam's hand.
I will make sure they don't not steal your things, pack-brother, he said calmly, and Shyam smiled, comforted by the wolf-dog's unfailingly loyalty.
Thank you, wolf-brother, he replied, and with that, Mingan turned and loped after the disappearing men.
Turning his attention to the winged horses, Shyam jumped when Dani came up beside him. "They're kudarung," she whispered, ice-blue eyes shining. She reached out a hand to the nearest, a chestnut, but the large mare shied away from her hand.
Nawat came up and rested his head on the kudarung's forehead, eyes closed. He braced his hands on either side of the kudarung's head, and the mare's eyes focused on him.
After a few moments, Nawat stepped away. "She will carry you now," he told Dani. The mare snorted, but allowed the girl to mount her. Shyam turned to a silver stallion on his right.
Placing his hands firmly on the horse's back, he slid into the saddle. The kudarung snorted, but didn't move. Nawat, seated on a gray stallion, gave two short whistles, and all the winged horses took to the sky.
Holding on to kudarung's mane, Shyam had the wonderful sensation of flying. He dared not look down, but he saw the palace in the distance, and kept his eyes on the glittering structure.
The kudarung eventually spiraled down, landing in a stone courtyard filled with grooms and stable boys. Sliding off his stallion, Shyam patted the large horse gratefully and waited for everyone else to dismount.
Silently padding up to him, Dani made him jump as she whispered, "Having fun?" Turning around, Shyam saw her grinning face, and smiled in return.
Looking around at all the splendor with awe, Dani whispered—half to her brother and half to herself—"Welcome to the Copper Isles."
A/N: So, good, bad, dumb? Please tell me what you think of this recent installment by updating!