Daughter of Three Suns
Chapter 33
I opened my eyes to find Edward standing some distance away, turning slowly as he studied the desert around us. He wore no clothing, which made it easy for me to admire the shape of him. Broad shoulders and narrow hips, hard muscles across his flat chest and abdomen, he was firm where I was soft, hard angled where I was rounded. We were the perfect balance to each other. He smiled when he saw me watching him.
"Aro always said your world was ugly—hot, sterile, and without color. But he was so wrong. There's a beauty in its barren vastness and in its untracked expanse. I want to explore it all."
"Maybe when the children are older and stronger we can go."
"No. Now, Bella."
"But …"
Edward's smile widened, and then he began to change. His man form melted away, and in its place was the beautiful basherter I had seen from the top of the building in his world. His feathers were golden, shot through with ochre, amber, and scarlet. The tips and the ribs were dark brown. Golden eyes stared at me, and then I heard his voice in my head.
"Fly with me, my mate."
I opened my mind to him and felt that deep tugging in my chest—then we were sharing a body. We opened our beak, and with a loud cry, leaped into the air. Powerful wings swept out, beating against the air and propelling us into the sky. Longer, stiffer flight feathers on our wings and tail caught an updraft, and then we were gliding through the sky, sailing over the glowing desert below us.
All my life I had wondered what it would be like to fly above the world, to look down at the rolling dunes and bare-rock islands below. Now, joined with my soulmate, I knew the freedom of the air. Our giant shadow raced over the land below us as we flew above it. I could feel the tug on our chest muscles, the wind teasing the tips of our wings as feathers shifted and tilted in response.
With a slant of our head, I looked down at my body lying on the sand. A little way off was the tumble of rocks where our family rested. We glanced up and located the island where the sand cats lived some distance away.
Currents swirled around us, and with a strong beat of our wings, we caught an updraft, circling higher into the open sky. "There," I told Edward, tilting our head toward a bare-rock island far in the distance. "There is home where our mothers live."
I sensed Edward studying it. "Soon," he thought back.
Edward angled our body sideways, catching a rising column of hotter air that seemed to almost glow in the sunlight. We rode it upward, climbing and soaring until the islands were mere specks below us. Our world spread outward, the horizon so far in the distance that we could see the curve of it. Dark shadows speckled the land, but other areas seemed to glitter and glint in the sunshine. "So much to explore," I thought to my mate.
He chuckled in our head. "Soon."
For a moment more, we hovered there, filling our eyes with the peace and serenity of the desert. A great bubble of happiness rose up within me. I opened our beak and trilled a song of joy into the wind. Then we descended, gliding to a landing beside my body. A final tugging and I was back in my own skin, smiling at the man who sat beside me.
I placed my hand along his beautiful cheek. "Thank you. I've always wondered what that would feel like, and now I know. I love you, Edward. I will always love you. Even after we seek the sands and rest forever with Grandmother Spirit, I will still love you."
Edward grabbed my hand, then pulled me to my feet. "And I will always love you, my Bella. Now," he said, picking up our clothing from the sand. "Let's go home."
…..
As it turned out, it was a long, long time before we went back to the bare-rock island of my birth. After gathering food and water, we set out to the sand cat's island. This time, there was no urgency from Alice, so we took our time and enjoyed the journey. Sometimes, Edward joined Charles in the air, swooping and hovering above us. Hope and Ward made a game of trying to catch their father's and grandfather's shadows on the sand. Their shrieking laughter and giggling kept us entertained. Other times, when they grew tired, Edward and I would hoist them onto our shoulders where they would ride, staring in wide-eyed wonder at the desert around them. Jasper carried most of our supplies on his back in a pack that Alice had fashioned. When I objected, she assured me that he didn't mind.
I thought we would stay a short time at the cat's island, resting and renewing our supplies, but soon after we arrived, Alice announced that she was staying there permanently and making it her new home. Explaining that she couldn't ask Jasper to give up his home for some place he wouldn't feel comfortable; she asked us to consider living there with them. Edward liked the island and the idea of having more freedom to be himself, so we settled into our new home.
Charles left and returned accompanied by Renee and Esme. The reunion between mother and son was a beautiful thing to see. Together, they would often wander into the desert or climb to the top of our island, talking and making up for all the time they had lost.
Each wake cycle was spent cleaning and repairing the old walkways, stairs and cave homes. We needed to make it safer for our children and prepare for the time when Daughter Sun returned to the sky. Before that happened, however, we decided to make one more journey.
Edward was eager to see his friend, Emmett, and we all wanted to see him, Rosalie, and their daughters. Once again, we gathered our supplies and set off across the desert. When we were within sight of the island, Edward shifted to his basherter form and soared into the air. We watched him fly over the island, shrieking a challenge, then dive toward the center cavern before rising again. A flurry of winged forms rose from the island, headed for him. We could dimly hear their challenging calls. Edward's huge wings carried him higher as they struggled to reach him.
Suddenly, one of the larger basherters shot away from the group. Beak forward and talons extended, it rushed toward Edward. "Mother!" I glanced down toward my son's worried face. "Is Father going to be hurt?"
"No," I reassured him. "I think that's probably Emmett, and he won't hurt your father."
It was easy to see the moment Emmett recognized his friend. His huge wings backstroked, and then he was trilling a greeting to Edward. The two friends circled each other, then with a wide banking turn, sped toward us. Barely a feather's length separated them as they cut through the air, all four wings beating as one. Another swooping turn and they began circling each other, diving and hovering, and chasing each other through the sky. I laughed as I watched them.
I felt Ward grab my hand and glanced down to see him staring at the scene above us in wonder. "I want to do that when I'm grown. Please, Mother, can I do that?"
I'd never let myself consider whether or not Hope and Ward might shift when they reached adulthood. Now, two sets of eyes looked imploringly at me as Hope added a "me too, please."
"I hope you can," I answered truthfully. "We'll have to wait and see, but the people from your father's world can shift, so I think it's likely you both will, too." Satisfied, they resumed watching the aerial display above us.
My mother gave a shout, and then started running toward the island. Walking toward us was Rosalie and her three daughters. "Look," I said, pointing in their direction. "It's your Auntie Rosalie and your cousins, Emma, Elise, and Eryn. You should run and say hello."
Hope and Ward easily recognized Elise and Eryn, but it was their oldest cousin, Emma, who had changed enough to make them hesitate. Emma was now in that awkward state between child and adult. No longer a girl, not yet a woman, she hung back from our reunion, clearly uncomfortable and uneasy.
"I've missed you, Emma." I hugged her to me, then pulled back and studied her intently. "You've been taking the herbs." She nodded, and I continued. "I remember what it was like. We can talk if you have questions." With another nod, she turned, and we all began walking toward their home.
Irina's island had been transformed with the arrival of Emmett's shifter friends. The food plants had been pruned and controlled. The center pond cleaned, and the fish managed. The old caves were restored and were now homes to families. The once deserted island was a busy, thriving community. Irina had given birth to a little girl, and everyone was hoping for more births after the Anamnesis. It was hoped that some of those children would be boys.
Jasper was a source of great interest to everyone. People wanted to touch him, to speak to him, to understand the link between him and Alice. I marveled at the patience they both showed.
We enjoyed our visit, but all too soon it was time to leave. Mother Sun had almost disappeared below the horizon, and we had to be home before Daughter Sun returned. Emma walked beside me as we left.
"Mother said you would take me to my Metanora if I need to go."
"Yes. Send your father and I will come."
She stopped walking, and I turned to her worried face. "Auntie, I'm afraid."
"Don't be, child of my sister. Change is always uncomfortable, but it is a pain that comes and goes quickly. I think your mother has prepared you well, and I'll be with you."
She hugged me, then returned home.
…..
Mother Sun went to her rest, leaving Grandmother alone in the sky. We climbed to the flat top of our island home and celebrated our own version of the Anamnesis. This time the ceremony included all the males of our little community, Edward, Ward, and Charles, who shifted into his man form as soon as the sky darkened. Alice—looking through Jasper's eyes—and I finally gazed upon the face of our father.
Like all the children before them, Ward and Hope ran and played in the magical red light, then watched as the flowers we tossed over the edge of the island cliffs caught the breeze and swirled into the sky. We recited the three blessings and the three prayers. When they tired, we gathered around Alice and Jasper, eating and drinking while we listened to her tell the story of our people and our world. This time, when she came to Esme's name, she added her rescue and return home. At the end, she began telling the story of Bella, first Warrior of the Red Circle, but I shushed her, insisting that I didn't want to hear anything about what I had done and didn't deserve to be remembered. Her smirking grin was my only answer.
When Hope and Ward could no longer remain awake, Alice, Jasper, and Esme took them to our homes below, leaving Mother, Charles, Edward, and I to complete the rest of the ceremony. We crushed the herbs and filled our lungs three times, then coated ourselves and our mates with the fine dust. The hunger for my mate flared within me. My blood boiled and my bones melted as desire consumed me. Grabbing Edward, I led him to the far side of the island plateau. I knew Mother had done the same with Charles. Then, there was only ecstasy under the dark sky and the ruby glow of Grandmother Sun.
…..
Daughter Sun returned. This time it was evident that she was much smaller and much weaker. Our food plants and the fish in the pond grew more slowly, and we had to work harder to dry and store enough provisions before she left. I was busy weaving another storage basket when, with a great rush of wings, Emmett landed beside me. I followed him into a nearby cave where he shifted.
"Do you need me to come?"
"Yes. Emma's growth has slowed down. We think she needs to go to her Metanora."
"I'll gather some supplies and we can leave."
…..
Rosalie, Emma, and all the people of their island were waiting in the shaded entrance when I arrived. My sister led her daughter to the very edge of the opening. For a long moment, mother and child stared at each other before Rosalie sighed. Then, taking a step away from Emma, my sister repeated the formal words that generations of mothers had said to their daughters before sending them out into the glare of Daughter Sun.
My sister's lips were trembling when she finished, but she leaned forward, placing a kiss on my niece's forehead, before giving me a brief grin. "Go with your Auntie Bella," she said. "And may Grandmother Spirit guide you." With one last glance at her family and all the people she loved, Emma removed her clothes, picked up her walking staff, and together, we stepped into the burning desert.
I watched her closely as we walked. Slowly, her skin turned a bright red. She said it was itchy and uncomfortable but not really painful. We spoke of many things as we journeyed. With the doorways closed to the other worlds, neither of us was sure where Grandmother would send her when she finished her Metanora.
Rosalie had prepared her daughter for the changes she would face after becoming a woman. Emma knew about the ecstasy she would share with her mate, how they would join their bodies to make children, and how he would be both man and basherter. She knew much more than I had known when I went into the desert.
By the time we reached the end of our journey, a few blisters had formed on her skin. I could tell she was in pain, but she assured me she was all right. Just as Rosalie had done for me, I planted Emma's staff upright into the ground, then handed her the rope to secure her legs together.
"Tie the other end to your staff," I told her. "This will secure your body in place as you change and will also signify your acceptance of the moirai Grandmother has chosen for you."
Emma did as I instructed, then laid back on the sand, smiling peacefully as she waited. I watched, wondering how the scabs I remembered from my change would cover her when she had so few blisters. A warm red glow formed around my niece, then began to solidify into a hard shell that crept up her body. I wondered if it had been the same for me but had only seemed different because of the pain I had felt. Just as it crept up over her neck and chin, I leaned forward and whispered. "Time to become a woman, Emma. Close your eyes, little niece, and dream."
It would be many cycles before I saw Emma again.
.
.
AN: Thank you for reading and waiting patiently for this chapter. Real life suddenly got very busy, just as I was trying to finish this story. Although I'm happy for things to start getting back to normal again, jury duty wasn't actually on my list! Ha Many thanks to Wonder Beta Sally for correcting my mistakes. One more chapter (I think) then an epilogue set far into the future.
