Book 4

Siha: Rise of Rakhana

Part II

"No…No…No!" Braith twists, feeling his blade cut through her, severing them from one another, "…No!" She screams, the face falling away as he dies…Casnar wrestles her out of the skyrunner.

"What the gods is going on here," Borhaus comes from the skyrunners that have landed just now, rocks keeping crashing water at bay ten meters from where Casnar holds Braith in his arms on the ground in his wetsuit, her legs bare and wet with a damp dress from the rain riding up her kicking thighs, "…Soterios," he growls, "…What's your wife doing—"

Casnar shoots him an irritated glare, "…If I knew, I wouldn't tell you—"

The children in Ylyssus's arms are screaming and bawling, reaching for their mother. More doors among the skyrunners open.

"Kala," Casnar swears as Braith turns over and vomits up blood. His hands don't leave her. Agape in horror at the sight of what has just happened, Ylyssus turns away with the children screaming and begins to walk with them, saying prayers for Braith to be alright.

Ylyssus is stopped by a slim drell in tight green and black wetsuit, a bedi in his hand as he smokes and holds his palm out to stop him from leaving with the twins…His name is Quoyle Nerafa, "…She sick?"

Ylyssus shakes his head, "…She was fine this morning, minutes before," he bobs the children to try and silence them, "…She's not…" He looks over his shoulder, past Jaspin's teary patak towards Casnar holding Braith from her convulsions, "…I don't know what's happened…"

"Take them to the capitol," Quoyle points to the twins and Ylyssus, and three drells in the same color suits as he and Borhaus move to bring the husband and children into the skyrunner.

Casnar sees her eyes close tightly under him, (: …Cemal is dead!…Bangal'roux breached!… :) she says this in Rakhïken so the drells from Sybilla do not understand.

(: What do you mean, how do you know? :)

(: I know, :) she snaps, her eyes open and leaking tendrils of pink livid energy, "…Don't touch them," she snarls.

Casnar looks over his shoulder to see the drells with their hands on Ylyssus, guiding him back into their family skyrunner, the twins still in his arms. Braith's eyes connect with Quoyle's as she wipes blood off her lips with her bare arm.

"You're better now?" Casnar asks incredulously, helping her stand. Connecting her fiery eyes to Ylyssus, the drells having backed off once seeing her sudden change—and the menace of her purported power—to Ylyssus she now walks to seek her children.

"Give them here, Ylyssus," she commands and takes Jenner and Jaspin from him. Braith calms the twins, kissing their pataks and leaving only a smudge of blood on each, (: …Your papa loves you, little ones. :)

Casnar looks at Ylyssus from the back of Braith's calming hair, to the drells watching solemnly, listening as this strange human speaks in the old world tongue…

The power unmelds with her mind.

Lowering his soggy bedi, Quoyle whispers but loud enough for the others to hear, "…Get back inside the 'runners..."

Ylyssus goes to the rear of their skyrunner, opens it and pulls out a blanket he will use to wrap around Braith.

(: Do not take your eyes off them, :) she whispers to Casnar, passing a quieter but sniffly pair of twins into his arms…Casnar seeks her face questioningly, but she says no more.