Book 5

Siha: Rise of Rakhana

Part III

"Silver and Fire"


Tetonbaum opens his eyes…This is not where I expected to return to…He looks beside him at Casnar and Ylyssus, then as they drop their shard from hands together, Tetonbaum runs into the first room of the cotti. "Where are the twins," Casnar whispers hoarsely, rising to walk into the childrens' cotovatre to check on Jaspin and Jenner.

Ylyssus slumps heavily in his chair, "…Kala," he rubs his tebris, "…What have we done…"


Tetonbaum stares outside of the door and sees the path to the drive lane, "…Thank mithras," he strides to where Braith and Kasumi are standing and talking to one another, the drells from Quoyle's unit still in their skyrunners.

Kasumi and Braith look over at Tetonbaum's arrival.

"Teton?—" He embraces Kasumi, lifting her upward in his arms and clinging to her as little she is against his frame. Her gown hangs over his boots, one of her heels dropping to lay on its side. Her earrings sway erratically and her braid is mussed by his crests and patak ridge. For Kasumi, the strength of his hug is gentle enough, but fiercely unable to let her go…

She emits a little wheeze at his unexpected pressure.

Braith backs a step, staring at the odd reunion by the drell to wife. Quoyle and the rest in the skyrunners look up in their direction, curiosity roused by Tetonbaum's inexplicable behavior...

"I love you," he whispers ardently to her—hair in his lips, holding her so hard, even as he bends to lower her foot and shoe down, and touches both sides of her face with his lips, completely enveloping her in kisses, "…I will only ever want you…" He professes earnestly, tears in his eyes.

"Teton," Kasumi pulls her face away from his doting lips, "…You went in a second ago—what happened?"

Casnar comes out, holding two sleeping twins as little footballs. He approaches the skyrunner containing with Quoyle Nerafa and Borhaus.

Braith looks at her husband as he lowers down to reveal the captain a visual inspection of the sleeping twins. "See," he snarls without explanation, "…They're safe and asleep. Now leave—And let my brother and his wife stay with us tonight…You may pick them up in the morning."

Quoyle nods, tipping his hat, "…Works for me," he leans back into his chair next to Borhaus and starts to raise the glass window of his door.

Tetonbaum moves suddenly from placing Kasumi on her feet.

While she picks up her shoe and glances between setting it back to her sole, and his latching his hand onto the door handle of the skyrunner, she sees him lean in where Casnar has backed away with the children. "Do you carry a symbol under your bachir?" She does not hear Tetonbaum hiss this under his breath to the agent Quoyle, who turns his face up abruptly to stare at the other through the strip of space between the top of the door's closing window.

The glass stops and lowers.

"Not sure what you're talking about," Quoyle roughly replies, staring at Tetonbaum's face in the dark. "Hand off the door."

Unable to check for himself, and stretching the limits of the drell's patience, Tetonbaum releases the door's handle and straightens, "…Sered Nerafa," he gives a shallow nod, his blood chilled, "…I thought I had seen something on the back of your…just a wonder at what it was."

Quoyle does not complete the action in his hand's flinch…Tetonbaum cannot see through the door concealing it between Quoyle's body and the vessel. Sitting still with an even gaze, "…Not much more back there 'sides crests and scales…" He nods his gaze, moving to Kasumi in his sideview mirror, "…We'll be back for the both of you in the morning…A little later than nine, so enjoy breakfast with your family…" Returning his eyes to Tetonbaum, "…Get some sleep, Sered." He closes the window all the way.

Tetonbaum steps away to then walk and be at Kasumi's side, taking hold of her hand once more, avoiding her eyes as the skyrunners ascend and accelerate away into the night mist.

Casnar stands next to Braith who takes hold of his waist with her arm and looks at him searchingly—relieved he is there and wondering of Ylyssus and the shards—while he holds Jaspin and Jenner still snuffling in their dreams, safe and small in his arms' nooks.

"Tetonbaum, Kasumi," Casnar tilts his smooth crests towards the cotti, pushing Braith with his hip to encourage she head inside, too, "…Go indoors. We'll set you up in the front room tonight…"