Tanza (44 page)
‘What we have heard here today precludes the need for a trial,’ Tyba began. ‘Astor Talon, I have found that your attack on Corypha was excessively violent and resulted in his death.’
To hear those words from my friend hurt more terribly than I could have imagined.
He continued, ‘An investigation into the mind of your Sleffionkin Ciera confirms it was an act of self-defence, and that combat fatique played a role in your lack of self-control. You are hereby stripped of your rank and are no longer a Specialist in the Defender Army.’
‘Thank you,’ I sent on the waves, fighting the panic and shame that rose within me.
‘You will be exiled for four months,’ Tyba announced.
‘So be it,’ Commander Saige agreed.
I started forward, shocked when the people immediately cleared a path for me. Strategist Saned had jumped back about three feet. Somebody clutched at him from behind, pulling him back away from me.
‘Goodbye,’ I said simply.
After taking one more look around at the faces of those I knew, I blurred down into my dark blue icetiger form, roared and swept from the room.
Chapter Thirty-two—Never Waver
O
nce outside, I ran from the building as fast as my tired legs could take me. Ciera chased after me, catching up somewhere in the middle of a cornfield. A feeling of elation came over me as I realised just how loyal he was to me. Ciera, the Emperor skyearl, had just been publicly discredited by my sentence. There was even talk about us being a renegade pair, yet he was ready and willing to leave the Tanzans and help me on my quest to free Sarlice.
‘At least he will still be Emperor upon his return, though,’ Tiaro said. ‘Whereas you will have to start from the bottom.’
‘I don’t think I will ever want to rejoin the Defenders,’ I said.
Ciera turned to stare back in the direction we had come. Amadeus flew down out of the stormy, grey sky and landed beside him, Prince Tyba upon his back. The Emperor skyearl exchanged a knowing look with his friend.
As he climbed down, Tyba seemed a little out of breath.
‘Wait,’ he said. ‘Before you go there are some things I want to give you.’
‘My prince,’ I jibed, ‘you are conversing with an exile.’
He patted me on the shoulder, saying, ‘It’s only four months. You’ll be hale without us for that long.’
A smile crept slowly over my face. Tyba wasn’t one to let officialdom get in the way of our friendship.
‘You know I’m going to free Sarlice,’ I stated.
He smirked at me and pulled a flat, well-wrapped object from a satchel on his skyearl’s side.
‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘If anyone can, you can, but you’re going to need this.’
Before I’d even unwrapped it, my senses told me it was the Centan shield artefact. It had been set into a larger wooden shield and fortified with steel braces and edges. A sturdy metal handle was pegged through the back of the shield. After what had happened I wasn’t sure if I still deserved it and the allegiance it represented.
‘This belongs to Tanza,’ I said, shaking my head. ‘Someone in the Defender Army should carry it, like Jaalta.’
‘Nay,’ he replied. ‘My mother said it was always meant for you.’
‘But it’s all you have of Tanza’s Ancient Sapphire Tree. Doesn’t that make it the official Anzaii Artefact of Tanza?’ I was shocked that he would still consider lending it to me.
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘And despite what some of the populace believe about you, you have Tanza’s support on your quest, and mine.’
The tears that swam in his eyes and the emotion that reached me through the waves were enough to make my voice choke up.
‘We will fight alongside each other again some day,’ Tyba said.
‘Now that the Zeikas are trapped in Tanza, we may not have to,’ I replied.
That brought a sad smile to his face. We both knew our troubles with Zeikas were not over yet.
He raised blue eyes to the sky above us. ‘The weather is against you. Please take these extra supplies and coin. They are my gift to you.’
As he spoke, Amadeus lifted down a pack from his own harness and fastened it to Ciera’s.
‘Thank you,’ I replied, humbled beyond belief that he would do this for me. He must have known ahead of time that something like this would happen. He had been prepared.
He embraced me as a brother and gave me a leg-up onto Ciera’s back.
‘May Krii run with you,’ Tyba called.
‘And you!’ I answered.
Ciera hunched down and let out a tremendous belly-roar that echoed off the cliffs in the distance. His great wings lifted him off the ground and we spiralled upwards into the stormclouds. Amadeus tossed his head, sending reassuring thoughts through the waves towards us.
‘Farewell,’ I called openly through the waves.
A chorus of voices replied, from animals to skyearls to human beings: ‘Farewell Astor Talon’, ‘Stay on course’, ‘Never waver’.
Glossary
Word | Pronunciation | Meaning or description |
Age of Astors (The) | | The Age of Astors – year 1 to 718 when Krii is foretold to return |
Animal-kin | | An animal that has bonded with a person (known as a Rada). The animal is usually called a ‘Rada-kin’ but can also be called ‘animal-kin’ or even by whatever type of animal it is, such as ‘bear-kin’ or ‘cat-kin’. |
Ancient Sapphire Tree (Also see ‘Great Sapphire Tree’ and ‘sapphire tree’) | | Nine ancient trees fuelled by Krii’s magic. Artefacts made from their sapphire-like leaves or their iron-like branches augment an Anzaii’s use of the waves. One day, it is said all nine artefacts will be brought together to symbolise the final united stand of all Kriites. The ‘Ancients’ are the largest and most powerful of all sapphire trees. |
Anzaii | Ahn-ZAI | A person with very strong abilities using the waves, one of ‘ancient blood’, i.e. the blood of Anzaiia or the ‘ancient survivors’ |
Astor | Ass-tor | A word based on the acronym A for Anzaii, S for Sleffion, T for Tolite and R for Rada, ‘Astor’ describes these gifts as a whole or a person who has all four gifts. In the latter case it functions like a rank or title. |
Before Time (The) | | The Before Time (an estimated 1,000 years before calendars were used) |
Ciera | See-EH-ruh | The emperor skyearl, who becomes Talon’s Sleffion-kin |
Condii | Con-dee-I | A town on the northern border of Tanza |
Cubit (one) | | 450 mm (width from one’s elbow to one’s hand) |
Chryne | Krine | The planet on which the novel is set |
Foot (one) | | 304.8 mm or 12 inches |
Great Sapphire Tree (also see Sapphire Tree) | | Although not as powerful as any one of the seven Ancient Sapphire Trees, Great Sapphire trees have nonetheless been used to create dozens of powerful artefacts, including many Anzaii-kin (jewellery, musical instruments etc.) and Tolite-kin (weapons). Like in Jaria, these trees are special symbols of Krii’s power and love. |
Inch (one) | | 25.4 mm |
Jaria | | A section of land nestled against the Ky-Ayr Ranges where a secluded tribe of Radans lives. Also used in common speech to refer to the main village. |
Jarian | Jah-ree-uhn | A person whose heritage is in Jaria |
Kin | | A general term that refers to any of the Rada-kin, Sleffion-kin, Tolite-kin or Anzaii-kin, it also simply means ‘family’ or ‘brethren’ |
Krii | CREE | The god of the Kriites who walked upon Chryne in the form of both man and wolf. |
Kriite | CREE-ite | A member of a faith that worships Krii, whose form is both human and wolf. Kriites believe that Krii was born on Chryne and lived a holy life, something they strive to emulate, but are ultimately unable. Zeidarb separates all humanity from Krii with the seal of life and death, using the universal law of justice for any wrongdoing. Kriites believe that Krii’s sacrificial death broke the seal and reconciled them to the creator. |
League (one) | | 5 km or 3 miles |
Mile | | 1.6093 km |
Magic | | Sometimes used to describe the good and evil forces that allow supernatural things to take place. It is closely linked with the spirit world. |
Pace (one) | | 1.48 m or 4.85 feet |
Prime Leader | | A traditional term for a ruler of a group of Rada (only Jaria and Lyth keep to the old ways) |
Prophet’s Epoch | | The Prophet’s Epoch – year 1 to 1272 when Krii was born |
Rada | Rah-duh or Ray-duh | A person who has the Kriite gift of sharing their thoughts and gifts with a sentient animal Note: ‘Rada’ is also the pluralised form, used to describe this group of people |
Rada-kin | Rah-duh kin | A sentient animal who has the Kriite gift of sharing their thoughts and gifts with a human; also the pluralised form |
sapphire tree (Also see ‘Ancient Sapphire Tree’ and ‘Great Sapphire Tree’) | Saf-FAI-uh Tree | Smaller than a Great Sapphire Tree, it is more numerous and the effects of an artefact made from it are less pronounced to the Anzaii. Still, objects and weapons made from sapphire trees are highly valued. The trees mostly only remain in underground caves or in deep, undisturbed forests, having been harvested for generations. |
Sarlice | Sar-leese | Second main character of book one, a twenty-two year-old Lythian woman |
Shape-shift | | A magical morph from one form to another, usually to some kind of land animal |
Skyearl | | A water chimera that has brightly coloured fur, feathered wings, lion-like paws, a horse-like body and lizard-like tail. All of them are sentient because of an ancient pact made with Krii to look after mankind |
Sleffion | | A person who has the Kriite gift of sharing their thoughts and gifts with a skyearl (their Sleffion-kin) |
Sleffion-kin | | A skyearl who has the Kriite gift of sharing their thoughts and gifts with a human; also the pluralised form |
Talon (Also see Theon) | Tal-uhn | The main character of book one, an eighteen-year-old Jarian man |
Theon | Tay-on | Talon’s birth name |
ton | ton | 20 hundredweights of 112 pounds each |
Yard | | 0.9144 metres |
Zei | | The god of the Zeikas. Demon-lord (king of demons) and arch enemy of Krii |
Zeika | | Person who worships Zei and seeks supremacy over other living beings |
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