Page 13 of Devoured By the Stormbrought

There had been a time and place when it wouldn't have been a second thought. But now? Now I knew that even the people I placed my deepest faith in might betray me in ways I could never imagine.

Was that why Anya always looked so sad? Had the palace filled her with doubts and mistrust as well? If so, I could hardly blame her for the way she retreated whenever I got too close. If only I could show her that I wasn't one of the bad guys. If only she could trust me.

"Fine. Let's do this," I said, setting my jaw and meeting Kiango's eyes. "If those storms are coming for us, I mean to be out there to face them down."

"Good. The people of Ke'Thal need you."

Anya needs me, I thought. And I need her.

"Move the basin over there," he instructed.

I did as I was told, shifting the heavy container until it was out of the middle of the room and I had plenty of space to stand and perform my prayers. Ember stood at the edge of the room, watching us closely, her brows creased and her lower lip tucked in where she was chewing it absentmindedly.

I had seen the final test performed only once during my lifetime, when Kiango himself had done it. I was very young and had only a cursory understanding of what was happening. All I knew was that it was a cause for celebration whenever a new Guardian was accepted into Re'Utu's army. But just now, Re'Utu was as much the enemy as the High Priest and the only remaining Guardian, so I felt little pride in what I was about to do. I only wished that my grandfather would understand when I told him why he wasn't invited afterward. Or maybe, if we survived this, Kiango would allow me to have a proper ceremony and my grandfather wouldn't know the difference. If we survived.

"We are going to practice this several times. First, we will say the prayer and call His energy to you. That part should be easy. It's the next part that is dangerous."

I nodded, reaching back into my memories for the next part of the ceremony. It was the pouring of the fires, a counterpart to the ceremony that all Wives completed by drinking in the fires. But if swallowing the fires was hard, channeling them through your body and pouring them into physical form was even more challenging. The process had been known to leave hopeful Guardians so depleted that they spent weeks in recovery, barely able to lift their arms to feed themselves afterward.

"I'm ready."

"Wait for me to make the first call. Join me when you feel His presence. Then we will proceed."

I raised my head and arms, staring up at the slimy ceiling, overcome by disgust and disappointment. This is not how it was supposed to be. Where were the parades? The celebrations? The honor of being a Guardian used to be so great. But down here, I could hardly find the gratitude necessary to be pleased that Kiango was pushing me forward.

Slowly, the room filled with the faintest hint of Re'Utu's energies. They were weak and elusive, seemingly as disgusted with the dank room as I was. I swallowed hard, re-focusing my mind and inviting those energies in. It was a slow and tedious process, and each time I got close to holding onto one of those wayward tendrils, it skirted my reach, taunting me.

Redoubling my efforts, I tried and tried to grasp what Kiango was offering me, and it remained always just beyond my reach.

"Take it," he growled.

"I'm trying," I shot back, making one last mental lunge at the wisps of energy to pull them in.

It was no use. We both fell to the ground, panting and sweating. Ember rushed forward and knelt at his side, brushing his hair out of his face.

"I'm fine." He pulled away from her and rose to his feet, only to turn and rest his head against the wall.

I grimaced at the thought of the slimy substance coating the walls touching my face, but Kiango seemed undeterred.

"I can't do this down here," I complained. "It doesn't feel right. It's not what Re'Utu would want. No Guardian should have to hide in the shadows! Even if I succeeded, what would the people of Ke'Thal say?"

"Who cares what they think?" he demanded, slamming a fist into the wall, which made a disquieting squish sound and dribbled water down onto his boots. "They won't have anything to say at all if they're dead."

"There has to be another way. We can't do this in hiding. We need witnesses. We need people to see that we're trying! That we're there for them. That's what it's always meant to be a Guardian!"

I was on my feet again, defiant and ready to stand my ground. When Kiango turned around, he gave me only a weary look and brushed me aside.

"Maybe you're right. But if Imrys has that orb, we can't risk being out in the open. If he caught us off guard and channeled those energies, he could do anything with them. He wouldn't even have to use the cover of a storm to do it," Ember counseled, stopping Kiango before he could walk away and lacing her arms around his waist as she hugged him close and held him tight.

He nodded and pressed his lips into her hair, his expression softening visibly as he nuzzled her. My mind went to Anya, wondering if she might have the same effect on me if she were here.

"So what do we do now? We can't just sit down here all day," I said, stopping my meandering thoughts before they could get the better of me.

"We can," he said, looking up as if that should have been obvious from the start. "We go out to the fields. Tonight, after dark. No one will see us going, and there won't be anyone watching while you practice. You’re strong enough to call upon Re’Utu without the orb, now, but if it’s anywhere in the area, you’ll know as soon as you reach out for His power.”

I swallowed hard. “What do I do if I feel it?”

Kiango’s eyes narrowed and he frowned. “Let me handle it.”

“That’s it? Let you handle it? I think you can do better than that. If Imrys is using the orb, I deserve to know why.”

With a huff of frustration, Kiango leveled his stare at me. “I don’t know what he’s using it for. All I know is that the orb is made to amplify Re’Utu’s power. Imrys could be using it for just about anything, but I don’t imagine any of it is good.”

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