Gently glowing golden globes and the lapping of water on sand greeted them. The ghost struggled, screaming, and Vantra held tighter, not certain how long she could restrain the terrified being. The beach may not have adequate cover, but the dense foliage she glimpsed further inland would.
“REVANZ!”
The command halted the ghost and Vantra gaped at the rufang who issued the order. Who brought Zepirz to Tempest Island?
His crest feathers, which she remembered as black, now had a metallic blue shine to them, and stood proudly atop his crown. Strings of silvery green beads ran from a tree-embossed medallion above his forehead to the back of his hair, and three rings adorned his upper mandible. The blue, metallic tip of his beak gleamed even brighter than his plummage, a shock of color against his otherwise dark fur.
A shell-decorated sash ran from his left shoulder to his right waist, a stained tree bark caparison covered his barrel, and bands wrapped around his arms and four legs, all gleaming a silvery green. He held a forked vine staff with matching beads strung between the branches—had he accepted an official role as a yondaii of Strans? Would that mean something to a rufang who had not experienced Navosh’s return to that charge? Perhaps it did not matter; Zepirz stood with regal aplomb and an air of unquestioned authority.
Light-blessed flanked him, but stood with their hands behind their backs, no spears in sight to scare the poor ghost into fleeing again.
“Zepirz,” the Wiiv whispered, wavering, and laid a hand on his head. “Mo nokitai?”
“Esolet,” he said, no sense of distaste or disgust tinging his tone. That shocked her; he bragged of hunting ghosts to their Final Death and considered it an honor. What altered his belief?
He continued, with the ghost growing increasingly agitated. He screamed denials with seething rage, which faltered under Zepirz’s continued assault. After an agonizing long time, he looked at his hands and his entire being slumped. With sad empathy, she withdrew, and Katta’s shield dissolved.
“He speaks of terrors,” the yondaii whispered, a slight shake to his voice. “Of ghosts commanding him, and he being unable to resist.”
“That’s a result of the marks’ influence,” Katta murmured. He stood to the side, arms folded, Joila next to him, hands behind her back, Salan lying at his feet, panting. The sense of calm issued from them, though Vantra did not think the ghost noticed.
“The enemy controls us even in death.” The sharp clack of his beak broke over the waves.
“Yes. Does he know how he came to be in that room?”
“I will ask. It has taken all my persuasion for him to see himself as dead, and he may not like the question.” Zepirz’s eyebrows knitted briefly, and pain peeked through before he spoke, and in a far gentler tone.
The broken reply scraped at Vantra’s heart. She wanted to comfort him, but she doubted he would accept the gesture, considering the Wiiv hatred of Talin ghosts. From the look in yondaii’s eyes, he felt the emotional punch to his core. He closed the distance between them and asked more questions in a progressively softer voice.
“Revanz says that he remembers being summoned to the citadel. The fighters did not know what transpired, only that yondaii and war leaders shouted that the evil outsiders killed Strans. He followed the warrior Yomai to the hollow, and his memory leaves. When he woke, he lay in that chamber, somehow tied to a glowing blue stone. A creature of malice told him he would maintain it in Strans’ name.
“He said no. He could not feel the rainforest, and the tainted energy surrounding him frightened him. He only wished to return home. The creature laughed and told him he would never return home. He . . . did not realize he had died. He saw the changes to his body and thought terrible spells infected him.”
“They did,” Katta said. “But not in the way he assumed. This creature. Was it the robed ghost we saw?”
Zepirz asked, then shook his head. “No. That one was his guard. She carried out its will. The creature was shrouded in darkness, with a horrifying voice and sense of . . .” He raised his hand and wiggled his fingers, searching for the right term. “I know not what word it is in Reckoning. We of the Wiiv say sho gitak. It refers to a wickedness made from hate, fury, malevolence, and jealousy that infects the core of a being. It is a great evil, breeding resentment for friends and family and especially those they do not know. The beings act on it, striking down or killing those they believed wronged them, when it is they who have wronged their victims.”
“As terrible as the ghost who chased us was, that doesn’t describe them.” Katta pulled at his lower lip, regarding the spirit who eyed him with hopelessness. “Did he encounter anyone else besides his guard and the creature?”
“I shall ask.” Zepirz nodded along, then shook his head. “He says no.”
“Did he knock over the torch?”
“He says yes. It was the first opportunity he had to escape, and he tried to take it, but his body did not work as expected. Something was wrong with it. He now knows what.”
“He’s had a traumatizing time of it,” Katta said. “I don’t want to cause more harm. Levassa awaits.”
Zepirz sadness returned. “He leaves behind a yoladi and a child. He is heartbroken.”
“And we will bring justice to those who took him from them. Erse and Strans help as they can, but not all Wiiv are willing to accept it. Perhaps his yoladi and child might, if they knew he entered the afterlife and his thoughts were of them.”
“That is a hope.”
Vantra felt a hand on her shoulder; Levassa smiled at her before focusing on the Wiiv. He held out his hand, and both disappeared in a wispy wave of smeared color that evaporated as the next waves crept up the sand.
Silence fell as they glanced at one another, then out at the night-dark sea.
“Thank you.” Zepirz broke the quiet, his normal stuffy pride absent. “Revanz was a young, enthusiastic warrior. We believed he would become a leader once he grew into his wisdom, but, well, that is not meant to be.” His shoulders fell and he curled his front paws into the sand, his short tail flicking with agitation. “Too many of our youth died at Kjivendei. We yondaii never thought—”
“What happened at Kjivendei was not only the fault of Wiiv leadership,” Katta said. “Many, many other beings had a hand in the placement of the false Strans, the destruction, and its aftermath. I hope all forest dwellers understand the lesson and seek a better future untethered from hate. How are the Bendebares doing?”
He appeared startled Darkness asked. “They grow, faster than we thought possible. The Labyrinth feeds them, I am certain.” The edges of his beak rose in a smile. “Or so Ayara says. I believe them. They do the same to help dire patients, at great cost to themselves.”
“Ayara is headstrong enough to do that,” Katta agreed. Zepirz nodded in solemn accord. “And it is we who should thank you. You helped bring a terrified ghost to his senses. The revelations are never easy for the deceased, and his were especially horrific considering how his death happened. Did he realize he was a cayzreol?”
“No—and I did not think I should enlighten him.”
“I agree, but you need to know. The marks Kjiven and the Rotting One placed on him controlled him. It’s not just that he was undead, but trapped inside a magic shield he had no ability to flee. If the searchers find these cayzreol, they aren’t typical. They’ll still be bound to their corpse, even after it’s nothing but ash. You must pray to Levassa first, have him retrieve the spirit. Breaking the link is the only way to make certain the ghost isn’t left in Greenglimmer to wander the eons away. It will ingratiate you to him, and perhaps balance your past acts.”
Zepriz sucked in a breath, nonplussed.
Joila elbowed Katta, then brushed at her fluttery skirt. “Zepriz, as we arrived late, we’re staying the night at an inn. Would you care to join us for the meal? The island food is extraordinary, and you can even take a plate to Ayara. I think they’ll like the fruity duck.”
He cocked his head, bird-like, then nodded. “I would like the comfort of warm food.”
Vantra wished she could join them, but a heady dose of ryiam would have to do.
