The Cleansing (Book One: The Folara Chronicles)

008: Jerrika

Jerrika knelt, as much as her bonds would let her. Why had the Witch come to her? Why didn't she simply use her powers to assimilate her? Get it over with. What did they hope to gain?

Kara would be mad with grief. They'd spent every day of their lives in each other's presence. There was nothing they didn't know about each other. Or was there something secret?

What were the markings the witch spoke of? Some people in Taan's realm marked themselves with permanent ink to show off skin, or decorate themselves. To her knowledge, the markings were a show of vanity. They were not unique to any one faction, and there were a few in the tri-realms of Aquaria, Carrigah and Etrusia. But Galantyne abhorred such practices and forbade the use of ink. It wouldn't be that kind of marking then.

What other kind of marking was there?

Jerrika knew that when a kai invoked woman melded completely with her kai it gave her a great deal more power. Did that act mark the woman also? She only knew of one woman who had melded completely with her kai-- Belakane of Carrigah.

Belakane was the younger sister of King Taan, and older sister to Quildor. As a young woman, she'd been given a kai as were most royal children as a matter of course. It wasn't expected that Belakane would ever need her kai to go on the land, but it was a gift of the Council of Ladies to ensure that the royal lines were treated with reverence and respect. In due time, Belakane had been married to Ansys, King of Carrigah. At that time the three undersea realms were friendly with each other, trading freely, and royal children were marrying easily into other royal families.

Markus, King of Etrusia was not married. It was rumored that he was a weak and selfish King, given to strong drink and promiscuous behavior. Rather than wait for a less royal offspring of this innocuous ruler to make his claim legitimate, Quildor had killed Markus and usurped his throne. This might have been ideal, and unchallenged, as Taan and Ansys had no real love for Markus and did not need Etrusia, if not for Ondrea.

From what Jerrika could piece together from the stories overheard in the courts as a child, Head Council Woman Ondrea had married an Etrusian engineer of some renown, she had a child--- and her husband had died mysteriously. Quildor, newly crowned King of Etrusia, had courted the lovely young widow shamelessly, desiring her as wife. But Ondrea preferred the suit of his brother, Taan of Aquaria.

Quildor's fury had known no bounds when he'd heard of the secret marriage of his brother to the woman he loved. He vowed to kill his brother and take his wife and realm. Taan's realm was the wealthiest and strongest of the three undersea domes, and wouldn't be easy to overthrow without help from within, which was what Quildor gained in the jealous Council sisters Sebille and Nimiane. These two young Council Ladies were ambitious and unscrupulous. They were willing to use their magic in exchange for power and favor in the new realms.

Their plans would have gone without fault, if not for Ansys, who had come to Taan's aid against Quildor. In a battle on Aquaria, Quildor had killed Ansys. This brought Belakane seeking revenge against her brother. In assimilating her kai completely she'd been given great abilities to control weather, build and destroy things, and people, utilize indigenous species and win the war. Seeing that Belakane-- a relatively new Council woman-- had so much power, Sebille had fled with Quildor to the land, and Nimiane had renounced her acquaintance with him and been forgiven.

Jerrika had heard through this same mostly reliable source that a mark had appeared upon Belakane when she'd completely assimilated her kai. Was this what Sebille had meant? Perhaps only a royal child of Taan's blood who had completely bonded with their kai could find the Talisman. Perhaps that was why Sebille and Quildor sought the royal Princess. But Jerrika knew that neither she nor Kara had gone so far as to render themselves barren. Even to gain this superior power. Galantyne had also forbidden that.

Obviously, he didn't know that only an assimilated kai could find the Talisman.

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