The Cleansing (Book One: The Folara Chronicles)

023: Rion

Rion signed into his shift inside the mountain. The damp permeated his human skin, and he transformed into partial Salimantor.

He hadn't slept well. Images of the staircase with the red carpet assailed him, and the beautiful girl who stood on them so grief-stricken.

The fact that he was still obsessing over this incident bothered him greatly. He felt a deafening clamor inside as well, as he recognized his own betrayal of Quildor.

He had met with the Harpyiae. He committed to help her free the intact searcher girl. What he had not done was solidify any plans. She asked for his help, based on his ability to dream answer her. But what else? Nothing.

He was a fool to have agreed. He had given this bird-woman a weapon against him. If she betrayed him to Quildor...

Damn!

She was nothing to him. She offered him nothing.

Beguiling.

Conversant in Zalez.

Powerful, and imploring. She had a strong natural empathy, alluring to men.

Yet she offered him nothing! She did not offer to take him with her. She did not offer him flight.

She had offered him proof that nature was in charge of this planet and not Quildor, and not any Kings of undersea domes.

Yes, and now he knew.

That was all. Why would he risk his life to free the prisoner, even if she was Harpyiae? She would not thank him for it, it was he who had captured her in the first place!

Rion reached out to Crevan. Brother, are you awake?

Yes, Rion, what do you want?

The Harpyiae, Kahlest. She said she had established trust with me. That's a lie. I don't know her at all.

You just realized that?

What, you realized it sooner? You seemed completely smitten after only seeing her!

And you agreed to meet with her based on a dream!

I don't know why I did it.

No, it isn't like you. You are normally more conscious of consequences.

What will be the consequences of association with this Harpyiae? Will she betray us?

By what, introducing herself to Quildor? I think not.

I am inside the mountain, brother, I need to think.

Good, where she cannot get to you and you have time to come to your senses.

Rion felt termination of his contact with Crevan and felt better for having gotten his doubts off his chest. If they were to betray Quildor, it would not be in this way, helping a creature he knew nothing about.

This was because he craved contact with the little Searcher sister. His connection to her had opened his mind to other possibilities.

He sat up, holding his head. He'd never seen her except in a dream vision.

He sensed her.

He projected carefully, finding his way into the tunnels of Sentinel. He pushed past the sea barrier. This time was much easier, he felt compelled. The light he'd seen and felt before was absent. Perhaps it was night in Galantyne's fortress.

She lay on a bed, with sparse white linen blankets. She was dressed in a shift, plain and loose, with a pillow under her head so white that it made her red hair look like spilled wine. He felt someone there, but couldn't take his eyes off the girl. If she looked at all like this in life then she was beautiful.