Home / Fantasy / Ilyria and the Lightning Bird / Chapter Thirty-Seven: Sisters

Share

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Sisters

Author: Cayce Snow
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56

“No,” said Ilyria, “It’s a mistake. You must be wrong.”

The ascetic shook her head. “Think about it, Ilyria. You will know the truth yourself.”

Ilyria remembered the Princess’s enchantment. Walking along the cold cave, dripping with condensation, the markings hewn into the walks gleaming with ancient silver, the story that could only be understood when looking away from the sigils, and at the center, two beings. A Magos and a Lightning Bird.

But enchantments were not reality.

“What if you are being deliberately misled,” she said, “What if this is what Zlo wants you to believe?”

There was the slap of bare footsteps on the stone and they all three turned to see Bonbon running toward them. Her eyes were wild with panic.

“Thassa! Nicos!” she was calling as she went, looking helplessly around her. “Where are they? Madame Skia have you seen them? Have you seen my Thassa?”

Madame Skia hushed her. “Bonbon,” she said, “Be calm now,” the

Locked Chapter
Continue to read this book on the APP

Related chapters

  • Ilyria and the Lightning Bird   Chapter Thirty-Eight: Man and Monster

    “There is more,” said Ilyria, “The Mogul was disguised. My mother was convinced that he was a woman—in fact, an Orenian spy.” She watched as Nicos, Madame Skia and the ascetic exchanged glances. “It would make sense,” said Nicos, He stood, folded his arms and began pacing. “It would make sense if he knew about the place of the three stars, Utzed,” Ilyria heard the sharp intake of breath from Madame Skia. Nicos stopped pacing. “Skia, we must say its name. She must know. We will even have to help her find it.” Skia shook her head but to Ilyria’s surprised her response was the opposite. “Yes I know that’s true,” she said, “But we have to help her.” “How,” said the ascetic, “None of us can accompany her. You and I, Skia, we cannot leave here or our lives will be forfeit. You know that. Nicos would not survive.” “I’ll…ow!” said Thassa as Bonbon punched him in the arm. He rubbed his arm and looked at her. It was strange to see Thassa’s scarred face,

  • Ilyria and the Lightning Bird   Chapter Thirty-Nine: A Journey and a Companion

    Ilyria turned to look back at the gates of the city. She had to hold tight to the horn of the saddle beneath her as the unfamiliar sway of the camel threatened to unseat her at every moment. Sand stung her eyes and she faced frontward again, wrapping her head scarf around her face. The tears were from the sting of the sand, nothing more, she told herself. At each moment during the days of preparation for her journey, she had hoped—even expected—that Astrapi would come to her, asking her forgiveness and offering her an explanation that would allow her to let go of her betrayal and anger. Yet he had remained infuriatingly away. Skia, Thassa, Nicos and Bonbon were trying to help Ilyria find her way to Utzed. Each time they presented her with a new idea, they would preface it with “If only one of us could be with you …” until she could no longer bear it and told them that even if they had been able to be with her, she wouldn’t want it. This outburst seemed to set their m

  • Ilyria and the Lightning Bird   Chapter Forty: A Desert Night

    Ilyria knew that she should not sleep. So she picked at dinner, conscious of not eating so much that she would grow drowsy. Her belly growled in complaint but after carefully positioning the bag with the cloud silks and the kitten over her shoulder, she decided to go looking for the merchant. The other travellers were rolling out bedding on the cooling desert sands, keeping close to the fire. The kindly, hairy man who had alerted her to her moving bag was sprinkling a glowing blue dust around the bedding of his a pair of tussling small boys while a woman Ilyria assumed to be his wife looked on with sad, tired eyes. The blue dust glittered in the desert dusk. He saw her looking. “It is Zaraqi dust,” he said, “It will keep away most things that bite.” He grinned and held out the bag to her, “Here, there is a little left.” She hesitated, not wanting to take advantage of the man’s kindness but his wife nodded once at her and gave her a smile that was about as ti

  • Ilyria and the Lightning Bird   Chapter Forty-One: Antidote

    The mercenary still held the stick, though loosely. The splayed form of the traveller did not stir. “He will wake with a headache in the morning,” said the mercenary with a smile that was at once shy and a little pleased with himself, “He is a known scoundrel. He will do anything for any money. Please let me introduce myself, Ilyria,” he bowed low, “I am Suluu of Isfap.” Ilyria lay looking at him. She still could not move. “Oh,” he said, “I think you would like to be released from the poison?” “That would be nice,” said Ilyria with as little annoyance as she could manage under the circumstances. “It’s the Zaraqi,” said the Suluu, “Most of the time it can be used to kill any biting creatures but if the concentration is too high, then it becomes, well …” he spread out his hands indicating Ilyria’s prone form. He only then seemed to notice that she was nearly naked. His eyes widened in shock and Ilyria felt her whole body blush. If she w

  • Ilyria and the Lightning Bird   Chapter Forty-Two: Water

    “Wait,” said Suluu, stopping. Ilyria groaned inwardly. He had changed his mind. She was already thinking she should ask him to at least leave her with some provisions. Though terror crept up on her at the thought of a long day of walking to nowhere. “Yes?” she said, trying to keep her voice from betraying her fear. “Which way do you want to head?” asked Suluu. He looked at Ilyria with genuine confusion as she burst out laughing. Mostly at herself but then also at his expression. She was relieved that he had stopped only to ask what direction they should be heading toward but she felt stupid for missing the obvious. They had simply set off without knowing where. She turned in a circle. She was going to say toward the horizon but then she realized how ridiculous that sounded because it was all horizon. “Everything that sets in the East, will rise each day anew in the West,” she recited softly. Her education since her father had died had consisted of things she consider

  • Ilyria and the Lightning Bird   Chapter Forty-Three: Utzed

    Ilyria watched the sky darken from the safe haven of the oasis. Fierce emerged from behind a tree with a small gecko in her mouth, then lay beside Ilyria crunching happily. Ilyria stroked her, trying to understand what could have happened. Would he have just left her? Maybe. You fool, she berated herself, you hardly knew him at all and you just gave yourself to him. Yet, even so, even with Suluu gone, even without a supper to look forward to and no place to go, even so she smiled at the memory of the water and his body and his mouth. When it was full dark she knew she could not put it off any longer. She stood, gathering Fierce up and settling the little cat in her bag. She put on her sandals then scooped water into her mouth, regretting that she had not thought to include a canteen in Fierce’s bag. Though she didn’t think the cloud silks would have tolerated it. It was a whole other world in that bag now. It made her miss Miasma with a deep ache. What had Miasma sai

  • Ilyria and the Lightning Bird   Chapter Forty-Four: Siren Song

    Time passed and the light never changed in the room. Ilyria and Suluu slept, they woke, they made love, they slept again. In her dreams, she joined her mother at the dining table in the mansion of her childhood. Daria Agrio was young and beautiful. Her hair shimmered with jewels and her robe was woven of a silk so delicate her nipples appeared rosily through the thin fabric. At her side appeared a series of suitors. As each left, he kissed Daria’s pale cheek, picked up the small gold scissors on the table before her and snipped off a lock of hair bearing a jewel or a thread of silk from her robe. Her mother appeared not to notice. In the dream, Ilyria was seated at the far end of the table, unable to move or speak. She watched helplessly as Daria was stripped of her fine robe and all her jewels, her beautiful hair shorn, and still the suitors appeared. One of the suitors finally noticed Ilyria and walked toward her, his smile stretching across his mouth, wider and wider until it see

  • Ilyria and the Lightning Bird   Chapter Forty-Five: A Strange Box

    Ilyria sat down in the grass next to the Mogul. “What are you doing?” she asked. Her voice sounded muffled. “I have to fix it,” said the Mogul. “Fix what,” said Ilyria, trying to see what he was working on. “I have to fix it,” said the Mogul again. He went on to repeat these words over and over as his long slim fingers continued their tireless obsessive task. The box was made of an ashy wood and consisted of four sliding panels. The Mogul had one panel open and was working at the delicate set of gears it revealed. Peering over his shoulder, she saw that the gears were not working. The missing part was the fragile chain that the Mogul held between his thumb and forefinger. Ilyria held her breath while he tried again and again to thread the chain over the gears. When, finally it was done, she exhaled. He turned the box to access the next sliding panel. They both heard the little jingle against the wooden floor of the box as the chain fell off th

Latest chapter

  • Ilyria and the Lightning Bird   Chapter Seventy-Seven: One World

    Ilyria woke to the smell of warm bread and blossoming plants, and another damp salty smell she could not recognize. She sighed and turned over. Her eyes flickered half-open as she felt Suluu’s warm body lying on his back next to her. Her hand lazily traced the contours of his smooth chest, delighting in the way his skin puckered beneath her fingers. He turned to look at her, his lips parted in a smile and his eyes hooded with his desire. “Hello,” he murmured, pulling her toward him, “You’re awake.” “I am,” she said, tracing her fingers over his lips. Then her stomach rumbled noisily, “and I am so, so, so, so hungry!” She sat up trying to recall when last she had eaten and suddenly a rush of images flooded over her. She sank her face into her hands. Astrapi, impaled. The Princess and Zlo’s blood dripping from the spines of The Shackled One. Madame Skia’s wounded body lying shrouded by the shimmering moon dust. The monster’s final moments. She looked up

  • Ilyria and the Lightning Bird   Chapter Seventy-Six: Freedom

    The monster reached out a nightmarish tendril, twisted and hard and riddled with fungus. The tendril scratched Ilyria under the chin as an overly familiar uncle might and she gagged on the smell of rotten animal flesh. “You don’t look like him at all,” said The Shackled One, “Lucky for you. We hated him for what he did to us.” “Us? There is more than one of you?” “Us,” said The Shackled One, and dark spikes shot out from its body, impaling the Princess and Zlo. A spike missed the Mogul only because Loulou had pushed him out of the way. They stood open-mouthed with dread and fear as the Princess and Zlo twisted and writhed on the spikes, howling in agony, their blood dripping to the ground beneath them. Thassa ran to the frozen pair and pulled them away. Think, Ilyria, what does it want? came Madame Skia’s question. Ilyria tried not to hear the howls of the Princess and her son. She looked around for Madame Skia the darkness was so com

  • Ilyria and the Lightning Bird   Chapter Seventy-Five: The Shackled One

    They all heard it making its way. The ground rumbled with its passage as the Sister Moon shone down with relentless brightness, Brother Moon no longer able to temper her cold light. And Ilyria saw her own fear reflected in the faces of her friends. Even the sirens cowered, and Madame Skia looked uncertain which was maybe the most terrifying thing of all. What could be worse than Zlo? Ilyria knew. It was the thing that Zlo feared. The thing that lived deep within his own dark tower. She looked at the Princess. The Princess knew too. Her face had turned so pale, it seemed to reflect that horrifying moonlight. Suddenly the Princess reached out one hand and the crowd of sirens parted around her as if she had sliced through them. She curled her fingers, and the Mogul was dragged through the mud toward her. He twisted and turned reaching out for Loulou. Loulou, her cheeks flushed, tried to follow but the Princess flung her away with a flick of the other hand. She lifted her summon

  • Ilyria and the Lightning Bird   Chapter Seventy-Four: A Reckoning

    Then the air was torn apart by a woman’s scream. It was filled with such rage that every one of them who heard it fell to their knees with their hands over their ears, desperate for it to stop. Zlo alone stood, his head bowed as the Princess appeared beside him. She was beautiful and terrifying in her anger. She appeared to float off the floor, her white robes billowing around her, her long, burnished hair streaming as though she were the wind itself. Behind her stood Nicos, his expression glazed. His hands hung at his sides. He appeared to see and hear nothing. “Fool,” said the Princess to Zlo, “I did everything to help you. I sent him away,” she tilted her head toward the Mogul, “I distracted the brothers and the stupid girl-child Magoses with their little quest. I sowed division and strife. I ensured the Laws were broken. All you had to do was make sure they,” here she swept her arm around to indicate Astrapi, the companions, Thassa, Miasma and Ilyria, “were all h

  • Ilyria and the Lightning Bird   Chapter Seventy-Three: Moon Dust

    Ilyria could not have said exactly when she had understood the truth of the relics. Had it begun when she realized that the map to the Lost Cities was really the knowledge of one man, Nicos? Or when Astrapi’s breath activated the perfect chord on the gold harmonicus. Could it even have been Zlo who pulled the scant threads of ideas together for her when he pointed to Fierce as a Nemachi device. Ilyria knew Fierce was a living, breathing creature. Had Zlo missed something? Having forfeited so much of his humanity for power, he no longer understood the value of that humanity. Now, as she watched Thassa’s slow, reluctant appraoch, felt his sorrow as he dug in his pocket and brought out the necklace to place it on the altar, saw his dejection as he walked past her back to where Bonbon waited, she wanted to yell out her understanding. She wanted to scream at Thassa that the necklace did not matter. Only his memory of it was worth anything. The things that bind us to

  • Ilyria and the Lightning Bird   Chapter Seventy-Two: True Relics

    Astrapi fell, Bonbon fell. Sidian, Flame and Loulou, they all fell. But it was not with the bone-rending shatter that Ilyria, Miasma and Thassa anticipated. Thassa, with his arms outstretched was surprised to find them filled with soft, warm, living, breathing Bonbon. Ilyria cried out as Astrapi landed with the thud and slap of flesh hitting floor. Likewise, the other companions, released from their marble prisons, fell to the rumbling, caving floor with cries of surprise and pain. Except for Bonbon whose tears were of joy to be in her lover’s arms. Ilyria had no time to feel bad about her inaction for the white roof and shattered walls of the reception chamber fell away as easily as if the marble had no more substance than eggshell. The smell of the garden filled the space but instead of the intoxicating perfume of earlier, it smelled as over-sweet and rotten, like over-ripe fruit. She held her hand up to her nose. The marble floor beneath their feet dissolved into the dark

  • Ilyria and the Lightning Bird   Chapter Seventy-One: An Old Friend

    Ilyria kept her eyes on Astrapi even as she felt Zlo feeding off her pain. Her limbs grew numb and heavy as Zlo drew all that heartache from her. Ilyria willed Astrapi to open his eyes. Just show me you are alive, she thought, If I know you are alive, then I can do anything, I can … A soft hand on her arm and she groped blindly for Miasma. Miasma took her hand and stood on her one side and as she did so, Thassa took her hand on the other. She was not alone. Somehow, miraculously, she was not alone. She felt the blood return to her limbs and they tingled almost painfully with the returning pain. She would claim it back from Zlo. It was not his to steal. A rumble and the marble walls and floor shook. The three stood firm. “Look,” whispered Miasma, “They are all here.” Ilyria tore her eyes from Astrapi and looked around them. On the walls were each of her friends. Captured in attitudes of struggle, their faces bore the signs of their to

  • Ilyria and the Lightning Bird   Chapter Seventy: Early

    Ilyria, Miasma and Thassa paused at the iron and gold gates. The Gates of Perception they were called. Ilyria had never been this close to them. As a child she had been told they were enchanted. Any person wishing to see the Mogul had to pass the test of the Gates of Perception. Those who did not come with noble intentions would be incinerated as they passed through. Perhaps that was why the three hesitated. The heavy iron had been wrought with gold into the history of the Moguls of Idixat. There was the first with his high, noble brow, hands aloft, providing benediction for the new city. There was his successor, the same noble brow, bending to drink the water from the underground river on which the city relied. There was his successor’s successor, digging the first spadeful of dirt for the city’s ramparts. And so on. Each Mogul’s face was rendered in gold, his body in iron. The arid land in iron, the city he drew from its earth in gold. It was a study of how a man was made

  • Ilyria and the Lightning Bird   Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Palace

    A woman at the back of the procession gave a long guttural howl. Every hair on Ilyria’s body stood on end. “Use the glamour,” said Miasma, “Help me, use the glamour.” “And do what?" said Ilyria, "Where do we even go?” Aerie? No then they would be too far away. They had to be in the Palace. Palace? What part of the Palace? The Princess’s chambers? The Princess’s garden? She felt for the token in her pocket already knowing it wasn’t there and that she wouldn’t use it even if she had it. The Princess, she decided, could not be trusted. Vatra? Yakip?No. They had to be here. “Make a run for it,” said Thassa, readying himself as if to do just that. The procession moved with purpose now, bearing down on them. Their fac

DMCA.com Protection Status