Harvest of Dreams (The Gods' Dream Trilogy) (5 page)

“We will do our best to help,” Boerk said.

“Captain.” Priest Taton took over the conversation. “If you and your men will follow me?”

The soldiers’ march faded away.

A hand touched Thaddis’s brow as if taking his temperature, the first gentle touch he’d experienced in a long time.

“Ontarem’s Spawn!” Wenda’s words were edged with bitterness. “How can you touch him that way, Devore? I can’t even bear to look at him. I think I’ve made progress toward peace…toward healing. Then Thaddis comes here, and I feel as if I’ve lost it all.”

“Rather say, Ontarem’s Pawn.” Devore said in a dispassionate voice. He lifted his hand from Thaddis’s forehead. “He was as much a victim as those whose lives he took or ruined.”

I feel more spawn than pawn.

“At heart, he was a good man,” Devore continued. “A little spoiled, with an air of entitlement, as most kings’ sons have.”

“Not our princes!” Wenda said hotly. “High-spirited, perhaps. But
good
men. They were friends with this murderer, and he betrayed them.”

Thaddis wanted to weep at what he’d done to his foster brothers, but his body wouldn’t cooperate.

“Thaddis would have grown up to be a good ruler,” Devore said, his voice losing the dispassionate tone. “Even under the auspices of that frivolous Goddess of Ocean’s Glory. With the guidance of a Deity like yours or mine, he would have become a great king.”

“At least, he had to pay somewhat for his crimes.” Wenda’s voice sounded closer. “I’d not recognize him now if I passed him on the street. The arrogant, charismatic king with the glowing auburn hair is gone. In his place is this white-haired, wrinkled, withered creature. A fitting punishment. But what do we do with him?”

“Now we see,” was the Archpriest’s cryptic answer.

What’s undone may be done up, and what’s done may be undone.

The voice echoed in his mind.
Guinheld
. Without being told, Thaddis knew the Zacatlan Goddess was present, and fear weighed heavy in his belly.

“Goddess,” Devore intoned. “Will you accept this man to be healed?”

I will heal his body. It is up to him to heal his heart and mind.

For a moment, Thaddis felt the faintest glimpse of hope, but he banished it almost immediately.
There’s no healing for me.

CHAPTER FOUR

In the bow of the
Comali
, Jasmine leaned against the shoulder of her husband, Indaran, King of Seagem, as they talked to his sister, Daria. She couldn’t get over her amazement at the beautiful lavender sky arching overhead and blue-green water of the ocean, so different from the gray shades of Ontarem’s land or the blue sky on Earth.

The wind whipped Jasmine’s gray chador to flap against her body. She took surreptitious glances at her new sister-in-law. Daria seemed like a feminine version of Indaran. She noted how similar the siblings looked—their blond coloring, with the dark brows and lashes, vivid green eyes, the way they carried themselves. Even some of their gestures were the same, which gave Jasmine a feeling of kinship to the princess.

Next to Princess Daria stood Jasmine’s friend and Daria’s new husband, Khan, his arm touching his wife’s. He was bareheaded, and his black hair had grown from the short cut he’d had before and was pulled back in a stubby tail. He’d donned the green uniform worn by Daria and her soldiers. Like with hers, the sun burnished the gold braid around his sleeves and collar. She liked Khan’s new look—different, fitting for this world. The couple stood firm on the deck, comfortable with the rocking of the ship after days at sea.

Jasmine wished she could relax and enjoy the beautiful day, sailing on an old-fashioned wooden ship over a turquoise ocean under a lavender sky. She wanted to bask in the happiness she felt about finding Khan and seeing his joy in his marriage. Most of all, she longed to savor a honeymoon with her new husband. Thinking about their passion last night made heat creep into her cheeks.

Today should be a cause for celebration. She and Indaran had just married, the Evil God’s prisoners were free, and her husband had reunited with the sister he thought dead in the sack of Seagem.

But once outside of Ontarem’s waters, instead of continuing to sail to safety, Indaran had ordered the ship to come about. He planned for them to return to help the nomads in their battle against Ontarem. The other ships pulled beside them, lowered the sails and waited, swaying on the ocean. The clack and ting of rigging came to Jasmine over the breeze.

Daria clapped her hand on Indaran’s shoulder. “So, brother, you’re heading us back into the Evil One’s den.” She didn’t sound particularly concerned about the danger.

Jasmine wondered if the princess was really as calm as she seemed, or if she, too, had a knot in her stomach about their return to Ontarem’s land.

“We can’t go back to Penutar,” Indaran replied. “That would be foolish, indeed. There might be a place along the shore where the captain can drop us off and any who want to go with us.”

Jasmine looked up at her beloved. “There is. Roe-al pointed out a spot where the Che-da-wah go. He described it as a small bay. The nomads have seen ships anchor there before, so the water must be safe from rocks. It’s in Arvintor’s territory, so I hope He can protect us from being caught in the tow as Ontarem attempts to force us to His city.”

Khan leaned toward Jasmine. “First, I think since we aren’t familiar with Roe-al, the Che-da-wah, Arvintor, or Ontarem, perhaps you should fill Daria and me in on your adventures. We need all the information possible to strategize the best way to evade the Evil God.”

Indaran uncrossed his arms and dropped one across Jasmine’s shoulders. “I, too, would hear them. There hasn’t been time in the last week for you to give me many details.

Jasmine went down on one knee, sketching an invisible map on the wooden deck with her forefinger. “This is Exonlah, a beautiful forest, where the statue of the God Arvintor, twin brother to Ontarem, was bound. This—” she drew a larger circle “—is the plain, Drayleth, where the nomads live. For generations, they have remained out of Ontarem’s influence. And, on the other side of Drayleth, this—” she tapped the deck “—is Penutar. Here, the people are poor, fearful, and pitifully thin from overwork and being drained by the God. But they are fierce defenders of the Evil One.”

Daria fiddled with the end of her long blond braid. “I’d never heard of Ontarem before we came here. Nor, of the Goddess Withea.” She exchanged a private smile with Khan. “Until She saved my life a few weeks ago. Now there’s another Deity. How many unknown Gods haunt Kimtair?”

Jasmine stood. “Arvintor says there are only six.”

“That’s a relief.” Daria flipped her braid over her shoulder. “We won’t have any more unexpected Deities meddling in our lives.”

Jasmine heartily agreed. “Centuries ago, Arvintor sent His people to safety across the sea.”

Daria gave a sharp intake of breath. “To settle in Seagem?”

Jasmine nodded. “But in so doing, Arvintor lost his power, and Ontarem bound Him.”

Daria grimaced. “There are only hints about this in the ancient records in the library. The myths of the forgotten lands.” She waved a
go on
gesture to Jasmine.

“When Withea sent me here, to Louat, She healed me. Not totally…but enough. What should be nightmare memories and emotions…” Jasmine shook her head. “Withea made everything Amir did to me feel like those experiences faded into the past, not happened a few days before.”

A look of pain crossed Khan’s face. “I’m sorry, Jasmine. I thought you’d be safe in England from my brother.”

Jasmine gave a little shake of her head, trying to toss off the memories, and continued. “I gave Arvintor some of my energy, enough to communicate with Him and come up with a plan, then I set off to walk to Ontarem’s city. A nomad, Roe-al, captured me and took me to his camp. At first the nomads, the Che-da-wah, thought I was a pawn of the Evil One. They were going to kill me. I escaped. They followed me and found Arvintor. Then they knew I was telling the truth. The clans all traveled to Exonleah and gave homage and power to Arvintor.”

“You
have
been busy,” Khan said. “You’ve only been in Kimtair a few weeks.” He paused to think. “Not even that.”

Jasmine looked from Khan to Daria and raised her eyebrows. “You’ve been busy, too.”

Indaran tightened his arm around Jasmine’s shoulders to get her attention. “We’ll hear their story later. Finish your tale first, dearling.”

“I’d had a dream of Indaran lying captive in the temple.”

“So did I!” Daria interjected.

Jasmine smiled at Indaran’s sister. “I felt a connection with him and knew I had to rescue him. So I set off to the city. The nomads prepared for the war they knew would come as soon as Ontarem realized Arvintor had regained His power. The nomads now follow the good God and sustain His power, even while they battle with Ontarem’s troops.”

Daria frowned. “Can’t they keep each other busy?”

Jasmine shook her head. “Ontarem is still much stronger. He presides over a big city and wrests power from His people, to the point of killing some. The nomads are four small tribes. Also, Arvintor won’t drain them to the point of depletion or even death. Because Ontarem is more ruthless, He’ll always be stronger.”

Daria looked from Khan to Indaran to Jasmine. “Seagem’s royal family and our mates from Earth make a very powerful combination. The four of us and our followers could swing the balance in Arvintor’s favor.”

Indaran looked down at Jasmine, his brows pulled together. “Earth?”

Khan laughed, “Another long story. Let Jasmine finish.”

Jasmine told them about her journey, with some interjections from Indaran. When their story finished, Khan and Daria shared what had happened to them. At the end of the second tale, the four stood in silence, absorbing all they’d heard.

“As I see it, this is what we need to do.” Indaran ticked off the list on his fingers. “We need to get our people home to Seagem. We need to help the nomads win their battle against Ontarem’s soldiers. We need to give Arvintor power to withstand his brother. We must find Yadarius and set Him free, and we need to bind Ontarem. When all is safe, we need to rebuild Seagem.”

“That’s all?” Khan joked.

“I’m sure I’ve left out a few other minor things.” Indaran echoed Khan’s light tone.

“You can’t take the slaves back to a ruined city,” Jasmine objected. “They need healing.”

“We’ll send them to Ocean’s Glory,” Indaran said.

Daria shook her head. “They won’t like that. You don’t understand, Indaran, because you didn’t experience the battle. But for our people, Ocean’s Glory is the
enemy
. Thaddis made it so by his betrayal of our trust.”

Indaran let out a slow exhale. “I know the facts—what Thaddis, once a beloved friend and foster brother, did. But there’s a part of me that can’t believe it, no matter how heavily grief weighs on me.” He fisted his hands in front of his body. “And another part of me wants to strangle him for slaying my family, killing and enslaving my people, sacking our city.”

Daria dropped her hand over Indaran’s fist. “I claim first right of battle, brother.”

“I will not stand behind my sister.”

Khan patted Daria’s arm. “It’s a good thing Withea took care of Thaddis for you.” He winked at Jasmine. “We don’t have time for sibling squabbles.”

Daria let out a frustrated breath and shot a pointed look at her brother. “You and Thaddis were always evenly matched.”

“I’m younger than him now.”

Daria swatted his arm. “Yes, but you’ve also spent those years on a slab. Thaddis didn’t let his kingly duties interfere with his weapons practice.”

Khan pulled Daria next to his side, a silent reminder for her to return to the problem of Ontarem.

Daria wrinkled her nose at her husband, then flashed him a
you’re right
smile. “I’ll tell our people about Withea. They’ll trust my words. They need to hear that Thaddis is vanquished, and the citizens of Ocean’s Glory have turned their backs on Besolet and are once again our allies.”

Indaran relaxed his hands. “That’s news our people will be glad to hear.”

“Councilor Ogan is going to strip the jewels from Besolet’s temple and recompense families in Ocean’s Glory who lost family members in the war,” Daria informed them. “Not that any amount of money can make up for a life. The rest will finance the rebuilding of Seagem. He’ll help our people get settled.”

The ship surged through a big wave, and Jasmine grabbed the rail for stability. “Your people are going to need to heal,” she cautioned. “Both physically and from the trauma.”

Daria nodded in agreement. “Once the people have rested and recovered, bonded with Withea, they can return home or go to Zacatlan for further healing. Although they need to be aware that there still isn’t a God for Seagem. If the reavers retain the knowledge of the shoals protecting the harbor, they could invade the city again. Perhaps Guinheld and Withea can combine their power and protect them. As for those who go with us—”

Indaran interrupted. “Ocean’s Glory can send soldiers to accompany the people home to Seagem and stay and guard them.”