Why have I ever trusted you?her quivering lips said.
I loathe you, her body said.
So be it. Kasik loathed himself, too.
21
Nina stomped away from Kasik without looking back. Her hands shook by her sides, not from anger, but from the force of her disappointment. It was too much to expect Kasik to understand. She knew he was bound by duty and loyal to a fault, that he wouldn’t abandon his word for her.
And yet, Nina had foolishly hoped. He had said he was loyal to her, but what he had meant was that he was loyal to herfate.
Now she knew too much of the truth to go against it. If staying meant that she was consigning all these people to death, she would have no other choice than to leave, to follow the path set out before her, even if she wanted nothing more than to carve her own.
Shayim was speaking to a woman with shoulder-length hair, the green of her tunic darker than Nina’s, and longer, more like a dress. The same flowers and birds that Nina had seen on Mika decorated the edges of the woman’s tunic, and instead of a cinch at her waist, her belly swelled with child.
Nina remembered when her mamay was expectant with Lali. She had come early, just days after Samaq was taken, and Nina, only seven at the time, had been awestruck by the strength of her mamay. Together, they had dug a hole deep into the earth and planted the afterbirth, right next to where Nina’s, Sacha’s, and Samaq’s had been planted.
In that place, four trees had grown tall and thick with leaves. They stood sentinel over Nina’s small limestone house, and provided shade for play and afternoon meals. They had been a source of pride for her mamay and tayta. A sign that said,Look how blessed we are.
Nina wondered if they now served as a reminder of everything they had lost.
“I have to begin preparations for Jana’s birthing,” Shayim said to Nina. She pointed at a small tent. “There is where you will find Mika. She’ll tell you more.”
About what?Nina wanted to ask, but Shayim was already guiding Jana away, leaving Nina to stand among the bustle of a world she didn’t recognize. Rocks skittered underfoot as she rushed to the tent Shayim had pointed to and stopped at the entrance, deliberating whether to announce herself or just walk in or leave altogether.
“I can see your shadow,” a voice called from inside. “If you don’t come in now, I’ll be offended.”
Nina winced and inhaled deeply. She pushed aside the flap to find Mika sitting cross-legged in the middle of the tent surrounded by rocks and unfamiliar tools. In one corner was a narrow bed and in the other, a small table, similarly covered in items Nina couldn’t name.
“Don’t mind the mess,” Mika said, then she pointed to the spot next to her. “Sit here. I need to measure your wrist.”
Nina did as she was told. Mika took her wrist and wrapped a string around it, then used a small knife to cut it. It was done before Nina could think to be concerned about a knife so close to her pulse point. “You’re very demanding,” Nina said.
“I’ve been told,” Mika said with a sigh. She plucked a yellow rock from a collection at her side and turned it this way and that. “Good enough.” She closed it in a fist that she extended to Nina. “Did you know that every creation on this land has a thread of life, and that it is only the Ikara who can see those threads and tug at them? We can create and shape and bend to our will.”
Nina fought the urge to flinch back as the small rock in Mika’s handbegan to shift from something jagged and misshapen to something first flat and smooth, then long and thin.
Mika’s fingers were soft as they grabbed Nina’s wrist again and bent the gold into place. When she was done, Nina wore a band identical to Mika’s. “The difference between our attay is that while I can only see the threads of life, you can see the threads of lifeandwill.”
“How do you know?” Nina whispered, her heart beating hard enough to make her ears ring. The golden band was cold against her skin. It caught a spark of light from the hole in the ceiling of the tent and mirthfully winked.
“Shayim Saw in my threads that one with your power would come,” she said with a mischievous glint. “Though she wasn’t sure when or how. Apparently, I somehow convince you to practice your attay on me and we become fast friends because it is clear that I trust you with my life, and you want a friend more than you want to keep your secret.”
A laugh burst out of Nina’s mouth. She covered it quickly with both hands, embarrassed at the force of it, but Mika was smiling wide, a red flush blooming over her cheeks and neck.
“I think you should try it and see what happens.”
“You aren’t injured,” Nina said, but she was already reaching for the girl’s threads, eager to feel the power of healing once again. Like a compulsion she wasn’t sure she could control.
“I don’t need to be injured for you to use your attay.” Nina snapped her eyes back to Mika’s. The girl smiled wide. “You can do much more then heal.” Mika grabbed her hand and pulled it close. “You are more powerful than you know. Trust me.”
Perhaps Ninawasa fool, just as Kasik had accused, because she wanted to believe this girl’s words. So much so that she closed her eyes and reached for Mika’s will. It was difficult to believe that nobody elsecould see what she saw, how the strands of gold slithered and danced in the air, waiting for her to wrap them around her fingers and command them where to go.
Nina could feel how with one tug, she could stop Mika’s breath. Stop her throat from swallowing, her chest from inhaling, her blood from flowing.
The story Kasik had told her echoed in her thoughts, about the Ikara gone mad with power. She could understand. Mika’s threads were luring her in, inviting her to take and bend till they broke. This power was more than just healing. It was devastation, and it was terrifying.
Nina wondered if she was alone in the strength of this power. If there were more like her, and if so, were they all capable of such destruction?
