didn’t understand until a memory floated through her mind. When they had discovered Emane’s gift, Eleana had said he would be able to heal anyone he cared about. Emane’s dislike of Alcander was affecting his ability to heal.
Kiora leaned over and whispered in Emane’s ear, “I know you don’t like him. I know you are mad at both of us right now. But being angry does not make it all right to lose control of your gifts. He is a living soul. Help him.”
Emane’s shoulders drooped as if weighed down by her words. As his body relaxed, Kiora could feel his anger diminishing. She turned her attention to Alcander, her eyes closing in relief as his wound began to knit itself together beneath Emane’s fingers. When it was healed, Emane dropped his hands as Alcander reached up, his fingers wandering in disbelief over where the wound had been.
“You heal,” Alcander said very slowly.
The only sound in the cave was Emane’s footsteps slapping against the stone as he walked away from Alcander, kneeling down at the waters edge.
“Thank you,” Alcander said, almost inaudibly.
Emane was silent. Leaning forward he began to scrub the blood off his hands.
“Isn’t that interesting?”
A voice came from the darkness as Lomay’s thread slid through the space. Kiora looked around but could not see him. The green sphere lit only a small area; outside of that, blackness pressed in on them.
“A healer,” Lomay’s voice came again, followed by his familiar laugh.
Alcander rose to his feet, throwing his bloodied hair over his shoulder. “Lomay, if you mean to talk to us, at least move where we can see you.” Striding past Emane, Alcander dove into the pool. He surfaced a moment later and scrubbed the blood off his face and hair.
Lomay walked out of the darkness and into the light. “You owe him a debt of gratitude, Alcander. You also owe him a reappraisal of his worth.”
Emane jerked to his feet. “I do not wish to be reappraised,” he snapped, looking down at Alcander. “My power does not change who I am.”
“Well spoken, my boy,” Lomay said. “But your power is not what I was referring to. I was referring to your willingness to heal one who has treated you so poorly.”
Alcander flinched in response to Lomay’s observation.
Lomay continued, “It speaks much of who you are and why you have been called.” His eye darted over to the dark water where Alcander bobbed. “Alcander! Stop playing in the water, there is much to do.”
Lomay extended his hand towards the side wall, smaller spheres of light exploding out of his hand. One by one he lit small stone torches that had been placed around the cave. Kiora finally understand where they were. The underground river had surfaced in one more cave before it continued out into the canyon. The opening where the water had surfaced again was so large it had turned it into more of a small pool than a river. Kiora could see on the far side of the cave where the water began to pick up speed again before disappearing under a rock shelf. The pool was surrounded on every side by a ledge wide enough for ten men to stand. The far left side of the cavern opened up, and sitting on a large, flat rock shelf were the Wings.
They looked very similar to the Wings Kiora had known from Meros. There were subtle differences that suggested a different maker, but they had been patterned the same. The feathers were smaller, more delicate looking, and fitted closer together. But the gold still sparkled, reflecting the light back into the room as the Wings towered towards the cavern’s ceiling.
“The Wings of Tavea!” Lomay announced, his chest puffing with pride.
“Tavea? You mean like Tavean?” Emane asked.
“Yes. When the people became too evil to have them anymore, I took them to a safe location.”
“You mean you stole them,” Alcander corrected.
Chapter Six
Interrupted Revelations
Lomay sighed. “My dear Alcander, We have been over this many times. I simply do not have time to revisit it tonight. Now,” he said, turning away from the Wings, “we will need somewhere to sit.”
Leaning down, Lomay passed his hand over the top of the water, whispering something under his breath. Upon his command, five spires of water pulled themselves out from the lake, spinning and twisting like green tornados. Under Lomay’s direction the spires moved from the pool to the ledge they were standing on. Once on land the spires began folding in on themselves, each