Page 39 of Firstborn of the Sun
‘I guess so,’ the other maiden said. ‘Why did you even take it?’
‘Take what?’ Milúà said. They were so close to L’?r? now that they could touch her, but somehow their eyes slid past. How was this possible?
The other maiden laughed, ‘You like trouble.’
They both walked right by L’?r? and down the other stairs where Kyà had hidden in the corner. He was well hidden so they could not see him. But she was right there, and they didn’t even look at her once.
L’?r? let out the groan she’d been biting down. Her body felt heavy as stone, and every breath stung. When she tried to call out for Kyà, a white mist came out of her mouth. Her eyes darted back and forth, the only part of her body that was still under her control.
‘L’?r?, where are you?’ Kyà whispered, peeking out of his corner. ‘L’?r?.’
‘I’m here,’ she breathed, but he didn’t hear her. She said it louder, but he kept searching for her, looking right through her. Only then did she realize her lips hadn’t moved, and she didn’t appear to be breathing. She tried to force air out of her nostrils, but it was like her entire body was covered in a thick layer of something, leaving her unable to move, breathe, or speak. An icy shiver went right through her. Her frazzledmind struggled to regain control of her body. Terrified that she’d walked into a cursed trap set by the priests, she fought with everything in her, trying to move every part of her body until, finally, a crack. Like a hammer to a slab of ice, her hands looked broken. Lines like veins trailed around her body like a cracked clay pot about to burst. She didn’t have time to think about it. The moment her finger could move, a crack ran through the length of her and as she inhaled her first breath, freeing herself from the mould, she jumped into Kyà’s arms. A loud sound like that of crashing mirrors echoed through the tower.
Kyà recoiled and shoved her off. He looked like he’d seen a ghost.
L’?r? forced down a scream as her head slammed against the wall. She flexed every part of her body to break off the ice shards that clung to her skin. The world blurred, and the ringing in her ears was loud enough to drive her mad. All she could think about at that moment was that she must have touched or triggered an old magic spell or trap within the tower. With her shaky breaths, she cursed the priests who had built the Àlùfáà tower.
Kyà took a step closer, squinting as if checking it really was her and then rushed to her side, scooping her into his arms. ‘Oh, gods, L’?r?, I’m so sorry, you scared me, you came out of nowhere, I thought –’ He paused and looked back at the stairs, then back to her. ‘Where were you?’
‘What was that?’ Milúà’s loud voice boomed from the level below.
Kyà pulled L’?r? into a corner just before the staircase, and they both squeezed in. It was almost too small to fit two people, so their chests pressed against each other, and they held their breaths.
L’?r? struggled to breathe. She wasn’t crying, but tearspoured out in streams from her eyes and dripped from her nose, and she was sweating by the bucket. The next few agonizing moments seemed to drag on until finally, she couldn’t hear the maiden’s voice, footsteps, or even the sound of the wind. Then she shuffled out of the corner, shivering, sweating and soaking wet.
‘Are you okay? How are you so drenched?’ Kyà asked, looking at his own soaked clothes.
‘I – uh –’ Panic cut her words off.
‘How did you do that?’ Kyà asked, still bewildered. ‘I swear, I was looking right at those stairs. One moment, there was nothing, and the next, you were falling into me.’
‘I … I don’t know,’ L’?r? said, still looking at her trembling hands. ‘I don’t know what just happened. I felt like I was suffocating, dying. I couldn’t move.’
‘You were invisible! Those maidens walked right past you. If they’d seen you, you wouldn’t be alive. How did you do that? What did you do?’ he asked, pointing at the ice that now melted away on the floor.
‘I don’t know! This place is cursed,’ L’?r? replied, still shaking and shivering. She wanted to tell him that whatever had happened could not have been from her since she had no agbára, but this was not the place to reveal such secrets. Her heart raced in her chest, and she felt the burning within her. She was terrified and hoped that whatever curse the temple had placed on her, Baba-Ìtàn could remove it the moment she got home. ‘Let’s find Alawani and get out of this place.’
L’?r? reached to touch her necklace, and this time, rather than the usual comfort, she felt a surge of energy flow through her. On instinct she snapped the necklace from her neck. Kyà put his hands around her to hold her. She groaned as she fought the pain, but it felt like something had exploded in her core. Sweat continued to pour out of her,and for a moment, she didn’t think the pain would ever pass, but after what felt like a thousand heartbeats, it dulled into an ache.
She forced her head down to see the spot where the necklace had been, and she could see a blistered black scar. ‘Is there something on my chest?’ she whispered to Kyà.
Kyà narrowed his eyes, focusing on the spot, then shot them back at her. ‘You’re burning up,’ he said, touching her skin. ‘I’m not sure what’s happening but I don’t think you should wear that anymore.’ He tried to touch it, and she flinched back. ‘It’s left a mark the shape of the pendant’s crescent moon,’ he added.
She could feel herself unravelling as her body continued to surge with heat and the pain seemed to build with her panic. Of all the things Baba-Ìtàn had taught her, she didn’t know what to do when attacked with old magic. She was wildly unprepared for this. She needed to get out of this damned temple. She shoved the necklace into her pocket, seized with panic, and all she could think was,Why in the world did Alawani say yes to this?
In the days before the day of the First Sun the lands across the continent were green with life.
Rivers streamed from one end to another and people did not know what it meant to thirst.
Then the Sun turned dark in the sky and the waters turned to sand and the gift of Agbára was given for a price still being paid to this day.
14
The Sun Temple, Royal Island, Kingdom of Oru
L’?R?
L’?r? opened the door representing Ìlú-?ba, which was marked with a single line. The mark reminded her of a cat’s eye; sharp at the tips and wide at the middle. She stepped into the warmth of the room to find an empty bed, the largest piece of furniture in what felt more like a confinement than a room. The room was warmer than she’d expected, and she was grateful for the heat since every breath still brought out mist from her mouth and nostrils. She let out a frustrated sigh.Where in the world is he?
