Tarashana by Rachel Neumeier (little red riding hood ebook TXT) 📕

killed. He slipped by our enemies to speak to the shades and explain what was happening. He should tell that part.”

Tano did not raise his gaze as he told his part of the story. The whip marks across his back showed vividly. Everyone had an idea of him already because of what had happened with the inTasiyo—what he had caused to happen. Now I saw eyebrows rise and people glance at one another as this tale gave them a different idea.

“The eagle who was also a man was probably a servant of the gods,” Koro inKarano said. “I know a few tales that speak of shades who take on such service.”

Aras tilted his head, so that I guessed he might know Lau tales of that kind. Raga straightened, caught my father’s eye, and checked himself. Koro saw all this and smiled slightly. “I will tell those tales later to anyone who wishes to hear them.” He added, his tone thoughtful, “In those tales, a shade of that kind will speak to a living person only if that person possesses the strength to bear the attention of the gods. The gods are said to make note of such a person and remember his name.”

His gaze as he said this was on Tano, who did not look up. Koro finally looked away. He said, “So. Whose story is it now?”

Garoyo shifted slightly so that everyone would look at him. He said, “This must be close to the time I heard Aras call to me. I went toward the place I knew he was and came out of the darkness. Hokino inKera was already there.”

He glanced at Hokino, who nodded, taking up the story himself. “Everything the warleader of the inGara described was also how it happened for me. When I came out of the shadow tide, I was very high in the mountains. Aras was protecting the Tarashana sorcerer and Etta inGara, but they were beset by enemies. The danger was clearly very great. I still had my sword, so I ran forward and fought these enemies, giving Aras the respite he needed. There were too many enemies, even for me. But very soon, Garoyo also came out of the darkness.” Hokino smiled, grimly but with satisfaction. He and Garoyo exchanged a small nod. Hokino went on, “We could see, or perhaps we knew by means of sorcery, that if we held long enough, then the victory could still be ours.”

Garoyo nodded. “We held for some time. But there were too many of those shadow warriors. We did not hold them long enough. I was killed—we were both killed. It happened as Iro inGeiro said. I fell—we both fell—into the dark. That time, I knew the place. But that time, I could not hear Aras.”

“Throughout everything, I could never hear any shade or shadow,” Aras said quietly. “Once a person was killed, that person was lost to me. Ryo, would you prefer to tell the last part of the story?”

“No,” I said, keeping my voice level. I could not bear to speak of it, but I did not say that. I said, which was also true, “I did not know anything but my own part. You knew everything. You should explain how it happened.”

Aras sighed. He rubbed his eyes with the tips of his fingers, then dropped his hand and looked at Koro inKarano. “The situation had become desperate. We had come near victory and also near defeat. Almost everyone was dead, and those of us upon the height of the mountain were still beset by enemies. Ryo was still alive, and close, with Lalani. Also Raga and Arayo, whom I had found only a short time before. These four people came together, but they also faced enemies. If they turned to climb, they would be cut down at once. This is how it was at that moment.”

“Everyone understands,” Koro agreed. “Go on.”

“Yes. Inhejeriel was creating her great work of sorcery, channeling the voices of the stars to make a ... pathway of light that would lead as many of the lost Tarashana as possible into the sky and then to their own country. Etta’s task was to help her sing the names of the lost. Mine was to lift one name at a time from Inhejeriel’s mind and give it to Etta. I could do this while Garoyo and Hokino fought for me, but not when I had to fight for myself. I knew I could not hold our enemies back for long once they were cut down. I was calling everyone who still lived as urgently as I could. Ryo sent Lalani up alone.” Aras nodded gravely to her, and she nodded seriously in return.

“Lalani has the gift to remember, as some Lau have it,” Aras said. “I set a great number of Tarashana names in her mind. She took up the task to give all those names to Etta, one at a time.”

“Not all,” Lalani said, speaking for the first time. Because of all the people gathered here, she had taken the customary manner of a Lau woman among men—subdued, even humble. But now, remembering she was among Ugaro, she looked up again, so that I was reminded of my early days among the Lau, when I had had to try hard not to bow my head.

She said, “We redeemed very many of those lost. But some were not redeemed. Those who were lost forever were all Tarashana people, because Inhejeriel sang the names of the Ugaro people who had been lost before she sang the names of most of her own people. Everyone should know this. That she promised to do that, and she kept her promise.”

Many people murmured and made small gestures of approval.

“Yes,” Aras said. “Inhejeriel was a great and courageous woman. After I gave all those names to Lalani, I could put my attention to fighting, but this