Page 166 of Earthbound

Her first footfall was tentative, as though the earth might swallow her up. But when she felt the firmness of rock beneath her she began to run.

The fray was embedded deep within this new field of rock. And it shone like a gemstone in a crown. Its brightness sparked stars in her eyesight as she sprinted towards the valley that now cradled Mosima.

But it wasn’t the Mosima she had once known.

She saw the Tree of Souls first, its trunk split into two halves on either side of the palace. The wreckage spread like a web from its base, its roots leaving a path of destruction through the city.

Homes had crumbled to dust, roads torn apart, fields–what was left of them–had been churned up so that no crop remained.

But as she watched she saw a lone figure moving through the streets. Bricks began to snap back into position as if they were bones being set, crevices were stitched back together. And every step this person took left a footprint of plants: wildflowers, apple trees, ferns, mosses.

‘Afa,’ Yeeran breathed.

A shadow dashed up the valley’s walls, followed by two more.

‘Pila!’ Yeeran’s relief was immeasurable. She sobbed as the obeah lunged towards her and nestled her head into Yeeran’s neck. Her horns dug into Yeeran’s scalp, but she didn’t notice. Pain was nothing in the face of such love.

‘Yeeran.’ Furi’s voice was like a hot coal striking her skin and Yeeran untangled herself from Pila and went to her.

The queen slipped from Amnan’s back. Her face was streaked with dirt, but she looked hale.

‘Are you hurt?’ Yeeran asked.

‘No, but—’

Yeeran embraced her, feeling the firmness of her body against her chest. ‘You’re alive.’ And she saw over Furi’s shoulder that Lettle and Rayan had also crested the valley. ‘You’re all alive,’ she breathed, with relief. ‘Ajax?’

Rayan’s look was enough to blunt Yeeran’s joy. She reached a hand out for Pila to nuzzle.

‘Why didn’t you answer me, Pila?’

The obeah whined.

Furi swallowed, her expression grave. ‘That’s what I was going to say, Yeeran. The binding to the obeah–it’s gone.’

‘Tell me,’ Yeeran said.

It was Lettle who answered. ‘Afa tricked me, there is no spell to bring back the humans.’ She told the tale haltingly, her throat tight with sorrow. Every now and again Lettle would look down at the figure below–Afa and Alder combined–and watch him bring Mosima back to life.

‘So, this is it? The obeah remain obeah, but we have lost our connection to them?’ Yeeran’s hand tightened in Pila’s fur.

This cannot be how it ends.

‘It is,’ Furi whispered. She grieved her bond to Amnan too.

The wind picked up unnaturally for a few seconds, and when Yeeran blinked again, Afa was there.

‘Mosima has been made safe again,’ he said. ‘I healed everything and everyone that I could. But I’m afraid some went to the beyond before I could reach them.’

Yeeran turned to him. In that moment she didn’t care that he was an ancient being who could crush her. She pulled forward her drum and fired.

He took the drumfire calmly, even as red welts blossomed on his skin and seeped blood. He could feel the pain, she knew he could, because every now and again he would wince. But he did nothing to stop her, so she didn’t stop.

‘Bring back her voice,’ Yeeran screamed. ‘Bring Pila back!’

Lettle stepped in front of Yeeran’s drumfire. ‘Stop! This is helping no one.’ There was a second where Yeeran very nearly shot her sister and the realisation horrified her. She dropped to her knees on the hard ground.

‘You can do this,’ Yeeran pointed to the valley. ‘But you can’t bring her back?’