Page 15

Suddenly the reverence toward Akoro by the people during the ceremony made sense. They truly believed he had been divinely appointed to restore their lost glory.

Naya shook her head slowly, her mind connecting information she already knew. The pressure of expectation that Akoro would have faced would be immense. He lived most of his life with guilt about his family and on top of that was the crushing expectations of his people.

“I need to know,” Naya said, her voice steadier than she felt, “why you accused him of being cruel and harming so many Omegas. When I first arrived someone said that.”

Oshrun’s jaw clenched, her demeanor returning stern. “When he took control of Onn Kkulma and then Tsashokra, he implemented the no-Omega law in the region. Many Omegas were thrown to the Sands, and many ended up harmed.”

“Were any killed?” Naya asked, needing clarity on this crucial point.

“No,” Oshrun admitted. “But King Sy knew that exiling them to the Sands would likely be a death sentence.” Her eyes narrowed. “Remember, princess, he doesn’t know about this community. As far as he knew, he was condemning them to wild magic and isolation.”

That certainly wasn’t good, but before Naya could think about it, a rustling sound came from the path below, interrupting their somber conversation. A small voice called out tentatively from the canyon floor. “Mima? Mima!”

Tiny sandaled feet pattered against stone as a little girl, no more than four or five years old, climbed the winding steps to their ledge.

She wore a simple dress of light brown fabric, embroidered at the hem with geometric patterns in rusty red thread.

Half of her hair stuck up in all directions, puffed out in a crimped frizz while the other half was styled in tight braids close to her scalp, decorated with a few small wooden beads that clacked when she moved.

When she spotted Naya, she halted abruptly.

Her wide eyes, the same amber-brown as Oshrun’s, grew even larger as she stared.

Oshrun straightened, her posture instantly shifting to stern disapproval. “Nnimi! Pri shǐ hǒn kkuu? Shnim nta ea kress llǐnn. ” Her tone made it clear she was scolding the child.

But the child stood frozen, staring at Naya with wonder, her small mouth forming a perfect O of surprise. Her gaze traveled over Naya’s borrowed earth-toned clothing, her copper hair catching the morning light, her face, lingering on the fresh scar across her cheek.

Despite the heaviness of their conversation, Naya smiled at her. There was something about the child’s unabashed curiosity that softened the weight of her emotions.

Oshrun sighed, her stern expression melting as she beckoned to the child. “Come, then. Since you’ve already found us.”

The little girl’s face broke into a delighted grin. She scrambled forward, throwing herself into Oshrun’s outstretched arms. Tickling ensued and bright, unrestrained laughter echoed across the canyon walls.

Naya laughed with them. Something about the girl reminded her of Lili, and the way she would crawl into Papa’s lap during their morning conversations, demanding attention with her infectious giggles.

It reminded her of a time before the weight of death, destruction, and destiny had settled on her shoulders.

When the tickling subsided, the little girl nestled against Oshrun’s chest, still watching Naya with unabashed fascination.

“Are there many children here?” Naya asked, her voice softer. “In this canyon?”

Oshrun smoothed a hand over the child’s puffy hair, her expression softening further as she gazed out over their hidden community below.

“Yes. This canyon community—we call it Ilǐa, which means ‘protection’ in our tongue—is home to several generations. We have over forty children under the age of twelve, and over twenty-five adolescents.”

She turned to the little girl, speaking in their language again while gesturing toward Naya. “ Mmi emea, Princess Naya. Shnim ǐp hhǐtss pa llǒrke shmǒo nte kǔn rǒ. ”

The child’s eyes widened even further. She straightened in Oshrun’s arms and, to Naya’s surprise, spoke in the Common Tongue. “Good Morning, princess.” The words were heavily accented but clear and easily understood.

Naya blinked in surprise. “You speak the Common Tongue?”

“Everyone here does,” Oshrun said. “Even the youngest begin learning as soon as they can speak.”

Intrigued, Naya addressed the little girl directly. “What’s your name?”

“Nnimi,” the child replied with a shy smile. Leaning forward in Oshrun’s arms, her small hand reached out toward Naya’s hair with obvious fascination. “Are you really a princess?” she asked.

Naya smiled, tilting her head slightly to allow her to touch. “Yes, I am.”

Nnimi’s fingers gently brushed against a strand of Naya’s hair, her face alight with wonder. “Your hair is pretty,” she whispered, as though sharing a precious secret.

“Thank you,” Naya whispered back with delight. “Yours is prettier.” They shared a smile, and Naya glanced up at Oshrun. “Why do you all learn the Common Tongue? It seems... unusual for a community so isolated.”

Oshrun hesitated before setting Nnimi down, speaking to her again in their language, her tone gentle but firm. “ Pri shi? ram. Shnim kitss nnel klaeplu?. Shku? prat ku?n hhe aen ttae taetslae .”

The little girl nodded reluctantly, casting one more wistful glance at Naya before scampering back down the stone steps.

Oshrun turned back toward the sunrise. “When the First Mother was coming and going from her land to ours, she created the gateway to make it easier to form the portal. She wanted to give Omegas of the ssukkǔrian the option to go to her land, meet the Omegas there, and have support. So she taught us all the Common Tongue. But the portal only worked when wild magic was contained and in the same manner your Omegas use magic. After the first wave, it wasn’t possible to use it that way anymore.

So our founders and Kaharine worked together to create tools that repel wild magic.

Kaharine helped install it in this canyon and used it to find and protect other Omegas that were still alive.

Still, we feel that learning the Common Tongue, the language of the First Mother, is important to remember why Ilǐa was started, and to give us an advantage if we ever met an Omega from the Known Lands. You are the first.”

Naya pursed her lips in thought. Mother Freya hadn’t seemed to know anything about the Northern Lands when they spoke.

So either Kaharine chose not to tell anyone back home about Tsashokra, or the Northern Lands as she might have called it back then, or she died before getting back home. “What happened to her?”

“She survived the second wave, but she didn’t return to the canyon.” Oshrun shook her head. “It is thought she either died in the desert, fighting for a way to stop the wild magic, or she found a way home and couldn’t return.”

Naya made a noise in the back of her throat. Neither way was a fitting end for that Omega. Another question came to her. “Why do you all have nnol ttaehh mael scars?”

Oshrun was quiet for a moment. “When we heard about the Omegas who had died that way just before the second wave, it hit the community hard. Any one of us could have been those Omegas—some of us were Omegas from the first wave who hadn’t overcome the trauma.

After a Sy took power again, we made sure we kept the knowledge of the severing procedure so we could help in case he decided to continue using it.

We perform it on ourselves as a ritual reminder and honoring of those Omegas. ”

Naya exhaled a long slow breath. That was a dangerous way to honor those lives, but she wouldn’t judge them for it.

“You said you had questions,” Oshrun said briskly, after a moment. “We will allow you today to ask anything you need to know, but you still need to leave by the end of the day.”

Naya stared out over the canyon. “Are you not worried about the nnin-eellithi storm?”

Oshrun inhaled and thought for a moment. “I am worried for the region, yes. And I am worried for the Tsashokra people.”

“You’re not worried for yourself, for the Ilǐa community?”

Oshrun shook her head. “It won’t come near us.”

“Because of your device?” When Oshrun nodded, Naya leaned toward her. “Then will you help me find a way to stop it?”

The Omega leader was silent for a moment. “We cannot get involved if it will reveal us to the region, princess. We’ll need to consider it carefully, and we will.” She rose to her feet. “It’s time to eat.”

Oshrun led off the stone ledge and Naya deeper into the canyon, the path winding between towering walls of striated red stone.

The morning air was pleasantly cool against Naya’s skin.

Small, delicate flowers in shades of purple and white sprouted from crevices in the rock, their fragrance subtle yet sweet.

“This is incredible,” Naya breathed. “I didn’t think anything like this existed in Tsashokra.”

The canyon opened into a wider expanse where morning sunlight, illuminating a lush oasis that seemed impossible after the barren wasteland she’d traversed with Akoro.

A clear stream meandered through the center, its waters catching the light in flashes of silver.

Trees with gnarled trunks and broad leaves provided patches of dappled shade.

Birds called from hidden perches, their songs echoing off the stone walls.

“When the council showed me maps of the region, there was nothing like this marked anywhere,” Naya said, her fingertips trailing along a moss-covered rock as they passed. “How is this not known?”

“The ssukkǔrian think this canyon is dead and dry,” Oshrun said. “We have ways to keep it that way.”