The Stone Heart's Lament
Sibling rivalry, the Mother demands her blood

Time stood still fora handful of heartbeats as Fantel stared at the djinn and he grinned back ather. She could taste the harsh bite of his magic polluting the air and feel thestatic not-heat of the green fire as it ate away at the trees. Distantly shecould hear the members of the O’da tribe shouting orders and warnings to oneanother, rushing to arms and racing toward the fence, yet for a brief moment noneof that mattered. She was struck dumb by a wave of revulsion; profound andintense. The loathing she felt for the djinn was visceral, overwhelming. Shefelt it in her bones; she felt it in her soul, where once she had felt theall-pervasive power of the Mother. Her claws burst forth from her fingertipsand her lips skinned back from suddenly sharpened teeth.

The djinn laughed; adeep, appreciative rumble of sound, as if her hatred pleased him. His smilesoftened into something approaching intimate and all the more obscene becauseof it. Pleasure and excitement kindled in his golden eyes, his gaze sweepingover her from toe to crown. “Now then,” he drawled words soft and eager, “Let’sget to it.”

Almost too fast tocountenance he whipped his staff around, pointed it toward a group of on-comingogdegre, armed with spears and javelin, and loosed a jet stream of green firefrom the tip. The stream of magic coursed forward to hit the first of theogdegre. The male, a warrior with only one remaining horn, dropped to one kneeand raised a large shield in front of his body. The fire smashed into theshield, exploding over the surface and streaming around the edges like a livingcreature. Tendrils of liquid flame splattered over the warrior’s face, arms andupper thighs, burning through flesh like molten lead. The warrior screamed butheld firm, protecting the rest of the group from the brunt of the attack. Hiscompatriots hurled their javelins, forming a protective circle around theirfallen companion. Two of the group charged forward, spears held aloft overtheir heads.

Again the djinnlaughed, spinning his staff around in a circle in front of his body, the greenglowing tip creating a lurid contrail outlining the edges of the magic shieldthe djinn erected to deflect the first of the javelins. The javelin hit thecentre of the magic shield and immediately exploded into burning fragments,which flew into the air and set fire to the grass where they landed. The djinnspun his staff in a rapid figure of eight, his body swaying from side to sidewith the motion. Green light blazed. Fantel hit the ground, throwing her handsup over her head. The rest of the javelins exploded as they hit the whirlingedges of the magic shield and then the djinn was running, charging, forward to meet the ogdegre attack. Laughing in wildabandon, lithe body twisting with ferocious, sinuous grace, the djinn aimed hisstaff at the roof of one of the larger huts and set it alight. Green fireerupted across the canvas, devouring the waxed hide-skin like air. Sparks flewand jumped from one hut to the next. Screams rose from the settlement. Some ofthe ogdegre broke off from charging the djinn to rush to the well for water. Afutile effort; water could not quench the magic in the flames.

A rain of arrowsbattered down around the djinn, yet somehow none hit him. Gleefully he dancedout of the way of the lethal rain, almost prancing. He kept smiling all thewhile. Whirling around he spun his staff and launched a series of emerald fireballs in the direction the arrows had come from, where a group of archers –I’tan among them – stood poised on one of the still intact rooftops. The hutexploded, sending gouts of magic fire in all directions and flinging thearchers to the ground. The djinn was moving again, pirouetting on his toes,whipping the staff up and around across his body before smashing the end intothe stomach of one of the ogdegre warriors. The next whip fast blow struckanother ogdegre under the chin, knocking his head back with a sickeningcracking sound.

The ogdegre werebigger, stronger, and there were more of them. They were also seasoned huntersand warriors. They should have been able to easily overcome one lone attacker. Butthe djinn had one thing all the ogdegre warriors lacked: magic. Power crackledaround him, hot as a furnace, arid and choking like the air in a sandstorm.Fantel could feel the wild, exhilarating pulse of his magic tickling againsther skin, playing over her mind like dancing fingers. Every scream, every sparkof destruction, every erg of violence fed that power and made the djinn all butunstoppable. He was a force of nature, a force of unbridled, transcendentchaos. If the Chimeri were creatures of order and restraint, bound from birthto observe and uphold the natural order of the world in perpetuity then theDjinn were their opposite, the mirror image of the Chimeri. They were theaspect of Mother Aldlis that had no order, no restraint, no rhyme or reason,and no mercy. The djinn spun and kicked and jabbed at the oncoming ogdegre likea dancing flame, an elemental force that could not be contained. He was playingwith them as he burned their homes to the ground.

Fantel gathered herlegs underneath her, lips pulled back from her teeth in a fierce, determinedsnarl, and launched herself at the djinn’s back. She hit him hard, her clawsscrambling for his neck even as she knocked him to the ground and rode him downhard. His magic scorched her up close. She felt it wash over her like a wave ofred hot pin-pricks, but she did not let it faze her. Her nature was one ofmagic, and while her own well of spirit power was long dried up Fantel wasstill better suited to shrugging off the effects of magic than any of theogdegre. Twisting her body over him, one knee digging into the djinn’s lowerback, she stamped down on his hand pinning it and his staff to the ground.Tangling her clawed fists into his long, fine white hair, she slammed thedjinn’s head into the hard packed ground, once, twice, thrice. She heard thewet pop as his nose broke with the impact.

Still he laughed, wetand bloody. “It’s about bloody time. I thought you’d sit there f’ever, dumb asa stump.” He managed to turn his head, just enough that she could see the gleamof his teeth and the blood smeared across his face. His golden eyes burned withtriumph. Fantel had only that split second warning. A surge of searing powerburst forth from the djinn; his entire body bursting into blazing green flame.Rearing back Fantel threw herself off the djinn, hands diving down into herpocket. She rolled across the ground, pulling free each of the scion shards asshe did so, taking one in each palm and rising to her knees.

Immediately she hadto duck and roll to the left, narrowly avoiding a sweeping blow from thedjinn’s staff, which cut through the air where her head had been a secondbefore, leaving a liquid trail of fire in its wake. She deflected a vicious, ifnot well aimed, kick to her gut with one arm, grabbed at his ankle and tried topull him off balance. She missed but forced the djinn to take a step back allthe same. Fantel leapt to her feet, arms held loose at her sides. She and thedjinn circled each other. Blood, thick and dark, dribbled down over the djinn’schin and stained his teeth as he grinned fixedly, like a skull. He aimed hisstaff and sent a jet of flame toward her. Fantel threw up her arms, palms out,scion fragments clenched between her fingers and did not try and jump out ofthe way of the blast. The jet of green flame hit her like a spout of water froma high-powered hose. It burst over her hands, raced over her arms, crawled allover her body. She felt the burn, like acid deep in her bones for the space ofone heart beat to the next -and then it was gone. The fire extinguished in aninstant, the magic evaporating like a bad dream. She blinked away theaftershocks and met the djinn’s startled yellow eyes. For all of a moment helost his smile completely, his face falling into long, lean lines.

“Ha,” he crowed, lipsskinning back from his teeth in an even wider, even more manic grin. “Ha. Yerjust full o’ surprises aren’t yer, sister?” His eyes were hard as stone andcolder than death. He charged at her head on.

Fantel did not havethe time to get out of the way. She threw up her arms to protect her face andtwisted with the impact as he smashed the side of his staff into her head,coupling the ringing blow with a vicious punch to her stomach with his freehand. Fantel crumpled to the ground, fists clenched around the precious scionfragments. She brought her knees up to protect her abdomen as the djinn threwhimself down on the ground beside her, driving both fists down in rapidsuccession, pummelling her legs, arms, and head in a seemingly endless rain ofblows that left her reeling. All she could do was wait out his fury. He wasuncoordinated and undisciplined in his violence, startled out of his control byher ability to deflect his magic. Therein lay her advantage. He would tirequickly. Physically he was no stronger than she was. The Djinn and the Chimeriwere cut from the same cloth, even if the design they chose to make of theirlives could not be more different, and Fantel well knew just how long, orotherwise, he could maintain this level of sustained attack.

His blows becamesloppier, the pounding of his fists slowing down. Fantel uncurled from herprotective ball after one weak punch glanced off her ribs, barely grazing her. Shereturned the volley, striking out with one open palmed chop to his chin. Shestruck him with the fragment of scion stone pressed snugly against the centreof her palm. The reaction was instantaneous. The fragment burned white hot anda jolt of power raced down her arm as the fragment touched the djinn’s magicwreathed skin. The djinn hissed, golden eyes widening in shock and realisation.He scrambled away.

Fantel lunged upafter him, ignoring the screaming protest of her abused body. She grabbed athim two handed, clasping a fragment of scion stone in both fists. She caughthim by the side of the head and drove the fragments into his temples. It waslike closing a circuit. She felt it when the scion fragments started to suck outthe djinn’s magic. She saw his eyes go glassy, horrified, felt his body spasmand his lips part in pain. Digging her claws into the sides of his head Fantelconcentrated. She was part of the circuit she had created. She could use thepower the scion fragments absorbed in lieu of her own magic. She willed thegreen fire tearing through the settlement to subside, hijacking the djinn’scontrol of his magic in the same way Anoush had hijacked Fantel’s control ofher own body.

“No,” the djinn snarled,jerking back into life, fear giving him strength. The punch to her jaw stunnedher and she lost her grip on his head. He tore free of her and staggered to hisfeet. He snatched up his staff, red blood staining his hair and scouring downthe sides of his face. He swayed on his feet, expression twisting into a maskof absolute savagery and wild, nearly mindless hate. He stared around him atthe dirty, greasy smoke rising from the extinguished fires. He raised hisstaff, the end igniting in flame and narrowed his eyes on a target only to howlin outrage as an arrow winged his arm, queering his aim and opening a deep gashin the meat of his bicep.

The ogdegre hadregrouped and now encircled the djinn, spears pointed and arrows notched. Thedjinn snarled in frustration. He dropped to his knees as the first wave ofogdegre raced in. Slamming his palm against the ground the djinn sent a wave ofgreen fire out across the ground, forcing the ogdegre back. He leapt up,whipped his staff up and across his body, exploding a flurry of arrows aimedfor his heart. Throwing one, odd, challenging look Fantel’s way the djinn twistedon the balls of his feet and sprinted for the hole in the fence. Startled byhis sudden retreat Fantel leapt up and gave chase before she was even aware ofmaking the decision to do so. She raced after him, diving past the burnt husksof the trees nearest the settlement and deeper into the forest.

The djinn led her ona merry chase through the dense woodland. Low hanging branches scraped her faceand neck, clawing at her arms and legs as she jumped over deadfall logs andbramble bushes. She could feel the spirit of the forest, tense and wary; itwanted the djinn gone and it recognised Fantel as an ally against him. As sheran she felt the will of the forest at her back, lending her strength. The groundbecame easier for her to traverse. She knew where the pitfalls were; whereexposed roots broke free from the ground. It was as if a light had come on inher mind, illuminating the perfect path. She could see the entire forest laidout within her mind’s eye. She knew that the djinn raced toward the bank of ashallow stream running through the woods. She knew that with every labouredbreath he was slowing down. The forest rose up to hinder his passage. Treebranches reached down to snatch at his hair and claw at his clothes, while theground crumpled under his feet, slipping away so that he stumbled. She had madeup ground on the djinn rapidly, the forest giving her feet wings while itworked to drag him down.

She leapt, bouncingoff the trunk of a tree and crashed into the djinn’s back, hauling him down tothe ground. They rolled into thick undergrowth. The thorns and prickles of thedense bushes did not scratch or tear at Fantel, but instead the twisted stemsof wove around the djinn’s wrists and legs like barbed manacles until he wascompletely ensnared, trapped on his back, yellow eyes narrowed to furious slits.Fantel straddling his hips, claws extended and reading to split his neck. Andstill he smiled.

“Ha,” he laughedagain, wheezing slightly. “So yer still got some tricks t’yer name, eh, sister?Tell me, d’yer hear the land singin’; d’yer hear the sky screaming? Or has itbeen too long since yer magic left yer? Tell me, does the silence make yersick, or does the memory of Her voice drive yer mad?”

“I am not yoursister.” Fantel regretted the words as soon as they were spoken. She knewbetter than to let any djinn goad her, but this one at least was no longer athreat to her or anyone else.

“Is that right?” Hegrinned, laughing again, bitterly. “Bloody sanctimonious Chimeri; You all thinkcuz yer do yer killin’ on the Mother’s say so that makes you better than us,eh? You forget that She made us Djinntoo.”

“I have no interestin arguing philosophy with you.” Fantel told him wrapping one hand around hisneck. “You attacked the O’da. I want to know why.”

He grinned, wide andfierce. “We are the same, sister.Both of us have sided with the humans, both of us have left this damned landbehind.”

Fantel ignored hisprattle. Right now she did not care what he thought of her. “Who do you workfor? Why did you attack the settlement?” Fantel squeezed down on his throat,her claws pricking at his pliant flesh.

“Why’d yer fink I didit?” He sneered, “T’get yer attention.” His grin stretched across his narrowface, wide as a knife wound, “Knew yer wouldn’t be able to resist chasin’ meout here. Part o’ the great design, ain’t it, sister? We were born to hate eachother; it’s in our blood. Chimera and Djinn; we’ve abandoned our homes, but ourhatreds, eh, those are harder to let of of.”

“Enough,” Fanteljabbed the points of her claws into his flesh, puckering the skin, and felt thejump of his pulse racing through the big artery in his neck. “You will answerme now or I will tear out your throat. The Mother can take tribute from that asshe sees fit.”

“Stupid bint,” thedjinn laughed at her, even as she tightened her grip on his throat that littlebit more and the thorns twinned around his wrists tore into his flesh enough todraw blood. “I already told yer. Yerfink this is m’ idea of a good time? Fink I want t’be out here, back in thisbloody place traipsing through miasma and gettin’ the stink eye from uppityOgs? Bugger that. But I got a job t’do, don’t I?”

“What?” Fantelshifted back a little, her grip around his throat loosening fractionally. Acreeping dread prickled against the back of her skull.

Recognising herconsternation he grinned brilliantly up at her, teeth stained with flecks ofblood and dirt. “Tell me, sister, what exactly did yer promise that human puppyyer left all alone back at the camp, eh? Sure hope it weren’t protection, cuz Iain’t seein’ how yer doin’ him much good while yer out here with me.”

Horror crashed downover her head, horror and sudden blinding understanding. She leapt to her feet,releasing the djinn as if his skin burned her. “A distraction,” She hissed.“You were just a distraction to get me away from the settlement.” Whippingaround she looked back toward the ogdegre camp. “Rashari,” she whispered. Shehad left him back there, still recovering from the alraune infection, alone andunable to defend himself. How could she have been so stupid? She startedrunning back toward the settlement.

“Yer too late, luv,”The djinn called after her, mocking and gleeful. “I hope yer puppy paid yerupfront cuz he’s long gone now. Ruthy will ‘ave seen t’that.”