Ashi, is it really you?” Jelena whispered.
“Yes, it’s really me. I’ve come back to you, my love.” He clung to her with such strength, she could barely breathe, and yet she wished he could hold her even closer.
Cries of astonishment echoed against the whitewashed stone façade of the castle as a small crowd of guards formed about them.
“Ashinji! My son!” The guards fell back, bowing in respect, as Amara swept through them. Jelena shifted in Ashinji’s arms so he could see his mother. For a few heartbeats, mother and son gazed at each other, and then Jelena relinquished her hold so Ashinji might go to her.
“My child,” Amara sighed as she pulled him against her breast. “My son is returned to me.”
“I’ve missed you so much,” Ashinji whispered. He laid his head on his mother’s shoulder and wept as Jelena looked on, her heart full to bursting. Amara murmured words of comfort, stroking Ashinji’s face and hair until he regained control of his emotions. As he stepped out of her embrace, Amara gasped.
“Son, your Talent…” Her hand lifted to her mouth, then fluttered back to her side. “You are no longer blocked! How is this possible?”
Ashinji shook his head. “Never mind about that now, Mother.”
“Greetings, Amara. It is good to see you again.”
An elderly woman stepped from the circle of onlookers. She carried herself with the unmistakable air of an aristocrat, and yet Jelena sensed no arrogance in her. She wore a simple blue cotton robe and split leather riding skirt, her silver-blond hair held back by a braided leather cord.
“It is good to see you as well, Chiana,” Amara replied, smiling. “The news of your return is already the talk of Sendai’s magical community. We are in sore need of your help.” The two women clasped hands and stared into each other’s eyes. They stood thus for several heartbeats, then both nodded and released their hold.
Ashinji had taken Jelena back into his arms again. “Jelena, this is Lady Chiana Hiraino, my friend and companion,” he said. “If not for her, I wouldn’t be here now.”
“Then I owe you a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid, Lady Chiana,” Jelena said.
“Please, child, call me Gran,” the old woman instructed, “and you owe me nothing.” She turned to Ashinji. “She is every bit as beautiful as you’ve described, Ashi.” Jelena ducked her head, blushing with embarrassment, still uncomfortable with high praise, even now. “Look at me, Jelena,” Gran commanded softly. Jelena raised her eyes to meet the other woman’s. They were ice-pale, yet they shone with warmth and kindness. “Your husband says that were it not for me, he wouldn’t be here now, but he’s wrong. You are the reason Ashi fought so hard to survive.”
Gran turned to Amara. “We have much to discuss,” she stated.
Amara nodded. “Yes, but all that can wait. You must be exhausted from your long journey.”
“We came as quickly as we could,” Gran replied. “Right now, I’d love a cup of tea and a nap.”
“I’ll see to it you get both,” Jelena promised. A familiar touch, light as a cobweb, brushed her mind. Hatora had awakened and wanted her mother.
“There’s someone you need to meet, love,” Jelena said, squeezing Ashinji’s forearm. A tiny needle of pain stabbed her heart as she noticed the network of fine white scars lacing his skin, scars that had not been there before he had gone away. Fresh tears blurred her vision.
“Come with me to my…to our quarters,” she urged.
Two guards stepped forward and saluted, presenting themselves as escorts. Jelena took Ashinji’s hand and, together with Amara and Gran, they followed the guards into the castle.
Eikko waited in the entryway to Jelena’s apartments, little Hatora riding her ample hip. When the baby saw her mother, she burbled with delight.
Jelena plucked the child from the hikui girl’s arms. “Here is your daughter,” she said.
Ashinji stood gazing at the baby as if trying to memorize every detail of her, then gathered Hatora into his arms and laid his cheek against her tawny curls. The baby settled into her father’s embrace, relaxed and calm, as if she already knew who held her.
When Ashinji could finally speak, his voice emerged in a hoarse and broken whisper. “She…she’s…beautiful!”
Jelena took Ashinji’s arm and gently steered him into the sitting room toward the couch, where he sat, clinging to Hatora as if he feared to let her go. Jelena stood for a moment just watching. She wanted to etch this memory indelibly in her mind, so that she could recall it with perfect clarity in the years to come.
I’ve always believed our daughter had more of Ashi’s looks than mine , she thought. I’m so glad I was right!
Father and daughter each stared into the eyes of the other. In a sudden flash of understanding, Jelena realized their minds had joined in a link.
“You see, Ashi? I told you so,” Gran said.
Smiling, the baby reached out and laid a finger on Ashinji’s chin. “Gran told me that as soon as I saw my child, it would be as if we had been together from the beginning,” he explained in response to Jelena’s questioning look. Hatora continued to stare at him, as if at this moment, no one else existed in her universe except her father.
After a few more heartbeats, Jelena sat on the couch beside her husband and daughter while Amara and Gran settled into chairs opposite. Eikko brought in a tray and poured tea.
For a time, no one spoke. So many questions clamored, demanding answers, but Ashinji needed to gather his strength first. Jelena waited patiently, content just to have him close to her again. She thought back to that day a week ago, when Sonoe had come to her with the news. She had not believed it at first, thinking someone or something-the Nameless One, perhaps-aimed to perpetrate a monstrous hoax upon all of them as a distraction, but when Amara had confirmed it, she had collapsed in shock.
The last few days had passed in a fog of exquisite torture. Jelena suffered through emotional swings that left her exhausted and feeling like a twisted rag. Delirious with joy one moment, she had been wracked with guilt the next, for had not she given Ashi up for dead, abandoned him, sought comfort in another man’s arms?
How could she be a real wife to Ashinji again with such a stain of betrayal on her soul?
And what of that other man? Loyal, kind, steadfast Mai?
Mai had been there to give her comfort, support, friendship and love. His courtship of her had been gentle, patient, and above all, considerate of her grief. He had offered marriage and the promise to raise Hatora as his own, even though he knew the woman who had claimed his heart did not feel the same way about him.
Jelena gazed at Ashinji’s profile and felt the heat of desire warm her body, a unique fire only he could kindle in her. She had felt desire for Mai, yes, but it had never been the deep, flesh-searing passion she had felt for Ashinji.
I do love Mai , she thought, but Ashi is the love of my life. I just hope that both of them can forgive me!
“There’s so much to tell,” Ashinji began, at long last breaking the silence. Hatora lay in his arms in perfect contentment, sucking her tiny fist.
“It all began at the battle of the Saihama Fords,” he continued. “The human army lay across the river, but they sent raiding parties to fire the meadow where our army camped. It was a stupid mistake for us to be caught like that! Within moments, the fire had us hemmed in on three sides. I managed to break through and I rode toward the river, hoping to stop anything else from happening.” He shook his head.
“It was a foolish thing to do, riding out alone like that. My sergeant tried to stop me, but I wouldn’t listen. I rode straight into an ambush. One of the raiding parties lay in wait on the riverbank. They gutted my horse and when I fell to the ground, they attacked me.” Ashinji fell silent and closed his eyes, hands clinched into fists.
“Ashi, what’s wrong?” Jelena whispered.
“What is it, my son?” Amara leaned forward in her chair.
Ashinji drew in a deep, shaky breath. “There were too many of them for me to have any chance,” he continued. “I knew I was going to die, but still…I tried. I fought as hard as I could and just when I thought it was finished, I saw someone, an elven horseman, riding toward me. I called out for help, but he just stopped and…and watched.”
“One of our people refused to help you?” Jelena exclaimed. “I don’t understand! How could an elf stand by and watch a gang of humans kill another elf?”
“I didn’t understand either, not at first.” Ashinji’s voice began to fade. “Not until I caught a glimpse of the man’s armor did I realize his identity.” Now, he spoke in a whisper. “It… he …was…” Ashinji’s head dropped and his voice failed.
Amara stiffened as if beneath an unseen blow and her hands flew to her mouth. “No,” she moaned.
“Who was that man?” Jelena gripped Ashinji’s arm and squeezed it.
He looked at her with haunted eyes. “Sadaiyo,” he replied.
The hazy afternoon sunlight had given way to evening’s purple shadows by the time Ashinji had finished his tale. Eikko ghosted around the sitting room, lighting the lamps. The warm glow cast by their tiny flames beat back the encroaching darkness. Hatora sprawled in her father’s lap, sleeping.
“Your father and I failed you, Son.”
Amara had listened in silence to Ashinji’s narrative, a soft shimmer of tears in her eyes the only clue to her inner turmoil. “We failed both you and your brother,” she whispered. “It caused your father such anguish that he could not love Sadaiyo as he loved…loves you, Ashi,” she continued. “Both of us were guilty of turning a blind eye to Sadaiyo’s jealousy, and by doing so, we ultimately set this terrible thing in motion.”
“No, Mother. I beg you, do not blame yourself or Father for any of this,” Ashinji pleaded. “My brother made his choice long ago. What I don’t understand is how he hid the truth from you, of all people.”
Amara dropped her face in her hands, and after a moment’s hesitation, Jelena stood and put her arms around her mother-in-law.
“He most certainly had magical help,” Gran said. “Some kind of memory-altering spell. Such magic doesn’t come cheap.”
Amara looked up and nodded. “Sadaiyo has the financial means to purchase such a spell.” She pulled a small square of yellow silk from her sleeve and dried her eyes. “I will find out exactly how he did it.” The grim look on her face made Jelena shiver.
Hatora stirred and whimpered, catching her thumb in her mouth. Sucking contentedly, she lapsed back into sleep. Ashinji’s face lit with joy, but then he sighed and the light faded.
“Sadaiyo is with Father, of course. Eventually, I must ride south to join the army…” He paused to look into his mother’s eyes. “How am I going to tell Father about all this?” Pain infused his every word.
Amara did not answer at first. Instead, she stared at her upturned palms, as if by studying the intricate tattoos marked into her skin she could somehow divine a way to deflect the sorrow that lay in store for her family.
Finally, she spoke. “There are other things that are more important to think about right now, Son, but when the time comes, both of us together will find the strength to help your father deal with this.” She rose to her feet and held out her arms. “Chiana and I will leave you two alone now. I will look after the baby tonight.”
After kissing Hatora several times on the forehead, Ashinji relinquished his daughter to her grandmother.
“Would you like to sleep with cousin Sentashi tonight, my sweet?” Amara cooed. The baby scrubbed her eyes with her fists, then fell back into a doze.
Sadaiyo and Misune had placed their son, Sentashi, in Amara’s care when they had ridden south with Lord Sen and the army. Jelena had to struggle not to hold the boy’s parentage against him; allowing Hatora to spend time with her cousin had helped.
“Shall we come to you early tomorrow morning?” Jelena asked. “We have so much more to talk about.”
For many long months, now, Jelena had studied and honed what Talent she had to its sharpest edge, all in preparation for the greatest trial of her life-completion of the Ritual of Sundering. She had long suspected the Kirians-Amara, Princess Taya, Sonoe, and now Gran-had withheld certain aspects of the Ritual from her, perhaps fearing that if she knew the entire truth, she would not willingly participate.
The Kirians were wrong. Jelena understood full well the very existence of the material world hung in the balance, and she would to do whatever it took to safeguard her daughter’s future.
“Your husband has just come home to you, Daughter. Things are not so dire that they can’t wait one more day. We will see you after dinner tomorrow,” Amara replied. She and Gran glanced at each other in the knowing way of partners sharing a difficult task. Eikko leapt from her seat on the floor near the window then started toward the door, but Amara held up a hand. “No, girl. See to your mistress. We’ll let ourselves out.”
“Yes, my lady,” Eikko said, bowing her head.
After Amara and Gran had left with the baby, Eikko inquired if she should have food sent up.
“No. I’m not hungry,” Ashinji said.
“Yes, Eikko, please. Ashi, you need to eat,” Jelena insisted. “You’re far too thin!” Exhaustion darkened the skin beneath his eyes, and it seemed to her a heavy burden of worry weighted his brow.
He’s afraid, and I think I know why.
“Did Gran speak to you of the Ritual of Sundering?” She snuggled into Ashinji’s arms as he reclined on the couch.
“She did,” he murmured.
“Don’t be afraid. The Kirians have been preparing me for months. The Key must be released from me and safeguarded in an inanimate vessel. It’s the only way they’ll be able to defeat the Nameless One.” She brushed the side of his neck with her lips and felt a shiver course through his body.
“I can’t help it. I’m terrified, my love,” Ashinji replied. Jelena sensed he wanted to say more, but something made him hesitate.
“I know there’s a chance I could die,” she acknowledged, “but I’m not afraid, especially now that I have you back.” Ashinji did not answer, only squeezed her tighter. Jelena pulled his face to hers and they kissed, gently at first, then with growing heat. “Forget the food,” she sighed. “We’ve been apart too long, Husband!”
Pulling Ashinji up by his hands, Jelena led him toward the bedchamber. His weariness seemed to fall away with each step.
When the food arrived, Eikko covered everything with cloths and laid the tray on the hearth. She knew when the princess and her husband eventually emerged from the bedchamber, they would want to eat.
Making love is hungry work! she thought, a tiny giggle escaping her lips. After a while, she helped herself to a meat pie and a glass of the crisp, pale wine the princess loved so much, knowing her mistress wouldn’t mind.
Settling down on a cushion beneath the open window, she munched on the pie and breathed in the warm, fragrant night breeze. Somewhere in the distance, voices shouted in raucous song. An owl hooted, patrolling the dark sky on silent wings. From behind the closed doors of the bedchamber, muffled cries of passion drifted.
Eikko sighed and squirmed a little with longing. She allowed herself a brief flight of fancy then pushed all such improper thoughts from her mind.
A fine okui man like Captain Sakehera is far, far beyond the reach of a girl like me!
She would have to content herself with Tori, the gardener’s assistant who’d been courting her these last two months. Drowsy with the comfort of a full belly, Eikko closed her eyes and lay down on the floor. Within a few heartbeats, she had fallen asleep.
Jelena closed the bedchamber door and turned to face her husband. Ashinji stood by the bed, awash in a stream of moonlight.
Slowly, she approached, savoring the anticipation of what was to come. When she reached him, he gathered her into his arms and bent to touch his lips to hers. A stray breeze from the open window, sweet with the perfume of honeysuckle, blew a loose strand of his hair against her cheek. The gossamer sensation made syrup of her limbs.
With trembling fingers, they relieved each other of their clothes. The whip of guilt that had scored Jelena for so many days disappeared as she and Ashinji clung to each other, skin to skin, their hearts beating in sync. She laid her head on his chest and kissed the irregular scar left by the arrow which had almost taken his life. The mere thought of him alone and suffering in the war camp of her cousin Thessalina caused hot tears to spill from her eyes.
“Why are you crying, love?” Ashinji whispered. Jelena shook her head, unable to answer with words. Instead, she squeezed him tighter and allowed the warmth of his body to soothe her. Her hands wandered across his chest and belly, then downward to caress his swelling manhood. Ashinji gasped and shivered. Scooping her into his arms, he carried her to the bed and laid her atop the silken coverlets.
“When I was a slave in Darguinia, the one thing, the one hope , that kept me alive, was the dream of seeing you again, my love,” Ashinji whispered as he lay down beside her.
“Ashi…” The whip had returned, stinging her again with relentless ferocity. “Even after Sadaiyo told me you were dead, I didn’t believe him…not for a long time. I never felt your death. It just seemed like you were far away from me. But, in time, I let everyone convince me you really were dead, and…and…” Her throat clogged with tears, allowing no more words to pass.
“Hush, love, don’t cry,” Ashinji murmured, stroking her hair. “I know what happened. You moved on with your life, found someone else…” She could feel how it hurt him to speak those words.
“I’m sorry. I should have waited. I should have known…”
Ashinji said nothing. Jelena reached out to touch his mind and what she saw tore at her heart.
You didn’t love me enough to wait for me.
“Gods, gods, Ashi, no!” she moaned in Soldaran. “I never stopped loving you, never! You must believe that.” Look into my heart, love. The truth is there!
Like a river in flood, Ashinji’s pent-up emotions overflowed Jelena’s consciousness, nearly sweeping her away.
Forgive me, forgive me for hurting you. I know you never stopped loving me. I hate myself for thinking those terrible things. How could I ever think you’d stop loving me…
He rocked her in his arms until the torrent of remorse had spent itself. “I, of all men, have no right to reproach you!” He took a deep breath and his next words came out in a rush. “In Darguinia, in Mistress de Guera’s yard, there was another slave, a woman. In a moment of desperation, I…”
“Stop, Ashi,” Jelena shook her head. “I don’t want to know. Whatever you did, it doesn’t matter now.”
“But it does. I betrayed you, and even though I did it to escape my captivity, it still tears me up inside! No. I have no right…” He fell silent, his face suffused with pain. After a few heartbeats, he whispered, “I don’t blame you…or him, I swear. You believed me lost to you forever. And if I really were dead, I would want you to move on and find love again.”
“Ashi, you are the only man…”
“ Shhh… my love. Just hold me.”
“Ashi…”
“ Shhhh ,” Ashinji breathed against her neck. Jelena could once again feel the heat of his arousal, and her own body’s powerful response. The words she wanted so much to say evaporated in the fire of their rising passion.
All guilt fell away as they lost themselves within each other. Their bodies had not forgotten, despite the long, cruel separation.
At the moment of climax, when her consciousness at last merged with his, Jelena’s mind cried out in wonder as the full light of Ashinji’s Talent lay revealed to her. When she had last seen it, it had looked wan and pale, like a candle flame at dawn.Something profound had occurred during the time of their separation, for now it shimmered with a multihued complexity that defied description. Jelena did not question the change, not yet, for her mind and body still rode the wave of sexual union.
Afterward, they rested, still joined in mindlink, savoring the rekindled flame of their love. Eventually, the sweet lassitude that comes after lovemaking ushered them both into sleep.
Sometime later, Jelena awoke from a dream in which she looked down upon Ashinji cradling her body in his arms, weeping. She shivered with dread and shifted to look at her husband sleeping beside her. He lay on his stomach and she noted the pale puckered scar above his right hip marking the place where another slave’s knife had nearly taken his life yet again.
Thank all the gods Magnes was there to save him that time!
She reached out to touch him, a little afraid he would disappear, chimera-like, into thin air, leaving her alone and heartbroken once again. When her fingers met warm flesh, she sighed with relief.
Ashinji awoke to her touch, almost as if he had not been asleep at all, but rather, waiting for her to stir. He rolled onto his side and pulled her close, his lips seeking hers for a drowsy kiss. She inhaled deeply, filling her nostrils with his unique scent, letting the feel of his body lull her back to sleep.
The raucous chatter of a pair of jays scolding each other below the bedroom window woke Jelena the next morning. She indulged in a full body stretch, luxuriating in the delicious comfort of the soft, warm bed. Shifting her head on the pillow, she gazed at Ashinji, snoring softly beside her.
Pressing her lips to his ear, she whispered, “Wake up, Husband. Your wife needs you.” Ashinji’s breath caught in his throat; he stopped snoring but remained asleep. “Wake up, Husband,” she whispered, louder this time. Ashinji’s eyes fluttered open and he smiled.
“Good morning, Wife. I still can’t quite believe I’m home in bed with you.” He caressed her cheek.
“You are home…in bed…with me.” She threw her leg over and straddled him, a wicked grin on her lips. “And now, I intend to make love to you until you beg for mercy.”
“That’ll never happen,” he growled as he twisted his fingers into her hair and pulled her down.
Later, as they lay dozing in each other’s arms, Jelena remembered what she had seen when her mind and Ashinji’s had joined last night.
“Ashi, your Talent, it’s changed,” she said. “It’s so much stronger now. How is that possible? I thought the amount of Talent an elf is born with is all he or she gets. A little or a lot…it doesn’t change. Was I wrong?”
“No, not really,” Ashinji replied. “The strength of my Talent hasn’t changed. It is as it’s always been, it’s just not blocked anymore.”
Jelena stared at him in confusion. “Someone blocked your Talent? I don’t understand. Who would do such a thing?”
“My mother.” Jelena both heard and felt her husband’s anger.
Why would Amara purposefully deny her son his birthright?
Jelena propped herself on an elbow and Ashinji followed suit. “How did you discover the block and how did you manage to overcome it?” she asked. “Your mother is a very powerful sorceress.”
“Gran discovered it and told me, but my mother did such a good job, not even Gran could break it.” Ashinji paused, as if remembering something painful. “I broke through on my own. It happened when I saw that slave catcher kill Seijon, the hikui boy we brought out of Darguinia with us. My rage was so great, it just blew through the barrier. I killed two of the slavers before I even had time to think.”
“I’m so sorry about Seijon, and I’m sorry it happened the way it did, but I’m glad you’ve regained what’s rightfully yours.” Jelena shook her head. “Why would your mother deny you something so important?”
“I asked her once why every second-born Sakehera was always pledged to the sovereign’s service,” Ashinji replied. “She said it was tradition. It had always been so, and it would always be thus. She advised me to learn acceptance. Ai, Goddess! I was so angry and frustrated.” He paused, and Jelena remained silent, waiting.
“My mother knew how much I wanted a different life,” Ashinji continued, “but she also knew my father would never break with his family’s tradition, nor she with hers. She would have known, even before I was born, the strength of my Talent, but only the females of her line are trained in high magic. So, she did the only thing she thought she could. I understand that now, though it doesn’t make me any less angry.”
Not until now did Jelena truly understand just what the block placed on Ashinji’s Talent in childhood had deprived him of. Her soul rejoiced at its unbinding.
They both lay back down and for a time, neither one spoke. At last, Jelena broke the silence.
“Ashi, how much do you know about the Ritual of Sundering?”
Ashinji frowned and propped himself up again to look at her. “Are you sure you wish to talk about this now, love?” His green eyes had grown somber.
Jelena nodded. “Yes, I’m sure. Tell me what you know.”
“The magical energy you harbor must be released from you in a controlled manner and recaptured into a new vessel, and the only way to release it is to…” He fell silent and turned his face away from her.
“To what, Ashi?” Jelena had never known Ashinji to lie, but she could sense he wanted very much to keep something from her. “What, Ashi?” she repeated. She grabbed his chin and pulled until he had to look at her.
“Did the Kirians not tell you?” he asked softly.
“Tell me what?” Jelena searched his eyes, then said, “If you mean about the danger to my life…yes, they told me, but I’ve been preparing for months! My Talent’s strong, or as strong as it can be.” She kissed him. “Your mother and the other Kirians will protect me.”
Ashinji sighed and fixed his gaze on the whitewashed ceiling. Jelena rested her head against his shoulder.
There’s something else he knows and isn’t telling me , she thought, something he’s terrified of. Gods, what could it be?
For now, she felt unwilling to push him.
Now is our time to just be together, as husband and wife.
She traced a lazy trail down his torso with a finger, hoping to lift his mood. It worked.
“Goddess’ tits, but you’re insatiable! Is there no end to your lust, woman?” Ashinji grinned in anticipation as her head disappeared beneath the coverlets.
When Jelena reached her destination, she set to work.
They did not leave their bed until mid-morning. After a leisurely bath and a quiet breakfast, Ashinji announced he wished to see his sisters.
The Sakehera family still resided in guest quarters in the west wing of the castle, a fair distance to walk from the royal apartments.
Hand in hand, Jelena and Ashinji traversed the castle complex along a series of gravel paths meandering through gardens and courtyards, past gurgling fountains and reflecting ponds. Within an alley of blossoming cherry trees, they paused to share a kiss. Petals swirled around them like pink snow, dusting their hair and clothes. Here, within the peaceful confines of her father’s stronghold, Jelena could almost forget the threats to their lives and their world.
Almost.
The enemy is near and my father lies stricken, perhaps on his deathbed , she thought. Are the elven people doomed?
She reached out to trail a finger across Ashinji’s cheek. He caught her hand in his and kissed her palm.
“What are you thinking, love?” He kissed the back of her hand this time.
Is our daughter’s future to be blighted by suffering, slavery, and death? Does my own future hold victory over this…this terrible evil the Kirians call The Nameless One? Or is there naught but catastrophe awaiting all of us?
She had no answers, only questions upon questions.
The only thing I’m certain of, that I know will survive any calamity, is my love for this man standing before me now.
“I’m thinking about how much I love you,” she murmured.
They lingered awhile longer among the cherry trees, allowing the serenity of the place to seep into their bones. Such beauty could not be allowed to pass from the world without a fight. By the time they left the alley, Jelena felt more determined than ever to prevail.
Mariso and Jena shrieked in unison upon seeing their brother alive. They rushed Ashinji as he stepped through the front door of the apartment, flinging themselves into his open arms, nearly knocking him off his feet. They wiggled in his embrace like joyous puppies as he kissed their upturned faces again and again.
“Goddess, but you two have gotten so big!” he exclaimed. “Where are my little monkeys, eh?”
“We never believed you were dead, Ashi!” Jena spoke first.
“Never, never, never!” Mariso shook her head with each word.
“Promise you’ll never leave again, Ashi!”
“Promise!”
Ashinji laughed but Jelena thought she heard a note of pain in it. “I promise I’ll never leave you again, my dear, not-so-little monkeys,” he swore.
“Welcome home, Brother!” Lani appeared in the inner doorway leading to the sitting room, her customarily cool demeanor abandoned. Ashinji set the twins on their feet then rushed to embrace his eldest sister. He lifted Lani and spun her around before setting her down and kissing her cheeks and forehead.
She pulled away from him, eyes widening in surprise. “Ashi, your Talent!” she whispered. “What…How…?”
Ashinji shook his head. “It’s a long story, Sister,” he replied. “Right now, I just want to be with you and not have to think too hard about anything.”
Lani nodded and linked her arm with his. “Hatora can’t wait to see you,” she said, looking first at her brother, then Jelena. “She already loves her father, even though she’s only known him for a day.” Jelena reached out with her mind to touch her daughter’s and found Hatora’s baby thoughts to be totally focused on Ashinji.
Amazing , she thought. The two of them formed such a powerful bond, almost upon the instant they first saw each other…
“Let’s not keep your daughter waiting, Husband” Jelena urged.
“Gaaaaa!” Hatora squealed when Ashinji entered the sitting room. She strained against Amara’s arms, in a frantic effort to reach her father. Ashinji laughed and plucked her from his mother’s embrace. He cuddled the baby close and pressed his face to hers.
“Come, you two, and sit,” Amara directed. “The others should be here shortly. We have much to talk about.” Jelena did not need to be told who they awaited or what needed to be discussed. She looked at her husband and child and a wave of sorrow swept over her.
We’ve had so little time together! It’s not fair! What if I don’t survive this? What will you do, my love? Can you go on without me? For Hatora’s sake, you must!
Ashinji looked into her eyes and the love she saw there bolstered her courage.
“Sonoe won’t leave the king’s side until the last possible moment, so she may be late,” Amara said. “Chiana and Taya should be…oh, here they are, now.” A heartbeat later, they heard both the princess and Gran in the outer chamber. Taya entered the sitting room first, carrying a large book bound in black, pebbly leather. Gran followed close behind, a smaller, red leather-bound volume in her hands.
“Good. You both are here,” Taya said, nodding toward Jelena and Ashinji. “I see we must wait on Sonoe, as usual.” She cast a hard glance at Gran.
Taya sat in the room’s best chair, smoothing her clothes before resting the sinister black book upon her knees. The princess wore an unadorned blue silk robe bound with a red sash; Jelena surmised that, at least for this meeting, her aunt had put aside royal rank and acted now as the head of the Kirian Society.
Feeling the need to defend her friend, Jelena said, “Sonoe tends my father, Aunt. I’m sure she’ll be here very soon.”
Taya’s eyes flashed, but her voice remained calm. “Yes. We will wait, of course.”
“How are you feeling, Ashi?” Gran asked, smiling at Hatora.
“Much better, now that I’ve had a chance to rest and be with my wife,” Ashinji replied. He laid a hand on Jelena’s knee.
“Lani, please take the children down to that little garden with the dolphin fountain so they can get some fresh air,” Amara directed.
“Yes, Mother.” If Ashinji’s sister resented being sent off like a child to play while the adults discussed important things, she gave no sign. “May I take the twins to the king’s stables instead? There’s a newborn foal. I think they’d enjoy petting it.”
Amara nodded.
The twins could not leave without first bestowing multiple kisses on the faces of both their brother and their infant niece. When Lani had at last shepherded them out the door, Gran asked, “When are you sending that one to the Kan Onji?”
Amara sighed. “My eldest daughter is a stubborn one. Despite the strength of her Talent, she has no interest in formal magical training. She has her eye on other things.” She glanced at Taya and the princess responded with a near imperceptible nod.
“Perhaps my sister is the one who will find the courage to break with tradition,” Ashinji commented. He kept his eyes focused on Hatora’s face as he spoke.
A tiny crease formed in Amara’s brow, then smoothed as she regarded her son. “There are reasons for maintaining tradition, my son,” she replied.
“Not all of them good,” Ashinji shot back. His face had gone hard and cold. Jelena laid her hand over his and it seemed to soothe him, for his expression relaxed and the tight set of his mouth softened. Amara sighed again, as if she recognized that a confrontation had been averted, but only for now.
“Ah, Sonoe has arrived at last,” Taya announced.
“Forgive me,” Sonoe begged as she entered the room.
Jelena rose to her feet and went to greet her friend. “How is he?” she asked as they exchanged kisses.
“No change, which I suppose is good news. Each day Keizo still breathes is an occasion for hope. Your father is extraordinarily strong. He holds fast to life as fiercely as a bear-dog holds on to its quarry. He may yet overcome this thing.”
Jelena nodded, relieved.
My father is strong. He will continue to fight with all that he has, for his family and for the people of Alasiri.
“Now that we’re all present, we can get down to business,” Taya said as Jelena and Sonoe settled into their places. She propped the heavy book up on her lap. “Niece, this is the first volume of Kashegi’s Notebooks .” She tapped the black volume’s brass-inlaid cover. “It contains the only known written description of the Ritual of Sundering. Master Kashegi was the immediate successor to Iku Azarasha. He headed the Society for some one hundred years after the death of Master Iku, and it was he that transcribed much of the great Azarasha’s notes into workable texts.”
Taya caressed the rough leather as she would a living, breathing creature. “This is perhaps the single most precious book the Society possesses. It is bound in black dragon’s hide, an animal that has not walked this land in over a thousand years. If you were to open this book, Jelena, to your eyes, the pages would appear to be just blank parchment. Only a mage-and one of sufficiently high training, mind you-can discern the writing upon the pages, and only one who has attained the skill necessary to gain admittance into the Kirian Society can make sense of the words.”
Taya looked at each one of them in turn. “The very fate of the material world rests upon everyone in this room,” she intoned. “Jelena, for many months now, I and my colleagues have schooled you in the use of your Talent. We’ve strived to prepare you as best we can for the ordeal we must all undergo. Now, please just listen to what I’m about to say, and hold onto your courage.”
Jelena felt her insides go cold. She gripped Ashinji’s fingers so hard, he winced.
“For very important reasons, we’ve withheld the entire truth from you, Niece, but now that the time is at hand, you must know everything.” Taya paused and fixed Jelena with a look both compassionate and resolute.
“I suspected as much, Aunt,” Jelena replied. “I’m ready for whatever must be done. I’m not afraid.”
Taya nodded, as if satisfied with her answer. “In order for the Ritual to be successful, we must separate the Key from the essential energy that is your life force.”
The princess paused, then said, “The only way to accomplish this is to kill you.”
So. My death is a certainty?”
Now that the words had been said, Jelena realized she had known the truth all along, but beside that knowledge had nested the stubborn hope that she might somehow avoid her fate.
“Is there no other way?” she whispered.
Gran’s voice was gentle. “No, child, there is not.”
“You promised me there’s a chance to bring her back afterward,” Ashinji interjected. He turned uncompromising eyes on each of the mages, lingering the longest on his mother’s face. Her own gaze did not waver.
“We won’t conceal the truth from either of you anymore,” Gran replied. “When the psychic cord binding a soul to the body has been severed, it is extremely difficult and dangerous to retrieve that soul, for both the soul and the magician who is attempting the retrieval. Some call it ‘resurrection’ while others call it ‘necromancy’. By either name, many consider it an abomination. No modern Kirian has ever attempted a resurrection, though all of us know the spell. It is one of the Great Workings.” Gran heaved a sigh and smoothed back a stray lock of silver-blond hair.
“Are you saying you won’t attempt it, then?” Ashinji shot back. Hatora began to whimper. Jelena tried to coax the baby onto her own lap, but she refused, clinging to Ashinji like a mussel to a rock, impossible to shift.
She feels her father’s anguish, and is responding the only way she knows how.
Jelena’s eyebrows shot up as she recognized Amara’s mindspeech. Her mother-in-law’s eyes, as green as her son’s, sparkled with unshed tears.
“We will attempt to retrieve Jelena’s soul, Ashi, but we can’t promise success,” Gran continued. “There are a lot of ifs we must deal with. If we have the necessary strength left between us, if Jelena will even want to return…”
If any of us are still alive…
That thought remained unvoiced but it haunted the room, nonetheless.
“Why would I not wish to return?” Jelena’s gaze lingered on Ashinji and Hatora. “Why would I choose death over life with my husband and child?”
“We elves believe that when we die, we go to dwell in Paradise, gathered to the bosom of the One Goddess. The afterlife is beautiful, peaceful…” Ashinji paused and raised a hand to cover his eyes. He sat very still for several heartbeats, then turned to her, his face filled with such despair, Jelena’s breath stopped.
“After I plunge the knife into your heart, you may not want to come back to me,” he said.
“What do you mean?” Jelena could feel all sensation trickling from her limbs, leaving them numb, immovable.
“The Kirians need someone to strike the killing blow at precisely the right moment,” Ashinji whispered in a torn voice. “I am to wield the knife, my love.”
Jelena swallowed hard. The room tilted, then righted itself, then tilted again. For a few heartbeats, blackness closed in on her and a foul, freezing wind tore through her. She heard a fearsome sound, as if from a great distance-the grinding squeal of metal scraping against metal. A sickening wave of savage emotion hit her-rage, arousal, anticipation, hunger…
He is coming! He is coming for me!
I am coming for you!
Jelena awoke with a scream. She looked up to see Ashinji’s face floating above her, stricken. She felt the scratch of woven mats upon her back through the fine cotton of her tunic. Her mouth tasted of metal.
Somehow, she had ended up on the floor.
“Jelena! What happened?”
Jelena had never heard such fear in Ashinji’s voice. She pushed herself up to a sitting position.
“I’m all right,” she mumbled. She coughed and wiped her streaming eyes and nose on her sleeve. “I…I think I just had some kind of…of vision.”
“Goddess’ tits,” Ashinji muttered as he helped her back to her seat on the couch. Hatora wailed and thrashed in her grandmother’s arms.
“Jelena, tell us what you saw,” Taya commanded over the screeching baby.
Hattie, please! Mama’s not hurt! Jelena called to her daughter in mindspeech. The child’s wails subsided to whimpers.
“Whatever you saw, it obviously terrified you, pet,” Sonoe said. She sat beside Jelena and clasped her hands. “You’ve gone completely white!”
Jelena frowned, trying to recapture the essence of the vision. “I heard an awful sound, like metal ripping,” she whispered She paused and her nose wrinkled. “There was a smell like the stink from a garbage pit. I think…no, I’m certain it was the Nameless One. He knows I’m here and he knows what we’re doing, what we’re going to try to do. He’s certain he will defeat us.” She looked at Sonoe. “How did he find me? We’ve been so careful! I thought all of you were shielding me from him.”
“We have been, pet,” Sonoe replied, her pretty mouth twisted in a frown, “but the Nameless One has known of our plans from the beginning. He’s been awaiting the return of the Key since the time of his imprisonment. He knew when the Key returned, the Kirians would have no choice but to perform the Sundering. What we’ve done up ’til now is conceal your exact location and the time and place of the Ritual, in order to catch him off-guard. Our greatest hope of success lies with surprise, though perhaps we’ve lost that now.”
“Sonoe is right,” Taya confirmed.
“Gods, my head is throbbing!” Jelena muttered in Soldaran. She rubbed her temples, wishing she could crawl into bed, curl up in Ashi’s arms, and forget everything.
“This vision of Jelena’s means we can wait no longer,” Amara said.
“I agree,” Gran responded. “We’ve run out of time. We must perform the Ritual now.”
“What? Do you mean now as in right now ?” Ashinji rose to his feet, and Jelena heard the note of panic in his voice. “You can’t be serious! I’ve just…we’ve only just…”
“Son!” Amara snapped. “The Nameless One knows Jelena’s whereabouts. We can no longer delay!”
Why is all this happening , Jelena thought. Why can’t Ashi and I just live our lives in peace with our daughter? Why was I chosen for this sacrifice?
Even as she asked herself those questions, she already knew the answers. The weak and powerless often served as tools of the powerful precisely because they could do nothing else. The accident of her blood had made of her a perfect tool and pawn of mighty forces. She had no choice but to accept her destiny.
“Ashi, if the Kirians say we must do this now, then we must.” She stood and the others rose with her.
If my death will save the world, then for my daughter’s sake, I must embrace it , she thought.
“I’m ready,” she said and clasped Ashinji’s hand.
Jelena bent to kiss her father’s brow in farewell, then allowed Ashinji to lead her from the bedchamber. Her eyes were dry for she had no more tears left. She had shed the last ones while saying goodbye to Hatora.
The sweet smell of her body, the softness of her skin; these memories of her baby, along with that of Ashinji’s touch, were the things Jelena most wanted to carry with her into death. When at last she could bring herself to let go, she had relinquished the child to Eikko’s waiting arms.
“Look after my daughter, Eikko, until my husband and my mother-in-law return,” she had instructed with as little emotion in her voice as she could manage. The hikui servant girl knew nothing specific, but she was no fool. As soon as she had taken Hatora into her arms, she gulped and shuddered as fat tears rolled from her brown eyes.
“Hush, Eikko, please!” Jelena had admonished gently. “You’ll upset the baby even more than she already is.” As she turned from her daughter for the last time, she heard in her mind the bird-like sound of Hatora calling to her. She had not dared to respond, for fear she would lose all courage.
The hard parts are done. Now, all that’s left is to die , she thought.
No, that’s not true. I still have to say goodbye to Ashi.
He strode alongside her now, his arm linked with hers. The scuff scuff of his boots on the stone floor kept time with the beating of her heart. Ahead of them walked Taya, carrying Kashegi’s Notebooks . The Eye of Lajdala, ancient badge of office for the masters of the Kirian Society, shone like a red lantern on her breast. The fire of its magic blazed in response to the princess’ Talent, casting a blood-red glow on the walls, ceiling, and floor.
Behind them walked Gran and Amara, each woman carrying a cloth-wrapped bundle in her arms. Sonoe had stayed behind for a few extra moments alone with the king, but had promised to catch up. She would bring the White Griffin Ring.
Taya led them at a brisk pace along a series of hallways and down two flights of stairs before stopping in front of a set of doors carved with the likenesses of figures from elven mythology.
“The library?” Jelena asked.
Aren’t big, important rituals supposed to take place in tower rooms or stone chambers deep within the earth?
“Your question will soon be answered,” Taya replied, as if she had heard Jelena’s thoughts. She pushed the left door open and after they had all passed through, shut it behind them then led the way to an alcove in the rearmost chamber.
“We’ll wait here for Sonoe,” the princess stated. “I checked on the portal just last week. The magic is holding firm. We should all be able to teleport together.”
Jelena and Ashinji looked at each other in confusion.
“Are we leaving the castle?” Ashinji asked.
“Yes, Son,” Amara answered and pointed to what appeared to be a plain wooden panel. “Behind this door is a teleportal, a device created by our Society many ages ago. It allowed the Kirians of old to travel great distances in the blink of an eye, saving much time and effort. The magic used to create new portals has long been lost to us, but we modern Kirians have retained the knowledge needed to maintain the existing ones.”
“At least the ones we know about,” added Gran.
Taya nodded. “Quite true,” she said. “The Ritual will take place many hundreds of leagues from here, in an ancient fortress that once served as the stronghold of the Society. No Kirian has traveled to the Black Tower for quite some time now. We’re not even sure it still stands.”
“Then why are we going there?” Jelena asked.
“Because we know the portal beneath the fortress is still activated, which means at least part of the underground complex is still intact,” Amara explained. “At the very heart of the complex lies the main Spell Chamber, the strongest, most protected part of the fortress. It was built to withstand the most powerful of magical energies. We believe, based on writings of Kirians who survived the original battle with the Nameless One, that the Spell Chamber escaped destruction.”
“The Spell Chamber will be the safest place for us to conduct the Ritual,” Gran continued. “Also, it is near to where the Nameless One lies imprisoned. According to our chronicles, his prison vault lies directly below.”
Jelena shuddered and pressed closer to Ashinji, who tightened his embrace in response.
“Now is the time to ask about anything you still don’t understand,” Taya said, addressing Jelena. Her voice, usually so stern and commanding, softened. “I know you are afraid, Niece. You need feel no shame about it, not now. We all know the courage of your heart.”
“I understand what my part is, but why does Ashi need to do this?” Jelena demanded. All the bitter anger she had kept hidden, until now, rushed to the surface. She rounded on Amara, eyes flashing. “Pardon my insolence, Mother-in-law, but you deliberately denied your son his birthright, but now, you have no trouble using him when it suits you!”
“Jelena, leave it be,” Ashinji whispered.
“No, I won’t, Ashi!”
Amara held up her hand. “No, Son. Your wife is right to be angry with me. I did deny you what is yours, and for that, I am sorry, though at the time, I believed I was saving you from a lifetime of frustration and heartache. The Kirians have been woefully shortsighted and neglectful of our sworn duty. We never should have let our numbers dwindle to so dangerous a level. Now, we must rely on your raw Talent to provide the necessary boost to our power. Without your Talent, Ashi, we simply are too weak to defeat the Nameless One.”
“Our minds must all be linked within the Working. Since Ashinji is untrained, he can’t participate directly in the creation of the Spell,” Gran explained. “We four Kirians must concentrate on maintaining the integrity of the Working. Ashi, therefore, will be free to perform the most vital part of the ritual. We will draw down his energy and direct it through the blade as he strikes to sunder the Key from your body.”
Jelena closed her eyes and rested her head against Ashinji’s chest. The surge of anger had passed, leaving her drained. If she let go, she could fall asleep right here and now, lulled by the steady beat of Ashi’s heart.
They all fell silent, waiting.
“Where is Sonoe?” Taya hissed, breaking the silence and tapping her foot in a staccato rhythm. “She knows we have very little time!”
“She’ll be here soon, Aunt,” Jelena replied in a low voice. “She hates leaving…”
At that moment, something tore loose in her mind and vanished. She pushed away from Ashinji and took a step backward, hand to her mouth.
“What? What is it, love?” Ashinji reached out a hand to steady her.
“I’m not sure…” She shook her head, then realized with a start what had changed.
“I can’t feel my father anymore.”
Sonoe stood at the king’s bedside, gazing down at his still form.
The time is at hand, dear heart! My plan has been worked out to the last detail. The others think they know what will happen. They are mistaken!
She touched a fingertip to the stone pendant that served as her link to the Nameless One. It rested between her pale breasts like a drop of crystallized darkness.
No loose ends, my love.
She kissed Keizo tenderly on the lips for the last time, then pressed a silk-covered pillow hard against his slack face. There was no struggle, no pain. Keizo’s soul quit his wasted flesh with ease.
It is done.
She smoothed the bedclothes and rearranged the pillows then allowed herself a few moments to grieve. Keizo Onjara had been her companion and lover for many years, after all. To a casual observer, nothing would seem amiss.
The two guards outside the entrance to the king’s apartments remained at their posts, ensorcelled, their minds sponged clean of all conscious thought and recollection of her presence. If approached, they would respond, but only as automatons until the enchantment binding them dissipated. The king’s lifeless body should lie undiscovered for many hours.
Before she departed, she removed the White Griffin from the king’s finger then carefully folded his hands upon his breast. The ring felt heavy and cold against the skin of her palm, almost as if by removing it from its rightful owner, it had lost the ability to absorb body heat.
Sonoe raised the ring to eye level. With her mage sight, she could see the magical energy binding the very substance of the ring together.
So much power…so much potential…but useless without the Key!
A tiny smile crept across her sensuous mouth.
I shall have to get this sized to fit my finger.
The only task she had left to do now was to secure the Key for herself, but to accomplish this, she must first subjugate the Nameless One.
I am ready. I, alone, know his true name, and just when he reaches out to seize victory, I’ll snatch it from him and make him my slave!
She giggled a little, flushed with excitement. The other Kirians-fools all-would assist her, unwittingly, of course. She had not counted on Chiana Hiraino’s inconvenient return, though that should not present a real problem. The old woman’s powers had greatly diminished since her time as Mistress of the Society so many years ago, but she could still pose a threat if Sonoe didn’t act quickly to stop her.
Even weakened, the old cow is still the most Talented of the Society…except for me.
A log collapsed in the fireplace, sending a shower of sparks whirling up the chimney like a cloud of manic fireflies. The large, overheated room smelled of sickness, but Sonoe felt reluctant to leave just yet. She let her eyes roam, taking in every last detail so she would remember them later-the intricate murals of woodland scenes adorning the walls, the finely woven mats cushioning the stone floor, the figurine of a mare and foal, carved from a whale’s tooth, resting on her dressing table.
I’ll miss all of this so much!
Her gaze settled on the big bed with its mounds of pillows and sumptuously embroidered coverlets where the king lay unmoving.
Has it really been almost twenty years since Keizo first made love to me in this very bed?
Sonoe sighed, and a bittersweet twinge of desire and loss stirred the place below her belly.
A soft whimper distracted her from her musing. She looked down to see her little dog Jewel sprawled at her feet. The animal squirmed and presented its flank for petting.
In her intense focus on the endgame, Sonoe had forgotten all about Jewel. She scooped the dog into her arms, laughing as it ecstatically licked her face.
“My poor little poppet,” Sonoe murmured. “I wish I could take you with me, I really do.” She cuddled the quivering dog against her breast and stroked its silky fur. “I love you, pet,” she crooned, then with a quick twist of her hands, she snapped the animal’s neck and dropped the carcass to the floor, where it landed in a little heap, twitching.
The time had come. She must leave now, for the others would be waiting. At the bedchamber door, she paused to look back one final time. Despite the ravages of the plague upon his body, Keizo looked remarkably well in death-peaceful, handsome, and above all, kingly.
Sonoe’s heart skipped a beat. “Goodbye, my darling,” she whispered and fled.
What do you mean, you can’t feel your father?” Ashinji saw fresh distress in his wife’s eyes.
“I can’t sense his mind anymore. It’s as if he’s disappeared! Ashi, I think he’s…he’s…”
Jelena’s face blanched as her voice stuttered to a halt. Ashinji could only hold her as she stared blankly past his shoulder.
“Sonoe should have been here by now,” Taya muttered through clenched teeth. “Whatever is taking her so long?”
“Patience, I beg you, Sister,” Amara soothed. “Sonoe knows what’s at stake. A few moments to say goodbye to her beloved, is not too much to ask for…”
“It is when she puts all of us in jeopardy.” the princess shot back. She glared at Amara for a moment, then abruptly turned away and said, “At last!”
Ashinji heard the sound of rapid footfalls approaching. A heartbeat later, Sonoe rushed into the room, breathing hard as if she had just run a great distance. Instinctively, Ashinji moved to put himself between the red-haired sorceress and Jelena, but his wife pushed past him and went to her friend.
“Sonoe, I can’t feel my father in my mind anymore!” Jelena cried. “Is he…”
Sonoe flung her arms around Jelena, and Ashinji had to resist the urge to pull her away. “My dear friend,” she murmured. “Your father still lives, but he is very weak. Perhaps that’s why you can no longer sense him.”
She’s lying!
Ashinji opened his mouth to speak but the accusation froze on his lips.
She’s afraid if Jelena knows the truth, her grief might jeopardize the Sundering! She’s right, Goddess damn her!
Jelena sighed and nodded. “Yes, of course. That must be it. Thank you for taking such good care of him, Sonoe. I’m truly grateful.” With a final squeeze, she broke their embrace, and added, “I wish now I’d insisted my father marry you.”
“Oh, pet.” Sonoe’s voice caught and as tears filled her jade eyes, Ashinji felt a wave of uneasiness wash over him.
I have no proof she’s anything other than what she seems to be , he thought. All I’ve got is the message of my visions…Sonoe, surrounded by shadows and a cloud of menace. Though if she were truly evil, surely the others would have sensed it and never allowed her so close to Jelena.
“Now that you are finally here, we can go.” Taya snapped. “Give me the ring.” She thrust out her hand. Sonoe froze, and for an instant, Ashinji thought she might refuse, but then, she reached into a pouch at her waist and withdrew the White Griffin. She dropped it onto Taya’s palm without comment.
The princess tucked the ring into a fold of her sash, then turned toward the wall. Ashinji could not see how she did it, but a moment later, the panel swung open to reveal a short passageway of dressed stone and a steep staircase leading down. An exhalation of cold, musty air flowed around them. With a flick of her fingers, Taya conjured an orb of magelight and sent the glowing sphere bobbing ahead. Without looking back, she strode through the door to the staircase and started down.
“Quickly, children,” Amara urged as she followed after the princess.
Jelena clasped Ashinji’s hand and led him forward. “Come, Husband,” she said. “We have work to do.”
Taya, Amara, and the magelight had already disappeared around the first turn of the staircase. Gran and Sonoe stepped through onto the landing and the eldest Kirian closed the panel behind them, plunging the passage into darkness.
Ashinji could feel Sonoe’s presence at his back; while not exactly menacing, nonetheless, an uncomfortable tingle pricked the nape of his neck. He squeezed Jelena’s hand and felt her squeeze back as she started down, pulling him along in her wake.
The stairs spiraled through three turns and ended in another passage, this one made of rough-hewn stone. Taya and Amara already stood at the far end before a plain wooden door. As the others caught up, Taya whispered a single word and tapped the door with a forefinger. It swung open to reveal a small circular chamber. An elaborate pattern of lines had been carved into the hard-packed clay floor. Taya stood aside and indicated with a wave of her hand that they should all enter ahead of her. When everyone had gathered inside the little room, the princess spoke another word and the door shut with a soft thud. She then clapped her hands once and Ashinji started in surprise as a backwash of magical energy blew over him, setting every nerve afire for an instant.
“The door is now sealed against anyone or anything without the proper password,” Taya explained as she looked first at Jelena, then Ashinji. In the silvery glow of the magelight, the planes of her face stood out in sharp relief. “Before we go,” she continued, “I want to describe what we will encounter on the other side. Or, I should say, what I think we will encounter, for none of us here knows for sure.”
She glanced at her fellow Kirians before continuing.
“This portal is linked with at least two others we know of within the Black Tower. The one we seek lies closest to the center of the fortress. Nearby, we hope to find the main Spell Chamber-the place where the ancient Kirians worked their greatest magic-intact. This room is the safest place to perform the Ritual, though if we can’t reach it, or if it’s been destroyed, we can work anywhere within the fortress. Once we reach our destination, there is no turning back. We must either accomplish our task, or die trying.”
“We won’t fail, Aunt,” Jelena stated. She lifted her chin and added, “My daughter’s future depends on us.”
She looks so brave and determined , Ashinji thought. She’s not the least bit afraid, not anymore…Goddess, I’m the one who’s terrified! How am I going to do this? How will I make myself kill the woman I love?
The princess gestured to the center of the room. “Jelena, Ashinji, stand there in the middle of the sigil. We will position ourselves around you and I’ll take us through. It will feel like you are falling. Remain calm. The sensation won’t last long.”
As everyone took their places, Ashinji brushed Jelena’s consciousness with his, communicating not with words, but with the direct force of his love. She returned the mental caress, but did not look at him.
Taya spoke a single Word and the chamber vanished.
Ashinji’s stomach lurched as the floor dropped from under him. He stifled a yell as his body plunged through nothingness. A heartbeat later, he found himself fighting to keep his balance on an uneven surface, all the while struggling to hang onto Jelena. Total darkness surrounded them and the cold, like a quick punch to the gut, took his breath away, despite his heavy fur-lined coat and quilted breeches.
Amara cried out in pain and Ashinji’s heart slammed against his ribs. “Mother, what’s wrong?” he shouted.
Someone muttered an incantation, and an orb of magelight flared to life, revealing a confusing jumble. It took several heartbeats of staring before Ashinji could make sense of things.
The group had materialized on a slope of shattered rock, cascading from an unseen source above. It flowed through a ragged hole to a buckled floor of flagstones below. Amara had slipped and fallen, and now crouched in the loose scree, clutching her ankle.
“Mother!” Ashinji cried in alarm.
“It’s all right, Son!” Amara gasped. “I twisted my ankle, that’s all.” Her face looked ghost-pale in the silver light, wreathed about with the steam of her breath.
“Go help your mother, Ashi.” Jelena nodded and patted his arm.
“Can you walk, Sister?” Sonoe asked.
Is that genuine concern I hear in her voice , Ashinji wondered, as he scrambled to help Amara, slipping his arm through hers and gently lifting her to her feet.
Amara grimaced as she put her full weight upon her injured ankle. “I’ll do well enough,” she declared. “Let’s just go.”
“The main Spell Chamber is supposed to lie at the end of a wide corridor, to the east of this portal,” Taya said, peering into the gloom. “The portal itself must be buried beneath all this rubble. That it still functions is a testament to the strength of the ancient Kirians.”
Ashinji took in their surroundings with horrified awe.
The amount of energy that had to have been unleashed to do such damage… he thought. I wouldn’t believe it if I weren’t standing here looking at this!
Ashinji pointed at the hole leading to the corridor below. “We’ll have to climb down there,” he said. “Do you think that’s the way to the Spell Chamber?”
“I believe so,” Taya replied.
“I’ll go first.” Ashinji looked over his shoulder at Gran. “I’ll need to borrow your magelight.”
“You can conjure your own magelight, Ashi,” Gran replied. “Just think about it, will it to be, and your Talent will transform your thought into substance.”
“This is no time for a magic lesson!” Sonoe snapped.
“Sonoe is right, Chiana,” Taya agreed, but before she could say any more, Ashinji had a small orb of light glowing on his palm. Neither as large nor as bright as those of the Kirians, it was magelight nonetheless, and he had done it just as Gran had said he could.
He cupped his hand and tossed the orb away from him as he would a game ball. It described a graceful arc and came to rest, hovering, just above the hole in the floor.
Despite the heavy layers of wool, leather, and fur between his skin and the air, Ashinji felt the bitter cold seeping into his flesh. He reached into the sleeve of his coat, withdrew a pair of thick leather gloves then pulled them on over fingers already numb with cold.
“Don’t come down until I say so,” he said as he carefully picked his way along the jumbled surface of broken slabs and loose debris.
Frost glittered like a crust of diamonds on the stones beneath his boots, but despite the treacherous footing, he made it to the corridor below without mishap. With a flick of his hand, he sent the tiny sphere of magelight spinning down the passage. The way appeared unobstructed, at least as far as the magelight could travel.
Cupping his hands to his mouth, he called up through the hole. “The passage is clear. Be careful where you put your feet. The stones are very slippery!” Sonoe scrambled through first, followed closely by Jelena. Gran came next, with Taya and Amara, who leaned heavily on the princess for support, bringing up the rear.
Ashinji stepped up to take his mother’s arm, but she waved him off.
“I don’t need your help, Son. I can walk on my own. Look to your wife.”
She’s deliberately downplaying her condition to reassure me, but what can I do?
His mother seemed determined to not add her own pain to the burdens her son already carried. With a sigh of resignation, Ashinji turned away and went to stand beside Jelena.
“Come sisters, we must hurry,” Taya urged. “Time is running short.”
“Yes, I can feel it, too,” Gran responded. She sent her own magelight bobbing down the corridor after Ashinji’s smaller one.
Ashinji met Jelena’s gaze. “Feel what?” he asked, though he already knew the answer.
“The Nameless One,” Sonoe replied. “He knows we are here.”
Ashinji glanced at the youngest Kirian, and for an instant, he thought he saw a tiny smile twitch her sensuous mouth. All of his instinct for danger raced along every nerve and without conscious thought, he had his dagger in his hand and leveled at her before he realized it.
Sonoe’s eyes gleamed in the semi-darkness. “What are you doing?” she whispered, taking a step backward.
Ashinji looked at the knife and then back at Sonoe. Slowly, he re-sheathed the weapon. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me.”
“Apology accepted.” Sonoe licked her lips, then added, “I know you’re afraid. We all are.” Despite her soothing tone, Ashinji still could not banish his unease. He found it impossible to erase from his mind the memory of that terrible vision he had, back when he had been a slave in Darguinia, of Sonoe reaching into Jelena’s throat and removing something.
“Follow me!” Taya commanded. She set off down the corridor at a brisk pace. Ashinji took Jelena’s hand and fell in behind the princess. Sonoe, Gran, and Amara walked abreast at their heels. The corridor stretched ahead of them, arrow straight. The floor had buckled in places and deep cracks scored the walls and ceiling, but the structural integrity of this part of the fortress appeared to have survived the monumental forces that had torn the rest of the complex apart.
They hurried along in silence with only the scuff of their boots on the flagstones to break the stillness. Ahead, Ashinji could see the magelights had stopped before what looked like a wall of blackness. As the group drew closer, the wall resolved itself into a massive stone doorframe. The twisted remnants of iron hinges hung in jagged shards from the sides. The doorway itself gaped like an empty black maw.
“The main Spell Chamber should be through this doorway. Pray that it’s still intact,” Taya said. The group approached with caution, but before Taya could step through the gap, Ashinji laid a hand on her arm to stop her.
“No, Princess. Let me go first.” Taya hesitated for a heartbeat, then nodded and stepped aside, allowing Ashinji to step over the threshold, his little magelight floating ahead.
He found himself standing in an eight-sided chamber, empty save for a large platform in its exact center. The chamber appeared to be fashioned of black stone. Deep cracks fissured the walls and rubble-strewn floor. Part of the ceiling had caved in, creating a pile of broken stone near the platform. A thick, unbroken layer of dust covered the floor and the top surface of the platform. Ashinji took a step forward and kicked up such a choking cloud, he had to fall back through the opening to the corridor outside.
“The…room’s pretty much…intact,” he gasped, then succumbed to a sneezing fit. Eyes watering, throat burning, he struggled to clear his lungs of the irritating dust.
Taya stepped forward to peer into the room. She withdrew, clicking her tongue in dismay. “We’ll need to clear out all that dust first, or none of us will be able to breathe.”
“I’ll do it,” Gran volunteered. The elder Kirian raised her right hand.
“Ashi, Jelena, stand away from the doors,” Amara instructed. Gran spoke three words and Ashinji felt the air around him beginning to stir. He pressed his back against the chilly stone, one arm looped protectively around Jelena’s waist.
A ghostly veil of dust swirled through the gap between the doors and flowed, serpentine-like, past Gran and down the corridor, disappearing into the darkness behind her. When she lowered her hand a few heartbeats later, Taya once more peered into the room, then looked over her shoulder at the others and nodded.
The princess slipped through the gap and crossed the chamber to the central platform. Gran’s spell had scoured the chamber clean. Not a speck of dust remained to dull the polished floor-black as the night sky during a new moon-beneath Ashinji’s boots.
Gran and Amara followed Taya to the platform, where they laid down their bundles, then opened them to reveal an assortment of magical paraphernalia: a small thurible, a chalice, beeswax tapers, a glass rod. Ashinji realized the slab must be an altar. Sonoe pulled a small pouch from her sash and paced clockwise around the altar, sprinkling the contents of the pouch on the floor to form a circular space whose boundaries consisted of a crystalline white powder.
“When we begin the Ritual, you can’t step outside this circle,” Sonoe instructed, looking pointedly at Ashinji. “It will be very dangerous for you if you do.” She tucked the now empty pouch back in her sash and brushed her hands together. Amara and Gran busied themselves with setting up the altar, while Taya moved to the periphery of the room and paced through each corner, her eyes trained on the featureless black walls as if searching for something.
“Jelena, pet, how are you?” Sonoe inquired, caressing Jelena’s cheek, and though he tried otherwise, Ashinji could detect nothing but genuine concern in her voice.
“I’m better than I thought I would be.” Jelena looked at Ashinji and smiled. “It helps that my husband is here. I don’t think I’d be nearly so calm without him.”
“You are the bravest of all of us,” Sonoe murmured, and pulled Jelena close, kissing her forehead. “I love you, my dear friend.”
“And I you,” Jelena replied. Ashinji struggled to control his unease, but every nerve thrummed with alarm. As the two women held each other, his agitation grew, until he could no longer contain it. Gripping Jelena’s shoulders, he pulled her out of Sonoe’s arms, eliciting a gasp of surprise from both women. Jelena turned on him, her eyes demanding an explanation.
“Sonoe has to…to prepare for the Ritual now, love, and I want these last moments with you all to myself,” he offered, realizing his reason must sound awkward, but not caring.
“Your husband is right, pet,” Sonoe responded. If she had taken offense to Ashinji’s action, she gave no sign. “You two need do nothing now. We’ll call you when it’s time.”
“Young man, keep watch at the doors until we are ready.” Taya had finished her circuit of the room; frustration swirled about her like thunderclouds.
“Of course, Princess,” Ashinji replied.
“There are spells of protection woven into the walls and floor of this chamber, but I can’t find a way to activate them!” The chief Kirian seemed to be giving voice to her thoughts rather than addressing anyone in particular.
Sonoe moved over to stand beside the princess. “Perhaps if we tried…” she began.
Ashinji took Jelena’s hand and led her toward the doors, out of earshot of Sonoe’s suggestion. They sat down and Jelena snuggled against him, laying her head on his shoulder. Ashinji could feel his backside going numb with cold, but he ignored the petty discomfort.
They sat in silence for a time, concealed by the darkness, their arms locked about each other. At last, Ashinji spoke. “You don’t know how much I want to get up and run as fast as I can from this place, get you away from here to somewhere safe.” All of the anger, pain, sorrow, and fear he had, until this very moment, managed to keep in check, now clamored to break free.
“I do know, my love,” Jelena replied, almost too softly to hear. “But we both know we can’t. We have to do this, for our daughter, so she can live.”
Ashinji removed a glove so he might caress Jelena’s face and feel the softness of her cheek. A rush of desire, so powerful it made him dizzy, swept through him. He pressed his lips hard against hers, feeling as though he would drown in the sweet ecstasy of her taste. “I want to make love to you so badly right now,” he whispered.
“Then do,” she replied then wiggled onto his lap. Freeing her hands of her own gloves, she began pulling at the laces of his trousers.
“No, wait!” he gasped, grabbing her fingers. “We can’t!” His body shivered with swelling passion.
“Why not?” Jelena breathed into his ear.
“Because there’s not enough time!”
Jelena looked over her shoulder toward the altar where the four mages worked, then back at Ashinji. “They’ll just have to wait for us, then,” she declared, smiling.
With a groan, Ashinji surrendered.
Amara found them sitting by the doors, arms around each other, heads together, eyes closed. Regret, sharp as a serpent’s strike, stung her heart.
They look so innocent and beautiful, like two children asleep , she thought. For a moment, she wondered if she could somehow spare them the agonies to come.
No.
The sweet smell of incense tickled her nostrils.
All is prepared.
She felt a subtle shift in the energy of the room, a growing heaviness in the atmosphere, seeping up from below.
He knows, Goddess help us!
“Ashi…Jelena.” Ashinji’s eyes snapped open as if he had been waiting for her summons. He rubbed Jelena’s hands and kissed her eyelids until she woke. Amara waited until they had both gained their feet. She glanced at the altar where her fellow mages waited, then looked back at her son and daughter-in-law.
“It is time,” she said.
Arm in arm, they approached the altar where the other Kirians waited.
The last time Jelena and I stood before an altar was on our wedding day.
Ashinji felt himself losing his grip on his emotions; fiercely, he struggled to regain control.
I must not falter, not now!
Jelena walked with a firm, purposeful tread. Without hesitation or help, she stepped up to the polished black stone slab and lay down. Gran stood ready with a small cushion for her head. Ashinji took his place, standing at her side.
Jelena reached up and clasped his hand. “Don’t hesitate, Ashi,” she whispered.
He nodded, half-blinded by tears. She let go of his hand, undid the ties of her heavy jacket, and pushed the quilted wool aside. Loosening the laces at the neck of her tunic, she pulled down the thick fabric to expose the bare skin above her left breast.
The fog of their breath, mingled with incense smoke, wreathed the Kirians’ forms in a bluish haze. The mages looked like a quartet of spirits, called up from some otherworldly plane to perform an unfathomable, arcane task. They formed a circle around the altar, and Ashinji could feel their combined Talents enclosing them in a wall of protective energy.
The floor shuddered. Ashinji looked around apprehensively. “What was that?” he whispered.
“We must start now,” Taya said, ignoring him. She picked up a plain leather sheath and withdrew a knife, a double hand-span in length with a slight curve to the blade. Ashinji could tell, even without holding it, that the knife was very fine, well balanced and razor-sharp. The princess reversed the blade to lie along her forearm, then offered it to him, hilt-first. After a moment’s hesitation, he took it from her. At any other time, he would have appreciated the feel of such a finely crafted weapon, but now, he just wanted to hurl it away.
“Sonoe, activate the circle,” Taya directed. Sonoe turned and muttered a single word. The crystalline powder on the floor flared and burned with a white flame for several heartbeats. When the fire flickered out, a glowing, circular trace remained, like a thread of light carved into the stone itself. A shimmering haze sprang up from the trace and arched over their heads, enclosing them within a dome of magical energy.
The floor shook again. Ignoring the tremor, Taya looked down at Jelena and said in a commanding voice, “Open your mind to us now, Niece.” The great ruby hanging at her breast glowed like a blood-red star. She laid her hand on her niece’s forehead and Jelena’s eyelids drooped. Taya glanced at the other Kirians. “Follow me in,” she instructed. All four women closed their eyes.
Wracked with shivers, Ashinji could do naught but wait. The knife felt cold in his hand, and his mouth had gone so dry, he doubted he could speak beyond a croak if called upon.
Grab Jelena and run! Get out of here, now! his panicked, inner voice screamed, but the part of him that recognized duty and responsibility prevailed.
No, I can’t. I must see this through.
Impulsively, he sent his consciousness plunging in after the Kirians.
Jelena’s mind lay open, without any protective barriers to slow his entry. He dropped like a stone through water, pushing toward the blue light pulsing with each beat of her heart, nestled there at the center of her being.
It’s always been so beautiful , he thought, remembering when he had first seen the Key, in his earliest visions of Jelena, before he knew she truly existed in the flesh.
The four Kirians hovered over the Key like fireflies near a lamp. Ashinji moved closer, straining to discern their thoughts.
Ashi, get out at once! We need you to keep watch!
Amara’s mental command stung him like a whip. Ashinji considered defying his mother, then conceded that she was right. Reluctantly, he withdrew. He opened his eyes and sucked in the smoky air. The mages stood unmoving, hands at their sides, eyes shut. Ashinji had no choice but to wait.
He began to count.
When he had reached one hundred and fifty seven, all four Kirians opened their eyes simultaneously. Jelena stirred and moaned his name. Ashinji crouched so his lips could touch her ear.
“I’m right here, my love,” he whispered.
Her hand fluttered up to his cheek and she sighed, “Almost done now.” Ashinji looked up at Amara, a question in his eyes.
“We’ve soothed her, just enough so she won’t feel the full pain of the knife,” Amara explained. “We need her to be partially aware, so she can help to expel the Key from her body. She knows what she has to do.”
With gentle strokes, Ashinji ran his fingers through Jelena’s coiled locks.
I brushed your beautiful hair just this morning, brushed it free of tangles, like I always do…
“Listen to me, Wife,” he said, struggling to get the words past the lump in his throat. “You fight , with all your strength, to come back to me. Don’t forget I love you, and I need you, and our daughter needs her mother. You fight!” His voice broke as tears blinded him. “Don’t leave me.” he sobbed.
“I…promise…I’ll…try,” Jelena replied, her words a mere thread of sound.
“Young Sakehera, are you ready?” A note of sympathy softened Taya’s clipped question.
Ashinji dashed the tears from his face and drew himself up to his full height. He nodded once. “I am ready.”
The princess removed the glowing ruby pendant from her neck and placed it on the altar beside the White Griffin ring. “The Key shall remain safe in our keeping from this day forth,” she intoned. “Ensconced in the Eye of Lajdala, it will become the sacred duty of all those who wear this symbol of office to guard it with their lives.” She raised her hands and the other Kirians followed suit. “Wait for my signal,” the princess said, looking at Ashinji. “It is vitally important the old vessel be broken at the exact instant the new one is ready.”
This isn’t just an inanimate object to be broken, this is my wife!
Ashinji felt himself drowning in despair.
Taya began to chant.
At long last! The moment of my release is at hand! She has brought them, just as she said she would, and most importantly, they have brought the Key!
Pathetic bitches! I will make them all grovel before me, and after I’ve taken my pleasure from their puny bodies, I will slaughter them and paint the walls with their blood. But first, I must secure the Key, the only thing that really matters!
How infuriating, this need to wait on her, but I’ve no choice. Only through the use of her body can I ultimately make my escape. The red bitch thinks she’s so very clever! Did she really believe she could conceal her innermost thoughts from me? Oh, but I have a very nasty surprise for her!
I can feel the force of their magic, building…When they shatter the vessel and release the Key, she will open the way for me and I will come roaring through, wielding my vengeance like a scourge! I will utterly destroy the Kirians, once and for all!
The sound of tearing metal rent the air.
Ashinji stifled a cry of pain as the Kirians began drawing down the energy of his Talent. Simultaneously, they sent the combined flows of their own power coursing through him.
This is what it must feel like to be burned alive!
Sweat rolled down his sides beneath the layers of his heavy clothing, and dripped from his brow to sting his eyes. His senses began to fragment.
Hold on, Son! We’re almost there!
Taya picked up one of Jelena’s limp hands, and with a shard of white quartz she pricked Jelena’s thumb and squeezed out a single crimson drop. Next, she pressed the White Griffin to the bleeding wound and nodded as the ring’s magic flared to life in response.
Jelena, can you hear me?
Ashinji heard Taya in his head as well as Jelena’s reply.
Yes, Aunt.
Reach down inside now, and touch the Key. Can you feel it?
Yes…yes! It…it’s cold, Aunt…so cold.
Push it out now, Jelena! Push very hard! Ashinji Sakehera, strike now!
Ashinji stared hard at the gleaming blade in his hand, poised above the tender skin of Jelena’s breast. His vision swam, creating overlapping images that twisted crazily before his eyes. He raised the knife.
You must strike now, before it’s too late!
Don’t hesitate, Ashi!
Why do I have this feeling something is not right? Ashinji swayed, the knife point wavering over its target.
“Hurry, Ashi! Do it now!”
Jelena gazed up at him with no trace of fear in her hazel eyes.
“You’re awake! Ai, Goddess,” he whispered, horrified. “I can’t do this, not now!”
“Listen to me, beloved. Yes, you can. We both can,” she replied, her voice calm. “You know there’s no other way. I won’t feel any pain, I promise. My death will be as easy as falling asleep in your arms. When it’s all over, we’ll be together.” She smiled, and it felt like the sunrise after a long, harrowing night. “Remember how much I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Son, strike now!
Ashinji snapped back to consciousness. He looked down at Jelena, who lay unmoving on the altar slab, slack-jawed, eyes closed.
I’ve been entranced, and she’s been asleep all along , he realized. She reached out to me, in a vision, to give me the strength to do what I must.
Sobbing aloud, he brought the knife down in one smooth motion.
Jelena’s body arched then fell back as the knife bit deep. A bright stain of red, like a rose opening to the morning sun, bubbled around the blade buried in her breast. Ashinji fell to his knees, his hands pressed to the wound. He felt like his body was being torn apart as the magic of the Kirians flowed through the conduit of his mind. He sensed Jelena’s life ebbing away, but he felt something else happening as well.
Taya spoke a Word of Power and Ashinji screamed as a thunderbolt detonated in his head. He looked up, senses swimming, to see, hovering a handspan above Jelena’s body, a dazzling sphere of blue light.
The Key!
Gran spoke a second Word, and Ashinji groaned as the backwash seared his already flayed nerves. The Key sparked like an ember beneath the bellows of a forge. Ashinji braced himself.
Sonoe spoke a Word and without warning, the protective circle collapsed and the flow of magic ceased. At the same instant, the red-haired mage stepped backward and threw something to the floor.
A geyser of darkness erupted from the stone to form a swirling column of black.
“Come, Master, come!” Sonoe screamed. “The way is open!”
Taya’s howl of fury mingled with Gran’s and Amara’s cries of horror.
Instinctively, Ashinji threw himself across Jelena’s body. He stared at his mother in confusion. “What’s happening!” he shouted.
“Treachery!” Amara cried.
The black column coalesced into the rough shape of a man. Ashinji could only stare, helpless, as the other Kirians raced to complete the Ritual. As Taya held aloft the Eye of Lajdala and began to intone the final incantations, a bolt of dark energy shot from the shadow figure and struck the Eye from her hand. Taya spun about and launched a fireball from her fingertips. It flew straight for Sonoe but the younger mage easily deflected it.
“Give it up, fools!” Sonoe cried, her voice ringing with triumphant glee. “You can’t win! The Key is mine!”
Wrong, slave-bitch! The Key belongs to me! It always has!
The voice of the Nameless One rolled over them, deep and grinding. Ashinji felt more than heard it, and shuddered at the slimy residue it left in its wake.
Sonoe whirled, laughing, to face what she had freed. “The tables are turned, truly, Master! ” she hissed. “I command you, Shiiiieee… ”
Before she could finish, Sonoe’s voice shredded into an unrecognizable croak, as if an unseen force had ripped her tongue from her mouth. She clapped her hands to her throat, eyes bulging.
“Sisters!” Taya cried. “We must secure the Key! Quickly now, while the spirit is distracted!”
“The Eye has been destroyed!” Gran pointed to the congealed lump of scorched metal and shattered stone that had once been the symbol of office for the leaders of the Society. “We have no other suitable vessel!”
“Yes, we do!” Taya replied. “We will use the White Griffin.”
“We cannot!” Amara objected. “The Key must not reside within the same vessel as the spell that opens the Void! It’s too dangerous!”
“We have no choice,” Taya shot back.
“Taya is right,” Gran said. “If we all survive, then we can separate the two later.”
An agonized shriek tore the air, causing them all to start.
“Great Goddess!” Amara whispered.
Slowly, Ashinji turned his head and if, at that moment, he had been given the choice to be struck blind, he would have gladly surrendered his eyesight rather than witness what he saw next.
The Nameless One hovered over Sonoe, who lay face-down on the unyielding stones, her body pressed to the floor as if pinned by a great weight. Her clothes had been torn away and scattered. Ugly welts striped her naked back and buttocks, starkly red against the whiteness of her skin. As Ashinji watched in horror, the spirit flowed between her legs, forcing them apart. Like a black snake crawling into its burrow, it began to push its way into her body. Sonoe thrashed and shrieked, a hideous high-pitched keening, like a tortured animal. Relentlessly, the spirit pushed until it had inserted its entire substance within the struggling woman.
Ashinji turned his head and retched.
The screaming stopped.
Ashinji dared to look again and the sight of Sonoe’s lifeless body, contorted from her death throes, made him wish he had not.
“Ashinji!” His head snapped around at the sound of his name. “Get ready! We are going to need your energy again!” Taya called out. She held the White Griffin between her thumb and forefinger, seemingly unaffected by the gruesome death of her erstwhile colleague. “Now, sisters!” she cried.
Ashinji braced himself, but even though he expected it, the pain still proved almost unbearable. He thought about what Gran had told him, about how to control his Talent, and imagined a filter between himself and the full power of the remaining three Kirians, a barrier of sorts that would lessen the pain while still allowing his own energy to flow.
It seemed to help, for the pain eased. He could concentrate now on what the Kirians were doing. All three mages chanted in unison, their eyes fixed on the ring, which rested on Taya’s palm. The Key hovered just above, and its light pulsed to the rhythm of the incantation. Slowly, Taya raised her free hand until she had both the Key and the ring cupped between both palms. The Kirians fell silent.
Ashinji looked down at Jelena’s face. Her lips had already begun to lose their color in the chilly air. The terrifying rush of blood from the wound in her chest had slowed to a trickle. Even though he knew it would do no good, he couldn’t make himself stop pressing his hands against her stilled heart.
Ai, Goddess! My beautiful wife, my love, my Jelena!
A whisper of sound from behind made him turn his head.
Too late, he saw a blur of white rushing toward him, swinging. He shouted a warning just as Sonoe’s fist smashed into the side of his head with the force of a war hammer. He slumped to the floor, consciousness shattered.
For a time, he drifted, lost amid a whirlwind of confusion. Shouts, screams, Words of Power-all swirled around him in a deafening cacophony. An explosion shook the floor beneath his cold-numbed body. He heard someone crying his name. Struggling against the dark that fettered his senses, he managed to wrench himself free and regain full consciousness.
He lay sprawled on the floor, in total darkness. After a few heartbeats, he groped his way into a sitting position, afraid to move much farther.
“Mother?” he croaked.
Silence.
“Gran…Princess!”
He heard a soft moan to his left. As quickly as he dared, Ashinji slithered across the slick floor toward the thread of sound. His questing fingers soon touched cloth and worked their way along the unseen form until they found skin. A voice whispered his name. “Yes, Gran, it’s me,” he replied.
“Can you conjure a light?” Gran rasped.
“I think so.” Conjuring magelight proved much simpler now that he had done it already. A silvery orb flared to life on his palm-small, but much brighter than his first attempt.
The sight of Gran’s blood-covered face made him curse in dismay. “What happened, Gran?” he whispered as he slipped his arms beneath the elder mage’s shoulders and helped her to sit up. She sucked in a sharp breath and her hand flew to her side. “Are you badly hurt?” Ashinji’s chest tightened in alarm. “Tell me how to help you!”
Gran shook her head. “I’m not important right now.”
Ashinji looked into her pale eyes and saw the terrible truth.
“No!”
Gran nodded, her face grim. “The Nameless One has possessed the corpse of Sonoe and escaped.” She pressed a shaking hand to her forehead. “I was such a fool, Ashi! I should have trusted my instincts and your Talent! All those months ago when we were slaves in the de Guera Yard…you asked me about the red-haired woman you’d seen in your visions, the one surrounded by shadow. Why did I not see ?”
“Please, Gran,” Ashinji pleaded. “You mustn’t blame yourself.”
“Who else, then?”
“There must be some way to stop it…stop her !” Ashinji’s skin crawled with revulsion.
“Help me up, Ashi. We must see to the others.”
Ashinji held steady while Gran pulled herself to her feet. The blood on her face had dripped from a cut on her forehead. It looked shallow, but it extended past her hairline.
“Your mother and Taya are still alive, but they were both rendered unconscious in the struggle,” she said. Ashinji breathed a sigh of relief. Together, they limped to where Amara and the princess lay sprawled on the stones, loose as rag dolls.
“Does the Nameless One have the White Griffin?” Ashinji asked. He crouched beside his mother and stroked her face. She moaned, her head rolling from side to side.
“He does,” Gran replied. She eased herself down on the altar beside Jelena’s body. “Poor, child,” she murmured, gazing at Jelena’s bloodless face. “We failed you.”
“If we don’t get that ring back, my wife will have died for nothing!” Ashinji felt he would choke on his despair. Just as he started to lift his mother’s head to his lap, she stirred and sat up.
“Son…” she mumbled, a swollen and bruised lower lip slurring her speech.
“There is a way to retrieve the ring, but you are the only one who can do it, Ashi,” Gran replied.
“No!” Amara cried. “He’s not trained! He can’t possibly…”
“He can, Sister, and he must!” Gran insisted. “The Kirians have failed! Your son is the only one left standing with the necessary Talent.”
“Chiana is right,” Taya added in a rough whisper, awake now. The princess climbed laboriously to her feet and shuffled over to the altar where Gran now sat. “We must send young Sakehera and there’s no time to lose.”
“What are you all talking about?” Ashinji asked, confused.
“You must go after The Nameless One and stop him from executing the spell that will open the Void,” Taya answered. Ashinji stared at the three mages in turn.
“But how?”
“I’ve never trusted Sonoe, and with good reason, as it turns out, but even I never dreamed her capable of such duplicity!” The princess paused to wipe a thin trickle of blood from her mouth. “I kept watch upon her mind during the Ritual,” she continued. “I have the skill to monitor others undetected-but I now realize, to my everlasting sorrow, that I grossly underestimated her.”
A tiny, bitter smile touched Taya’s lips. “Before Sonoe turned on us, she let slip a very important piece of information. I suppose the anticipation of her victory made her careless. She did not know I gleaned from her mind the one thing that can save us.”
“What, Sister? Tell us,” Amara said.
The princess replied, “I now know the true name of the Nameless One.”
Ashinji sat on the edge of the altar and lifted Jelena’s hand to his face. “You’re so cold, already, my love,” he sighed, pressing his cheek to her palm.
Though he had wielded the knife, her death had not seemed real to him, until now. The agonizing realization struck him like a spear of ice through his heart. “Jelena,” he sobbed. “I’ve killed you. Ai Goddess! They made me kill you!” He slipped his arms beneath Jelena’s shoulders and raised her so he could cradle her limp body against his chest.
“Ashi, my son.” Ashinji felt his mother’s hand on his shoulder and viciously, he slapped it away.
“Leave us alone!” he snarled. “Just leave us alone…” His voice dissolved in a flood of tears.
“Ashinji Sakehera, listen to me!” Taya’s voice sliced through the haze of his grief. “You must put aside your pain, at least for now, for the fate of the material world hangs in the balance!”
Ashinji raised his head.
“Are you listening?”
“Yes, damn you!”
“The spirit’s true name is the one weapon you’ll have that can prevail against him.” Taya looked at Gran, who nodded in agreement.
“Even if I do know its true name, how am I supposed to defeat something powerful enough to toss aside three of the most skilled mages in Alasiri?” Ashinji stared at the princess, incredulous. “Goddess’ tits! I’m not a mage! I’m a soldier!”
“You won’t need any training, Ashi,” Gran said. “Your lack of it will work to your advantage. The Nameless One won’t view you as a threat; in fact, he’ll dismiss you out of hand. This will allow you to get close enough to spring the trap we will prepare.”
“You wish my son to capture the Nameless One in the spirit box,” Amara stated, her voice sharp with fear.
“He can do it, Sister,” Gran insisted. “You are well aware of the strength of your son’s Talent.”
“Yes, I am.”
Ashinji looked in his mother’s eyes and caught a glimpse of the guilt that haunted her. He also saw reluctant consensus.
They all believe I’m the only one who can defeat this thing! They must be truly desperate!
“Tell me what I must do, then.” He continued to hold Jelena in his arms, rocking her as if she merely slept. His tears had ceased, but the pain still ripped at his heart.
Taya bent to pick up a small wooden casket that had tumbled to the floor. She held it out so Ashinji could see the intricate glyphs carved into the lid and sides.
“This is a spirit box,” Taya spoke quickly now. “It’s designed to capture and hold any type of non-corporeal being, but it’s meant to be a temporary receptacle only. Eventually, the entity within must be transferred to a permanent containment vessel. All that’s necessary for the capture is to get within a few paces of the spirit and speak the appropriate incantation.”
“Its true name,” Ashinji said.
“Yes. That’s the surest way of capturing the spirit, though there are other ways,” Taya replied. “We had prepared another incantation, but that one won’t be needed now.”
“Do you know where Sonoe, I mean, the Nameless One, has gone?” Ashinji stared at the box, and blinking in surprise, realized the glyphs were crawling along the wood like fantastically shaped insects.
“Not precisely, but you can track her by using your Talent,” Gran said.
“I think I may know,” Ashinji replied, still staring with near hypnotic fascination at the animated glyphs. “It’s common sense, really. Sonoe, the Nameless One, I mean, intends to subjugate first Alasiri, then the rest of the known world. In order to do that, he must kill everyone standing in his way. He’ll start with all of the surviving Onjaras.”
Including my daughter.
With some difficulty, Ashinji finally looked away from the box back to the three mages.
“He’ll return to Sendai first, in order to finish off the king,” he added, “but I suspect Sonoe’s already done that. If so, then he’ll head south to where the army lies and kill Prince Raidan and his sons.”
“Of course,” Taya murmured. “He’ll no doubt seek out the mages assisting the army with the defense of Tono. He needs the power of at least three other trained sorcerers in order to perform the Great Working that opens the Void. As great as his own strength is, he still can’t do it alone.”
“He’ll have to take their power by force. No sane mage would ever willingly assist in such an evil act,” Gran interjected.
“Ashi, what about Hatora?” Amara’s voice shook and her face, already pale in the semi-darkness, blanched even more.
“My daughter still lives. The connection I have with her is very strong, even over so great a distance. Either the Nameless One hasn’t found her yet, or he’s passed her by for now.”
“Then you must go, immediately!” Gran urged.
Ashinji shook his head. “No.”
“You must!” Taya snapped. “We have no time for…”
“I’m not doing anything else for you until you bring my wife back!”
Ashinji glared at the three women. They looked at each other, then back at him. Their combined energies pushed at him, but he refused to budge, not until he heard from their lips that they intended to resurrect Jelena.
“We will try,” Taya replied, but her voice held no promises.
“You must do more than try,” he insisted.
“Ashi, we…” Amara began, but Ashinji cut her off with a shout.
“ Bring my wife back! You promised!”
His whole body shook with fury.
“ You demanded this sacrifice of us! You …insisted it was the only way to defeat our enemy! And now, my lover, my best friend, the mother of my child is…is dead …and still , the task isn’t done! You owe this to her! To both of us!”
Ashinji gazed into Jelena’s face, and marveled at how beautiful it still looked. A fresh flow of tears wet his cheeks. Tenderly, he lowered her head back to the altar’s surface. His hand brushed the hilt of the knife still protruding from her chest, and with a gasp of dismay, he jerked away, as if Jelena could still feel the pain of that cruel blade.
“Swear you’ll bring her back. Please,” he whispered.
Amara wept in silence behind shaking hands. Taya turned her face away and sighed. Gran came forward and touched Ashinji’s shoulder. He flinched, but did not pull away.
“Ashi, I swear.”
Ashinji looked into Gran’s eyes, and the calm determination he saw there cooled his anger. He knew the elder Kirian would keep her word.
After a few moments of silence, he rose to his feet and faced Taya. “I’m ready now,” he stated.
“Then I will send you back through the portal to Sendai,” the princess said. “When you pick up his trail, be very careful. The Nameless One is more dangerous than you can possibly imagine, and he will have absorbed all of Sonoe’s essence, including her magical abilities. They will only serve to enhance his already formidable skills. He will mimic her flawlessly, and so will be able to gain easy access to my husband and his council.” The princess pressed the spirit box into Ashinji’s hands. “When you get close enough, simply open the lid and speak his name. And now you must go!”
Ashinji tucked the box inside his jacket and knelt once more beside the altar stone. Fighting back still more tears, he leaned over and kissed Jelena’s cold lips. His eyes never left her face as he spoke. “I can’t imagine going on without you, love, but I suppose I must.” His voice caught and for an instant, he wished the stones beneath his knees would turn to sand and suck him down.
I would welcome death now, if it meant reunion with you!
He took a deep breath and rose to his feet. “Let’s go,” he said, and started for the door.
He didn’t look back as he followed the princess from the chamber. They hurried down the dark corridor toward the portal, Taya’s magelight swooping ahead of them. When they reached the base of the rubble slope, Taya sent the magelight up through the breach and set it to hovering. Together, they began to climb.
When Ashinji reached the place where the magelight bobbed, he paused and tried to feel the magic of the portal.
Yes, there it is, and there’s the trigger!
He felt a rush of excitement. “Princess, I think I can activate the portal myself,” he declared.
“You can feel the trigger?” Taya sounded a little dubious.
Ashinji nodded. “I just form a picture in my mind of the place I want to go and…”
“It’s not quite that simple, young Sakehera,” Taya snapped. “If you don’t have a perfect mental picture of the locator glyph, you could end up materializing inside of solid stone!”
They climbed the remainder of the way in silence. At the top of the slope, Ashinji paused to catch his breath, then demanded, “Show me the glyph.” An image formed before his mind’s eye like ink-strokes on paper. He nodded sharply. “Got it.”
“Everything depends on you now.” Taya said. “Go quickly, and may the One keep you safe.”
“Keep your promise to me, Princess,” Ashinji replied.
Before he reached with his mind to trigger the portal, Ashinji called out, “Princess Taya, you haven’t told me the name of the spirit!”
“Shiura Onjara.” Taya’s brow creased as if the appellation left a bitter residue in her mouth.
“If we all survive this, I’ll meet you back in Sendai.” Ashinji triggered the portal and darkness engulfed him.
“Poor child.” Amara sat on the altar, stroking Jelena’s cold cheek. “The day my son first brought you to me, I knew you would change all our lives. I just didn’t know how.” She dabbed her eyes with the hem of her sleeve. “I will carry the burden of this day to my grave,” she sighed.
“Jelena understood the necessity of what we all had to do, Amara.” Gran squeezed her friend’s shoulder. “She possessed remarkable courage, and so does your son. He won’t fail us, just as Jelena did not.”
“How will we do what we promised, Chiana?” Amara continued to stroke her daughter-in-law’s cheek. “We haven’t the strength left for another major Working. A resurrection must be attempted within the first hour of death. Any later, and the risk of failure is all but certain. By the time our strength is restored, it will be too late.”
“There is a way,” Gran replied softly. “I can give up my life energy to complete the spell.”
Amara stared at her friend. “Chiana…you would do this for my son and daughter-in-law?”
“My life, my true life, ended when I destroyed everything I loved in a mad quest for power. Exchanging my life for hers,” Gran continued, glancing at Jelena then back at Amara, “won’t bring my husband and children back, I know, but perhaps, just perhaps, the One will show mercy and reunite me with them on the other side.”
Amara looked away, too overcome to speak.
“You and Taya will need to act without delay. Jelena’s body is gravely injured. She’s lost a great deal of blood, and could die again if she’s not attended to properly.”
“Yes. I had thought of that,” Amara said. “We should first draw out the knife and bind the wound.” She looked around, then slid off the altar and strode across the chamber to gather the remnants of Sonoe’s clothing. “These should do nicely for bandages,” she said dryly.
Taya returned to find them wrapping strips of cloth around Jelena’s chest. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“Preparing Jelena for resurrection,” Gran replied.
“Sister, we haven’t the strength…”
Gran raised her hand and Taya fell silent. “I’m giving Jelena my life force,” the elder Kirian said.
If Taya felt shock, dismay, or any emotion at all, she gave no sign. Stone-faced, she stood with arms folded, watching as Gran and Amara finished their task.
“These rags are poor bandages, but they’ll have to do,” Gran muttered.
“I’m no doctor,” Taya said, “but I haven’t spent forty years married to one without learning a thing or two. She’s lost too much blood to live. Your sacrifice will be for naught.”
You grieve for her, Amara. I grieve as well, though I may not show it. You and I are made differently that way.
Yes, I know…You didn’t love her as I learned to, but I saw how you came to respect her. Chiana is…
I’m willing…more than willing, to do this.
“I think Jelena will fight to live,” Gran said aloud. “Her love for her husband and child will give her the strength.” She sighed and wiped her bloodied hands on the tops of her breeches. “Once this is done, just go. Don’t stop to see to my body.” Her pale eyes wandered around the chamber before settling on Taya’s face. “This will be a far better resting place for me than I deserve.”
She rose to her feet and said, “Sisters, the Society must never fall into such a state again. The one who can bring us back to our full power has just left to perform the task, on his own, that the three of us could not. If he succeeds, he is the future of the Society.” She looked at Amara.
“Traditions must at times give way to necessity. Amara, send your son to the Kan Onji. His life is wasted as a mere soldier. He needs the proper training so he can fulfill his true destiny.”
Amara nodded, tears once again filling her eyes.
“You were our leader once, Chiana,” Taya said quietly. “I’ve never doubted your wisdom or insight. If you say young Sakehera is the future of the Society, then so be it. I’ll supervise his training myself…if he succeeds.”
“He will.” Gran replied. “And now, I must fulfill my promise. Help me, please.”
The three mages linked hands and Gran completed the connection by taking up Jelena’s.
They began to chant.
Ashinji stumbled as he landed on the hard packed earth of the portal chamber. The lamps they had left behind, though still burning, flickered close to exhaustion. Snatching one up, he bounded to the door and tried to throw it open. It wouldn’t budge. He stared at the door in confusion for a few tense heartbeats until he remembered that Taya had secured it with a locking spell. He reached out with his mind. The energy of the spell had a definite structure; if he could study it long enough, he would be able figure out how to unravel it. He did not have that kind of time. He simply cut through the spell, flung open the door, and ran up the corridor toward the stairs.
It did not occur to him to wonder at the ease with which he destroyed the spell; his mind remained focused on reaching his daughter. He would have time enough for exploring the limits of his newly unbound Talent only if he could stop the thing that now wore Sonoe’s body. If he could find it in time. If he could stop it from killing Prince Raidan If he could prevent it from opening the Void…
If, if, if! Too many ifs! I’ve got to get to Hatora first!
He felt the familiar tug of the link binding his daughter to him, a link stronger, even, than the one that had bound him to Jelena. Hatora’s energy felt calm and unafraid. For the moment, she seemed to be in no danger. That could mean one of two things: The Nameless One had passed her by and was no longer in the castle, or the spirit lay in wait, ready to ambush him when he came for his daughter. Whatever the case, he had no choice but to go to her, and his fears would not be allayed until he had seen for himself that Hatora remained truly safe.
When he reached the secret door that opened into the library, Ashinji did not stop to check if anyone might be on the other side; it didn’t matter anymore that the portal remain a secret. The library lay deserted; he pelted through the empty rooms and out into the corridor, running at full speed toward the apartments where Hatora waited. Sweating profusely beneath his heavy clothes and growing light-headed from the trapped heat, Ashinji paused to shed his coat before continuing.
He pulled up outside the apartments where Jelena had lived as his widow for the last year, breathing hard. Eikko let out a shriek as he burst through the doors, then cried “Captain Sakehera, it’s you!” A heartbeat later, her face blanched with fear. “My lord, your hands are all bloody!” she gasped.
“Where is my daughter?” Ashinji softened his tone as the girl cringed. “Eikko, I’m sorry.” Looking down at his hands, he added, “I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He had been so intent on reaching the baby, he had not noticed just how much of Jelena’s blood stained his skin. No wonder Eikko had screamed. “Has anyone come here while we’ve been gone?” he asked.
The girl gulped and ducked her head. “Uh, no Captain, no one.”
“Lady Sonoe didn’t come here?”
“N…no, my lord. Was she supposed to?” Eikko looked scared and bewildered, as if she thought she may have made a mistake, but didn’t know exactly what she had done wrong. “If she did come by, I swear I didn’t hear her knock…”
“Never mind.” Ashinji pushed past the flustered maid and rushed toward the bedchamber. Despite what his magical sense told him, he had to see with his own eyes that Hatora lived.
The baby lay on her back in the center of the big bed, sleeping.
Thank the Goddess! Ashinji blinked back tears of relief as he eased himself down beside her.
“My little bird, my sweet little baby,” he whispered, stroking her shock of wheaten curls. “Eikko,” he called out, never taking his eyes from Hatora’s face.
“Yes, Captain,” The hikui girl peered around the door.
“Where are my sisters?”
“Lady Lani took the little ones down to the bath house, my lord. They should all be back very soon.” Eikko smiled at the sleeping child. “She’s such a good baby, my lord, hardly any trouble at all. Always grinning and burbling.”
“Gather whatever you’ll need for the baby and yourself. I’m taking you both to a place where you’ll be safe…safer, anyway…until I can come back for you.”
And if I don’t come back…if Hatora disappears, perhaps Shiura Onjara won’t bother to look for her.
He could see fear spark in the hikui girl’s eyes, but that couldn’t be helped. To her credit, she asked no questions; within a short time, she announced she was ready to go.
“What about Lady Lani and the twins, my lord? Shouldn’t we wait for them?”
Ashinji shook his head. “No time. Besides, my mother will be returning soon.” Hopefully, Lani wouldn’t panic when she and the twins came back to an empty apartment. “Do you know where the weaver Sateyuka lives?” he asked.
“Yes, my lord. I’ve been there once with Princess Jelena,” Eikko answered. “I think I can find my way.”
“Good. Then I’ll need you to lead us there.” He scooped the still-sleeping baby into his arms and settled her against his chest. “Come.”
Without another word, he left the apartment with a confused but trusting Eikko in tow, a rucksack slung over her round shoulder. They encountered no one; Sendai Castle appeared deserted, though Ashinji’s magical sense told him otherwise. He felt the energies of those left behind whose jobs were to make sure the castle continued to function, albeit at a very low level, while most of the court was away.
When they reached the broad corridor that led to the king’s apartments, Eikko balked. “Lord Ashinji,” she squeaked. “I’m not allowed up here! I’ll be punished if I’m caught!” A sheen of moisture glistened on her brow.
“You won’t be punished, Eikko, I promise,” Ashinji reassured her. “You’re with me.” The hikui girl wrung her hands, but followed at his heels as Ashinji approached the tall, ornate double doors.
Two soldiers of the King’s Guard stood rigid at their posts; nothing looked out of place but Ashinji’s newly heightened magical sense jangled in alarm. The energy residue of a powerful enchantment clung to both men like a pall of smoke.
Cautiously, he extended his mind toward the guards.
His consciousness rebounded off slick walls of black ice.
Those are not normal mental shields. This is very bad.
Ashinji looked at Eikko, who stared at the guards with wary eyes. “They’re bound by some sort of enchantment,” he said. “They don’t even know we’re here. Follow me.”
Taking care not to jostle the baby, Ashinji pushed open one door then entered the darkened anteroom. Neither guard moved. He closed the door on their stiff backs then carefully transferred Hatora into Eikko’s arms. “Wait here,” he said.
Swiftly he crossed the room to pause before the smaller set of double doors leading to the king’s bedchamber. No King’s Guard stood watch here, yet another bad sign. Once again, Ashinji extended his senses to quest through the doors into the room beyond. He detected no enchantments and no telltale warmth of a living, shielded mind.
He pushed the doors open and slipped inside.
The room appeared exactly as he had seen it last, when he and Jelena had come to bid goodbye to her father. His eyes darted to the bed where Keizo lay unmoving, hands folded atop his chest. He took a step forward and felt something soft crunch beneath his boot. In the dim light, he could just make out the shape of Jewel, Sonoe’s dog, sprawled lifeless upon the mats.
With a soft curse, Ashinji sidestepped the tiny corpse. He approached the big, silk-draped bed and peered down at the king’s waxen face. No residual magical energy lingered and he saw no telltale physical clues that could lead to any conclusion other than Keizo had died from his illness. Nevertheless, Ashinji knew with unshakable certainty that Sonoe had murdered him, perhaps even before they had all left for the Black Fortress. The ensorcelled guards at the outer doors and the slain dog all stood as proof.
“My lord?” Ashinji looked up to see Eikko peeking through the open doorway. When she caught sight of the king’s corpse, her eyes grew huge.
“I thought I told you to wait for me by the outer door!” Ashinji moved away from the bed, grabbed the girl’s shoulders then ushered her-Hatora still sound asleep in her arms-out of the bedroom and back across the dark antechamber.
“I’m sorry, Lord Ashinji, but I got scared,” the girl whimpered, fat tears rolling down her florid cheeks. “I thought I heard something!”
Ashinji’s annoyance fizzled. “I’m sorry I snapped at you,” he said in a kindlier tone.
“The king. He’s dead, isn’t he?” The girl sniffed and scrubbed at her dripping nose with the hem of her sleeve.
“He is,” Ashinji replied. “I don’t think anyone but us knows it yet, though.” He steered Eikko through the doorway back out into the hall and shut the heavy panel behind him, then paused to think.
I’ll need to wash my hands and change clothes, get a horse from the stables…
Princess Taya’s warning about his quarry sprang to his weary and traumatized mind.
The Nameless One is more dangerous than you can possibly imagine.
He glanced at the frozen guards, then at Eikko, hoping she had not seen him shiver. “Come,” he said. Wordlessly, Eikko followed.
“This is it, my lord, right here,” Eikko said, pointing to a tidy, mid-sized house nestled between two smaller ones. Lamplight spilled out onto the dark street through a beautifully carved wooden window screen, forming a complicated pattern on the beaten earth. The street itself was quiet, but all around him, Ashinji heard the muffled sounds of people in their homes preparing the evening meal, laughing with their spouses, playing with children, arguing with one another. He reined in the horse then waited while Eikko slid to the ground before carefully dismounting.
Loosening the knotted ends of the blanket he had used to bind Hatora securely to his back, Ashinji allowed Eikko to take his daughter into her arms. The baby, awake now, sucked contentedly on a dimpled fist.
“Shall I go knock?” Eikko asked.
“No, I’ll do it.” He retrieved Eikko’s rucksack from the back of the saddle then pulled the horse’s reins over its head and dropped them to the ground. Passing the sack to the girl, he then stepped up to the door and knocked.
A few moments passed with no response, so he tried again. This time, a woman’s voice called out through the door, “Yes, who is it?”
“Mistress Sateyuka, it’s Ashinji Sakehera. Jelena’s husband.”
The door flew open to reveal a dark-haired hikui woman in early middle age. “I know who you are, my lord!” She stared at him in shock. “Everyone thought you were dead!”
“May we come in?” Ashinji asked.
“Of course, my lord!” She stepped aside to let Ashinji, Eikko, and the baby enter. “Does Jelena know you’re alive?” Sateyuka then caught sight of Hatora. “Yes, she must because you have Hatora. Why are you here, Captain Sakehera?”
Sateyuka was a handsome woman, with clear, intelligent eyes and the no-nonsense demeanor of someone used to giving orders. Ashinji knew right away his decision had been a sound one. “I’ve come to ask a very great favor of you,” he said quietly. “I’ve no time to explain. I must leave Sendai immediately and I need someone trustworthy to care for my daughter.”
“What has happened to Jelena, my lord?” Sateyuka asked.
Ashinji sensed the strength of the hikui woman’s Talent, but felt only mild surprise. She was doing an excellent job of shielding her thoughts but she could not hide her emotions quite so well; Ashinji felt her alarm like a burst of heat on his skin.
“It’s too complicated. Please Sateyuka. Time is running out. Will you shelter my child?”
On impulse, Ashinji mindspoke.
You are Jelena’s dear friend. She trusted…trusts you, so I will, too. We both need you to do this for us. I promise, when I return, everything will be explained to you.
Sateyuka’s face blanched. She stared hard at Ashinji for a few heartbeats, then gazed at Hatora, still calmly sucking her fist as Eikko bounced her in her arms.
Yes, Captain, of course I’ll look after your daughter! After all, I was there when she took her first breath. I love Hatora because she’s Jelena’s.
“You are the first okui who has ever mindspoken to me,” Sateyuka added aloud. She reached out to stroke the baby’s cheek. “I’ll keep her for as long as you need me to.”
“What about me?” Eikko asked in a tiny voice. “Am I to stay here as well?”
“The mistress will need your help with my daughter,” Ashinji replied.
Sateyuka cocked her head. “You look strong and capable, girl. I think I can find something for you to do in my shop when little Hatora doesn’t need you. Can you read?”
“Yes, Mistress,” Eikko replied, then added, “I can do figures also.”
“Sateyuka, I really must go.” Ashinji swung Hatora from Eikko’s arms and held her close. “I’ve a very long ride ahead of me.” The baby squirmed as he kissed her cheeks and forehead. He knew her thoughts, even though her mind could not yet form words to articulate them.
She knows I’m leaving her and that I have no idea when I’ll return.
Hatora’s face crumpled and she let out a wail.
“Please, baby,” Ashinji whispered, unable to hold back his own tears. “Don’t cry!” For a while, he could do nothing but weep, and when at last he felt strong enough, he handed his still bawling child over to Sateyuka and departed.
With Hatora’s cries ringing in his ears and her mental anguish piercing him like a flight of arrows, he flung himself onto his horse and took off into the night.
Sen Sakehera peered through his spyglass, humming tunelessly to himself. He swept the glass from left to right, scanning the valley below. Off in the distance, nearly lost in bluish haze, the twin towers of Tono Castle stabbed defiantly skyward. The big bay stallion beneath him snorted and stamped at the rocky ground, tail thrashing with impatience.
Prince Raidan maneuvered his own mount alongside that of his co-general. The two stallions glared at each other, ears flattened.
“By the One, I think we’ve beaten ’em,” Sen announced. “The valley looks quiet and Odata’s colors still fly over the castle.” He lowered the spyglass and closed it with a snap.
“I’m expecting a scout in shortly,” Raidan responded. “We’ll know more then.” The two men sat their horses atop a ridge overlooking the broad expanse of the valley; below, grasslands rolled away in a series of gentle folds to merge with the rich farmland of the valley floor. Behind them massed the combined elven forces, some twenty thousand strong, consisting of the professional army at its core, augmented by the levies of Alasiri’s great lords.
The elves would face a human army estimated at between forty and fifty thousand professional, well-seasoned troops. Though not quite as outnumbered as they had feared, nevertheless, both elven generals knew their only chance for survival lay with superior tactics and magic.
Raidan gazed toward a dark smudge in the distance, almost directly opposite their current position-the high ridgeline pierced by the Tono Pass. The pass provided the only way for the Soldaran army to gain entry into the valley from the south; it was the key to the elves’ entire defensive strategy.
“I pray there’s been no more plague,” Sen muttered. He twisted in his saddle, first one way and then the other. “Where is that son of mine?” he grumbled. “I need him.”
“If we push, we can make the castle before nightfall,” Raidan said.
Sen scratched his chin and scowled. “Let’s hope that scout gets here soon,” he said. “We need to know how much time we’ve got. I’ll see you at the castle.” He wheeled his mount away from Raidan’s, then trotted off along the ridge toward where his Kerala troops waited.
Raidan raised his hand and his own aides, who had been hanging back at a discreet distance, now urged their mounts forward. “Give the order to march,” he commanded and they dispersed to their duties. The prince did not move off right away, but stayed awhile longer on the ridge, pondering the enormity of the task at hand.
The elves had devised a deceptively simple defense plan. The valley was shaped like a wineskin; at its narrowest point, the pass acted like a spout. That spout would be defended by a small elite force, which would serve to delay the Soldarans, and at the same time, trick them into believing they faced sparse resistance.
At a specified time, the elves would turn and flee toward the castle. Emboldened by the apparent weakness of their opposition, the humans would rush into the narrow neck of the valley.
Unbeknownst to the Soldarans, the bulk of the elven army, along with most of the mages, would be positioned behind the rocky ridgelines above the valley floor. They would sweep down in a pincer movement, catching the humans by surprise and surrounding them before they realized their mistake. As the final piece of the trap, the remainder of the elven forces, bolstered by their most powerful mages, would sally forth from the castle to meet the charging Soldarans head on.
In theory, the plan should work.
If only we had about ten thousand more troops , Raidan thought.
“The army is ready to move, my lord Prince!” an aide called out. Raidan waved his hand in acknowledgment, then turned his mount’s head toward the steep path that led down off the ridge into the valley.
“Isn’t this exciting, Little Brother?” Raidu crowed, a savage grin twisting his mouth. “Soon we’ll be real warriors, with the blood of dozens of humans on our blades!”
Raidan frowned, disturbed by his eldest son’s eagerness to kill.
“I’ll be glad when all of this is over,” Kaisik murmured in reply.
The prince had convened a final council in the great hall of Tono Castle. All of his war leaders, along with their senior staffs, were present, as well as the contingent of mages, led by a dour-faced old man whose name Raidan couldn’t remember. A generous meal had been laid out, and for the first hour or so, there had been no talk of the coming fight.
“Look after your brother, Prince Raidu,” Sadaiyo Sakehera spoke up. “I made the mistake of not looking after mine, much to my sorrow.”
Raidan’s eyes narrowed as he studied the Heir of Kerala. He heard no genuine sorrow in the younger Sakehera’s voice; rather, Raidan thought he could detect a subtle smugness in the other man’s tone. If Sen Sakehera noticed, he gave no sign.
When the servants had cleared away the last of the dishes, Raidan raised his hand to gain everyone’s attention. “Our scouts report the Soldarans are less than three days’ march south of the pass,” he began. “That should give us enough time to get our forces into position. Everyone here in this hall knows the gravity of our situation. If we fail to turn back the Soldarans here at Tono, they will charge north to take Sendai and there’d be no stopping them. It would mean the end of Alasiri as a free nation.”
Silence hung over the room like a shroud.
“Do we have a contingency plan, in case this one proves unsuccessful?” Odata asked.
The ever-practical mistress of understatement , Raidan thought.
“Fall back with whatever forces we have left and retreat to Sendai, where we’ll make a final stand,” he replied. He scrutinized the faces before him and saw a range of emotions-calm resignation, fierce determination, naked worry. He measured his next words very carefully.
“The king lies ill with the plague, as you all know. When I last saw him, he hovered very close to death. His daughter remains by his side.” Raidan paused to gauge the reaction of the assembly to the mention of Keizo’s hikui daughter. The group remained quiet and attentive, but he could feel a dangerous undercurrent tugging at the edges of his senses. He forged on. “None of us can ignore the possibility that my brother may die, and that I and both my sons may fall in the coming battle. If that happens, the elves will need to put aside their long-held prejudices and embrace the only Onjara who will be capable of leading them…my niece Jelena.”
Angry shouts erupted around the room.
Morio of Ayame stood, his face florid. “Your Highness, I don’t understand this sudden change in attitude! You can’t possibly expect us to elevate a hikui to the throne!” Morio’s eyes blazed with accusation, but he was too clever to let slip anything that would reveal his participation in Raidan’s previous conspiracy.
“My brother-in-law’s right!” Coronji of Tohru shouted. “My lord Prince, it doesn’t matter that she’s Keizo’s daughter. The elven people would never accept her!”
“You’re both fools. Jelena is a true Onjara!” Sen Sakehera retorted. “Would you rather our people have no one to lead them?”
“We can serve as a regents’ council for the prince’s next oldest child,” Morio shot back. “Why put a hikui bastard on the throne when we still have legitimate Onjara heirs?”
Sen Sakehera leapt from his chair. “The prince’s other children are babies! Why elevate a baby when we have the king’s own legitimized daughter, a grown woman, who is fit to be our queen?”
“Of course you would take her side, Sakehera!” Morio snarled. “After all, you allowed her into your family and now your bloodline is sullied…”
“ How dare you!” Sen’s face purpled with fury. Raidan had never seen him in such a state before.
Stung a little himself by Morio’s insults, the prince shouted, “Enough!”
Both men subsided, but by the look on his face, Raidan knew Sen had been deeply offended by Morio’s words.
“My lords, we can’t afford to let dissent divide us like this, not now,” the prince admonished. “It’s clear some of you have strong objections to the inclusion of my niece into the order of succession, but I am telling you all now…put aside your prejudices for the sake of Alasiri!” He paused, but no one spoke up. “It took a long time for me to accept Jelena as a part of my family, but I have,” he stated. “She has shown herself to be intelligent, brave, and worthy of our name. I need to know that all of Alasiri’s great lords will stand behind her if the worst happens.”
“I will stand behind her,” Sen declared.
“As will I,” Odata added, after a pause.
No one else spoke. The silence of the gathering gave clear testimony to the stubbornness of long-held bigotry. The prince understood the ugliness of the emotion all too well. He let his face settle into a mask of calm determination, and waited.
Finally, a voice broke the stillness.
“I, too, will stand behind the daughter of our king,” Kaita of Arrisae pledged. The youngest of Alasiri’s great lords, she had just come into her title upon the death of her mother, less than a year ago. Raidan nodded in acknowledgment.
Kaita’s declaration broke the barrier, and one by one, the other lords stood and offered their support, even Coronji, who had never before broken ranks with his brother-in-law, Morio. Only Morio remained in his seat, silent and stone-faced. When at last all had stood, every face turned toward the Lord of Ayame, who kept his eyes focused on Raidan.
The assembly held its collective breath, waiting for the explosion…
…which never came.
Morio’s eyes remained hard, but his expression softened a little. “I can’t pledge my support to the hikui, Highness, but neither will I openly oppose her. That is the best I can offer. I beg you not to ask any more of me.”
Raidan felt some of the tension in his body drain away. “I will accept that,” he replied, then addressed the entire assembly. “Make no mistake, my lords and ladies,” he intoned. “I have no plans to give up my life or my throne, should it come to me through my brother’s death. My niece has made it clear she has no desire to be queen, and will assume that burden only if forced to by necessity. But know this. I have the utmost faith in her ability to lead the elven people.”
Morio had one final shot. “I pray to the One she is never put to that test,” he said.
“Such grand words of support for my hikui cousin, Father,” Raidu commented. “If only you had the same confidence in me.”
The mildness of Raidan’s tone stood in sharp contrast to the irritation he felt. “I have always supported you, even when you’ve given me ample reason not to,” he replied.
After the war council, Raidan had retired to the chamber he shared with Raidu and Kaisik to prepare himself for bed. Both his sons had accompanied him, but while Kaisik seemed eager to seek his pallet, Raidu remained alert and restless.
“Morio was right, Father. The people won’t accept Jelena as queen, even if there’s no one else for the job. Besides, she’ll never get the chance. We’re going to win this fight and you’ll take your rightful place as king.” Raidu’s smile reminded his father of a young wolf’s toothy snarl.
“Our uncle’s not dead yet. Stop talking about him as if he were!” Kaisik snapped. He had already undressed and now lay on his pallet, a light blanket pulled up to his chin. He glared at his older brother, his brown eyes uncharacteristically stern.
“Easy, Little Brother,” Raidu soothed. “I meant no disrespect to our uncle.” He turned to look at Raidan. “I can’t sleep now, Father,” he announced. “I’m going out.” He strode to the door and departed before Raidan had a chance to object.
The elder prince sighed in annoyance. Raidu was a grown man, no longer bound by the strict rules governing his younger brother. He could come and go as he pleased.
No doubt he’s spotted a comely servant girl and has gone off to find her. A quick tryst in a corner somewhere and then he’ll return…
Raidan, still dressed in his dusty undertunic and breeches, removed his boots and lay down on the big bed. He doubted he would get much sleep this night.
The prince turned his head to stare at his younger son’s face. The boy’s eyes were closed, as if he had already fallen asleep. The prince thought about the stark differences between his two sons, and about what he believed their relationship to be like.
Raidu had always been protective of Kaisik, and yet, they seemed more like master and servant than brothers. Raidu commanded, Kaisik obeyed; most folk would agree that this was the proper way of things. Still, it pleased Raidan to see Kaisik speak up to scold his brother.
Raidan made the decision to work harder to encourage his younger son’s independence.
“Kaisik,” he called out softly.
The boy’s eyes popped open. He had not been asleep after all. “Yes, Father?”
“Tomorrow, I want you to ride out with the scouts to reconnoiter the pass,” the elder prince said.
“But, Father, Raidu is going up to the west ridgeline. He’ll want me to go with him.”
“I don’t care. It’s time you had some experience on your own. Raidu can do without you for one day. He’ll just have to fetch and carry his own gear, now won’t he?”
“Yes, Father,” Kaisik murmured, but Raidan couldn’t tell if he heard relief or worry in the boy’s voice.
A sudden noise broke the quiet. Someone pounded on the outer chamber door, shouting with great urgency. Kaisik sat up on his pallet, eyes wide with alarm. Raidan jumped up and reached the door in three quick strides. He jerked it open to reveal a man dressed in castle livery, standing at the threshold.
“My lord Prince, come quickly! There’s plague in the castle! My lady needs you now!” the man cried. His fear stung Raidan like a cloud of angry hornets.
The prince rushed to pull his boots back on. “Stay put!” he growled, jabbing his finger at Kaisik, then turning back to the servant he ordered, “Take me to your mistress!”
The servant led the way through a series of darkened back corridors into the part of the castle frequented only by the staff. Muttering about “the end times” and wringing his hands, he kept glancing over his shoulder as if to assure himself Raidan still followed.
The two men rushed through the castle’s cavernous kitchen, lit only by the crimson glow of banked fires, and came to a hallway lined with wooden doors, most of them thrown open to reveal plain, serviceable furniture. At the far end, a whispering, weeping clutch of castle folk clogged one of the doorways.
“Step aside!” cried Raidan’s guide. “Step aside for his Highness!” The servants melted against the walls, their heads bowed. The air thrummed with their fright. Raidan stepped into the room, and Odata greeted him with a curse and a question.
“Goddess’ tits! What are we going to do now?”
This is not good, not good at all,” muttered Sen Sakehera. He paced the length of Odata’s small study in quick, jerky strides. “You’re the physician, Raidan. Is there anything we can do to stop this from spreading?”
“Yes, but it’ll make defending Tono nearly impossible,” the prince replied. “We’d have to seal up the castle.”
In total, three castle dwellers had already fallen ill: a housemaid, a kitchen drudge, and the guardsman Raidan had been called out to examine.
“What if we isolate the sick and anyone who came in contact with them?” Odata suggested.
Raidan nodded, impressed with the lady’s grasp of the basic scientific principle of quarantine. “Yes, that would be ideal, but there’s no way to know how many people may have been exposed, since we still don’t know exactly how this disease is spread. It would mean losing most of your kitchen staff and at least half of the castle guard. No, it’s just not practical.”
“What if all the lords and their staffs move out and set up camp outside the walls,” Sen said. “That way, at least, we’ll lessen the risk to the most vital among us.”
“I agree,” Raidan replied. “The castle guard will stay inside, of course, as will most of your serving staff, Odata. The only persons allowed to go in and out will be us three.”
“Then let’s get started,” Sen said.
The evacuation of the castle proceeded without any problems. The large tent Raidan shared with Raidu and Kaisik became the new command center.
After he had settled in, the prince’s first order of business was to survey all the captains about any unusual sickness they may have observed among their units. Fortunately, none had anything out of the ordinary to report, but this did little to ease Raidan’s mind. The exact nature of the contagion remained a mystery; despite the many hours the prince had spent trying to unlock its secrets, he found himself no closer to understanding when and why the plague would strike. He had to assume the entire army stood at risk, even though, so far, no soldier had actually fallen ill.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, submerging the valley in muggy darkness, small groups of scouts assigned to the high ridges moved out of camp, winding their way across empty fields that should have been sown weeks ago. Even if the elves prevailed, hunger would stalk the land like a gaunt specter, for there would be no harvest come summer’s end.
In the royal pavilion, Raidan, Sen, young Kaisik, and Sen’s son Sadaiyo sat down to a cold dinner of roasted duck and apples. Several of the prince’s aides had also been invited, including Mai Nohe. The day had been long and hot, and all were weary, none more so than the prince himself. So many tasks remained to be done. One last war council had be convened and all the lords given their final orders; a fresh source of fodder for the army’s horses had to be found; there were dispatches to be written and sent back to Sendai-Raidan feared he would never sleep again.
“I’ve made my choice of who is to command the diversionary force at the pass,” the prince announced after everyone had filled their plates. He turned to look at Sen.
“It has to be you, old friend,” the prince said. “Only you have the necessary experience and instinct to pull this off convincingly. The Soldarans must believe the ruse and follow you into the valley. Otherwise, our entire plan will fail.”
Sen took a gulp of wine, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and glanced at his son. “We’ll make sure the Soldarans run straight into our trap like rabbits to the snare.”
Sadaiyo Sakehera’s eyes gleamed and a tiny smile curled his lips.
“Our scouts have started for the ridges, Highness,” Mai Nohe reported. “They should all be in position by midnight.”
If the Soldaran generals were canny, and Raidan had no doubt they were, he knew they had sent their own scouts to reconnoiter the ridges as well.
“For our plan to remain viable, the Soldaran scouts will have to be allowed to report back that there’s only a small garrison here to defend the valley,” Raidan said.
“Every one of our scouts is mage-trained in detection and memory alteration,” Sen responded. “All the humans will remember seeing is a whole lot of dark and a few torches on the castle walls.”
“Mai, I believe you have a report on the state of the provisions,” Raidan prompted as he refilled his wine goblet.
“Yes, Highness,” Mai Nohe replied. He wiped his hands on his breeches then pulled a scroll from the leather satchel at his feet. Unrolling the paper, he scanned it for a heartbeat, then cleared his throat and spoke. “We have enough grain, meat, and…”
“Father, a human scout’s been captured!”
Everyone turned to look at Raidu as he burst into the tent, flushed and out of breath.
At the same moment, a commotion erupted outside. Someone cried, “Make way for the lady!” and a female voice, calm and perfectly audible above the racket, commanded, “I am here to see Prince Raidan. Let me pass.”
Raidan found himself on his feet with no memory of having left his chair.
Goddess’ tits, what’s she doing here?
The tent flap lifted and the King’s Companion swept in, trailing an agitated clot of guards and fellow mages in her wake. “My lord Prince,” she murmured and sank into a deep bow.
“Lady Sonoe…I confess, I’m surprised to see you,” Raidan responded. “Why have you left my brother’s side?”
Something feels wrong here , Raidan thought. He took a step forward and offered a hand to assist the sorceress as she rose to her feet. As his fingers closed about hers, a wave of vertigo struck him. He staggered a little, then shook his head like a man ridding himself of the last vestiges of a dream.
“Is something wrong, Raidan?” Sen inquired.
“No, no. I’m fine,” Raidan replied. Perplexed by what he had just experienced but having no ready explanation, he dismissed it from his mind. He stared into Sonoe’s face, and saw written there the very thing he feared most to hear.
“My brother is dead,” he murmured.
Sonoe’s eyes shone like luminous disks of jade in her pale, heart-shaped face. Something flickered within their depths, a glow the prince had never seen before.
Her chin lifted before she spoke to confirm what Raidan had already stated. “Yes,” she whispered.
Even though he knew it might happen and he believed himself prepared, the reality of Keizo’s death still struck Raidan like an axe blow. For a few terrible moments, he couldn’t breathe.
“The One have mercy on us.” Sen murmured, then asked, “What of my daughter-in-law?”
Sonoe turned her unsettling gaze on the Lord of Kerala. “She is devastated,” the mage replied. “She has sunk into a despair so deep, I fear she may never emerge.”
Raidan’s lips twisted into a frown. “Jelena is strong. She knows what’s at stake. She will recover.” He framed his words as a statement, for to do otherwise would be to admit his uncertainty.
“Highness, I have ridden practically without pause to reach you. May I sit?” Sonoe asked.
“Yes, of course.” He gestured for one of the servants to bring a stool, and the sorceress sank onto it with a grateful sigh. Her fellow mages remained standing in the background, their faces masks of consternation and worry. Even the dour old man whom Raidan had presumed to be their leader remained on his feet, as if he had already ceded his authority to the Companion.
Sonoe’s next words confirmed her new office. “I’m here to take command of the mages, your Highness,” she stated. “I can’t help the king…I mean, I can’t help Keizo any longer, but as a First Mage of the Kan Onji, I’m the most powerful practitioner in Alasiri after your wife. The princess herself ordered me to come.”
“Father,” Raidu interrupted. He stood at the tent flap, holding it open with one hand. “The scouts have brought the human. They’re outside with him now.”
“Have him brought in,” Raidan ordered. “Sonoe, we must talk, but I need to question this human.”
Too much is happening at once , Raidan thought. He felt oddly unbalanced, as if some unseen force sucked at him, draining him of vitality.
“Yes, my lord Prince,” Sonoe answered, inclining her head in submission. Raidan stared for a few heartbeats at the Companion, trying to fathom why she seemed different , somehow, then ascribed it to grief and fatigue, both his own and hers. He turned his attention to the commotion at the pavilion entrance.
Two scouts pushed their way through the flap, dragging a struggling figure between them. They hauled their captive to the center of the room and shoved him hard, sending him sprawling to the mats. Both scouts bowed, then readied themselves to pounce should the human try to make an escape.
“Your Highness, we captured this human on the east ridge,” one of the scouts stated.
“Stand up,” Raidan ordered in Soldaran. The man, who’d been crouching on the floor, unmoving, looked up sharply. His thin, ugly face bore a look of such astonishment that Raidan had to laugh. “I said, stand up,” he repeated, “or is my Soldaran so bad that you do not understand?”
The man unfolded his lanky frame and stood, though his shoulders remained stooped, as if he expected a killing blow to fall at any moment. “I understan’ ye well enough, tink,” the man muttered. His brown eyes burned with sullen defiance. It was difficult to tell his age; humans did not weather the passage of time very well, but Raidan thought he might be just past his youth.
“I am a merciful man,” Raidan said. “Tell me what I need to know and I will spare your life.”
The human sniffed, then with cool deliberateness, spat on Raidan’s boot.
Everyone in the room froze.
Like a hound unleashed, Raidu sprang to attack. He felled the captive with a brutal punch to the man’s face, then began kicking him in the ribs. The prince’s guards, after a moment’s hesitation, joined in. The sound of their boots made a meaty, thudding accompaniment to the man’s screams. Raidan heard the unmistakable wet crunch of breaking bone.
“What are you doing!” Sen Sakehera shouted.
“ Stop this at once!” Raidanroared. The guards fell back immediately, but Raidu, face alight with savage glee, aimed a final kick at the human’s head. The man convulsed, then lay still, blood and vomit leaking from his nose and mouth. Raidu spat in his face, then backed off.
Raidan stared at the broken, bleeding human, too consumed with rage to speak. Everyone in the tent shrank back against the walls except Sen, Raidu and Sonoe. Sen clutched the sides of his head and uttered a string of curses. Raidu insolently held his ground while Sonoe crouched and carefully laid a hand on the human’s forehead. She remained thus for many heartbeats, a living statue, eyes closed.
The air in the room, saturated with violence and horror, shimmered on the verge of ignition.
“We…are not…barbarians,” Raidan finally managed to croak through jaws clenched so tight, they ached. “We do not kick prisoners to death!” He whirled around to glare at the guards, who all fell to their knees like wheat beneath the scythe, heads bowed. Out of the corner of his eye, Raidan saw Kaisik staring at his brother, whey-faced. The boy pressed a hand to his mouth, stumbled over to the wall then vomited against the canvas.
“Sorry, Father, but the cur had it coming,” Raidu drawled. “He dared to insult an elven prince.”
Raidan lowered his head and focused for a moment on his dusty, spittle-stained boots, reining in his anger so he could respond to his son without howling.
“I needed the information that man could have provided,” he said. “Something he knew may have spared the lives of many of our troops. Did you even… for an instant …consider that?” He looked into Raidu’s eyes, hoping to find the tiniest scrap of remorse, but he saw none. His son merely shrugged.
“Your Highness,” Sonoe spoke up softly. “I’ve scanned the dead man’s mind and retrieved some images. They might be of use.”
If a trained mage scanned a person’s mind immediately after death, the deceased’s last thoughts, impressions, and memories could sometimes be recovered.
Perhaps Sonoe has been able to salvage something useful out of this debacle , Raidan thought.
“I commend you on your quick thinking, my lady,” he replied, then snapped to the guards, “Get this body out of here!”
The guards scrambled to obey, dragging the dead human out of the tent, leaving a bloody trail in their wake.
“You,” Sen gestured to the two scouts, both of whom had jumped out of the way the moment Raidu had attacked. “Could you tell whether or not the Soldaran had a partner?”
The pair stepped forward, shaking their heads in unison. “No, my lord,” the older man answered. “He was alone. Neither of us sensed any others nearby.”
“Tell us what you learned,” Sen ordered, turning to Sonoe.
“He did have a partner, Highness,” she answered. “But I got no sense that they were together when your scouts discovered this man. The other one may very well still be up on the ridge, or he may have already returned to the main body of the Soldaran army. This man felt certain, though, that the Soldarans will have no difficulty retaking the valley.”
“Very good,” Sen commented.
“You see, Father?” Raidu interjected. “Questioning that creature would have been useless, so there’s really no harm done…”
“Be silent!” Raidan barked. He glared at his son. “At this moment, I can barely stand to look at you, much less listen to any opinions you might have.” Raidu’s lips twisted into a petulant bow and for an instant, Raidan thought his son might actually defy him, but the younger prince evidently thought better of it and held his tongue.
Before Raidan could speak again, Lady Odata strode into the pavilion. “I came as soon as I heard, your Highness. Where is the prisoner?” Odata wore a look of high expectation on her face but she stopped short in obvious confusion when she saw the grim expressions confronting her. “What is it? What has happened?” She looked first at Raidan, then at Sen.
“The prisoner is dead,” Sen replied.
“What? How?” Odata exclaimed in dismay.
“It doesn’t matter,” Raidan stated. “He didn’t know anything useful.” Odata glanced at the blood on the mats and her eyes narrowed, but she didn’t press the issue.
“I’m glad you’re here now, Odata. I need to speak with you.” Raidan took a deep breath and forced himself to sit. With that simple act, he banished enough tension in the room to allow everyone else to relax.
“Guardsmen and scouts, you are all dismissed,” the prince ordered. “Mages as well. Lady Sonoe, you and your second, please stay.” He waited until all the guards, the two scouts, and the rest of the mages had filed out before he spoke again. “Tell me about my brother.”
“He died in my arms,” Sonoe answered in a rough whisper. “In the end, he was at peace and in no pain. I saw to that myself.”
“Thank you,” Raidan tried to say, but a strange lassitude had begun to creep over him, turning his body into an unwieldy sack of stones and his mind into treacle. Sonoe’s eyes expanded before his sight, merging into a single, whirling jade pool. He felt it sucking him down, and he struggled to break free. Just as he thought he might be pulled in, he was released.
“Ai, Goddess!” he gasped. “What just happened?” He shook his head and pressed a palm to his brow.
“What do you mean, my lord? Is something wrong?” Sonoe murmured.
“Did you try to scan me just now?” Raidan regarded the sorceress with growing suspicion.
Sonoe’s face lost all color. “No, your, Highness!” she replied, bowing her head. “I would never presume to enter your mind without your permission. I apologize if my own grief somehow disturbed you. The king’s death has affected me very deeply.” Her beautiful mouth trembled.
A sharp pang of remorse stung Raidan’s already aching heart. “Of course. Of course it has. I know how you felt about my brother, Sonoe,” he said softly, “and your love and loyalty won’t go unrewarded.”
“I don’t want any reward, your Highness. All I want is to have my soulmate back, but that’s not possible.” She turned her face away, but not before the prince glimpsed the sparkle of tears on her cheeks.
“The other lords must be informed of the king’s death, Raidan,” Sen said in a low voice.
Raidan raised his hand and Mai Nohe materialized at his shoulder. “See to it that runners are sent to all the other lords. I want them here right away,” he ordered.
“Yes, my lord Prince,” Mai answered and strode out of the tent.
Sen crouched by Raidan’s stool and murmured, too softly for anyone else to hear, “Raidan, you are king of Alasiri now.”
Raidan sighed. Ever since the day when Keizo had ascended the throne and had named him Heir, the prince had prepared for this moment, but now that it had come, he felt nothing but sorrow and desolation.
This is not how I wanted to be made king!
“Yes, I realize that.” he replied aloud. “All too well.”
Raidan rose from his stool and looked around the room. Sen remained kneeling, and the prince saw that everyone else in the pavilion had knelt as well, including Raidu, who for once seemed beyond insolence.
“Please, all of you, get up,” he commanded wearily. “News of my brother’s death must not leave this tent.”
“But why, your Majesty?” Sen exclaimed as he hauled himself to his feet. “The other lords and the army have a right to know!”
“The army, as do the rest of the elven people, love Keizo with a fervor they have yet to feel for me. No, old friend,” Raidan held up a hand to silence Sen’s protest. “Please don’t patronize me. I’m far too sensible to delude myself on that account. The troops need their unconditional love for my brother. It’s what’s sustaining their courage. If they learn of his death, it will break their hearts and take away the edge we need to win this fight.”
Sen nodded in reluctant agreement. “Perhaps, you’re right, but I think you’re selling yourself short, Majesty.”
“Please, remember…all of you must still think of me as I was, not as who I will become if, when , we drive out the Soldarans,” Raidan admonished.
A heartbeat later, Mai Nohe returned. “My lord Prince, the other lords are on their way,” he announced.
“Good,” Raidan said. “All of you…pour yourselves more wine and get comfortable. We have a long night ahead of us.”
The rest of the lords agreed that Sen Sakehera, as Raidan’s most experienced commander, should lead the force that would first engage the enemy and hold them at the pass.
Sen rode out well before dawn, his son Sadaiyo beside him, at the head of a force just over eight hundred strong-large enough to be an effective barrier for a time, yet small enough to, hopefully, fool the Soldarans into believing they would have little trouble taking back the valley. With Sakehera in place, the plan would be set and the elves as ready as they could possibly be.
Raidan witnessed Sen’s departure from atop the battlements of Tono Castle, an agitated Odata at his side. From the heights, the army looked like a slim column of ants marching out across the valley floor. The valley itself lay empty as part of the deception. The bulk of the elven forces were in place, positioned among the rocky crags that ringed the valley like dragon’s teeth.
Behind the fortress-hidden by its sturdy walls-awaited the cream of Alasiri’s army. These units were composed of the toughest, most seasoned warriors, men and women who’d been battle-tested through years of border defense on the eastern and northern frontiers.
One hundred and fifty years of peace with the Soldarans had not meant any respite for Alasiri’s armed forces. In the east, they battled nomadic tribes from the windy steppes, whose warlords decorated their battle standards with the severed heads of their enemies. In the north, bearded, pale-haired warriors attacked by sea in dragon-prowed longships. Alasiri had always been a beleaguered nation, surrounded on all sides by humankind who coveted the elves’ fertile land and resources.
Raidan sighed and rubbed his aching eyes. He couldn’t remember when he had last slept. “How many more have fallen sick?”
Odata drummed her gloved fingers on the stone parapet. “Seven, at last count, all among the household staff. So far, our luck appears to be holding. No more guards have gotten sick, and I’ve heard no reports of anything unusual among the army.”
“It’s science, Odata, far more than luck, that’s prevented this plague from spreading,” Raidan commented.
The Lady of Tono sniffed. “Respectfully, my lord Prince, I believe in luck and the One who bestows it. You speak of science and how it has the power to explain everything, yet you still have no idea what causes this sickness.” She paused to wet her lips before continuing. “I believe the Goddess has sent this plague and this war to us as a sign. People have been turning away from Her, turning their backs on She who created us! The temples are empty, the priesthood is dwindling…There are some holy days where I and my family are the only ones attending worship in our village.”
Raidan regarded Odata thoughtfully, one eyebrow raised. “My lady, I had no idea you were so…pious.” He nearly said zealous but thought better of it.
Odata returned his look with a frown. “If the elven people hadn’t been so shamefully negligent in their duty to Her, then none of this would be happening.”
Raidan said nothing; instead, he pushed off from the wall and walked along the rampart toward the stairs. Odata stalked along beside him in silence. Guards stationed at regular intervals along the parapets saluted as he passed; they saluted their commander and prince, not their king, for Raidan’s orders had been obeyed and no one outside the small group who’d been present at Sonoe’s arrival knew of Keizo’s death.
Raidan felt a twinge of unease as he thought of his brother’s Companion. She seemed undeniably different somehow, yet changed in a way too subtle for him to articulate. He had initially ascribed it to grief, but now he was not so sure.
She had taken charge of the other mages competently enough, and they had all seemed content to let her, even the cranky old man who had been in command. She had even improved upon their magical strategy, and had volunteered to ride out with Sakehera’s force.
“I have a few showy tricks I can use…Nothing too lethal,” she had explained. “It will make them think our vaunted magical reputation is mostly myth, so when my mages hit them with the real thing, it will be that much more demoralizing. Also, I can direct the magical attacks much more efficiently if I’m on the battlefield.”
Sen Sakehera had agreed, and so Sonoe had taken two other mages and together, they had ridden out with the Lord of Kerala. For no reason he could explain, Raidan felt relieved to see her go.
“I expect Sakehera to engage the enemy shortly after sunrise,” he said to Odata. The Lady of Tono had turned out in full battle dress, a graceful willow tree motif decorating both breast and back plates. Raidan knew her to be a competent commander and a decent swordswoman, but he also knew it had been years since she had last swung a weapon in battle. He hoped she would do the sensible thing and stay behind Tono’s walls, letting her eldest son lead her troops onto the field when the fight came to the gates of the castle.
“I’m going to my private chapel to pray, Highness,” Odata said as the two of them descended into the inner yard. “You are welcome to join me, of course.”
Raidan shook his head. “Thank you, but no, my lady,” he replied.
“As you wish, my lord Prince.” Odata inclined her head and left him standing alone by the stairs.
Taya, how I wish you were here! The sudden ache of longing caught Raidan by surprise. We’ve been separated by duty before, but this time, it’s different. Yes, my life has been at risk, but never have the stakes been so high! If we fail here, I will probably never see you again, my love, for it will mean the end of everything.
The prince went in search of his sons.
He found both young men back at the royal pavilion. Kaisik assisted his older brother with the elaborately painted armor Raidu had commissioned just for this day.
“Father!” Raidu called out as Raidan entered. “Your Heir and your spare are ready. It’s killing time!” He pumped his fist in the air, face stretched in a savage grin.
“You would do well to shed some of that arrogance,” Raidan shot back. “This is no game, Raidu. If you don’t keep your wits about you, if your concentration flags for even an instant…”
“My concentration will be perfect, Father, and so will Kaisik’s” he said, looking down at his brother, who crouched on the floor, fighting with a stubborn strap at Raidu’s ankle.
“Kaisik!” Raidan snapped, then instantly regretted his irritable tone as his younger son flinched. “You don’t need to do that,” he said in a gentler voice. It had never bothered him before, but now he hated to see Kaisik in so servile a posture. “You’ve not yet armed yourself, Son. Call for a servant to help you get ready. I need to speak with your brother.”
“Yes, Father,” Kaisik answered as he scrambled to his feet. “Father, am I to ride out with you and Raidu today?” Raidan needed no Talent to sense his younger son’s mood.
The boy is afraid, and yet…
The prince saw determination in Kaisik’s sea-green eyes.
He wants to conquer his fear and acquit himself well today.
Raidan felt a newfound pride in the boy that he had not felt before. “I can’t risk both of you unless it’s absolutely necessary, so no, Kaisik, you will stay behind and help defend the castle from the ramparts,” he said, then added to lessen the sting, “Don’t think I haven’t noticed what a good shot you’ve become, Son.”
The boy looked down at his feet for a moment, then nodded. “You know what’s best, Father, but I would rather be with you and my brother,” he replied. Without another word, he brushed by them and left the tent.
“Why won’t you let Kaisik come with us? He’s got to prove himself sometime, you know.”
Raidan glared at his eldest son. “He’ll never be able to prove himself as long as you keep treating him like your manservant.”
“That’s not fair, Father,” Raidu shot back. “I’ve always looked out for him, always protected him…”
“Be quiet, Son,” Raidan commanded. “This is not the time for us to talk about your relationship with your brother. I need to discuss what will happen should I fall in battle today.”
Raidu swallowed hard and his body tensed.
That got his attention!
“If I die, you will be king. Do you realize what that means?” Raidan stared into his son’s eyes.
“Of course I do, and I’ll be ready, but you’re not going to die today, Father,” Raidu insisted, frowning. He had a way of tilting down one eyebrow that instantly transformed his face into a masculine version of Taya’s.
Again, Raidan felt longing for his wife, like a shard of glass, pierce his heart. “Denial won’t change things, Son. I may die today, and I won’t feel easy unless I know you understand what must be done if I do.” He held up his hand to forestall the protest forming on Raidu’s lips. “Just listen! If Sen Sakehera survives the initial battle, and I don’t, then he will be in complete charge of the army. You follow his directions without question. He will be Alasiri’s last hope to avoid total conquest.”
Raidan paused to gauge his son’s reaction. Raidu had grown somber, with not the slightest hint of insolence in his eyes. “If the worst should happen and Sakehera also falls, then you must take whatever forces we have left, abandon the valley and retreat to Sendai.”
“And what if we can’t hold Sendai, Father?”
“Then your first duty is to survive and to ensure the survival of the elves as a people. If that means,” he had to force his next words past tense lips, “surrender and submission, then so be it. The elves can’t liberate themselves if they’re all dead. Our people will need a living Onjara as well, to eventually lead them back to freedom.”
Raidu lifted his chin and clenched both fists. “I have no intention of ever surrendering to the humans, Father,” he said. “I would rather die, and so should every okui. We’ll slaughter as many of them as we can until they kill the last of us. Then, they can have the hikui dregs for their slaves!”
“Goddess’ tits!” Raidan shouted. Raidu flinched and stepped back. “Son,” the prince continued, struggling to keep himself in check. “The elves as a people must survive . That is the most important…no, the only thing that matters. Swear to me… swear , Raidu, that you will obey my orders should the battle not go our way!”
The younger prince’s gaze remained unwavering, but the slight drop of his shoulders told Raidan his son had yielded.
“Yes, Father. I swear.”
Raidan regarded his son, who stood before him brimming with such vitality and youthful arrogance, and his heart ached with sadness.
If only my children could be spared this calamity , he thought. He sighed and turned away. “When you’re ready, meet me at the castle gates,” he said over his shoulder as he left the tent.
The predawn darkness roiled with the sounds of an army readying itself for battle. Men and women shouted, horses neighed, armor clanked and harness jingled. The smells of wood smoke, dry grass, and horse manure permeated the air. High on the castle battlements, a bell rang the hour.
Raidan made his way through the controlled maelstrom, cursorily acknowledging the salutes of his troops. When he reached the outer gates, he found Odata and Morio waiting for him. The contingent of mages assigned to help with the frontal defense waited there as well.
The old man whom Sonoe had supplanted had charge of them. He stepped up to Raidan and sketched a bow. “My lord Prince, we will need an area up on the walls where we can view the entire battlefield so we might effectively aim our attacks. The captains up there won’t let us position ourselves in front. They say we will interfere with the archers!”
“Master…”
“Katram, my lord.”
“Master Katram, you and your fellow mages can position yourselves against the western tower. You should have a clear view of the valley and you’ll have the archers on the tower to cover you.”
“We require no additional protection, my lord Prince,” Katram sniffed. “But I suppose it does make more sense for us to be against the tower. Very well.” He gestured for the other mages to follow and the group headed toward the stairs leading up to the battlements.
“You never have put much faith in magic, have you, Highness?” Odata said as she watched the mages threading their way through the swirl of moving bodies filling the yard.
“Not true. I’ve always had the utmost faith in magic,” Raidan countered. “I’ve lived with Alasiri’s premier mage for over forty years, so I’m quite familiar with what magic can and can’t do. It will give us a much needed advantage, but it can’t save us in the end if we fail militarily.”
Morio shifted from foot to foot. Raidan glanced at the other man’s face and it looked as though the Lord of Ayame had something especially bitter in his mouth he had to chew.
“What’s troubling you, Morio?” Raidan asked.
Morio took a deep breath, much like a man does before diving into deep water. “I don’t like having to say this, especially now,” he replied. He looked through the gates at the frenzy of activity beyond.
Raidan felt a flash of annoyance. “Please say what you need to, my lord!” he growled.
“Very well.” Morio’s black eyes narrowed as he spoke. “It’s about Prince Raidu. I’ve had a chance to observe him closely these past weeks, and it pains me greatly to say this, but I must. If you should fall, then I don’t have much faith in his ability to lead. He is simply not ready!”
“If not my son, then who?” Raidan asked. A swell of anger rose within him, threatening to sweep away all his self control. “You’ve already made it clear you won’t support my niece Jelena. If not my son, or my brother’s daughter, then who? ”
Morio remained silent for a few heartbeats. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “It seems disaster hems us in on all sides.”
“Do the other lords lack faith in my son?”
Raidan saw his answer in Odata’s eyes. “Your great lords will obey your orders, my lord Prince,” she murmured.
“I need to attend to something,” Raidan said. “Stay here. I’ll return shortly.” He turned on his heel and stalked away. As he passed through the gates, he heard Odata calling after him, but he ignored her. He had no real errand. He just needed to walk.
Morio thinks disaster hems us in and my son is not fit to lead. The worst of it is he’s right!
Raidan’s bleak thoughts beat against the inside of his head like bats as he moved along the base of the wall toward the west tower. The area lay deserted; the companies camped here had already vacated it. The fading stars overhead presaged the approach of the new day.
Sakehera’s forces should already be in place and ready to engage the Soldarans.
The storm is almost upon us.
“Prince Raidan!”
The hail came from somewhere up ahead. Raidan halted in his tracks and peered into the darkness. He could just make out a figure trotting toward him.
A scout, perhaps?
He waited while the figure approached.
“My lord! I’m so glad I found you!” The voice sounded familiar; Raidan felt certain he had spoken to this man before.
“Have you something to report to me, scout?” he called out.
“Yes, my lord…something very important.” The man stopped a stone’s toss from the prince and bowed.
Raidan moved closer so he could see the man’s face. “Goddess!” he exclaimed. “You’re alive!”
“Yes, my lord. Very much so,” Ashinji Sakehera said.
Captain Sakehera! Where have you been all this time?” the prince demanded.
“That is too long a story for right now, your Highness.” Ashinji raked his hands through his tousled hair. “I’ve ridden from Sendai to find you.” From the look of the camp, Ashinji guessed the army stood ready to march.
I’ve gotten here with barely a moment to spare.
The prince’s armor clinked as he moved closer. “You came from Sendai? Then my niece must know…”
“Please, my lord, you must listen. I don’t have much time!”
Prince Raidan frowned. “I’m listening,” he said.
Ashinji took a moment to gather his wits and clear the fog of weariness from his mind. It struck him that Raidan might not know of his brother’s death. “Your Highness, the king is dead,” he said.
The prince nodded. “Yes, I know. Lady Sonoe has come to Tono to take charge of the mages, per my wife’s orders. She informed me of my brother’s passing.”
So that’s how she plans to complete the spell that will open the Void. She’s going to use the other mages to boost her power.
“Where is Sonoe now, your Highness?” Ashinji had already scanned the camp and had detected nothing unusual, but then, the entity controlling Sonoe’s body would shield itself well.
“She rode out with your father a short while ago. Lord Sakehera is to hold off the Soldarans for a time at the valley entrance, and Lady Sonoe offered to help with some diversionary magic. What’s all this about, Captain?” Ashinji could sense the prince’s growing impatience.
“My lord, your wife must have told you something about Jelena’s…about the magic she carried within her, and what the Kirians needed to do about it.” Ashinji spoke quickly now.
“Yes, she did.” Raidan paused, then asked, “What happened? Did the Kirians succeed?”
Ashinji tried to keep his voice from breaking, but he couldn’t. “No my lord. They failed…Jelena is dead.”
Raidan gasped and uttered a soft curse.
“One of their own betrayed them,” Ashinji continued. “Sonoe must have been in league with the enemy all along. At the crucial moment, when Jelena’s death released the magic within her, Sonoe opened a way for the enemy to escape its prison. She had a double betrayal planned. She tried to enslave the spirit by speaking its true name, but it was ready for her.”
Ashinji shuddered at the memory of Sonoe’s hideous demise. “She paid for her betrayal with her life. The thing that came here two days ago is not Sonoe! It only wears Sonoe’s flesh. The Kirians call it the Nameless One, but it’s the undead spirit of your ancestor, the sorcerer king Shiura Onjara. Somehow, Sonoe found out his true name. He… it is now in possession of the very thing the Kirians fought so hard to keep from it.”
The prince’s eyes focused inward, as if he were trying to fit pieces of a puzzle together and make sense of it in his mind. “My wife kept a great deal from me, I see,” he murmured. His gaze sharpened with his next words. “I sensed something had changed about Sonoe, but I couldn’t figure out what. At times, when we’re together, a very strange sensation comes over me and once, I accused her of trying to scan my mind without my permission.”
“The spirit’s goal is simple, Highness. It wants to conquer the material world and enslave every living thing,” Ashinji explained. “To accomplish this, it needs an army that can’t be defeated by ordinary means. It also requires the deaths of all living Onjaras. The spirit may have been attempting to weaken you, drain you magically, which is why you felt the way you did.”
“Yes, that could be,” Raidan replied thoughtfully. “But how does the ghost of my dead ancestor plan on raising an army?”
“The magic Jelena carried within her is a key of sorts. The Nameless One has it now, and with it, he can open a gate into another dimension, a place the Kirians call the Void. According to their ancient writings, it’s not a void at all, but rather a terrible place full of creatures so unlike anything in this world, there are no words to describe some of them. These creatures will be bent to his will by the power of the magic contained within the White Griffin.”
“The White Griffin never leaves the hand of the king, and my brother is still in Sendai,” Raidan interrupted. “Unless…”
“Yes, my lord. Sonoe has it, or rather, the Nameless One does,” Ashinji confirmed. “He stole it, and at the same time, he nearly killed my mother and the other Kirians. My lord, he has everything he needs to complete the spell and open the Void.”
High on the ramparts, horns blared-three short blasts followed by one sustained note. Their clarion chorus rolled across the valley and the gathered troops below. The army stood ready to move into position behind the castle.
Raidan ran a hand over his sable hair. “I hope you’re here with a plan to stop this,” he said quietly.
“I’ll need to get close to Sonoe,” Ashinji answered. “When I do…”
“Say no more,” the prince said, raising his hand. “Take a horse and ride to the pass. You’ll find her there, and Sakehera…” the prince called as Ashinji turned to go, “I’m saddened more than you know about Jelena. Her death must count for something. Stop this Nameless One. Stop him! ”
Ashinji nodded. “I will, Highness…I mean your Majesty.”
Open the spirit box and speak his name. That’s all I have to do. Somehow, I don’t think it will be quite that simple.
Determination warred with despair within him as Ashinji bent low over the neck of the galloping horse, hurtling through the predawn darkness toward a showdown he knew he dare not lose, but yet felt uncertain he could win.
Prince Raidan’s admonition still rang in his mind.
Stop this Nameless One. Stop him!
But what if I can’t?
The Kirians believed he could, else they never would have sent him.
What if they’re wrong?
He could feel the horse beginning to tire, but relentlessly, Ashinji drove it forward. He knew he drew close, for he could hear the sounds of battle ahead-steel ringing against steel, shouts of anger, cries of pain. A brilliant flash of blue illuminated the dark mouth of the pass, now squirming with movement that, from this distance, looked like termites swarming from a crack in the earth.
Before he left camp, Ashinji had armed himself with a bow, a quiver of arrows, and a sword, but he doubted if he would get close enough to the fray to need any conventional weapons. He had no armor to protect his body, and no plans to do any non-magical fighting, at least not now.
He felt certain Sonoe and any other mages she had with her would be well back of the line. He planned to dismount at a distance, then move forward on foot, sticking to what cover he found, and trust he could conceal himself magically from the Nameless One. He had been practicing; when first he had approached Tono Castle, he imagined himself enshrouded by the surrounding darkness. He had walked virtually undetected through the bustling camp, and dropped his concealment only when he had located Prince Raidan.
Avoiding detection by a trained mage would be far more difficult than hiding himself from soldiers and camp servants. He had the advantage of distraction on his side, though. Sonoe was preoccupied with harrying the Soldarans. He counted on her remaining so focused on the battle that she would not detect him until it was too late.
With each passing moment, the sky grew lighter. Soon, Ashinji realized, he would lose the cover of darkness. He reined in the flagging horse, and when the animal stumbled to a halt, he vaulted to the ground and darted in among a stand of alders. A small stream gurgled past the roots of the trees. The ground ahead opened out into fallow fields covered in broad-leafed weeds and wild grasses. A dirt path ran along a drainage ditch, leading arrow-straight toward the battle.
The horse meandered out into the field and bent its head to crop the grass. Ashinji, rather than imagining himself part of the darkness, sought to merge with the landscape, to become no more than a ripple kicked up in the grass by the breeze. With that image lodged in his mind, he left the shelter of the trees and set off.
Another flash of blue light alerted him to the mages’ position, back and to the right of the epicenter of the battle. He changed course and left the path, angling across the uneven earth. Crickets chirped in the coarse clumps of grass. A ground-nesting bird, flushed from its hiding place by some unseen predator, skittered off on a low trajectory, its wings making a whirring noise as it flew. The smell of soil, still moist from the spring rains, filled his nostrils with the rich, dark scent of fecundity.
Ashinji glided along like a wisp of morning mist, silent and invisible. From over his left shoulder, the first rays of the new sun stabbed heavenward, bathing the heights with gold. The light raced down and across the valley floor toward him, putting the night’s shadows to flight. Up ahead, he could see the battle.
He spotted the black boar on gold of his father’s banner, marking the place where Lord Sen stood, directing the action. He wondered if Sadaiyo was there as well, but then decided his brother most likely stood in the thick of things, claiming his share of kills. Sadaiyo might be vicious, sadistic, and manipulative, but cowardice had never been one of his faults.
The elves held their own, at least for now. They had the advantage here at the bottleneck of the pass, where Sen could use his smaller force to maximum effectiveness. The Soldarans found themselves blocked in and pinned down just inside the cut, while withering arrow fire from the elven archers raked their position.
Ashinji didn’t know the exact battle plan, but he could guess.
Father is fighting a holding action here, in order to delay the Soldarans for a time. This must be part of some sort of ambush. There’re troops on the ridges, waiting for Father to lure the Soldarans into the trap.
So far, things seemed to be going according to plan. Ashinji had no idea when Lord Sen would give the order to retreat, but he knew he had to get to Sonoe before that happened.
He reached down to touch the bag at his belt that held the spirit box. He found it hard to believe something so small could hold an entity as powerful as the Nameless One.
But it’s not truly nameless, is it? In truth, its…no, his name will be his undoing. All I have to do is speak it.
Ashinji slowed to a halt, then hunkered down to the ground, searching with both eyesight and magical sense for the creature that wore Sonoe’s flesh. He had no trouble finding her-she glowed like fire in the fresh daylight-and he was relieved to see that she stood well apart from his father’s entourage. He began to whisper; he didn’t know why, but it just felt like the right thing to do.
“Grass, wind, earth, grass, air, earth, air,…” Cautiously, he crept forward.
He paused a stone’s throw behind the former Kirian. She stood unmoving, arms relaxed by her sides. Ashinji could not see her face, but he heard her voice, murmuring in a singsong cadence. With his own chant still on his lips, he freed the spirit box from the pouch at his waist.
Abruptly, Sonoe’s arms jerked up and twin blue fireballs exploded from her fingertips, arching high overhead to fall, spinning and sparking, amid the seething mass of humans bunched at the mouth of the pass. As the fireballs detonated among the screaming Soldarans, the concussive force of the blast hit Ashinji like a fist, not so hard that it knocked him over, but strong enough to push the breath from his lungs.
Strong enough, also, to stop his incantation.
Sonoe turned and saw him.
Her eyes, once green but now blood red, narrowed.
“You!” she hissed.
Ashinji opened the spirit box and shouted, “Shiura Onjara, I command you to leave that body and come into this vessel!”
Nothing happened.
Ashinji’s heart sank as the creature laughed-a deep, throaty, sound. He looked despairingly at the spirit box in his hands.
What did I do wrong?
“Fool!” Sonoe rasped. “Did the Kirians think I would be caught so easily? Then they are even more stupid than I thought!” Before Ashinji could react, she rushed him with unnatural swiftness, and her fingers locked around his throat like a vise. “That they sent you is further proof of their weakness!”
Ashinji grabbed Sonoe’s wrists and attempted to break her grip, but he might as well have tried snapping iron bands. Her fingers squeezed; his senses shredded like clouds before a strong wind.
The spirit box tumbled to the ground.
Without warning, Sonoe released him and he fell back, choking and gasping. His knees buckled and the earth rushed up to slam him in the head. As he lay helpless, the sound of multiple battle horns brayed, signaling the retreat. A great roar-the noise of many voices raised in a shout of triumph-filled the air.
Get up! his mind screamed. Move! You can’t stay here!
Desperately, Ashinji scrambled to his feet, dizzy and nauseous.
Where is Sonoe?
He looked around, groaning from the pain in his neck as he turned his head.
Sonoe had gone, vanished like dew at sunrise. The elven forces were in full retreat, fleeing back toward the castle.
As he bent down to retrieve the spirit box, the Soldaran army came pouring from the mouth of the pass like flood waters over a broken dam.
Shit! I’m standing right in their path!
He turned and ran.
The ground beneath him shook from the impact of thousands of pounding feet.
This is madness! I can’t outrun an army!
He staggered to a halt and swung around to face the oncoming wave. A line of cavalry raced ahead of the infantry and within moments, they would be upon him. He drew his sword and raised it, two-handed, in preparation, then began to chant.
The cavalry line reached him…and parted like water around a boulder. The horses seemed to know he stood there and swerved to avoid him, but their riders appeared oblivious to his presence. Ashinji waited until the line had almost passed, picked his target, then swung.
The human toppled over his mount’s rump and hit the ground with a rattling crash. The horse careened off at an angle, away from the advancing line. Ashinji rushed the fallen man, prepared to strike again, but the human lay sprawled in the churned earth, unmoving. A quick scan told Ashinji the man had been knocked senseless. He lowered his sword.
Even in war, even on a human, I’ll not commit murder.
He looked around for the horse. Like all good war mounts, the animal had ceased running when it sensed its rider had fallen. It stood a spear’s throw away, tail swishing. Off to his left, the first Soldaran infantry units rushed past, ignoring him.
Sheathing his sword, Ashinji approached with caution. The horse, catching his unfamiliar scent, tossed its head and whinnied.
“Easy, now. Easy,” Ashinji murmured in Soldaran. He reached out and touched the horse’s simple mind, soothing it, reassuring it as to his benign intentions. The animal lowered its head, ears drooping. When he stepped up and took hold of its reins, then swung himself into the saddle, it offered no resistance.
Ashinji sat still for a few heartbeats, extending his magical sense outward in search of any clue as to which direction Sonoe had gone. He felt nothing. Logic told him she would have followed the Alasiri forces; after all, the creature that controlled her still needed to keep up its charade, at least until it deemed the time had come to execute its spell. He had no idea when that would be, so Ashinji knew he needed to find the former Kirian, and soon, before he lost all chance to stop her.
Since the creature now appeared immune to the compulsion exerted by speaking its true name, Ashinji would have to come up with some other way of capturing it.
But how , he thought. With no formal training, he had only his own inborn Talent and instincts to guide him.
I have to think of something…Goddess help me!
He drummed his heels against the horse’s flanks and set off at a gallop after the Soldarans.
Ashinji caught up with the lead Soldaran infantry units and galloped alongside, just out of arrow range. He did not know what the humans saw when they looked his way-a riderless cavalry horse, perhaps-but whatever they saw, none of them raised any alarm. They remained totally focused on the pursuit of Lord Sen and his troops. Ashinji tried not to think about the sheer vastness of the Soldaran force now invading the valley; he had to concentrate on finding and stopping the thing that had once been Sonoe.
The vanguard of the invading army would soon reach Tono Castle where Prince Raidan waited to spring his trap. Ashinji guessed Sonoe would make her move then.
As Sen’s force drew near, sharp blasts from horns atop the castle walls signaled that those within the fortress stood ready. Ashinji hauled back on the reins and his mount skidded to a stop. Twisting first one way, then the other, he scanned the landscape.
Damn it, where is she?
Sen had wheeled around to face the charging Soldarans.
Any moment now, the trap would be sprung.
The human foot soldiers whooped and brandished their weapons as they closed in. The cavalry couched their spears and bent low for the final charge.
From atop the highest battlement of the castle, a single, sustained horn blast sounded. A heartbeat later, massive fireballs, some blue, others white, rained down from the rocky ridgelines. They fell amongst the Soldarans and detonated with terrible force, flinging the bodies of men and horses high into the air. The humans’ cries of triumph morphed into screams of pain and terror.
At the same time, the elven forces hidden among the crags to either side of the castle poured down the slopes in a headlong plunge to the valley floor. The archers reached the flats first and they immediately launched a deadly hail of arrows into the flanks of the invaders. Ashinji narrowly missed getting skewered as he flung himself off the horse to the ground. Instinctively, he threw up a protective magical shield around him, just in time to deflect another rain of arrows. He could do nothing for the horse. It went down in a tangle of thrashing limbs, pierced by at least a half-dozen shafts.
I’ve no training for this! Ashinji thought as he realized he had no idea how to maintain the protective shield for longer than a heartbeat or two. Fear began to scratch at the back of his mind, but he pushed it aside.
No! I can’t let anything distract me!
The elven forces were almost upon him, and the Soldarans had re-organized and braced themselves to meet the new threat.
Lord Sen charged just as the massive gates of the castle swung open to allow the troops within to rush out. Simultaneously, the portion of the elven army hidden at the rear of the fortress streamed to the front on either side.
The Soldarans were surrounded.
Ashinji’s heart sank.
Goddess, we’re so badly outnumbered! How are we ever going to drive the Soldarans out?
Despite the fact that the elves’ plan had worked to perfection, Ashinji feared only a miracle could save them now.
“Out of the way, mage!” a voice screamed. Ashinji just had time to jump aside as a rider swept past him, and then the charging elven foot soldiers overtook him. He stood rooted in place as they surged by. Some of them cursed him for being in the way, others yelled at him to take cover. A second officer rode by and ordered him to blast the enemy with a fireball.
Goddess! They really do think I’m one of the mages!
The lines met and clashed with a great roar.
Ashinji fell back, uncertain what to do. His soldier’s instincts ordered him to join the fight, but just then, his magical sense caught a faint tingle, a whiff of what he had been searching for.
He looked toward the castle and knew she stood there, on the wall below the western tower. A heartbeat later, he felt a powerful stirring, like a vortex, drawing energy toward it from the surrounding aether.
Sonoe…Shiura…is opening the Void! I’m too late!
“Noooo!” he screamed.
A great tearing sound echoed against the walls of the castle, like the very fabric of the universe had ripped asunder. A crack like a lightning bolt appeared in the air above the struggling armies, except it was the absence of light, rather than the presence, that defined it. An unnatural wind swept down the valley, picking up strength with each passing moment. It lifted streamers of debris and sent them whirling into the slowly expanding gash of darkness.
At first, the men and women locked in battle below seemed not to notice, but as the violence of the wind increased, more and more of them stopped to cry out and point overhead. Weapons dropped and human and elven voices swelled together in a chorus of confusion and fear.
I’ve got to get up there now! Ashinji thought.
He stared at the castle wall in desperation and willed himself to the top.
A heartbeat later, he landed face-down with bruising force on paving stones. After a terrifying moment of confusion, he realized he had somehow reached the battlements. He tried to rise, but his limbs refused to obey.
Move, move, move! his mind screamed, and after what seemed like an eternity, he managed to shift his head to the side.
What he saw filled him with horror.
He lay against the wall opposite where Sonoe now stood, arms raised, before a howling maw of darkness. Her flaming tresses whipped about her face like a tattered banner as a river of dust swirled past her straining body into the vortex. A pile of bodies lay heaped at her feet-the corpses of Sonoe’s fellow mages.
Ashinji could see shapes moving just beyond the tear, milling about as if uncertain whether to hang back or charge through. The former Kirian spoke a Word of Power and the tear expanded. Soon, it would grow big enough for the creatures waiting on the other side to easily pass through.
Ashinji struggled to throw off the strange paralysis that gripped his body. He concentrated on moving a finger, then his hand, then both hands, until he managed to push himself into a sitting position with his back against the parapet.
A black fog of exhaustion threatened to extinguish his consciousness. He fumbled at his belt, searching for the spirit box, then remembered he had lost it. It had proven useless, anyway; he would have to think of something else.
Sonoe seemed unaware of his presence. Ashinji could see the White Griffin glowing pure as starlight on her left hand. Despite how the Nameless One planned to use it, the ring’s magic remained uncorrupted by the evil of its creator.
The magic is still pure , Ashinji thought.
The solution came to him in a sublime flash of understanding.
The fundamental natures of the two energies-the positive polarity of the White Griffin, the negative of the Void-would not allow them to exist in concert. If brought together, they would cancel each other out!
Ashinji staggered to his feet, gripping the cruel edge of the parapet with tingling fingers. The rush of air into the vortex had grown to near gale force. One by one, the wind was lifting the corpses of the slain mages and pinwheeling them into the violet-shot darkness. In a few more heartbeats, it would suck him in as well.
Sonoe spoke a second Word of Power and Ashinji cried out in pain as its force ripped through his body. Through the shimmering aftereffects, he rallied his last reserve of strength.
Jelena, I loved you even before I knew you were real, and I’ll love you forever, even beyond death. We’ll be together again soon, I promise!
With a whispered entreaty to the One, he released his grip and lunged.
He slammed into Sonoe and the force of his charge carried them both over the parapet into the mouth of the Void. A shriek like tearing metal assaulted his ears and then he was falling, falling, into the limitless dark.
Light exploded around him, blinding and glorious.
He felt his body disintegrating in the mighty conflagration.
His last thoughts, before oblivion claimed him, were of the most beautiful girl in the world, and of how lucky he was to have known her love.
“Ai, Goddess!” Taya hissed, clutching her head. Amara reeled as the first shockwave hit her mind.
“It seems as if your son has succeeded,” the princess said through gritted teeth.
The second shockwave hit and both mages moaned with pain.
“Ashi,” Amara whispered.
The sky lit up like the very sun itself had exploded. A geyser of light erupted from the dark tear overhead, cutting a swath of destruction through the milling mass of people below. Those in its direct path were reduced to ash in the blink of an eye. The lucky ones on the periphery escaped instant death, but many fell, the exposed parts of their bodies badly burned.
Before the gates of Tono Castle, the defenders watched, awestruck, as the cohesion of the Soldaran army fell apart. With its principal commanders dead and its ranks shattered, morale collapsed and those who could still run turned and fled. As the human forces streamed back down the valley toward the pass, the terrible wound in the sky dwindled to a thin, ragged black cut against the blue, then closed with an audible snap .
Raidan shook so hard, he could barely stay seated on his plunging stallion.
“What in the Goddess’ Name just happened!” Sen shouted, struggling with his own mount.
A miracle , Raidan thought.
The prince clung to his horse until the animal finally ceased rearing and stood still, its neck and flanks in a lather. He looked around for an aide, spotted Mai Nohe, and waved him over. “Start spreading the word to the captains. I want our forces to follow the humans, nip at their heels, see to it that they really do leave.”
“We should station at least five companies at the pass for the next few days,” Sen added, pulling his blowing horse up next to Raidan’s. “We wouldn’t want ’em sneaking back in while we weren’t looking.”
“Yes, my lords!” Nohe saluted and galloped off.
The prince and the Lord of Kerala sat their horses in silence for a time. Finally, Sen spoke.
“The One works in ways too mysterious for us mere mortals to understand. She has delivered us from a terrible fate, yet the price she exacts is so very steep.”
Just how steep you have yet to find out, my friend , Raidan thought. He had no idea how to break the news to Sen about his beloved younger son.
Should I even tell him at all?
Sen believed Ashinji had died over a year ago. His grief, while still a part of him, had become manageable.
Why tear open those wounds again?
Because, as a father, he has the right to know of his son’s sacrifice. I can’t keep that from him.
Raidan noticed the castle guards, along with some of the bolder serving staff, had ventured forth onto the field and now wandered among the dead.
Damn it! I gave strict orders that no civilian be allowed outside the castle walls! We still have the plague to deal with! His chest tightened with fury.
“Prince Raidan!” Raidan turned in the saddle to see a soldier running toward him. The man skidded to a halt, breathing hard, and pointed to the east. “My lord, you must come at once.” he cried, hopping from foot to foot.
“What is it, soldier?” Raidan called out, his anger forgotten.
“It’s Prince Raidu, my lord. He has fallen! You must come now.”
Raidan’s body turned to ice. “Where does my son lie?” he shouted.
“They’ve taken him to the base of the eastern tower, my lord.”
Raidan didn’t wait for the soldier to lead the way. Raked by his master’s spurs, the stallion sprang forward into a gallop. The prince bent low over the horse’s neck, his mind consumed with only one thought.
I must get to my son!
He found Raidu lying in the deep shade cast by the high castle wall, surrounded by a group of Meiji troopers. Someone had folded a cloak and had placed it beneath the younger prince’s head. Even before Raidan had dismounted, the soldiers had melted back and bowed their heads in deference.
“My lord Prince.” A woman stepped forward-a grizzled veteran and a sergeant by her insignia.
The prince recognized her. “How is my son, Sergeant Mata?” Raidan forced the words out through lips that had lost all feeling.
“We did everything we could, my lord, but none of us here are healers. I’m sorry, my lord.” The woman lowered her eyes.
Raidan removed his helmet and tossed it aside, then knelt beside his son’s body. For a time, he just looked.
My child…it’s as if I’m seeing you for the first time! Your eyes, so like your mother’s…your mouth, so like my own. I’ll never see you smile again. Those hands, so strong and clever…they’ll never clasp mine again…
Raidan made himself examine the wound that had taken his son’s life. Great skill, or incredible luck, had guided the point of a sword in below Raidu’s jaw, just above where the plates protecting his throat ended, lacerating the main vessel. His death had been swift.
“Bring my son to the castle yard,” Raidan ordered.
Four of the troopers sprang to obey. They gently gathered up the slack-limbed body in a makeshift sling and hoisted it between them. Raidan walked alongside, holding Raidu’s cool hand in his. Word of the younger prince’s death had already spread like wildfire, and by the time they reached the gates, a crowd had formed. Raidan indicated the troopers should lay Raidu’s body on the gravel.
“Let me through. I want to see my brother!”
The crowd parted to let Kaisik, who had stayed behind with the castle guard, through to his brother’s side. When the boy saw his brother lying on the ground, he broke down. Kneeling beside Raidu’s body, he covered his face and wept.
“Kaisik, my son,” Raidan murmured gently, laying his hand on the boy’s heaving shoulder. “Your brother gave his life to protect the elven people. He would not want his death to be your undoing.”
Kaisik looked up at his father with anguished, streaming eyes. “Yes, Father, I know,” the boy whispered. “I loved him. He always looked after me…I’ll miss him.”
Raidan wanted to fall to his knees, gather both his sons in his arms and give vent to his own grief, but he couldn’t.
Not in front of my army.
“Your Highness.” Sen appeared at Raidan’s elbow, then said in a low voice, “I’m so very sorry, Raidan. You know I understand.”
“Yes, my friend, you do.”
“Let us take Raidu to the chapel,” Sen urged. “Odata’s priest can see to his body.”
Raidan felt numb. He heard and saw everything around him, but it seemed as if he no longer inhabited his own skin; instead, he watched from a distance as his body moved and spoke. “Yes, yes. That would…yes,” he murmured, then without thinking, he added, “Sen, your own son…”
“Is safe, my lord. He took our Kerala contingent out to guard the pass.”
Raidan shook his head, realizing Sen had misunderstood, but before he could say anything further, a commotion at the gates drew his attention.
A scout had just arrived. She pushed through the crowd to reach him and bowed.
“Your Highness, the enemy has reached the pass and they show no signs of slowing down. The humans have fled the valley!”
A great cheer rose up, but died quickly as those assembled remembered the terrible tragedy that had befallen their prince.
“We’ve survived, against all odds.” Raidan raised his voice so all in the yard could hear. “Do not restrain your joy because of my loss. The Empire is beaten!”
For now.
So dark…cold…
Can’t move…
He tried to take a breath, but could draw no air into his lungs.
Where am I?
Surrounded, imprisoned, crushed by a great weight…
His eyes, nostrils, mouth, filled with…
Dirt!
I’m buried…alive!
I’m alive!
Struggling against the earth that held him captive, Ashinji clawed his way through soil and gravel, up toward where instinct told him he would find air, light, and life. When his scrabbling hands broke the surface, he heaved himself free, staggered to his feet, then clutched his belly and doubled over.
He spent an eternity choking up gobbets of dirty spit, and when at last he could breathe without coughing, he stood upright and looked around, eyes and nose streaming.
He had emerged from beneath the roots of a lightning-blasted tree that stood like a lonely sentinel atop a small hill. The moon sailed high overhead, a silver crescent amid a field of stars.
Where am I?
His head felt thick and fuzzy.
Off to his right, he saw a constellation of rosy, earthbound stars arrayed before a wall of deeper darkness.
Campfires…that’s an army out there, but which one?
Crickets sang among the shrubs bearding the hill. A nightjar swooped by overhead. Ashinji brushed dirt clods from his hair and dug a small pebble from his right ear. In his slightly befuddled state, he couldn’t decide what to do. He sank to the ground and rested his head on his knees.
I’ve got to think…
He had no explanation for how he had come to be entombed beneath a dead tree far from the walls of Tono Castle. The last clear memory he had before regaining consciousness was of going over the parapet, the creature that had been Sonoe struggling and shrieking like a mad harpy in his arms.
The world is still here…That means I did the right thing, but how did I survive?
He sat for a while longer until the fog in his head cleared.
I must be near the mouth of the pass. That camp is too small to be the Soldaran army. Besides, if they’d beaten us, why leave behind any troops out here? There’d be no reason for them to guard the pass. No, that camp must be ours.
Ashinji climbed to his feet, then took a mental inventory of his body. Aside from a few scratches on his face and neck, he seemed to be intact. No serious pain, all parts present and accounted for. He could not say the same for his clothes, however, which hung in tatters from his limbs.
He tried to conjure a magelight, but could only manage a spark, which flared on his palm for a heartbeat, then sputtered out. He reached into the well of energy that fueled his Talent, and to his dismay, found it flickering near total depletion. Pulling the shreds of his clothes around him as best he could, he started walking toward the camp. The moist ground felt good beneath his bare feet. A bark of laughter escaped his cracked lips.
What a fearsome sight I must be, all ragged and caked with dirt! No one will recognize me!
With brutal suddenness, the memory of the knife biting into Jelena’s breast flashed before his mind’s eye. He stumbled to a halt.
I’ve killed my wife and taken my child’s mother away from her! How can I live with that?
He groaned aloud and lifted his face to the coolly glittering stars. The pain simmering in his gut exploded into anger.
If I hadn’t been denied my birthright…if I’d been trained as a mage, maybe I could have found a way to defeat the Nameless One without having to kill Jelena, my one true love!
No. This is useless, raging about what might have been. What’s done is done. If we hadn’t gone through with it, then everything would have been lost, gone, devoured by the Void.
A streak of light flashed across the heavens.
A falling star…maybe it’s a sign.
Ashinji took a deep breath and let the anger drain from him.
Perhaps the Kirians will succeed in bringing Jelena back. Dare I hope for a miracle?
He started walking again.
He had gone about two dozen paces when he heard a whistle off to his right, followed closely by another to his left, then another straight ahead.
Elven sentries. Ashinji sighed with relief.
First thing…food. I need to eat. It’s been at least two days, I think. Then, some fresh clothes. Can’t very well go about naked, can I? Then…then I have to find Father…and Sadaiyo.
I wonder how Sadaiyo will react when he learns his despised little brother has returned from the dead?
How will I react when I see him?
How many times had he cursed Sadaiyo’s name the past year?
Too many to count.
Every time he had stood on the sands of the Great Arena in Darguinia, sword in hand, facing death yet again for the sport of humans.
Every time I got cut…every time I had to kill to survive…
Every time a human spat on me and called me ‘tink’.
Yet, to his surprise, despite how hard he tried to dredge up the bitter anger that had kept him going those long months, Ashinji found the fires he had just survived had burned his soul clean of hate. He would never feel anything close to affection for Sadaiyo-too much had happened between them-but he knew now he could, if not forgive, then at least choose not to seek revenge.
“Stand right there, you!” a voice commanded in Soldaran.
Ashinji froze in his tracks. In his emotionally and physically exhausted state, he had not sensed the other, out there in the dark.
“You should have run faster, human. Now, I will have your ugly round ear for trophy, yes?” The sarcastic tone cut like a lash, an old, familiar sting. Ashinji sighed. He had not wanted it to happen like this.
“Don’t shoot,” he replied in Siri-dar. His voice emerged from his throat as little more than a rusty whisper.
“Who are you and what are you doing out here so far from camp? I almost shot you, you fool!”
Ashinji remained silent, and waited. A figure emerged from the darkness and halted a stone’s throw away, leaning forward to scrutinize him.
“I said, who are you? Answer me, man!”
“Someone you never expected to see alive again, Sadaiyo.”
Ashinji’s brother recoiled in shock. “No! It can’t be you! You’re dead!”
Ashinji stepped closer so his brother’s eyes could verify the truth.
“What, no ‘welcome home, Little Brother, I missed you, I’m so glad you’re alive?’”
“I saw you die! How can you be here now?” Confusion, anger, and fear rolled off Sadaiyo in waves.
Warily, Ashinji eyed the bow in his brother’s hands. “I’m a lot tougher than you thought, Brother, and not so easy to kill. I’ve got the scars to prove it.”
Sadaiyo’s eyes narrowed. “Where’ve you been all this time, then? Why didn’t you come home sooner?”
“I couldn’t, and that’s all I feel like telling you right now. I’ve just been through something too complicated to explain and I’m worn out. All I want to do is see Father, eat a little and then sleep for a very long time.” He brushed past Sadaiyo and started toward the camp.
“Stop!” Sadaiyo growled.
Ashinji halted and turned to face his brother. He braced himself for what he knew was coming. “Sadaiyo…”
“I don’t know how you survived, nor do I care. What I do know is that I can’t allow you to return.” Sadaiyo’s hand tightened on the grip of his bow.
“I didn’t come back to expose you, if that’s what you’re afraid of,” Ashinji responded. “I couldn’t do that to our father. He needs you too much right now.”
“Liar!” Sadaiyo spat. “I’m sure you can hardly wait to tell Father about how I left you to die at the hands of the humans.”
“But that’s what you did do, Brother. I cried out to you for help and you chose to let the humans take me. You knew… ” Ashinji faltered. An entire lifetime of hurt threatened to drown him. The very thought of Sadaiyo witnessing his tears made him sick with anger, but the pain pushed too hard and strong.
With frightening swiftness, Sadaiyo raised his bow, drew, and fired. Ashinji sensed the attack coming and threw himself sideways, but exhaustion slowed his reflexes. The arrowhead grazed his neck, slicing a stinging furrow into his skin just above his collarbone. He turned and ran.
A second arrow whistled past his ear.
Can’t fight him now. Too tired. I have to find somewhere to hide!
He stumbled on the uneven ground but somehow managed to stay on his feet. His legs felt like lead weights and his lungs burned with each breath. Even though he did his best to run in silence, he knew Sadaiyo could track him with ease, even in the dark.
A rocky outcropping loomed ahead, like the weathered bones of a giant, mythical beast. He used the last of his failing strength to scramble into the sheltering rocks. Wedging himself into a crevice, he waited.
Becomethedarkbecometherockbecomethedark…
A tiny puff of breeze tickled the back of his neck. A single bead of sweat rolled down his forehead and along the bridge of his nose, then hung suspended for a heartbeat before dripping off his face. A furtive scrabbling sound from above, like tiny claws upon rock, made him look up over his shoulder, every sense strained to the breaking point.
Sadaiyo won’t stop until he’s killed me…If only I wasn’t so tired!
He had come so far, endured so much, that to die now, like this, seemed a very bitter fate, indeed. At least he could take some small comfort in knowing his father would eventually learn the truth. Amara would not rest until she had discovered the fate of her younger son, and when she did, Sadaiyo would finally be exposed. Ashinji wished with all his heart his parents could be spared that terrible pain.
Then fight! a voice in his head demanded, a voice that sounded very much like Jelena’s. Don’t let Sadaiyo murder you! Fight back with everything you’ve got!
I can’t. I have nothing left. I just want to lie down and sleep.
No! Wake up, Ashi! He’s coming!
His ears detected the barest whisper of sound-a faint scuff of leather on rock. Ashinji twisted out of his hiding place just as an arrow splintered on the stone where, a heartbeat before, his head had rested. Heart in his mouth, he peered into the darkness, up to where he could now feel Sadaiyo lurking, poised to shoot again. He swallowed hard and made a decision.
Summoning the last of his physical strength, he surged upward while at the same time, he consumed the dregs of his magic to weave a cloak of temporary invisibility. He pulled himself onto the narrow, flattened top of the outcrop just as Sadaiyo raised his bow into firing position. Confused, Sadaiyo hesitated for an instant, as if he could hear but not see his target. Ashinji slammed into him, and they went down hard. The bow flew from Sadaiyo’s hands and spun over the edge of the outcrop into the darkness.
Sadaiyo let out an incoherent roar, like a crazed beast. Savagely, he pummeled Ashinji with his fists, growling with each blow. It took everything Ashinji had just to protect his face and head. An especially brutal punch to the midsection nearly did him in.
“I hate you, you sniveling little piece of shit !” Sadaiyo spat each word like a stone from a slingshot. He stopped beating Ashinji, but kept him pinned to the rock. “Father loved me before you came slithering out from between our mother’s legs and stole him away from me! I’ll never forgive you for that!”
“Father never stopped loving you, Sadaiyo, but your own poisonous jealousy made him stop liking you!” Ashinji gasped.
“ Liar! Shut your… stinking…lying… hole!” Sadaiyo’s fingers tightened around Ashinji’s throat.
“Don’t do this to our family…Sadaiyo, please!…You know you’ll never get away with it…Mother is a mage , for Goddess’ sake. She’ll know…the instant she sees you!”
Ashinji had to keep Sadaiyo engaged or his brother’s rage would overwhelm him again and he knew he couldn’t hold out much longer.
This needs to end now!
“Brother, please! ” he wheezed.“Think about your wife and son! Their lives will be ruined if you do this!”
Sadaiyo’s fierce grip loosened a tiny bit, giving Ashinji the opening he needed. With a heave and a twist, he threw Sadaiyo off him and scrambled to his feet. Blinking sweat and blood from his eyes, he dropped into a fighting crouch, struggling to stay focused through the pain.
Sadaiyo stood very still now, arms dangling at his sides, a darker shape silhouetted against the night sky. A cloud of rage still enveloped him, and the feel of it made Ashinji shiver with dread.
“Brother. Please! Stop this now before you destroy everything you hold dear.”
“The dearest thing I had was Father’s love, and you destroyed that the day you were born,” Sadaiyo replied, his voice dripping with bitterness. “Oh, how he mourned your death! His dear, beloved Ashi! It made me sick to my stomach to watch. I did think, though, that in time, he would get over losing you and turn to me, love me again. He was just beginning to, Little Brother, and you are mad if you think I’ll allow you to come back and ruin things now!” With those final words, he charged.
Ashinji had no time for thought, only reaction guided by years of training and the instinct for survival. As Sadaiyo slammed into him, Ashinji grappled his brother’s shoulders and went down on his back, thrusting his knees into the other’s stomach. The momentum of Sadaiyo’s charge carried him up and over Ashinji’s prone body. Ashinji heard, rather than saw, his brother skid to the edge of the outcrop.
“ Noooo!” he screamed, and tried to grab any part of Sadaiyo he could, but he failed.
Sadaiyo fell without a sound.
Ashinji crawled to the edge of the outcrop then peered down. The night concealed the final evidence of his brother’s fate, but he did not need the confirmation of his eyes to know. He felt the moment of Sadaiyo’s passing as his brother’s raging soul fled his broken body.
Ashinji collapsed to the cool stone and let grief take him.
The moon and stars had begun to fade by the time Ashinji finally summoned enough strength to climb down from the outcrop. When he reached the ground, he did not search for Sadaiyo’s body. That would be asking too much of himself. Instead, he turned then headed back toward the encampment. He stumbled as he walked, and once, he stopped then sank to his knees, overcome with dizziness. He knew he had suffered serious injury and would need a doctor.
He did not think about the events just past-he couldn’t. The terrible pain behind his eyes made clear thought all but impossible. It took every bit of strength he had left just to focus on getting his legs to move.
“Stop right there!”
For the second time that night, a familiar voice challenged him, this time at his back.
“Don’t…shoot,” he whispered. He heard a hiss of surprise.
“It can’t be… Lord Ashinji? ”
Ashinji turned around to find his old friend Aneko staring at him, her face a pale blot in the darkness.
“Ai, Goddess!” She approached to within touching distance, raised her hand as if to caress his face, then let it fall. “Lord Ashinji…it really is you,” she whispered, then gasped in dismay. “My lord, your clothes…you’ve been hurt! I’ll go fetch Lord Sen!”
Before she could go, Ashinji grabbed her forearm. “No, Aneko,” he said. A torn lower lip and aching jaw made speech slow and difficult. “I don’t want to cause a commotion. Better if you bring me a cloak or something I can cover myself with. I’d rather just slip into camp quietly.”
“Of course, my lord, but…” Ashinji sensed her confusion and fear for him, but Aneko had always been one of the steadiest of the Kerala guards. “You wait right here, my lord. I won’t be but a moment.”
True to her word, Aneko returned quickly, a voluminous length of cloth in her arms. “Couldn’t find a cloak, my lord,” she explained. “A horse blanket will have to do.”
Ashinji chuckled, despite the pain. “A beggar can’t be too picky, can he?” he replied. He tossed the blanket over his shoulders, pulled a fold over his head, then indicated with a nod that Aneko should lead on. Anonymous in his makeshift cloak, he followed the guardswoman through the camp.
A few early risers made note of his passing, but most of the camp still lay wrapped in sleep. Aneko’s powerful emotions trailed her like smoke on the dawn air-elation, concern, and curiosity in equal measure. He knew she wanted very much to question him, but her discipline and deference kept her curiosity at bay. They walked in silence until Aneko halted before a tent distinguished from the ones surrounding it only by its larger size. The flap had been pinned back to allow in any stray breezes. Muted conversation, mingled with the sound of a man’s laughter, soft and relaxed, drifted out, followed by a snippet of song. Ashinji’s breath caught in his throat.
Aneko stood aside, waiting for him to enter the tent ahead of her. Ashinji hesitated. “Aneko,” he murmured. “Go in to my father and tell him someone is here to see him.”
“Yes, my lord,” Aneko replied then ducked into the tent.
The voices stopped as soon as the guardswoman entered. She delivered her message and Ashinji listened for the reply.
“Who is it?”
“You need to see for yourself, my lord.”
Ashinji stepped through the entrance, letting the blanket slip from his shoulders as he did so, then moved forward into the light.
Sen lounged in a camp chair, a wooden tankard in his hand. Misune sat beside him on a stool, her brother Ibeji sprawled on a cushion at her feet. Sen looked up to greet his visitor and his words froze on his lips.
The tankard slipped from his fingers.
Misune leapt from her stool with a startled shriek. Ibeji bolted up, staring.
Like a man moving through a dream, Ashinji’s father drifted to his feet, his face white.
“Father,” Ashinji whispered.
Sen lurched forward then swept Ashinji into his arms.
“My son!” he sobbed. “My son is alive!”
A memory from childhood pushed its way to the fore of Ashinji’s consciousness just then. He had been very young, a baby really, playing by himself, when he had fallen into a deep hole. He found out much later that it was an old, forgotten well. He had crouched in the dark, bruised and crying, too young to fear death but old enough to fear he would never see his mother and father again.
After what seemed like forever to his child’s mind, Sen came to rescue him. Ashinji remembered how his father lifted him into his strong arms then held him close, how he had felt completely safe and how quickly his fear had evaporated in the heat of his father’s love.
It feels like that now.
“How is this possible?” Sen whispered. He held Ashinji at arm’s length, shaking his head. Tears spilled from his eyes and dripped off his chin. “ Ashi …Ashi, my child! Where have you been ?” Ashinji tried to speak but his own tears trapped the words in his throat.
“Never mind, Son.” Sen pulled him close again. “I can see you’ve been through a terrible ordeal. There’ll be time to hear all about it after you’ve gotten some rest.”
Ashinji nodded against his father’s shoulder. He could feel his body letting go and his mind slipping away. “I just need to sleep a little, that’s all,” he murmured.
“Here…come over here, Son. Lie down on my cot.”
Ashinji allowed his father to steer him to a folding bed behind a curtain. He sank down with a grateful sigh and closed his eyes. He heard his father ask Ibeji to go fetch the doctor.
Father, your Heir is dead. I killed him, but I had no choice. I’m so sorry.
“I can’t understand you, Son, you’re mumbling. Don’t try to talk. Just sleep, now.”
Please forgive me, Father!
“I love you, Son.”
When Ashinji awoke, he turned his head to see his father slumped in a camp chair at his bedside, dozing. He pushed himself onto his elbows, then collapsed back, grinding his teeth against the pounding agony behind his eyes. That pain, along with an assortment of other aches, served as a potent reminder of the ordeal he had survived.
Sen stirred, then jerked awake with a snort. He rubbed his eyes then focused on Ashinji’s face. “Son, you’re awake. How’re you feeling?” Sen’s voice was soft and gentle.
“Like a wagon rolled over my head,” Ashinji groaned. He ran his tongue around the inside of his mouth. “Ugh! My mouth tastes awful!”
“That’s probably the medicine the doctor’s been forcing down your throat these last two days.” Sen paused for such a long time, Ashinji looked up with concern. He could see his father struggling with himself about something.
“Father, what’s wrong?”
“Ashi, I…no…it’s too soon. You need to rest. We can talk about things later.”
“You know about Sadaiyo,” Ashinji murmured. The memory of his last, terrible encounter with his brother atop the rocky outcrop flooded his mind. For a few heartbeats, he could not move or speak.
“I know my eldest son is dead, but I don’t know how he died,” Sen replied. “I also know my youngest son whom I’d given up for dead, my favorite child whose loss I thought I’d never get over, is, by some miracle, alive. Ashi, I don’t understand any of this. I need to know what happened, but I can wait until you’re stronger.”
“Father, I…”
“No, Son. Not now. I’ll send for the doctor. He’ll bring you something to ease the pain in your head. Then, you can sleep awhile longer. After that…if you’re ready, we’ll talk.”
Ashinji did not argue. His head hurt too much. Instead, he closed his eyes and let his mind drift. He managed to rouse himself enough to swallow the draught the doctor brought, but then he let go again, and slept.
Maaamaaa!
Who calls to me with my baby’s voice? Are there spirits here on the other side that can do that?
Maaamaaa!
Who are you? Why do you torment me so, calling to me that way! I can’t be with my baby, not here, not in this place. Stop, please!
Jelena…listen now and follow my voice…Come to me.
I know you, too! But you can’t be here, either. Please, please stop torturing me! Leave me alone to rest in peace…Isn’t that what the dead are supposed to do?
You are not dead, Jelena. Not any more. It is time to return to the living world. Follow my voice and I will guide you back.
Why should I listen to you? It’s peaceful here…quiet…no pain…I like it here.
Your daughter is calling you. Can’t you hear her? She needs her mother.
My baby…is that truly her?
Maaamaa!
Yes, Jelena. She is waiting for you. Now, come.
All right…yes, I’ll come. For my baby…Hattie! Mama’s coming!
Jelena opened her eyes.
Ashinji opened his eyes. He still lay on his father’s cot, sweating beneath a pile of blankets. He freed himself from the stifling weight then sighed with relief. While he had been asleep, the remnants of his clothes had been removed, and the worst of the dirt sponged off him. The pain in his head had subsided. Cautiously, he sat up then swung his legs to the floor.
The golden light of late afternoon filtered in through the canvas walls of the tent. How long he had been asleep this time, Ashinji could only guess, but by his urgent need to relieve himself, he figured at least an entire day. He reached under the cot, groping for a chamber pot. A few heartbeats later the curtain separating the sleeping area from the rest of Lord Sen’s tent rustled and a manservant peeked around the edge.
Sen’s valet Kamiro smiled. “Lord Ashinji, I thought I heard you moving around. Are you hungry? I’ve got a little cold soup, if you’re up to it.”
Ashinji pressed a hand to his rumbling midsection. “Soup sounds good,” he said with a small grin, though it hurt his injured lip to do so. “It’s good to see you, Kamiro. Is my father around?”
“It’s good to see you, as well, my lord. Lord Sen has just left to, er, answer nature’s call, which is what it looks like you need to do. I’ll go fetch the soup.”
The valet left Ashinji to his privacy and when he returned, Sen followed hard on his heels.
“By the One, it’s good to see you looking better, Son,” Sen exclaimed. “I do believe there’s some color back in your cheeks.” He took the soup bowl out of the valet’s hands. “Thank you, Kamiro. I’ll take over now.”
“Very good, my lord.” Kamiro bowed then exited. Sen handed the bowl to Ashinji, then pulled up a stool beside the cot and sat.
“Have you left my side at all these past days, Father?” Ashinji asked.
Sen shrugged. “Only to take a piss now and then.” He laid a hand on Ashinji’s shoulder then squeezed. “Our people are overjoyed, Son, that you’ve been returned to us. I think most of the Kerala levies are camped outside this tent, waiting for you to come out.”
Ashinji raised the bowl to his mouth then drank, wincing a little as the salty broth stung his injured lip. Sen remained silent while his son ate.
After he had sipped the last drops from the bowl and set it aside, Ashinji dared to look into his father’s eyes. He saw the unconditional love and acceptance for him that had always been there, but he also saw his father’s sadness and bewilderment.
“Do our people know about Sadaiyo?”
“Yes, Son, they do.” The pain Ashinji heard in his father’s voice stung his heart. He knew telling his father the whole story would be one of the hardest things he would ever have to do.
The words came haltingly at first, but once started, they flowed more easily. He left nothing out, and after he had finished, he lowered his head and wept. Sen embraced and rocked him, just as he had done when Ashinji had been a boy, soothing his childish hurts as only a father could.
Except that these hurts will never fade completely.
After a while, Sen spoke. “That you survived to return to me is truly a miracle for which I can never offer up enough thanks,” he murmured. “I don’t deserve the Goddess’ blessings, not after what I’ve done.”
Ashinji pulled away from his father in surprise. “What do you mean, Father? You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Yes, Ashi, I have,” Sen insisted. “I refused to admit my behavior toward your brother was unfair, that it caused him great pain, and in turn, I refused to see how he punished you for my transgressions. I tried to love Sadaiyo as I loved you, Ashi, but…Goddess help me, I just couldn’t! I knew from the moment I first held you in my arms that we would share a special bond, you and I. I could never explain it-still can’t-but it’s there, and it’s stronger than ever.”
“I said this to Mother and I’ll say it again to you, Father. You and she mustn’t blame yourselves for what Sadaiyo did to me,” Ashinji replied.
Sen sighed, blinking back tears. “I just hope your brother has found some peace at last.”
“Father, what happened during the battle in front of Tono Castle? How did we manage to defeat the Soldarans? We were so badly outnumbered.”
Sen shook his head. “It’s hard to believe it, even now…’twas like nothing any of us had ever seen, Son. A miracle, many are saying.”
“A miracle? What do you mean?”
“Well, what would you call a pillar of fire pouring down from the sky? It blasted away half their army in the blink of an eye! Turned ’em to ash, just like that! Hurt a lot of our own people as well, so every miracle has its price, I s’pose. The Goddess has to dole out a little hurt for so much good fortune.”
So that’s what it looked like , Ashinji thought. He gripped the edge of the cot and stared into Sen’s face. “Father, there’s a lot more I have to tell you.”
Sen’s eyes widened. “About what, Son?”
“About that miracle. About what really happened. A lot of it has to do with Jelena.”
“Jelena?”
“Father, Jelena is dead, and I killed her.”
Ashinji felt no surprise to learn that his father already knew most of the major details of the Kirians’ plan. Sen and Amara had always told each other everything.
“Your mother swore me to secrecy. I had to lie to Keizo, my friend and my king. Goddess’ tits, but that was hard. She promised me the Kirians had everything in hand, that the plan would succeed…She left out the part about having to kill Jelena, though.” Sen scowled, and seeing his father’s anger, Ashinji laid a hand on his forearm.
“Please don’t be angry with Mother. She hoped with all her heart the Kirians could find a way to accomplish their task without…without killing Jelena, but in the end, they could not.”
“I wish they’d left you out of it, Son. You shouldn’t have had to do what they asked of you. It wasn’t fair.”
“They had no one else. If I hadn’t agreed, then none of us would have survived.”
Father and son gazed at each other without speaking for a few heartbeats. Ashinji broke the silence first.
“Father, you knew about my Talent, didn’t you?”
Sen looked away. “I’m sorry, Ashi,” he murmured. “Your mother knew, even before you were born, how strong your Talent was. She and I both agreed…we felt it would be easier on you if she blocked your magic. That way, it wouldn’t be so hard for you to accept what our tradition decreed for you, that as a second-born child of my House, your life was pledged to the king’s service.”
Ashinji remembered how much anger he had felt toward his mother when she had admitted what she had done.
There’s no anger left in me for any of this now. I’ve lost too much to waste time being angry.
“I always knew a soldier’s life wasn’t what you wanted, Son,” Sen continued, “but you never complained. You did what was expected of you, and now…” Sen cradled Ashinji’s bruised face between his hands. “You are my Heir now, Ashi,” he whispered.
Ashinji lowered his head, unable to look his father in the eyes. “No matter how I felt about my brother, I never wanted him dead.”
“I know,” Sen replied. He let his hands slip down to Ashinji’s shoulders, gave them a squeeze, then dabbed his leaking eyes on his sleeve. His melancholy expression brightened a little.
“Now that you’ve recovered enough to travel, I’m ordering this division back to Tono Castle today. We should be on the road to Sendai within the week. I’ll send in Kamiro with some clothes for you.” Sen rose to his feet, pushed aside the curtain and left.
Ashinji lay back on the bed and closed his eyes. A hodgepodge of aches plagued his body, but nothing so severe that it would prevent him from walking, or even riding when he had to.
After assuring himself his body could function, albeit in a diminished capacity, he turned his mind to the task of assessing the state of his Talent. The energy fueling his magic had begun to replenish itself, but it had yet to reach full strength; even so, he decided to reach out with his mind to try to search for the familiar thread of energy that had bound him and Jelena together.
He sensed nothing.
Maybe I’m still too weak , he thought. He couldn’t bring himself to admit the other possibility.
Kamiro bustled in, bringing a fresh set of clothes. “May I assist you, my lord?” the valet offered.
Ashinji opened his eyes. “No thank you, Kamiro. I think I can manage,” he replied. The valet bowed, placed the clothing on the cot, bowed again, then departed.
Dressing himself proved to be a little more difficult and painful than Ashinji had anticipated. A mass of bruises covered his torso where Sadaiyo had pummeled him, and it hurt to raise his arms. After pulling on a pair of sandals then raking his fingers through his disheveled hair, he stepped out of the tent into the late afternoon sunshine.
A ragged chorus of cheers greeted him, causing him to start in surprise. A large group of Kerala soldiers stood before the tent, just as Sen had said.
Aneko stood at the forefront. “On behalf of all of the Kerala troops, I want to welcome you back, my lord,” she said, grinning.
Ashinji scanned the faces before him, seeing a new, deeper level of devotion in each one. Until this moment, he had given no thought to the full measure of profound change Sadaiyo’s death had wrought upon his life and future. He had no choice but to face it now.
It’s true. I really am the future Lord of Kerala.
Aneko stepped forward. “I’m very sorry for your loss, my lord. We all are,” she said, then added in a low voice, “For the first time, though, I feel confident about Kerala’s future. I apologize if my words offend you, my lord, but it’s true and I know all my comrades feel the same.” She glanced over her shoulder at the assembled troops.
“In the face of such love and loyalty, I can feel nothing but pride and love in return,” Ashinji replied. “I only pray I’ll remain worthy of your devotion.” He raised his voice so the entire group could hear. “Thank you all.”
“Let’s hear it for our young lord!” Aneko shouted.
The soldiers’ cheers flew into the cloudless sky like bright arrows.
“My lord Prince, General Sakehera has returned.”
Raidan raised his head from his clasped hands. “Thank you,” he murmured to the messenger. “I will go down and meet him.”
In truth, it’ll be good to get a little fresh air , he thought. Priests and their incense! Why’d he have to burn so much, anyway? My throat is raw!
The new king had spent the last few nights in the castle’s chapel, keeping vigil beside his son’s body. The chapel attendants had washed the dead prince then redressed him in his armor, and now the body lay on a bier before the altar. Stiffly, Raidan rose from his knees, massaging the ache in his lower back. He looked around and spotted Kaisik, asleep on a bench by the east wall. Wincing with pain, he made his way over to the bench then stood a moment, looking down at the boy.
Kaisik has always been the most fragile of my children, the one who feels everything most keenly. This burden he must now take on was never meant for one such as him.
“Kaisik,” Raidan murmured, reaching down with a gentle hand to shake the boy’s shoulder.
“Mmmm.”
“Wake up, Son. It’s morning.”
Kaisik’s eyes fluttered open, blank at first, then clouding with grief as memory returned. He levered himself up into a sitting position, his gaze settling on Raidu’s body. “I keep praying for it all to be a bad dream,” he whispered.
“If only that were so. Come.” Raidan gestured for Kaisik to follow him. The messenger waited, fidgeting, by the chapel door. Raidan raised his eyebrow.
“My lord Prince, you won’t believe this news!” the man said in a rush. “General Sakehera’s son, the one everyone thought was dead? Well, seems he’s very much alive! He’s with the general now, my lord!”
So. Young Sakehera has not only succeeded in his seemingly impossible task, but he’s somehow managed to survive as well. A miracle upon a miracle.
Raidan nodded his head in silent respect. He looked up at the sky and saw that much of the morning had already passed. He had lost all sense of the flow of time while kneeling by Raidu’s body in the smoky dimness of the chapel, aware only of the bitter truth of his eldest son’s death.
With the messenger leading the way, Raidan left the chapel then walked down the gravel path to the main gate of the castle, Kaisik trailing after him like a mournful ghost. He spotted Sen standing amidst a group of his Kerala troops. Of Sen’s eldest son, he saw no sign, but Ashinji stood beside him, his face cut and bruised as if he had been in a vicious fight. A shrouded body on a stretcher lay on the gravel between them.
“The elven people owe you a debt of gratitude too great to repay, Captain Sakehera,” Raidan said as he approached.
Ashinji’s gaze dropped to the body, then back up to meet Raidan’s. “I only did what I had to do, Highness,” the younger man replied.
Raidan shook his head. “You are far too modest, young man. You forget that I know a little about what you faced.” He turned to Sen. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that I’d seen your son alive, my friend. I tried, but then the sorrow over my own son’s fate overcame me and I couldn’t speak.”
“It seems we must both endure the same agony this day,” Sen replied. He bent over the shrouded body then pulled back a fold of the cloth to reveal the face of his eldest son.
“Ai, Sen!” Raidan exclaimed in dismay. “But how…I saw your Heir alive and well after the battle!”
“An accident, old friend. A terrible, senseless accident took the life of my son.” Sen had never feared to show his emotions, and he made no effort to hide his tears now.
“Your son shall lie beside mine in the chapel until we are ready to depart. When we return to Sendai, the death rites shall be performed for both of them in the Royal Chapel.”
“I am honored, Majesty.” Sen bowed his head into one hand and rested the other on Ashinji’s shoulder.
“I am sorry for your loss, Majesty,” Ashinji said. Raidan inclined his head in thanks, and, looking into the younger man’s eyes, he saw the terrible truth, and felt no surprise.
Perhaps, in a general sense, Sadaiyo Sakehera’s death was an accident. I saw this coming a year ago, back when Sen first returned to Sendai with his sons to begin work on the planning of Alasiri’s defense.
Such poisonous jealousy between two brothers could only have ended in tragedy.
Raidan looked at his own son, standing bleak and hollow-eyed beside him, and realized that even though he had misunderstood the bond between Kaisik and his brother, the two of them had understood it perfectly well, and had cherished it.
For that I will always be grateful.
Raidan reached out to lay a hand on Sen’s shoulder. “Come to the great hall, my friend, and together, we will drink to the memories of our sons.”
Jelena opened her eyes, then squeezed them shut again.
“Where am I?” she whispered.
Why does everything seem so bright? “Am I dead?”
No, Jelena. You are most definitely not dead. You are home, child, and you are safe.
“Oh.” She tried to move, then realized her mistake. “Uhhhhh!”
Keep still, Jelena. You are badly injured. You must lie still.
“What happened…Hatora! Where is she?”
Shhhhh, child. Don’t fret.
“Where…where…is Ashi?”
Sleep now, Jelena.
“Jelena, can you hear me?”
“Mmmmm.”
“Jelena, it’s me. Time to wake up, love.”
“Ashi?”
“Yes, love. Wake up, now.”
Jelena opened her eyes. Ashinji looked down at her, smiling, as beautiful as an angel. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Eleven days.”
“ Eleven …is it over? Did we…”
“It is and we did.”
“Oh.” Jelena pondered for a moment what that meant, then turned her mind inward, searching.
The blue fire was gone.
On the twelfth day of Monzen, three days after the army returned to Sendai, the Rites for the Dead were sung in the Royal Chapel of Sendai Castle for Raidu Onjara and Sadaiyo Sakehera.
After the High Priest and Priestess had consecrated the bodies, an honor guard carried each man to his own funeral pyre. The pyres stood side by side in the courtyard of the chapel, the prince’s a spear’s length higher than Sadaiyo’s.
Each man’s father lit his own son’s pyre and as the flames consumed the kindling and roared to life, a chorus of clerics raised their voices in a hymn to speed the departed souls to the bosom of The One.
Though still weak from her ordeal, Jelena insisted on accompanying the rest of the family to the funeral. As Sen and Amara’s daughter-in-law, she wanted to show her support for them in their time of mourning; as Raidu’s cousin, she also wished to stand with her uncle and aunt, the new rulers of Alasiri.
Throughout the service, Ashinji betrayed no outward sign of his emotional turmoil. Jelena felt his terrible sorrow through the mental link they shared, and the tears she shed fell for him and no one else.
That night, both families came together to share a quiet repast and memories of happier times.
The following morning, the morticians collected the charred remains, pulverized them then sealed them into ornate urns. Raidan carried Raidu’s urn down to the tomb complex beneath the chapel where generations of Onjaras slept in dusty silence, then laid his son to rest.
Sen and Amara had Sadaiyo’s urn packed in a sturdy hardwood box for the journey home to Kerala. Sen wanted to depart before the end of the month, in order to get home in time to try to salvage the last of the spring planting.
Two days after Raidu and Sadaiyo’s funeral rites, the royal morticians brought King Keizo’s body up from the crypt where he had been placed in a temporary coffin until the return of his brother, then laid the king out on the main altar of the chapel. Multiple preservation spells had kept the body from immediate decay, but over two weeks had passed since the king’s death and even the most potent preservation spell had its limits; for this reason Raidan ordered that the corpse remain shrouded.
The sun rose and set three times and still, the line of folk waiting to pay their final respects to their deceased king did not abate. City folk and farmers from the countryside, minor nobility and merchants, laborers and off-duty soldiers, okui and hikui alike; all stood united in their collective grief. All believed the king had died of the plague-Raidan decided it served no purpose to allow the people to know the truth of Keizo’s death.
As for the fate of Sonoe, the King’s Companion, the official version of events stated she had perished while taking part in the magical defense of Alasiri, and that her body had not been recovered.
When Jelena learned of Sonoe’s betrayal and the circumstances of her death, she cried, not for the betrayal itself, but for the lost soul of the woman she called her friend. Even though she knew everyone else involved disagreed, Jelena chose to believe the friendship she had shared with her father’s consort had been genuine, at least on some level. Sonoe had fallen under the control of an entity whose corrupting power had proven impossible to resist. Jelena remained convinced her friend had been a victim of the Nameless One, just as she, herself had almost been.
Jelena chose to forgive Sonoe, and in doing so, she let go of the terrible hurt Sonoe’s betrayal had caused.
On the morning of the nineteenth day of Monzen, Raidan lit the sacred fire and Keizo’s body burned atop a magnificent funeral pyre in the center of the vast parade ground fronting Sendai Castle.
To Jelena, it seemed as if the entire population of the city had crammed itself into the castle grounds, shoulder to shoulder, to witness the final rites for their king. As the flames shot higher and dense black smoke roiled into the sky, the wailing of the crowd grew louder. The castle guards struggled to keep the people back from the searing heat of the pyre, but finally, one man broke through.
Jelena gasped as the man raced up to the fire, clutching something in his hands. He halted then flung the object high into the air. The sunlight glinted off the blade of a dagger. It disappeared into the roaring inferno and after bowing to the pyre, the man turned and staggered back into the crowd.
Another man followed the first, then a woman, then another man, each one flinging some object onto the pyre. Finally, the guards melted aside and the people surged forward.
“Each person throws a possession of value on the pyre of the king, as a way to show his or her devotion,” Ashinji explained. “Now, the king’s soul can travel to heaven with tokens of love from his people.”
“Should we do the same, Ashi?”
“No. It’s a rite for the common people. It belongs to them.”
Jelena watched the hail of objects hit the pyre and the tear-stained faces of the people, and for the first time since she had come to Alasiri, she felt like a part of the larger nation, an outsider no longer.
The next day, the King’s Guard accompanied the royal family as they bore the urn of the king down to his grave. Jelena walked behind her uncle and aunt, leaning on Ashinji for support. She felt as if the weight of her grief would crush her.
Why was my father taken from me so soon? she raged. Who do I blame? The gods of my childhood, or the One Goddess of the elves? Can I really blame any god?
Just before Raidan placed the simple ceramic urn into the magnificent carved marble casket prepared for it, Jelena touched her fingers to her lips, brushed them against the cool clay, then turned and laid her head on Ashinji’s chest. As the heavy casket lid settled into place with grinding finality, Jelena wept.
Raidan and Taya ascended their thrones three days after Keizo’s official funeral. The new king, as one of his first official acts, granted Ashinji a promotion, then released him from his service to the regular army. As Sen’s Heir, Ashinji’s principle duty now lay with Kerala.
Sen and Amara were anxious to return home, not just to lay their eldest son to rest, but because they had been away for so long. Jelena, too, found herself longing to escape the bustle of Sendai for the peace of Kerala. She missed its verdant landscape of rolling hills and dense forest. Returning to the place where her life had changed for the better felt like the closest thing to a real homecoming. Before she could leave, though, she had one final thing she needed to do.
In the little garden known as the Dolphin Bower, so named for the fountain at its center, Jelena waited on a stone bench for a man whose heart she knew she had broken. As she sat clasping and unclasping her hands, she tried to summon up words that might take some of the hurt away, but in her own heart, she knew it was futile. Only time would ease the pain she had inflicted on so undeserving a man.
“Jelena.”
Jelena looked into the dark eyes of Mai Nohe and her breath caught in her throat. She had not seen Mai since the day they had said goodbye, just before the army marched south to Tono. On that day, Jelena had hoped and prayed her future would include a life with Mai.
How could either of us have known then that the life we’d planned would never happen?
Mai sat beside her and for several heartbeats, neither spoke. Overhead, amid the spreading branches of a fruitless cherry tree, a mourning dove cooed. The scent of lilacs hung heavy in the air. The stone dolphin poised in the fountain spat a stream of water from its mouth that glittered like a string of diamonds in the sun.
Jelena took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry, Mai,” she whispered.
“You have nothing to feel sorry for, Jelena,” he replied, looking at his hands. “You believed, as did we all, that your husband had died and you were free to give your heart to another. I knew full well you still loved him just as much as ever, but I counted myself lucky I had even a small piece of your heart.”
Jelena reached up to wipe away the tears on her cheeks. “Mai, I…” she began, but fell silent as Mai turned on the bench to face her. Pain and sadness filled his brown eyes, but she saw no reproach.
“I know now what true love is, Jelena, and I know only a fool would stand in its way. I am no fool.” He kissed her forehead. “I’m truly happy for you.” He stood up. “May you have all the joy and peace you deserve, Jelena.”
“And you as well, Mai.”
As she watched Mai walk away, Jelena fought the urge to get up and run after him, to beg again for his forgiveness. She knew with certainty the pain of this parting would haunt her until the end of her days.
“Goodbye, Uncle.”
Raidan took Jelena’s left hand and raised it to eye level. The thing that had kept strong her resolve, her father’s ring, sized now to fit her finger, flashed in the sun.
“You wear the White Griffin,” Raidan stated, tapping the ring with a forefinger. “The symbol of our House. Never forget that you are a true Onjara.”
“I won’t, Uncle,” Jelena replied.
Raidan let go of her hand, then gripped her shoulders. He stared into her eyes. “I can’t promise you things will change overnight, Niece. Okui prejudice is a fiendishly stubborn thing, but I can promise you this. I will work hard to win over the council in order to get their approval for full rights for all persons born in Alasiri, be they okui or hikui.”
“I know you will, Uncle. Thank you.” Raidan bent to kiss her cheek.
The king and queen, Prince Kaisik, and a small group of retainers had gathered before the main entrance of the castle to bid Lord Sen and his entourage farewell. Raidan had provided a large, comfortable carriage for Amara, Lani, and the children to travel in, along with Eikko, who had begged to be allowed to accompany Jelena and Hatora back to Kerala. Sen had agreed, and so Raidan had released the hikui girl from service at Sendai Castle.
“Goodbye, Cousin. Promise you won’t forget me,” Jelena said as she embraced Kaisik.
“I’ll never forget you, Jelena, not ever!” the young prince whispered.
“Kaisik, I know you think you’re not strong enough for the new role you must play,” Jelena murmured into the boy’s ear, “but you are, Cousin! You are exactly the kind of man Alasiri needs.” She paused, then added, “You are always welcome to come out to Kerala for a visit.” He bobbed his head against her shoulder and pulled away, scrubbing at his eyes with his sleeve.
“Come, Daughter. It’s time we were on our way,” Sen said.
“Not so fast, my lord,” Taya spoke up. “I’ve one last piece of business with my niece.” The queen reached into her sash, withdrew a small parchment scroll, then held it out to Jelena.
“This is an official writ, inducting you into the Kirian Society. Your bravery and sacrifice have proven many times over that you are a worthy addition to our number.”
“But…but, I’m not a mage!” Jelena protested. “I’m not even very Talented!”
Taya smiled. “Your Talent is a lot stronger than you think, child. With training, you could become a competent practitioner, but even if you decide never to study magic at all, you will still be one of us.”
“I don’t know what to say, Aunt,” Jelena replied, shaking her head.
“There is nothing you need to say.” Taya leaned in and kissed Jelena’s forehead. Jelena sputtered in surprise, for she never would have expected such a gesture from her imperious aunt. The queen smiled again and said, “Yes, child, I know. Now, go. Your husband is waiting.”
Jelena looked over her shoulder at Ashinji, who stood a stone’s toss away between their two horses, a hand on each bridle. Seeing the pride and love in his eyes made her want to drag him off to a private corner somewhere so she could show him how beautiful and worthy he made her feel.
The whitewashed walls of Sendai Castle shimmered with the growing heat of the day. The royal retainers fidgeted beneath the sun’s glare; they lacked the discipline that kept Lord Sen’s troops motionless atop their mounts. Jelena gazed at the imposing walls, soaring towers, and swooping blue-tiled roofs of the castle and thought of her father. Even though Keizo had nothing to do with its making, the heartland fortress of the elves seemed very much like him-strong, solid and rooted in the bedrock of Alasiri.
If only we’d had more time together, Father! Jelena thought. She still found it hard to believe only a little more than a year and a half had passed since she had ridden through the gates of this place, a hikui girl whose only social standing came from her marriage to the second son of an important man.
Now she departed Sendai as a full member of the royal family, a princess, and yet, as long as her fellow hikui were denied justice, she would consider her rank a sham and an affront to them. Had she not promised her friend Sateyuka that she would see to it things changed?
With one last, lingering look at the castle, Jelena turned on her heel and strode to where Ashinji waited, holding her dear Willow. He dropped his horse’s reins to give her a leg up into the saddle then helped to adjust her stirrups. Only when she was settled did he then mount his own horse.
“What are you thinking, love?” he asked, his head dropped to the side as he gazed at her face. “You look a bit sad.”
“I said goodbye to Sateyuka this morning. I never properly thanked her for taking care of Hatora while we were…away.” She glanced over to where the carriage stood, hitched behind two placid, shaggy-footed draft horses. “I promised her my uncle will see to it that the hikui receive justice. I hope my promise won’t prove to be an empty one.”
Ashinji looked away, his face troubled. After a few moments, he said, “Your uncle is an honorable man, just as your father was, but…it’s going to take a lot of convincing to get most okui to accept hikui as their equals. Old bigotry dies very, very hard, my love.”
“My uncle said something very much like that,” Jelena replied.
“I’m giving the estate your father deeded me to Misune’s son,” Ashinji stated.
Jelena glanced at Sadaiyo’s widow, who, though she sat her horse as straight and proud as ever, still could not hide the desolation that cast a pall over her spirit. She had spoken very little since their return to the city, and had spent most of her waking hours standing vigil over her husband’s corpse.
“It’s the least I can do for the boy,” Ashinji continued. “He’s been disinherited now that my brother’s dead and my father’s made me his Heir. At least he’ll have land and an income of his own.”
“Have you told Misune?” Jelena asked.
“Not yet. With everything that’s happened, I just haven’t found the right moment.”
“I hope she appreciates your generosity. It surprises me, but I feel very sorry for her.”
“It doesn’t surprise me. You have a generous and loving heart,” Ashinji replied. “Hmm, I think Father is ready to go.”
After checking on Amara and the children, Sen swung aboard his sturdy chestnut stallion and raised a gloved hand, signaling his troops. Amid the clatter of a large mounted force preparing to move, his voice rose above the noise. “I’ll be back for the spring council, Your Majesty!” he shouted.
Raidan inclined his head. “Safe journey, my friend!”
As the Kerala entourage wound its way down the castle hill and through the busy streets of the town, Jelena felt all of her senses engaged as never before. Every sight, smell, and sound she captured and collected like a precious gem, then stored them away in her vault of memory for safekeeping, for she had no idea when she would return.
She reflected on how different her life and circumstances had become. The uncertain, untried girl who’d entered the capital city of Alasiri with only a ring to guide her and hope to sustain her now departed as a strong woman, confident and sure of her place in the world.
She and Ashinji rode beside Lord Sen at the head of the party. As they passed beneath the massive outer gates of the city, a voice called out.
“May the One bless and keep you, Princess Jelena!”
Jelena stared at the swirl of people, expecting to see a hikui face, but to her amazement, a young okui woman waved back at her. Jelena smiled.
Perhaps hearts can be changed sooner than we think!
The road out of Sendai ran southward toward Meizi. The main east-west crossroads lay a day’s ride away. The sky glowed bright blue and cloudless overhead, but off to the northeast, thunderclouds rose in dark gray piles over the foothills of the Kesen Numai Mountains. From behind the wagons, a soldier raised his voice in song-a rough, cheerful sound-and soon, most of the troop had joined their voices with his.
“It’ll be good to get back home, children,” Sen said.
“Yes, Father,” Jelena agreed. “It will.”