The Sapphiri

by R Gene Curtis

  Fortunately, before I have a chance to respond, Lydia calls the army together. I hug Somrusee, careful not to scrape her delicate body with my armor, and jog with the rest of the soldiers over to the command tent. The guards may have more people in the castle than we do, but they don’t know about the secret passageway into the main part of the castle. Quint chose to attack in the middle of the day because many of the soldiers will be out on patrol, and we’ll catch them by surprise.

  “She is really into you, man.” Yuj pounds my back as I take my place in the ranks behind Lydia and Quint.

  “You think so?” I ask skeptically, turning to look back at Somrusee’s retreating frame.

  Yuj laughs. “Seriously man? She just said she’d be here to care for your battle wounds. What’s with you, though? You didn’t look pleased when she said it. She was confessing her love for you—telling you that she hoped you would survive the battle and that she would not sleep until she knew you were safe, and she could care for you.”

  “She was saying all that?”

  “You don’t know anything, man, if you don’t know that.”

  I look back again and find that Somrusee is watching me from the steps of Cylus’s house now. She catches me watching and bows her head submissively. Not a wave, a head bow. So foreign. When she speaks, do I hear the meaning behind her words? What does she hear when I speak? Is it really good to have a relationship with someone who thinks so differently? Do we even have a chance?

  Lydia and Quint outline the battle strategy, and then we follow them into the secret tunnel. The air inside is stagnant and musty. Dim light from ever-burning candles fills the hallway. It’s the same light that was here the night Somrusee and I escaped. So much is different now. I’m wearing heavy armor instead of a light black robe, I no longer fear every breath I take will be my last, and Somrusee waits for me back at the house, no longer limping beside me with a stud in her ankle. Still, being here now fills me with the same anxiety that was my companion every day I lived in the castle.

  Am I ready to kill again?

  Lydia leaps out of the tunnel first, followed by Quint. I count to five, and then Quint reappears and nods—the plan remains the same. He will lead a group of men down the stairs and secure our position. I will lead my group of men into the tower. Lydia will go with Quint and if they don’t face resistance, she’ll come find me. If all goes well, the tower will be secured quickly. We don’t expect many guards here.

  I bark the command and the sound of the men echoes through the passageway as they yell and follow me onto the stairs. The sound of their footsteps is followed by the distinctive clink of knives that are pulled from their armor as they prepare for battle.

  We pour into the stairwell and fill it with men and shouts. I don’t look behind me, but I hear the men breathing hard as we push up the stairs. Our first stop is the room where Wynn lived out his days, carefully listening to thousands of conversations across the kingdom. I kick the door open and find nothing. The gold has been stripped off the walls, and the rubies are gone. Nothing but castle stone in this chamber. Castle stone and memories. It was here Wynn sentenced me to death, where he felt my fear and apprehension, where he knew of my resolve and my desire to escape. It was here that thousands of people were discovered—their rebellion sentencing them to death by Buen’s sword.

  I step out of the room and close the door. “You’re looking pale Captain.” Yuj doesn’t miss a thing.

  “I’m okay.” I shake my head, but it doesn’t clear. “Yes, I’m okay.” I have to be okay. Did Buen die in there? It doesn’t matter—any moment any of us could be dead if we don’t stay alert.

  I keep pushing up the spiraled staircase, letting my mind stay numb, paying attention to the clatter behind me as we run.

  We search four more floors and find nothing but empty rooms. This tower is empty. We run down the stairs and find Quint and Lydia at the bottom of the staircase waiting for us.

  “The tower is empty. Did you see anyone?” I ask them.

  Lydia has already taken off her helmet, and her curly hair is matted to her head. Aside from the helmet, she didn’t wear armor, probably because we didn’t have anything that fit her feminine shape. Sweat runs down her forehead, and her eyes are alight with the adrenaline of the attack.

  “Not really.” Her eyes meet mine briefly, and then she looks away. At Quint. “A few soldiers were down here. Some of them tried to fight, but we secured the tower without losing anyone.”

  I don’t have to search to find out what Lydia did with the enemy soldiers. They sit tied up in a corner, yelling. “You can’t trust an Azurean,” one of them shouts, straining against his bands. “She will betray all of you. You’re fools to trust her.”

  “Looks like these people don’t like you, either,” I say.

  “Yeah.” Lydia’s eyes are a little sad. It must be hard to have the entire world dislike you.

  “Yuj. Gather some men and lock these prisoners in that room on the second story.”

  “Sir, yes sir!” Yuj nods and hurries off with a handful of men. If only everyone in our little army was so responsive. He’s learning fast.

  “What next?” I ask Lydia.

  “I think we’ll secure this tower and see what the guards do next,” Quint says, shrugging. “They won’t feel safe with an Azurean this close. If they make the next move, we have the advantage.”

  “Great,” I say, looking at Lydia, who nods her agreement to the plan. “I’ll send a few men back into town to get supplies from the house. We’ll eat and spend the night here.”

  “Thank you, Karl.” Lydia’s voice stops me for a moment. We lock eyes, but I can’t think of anything to say before she looks away again. The way her eyes look, the way she speaks. If she trusts me, why does she avoid me? Why does she spend all her time consulting Quint?

  * * *

  I hurry through the corridor and step out from the tree in Cylus’s yard. I see a flash of red out of the corner of my eye and then watch Somrusee as she runs barefoot across the yard, her dress blowing in the breeze behind her.

  I hold out my arms, and she runs into them. I removed my armor before coming through the tunnel, which means I can feel her body as I pull her against me. She looks into my face and smiles. “You made it back.”

  “Didn’t fight a soul.”

  She squeezes me again and steps back, taking my hand in hers and leading me across the yard to the cool shade of the porch where she snuggles against me on a small bench. I put my arm around her shoulder and pull her close. She leans her head back, and I do kiss her this time.

  “Have you seen anyone?”

  She nods, and her dark eyes grow serious. “Yeah. Some guards stopped by. They said all rules changed this morning. No one is allowed out of their homes for any reason. They’ve doubled the street patrols, too. I’ve been watching.”

  “That’s good, right? It means they’re scared of us.”

  “Maybe. It’s weird that you didn’t fight anyone.” Somrusee’s brow furrows.

  I shrug. “They didn’t expect us to come in through the back door.”

  Somrusee hesitates. “Maybe. But, I’m also not sure what to make of the increased guard force. It seems like they think that they can deal with us as long as the people don’t get involved. And, if Arujan is involved with this group, nothing will be as it seems.”

  I dismiss her fears. “Maybe, Somrusee, but I’m not sure how they’re going to deal with us. Lydia dispatched their men without a fight, and we took Wynn’s tower. Besides, we don’t really know if Arujan is in this or not. The last time we saw him was at the cave when Wynn died.”

  Somrusee frowns. “I don’t like it. It’s too easy. Too weird. You be careful, okay?”

  “Always.” I mean it. I feel antsy, too. I stand, and Somrusee stands with me.

  “Are you sure you’re going to be okay here?” I ask. I hate leaving her here alone.

  She smiles and cocks her head. “I don’t look that threaten
ing, do I?”

  I laugh. “Very threatening. Especially in that red dress.”

  “Even more than my blue za’an outfit?” She puts her arms on my waist. I hold her elbows and the wind blows wisps of hair around her face. Her eyes are wide, dark, hopeful. I don’t know if anyone will ever adore me as much as this girl does. The first night we slept here at Cylus’s house, she cut my ear and we tried to hide our marks of slavery. We worked together, unsure if anything we did would be enough to save us from Wynn. We saw Wynn walk this very path, fearing he would discover us.

  And now we’re back. The sun sets behind us. I should grab the supplies and get back to my unit, but instead I linger here with Somrusee, looking into her eyes, remembering the hope we shared for freedom, and how we fought together to get that freedom.

  “Do you think about me, Karu?” Somrusee whispers.

  “Why wouldn’t I think about you? I’m thinking about you right now.”

  She blushes and shakes her head. “No, that’s not what I mean. But…I think about you.” Her eyes search mine, and again I see hope in them. My eyes fall to her lips and she takes that as permission to rise so her lips meet mine. Her eyes close and so do mine. Kissing Somrusee doesn’t have the same magic as the kiss with Lydia did in the Western Hills, but it’s nice. Comfortable. Accepting.

  I pull back and look at the sunset. She lets my arms go and rests her head against my chest.

  Why do I think about Lydia when I kiss Somrusee?

  “I need to go back.” I step back.

  Somrusee looks surprised, but she nods and pushes the stray strands of hair back off her face.

  “Think about me,” she says, and she blushes again.

  I don’t know what she means. She looks so vulnerable I almost hug her again, but instead I nod and get supplies from the house. Once I have them, I walk briskly away, back to the tree and into the tunnel. I know men don’t usually understand women, but sometimes with Somrusee I feel like I’m especially confused.

  I get back to the castle and pass out rations, and it isn’t long before the men are mostly settled for the evening. Lydia goes upstairs—she prefers privacy to being with the men. Yuj wants the first watch, so I put him on guard near the passage entrance and find a place on the floor to settle down for the night.

  I stare at the ceiling for a long time. The moon rises and dim light fills the room. Wind blows outside the castle tower and crickets chirp. When I slept in this castle before, Somrusee was always watching me. Many nights I wouldn’t have been able to sleep without her rubbing drugs into my muscles. We were strangers then—we couldn’t communicate at all.

  Can we communicate now? “Think about me.” What was she asking me? Telling me? Even though I speak her language, will I ever really speak it in a way I can understand her? Does that matter? She is a strong woman, and she is attracted to me. Is it shallow to go for her because she’s interested in me? She’s a much nicer person than Tara—I don’t think I’m making that mistake again.

  The man next to me moans and rolls on his cot. The boots of the guard on watch click against the floor as he paces in front of the door. Bare feet pad across the floor towards me. Bare feet? I squint into the darkness and see a familiar feminine figure limping towards me.

  Somrusee?

  She falls onto me and I barely have the state of mind to catch her. The smell of fresh blood clears my mind in a hurry. “Somrusee, what’s going on?”

  “Men. They went through the tunnel. I don’t know where they are, but I think they went upstairs.”

  Upstairs. Men?

  “Lydia,” I say.

  Somrusee gasps. “Go. I’m okay.”

  I don’t move, but she sits up and rolls off me.

  “Really, go,” she says, and this time I believe her. Without time to find armor, I grab my knives and my sword. I punch awake the man next to me and tell him to care for Somrusee. Then I sprint across the room and up the stairs.

  Yuj is not at his post. I sprint up to the next level—the prisoners are still locked up. I keep going. As I get to the third floor, I find a man standing outside Lydia’s doorway. A well-placed knife in his leg takes him down and I run past him into the room.

  Three men turn as I enter. They stand around a lump on the floor. It’s dark, and I smell blood. One of the men swears when he sees me.

  I recognize his voice. “Yuj?”

  “Captain Karu, what are you doing here?”

  “What is going on here?” I withdraw my sword and take a cautious step forward.

  “Stop right there,” Yuj says. “Or we will kill you, too, which would be a shame.”

  “You can’t kill Ria!” I fight panic as I stare at the lump on the floor. It must be Lydia, but I can’t see her—it’s too dark. How badly is she injured?

  “We can, and we will. We will not have another Azurean leader. But, we want you to stay with us, join us. You’re a good captain, and Arujan needs good leaders. Quint is the only soldier here who needs to die—he trusted the Azurean too much.” This time the voice isn’t Yuj’s. I don’t recognize it at all. Who were the men who forced their way past Somrusee?

  I curse the darkness. I can barely make out the men’s shapes. Lydia isn’t moving, which means she must be unconscious, unless she is already dead. I take another cautious step forward.

  “One more step, and you’re dead,” Yuj says. “Turn around and leave now. We have work to do here.”

  Will I be able to see flying knives in this light? Can they see me? I reach into my cloak and pull out a knife. Yuj pulls out a sword and holds it over Lydia’s head. He’s going to kill her. I throw a knife in Yuj’s direction, and then I duck into a roll towards the men. The men shout, but their knives fly over me and clang against the wall.

  I don’t know where my knife hits, but I hear it hit Yuj. He grunts, and his sword clatters to the ground. The other men pull their swords, but I jump into the shadows behind Lydia’s bed. They step away from her body, hiding themselves as well.

  And it becomes a game of chicken. The longer it goes, the more likely Lydia is to die. Maybe. I don’t know the extent of her injuries. I also don’t know where I hit Yuj. The two bodies lay still in the dim light in the middle of the room. If I run to Lydia now, I’ll be killed by the men in the shadows.

  I should have brought more men with me. But, would they have put their lives on the line for Lydia?

  A knife flies across the room and clatters against the wall. A shot in the dark. I need light. I look back to where Yuj lies on the floor. He isn’t moving.

  Feet shuffle from a location on the other side of the room, but not enough to reveal a man’s position. My heart pounds in my ears and my brain is fuzzy. If we had light, this would be less of a game of chance.

  “You can’t hide forever,” I say. Two knives fly in my direction. I duck behind the bed and feel them lodge in the frame inches away from my head. I pull the knives out of the wooden frame and send them back across the room in the direction they came from. One clatters against the wall, but I hear a grunt and a curse. Did I hit one of the men? Another knife flies my way, and I feel it breeze by my head before it clatters against the wall.

  I roll across the floor and then sprint to the other side of the room, holding my sword in front of me to protect my face. A knife lodges in my left shoulder, but I manage to keep my momentum. On this side of the room, I’m close enough to make out the shape of the last man. He also brandishes a sword. I leap at him and our swords fly, filling the room with clattering.

  The man is no match for me, and he retreats from my offensive thrusts until he stands in the dim light. As I prepare my final move to disarm him, he suddenly turns and sprints towards Lydia. I cry out and rush to follow, but in the surprise of the movement, he has gained a few steps on me.

  “No!” I shout, but he doesn’t slow. I drop my sword and reach into my pocket, throwing my last knife as hard as I can. It catches him right before he gets to Lydia, lodging in his torso. The man f
alls on the floor, his sword inches from Lydia’s neck. I stumble to him, yank away his sword out of his hand, and drive it through his chest.

  Blood drips from the knife in my shoulder, and I have a cut on my arm from my sword fight. Yuj moans as I drop to the ground next to Lydia, but he still doesn’t move. She lies on a mattress soaked in blue blood, pinned to it with knives in her arms and legs. There is a cut above her swollen right eye, probably where she took the hit that knocked her unconscious. I put my face next to her mouth, and I can feel breath. Barely.

  I should have been on guard. I should have been more careful. I shouldn’t have ignored Yuj’s hatred of Azureans.

  Pulling the knives out will only induce more blood flow, and I’ll need bandages ready before I do that. I don’t have time to find help, and I’m not sure who could help anyway. My best hope is Lydia. I need her to wake up.

  “Lydia!” I call her name, but she doesn’t move. “Lydia! Can you hear me?” No response.

  She’s not going to make it.

  Tears drip down my face and land on hers. The moon rises above the windowsill and finally we have light. Lydia lies on the mattress barely breathing. Her features are soft in the dim light. She is dying.

  I don’t want to lose her.

  In that moment I know. The night back in the Western Hills when she listened to me talk about Pearl and about my failures, and yet still liked me. The way she is sincere when she says she appreciates what I do for her. Our ability to speak to each other in English. The fact that we’re both here, even though we could leave these problems and walk back to our country at any time. The way she smiles. The way she cares about people.

  She struggles for another breath.

  The way I think about her when I’m kissing Somrusee. The way I feel happier when she walks into a room. The way I feel jealous whenever she’s talking to another man.

  “Lydia,” I whisper, the surprise and grief I feel forcing the words out. “I love you.” In that moment, despite the confusion of being with Somrusee, and even though Lydia doesn’t want me, I know. And I don’t care if we are ever together or not, I want her to know before she dies.