The few people moving upon the ridge glanced our way. Some waved good morning. Amongst them I spotted Thell, axe in one hand and my broadsword in the other.
He pointed to a fresh pile of cut logs a bit further down the southern slope. I met him there and he gave me the sword. I could not feel its weight as I belted it on, but did felt more substantial for having it.
“They do not fear me,” I said.
“We are dipped in madness. Your return is the sanest event of the season. Perhaps the sound of your axe will do them you and them some good. You’ve no muscles to exercise, but we’ve more that needs tending than our bodies, yes?”
“When the story of this place is written, you will be the hero.”
He shook his head. “Old men that want to be remembered are too often the villain. Wake the city, my friend. They need happy memories.”
“Does Barok still struggle each morning?”
“Yes. Lilly’s red pennants tell him that his children are alive, so he has reason to rise. What plagues his mind next is endless. He is still blind to what moves people.”
“How did it get this bad?”
“He used to have you and Dia taking care of the people around him. Those around him are driven by a hundred different wants. Should I wake him?”
“Not yet perhaps. I have much to catch up on before I can be of use to him. Where can I find Gern and Fana?”
“Both are with the bailiffs. The prelature court heard evidence last night on the charge of conspiracy and delivered a guilty verdict against them and a number of the officers and Sermod. The Chaukai captain that killed a yellowcoat during the melee awaits execution. The rest of the sentences were deferred to Barok.”
“That was swift.”
“The facts were plain, and Fana confessed to her actions willingly. She has the voice of the Spirit in her head. She is not the girl you knew.”
“So much has changed. My head swirls. Could you call on Erom and Selt? Their telling of things is one I would trust.”
“Erom is close by. It would take some doing to get Selt here. He turned out to be Barok’s brother Rahan. He revealed himself at the Council meeting, claimed the throne, and seized half of Bessradi. He is there now fighting Yarik for the crown.”
My vision clouded for a moment. “Better call on a few others we trust as well then. This may take a bit of time.”
He handed me the axe and left me to it.
It did not feel the same in my hands. There was no soreness of elbows or shoulders, and I could not judge its weight. I struggled with the first log like a lad who’d never known work, and my first swing missed long. The axe head bounced back up into my face and clanked off the forehead of my helmet. I stumbled back, lost my grip on the axe, and fell over.
A thousand pairs of eyes or more must have seen it.
I did not look out at them as I righted myself. I got a better grip on the axe and tried again. The second swing struck home, and I managed to set my foot on the half-cleaved log and work the axe free without losing my balance. The third stroke fell hard and cleaved the log with a resounding crack.
A small cheer and bit of nervous applause startled me, and I laughed at the welcome sound.
The rhythm of the work took over, and I dreamt of the long breath before each swing.
Set, breathe, around and down.
Set, breathe, around and down.
The dew that sparkled upon my metal skin curled away in a mist while the fog that shrouded the Enhedu forests sank below the boughs. The scent of sizzling ham steak and bread bathed in jam filled my mask.
“Who knew ghosts could smell?”
I was glad for it, and enjoyed all the many aromas of the waking city as I worked the pile down.
Erom startled me with a hello. I almost dropped the axe as I turned. He and those with him took a step back. The handle of my axe was hissing from the heat of my glove and seemed ready to catch fire. I set it down.
“Perhaps one with a metal handle,” I said and considered the group. It was hard to match names with faces.
“I’ve a metal handle that might serve,” one of them said.
“Is that Nace?” I asked and he replied with the sly smirk I remembered well. “I would shake your hand if I could.”
More of their names came to me. “Evela, it is a pleasure to see you. You all look well.”
She and the rest said hellos, and I turned to the last of group whose name escaped me. He did not wear the silver emblem of an envoy but his clothes were those of a senior servant. I felt I should remember him well but could not.
“Who are you?”
His bow was sincere. When he rose he said, “You will not be happy to recall me, Leger. I am Errati, Barok’s current Alsman. You saw me last as I rode north to Enhedu while you marched on the Oreol. Parsatayn had sent me to Alsonelm to murder you and take your place as Barok’s Alsman.”
“And you are trusted here?”
My armor began to ping and pop. Errati stood his ground, while several of the envoys stepped back.
“I took the oath,” he said. “The old-fashioned way like you and Gern—before Soma made it easy.”
My vision blurred again for a time.
“Who is Soma?” I asked. “Is she the one who murdered Darmia? Your wife?” I asked and pointed at Master O’Nropeel.
“She is,” he said. “Perhaps it is time for us to recount all that has happened. Much has changed.”
I stumbled, unsure if I was losing my heat or my mind.
“Are you okay? Sober?” Erom asked.
“I’ve been better. It feels like—more like the morning after too much wine than the night of. Things that I do not understand seem to unsettle me.”
This calmed them, and Evela stepped forward. The group seemed relieved to let her do the telling, and she set into a dizzying recounting of events like scene summaries from a grand play. I was saddened as she told me of the losses we’d suffered and all the people who’d died or been taken. I wobbled like a tree in the wind as she told of Aden’s attack upon us, but as the mysteries of our condition faded so did my uneasiness.
I looked to the red pennants that flew upon the top of every high structure. “How does Lilly know Barok’s child is still alive?”
Evela said, “Fana and the druids do not tell us anything about their business upon the silver stairs.”
“Do the Chaukai answer to them or to Barok?”
“That’s not been settled since you departed us.”
“Are there officers you would remove?”
“None of us are soldiers,” Evela said.
“All the same, I would hear from this group if there are those who would not follow Barok’s orders.”
“There are a few. The ones closest to Fana—her relatives. They report only to her and the druids. They admitted their divided loyalty to the court.”
I asked if the yellowcoats would rally to Barok if called and the affirmative response from the group was quick and unanimous. I bid Master O’Nropeel to call them, and he went.
“What of the city’s commerce? Barok has not done well?”
“He has,” Errati said. “His many projects are all well capitalized and profitable. He has delegated much of it to the Chaukai, though, so he can focus on the bank. He has something in the works—something he has discussed only with Nace and Lord Rahan. The Chaukai and their families run the rest.”
“I’ll leave it to him to tell me what he is planning with Rahan. The rest of his dealings are to flow through me from now on. No meetings, no deals, no access to Barok without my permission until order and trust is reestablished.”
Their relief was telling.
“And what of my holdings in the province and city?” I asked. “Who sees to them?”
Evela said, “All of it was deeded to me after you and Darmia departed us.”
More mysteries swirled, and I lost myself to memories of my wife.
“Leger?” she asked.
“Wer
e you in the Yew forest when Soma murdered her?”
“Darmia tried to kill us all, Leger—even me. The Shadow had hold of her. Soma saved us all that day and helped us root out all of the thrall in Enhedu. Haton and Darmia brought many with them—all of them bound to Aden and his Ashmari. They were ready to lock Barok away for his blood and make Enhedu a spawning ground for more Ashmari. They made Darmia a thrall so that they could get to you. Hold onto your memories of her from Bessradi.”
“She did not love me.”
“Yes, she did. I knew your name before I joined her at the capital. Her love for you was pure then. Cherish those memories. The rest should be forgotten.”
I could not think clearly. My sight grew cloudy and for a time all I could hear was the rattling of my armor.
“Leger, come,” Evela said. “We should stack the wood. Can you help me?”
She had hold of a cut piece and handed it to me. I took it reflexively and stacked the wood as she pressed at it me. The fog about me cleared, and I noticed the rest of the group had moved to their tasks. Evela had tied up the hem of her skirt and rolled up her silk sleeve so she could hand the staves to me two at a time.
“You stayed here while Rahan fights for Bessradi.”
“Our son is safer here, despite all that has happened.”
“Your child is the crown prince,” I said, my head spun again, and she tapped my palm with another stave. I took it and was able to set it onto the pile. The fog settled fast.
“It gets easier with practice,” she said.
“You know of magic?”
“Fana’s druids are my students, too. You are gaining hold of yourself the same way the girls get hold of new words. When they first hear them, they are pained and distracted until something brings them back. I play for them after they practice their words with Fana. They get better at it each time.”
“Fana knows the magic of the spirits now, too?”
“Not as such. She can’t sing, but can hear them and write them in such a way that others can read them. Something happened to her that none of us understand it. Barok has no control over her. His history with her and Gern has gotten in the way. She frightens me sometimes.”
I could not resolve this to the reeve’s daughters I last saw teaching Lilly to read in the great hall. My focus faded again, worse than before but shorter.
Evela handed me more wood. I recovered from the dark storm, and we stacked the staves until the morning was old. We were all but done when she stopped.
“Barok is coming.”
I felt his approach before I saw him. I seemed at once larger and began to itch. It raced along my limbs and up my back like the scrap of barbed wool soaked with soap and poison oak. The jarring sensation went as fast as it came, and I got my bearings as Barok came to a halt before me. He was gaunt and leaned on Thell almost more than the old man could bear.
The blackened stump of his right forearm filled the air with the scent of fresh turned earth and honey. It was a terrible sight and I regretted it immeasurably.
Evela moved to help. Barok waved her off and did his best to stand on his own. “Thank you, Evela. I am fine.”
“None of us are fine,” she replied and she took him by his savaged arm and propped him up.
“The healers cannot mend you?” I asked.
“Their magic can soothe my flesh, but no amount of their singing affects my blood or my bones.”
“I have taken your sword arm from you.”
“No, I fight with my left now. But do not trouble yourself over it. Hearing all you have in motion this morning cheers me more than this loss.”
“The rest of this day will be bitter.”
“Alone, yes. You being here gives me comfort that I might make the right decision. Have you summoned Gern and Fana?”
“Not yet. I was about to ask Evela for her counsel.”
Barok looked at her, and she shook her head. “I am not as diplomatic as Dia. You would both choke on what I have to say.”
“You are closer to Fana than any of us,” I said. “I would hear from a mother who understands the magic of the world what punishment we should consider for her actions.”
She got out from under Barok’s arm and faced us. “I would take their son from them. If either disobeys Barok’s again, the child life would be forfeit.”
“The reason for their actions does not matter?” Barok asked.
“They betrayed their oath to you. If their motive was pure, take the child. If not, they and every member of their families should be put down as swiftly as the thrall that once infested Enhedu.”
I did not have a throat, but was strangled.
Dia had cleared a path for the women of Enhedu and here was another as stiff as steel.
“And you Leger?” Barok asked. “What is your counsel?”
“Before hearing Evela’s answer, I struggled to see a path forward. Your father would have hung them and their children from the gates without a second thought. A heavy punishment must fall, and I could see it done—could be your executioner. Evela’s way is something else. It is just, and if their motives were pure and their loyalty remains intact, we may avoid further bloodshed. I agree with her counsel.”
“Very well. I am resolved.”
We were not waiting long before yellowcoats began to arrive, followed by bailiffs and their prisoners. The large assembly settled around the bare square of foundation stone. Knifes were produced and every person there bled red for all to see.
Barok summoned Gern and Fana to the center of the gathering. Evela and I were at his shoulder when he met them.
“Can the power you have been granted by the Spirit of the Earth be taught to others?” Barok asked Fana.
She stood fixed for a time. “Yes. To a mother.”
“You conspired to remove me from Katat. What was your intention?”
She straightened and answered, “We need a way to fight the Ashmari if Soma fails.”
“You would make more like Leger?”
“If we could, but Leger is the only ghost that has manifested so vividly. Clever was a surprise. I would make an army of ghosts loyal to the Earth if there were vivid souls and Vesteal blood enough to see it done.”
“Why did you keep this from me?”
“I answer to our God above you. The movements of magic are not for you to command.”
“You must obey your oath to me as well. If we are at odds, we will fail. The spirit could not have intended this violence.”
She pointed at his wounded arm. “Would you allow your daughter to be consumed as you have been?”
“Never.”
“That is why we move without you. The Earth knows you would betray us to save your family. You cannot be trusted to sacrifice yourself or your children. It does not need to be me who commands the druids, but if you mean to take control of them, the Chaukai must and will rise against you.”
Barok sighed, ugly and overdone, as he’d done since his days upon the Deyalu. We knew to wait for him to fight off the Yentif cur that lived in him still. He looked at his burning arm and then to the south as if he hoped to spirit Dia and his daughter to us by force of will alone.
“I would fail you all,” he said at last. “I would do anything to save my daughter from this. I wish with all my being that there can be another path for her. Decisions about the magic of the spirit need to be made without my consent, but I refuse to accept that they can be done without my knowledge. We are not yet an Empire. We cannot afford the loss of opportunity that befalls us when plans are made without my knowledge of them. It is this betrayal of Edonia that must be punished.”
The rest came very hard. “Fana and Gern Furstundish, your son will be taken from you, and for three years, he will remain beyond your reach. If you or any members of your families conspire again to act without my knowledge, his life, theirs, and yours are all forfeit. You are stripped of all rank, title, and property. I am naming Leger Mertone the commanding general of the Chaukai, and
Evela Yentif the Headmistress of the College of Healers. Fana, you will see that she learns all that you have learned, so that she may replace you as the person who communes with the Spirit of the Earth upon the silver stairs. You and Gern may continue to serve at the pleasure of Leger and Evela or choose to retire and leave Edonia forever.”
Gern forehead furrowed and he began to remove his greencoat.
Fana set a hand upon his shoulder, and as she did it, her wrist glimmered for moment. I could not judge if anyone else saw it.
She said to Barok, “We accept this punishment.”
“But our son,” Gern said.
“What else for us, if not this? Death, banishment? Our son will be well cared for. It was the desire of the Spirit to see a loyal soul blood with blood into iron so that we may prevail against the Shadow. We succeeded, and Leger and Evela are proper choices to replace us.”
He settled back into his coat, removed his golden-crested helmet, and crossed to surrender it to me.
I took hold of his arm and leaned close. “Lad, we will all need you again soon. We are choosing to murder Barok’s children so that yours and all the rest might live.”
“It is too much, Leger. This cannot be right.”
“Your father made the same choice when he took you into the yew knowing the Shadow would torture and try to murder you. Get right with it. We have many crimes left to commit before we rid the world of the Shadow.”
The fury that burned in his eyes when he looked up at me was enough to make doubt it all.
“What will we not do?”
“If the day comes when you tell me it is better that the world be lost than for us to continue, I will let it end.”
“I pray the day never comes when I must choose.”
“It will, lad. Be ready.”
I shook his hand and took his place at my side.
Barok’s obvious relief lit a happy murmur in the crowd. He said to me, “General Mertone, the Chaukai are once again yours to command.”
Evela said to Fana, “Remove yourself to your residence. You will speak to no one until I call upon you.”
She bowed, bailiffs escorted her down, and I called the humbled Chaukai officers to my tent for a reckoning. They would live by books one and books two or they could live somewhere else.
The Vastness Page 33