by Lyra Shanti
“But if Meddhi-Lan was a rebel in his youth,” said Pei as he wiped his sweat-drenched back with a towel, “does that mean he was once part of The Tah? No, that can't be true. That's impossible!”
“Pei,” replied Baran, “some things aren't what they seem. That's what I'm trying to teach you with The Lirhan philosophy. Some things are true, even if the truth has yet to be revealed. I'm telling you the truth about Meddhi-Lan, Pei. He was indeed part of The Tah; that is fact. However, he eventually became their harshest critic, and in time, he helped his own teacher, Amun-Lan, completely disband them.”
Pei stood in shock, trying to process the words Baran had spoken. Was it possible? Could his own mentor and father figure have done such radical things? He couldn't imagine it, but that didn't mean it wasn't true. Pei began thinking about the many possible ways he could bring up the subject of Meddhi-Lan's past with King Atlar.
“Now,” said Baran as he cracked his neck and shoulders, “as I was saying about the philosophy of The Great Adin, it's all to do with seeing what is unseen. You must train yourself to use senses you don't usually rely on.”
“Like hearing?” asked Pei.
“Yes, that's one of the senses that can help you see without your eyes, but Lirhan technique utilizes more than the obvious senses. For example, what do you feel right now?”
“What do I feel?” said Pei, awkwardly.
“Yes. What do you feel right now? And I don't mean physically.”
Pei folded his towel and placed it on the table in the corner of the room. He pondered Baran's question while drinking another sip of water. What did he feel? How could he answer such a question when he felt entirely too much?
“Well?” Baran prodded.
“I... I feel too much!”
Baran smiled. “Good,” he replied.
“That's a good thing?” Pei asked, surprised.
“That's a very good thing,” said Baran. “When you start to lose feeling, that's when you have to worry.”
“Can that happen?”
“Yes,” said Baran, “but it's only an illusion, telling your mind that your feelings are gone. One must keep The Lirhan understanding that there is always an emotion behind the self-made veil of coldness. Again, seeing in multidimensional ways is the key. Pei, you must remember, from this point onward, there is always more to know, more to learn, more to see.”
As Baran finished speaking his last word, Pei saw Ona out of the corner of his eye – or he thought it looked like her anyway. He had no idea, however, why the princess would be in the Lirhan practice room. He wondered if Baran’s punches had pushed him too hard, causing him to hallucinate.
Pei slowly turned around and saw that his eyes hadn't deceived him after all. Ona was indeed standing by the entrance, looking to him like a Goddess in a green, flowing gown. She had a concerned look on her face, and it made Pei's heart ache with love.
“Ah, greetings, Princess,” Baran addressed Ona with a smile and a half-bow. Pei suddenly remembered that Ona was royalty and gave her a bow as well. When he returned to an upright stance, he could see her face hadn't changed; it was still wrought with worry.
Baran crossed the large training room with a confident stride, then stood in front of Ona, folding his strong arms, which seemed to Pei a habitual mannerism of his.
“What brings you to the training room, Your Highness?” Baran asked, smiling.
The princess raised her stoic, royal chin and looked directly at Baran, as if to accept some sort of hidden challenge. “My father wishes to speak with you, General, as soon as you have the free time to do so.” She then gave Baran a sarcastic smile. It seemed to Pei to suggest something far different from what she was actually saying, and this confused him greatly. Pei didn't understand why he suddenly felt jealous, yet he couldn't shake the feeling.
“Thank you for relaying the message, Princess,” said Baran with the same sarcastic smile she had given him. “As long as it is not an emergency, I shall speak with your father as soon as I am finished giving my new student his first lesson.”
Ona's brow turned downward and transformed her face back into the worried appearance Pei had noticed from before, except it now had a twinge of anger as well.
“Fine,” she snapped, “finish your lesson. When you are done, however, you are to meet my father in the green marble room. The location, I assume you know.”
Baran nodded, then thanked her again for giving him the message. He then bowed to her as she turned to leave.
Pei wanted to stop her and ask why she looked so upset. He also wished to talk to her about more personal matters. However, she was gone before he could speak, and his heart ached even more than it did before.
Baran sighed. Speaking with Ona had exhausted him. Turning to face Pei, he grinned, which made Pei rather confused: a feeling he was beginning to get used to when in Baran's presence.
“That princess of ours is quite the ball-buster, wouldn't you say?”
Pei's jaw hung open.
“What,” teased Baran, “did my blunt tongue offend that delicate, priestly sensibility of yours?”
Pei didn't know how to react. He was angry, yet enthralled by Baran's every word and gesture. Pei had never in all of his life encountered a man so arrogant and cocky. Even so, Baran's confidence, as well as his graceful, yet manly demeanor, impressed Pei to the point where he couldn't help but admire the Lirhan general, though it seemed against his better judgment.
“Hmm,” said Baran as he folded his arms with a devilish grin, “I think it's going to take a while longer to break that Dei's training inside your head.”
Pei grimaced and proudly stated, “But I don't want it fully broken!”
“Really?” said Baran as he walked over to a hidden closet in the wall. Reaching inside, he pulled out two weapons that looked to Pei to be some kind of ancient swords. They were slightly curved with silver and gold hues to their metal, and Pei was absolutely intrigued.
“I would think you'd be glad to get rid of all that nonsense,” added Baran.
Pei clenched his teeth. “It wasn't all nonsense,” he said, firmly holding his ground.
Baran sensed Pei's seriousness and respected him for it. As playful and teasing as Baran could be, he knew when a man meant business. Pei's entire aura was now radiating with pride and it made Baran smile.
“Here,” said Baran as he handed Pei one of the silvery-gold swords. “Let's see if your Dei training can help you trust your senses when handling a Viha!”
Pei carefully held the sword by its golden hilt and immediately felt a warm, tingling sensation travel from the hilt all the way to his shoulder. He shivered and looked at Baran for reassurance. “I... I feel... What is this feeling?” asked Pei in desperation. “Is it supposed to be so...” Pei couldn't finish his sentence for the strange sensation was now making him lose grasp of his senses.
“Yes, Pei,” assured Baran, “what you are feeling is quite normal. The Viha is a very old weapon that The Lirhan have been hand-crafting for thousands of years. Its shaft is lined with plasma, you see, and it emits a power similar to that of lightening, well, when it is used by a skilled Lirhan warrior anyway. But even when a novice holds it, they can feel its power coursing through them. Since I plan on training you how to fight with one, I suggest you get used to it.”
Pei had no idea how anyone could get used to such a weapon. The sword was causing his entire body to become stimulated... in every way possible, and it was making Pei exceedingly nervous. It was also causing him to think uncontrollably about Ona: her beautiful, pouty lips and the smooth, perfectly curved outline of her soft, feminine body.
“Oh, my Ona,” escaped from Pei's lips in a whispering moan.
Realizing what he’d just said, he opened his eyes and saw Baran laughing at him – rather loudly. Pei felt his face flush with embarrassment. He hadn't meant to speak her name, but it felt as if he were no longer able to control his deepest desires, and that feeling frightened him.
“Ona?!” blurted Baran as he chuckled. Clearly amused, he shook his head and grinned. “So... you have a thing for the princess, eh?”
Pei swallowed hard and shifted his weight, utterly embarrassed.
“And what if I do?” he responded, defensively.
The general's face quickly changed from amused to troubled.
“Well,” replied Baran, “if that was indeed the case, I'd tell you that such a desire is a lost cause and that you should find another flower in the garden to take delight in.”
Normally, Pei would have allowed Baran's rudeness to slide off of him like water, but for some reason, he just couldn't do it. In fact, Pei had never felt more anger in his entire life. It felt to him like a wild, burning fire had begun to ignite deep inside his gut and he had absolutely no control over his emotions.
“What did you just say?!” Pei shouted.
Baran smirked, amused yet again by his new protege. “Calm down, my excitable friend,” he said as he reached for the Viha held firmly in Pei's right hand. “I think, perhaps, you aren't quite ready for weapons training,” Baran added
Carefully, Baran removed the sword from Pei's hand. He could feel the raging, sexually repressed energy Pei had unknowingly planted inside of the Viha's plasma, and for a moment, his own head reeled with dizziness. Catching himself, before Pei's energy affected his own, Baran quickly sheathed both of their Viha. He then took a deep breath, exhaling the tension out of him.
Pei didn't understand what had just happened, but he felt a strong sense of relief once the Viha's plasma was no longer coursing through his body.
“I'm... sorry,” said Pei.
“No,” Baran replied, shrugging, “you have nothing to be sorry for. I should have prepared you for how powerful these ancient swords are. Truth be told, not even the most skilled among The Lirhan can fully control their energies once they are able to bond with the Viha.” Baran smiled at Pei. “You should actually be proud of yourself, my friend, for only someone with great potential would be able to bond with this kind of weapon so intensely, and so quickly.”
Baran's words were flooding through Pei's mind like a rushing river. He felt both honored and frightened by the idea of being someone with great potential for power.
“Baran?” he asked while still recovering from his first encounter with the Viha.
“Yes, Pei.”
“Why did you say that about Ona? Do you think I'm not good enough for her?”
Baran let out a small laugh. “No, Pei, that's not at all what I meant.”
“Well, what did you mean?”
Baran sighed. “Calm down. All I was saying, is that Ona – Princess Ona – isn't exactly allowed to socialize romantically with just anyone. Commoners, such as yourself, would never be able to become intimate with the princess, and I doubt Her Highness would be seeking such intimacy with a Lirhan warrior anyway being how much she is against fighting of any kind.”
Pei's heart began to sink. “Do you mean to tell me, Baran, that even if King Atlar consented to her marrying a commoner, she still wouldn't want me because I am training to become Lirhan?”
“That would seem to be the case,” sighed Baran, “from what I know of her, that is.”
“But that doesn't make any sense!” Pei blurted. “How can she hate the very army that her own father is the leader of?”
“That's a very good question,” replied Baran, “but one that may not have an easy answer.” Taking another deep breath, Baran stretched and cracked his neck. “Listen to me, Pei... I'm going to tell you an absolute truth about women: they are creatures of mood and hardly ever make any sense.”
Pei wanted to laugh, but merely cracked a smile.
“And they never know what they really want,” Baran continued. “One moment they are praising a man, the next, they are attacking him for the very things they previously praised him for! Ona is no different from any other woman. She is fickle, Pei, trust me about that. As beautiful and proud as she may seem, underneath that perfect exterior, she is a woman like any other, and all women are unable to make up their damned minds! It's the curse of their gender, if you ask me, which is why there are so few women within The Lirhan. Their weakness isn't just physical – it's something inside their core. They just don't have the ability to fight with any real-”
Before Baran could finish his sentence, he was completely thrown off his guard by the lunging hand that had silently surprised him from behind.
Pei soon realized it was Reese, and she had grabbed Baran so fast it seemed as if she had appeared out of thin air.
Baran struggled with all his might, but it was useless. Reese had Baran in a stronghold, and it was impossible for him to break free.
“What was that you were saying about women being weak?” she growled with a grin.
Baran grunted and again tried to break free, but was unable to do so. Pei wasn't sure how she was doing it, but it looked to him as if Reese had maneuvered the fingers of her right hand into the back of Baran's neck, and when she pressed her fingers harder, he could only wince in pain.
“I... didn't... mean... you!” grunted Baran.
Reese flashed a wicked smile, and then finally released Baran from her powerful grip. “Of course you didn't,” she said, sarcastically. Coughing and rubbing his throat, Baran looked at Reese with contempt.
“You really want to kill me, don't you?” said Baran.
Reese grinned and rolled her eyes. “Don't be ridiculous,” she nonchalantly replied. “If I really wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead.”
Baran gave her a smirk to which she gave right back.
“Look, I hate to spoil your male-bonding party,” she teased, “but I need to speak with you, General... alone.”
Baran grimaced, then nodded, reluctantly following Reese as she led him to a far corner of the room. Pei didn't know what to make of what was going on between them, but he didn't feel it was his business, so he quietly practiced a few Lirhan moves Baran had shown him.
“What is it?” Baran asked her under his breath.
She smiled, and then playfully pouted. “Aw, are you angry at me for pinning you, and in front of your new pet to boot?”
“He's not my pet,” he replied. “In fact, he's quite promising. I think he may turn out to be one of the most talented Lirhan warriors we've seen in quite a long while.” Reese raised her eyebrow in skepticism, and then looked over at Pei, contemplating the general's assessment of him. “Now,” said Baran with crossed arms, “what did you want to talk to me about?”
She took a breath, then leaned close to Baran's ear. “I need you to keep an eye on that fiendish old Octian for me while I'm gone,” she whispered.
Baran nodded, slyly. “Of course,” he replied in a low voice, trying not to become excited by the nearness of her mouth.
“And you must do it without being seen or heard,” she added. “I'm trusting you, Baran. Don't let that boorish impatience of yours make you clumsy.”
He gave her a sarcastic smile. “Yes, dear. Anything else?”
“Well,” she playfully grinned while wrapping her arms around his neck, “you could miss me while I'm gone.”
“That, my dear, would be asking far too much,” he replied, just as playfully.
She pouted in jest, teasing him with the closeness of her body; a maneuver Baran was all too familiar with. Carefully removing her arms from his neck, as if she were a snake curled upon his shoulders, he pulled away. Baran then gave her a stern, serious look.
“Is there anything else?” asked the general.
“Not really,” she replied with a hint of genuine sadness. “I just wanted to say goodbye.”
“Oh, for heaven's sake, Reese, why the drama? It's not as if we'll never see each other again.”
She looked at him with a raised brow and said, “Are you certain of that, my dear general? I am, after all, having to use the War-Ruse once again.”
Baran's face turned white. “What?!” he gasped. “You've g
ot to be kidding me!”
“No, I'm not kidding,” she replied. “Atlar wishes me to use it so I can completely convince Notama I am genuinely Deiusian and to gain his favor.”
“That's insane!” shouted Baran. “You can't use it, Reese! There has to be another way!”
Reese gave Baran a sweet smile, one that she hadn't shown him in many years. “It's kind of you to care, my dearest general, but I agree with Atlar on this matter. There just isn't any other way.”
“Well, I absolutely disagree with my uncle!” Baran angrily replied. “Has he gone mad?! Doesn't he remember how we almost died the last time we used that toxic poison?! There is a reason it's been outlawed! The Lirhan shouldn't even be using it anymore, in my opinion!”
“Well, unfortunately, it's not your opinion that matters in this case, dear Baran,” she said, deadpan. “You should know better than anyone that the king’s word is law. Therefore, I'm going to use the War-Ruse for as long as I can. So, you see, Baran, this may indeed be our last meeting.”
Shocked and bewildered, Baran stood in front of Reese, looking at her with a mix of deep concern and defiance. He wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake some sense into her. If that didn't work, he wanted to kiss her passionately and beg her not to do such a mad, extreme sort of mission. He remembered what the effects of the War-Ruse had been like the last time they had taken it, and the pain was something he would not soon forget.
Unable to hold his feelings back, Baran grabbed Reese by her shoulders. “Please,” he said, his voice slightly cracking, “I'm begging you, silly girl! Don't do this!”
She smiled, comforted by the feel of his strong hands and by the knowledge that Baran still cared for her. “It is already done, my love,” she cooed. “I took it about an hour ago and I am now awaiting the effects. So, as you can see, there's no use fighting it now.”
He winced, and then gave her a hard, passionate kiss on her lips. Reese had forgotten what his kisses felt like: strong, sensual, warm and full of hunger. Being caught in a momentary spell, his full, but masculine lips reminded her of why she had fallen so hard for him when she was younger. After their kiss, she sighed and played with the back of his dark, wavy hair.