by Guy Antibes
“It began when your guards attacked you,” Jack said. “I suppose we can stay here. Where is your chief guard?”
“You killed him,” Rakota said. “I haven’t had time to appoint another. Want the job?”
Jack shook his head. “Not me. Pick one of your more experienced guards. That would be my advice, but you need someone to direct the defenses of this building and the rest of the compound.”
Jack communicated with Grigar. We need more people in the main palace building. The guard situation is perilous. Guards laying in wait for the emperor struck me down. He needs people he can trust around him. When I get a chance, I’m going after the Battlebone, without the emperor.
You need to be more careful. The healers told me you arrived at headquarters half-dead.
Jack laughed. Maybe even more than half, but the healing spells finally took. The emperor is calling for me. Let me know who is coming and when. It could get very dangerous, very quickly, especially if someone tries to set fire to the building.
Don’t even say that, Grigar said.
It looks like I already did. I have to go.
Jack turned to listen to the head of Masukai for the moment.
“I sent two men who know the way to Pearl Mist headquarters to fetch my cousin,” the emperor said.
“Why?” Jack said. “Can’t Okiku do more at the Pearl Mist headquarters than here?”
“She is next in line for the throne. If something happens to me, she needs to assume the reins of Masukai,” the emperor said.
Jack didn’t feel confident to contradict the emperor, but in his opinion, being separate was a better strategy than waiting in the same building for something to happen. He quickly told Grigar what was happening, and the Lajian wizard concurred.
The emperor went into his bedroom to rest before meeting with his loyal counselors in less than half an hour. Jack sat down on the floor with his back against a wall. He closed his eyes and was shaken awake.
“The meeting will be held in the emperor’s dining room. Follow me.”
Jack shook the sleep from his eyes. He probably needed a full day’s rest considering his near-fatal injury earlier. He wished he could heal himself, but that wasn’t to be. He trudged after the servant and sat on a cushion behind the emperor. Jack had thought of a large dining table, but the arrangement reminded him that he was in Masukai. Each place had its own table.
Lord Kaseru entered along with Iraishi Ranturo, who sat behind Lord Kaseru. The council consisted of eight men who showed up with six other aides. Ruki Sinda also took a place with Takatai Minza and Grigar. A scribe sat at the side of the emperor. Jack settled in for a civics lesson.
“One would think the situation is dire,” Lord Kaseru said, “but it isn’t as bad in the city as it is on the palace grounds.”
“Where is Okiku?” the emperor asked.
“I thought it prudent to keep her with the Pearl Mist until matters at the palace are more stable. She agreed to stay.”
The emperor didn’t say anything for a moment. Jack couldn’t see his face, so he had to make do watching the reactions of others, and the others looked a bit fearful. The emperor took a deep breath, and the tension seemed to clear.
“That is probably a better idea,” Rakota said. “What is the status of the palace grounds? I have kept myself sequestered since the attack in Zukori’s temple.”
That was the point when Jack realized what a weak leader the emperor was. The man was more a figurehead than a leader. He hadn’t demanded to know what had happened to his capital city until later in the day. Rakota Yomoko had seemed to take charge when they went after the Battlebone, but that was a small task he could have had others perform.
When challenged, the emperor showed a little resistance, but then accepted that his desires were ignored. He had thought the purported weakness of the emperor was the result of the compulsion spells, but it was clear those were not the only cause. Jack thought the emperor made the right decision, but everything seemed to point to a weak man being exploited for his weaknesses by the Red Herons.
It was an awful shot of insightfulness, Jack thought. He had thought it was the worst part of his civics lesson, and it appeared Jack was learning that weakness and indecision were the enemies of peace. He perked up at the mention of the Black Finger Society.
“Five of them were spotted together with a Red Heron leader,” Lord Kaseru said.
“If the Red Herons are the enemy, you should attack the Black Fingers,” Jack said. “What if they get the Battlebone?”
Everyone looked at him speaking from his spot behind the emperor.
“What are you saying?” Rakota asked. “You are to protect me, not participate.”
Lord Kaseru turned to Jack. “You think the Black Fingers are behind this?”
“I killed one in Botishi. They are all evil to the core. It wouldn’t take much to subvert the Red Herons,” Jack said. He folded his arms and bowed to the emperor. “That is all I will say.”
But Jack didn’t say he wouldn’t continue to think about the Black Finger problem. Did Fasher know the Black Fingers were that intimately involved? It would explain the urgency of their errand, but that urgency stalled when they arrived in Masukai. Their inability to act when they first stepped on Masukai’s shores allowed the Black Fingers to penetrate the Red Herons more deeply.
If the Black Fingers retrieved the Battlebone and had someone who could use it, the danger in Corand and the surrounding countries would increase. With that on his mind, Jack couldn’t wait for the emperor’s advisors to finish talking. The meeting had become boring. Jack couldn’t just sit and listen to the blather.
Chapter Thirty-Six
~
J ack teleported away without a word and gazed at the inside of Zukori’s temple. The dark temple was deserted, and the door was barred shut.
He stood up, having teleported in a sitting position. His Deep Mist sword was nowhere to be found, and that pained him a little, but his Lajian sword had more “features” especially since Akkora’s mist didn’t work in the temple.
Jack drew his sword and shot off a weak wizard bolt to make sure his tools were ready. He had Takia’s Cup and his own version of the Serpent’s Orb in the bag at his waist. He clutched Eldora’s box for good luck and approached the statue of Zukori placed in the center of the temple.
It was apparent that some of the tiles had been ripped up and stone panels from the sides of Zukori’s stature removed as his vision adjusted to the dim interior. He looked up at Zukori’s statue. The head transformed, just as Akkora’s had in her temple.
“So you are Jack Winder in the flesh. I have been expecting you,” the god said.
“Are you going to kill me?” Jack asked, more afraid of Zukori than he had been of Grishel. He certainly looked more imposing.
“Why? I’m not a Red Heron or a Black Finger, you know. Masukai is just as much my country as it is Akkora’s. I’m not happy that Yomomai is tearing itself apart.”
“Aren’t you the god of war?” Jack asked.
“I didn’t give myself that name if that is what you mean. There are other gods more deserving of the title,” Zukori smiled, “but I do like a good fight.”
“Do you know what happened to my sword?”
Zukori laughed. “You think a good deal of yourself. Why would I keep track of your sword?”
“Because it contains a spell imbued by Akkora,” Jack said.
“Oh. You caught me on that. They took it with them.”
“And they are?” Jack asked.
“The Red Herons who directed the palace guard, of course. I don’t know them personally like I do you.”
“Why do gods and goddesses appear to me?” Jack said, feeling a bit of frustration. “I’m only Fasher Tempest’s servant with a little more power than other people.”
“You answered your question.”
“When I ask a simple question, I get a riddle for an answer,” Jack said, exasperated.
/> The statue shrugged a tiny bit.
“Can you help me get the Battlebone?”
Zukori smiled. “Do you want another riddle?”
“I will if I won’t get a direct answer.”
“A flash of flame that will make a soul lame will guide you alone to the great Battlebone.”
“That’s it?” Jack asked.
“It is, but I’ll give you a big hint. It is inside my temple. Good luck, Jack.” Zukori said as his face changed, and Jack could feel the presence had gone.
He walked around the temple, wondering what Zukori meant.
“A flash of flame that will make a soul lame,” Jack said aloud.
He had considered himself a bit on the creative side, but inspiration had deserted him. He sat down to think, leaning against the wall. Moments later, a Masukaian man appeared on the floor. Jack could barely see the the man’s deep red clothing in the gloom. He stayed still, unable to draw his sword without moving enough to catch his attention. Jack invoked invisibility.
The Red Heron wizard put fists on his hips as he looked up at the statue. “Tell me where the Battlebone is, you cretinous god.”
Jack could tell the man didn’t contemplate that Zukori could hear him. The wizard took off his sandals and stockings before stepping on the cold stone floor of the temple in bare feet. He nearly faced Jack, but he turned around to look back at the god’s image before he began to walk behind the statue.
Jack was tempted to give the man a hotfoot. That would make the intruder hop around for a bit before he teleported out of the temple. As hard as Jack wished for the man to leave, the Masukaian wizard stayed and pranced on the floor. Jack couldn’t understand why the man was dancing in the temple.
The man stopped in front of Zukori’s statue again and raised a wand.
“Borigore gives you his best wishes.” He put his head back and laughed. Then the Red Heron raised his wand and aimed it at the stature. He yelled out a word Jack didn’t understand and bathed the statue with fire, desecrating the statue. He turned and looked directly at Jack as if the invisibility spell hadn’t been invoked and raised his wand again. Jack rolled away from the wall and used his blue cuff to build an ice wall while he drew his sword.
A wizard bolt of tremendous strength shattered the ice wall, drenching Jack as he pointed his sword at the Borigore-possessed Red Heron and let him have it with a full power wizard bolt. The man’s eyes grew wide. His mouth moved, but no sound came out. When the light of life left the Red Heron’s eyes a voice filled the chamber.
“I know who you are Jack Winder. Don’t think you can survive what is to come.”
The evil wizard toppled on the temple floor. Jack took a deep breath and stepped out of the pool of water that his wall of ice had become.
“That was Borigore in the body of the Red Heron’s leader and best wizard,” Zukori said, his statue, now clean and untouched from the intruder’s wizard fire. “He thinks he is the only tough god among us. It would be right for you to be wary, but just as he is your enemy; you have others who are friends. As for me, I walk a fine line in between since my relationship with Akkora is complicated.”
The god’s statue became inert once more. Jack stared at the statue. For one, he didn’t understand what Zukori meant about his fine line between enemy and friend, and two, Jack had no idea why gods and goddesses appeared to him regularly. He had never read anywhere of such a thing happening before.
Was the Red Heron leader the one who might have the power to use the Battlebone? If he was, the wizard’s death was a blow to the uprising. Jack set those thoughts aside as he stepped over to the dead wizard and looked at the man’s bare feet.
Did Borigore possess him and made him take off his shoes so he could feel the cold stone as he danced? Jack would never know, except he did have to laugh. It appeared the Masukaian had formally joined the Black Finger Society. Not only did the dead man sport black fingertips but black toes, as well.
The toes looked like they had been burned. Jack should have heated up the stones as the man danced.
He slapped his palm on his forehead. Of course! Jack pulled out Takia’s Cup and burnt a square stone segment of the floor. The spell was a shadow of itself inside Zukori’s temple, but sufficient for Jack’s current errand. Nothing happened, except Jack could smell the odor of whatever had been incinerated on the surface of the polished stone. He held out his hand and felt the heat absorbed by the square. That was the flash of fire that could make a soul lame. The Battlebone was hidden under a square stone on the floor.
“Thank you, Borigore,” Jack said to an empty temple.
He looked across the floor. It was a sea of black and white tiles. Jack could see whoever hid the tile had to find some way to hide the Battlebone. He continued to use Takia’s fire to quickly cleanse each tile. When he was halfway across the floor to the left of the statue, the flash of fire caused the surface of a tile to smoke. Jack fell on his knees to watch the fire burn the painted surface on the tile, revealing a plainer surface underneath.
Jack had to use his sword to pry the stone from the floor. Underneath, he discovered a stone box, and within the stone box, Jack found a dark-gray lacquered metal container as long as his hand from the bottom of his palm to the tip of his middle finger. He lifted the metal container out and used his short sword to work the top off. Nestled within a blood-red velvet cloth sat a bone covered with intricate carvings.
He didn’t want to touch the thing, but he couldn’t resist. This was what he had dedicated two years of his life to find. He picked the bone up. It was smaller and thinner than he expected, nearly as long as the metal container that had protected it for centuries.
Jack replaced the stone box and shoved the plain paving stone back into place. He sighed, wishing the burned top was less obvious. The next enemy wizard to enter the temple would know that someone else had beat them to the bone. He bowed to the still statue with the hint of a smile and teleported back to the emperor’s dining room.
To Jack’s surprise, the meeting was still in session.
“I have some news,” Jack said, interrupting an argument in progress.
Emperor Rakota looked back with an irritated look on his face. “I told you to remain silent.”
Jack stepped forward and raised his hand to silence the protesting participants. He then lifted the top off the dark gray container and announced, “This is the Battlebone.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
~
A ll talk stopped. “When did you get that?” the emperor asked.
“While you were all discussing what to do, I decided to stop listening and do something.”
Grigar chuckled in the otherwise silent room.
“I teleported into Zukori’s temple. Someone barricaded the doors. I suspect the Red Herons did since a man I believe to be their leader joined me by teleporting in. He is now in Borigore’s bosom. He was doing a dance in bare feet on the floor, which I thought odd, but after he expired, I discovered a false tile and underneath it was this.”
Jack opened the top of the container and stepped forward to put it on the table. There is carving on the bone, but I didn’t stay around to decipher it or discover if it was merely decoration.”
Grigar stepped forward. “It is a collarbone.” He shrugged. “I don’t know if it is a large or a small one.” He leaned over. “Ah,” he said, “the carving is a decorative script of the archaic language shared by your friends to the north. Luckily, I have studied the language in my youth, among other things.”
Yoki Tirashima, Grigar’s friend, did some chuckling of his own.
He picked up the bone and held it closer to his eyes. “It describes how to far-see and how to focus on a single person.” Grigar looked up. “Visualization. They used it in Bornan too. The last bit says the bone is for a powerful wizard.”
“And that is why the old emperors hid the thing. No one could use it,” Keneto Kaseru said. “Okiku is the most powerful wizard in the royal line fo
r generations.”
“From her mother’s side,” Rakota said. “Not my uncle’s.”
“Then we will see if she can make it work,” Jack said. “I will be the custodian since I recovered it.”
“You will abscond with it, Sakoru Sinda,” Iraishi Ranturo said.
“No,” Jack said emphatically. “I have always considered myself an honorable person in my own way. I promise to see the insurrection defeated before I leave. We might be able to hasten things if the Battlebone really works.”
“And what will it do that our spies will not?” Ruki Sinda asked.
“Ferret out all the Black Fingers, for one thing. They are the ones who have stirred the Red Herons into a frenzy. The Red Heron leader had joined the Black Finger Society. Destroy the Black Fingers in Yomomai, and you will see tensions ease,” Jack said.
“If that happens, I’ll still not give up the bone easily,” Ruki said.
The emperor raised his hand, stopping all talk. “I didn’t recall promising to give the Battlebone to you, Ruki Sinda. It is either the boy’s or mine. I will decide the fate of the object.”
Ruki bowed his head. “I am sorry, your highness. I was caught up in the urgency of our situation.”
Rakota lowered his hand. “We all are, but I can see why Sakoru Sinda was put at my side. He does things. I must try to emulate that.” The emperor looked around the room. “We all should. Now, let us return to our plan.”
Grigar gave Jack the bone. After he had put it in the box, he said to the emperor. “I will take Grigar with me to Pearl Mist headquarters and show it to Okiku.”
The emperor nodded, and the talk continued as Grigar joined Jack, and they teleported.
They ended up in the dining room. One of the leaders was finishing a meal.
“Ah, you are back. We need your healing abilities,” one of the Pearl Mist leaders said to Grigar.
“Is Okiku helping?” Grigar said.
“She is.”
“Show us the way,” the Lajian said.
They followed the woman into a different building and to a large room with the thick rush mats on the floor. Okiku was kneeling next to a patient.