Path of Blood

by Diana Pharaoh Francis

  She sighed, sagging with exhaustion.

  “Let’s go. We’re done.”

  Before the Lady had touched her, she’d felt raw and blistered, the way she had when she’d rescued Yohuac from the wizards. But now she felt strong. The flow of magic fueling the shields was nearly effortless.

  As they walked away, Reisil became aware of a song unwinding through the mist. It came from the spell they’d cast, and it swelled, layering over itself in a complex symphony the farther they went. The sound cast a net over the crystalline landscape, and though Reisil could see few changes, she had a sense of a push here, a settling there, a shake, a twist, a straightening. It was as if everything had been just slightly off, and now it was clicking into the right pattern. She looked at Juhrnus.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Harmony. Right.”

  Oh. And suddenly Reisil became aware of all she’d lost, and that there was still more to come. There was a battle raging in Honor. People were dying. Her friends were dying. Her body tensed and her lungs contracted painfully. Her heart ached. She began to hurry.

  It was still daylight. Reisil could hear the sounds of fighting from up the valley. Saljane swooped out of the sky in a long dive. She snapped her wings wide and dropped onto Reisil’s uplifted fist. Reisil brought her close and stroked her ahalad-kaaslane’s breast feathers, smiling as Saljane nipped her fingers affectionately.

  ~The Lady won’t ever be able to return, will She? Reisil asked. Not really.

  ~Her presence smothers the magic. She cannot, if the nokulas are to live.

  ~How can She speak to us inside Mysane Kosk, then?

  ~I do not know.

  Not that Reisil was truly interested. She was only trying to stave off the inevitable moment when she had to say good-bye to Yohuac. Her heart was bleeding. It felt like a mortal wound.

  ~What will we do? She wasn’t really asking about the Lady. But then, Saljane knew that only too well.

  ~She will still send the ahalad-kaaslane. She will still watch over Kodu Riik. Saljane’s voice was gentle and pitying. She flitted to Reisil’s shoulder and tucked herself against Reisil’s neck.

  She turned to face Yohuac. He was looking at her with those golden eyes, the stoic mask gone. He looked agonized. Haunted.

  “It’s time, isn’t it?” Reisil whispered.

  He nodded. “Ilhuicatl calls. I must answer.”

  He reached out for her. His hands cupped her hips as he pulled her close. His mouth trembled. He kissed her softly.

  “I do not know how to say good-bye,” he murmured.

  “I don’t either,” Reisil said, smoothing her fingers over his shoulders and resting her forehead against his chest. She breathed in his smell, trying to inscribe it in her memory. She stepped away, curling her fingers together behind her back. Tears blurred her vision.

  “I will not forget you,” she said, her voice cracking.

  “Nor I you.”

  The air around him began to flicker and glow like flames. Reisil couldn’t help herself. She reached out her hand, wanting to touch him one last time. But he vanished like a blown candle. She stared at the spot where he’d been.

  Tears slipped down Reisil’s cheeks.

  She looked down, startled, as Juhrnus clasped her hand. He was warm. She’d almost thought he’d be cold. She glanced up at him. For a moment, the sideways, birdlike expression dropped away. He looked at her full on. In his eyes she could see him, the boy she’d grown up with, the man she called friend. She squeezed his hand. His head tilted, the mask of difference returning. But her Juhrnus was in there too.

  She didn’t let go of him as she turned back toward Honor. She was needed. He was needed.

  Chapter 43

  The wind gusted, driving stinging pellets of snow into Reisil’s cheeks. She adjusted her hood and ducked her head. The wind scoured the snow from the road and drifted it against the hedgerow.

  Lady, but she wanted a hot kohv and a fire!

  ~I see you.

  Reisil looked up, peering through the swirling snowflakes.

  ~Where are you?

  Saljane dropped out of the sky to land on Reisil’s upraised fist. She shook her feathers and mantled. Reisil lifted the goshawk up to her shoulder with a smile. The wards she’d created for the rains in Cemanahuatl worked just as well against the snow in Kodu Riik.

  “How far?” a woman’s voice called.

  Reisil pulled up, waiting. Felias rode up beside her. Her ahalad-kaaslane, a weirmart, flopped happily across her lap, as undaunted by the weather as Saljane, thanks to another of Reisil’s wards. Felias looked far older than her twenty-five summers. She was pale and drawn and her eyes had a wide, harried look. Felias had been captured by the wizards and held in the stronghold. Reisil had met her once in Kallas, before Saljane had come to claim her.

  “A quarter of a league,” Reisil said.

  “Good. I can’t wait for a hot bath. I’ll tell the others.”

  Felias loped back to the caravan. She rarely sat still, always fidgeting and moving. A consequence of being caged, Reisil guessed.

  The caravan that followed consisted of two dozen wagons, a full regiment of soldiers, and forty-two travelers. They were accompanied by thirty nokulas, who were invisible to all but those with spellsight. They ranged through the hills, not bothered by the cold. Like the people in the caravan, they were coming for the coronation and wedding.

  Reisil sighed, nudging Indigo into a swinging walk. She hadn’t been back to Koduteel in nearly two years. She wasn’t sure she wanted to return now. But there wasn’t much choice. She was needed there, and then too, she wanted to be there for Kebonsat and Emelovi.

  A sudden wriggle beneath her cloak and a querelous cry told her that her son was awake. She pushed aside the folds of green material and peered in at him. He was cradled in a sling around her shoulders. His gold eyes seemed luminescent in the gloom beneath her cloak. He saw her and gurgled happily, struggling to free his hands from the blanket she’d wrapped him in.

  “We’ll be there soon, sweetling,” she crooned. “You can eat and have a warm bath.”

  Hilis was two months old. She’d had him in Honor. It was turning into a bustling town. The nokulas had rooted out the remaining wizards, killing most and sending the rest fleeing. Thanks to Juhrnus, the plague had been eradicated. Lately he’d been acting as a go-between for the nokulas and the rest of Kodu Riik. The fact that he resembled the nokulas and could walk without shields in Mysane Kosk made them trust him.

  He’d been there when Hilis was born. His song had made the birth easy. Juhrnus had spent much of his time with her and Hilis in the last two months. He said he liked their harmony. Reisil was trying hard to get to know him again. Most of the Juhrnus she knew was gone, transformed. She still caught glimpses of the man he used to be, but she knew she would never get him back. She needed to become acquainted with who he was now. But the bond he’d formed with Kedisan-Mutira had grown stronger, despite his transformation. Or maybe because of it. The two were inseparable. Three, Reisil corrected herself. Esper was as attached to Kedisan-Mutira as was Juhrnus.

  She sighed. She was going to miss them. Juhrnus had decided to travel to Scallas with his sorceress. They’d left Honor when Reisil and Sodur did, deciding not to attend the coronation and wedding. Too many people stared at him, at his silver eyes and strange face. She smiled. They would stare plenty at the nokulas, if they decided to show themselves.

  Suddenly the snow thinned. Up ahead, Reisil could see the walls of Koduteel. Banners and flags fluttered from the towers and walls. The Lady’s Gate was wide open. People and wagons trundled briskly in and out, despite the cold weather and snow.

  Felias trotted up beside her. The other woman was spinning a blue ball of light around the fingers of her right hand. Like many of the ahalad-kaaslane, she’d discovered she had a talent for magic. Which, no doubt, was the reason the wizards had kept her alive. Like food in the larder. She might be useful.

&n
bsp; Feeling Reisil’s gaze on her, Felias looked up and flushed. Her hand closed and the magical ball disappeared. She laughed shakily.

  “I thought it would be easier to come back,” she said.

  “You’ve been a prisoner of the wizards for almost two years,” Reisil said. “But you will be welcomed. The ahalad-kaaslane have begun to gather again at the Lady’s Temple. It will be good for you to be among them again.”

  “I’m not so sure,” Felias said meaningfully. The blue ball of light reappeared.

  “You aren’t the only ahalad-kaaslane to discover a talent for magic,” Reisil said. “I’m going to stay for a while and teach them. That’s something—since I’ve been teaching you, you’ll be far ahead of them. They’ll be begging you for help.”

  Felias smiled and looked a bit less apprehensive.

  At the gates, the guards waved them through with enthusiastic greetings. As they did, Reisil became aware of a presence. She blinked into spellsight. Sodur and Lume had joined them. The two nokulas paced along, invisible. The crowd parted for them to pass.

  ~Neat trick, Reisil said dryly.

  She’d been learning to be friends with Sodur again, too. Like Juhrnus, he’d changed. And so had she. She’d lost too many friends to hold on to grudges. And this Sodur still had a keen sense of humor and a sharp intelligence.

  ~They would not like to see us, he replied with a mental shrug.

  ~They’ll have to get used to you. You’re ahalad-kaaslane, and you’re part of Kodu Riik.

  ~It will take time. But I have a feeling I will live a very long time. I can learn patience.

  Reisil chuckled.

  They wandered through the brown district toward the Lady’s Temple. Much of the city had been burned during the Regent’s reign. There was clearly a vigorous effort at rebuilding, but it would take years. Still there was a sense of happiness and hope permeating the city. The streets bustled with people who whistled and chattered and laughed. It was a far cry from the Koduteel she’d escaped from less than two years before.

  Reisil half feared that Emelovi’s brother would have destroyed the Lady’s Temple, but it looked the same. She turned Indigo into the spacious courtyard that was contained between two sweeping wings of the Temple. It was four stories tall and was constructed of green stone in every shade known to nature. Felias and Reisil handed their mounts over to the waiting grooms and went inside, followed by Sodur and Lume. The two women stamped their feet, glad of the warmth.

  “I’m hungry,” Felias declared.

  “So am I. But I want to feed Hilis and have a bath first.”

  “Oh, all right. But if I have to wait too long, I’m going to eat the furniture.”

  They checked in with the housekeeper, who became flustered when she realized who Reisil was. Her agitation grew worse when Sodur and Lume resolved out of thin air. She stared, her face paling.

  ~You couldn’t have let me warn her?

  “Glerona, you remember Sodur and Lume? Well, perhaps not. But nevertheless, this really is Sodur and this really is Lume. They will also need lodging.”

  Glerona marshaled herself, two red spots blotching her cheeks, her lips scrunched tightly together.

  ~Won’t be long before everyone knows you’re here.

  ~Saves trouble, doesn’t it? Glerona always was a busybody. Better than a broadside for spreading news.

  Reisil frowned at Sodur. Had he winked?

  The housekeeper stationed them in expansive suites with plush carpets and velvet coverlets. She ordered baths to be brought for both women, as well as a tray of snacks and mulled wine.

  “You’ll want something to tide you over until dinner,” she said.

  “I doubt I’d have merited such treatment if I hadn’t tagged along with you,” Felias said when the housekeeper had left. She scooped up a slice of potato that had been topped with cheese and bacon. “Mmmm. This is heavenly. I wonder what she sent up to Sodur and Lume?”

  Reisil nibbled on the snacks as she nursed Hilis. Afterwards, she build a nest for him on the bed, leaving Saljane to watch while she bathed.

  When they entered the dining room, they were met with cheers and applause. They were ushered in with eager hands and settled in comfortably. Many eyed the corners and empty spaces with suspicion, but Sodur and Lume were absent. Reisil wondered where they’d gone off to. But then, Sodur had lived much of his life in Koduteel. No doubt he had visits to make. She smiled and sipped her wine. She hoped his unsuspecting hosts had strong hearts.

  The night passed in a pleasant blur. This was what Reisil had dreamed of when she’d first come to Koduteel. She’d dreamed of having a family. But then Sodur had poisoned them against her. She glanced down at her son sleeping in her arms. Sodur had done what he thought was best. And in the end, now that Kodu Riik was safe, who was to say he hadn’t done right?

  The next day she spent fielding all sorts of inquiries. The other ahalad-kaaslane came to her for advice, for direction. They wanted to know what to do. Some had been bonded since the Battle of Mysane Kosk. They were uncertain of what to do and how to do it. Many were frightened by their newly discovered magical talents. Reisil found herself being pushed into the role of their leader.

  ~It won’t stop, you know. Sodur told her. They trust you. They believe in you. Even the old ones.

  ~The ahalad-kaaslane aren’t supposed to be led by anyone, Reisil protested. They are supposed to be independent.

  “Someone has always led. If only by example. And they are right. They need you. Better get used to it.”

  Three days before the coronation and wedding, Reisil tucked Hilis into his sling, lifted Saljane up on her shoulder, and wandered out into the city. She found herself stopping to heal someone, to lend a magical help in building a wall, or settle an argument between neighbors. Everywhere she was welcomed. Everywhere people wore a bit of green. There was an air of jauntiness and celebration in the air. They adored Emelovi, and they oddly didn’t seem to resent the fact that Kebonsat was Patversemese.

  “They’re in love, doncha know,” one plump old baker woman told Reisil, passing her a crumb cake. “They say he nearly killed himself protecting her. That’s the kind of man who should sit at our Emelovi’s side. That’s the kind of man Kodu Riik needs.”

  Reisil only smiled. She was happy for Kebonsat. He deserved this happiness. So did Emelovi. They had fought hard to find each other. For a moment Reisil returned to the day they’d saved Kodu Riik. By the time she and Juhrnus had walked to the stockades, the battle was nearly over. The Regent’s army had been decimated—Reisil still couldn’t think of him as Iisand. Between the nokulas, the fire, and the hail of arrows from the walls, the invading army had had little chance. They’d been slaughtered. Reisil regretted that. Many had been good men. She sighed. There was no profit in regrets.

  It had been hours before anyone had found Emelovi. Even now Reisil believed she’d held Kebonsat to this world by sheer will. And love. He’d lived for her because she asked him to. And not even death would make him fail her again. Reisil had healed the terrible wound in his back, and he and Emelovi had been inseparable ever since. The baker woman was right: Together, Emelovi and Kebonsat would be very good for Kodu Riik.

  Reisil found herself wandering down to the salt quarter and out the Sea Gate. She walked out to the bluff and up the icy steps of the lighthouse she had once called home. She stood out on the deck, enjoying the spray of the ocean. Thanks to her wards, neither the cold nor the wet bothered her. After a while, she grew tired and went inside. The furniture Juhrnus and Sodur had hauled up for her remained. There was still a pile of firewood by the fireplace. Reisil stacked it on the hearth and lit it with a touch of her finger. It crackled merrily.

  She settled Saljane on the back of a chair and nursed Hilis. He fell asleep and she wrapped him in her cloak and settled him down near the fire. She wandered around the room, feeling edgy and restless.

  She sat down on the bed, remembering the night she’d found Metyein wounded
in it. She wiped away the tears that rose at his memory. They’d buried him at Honor. The next day Soka had disappeared. No one had heard from him since. He and Metyein had been close, like brothers. He needed time to lick his wounds and heal.

  Nurema had died too. And the three young Whieche. And Tapit. It saved her the trouble of killing him herself. Like the other wizards of the stronghold, he was vermin and needed eradicating. And at least he’d done something good with his life before he died, despite himself.

  The Regent had been found mutilated. No one knew who had done it to him. Reisil suspected it had something to do with Metyein, but no one said. His body had been tossed unceremoniously onto the pyres. He was better off forgotten. Lord Marshal Vare had declared that he would retire after the coronation and wedding. He was done with war. He wanted to go home.

  Reisil found those memories too dark to bear. She stood and resumed her pacing. So much death. So much change. The problem was, she didn’t really know what she wanted to do with herself. She knew she needed to stay in Koduteel and mentor the young ahalad-kaaslane. But she couldn’t seem to want to settle down in one spot. Restlessness drove her. Like she was searching for something. Something she couldn’t have. Not in this world. Not even in Cemanahuatl.

  Silent tears ran down her cheeks. She hadn’t let herself think about Yohuac, or mourn for him. She’d lost him a year ago, but today he would die. A year ago he’d stood on top of the Temple of the Sun in Tizalan and been chosen Ilhuicatl’s Son. And today, he would be sacrificed. The Sun Priest would cut open his chest and take out his heart.

  Reisil slid down the wall, burying her head in her knees. When the storm of weeping had passed, she opened the pouch Glerona had given her and ate. There was cold meat and bread slathered with honey-butter, and a flask of milk. Reisil smiled. Glerona was determined that Reisil should gain weight and pestered her constantly about eating.

  Tiredness began to weigh on her, and Reisil retrieved Hilis, wrapping them both in her cloak and lying on the bed, pillowing her head on her arm.