Chapter 6 Dochia
“Two more days and you would have been trapped in the mountains.” The First Light of Silvania gestured through the window of her small room: it was snowing softly over the land, the high peaks still visible through the clouds. She was an austere woman, like all the Wanderers. We did not expect luxury working for the Realm. We were born to serve.
“A bit of luck,” I shrugged, expecting a comment about the letter from Valera she had just finished reading. Except for the snow, nothing had changed in Alba Hive of Silvania since my last journey here, four years ago. The year Tudor was killed by the Arenian Royal Guard led by Baraki, and Codrin remained alone. The almost six-week long journey had been uneventful, yet it was my first winter spent out of Frankis. The week before, there were signs that my Light was coming back; but however much I wanted to, I did not try to see into the future. The more you let your mind stabilize from the Passing the better. The advice moved me back in time, and I remembered Valera, still troubled by her sudden death. Sometimes my head was light, sometimes I saw black stars, sometimes I was briefly blind, yet the Passing effects were fading. On the road, we mourned Valera the day she predicted that Fate would take her, but it was far from home, far from her. And Valera was right, without the Light I felt lonely and lost.
“Luck is a welcome guest,” she laughed, then remained silent. “Things are not going well. The First Light of Arenia had the same premonition: a Fracture is coming.” She shook Valera’s letter. “Tomorrow morning, we will have the Conclave your First Light is asking for. Arenia and Litvonia will be represented, and four other small kingdoms. There are enough of us to make Judgments with the power of law for all the Wanderers. We needed to act fast, and there was not enough time to warn Frankis, but you are here, and you are part of the Frankis High Council. Arenia sent Ada, their Second Light.” That was indeed surprising; Ada was almost seventy years old and the strongest Wanderer alive; it was expected that only a Fourth or a Fifth Light would come – Litvonia was represented by its Fifth Light.
Valera was the third most powerful... Am I as good as she thought? “I don’t have a mandate for a Conclave.”
“Observer, then,” she shrugged. “Even without you we are a quorum, and I will give you the right to speak in the Conclave.”
“Thank you. Is this the only subject of the Conclave?” I asked.
“The First Light of Arenia has asked to introduce the marriage of the Silvanian King’s daughter too. It is what you came here for.”
You asked me to come. “Why should such a subject be part of a Conclave?”
“I don’t know, but we will learn tomorrow. You may go now and rest.”
“We all know each other,” the First Light of Silvania said, and the large room, hosting twelve Wanderers, made her voice thin. “We can skip the small pleasantries; there are tough decisions to be made. I pray to Fate to enlighten us.” The small note of urgency in her tone was new to me, and I reminded myself that the Lights of Arenia and Silvania had spent most of the morning together. “News has arrived from Arenia.” She gestured to Ada, the Second Light of Arenia.
“Bad news I have for you sisters. The Timurid branch has taken power in the Khadate of the east. Old Khad Muir from the Selem branch was killed six months ago, and Ander took power,” Ada said. “The Timurids are Serpentists.” She glanced around, but no one seemed to know what that meant. “They don’t believe in Fate; they believe in the Serpent God who will eat the world. The Serpent gave the Timurids the duty of conquering all the land for him. That’s what Molock, their first Great Priest, divined a hundred years ago, when it became clear that the equinox precession had started. We are moving from the constellation of Fate to that of the Serpent.”
“Did they reinstate priests?” the Light from Litvonia asked, her eyes wide and disbelieving.
“It’s a matter of choice, my dear,” Ada said with a shrug. “Some people prefer priests to deal with their god for them. Others pray alone. There are even some who believe in Fate that use priests. A rare thing, of course.”
“How convenient,” I mused. “Molock divined it, yet they still failed to conquer the world. I am sure their actual Priest has found a new and better reason.”
“You are right for the wrong reason,” Ada glanced briefly at me. “Three months ago, their previous High Priest had an accident. He could not divine that Ander is the Conqueror our world awaits. The new High Priest seems to be wiser. He is still alive. I think.”
“So he mocked his own God,” the First Light of Silvania said, a trace of contempt filling her voice.
“Sometimes we mock Fate too,” Ada smiled. “Gods created us, and we created gods. Our spiritual relationship with Mondi Chrysalis, where the gods are supposed to live, goes both ways, up and down. It’s more convenient to start a war when a god is backing your claim. Soldiers are more determined to fight when they believe in a higher purpose. Of course, becoming rich and famous has its role too. And Ander had a dream. We don’t know what was in his dream, but the old High Priest failed to interpret it ‘properly’. We may learn soon about that dream and how Ander wants to use it. From your letter,” she gestured toward me, “it looks like our First Lights were warned about a Fracture, but they differ on some points.” Thoughtfully, she took a deep breath. “Like where it will start. You think it is Frankis, we think it is Arenia, so we have a Divergence.”
“Both may be correct,” I stated, neutrally.
“That may be,” Ada conceded, and her brows arched. “Though I can’t think of any danger coming from the ocean west of Frankis.”
“It’s more complicated than that,” I said. “Our First Light had no specific vision about this, but she also thought that the danger would come from the east, and take over a weakened land. Frankis is now just a minor mirror of what could become even worse in the former Alban Empire. She was afraid of inner divisions waiting to resurface to weaken us, and it may be that we are too accustomed to danger coming from the far east. No one came from west from the day our civilization started.”
“Don’t forget the Great Salt Invasion from the western ocean,” the First Light of Silvania said. “It took down the Talant Empire, which was much stronger.”
“No my dear, I do not forget it. The day the Talant Empire died, was the birthday of our Alban Empire. A way to say; it took more than two thousand years to restore civilization on an almost barren land, and almost one thousand more years to build our Empire. The manuscripts written in old Talant are all stored in Arenia. The small remnant that was not burned in the White Salt war and during the Talant Empire’s dissolution. But that was three thousand nine hundred and ... twenty years ago,” Ada said, a slight hesitation discernible in her voice for the first time.
“Any mention of a previous invasion?” I asked.
“Nothing that we know, my dear. We don’t even know from where the invaders came, and why they were named White Salt. I suppose there is another continent over the western ocean. Perhaps there are some hidden manuscripts in Litvonia that might tell us. The Talant capital was not far from Muniker.”
“Everything we found in Litvonia was transferred to the Imperial Library in Alba,” the Fifth Light of Litvonia said, with studied neutrality.
“Quite a normal procedure, my dear. What about the new Seer? Nothing is mentioned in that letter,” Ada gestured toward the paper from Valera resting in the middle of the large wooden table.
“The Seer will come to full power in Frankis,” I said.
“That was in a vision,” Ada muttered, more a question than a statement, and I nodded. “In our First Light’s vision the Seer would be from Arenia, but it was only a ‘may be’, nothing was clear, and it seems that we have a second Divergence,” she said, thoughtfully, and her fingers rasped the table.
“There was nothing in our First Light’s vision about a Frankis Seer; she saw only that the Seer would emerge in Frankis. And it seems that there are several potential candidates, both women and men,” I r
eluctantly added.
“Another Assassin Seer?” the First Light of Silvania asked incredulously, her voice hoarse, and her hands rising to her face.
“We think that the new Seer may be neither from the Assassins nor from us,” I said carefully, trying to make them swallow the premonition in small steps.
“Slightly better,” Ada laughed.
“You seem good-humored,” the First Light of Silvania said, her voice a pitch higher than usual.
“Wouldn’t a neutral Seer be better than an Assassin for us?” Ada asked. “It makes sense if Fate wants a full cycle: Wanderer, Assassin, neutral Seer, but we are dealing with probabilities. It may be so or it may not. Let’s put some words on paper, my dear. Bear in mind that we have the quorum for statutory Judgments.” The sudden silence in the room was broken by the rustle of paper.
“Conclave gathered in Alba Hive of Silvania, year one thousand two hundred and two from foundation, day seven before the Winter Solstice. Judgment One of the Conclave: there will be a Fracture. Divergence One: the Fracture may start in Arenia or in Frankis. Or in both,” Ada added after a brief thought, then waited for the First Light of Silvania to finish her writing. “Judgment Two: a Seer will rise to defend the Realm. Divergence Two: the Seer will rise in Arenia or in Frankis. Divergence Three: the nature of the Seer is not known.” She waited again until the other Light finished writing. “Should we proceed with the second subject of the Conclave?”
“Why should be the marriage of the Silvanian King’s daughter be discussed by the Conclave?” the Fifth Light of Litvonia asked.
“There are good reasons, my dear, powerful reasons.” Ada drummed her fingers on the hardwood. “That bloody bastard, Baraki, is much cunning and stronger than everybody believed, the former King and the Usurper included. Baraki is acting like a king now, and it seems that he has some interesting thoughts about the future of Arenia and the rebuilding of the Alban Empire.”
“Can he be trusted with such a great task?” I asked.
“In general,” Ada said, slightly distraught, “people who want to create an Empire do not ask for permission. If you ask about his qualities; he may have some of what is needed for such an endeavor: versatile politician, maybe too versatile, good army commander. If you ask my personal opinion, he is a traitor, but as you know, those kinds of opinions hardly count when you must draw the line, and make a decision. And if you win, who will dare to remember your treason?”
“Then,” I said, trying to remain neutral, “you think that the marriage between the Silvanian King’s daughter and Baraki’s son should go forward.”
“I would say that we should not try to influence the King’s decision ... too much,” Ada shrugged.
“That will absolve us if Baraki attacks Silvania,” I said hesitantly.
“Are you not going too far?” the First Light of Silvania switched uncomfortably in her chair, without looking at me.
“Empires are forged.” Umbra spoke for the first time in the Conclave. Our ravens are not forbidden to talk, but usually, they don’t interfere; if necessary, they will speak to their Wanderer partners inside their minds.
“Now, my dear,” Ada said half-condescendingly, “Umbra has just served you a lesson of history. Quite a philosophic bird you are. I bet that you like to read,” she laughed at Umbra.
“Thank you, Second Light of Arenia,” Umbra answered in kind, slight humor filling his almost human voice. “I am honored that you have discovered my hidden pleasure.”
“And what would happen if Arenia and Silvania are at war when the Khadate attacks us?” The First Light of Silvania stood up, trying hard to control a visible twinge of alarm and walked toward the window. She opened it brusquely, and frigid air flowed into the room. She inhaled deeply. “Should we advise the Silvanian King to accept the marriage and gain more time to figure out what is happening in the East?”
“For a determined man, it is never a problem to find a reason for a war,” I shrugged.
“And to whom do you apply your thoughts, my dear?” Ada stared at me. “To Baraki or to the Khadate?”
“The Khadate already has its reason to invade; the Serpent lightened the path for them, but Baraki still seeks a reason to take Silvania. Creating an Empire is a too abstract thing for a common soldier or Knight. If Baraki wants to ... forge his path,” I glanced at Ada, “he will take Silvania after the marriage is done and set his son up as heir of both Arenia and Silvania.”
“Then we should accept the marriage. The Princess is sixteen years old... This gains us two more years,” the First Light of Silvania added in haste, with a touch of relief in her voice.
“Too much waiting and I am afraid that Baraki will take Silvania first and the bride after,” Ada muttered. “Arenia has a stronger army. Just think what kind of a contract he can impose after conquest. If Dochia is right, and I think that she is,” Ada frowned at me, “Baraki needs the marriage for his son just to have some legitimacy to his claim on Silvania.”
“What about Codrin?” I asked. The second purpose for my journey was to convince the Silvanian Wanderers that Codrin deserved the Arenian throne, and the Silvanian Princess as his bride. The marriage was now a lost cause.
“He is the main reason we asked to include the marriage in the Conclave. It was supposed to help Codrin marry the Silvanian Princess, and take his throne back later, but Baraki knows now that Codrin is alive and even worse, he knows that we have recognized Codrin as the legitimate King of Arenia.” Ada inhaled, then apparently thought better of what form of truth we could handle; no one outside the Wanderers should have known about our choice for Arenia.
“How could this be...” The First Light of Silvania’s breath plumed from her lips, and she shook her head. ”How?”
“We made an agreement with the Assassins to spare Codrin, and needed a good reason in the negotiation. It came back to haunt us later.”
“The Assassins don’t want to kill Codrin,” I interjected. “They want him alive. I can’t say the same for Baraki.”
“They will still kill Codrin if he doesn’t pass the Assassin test,” Ada shrugged. “But you are right; we don’t know why the Assassins sold this to Baraki. Maybe to put us on the wrong foot.” Lost in some inner thoughts, she remained silent for a while, and no one in the room interfered. “So, what we need now is...” Ada took a deep breath. “We need to recognize Baraki’s grandson as the legitimate King of Arenia in this Conclave. We must say nothing about his son,” she shook her head.
“What about Codrin?” I asked again.
“You are such a stubborn...” Ada lowered her voice. “I don’t want to make a hasty decision,” she added, a trifle bitterly, “although we need one that keeps us safe and Codrin alive. I still think that the Realm needs Codrin, but we may need Baraki sooner rather than later. And at least for the moment, Baraki’s word carries much more weight. He speaks from the throne.”
“We let Codrin keep the Wing Talisman,” I insisted, staring at Ada.
“Judgment Three,” Ada said coldly. “The Wanderers recognize Baraki as the legitimate Regent of Arenia for his grandson. Judgment Four, Codrin will retain our protection and the Talisman Wing. Satisfied?” She glanced sternly at me, but there was no need to answer. “That’s the will of the Realm Wanderers,” she stated, then stared at us, her lips tight, resembling a double curved bow.
“That’s the will of the Realm Wanderers,” the First Light of Silvania said, and all others recited the standard formula.
“I have taken notice of the Judgments.” I stated my duty as Observer for Frankis.
“Aver,” Ada closed the Conclave, with the usual word for ending an important act. “I am starving,” she added abruptly, and leaned her head back, closing her eyes.
“Lunch should be ready in the Common Hall.” Despite her years, the First Light of Silvania sprang up, relief visible on her face, and we left the room one by one, following her.
After a long and quiet lunch, we left the Common Hall,
and in the corridor, Ada grabbed my arm, and pushed me gently toward the exit door. “Let’s have a walk together, my dear.” Walking slowly, we did not talk until the door closed behind us. “What a pleasant day,” Ada muttered, her hand gesturing away, without compass. She fell into a thoughtful silence for a few moments, staring out over the white hills beyond the river and its narrow valley, then toward the high peaks glistening in the far away. “Sunny.” She bit her upper lip and looked back at me in narrow-eyed concern. “And all that snow.” The stairs ended, and our steps left traces in the snow. They grew deeper as we went further from the house, until the snow almost reaching the edges of our boots. “It may keep us all here for a while.” She glanced around aimlessly. “I was born in the southern plains of Arenia. The snow there was a once in a lifetime miracle. Palms and magnolias surrounded my village, and the sun was even stronger than here. I have always loved the wind cooling my skin. There, not here,” she laughed. “Was your First Light alive when you left Frankis?” she asked, without looking at me.
“Yes.”
“Is she still alive?”
“I think not.” My voice broke.
“You were close to each other,” Ada placed a hand on my shoulder. “That’s why she performed a Passing on you?”
“She had her reasons,” I shrugged.
“Fate blessed your First Light with a vision of her own future. A rare thing.” She stared intently at me, and I nodded. “I suppose that your Second Light was not in the Hive at that time.” I nodded again. “Well, necessity is a tough bitch.” She remained silent, and I found no reason to interrupt. “You may have the Blue Light,” she whispered after a while, then frowned, seeming to hold some words jostling behind her lips. “That could make you the next Seer.”
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