Darkblade Guardian
Page 146
The Epilogue will lead you into a brand new series—the Heirs of Destiny series, which follows Hailen, Evren (from Darkblade Slayer), Kodyn, Aisha, Briana, and other characters on a new adventure. Continue to the epilogue at your own peril!
Epilogue:
"Apprentices of the Night Guild. Welcome!"
Ilanna did her best imitation of Master Gold as she echoed the ceremonial words of the Undertaking ritual.
"We stand before the Watcher in the Dark, patron god of the Night Guild, and submit ourselves to his judgment."
In unison, she and the eight House Masters pulled back their hoods and chanted. "Here, in the sight of the Watcher and your betters, do you, apprentices of the Guild, submit to whatever fate the gods have in store for you?"
The apprentices spoke as one. "We do."
Ilanna rose. "These last nine years, the Night Guild has been your home. We housed you, clothed you, and trained you. Now prove that you are worthy to take your place in the Houses of the Night Guild." She strode toward the twelve young men and women standing in the cleared space at the center of the Menagerie. "Step forward, apprentices."
The apprentices formed a straight, stiff-backed line facing her.
She crossed her arms over her chest in the ceremonial gesture Master Gold had loved. "Swear before the Watcher and your companions that you will submit to an Undertaking, one worthy of earning a place in the Night Guild, and one befitting the power of our patron god. Do you swear?"
The apprentices mimicked the gesture and bowed. "I swear!"
"Do you swear to devote yourselves to this Undertaking,” she called out the ceremonial words, “wholly and completely, until such a time as you have proven yourselves deserving of worshipping the Watcher in the Dark through service to the Night Guild."
"I swear!" echoed the twelve youths.
She fixed them with a stern gaze. "Do you swear that you, and only you, will carry out your Undertaking? That you will refuse the aid of all others, so that you alone may offer up this sacrifice to the Watcher and to the Night Guild?"
"I swear!"
"So let it be done!" She stepped back. "Let it be known in all the Houses. From this day forward, the apprentices you see before you are to dedicate themselves utterly to the completion of their Undertaking. Let no man interfere with their tasks. To interfere with them is to interfere with an offering to the god who has blessed and multiplied us. Do you swear?"
The assorted Journeymen and Masters around the room roared as one. "We swear!"
She produced a vial, uncorked it, and strode toward the first apprentice in line—a Fox. Leaning forward, she spoke in a whisper. "Break these oaths, you will find yourself condemned to a fate far worse than death. For you have sworn before the Watcher and the Night Guild. Do you understand, apprentice?"
The apprentice bowed. "Yes, Master Gold." His voice only quavered slightly.
Dipping her thumb into the vial, she drew three vertical lines on his forehead—the sign of the Watcher. "The Watcher guide you in your path, apprentice to the House of Foxes."
She went down the line, whispering the same ceremonial words into each apprentice’s ears and anointing them with the oil. She kept her face solemn even when Kodyn smiled at her—this was an important ceremony, and she the Master of the Night Guild. His Guild Master as well as his mother.
Aisha’s expression was resolute, her head held high as Ilanna anointed her forehead. She answered in a strong, clear voice without a hint of waver.
She’ll be another Ria someday very soon, Ilanna thought as she moved on to the last two apprentices. When she had finished, she returned to her place in front of the throne-like armchairs of the House Masters. "Go, apprentices, with the Watcher to guide you in your Undertaking. Prove yourselves worthy to join the ranks of the Night Guild, worthy to serve He Who Sees All in the Dark."
* * *
Ilanna’s eyebrows rose when a knock sounded at the door of her office. She’d barely returned to her chambers after the Undertaking ceremony and shrugged out of her robes—no one should be bothering her so soon, not with all the Houses busy with their apprentices.
“Who is it?” she called.
“Master Hawk to see you.” The door failed to muffle the sour note in Darreth’s voice. “And the apprentice Kodyn with him.”
That only added to Ilanna’s curiosity. Darreth would only call Kodyn “apprentice” if this was an official visit.
“Send them in.”
A moment later, Bryden, Master of House Hawk, limped into the room. Kodyn followed his House Master, a determined look on his strong, handsome face.
“How might I be of assistance, Master Hawk?” she asked in a polite voice.
“My apprentice,” Bryden snarled, “wishes to declare his Undertaking in the presence of his Guild Master as well as his House Master.”
Ilanna shot Kodyn a questioning glance. “Apprentice?”
“Master Gold.” Kodyn bowed, formal and far more respectful than he’d ever been when addressing his mother. “I intend to propose an Undertaking of an unusual nature, one that will require the blessing of my Guild Master.”
The fact that he’d dragged Bryden here in the capacity of Master Hawk meant he knew his mother wouldn’t sanction whatever he intended. He planned to force her hand by using her position as Guild Master against her. Clever, but that meant it would be dangerous.
Her gut clenched, but she kept her face neutral as she continued. “You have my attention, apprentice.”
Kodyn’s calm façade cracked for a single instant, and Ilanna caught a glimpse of a nervous young man. Yet it was just a moment, and he smoothed his features to once more match his calm tone.
“For my Undertaking, I intend to travel to the city of Shalandra and steal the Crown of the Pharus.”
Ilanna’s eyebrows shot up. “Shalandra?”
“Yes.” Kodyn nodded. “I have learned a great deal about the city…in recent days.” The look in his eyes told Ilanna exactly how he’d come by the information. “The Crown of the Pharus is the city’s most treasured possession, an item beyond price. I believe that stealing it would prove to the Night Guild and the Watcher in the Dark that I am worthy to serve as a Journeyman.”
Bryden’s fixed Kodyn with a pensive frown. “A laudable quest, indeed. But one with its fair share of perils.”
“I understand, Master Hawk.” Kodyn met his House Master’s gaze without hesitation. “Which is what makes it worthwhile.”
Bryden’s expression grew calculating. “The coffers of House Hawk could provide you with enough coin to defray your expenses while in Shalandra, though you will need—”
“Master Hawk,” Ilanna cut in, her tone sharp, dangerous, “please give me a moment alone with the apprentice.”
Bryden scowled. “As a member of House Hawk, he is under my—”
“As a member of my Night Guild,” Ilanna snapped, “he is my responsibility. Now, unless you have some reason that he should not be permitted to attempt this as his Undertaking, you will kindly excuse us.”
Bryden’s scowl deepened to a hate-filled glare—little love was lost between the two of them—but after a long moment, bowed. “Yes, Guild Master.” His words dripped acid. He turned to Kodyn. “You have my permission to attempt this Undertaking. That will suffice. As to what the Guild Master says, it can have no effect on my decision.”
“Out, Bryden!” Ilanna’s voice rose to almost a shout. “I will speak with my son alone.”
“Of course, Guild Master.” Bryden gave a mocking bow, then limped from the room.
The door had barely closed before Ilanna leapt from her chair. “Abso-damned-lutely not, Kodyn!”
“Mom, you don’t—”
Ilanna cut him off with a swipe of her hand. “There is no way I’m going to be okay with you traveling hundreds of miles to a city where you’ve never been, just for the sake of a girl!”
Kodyn stiffened, but the defiance in his eyes only made Ilanna angrier.
“Mother!” Kodyn’s voice was cold, but a bright fury blazed in his eyes. “Listen to me, please! At least hear what I have to say before you shut the idea down. Or are you like Master Hawk that you won’t even consider a good plan if you didn’t come up with it?”
“Choose your words wisely,” Ilanna growled. “You are my son and an apprentice in my Night Guild.”
“And no one has ever let me forget that!” Kodyn snapped. “Since my first day in House Hawk, all I’ve heard is ‘Ilanna, this’ and ‘Ilanna, that’. Everywhere I go, I hear people talking about the ‘Guild Master’s son’. Every day of my apprenticeship, I have wondered if I am in House Hawk because of my own skill or because I am the son of the greatest Hawk of all time.”
Ilanna’s jaw clamped shut. She’d expected to hear it, but she hadn’t been prepared for the resentment in her son’s eyes.
“Here in Praamis, I will never escape your shadow!” Her son’s tirade continued. “The thief that climbed the Black Spire, that stole Lady Auslan’s body, that saved the Night Guild. I will never be anything but the Guild Master’s son as long as I remain here.”
“And you think running away to Shalandra is how you’ll escape who you are?” Ilanna demanded.
“Not who I am.” Kodyn shook his head. “But to be my own man, for who I am and not who my mother is.”
A lump rose in Ilanna’s throat. “I…I’m sorry that being my son is so difficult for you.”
“It’s not.” Kodyn stepped forward and swept her hands into his—how strong his arms and shoulders had grown in the last years. “I am grateful for everything you’ve done, you and Ria both. I know what you lost, what you sacrificed for me.”
Tears blurred in her eyes. “I would do it all again. You are my little Hawk.”
“And I always will be,” Kodyn said, his voice gentle. “But young hawks need to stretch their wings and fly. I need to be free, Mom. I need to go somewhere I can make a difference.”
That puzzled her. “What do you mean, make a difference?” she asked, wiping the moisture from her eyes.
“I’ve been talking to Briana.” A blush suffused Kodyn’s cheeks at the name of the girl he’d helped rescue from the Gatherers. In the week since, they had spent an awful lot of time together. “I think you’ll want to hear what she has to say, too.”
Ilanna raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“Let me bring her here, so she can tell you herself.” Kodyn squeezed her hands. “Once she does, you will know why I need to go to Shalandra.”
Curiosity burning, Ilanna nodded. “Go, bring her.”
Kodyn pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Thank you!” He turned and raced from the room.
Ilanna settled back against the desk, sorrow welling within her. She’d been dreading this moment ever since his sixteenth nameday. He had her competitive nature, his drive to excel, and a need to escape her shadow. All of those things led him to take this risk and set out on this adventure, far from her. She had spent seventeen years worrying about him—how could she ever let him go? It seemed such an unfair thing to demand of a parent.
Yet she knew he was right. She had to let him fly free. She’d only been able to succeed because she’d had Denber and the other Hawks to help her, yet she’d had to stand on her own two feet. Kodyn couldn’t live in her shadow forever.
She looked up at the sound of the door opening, but instead of Kodyn and Briana, she found Ria entering. One look at Ria’s expression brought a worried tightness to Ilanna’s gut.
“We need to talk about Aisha,” Ria said.
Ilanna sighed. “What about her?”
Before Ria could speak, Kodyn returned, pulling Briana by the hand.
Ilanna got her first good look at Briana. The girl was young, no more than fifteen or sixteen, with a soft oval face, straight nose, plump pink lips, and eyes a beautiful almond shape and color. Her skin was a light mahogany or copper color, not as dark as Ria’s or Aisha’s, but with a sun-kissed golden hue. The Gatherers hadn’t abused or tortured her, and she hadn’t been forced to witness their vile rituals. Her eyes were hooded but lacked the permanent shadow that set in after killing or watching someone else die. She would recover—not only her body, which showed visible signs of hunger, but her mind as well.
“Briana,” Kodyn prompted, “tell them what you told me.”
She cast a shy glance at Kodyn. “All of it?”
Kodyn nodded. “From the beginning.”
Briana drew in a deep breath, her eyes dropping to her hands, which she clasped in front of the simple woolen dress Kodyn had found for her. “My father is Arch-Guardian Suroth, the highest ranking Secret Keeper in Shalandra and a member of the Keeper’s Council in Shalandra.”
Ilanna drew in a sharp breath. She’d spent the last week learning as much as she could about the City of the Dead, wanting to be prepared if the Gatherers or any other strange death-worshipping cult ever returned. Not much information was available on Shalandra—the city was fairly xenophobic—but she had learned enough to know that the Keeper’s Council wielded an enormous amount of power.
“I was taken by Necroset Kytos and his followers in order to place pressure on my father.” Briana shook her head. “What they demanded from him, I do not know, but I was the prisoner of the Gatherers for nearly three weeks before you rescued me.”
Ilanna’s eyebrows rose. “And they never harmed you?”
“No,” Briana said. “But I have no doubt they were using my captivity to sway my father’s vote on the Keeper’s Council.” She hesitated for a moment, glancing at Kodyn. “I do not know how many Gatherers there are, but I can tell you that there are more—many more—in Shalandra. When they find out about what happened to the Necroset, they will know that I am no longer held prisoner.”
“And without you,” Ilanna said, putting the pieces together, “they will have no leverage over your father.”
“Yes.” Briana nodded. “And I fear that they will either try to capture me again, else seek to harm my father. With his death, they could install someone of their own on the Keeper’s Council, and thereby have the power they seek.”
Ilanna’s brow furrowed. “But how would your return to Shalandra help your father?”
“Once he knows I am safe,” Briana said, “he will be free to move against the Gatherers openly. He has the ear of the Pharus, friends among both the Elders of the Blades, the Venerated, and the Keeper’s Priests. He will be able to put an end to the threat of the Gatherers for good.”
Ilanna turned to Kodyn. “And you want to escort her safely home?” She pursed her lips. “Knowing full well that the Gatherers could make another attempt to capture her?”
“That’s exactly why I want to help her, Mother.” Kodyn straightened. “I’ve been training with Ria and Errik for nine years, and there’s not an apprentice in any House that can best me.”
Ilanna shot a glance at Ria, who nodded once.
“But it’s more than that.” Kodyn released Briana’s hand and stepped closer. “If the Gatherers hear that she’s in Praamis, they could come for her, and the whole mess would just continue. You know how Duke Phonnis would love that excuse. Getting her out of the city would give time for the dust to settle.”
Ilanna wanted to argue, but she couldn’t help admitting her son was right. He’d clearly given this a great deal of thought, not just decided to act on a fleeting attraction to a girl he’d just met.
“And while I’m in Shalandra,” he continued, “I can do some digging into these Gatherers myself. Learn what I can about them, then help Briana’s father take them down.” He smiled. “You might be the best Hawk of all time, but I know a thing or two about sneaking and thieving myself.”
A grin stretched her lips as well. “I know. No one in the Night Guild has ever doubted your skill.”
“I saw what the Gatherers did to Arashi.” Sorrow flashed in Kodyn’s eyes. “I don’t want that to hap
pen to anyone ever again. Not in Praamis, or in Shalandra. If I can help stop it, then I’m going to.”
Pride and sorrow mingled in Ilanna’s chest—pride at the man he’d become, and sorrow that she would have to let him leave. “So be it.” She let out a long breath. “You have my blessing.”
“And,” Kodyn added with a grin, “Briana’s father is a perfect choice to get me close enough to get my hands on the Crown of the Pharus. That way, I’ll actually be able to complete my Undertaking at the same time.”
“You think you have a chance of stealing the Crown?” Briana asked. “It is in the most heavily-guarded place in all of Shalandra.”
Kodyn’s grin widened. “I’ve learned a trick or two from my mother.” He shot Ilanna a wink. “If she can figure out how to get at Lady Auslan, I’m pretty sure I can do the same with one little crown.”
Briana’s brow furrowed, but Ilanna couldn’t help smiling at her son’s confidence. “You’ve been trained well,” she told him. She stepped forward and gripped his face in her hands. “We’ve done everything in our power to keep you safe, my little hawk. Go, with my blessing.”
She had to pull him down to press a kiss to his forehead—he’d grown so tall and strong.
“If you think you’re going alone,” Ria interjected, “think again, little hawk.”
Kodyn cocked an eyebrow at the Ghandian woman. “This is my Undertaking, and—”
Ria cut him off. “And you will need someone to verify that you actually did manage to get your hands on the Crown. That means a companion, someone you are certain you can trust.” Her voice dropped to a hard whisper. “More importantly, someone your mother and I can trust.”
Kodyn’s eyes narrowed. “Who did you have in mind?”
Ria called out a word in her native Ghandian, one Ilanna didn’t recognize. A moment later, the door opened and Aisha strode in.
“Master Phoenix?” Aisha asked. She cast a glance at Kodyn, then at Briana.
“You will be accompanying Kodyn to Shalandra,” Ria said, her voice formal. “You will bear witness to his Undertaking to steal the Crown of the Pharus.”