by Anna Kashina
“They’re both young, healthy, and very attractive,” he said. “And, through your orders, they are stranded together in an incredibly tight spot. Can you blame them for having some innocent fun?”
“Innocent?”
“Come now, Aghat. We teach them to channel their passion into fighting, but we never forbid our ranked warriors, especially Diamonds, to have this kind of pleasure if they feel they must. In fact, such things have proven invaluable in providing us with new stock for the gem ranks. Kara and Mai are a perfect match, both in combat styles and in how talented they are. They’re the best our Guild has seen in centuries. What’s wrong with them being together, eh?”
Oden Lan’s face became a mask.
“He… He doesn’t take women seriously. To him, it’s all a game. And, she is not one to be played with. He’s wrong for her.”
Abib looked at him with amusement. “And who isn’t?”
Oden Lan regarded him in cold silence.
“No one,” he said. “She’s a Diamond. She’s meant for a different fate.”
“She was a Diamond, and one of your best, until you sent killers after her, Aghat. Most likely, she only has hours left to live if you don’t do something about it. You can’t possibly let your jealousy destroy her, can you?”
Oden Lan measured him with his gaze. It was good that he and Abib were old friends. He would have likely had to strike down any other man who said such a preposterous thing to his face.
“It has nothing to do with jealousy, Abib. They were the ones who chose their fate. She – when she decided to abandon her assignment to help that boy. He – when he violated his orders and spared her life. They deserve to die. And they will. No one will stand in the way of justice as long as I’m the Guildmaster.”
“You call that justice, Aghat,” Abib said quietly. “I call it blindness.”
“You’ve said enough, weapons keeper,” Oden Lan said coldly.
“Not yet, Aghat. I have one more question. What about Raishan? Was it part of your justice to get him shot?”
Oden Lan pursed his lips. “Raishan made a choice too. He sided with the traitors of our Guild and tried to interfere with my direct orders. As far as I’m concerned, he’s one of them.”
“You are mad, Aghat Oden Lan,” Abib said. “I will not stand by your actions.”
Oden Lan’s heart raced as he stepped back, looking into Abib’s face.
“You have only one choice, old man,” he said. “Either you take back what you just said, or you’re an outcast too.”
Abib held a pause.
“Given the circumstances,” he said, “I’ll take it back for now. Thank you for giving me the chance, Guildmaster.”
He turned and strode out of the room.
After the weapons keeper was gone, Oden Lan spent a while looking into the courtyard below. Then he rang the bell on his desk and nodded to the man who appeared noiselessly in the door.
“Send him in,” he said.
In a few moments he heard the rustle of feet on the stone steps. The door opened and closed, letting the newcomer into the study.
The man that stood in front of him was clad all in black. Even his face was covered with a mask, a black cloth with slits for the eyes: the mark of the Anonymous from the Inner Fortress, protecting the identity of one of the most important men in the Guild.
Oden Lan had not seen this man’s face in years. And now, after all this time, he wasn’t even curious anymore.
The Shadow Master was not one of the best warriors of the Guild. His value lay in his unique ability to spot the weaknesses of the top warriors that other trainers might miss. He was also a strategist, who knew the exact fighting style of every top gem. But, more importantly, his job was to oversee the Diamonds’ shadow training, where one Diamond in the Guild was taught the exact fighting style and weaknesses of another, in case it became warranted for the Guild to bring this Diamond down. Seeing the Shadow Master now brought bad memories. Mai had been Kara’s shadow, trained to kill her if needed. And now, despite this ability, he had chosen to spare her life and ultimately to commit her to this senseless challenge.
“I would welcome any suggestions, Shadow Master,” Oden Lan said.
The man nodded. “How many top ranked warriors are currently in the Fortress?”
Oden Lan glanced outside the window, then at the list on his desk. “Four Diamonds,” he said, “not counting Aghat Raishan. Thirty-six Rubies. Over a hundred Sapphires. The Emerald Guards. And the Jades, of course.”
“Which Diamonds?”
“Jamil, Rand, Lance, and Shebirah.”
“You assume Aghat Mai won’t be able to fight?”
“I don’t see how he could possibly do it. In fact, I assume we won’t be seeing him at all – except his corpse, which I fully intend to put on display after this is over.”
Shadow Master nodded. “Four Diamonds shouldn’t have a problem finishing her off. Send Lance first. Kara’s main weakness is in the fact that being smaller and lighter than a man, she would have more trouble against head-on attack with brutal force. Lance is good at it. He is bigger and heavier, and he is brutal enough for the task. Have the other three Diamonds cover him and distract her, if needed. It should be a fairly short fight.”
Oden Lan shivered. Lance was indeed a brutal man who wouldn’t hesitate to kill even his own mother if charged with the task. He wished every one of his Diamonds had been so reliable.
“Have the Rubies stand by as a precaution,” Shadow Master said. “And a ring of Jades around the top. Whatever happens in the arena, after she exhausts herself, the Jades will have no trouble finishing the job.”
Oden Lan nodded. Now that they were actually talking about it, he couldn’t help the unpleasant quiver in his stomach at this calm discussion of the fastest way to kill Kara. The reason he was so angry at Mai was not only because the man had disobeyed his orders and stirred up Oden Lan’s jealousy by getting closer to Kara than Oden Lan could only dream of. The worst of it all was the fact that, through Mai’s actions, Oden Lan was now forced to witness and orchestrate Kara’s death.
Perhaps Abib was right and he should give her, if not a pardon, at least a chance to surrender. But in the end it was all the same. He had no choice but to have her killed. Doing otherwise would violate everything he believed in.
“I must go down into the courtyard to address the troops,” he said. “Gahang Khall is already waiting down there. I’ll send him and the Diamonds to your quarters afterward for detailed instructions.”
He swept his cloak back over his shoulders and descended the spiral staircase leading to the inner grounds in smooth, springy steps.
16
THE KEEPERS’ CURE
The Jades locked the prison door and left, making a lengthy show of putting the bars into place and clicking the numerous locks. Kara watched them from the depth of the cell, throwing frequent glances at Mai crouching in the corner. He was sitting on the floor with his back to the wall, leaning heavily on his uninjured arm, watching her with wary eyes. In the dim light his face looked drawn, exhausted.
It was to their advantage to make the Jades believe Mai was near death, but only if in the end he could recover and surprise them tomorrow. Kara didn’t believe it was possible. He had taken a poisoned arrow for her. There was no way he could survive this. He was going to die, all because she was too slow to defend herself. She was having a hard time coming to terms with it.
As soon as the Jades were gone she swept to Mai’s side, easing him into a more comfortable position. She knew she should at least get out the arrow. But in the dim light of the waning sky coming in through the open grate of the doorway, she was likely to do more damage than good. Still, she couldn’t possibly have him sit through the night with an arrow in his shoulder.
“Sorry,” Mai said. “How stupid of me to get myself shot.”
Kara swallowed a lump. She shouldn’t cry, she knew. She should maintain all the composure she could. Tomorrow she was going to
give their Guild the show of a lifetime, a fight that would go down in history for centuries to come. It wouldn’t make a difference in the end, but she was going to make damned sure Mai’s death had a meaning and that she went through with what he had started.
It crossed her mind that she would be fighting her former comrades, and that this whole thing was madness orchestrated by a devious enemy. If the Kaddim’s goal was to bring down the Majat Guild by taking out the warriors of its top gem ranks, they were succeeding, and there seemed to be no way for her to stop it.
She could refuse to go through with the challenge, of course. But then she would be throwing away everything Mai had fought for. After everything he’d done for her, she couldn’t possibly betray him. She owed him her life, and she was going to pay this debt in spades.
“Let me take the arrow out, Aghat,” she said.
He shook his head. “We both know nothing you can do could possibly stop the inevitable. You should rest. You need your strength.”
She ignored his words, looking for a brighter place where she could put him to do her work. But at that moment she heard a click of a distant gate opened and closed. Footsteps echoed on the cobblestones and she saw a tall man with a crossbow on his back striding through the courtyard toward their cell.
She kept outwardly calm, but went tense inside, ready to spring into action. Did the Guildmaster stoop so low as to send a spy to them?
He probably wanted to know how bad Mai’s wound was. And she was damned if she was going to give him any clue.
She kept to the shadows as the man approached, peering into the darkness of the cell.
“Aghat Kara?”
She strained her eyes to see him more clearly. The newcomer was a young man with short wavy hair. His strong jaw and full lips threw long shadows in the waning light. She was certain she had never seen this man before.
“Yes?” she said.
“Is Aghat Mai all right?”
She glanced at Mai, slumping by the wall. “He’s just fine. Why?”
She imagined she saw the man’s shoulders sag in relief. From this distance she could see his armband, its dim, suffused stone accented by the sharp glint of the metal around it. She couldn’t make out the stone’s color, but she could guess it all the same.
“You’re a Jade,” she said. “Which, at the moment, makes you an enemy. I strongly caution you to approach no further.” She took out a throwing dagger, shifting just a bit into the light and making a show of weighting it in her hand. The man hesitated, the fear in his face suggesting that he might have been one of those in the courtyard who had witnessed her shadow throw.
He took off his crossbow with slow, deliberate movements, and laid it on the ground in plain view.
“I brought you a package,” he said, “from Magister Egey Bashi. May I come closer so that I can give it to you, Aghat?”
She frowned, doing her best to hide her surprise. A package from Magister Egey Bashi was the last thing she expected. Was this some sort of trap?
The Jade straightened up and held his arms out to the sides. A small vial glistened in his hand.
Kara stiffened, feeling her skin creep.
“It’s a healing elixir,” the Jade went on. “He said Aghat Mai would know what it is. If he’s conscious.”
She shot another glance at Mai.
“I’m quite all right, Gahang,” Mai called out. His voice was calm, but she knew how much effort it was costing him to speak like this.
“I’m so glad to hear that, Aghat Mai.” The cautious glance the Jade gave Kara showed that he wasn’t fooled. She stared back, hoping that her expression didn’t betray anything at all.
“This liquid,” the Jade said, “will heal his wound completely, without a trace. You have to put it all the way into the wound, though. Did the arrow go through?”
“Yes,” she said. There seemed to be no reason to deny something he apparently knew so well.
“Have you taken it out yet?” the Jade insisted.
“No.”
“Break off the feathered part of the shaft, coat the rest with this substance and pull it out through the wound, slowly. It should be enough. That’s what the Magister said. He also said that you should treat your own wounds, if you have any. Even if they’re scratches. You’ll need all your strength for tomorrow.”
She nodded. Then she reached out and carefully took the vial from his hand.
“I have something else for you too.” The Jade took a bag off his shoulder and held it out, working to fit it through the narrow grate.
“You’ll need light to do this,” he said. “There’re two lanterns in there, fully fueled. Enough to burn until dawn, even though you probably won’t need that long. And a flint, in case you don’t have one. Also, there’s water and food rations.”
She met his gaze. From this distance she could finally see his eyes, watching her with a mixture of awe and concern. She knew she would remember him if she saw him again.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked.
He hesitated. “My crossbow shot down Aghat Raishan. I didn’t think he deserved to be shot, but I followed my orders. I did my best, along with the others, to shoot down you and Aghat Mai. When Gahang Khall gave the signal, I was certain you were as good as dead.” He swallowed. “I’ve never seen such fine swordwork. You and Aghat Mai are the best our Guild has seen in centuries. I can’t just stand by and let you two get killed. If you’re doing this, you deserve your best chance.”
“You do know that if you’re discovered you’ll be in a lot of trouble?”
He held her gaze. “I don’t intend to be discovered. But if I am, I’ll answer for my actions. Dying by your side would be an honor, Aghat.”
She smiled. “I don’t intend to die. Neither does Aghat Mai.” She wished she could believe it, but she made certain her voice sounded confident and easy, as if there were nothing to it.
If she could heal Mai’s wound it would ease his suffering. It would make his death as easy as possible for someone shot with Black Death. But it still left no hope that either of them would survive. She bit back the thought, her smile so stiff that it hurt her cheeks.
“Magister Egey Bashi also asked me to tell you one more thing,” the Jade said. “Aghat Mai will not die because of the poison. Its effects should wear off completely by morning. Black Death can’t kill him. I’m not sure why.”
Her eyes widened, the sudden rush of hope making her head spin. It took her a moment to find her voice.
“He said that?”
“Yes, he was very certain. He said he talked to Gahang Sharrim and found out how much poison the arrow was coated with. Aghat Mai should tolerate it well. But, the Magister also warned that Aghat Mai might become delirious for a while, even violent. Black Death does it to people; I heard it, too. This elixir causes terrible pain and at the heat of his delirium Aghat Mai might go berserk, if the wound is not treated very soon. Please be careful.”
Kara let out a breath. “Thank you, Gahang.”
“I wish I could help you more.”
This time her smile came from the heart. “You’ve done enough. I won’t forget it.”
“You’re not asking my name.”
She shook her head. “No. You’re risking enough without telling me your name. When this is over, I look forward to being properly introduced. Now, go, Gahang, before someone discovers you here.”
She waited until the tall slim figure disappeared under the low archway. Then she unclenched her fist and looked at the dark glass vial in her hand.
She knew what it was, even though she had never had a chance to see it in action. The liquid in this vial could make damaged flesh grow whole in mere minutes, without so much as a scar. This elixir was once used on her own mortal wound, so that it healed without a trace while she lay unconscious.
She shivered with relief. If she did everything right, Mai would survive. He might be in shape tomorrow to fight by her side. Against reason, this knowledge filled
her with hope, as if facing their entire Guild side by side with Mai guaranteed them victory.
At least she would not have to watch Mai die in her arms. Not tonight.
Kara returned into the cell and lit both lanterns, placing one on the shelf above Mai’s head and the other on the floor next to his wounded left arm. Her own arm was stinging whenever the sleeve touched the long gash grazed by the crossbow bolt, but she ignored it. It was nothing but a deep scratch and wasn’t even bleeding anymore.
Mai’s eyes had a feverish gleam as he watched her movements. The poison was taking hold. She hoped she could finish the worst of the healing while he was still aware of his surroundings and that it wouldn’t be as bad as the effects of Black Death were rumored to be.
She took out a knife. He drew up against the wall, then slowly relaxed as awareness settled in. He was losing control, and it was frightening to watch.
“Did you hear everything?” she asked.
He nodded.
“I’m going to cut the shaft. Then I will coat the arrow with this substance and pull it through.”
He tried to lift up higher against the wall and winced, subsiding back into place.
“You must not move when I’m doing it. It’s going to hurt, far more so than from just pulling the arrow through.”
“I know.” He looked up at her, a smile glimmering in the corners of his mouth. His face was hollow, so pale that he looked like a ghost.
“You’ve been through this before,” she said. “Haven’t you?”
“Yes.” His voice was a near-whisper as he watched her movements with an entranced look.
She took a vial of disinfecting liquid from her pack and wiped her hands and the blade.
“Ready?”
He nodded.
She leaned over him, cutting away his blood-soaked sleeve, trying not to disturb the arrow protruding from his shoulder. One by one, she peeled off the strips of the sleeve, leaving his arm and shoulder bare. The wound was still oozing, blood caking around the entry point.
She reached forward and grasped the shaft, sliding her knife across in a clean, precise cut that snapped the feathered end right off.