by Anna Kashina
He saw Egey Bashi by his side shift uncomfortably from foot to foot and realized that he must have said something inappropriate. But he was right, wasn’t he?
Mai glanced at him calmly.
“You remember correctly, Prince Kythar,” he said. “I am in your debt. However, this personal debt does not extend to the lives of my men.”
“If we march against the Kaddim together, I can protect your men.”
Mai held his gaze, and this time Kyth definitely caught the expression of irony.
“I know of the current extent of your ability in some detail, Prince Kythar. So far, you can protect one man. The rest is theory, and I cannot stake my men’s lives on a theory, can I?”
Kyth took a step back. All around him people were shifting and exchanging glances. He was aware that somehow he had messed things up, but he had no idea what to do now. Worse, he didn’t want to appear as if he was looking for advice from anyone. Mai was talking entirely on his own, and the men of his suite hadn’t even changed their positions since the negotiations started. Was Kyth any worse?
“So,” he said, “you will only agree to join forces if we surrender ourselves to your command?”
“Yes,” Mai said.
“But…” Kyth began, but paused as he saw Egey Bashi by his side briefly lower his head and pinch the bridge of his nose.
“Perhaps, Prince Kythar,” the Keeper said, “we can reconvene these negotiations at another time? I feel it might be prudent to give it a day or two. With Aghat Mai’s permission, of course.” He glanced at the Majat group.
Mai’s gaze hardened. “At any time, my answer will be the same, Magister. The Majat will not act as part of an alliance or join forces under anyone’s command. If Prince Kythar wants our help, he must surrender to our terms.”
Kyth continued to stare. He was aware that diplomats were not supposed to swear and storm out of negotiations, but this was exactly what he felt like doing. Mai clearly had no intention of helping, and there was nothing he could do about it. The only thing Kyth couldn’t understand was why Mai had insisted on this charade in the first place, and brought them into this formal audience hall – unless, of course, his only purpose had been to embarrass Kyth and show him his place. Knowing the man, Kyth wouldn’t put such a motive beneath him.
He glanced around at his followers, noting Ellah holding out one finger to indicate that Mai was telling the truth, and Kara standing so still that she appeared like a statue.
In the ensuing silence Lady Celana’s voice rang clearly like a bell.
“If I remember correctly, Prince Kythar,” she said, “the only way the Majat Guild can ever be forced into unconditional cooperation is through the Ultimate Challenge. Such a thing has never happened before, but if one were to challenge the Guild and win, the Majat would have no choice but to follow.”
Kyth stared. “The Ultimate Challenge?”
She nodded. “Much like the one issued by Aghat Mai just a short time ago. A fight to the death against the entire Guild.”
Kyth’s eyes widened. He knew that, for some reason, Lady Celana seemed to hold him in high regard. But to suggest that he could issue an Ultimate Challenge and fight the entire Majat Guild to the death?
“Do you believe, my lady,” he asked slowly, “that I would be able to stand up to such a challenge?”
She smiled. “You don’t have to fight them yourself, Your Highness. You can choose a champion to fight in your stead.” Her eyes briefly flicked to Kara.
Kyth’s skin prickled. What she was suggesting was devious. Yet, this did give him a way to get out of this situation without losing face. Kara was a worthy champion, one Mai would consider a threat. And given that she was the one who put him in command, given his feelings for her, he would surely do everything possible to avert this fight?
Kyth glanced at Mai, noticing with satisfaction how the man was sitting very still, his eyes focused on Kyth as if he were a snake about to strike. It was captivating to see this wary expression in Mai’s eyes that bordered on fear. Didn’t think I could do anything against you, eh?
“By the rules,” Lady Celana continued calmly, as if oblivious to the tension, “your champion cannot be an active member of the Majat Guild. There are no other restrictions.”
Kyth’s skin prickled as he turned and met Kara’s gaze. She gave him a barely perceptible nod.
Kyth drew himself up.
“Aghat Mai,” he said. “I wish to issue an Ultimate Challenge to the Majat Guild. If I win, the Guild must promise unconditional support in our war with the Kaddim. I choose Kara as my champion.”
Mai’s eyes narrowed. His gaze darted to Lady Celana and rested briefly on Magister Egey Bashi. He did not look at Kara at all, and the way his glance excluded her made Kyth’s heart quiver. What had he done?
“If you lose,” Mai said. “She will die.”
Kyth swallowed. “I know.”
Mai slowly relaxed his shoulders and finally turned to Kara.
“You can refuse,” he said. “If you do, I will allow Prince Kythar to withdraw his challenge, given that you probably did not have a chance to discuss this plan with the Prince in any detail.”
She lifted her chin.
“I accept, Aghat Mai. I will champion Prince Kythar’s cause.”
Mai went so still that for a moment he appeared inanimate.
“Why?” he asked quietly.
She looked at Mai with such deep regret that Kyth’s heart quivered again. What have I done…?
“I believe, Aghat Mai,” Kara said, “one way or the other this alliance must happen. If you and Prince Kythar cannot agree on the terms, I see no other choice. I believe it is the right thing to do.”
Mai nodded. His eyes became glassy.
“Very well. The challenge will take place tomorrow morning at the main arena. I will not restrict your whereabouts before that time and will grant you access to all the Guild’s resources. You may prepare in any way you wish.”
Kara nodded, watching him with wide eyes. Everyone else turned to Kyth, as if expecting something.
He shook off his stupor.
“I believe there is nothing else to be said, Aghat Mai. So, if you have no further words for me, I wish to take my leave.”
Mai nodded, his expression distant as if he was deep in thought. Kyth had never seen him like this. Not that he gave a damn.
He turned and strode out of the room, with his companions in his wake.
“I did not think Aghat Mai would accept,” Celana said quietly as she fell into stride next to Kyth in the outside courtyard.
Kyth looked at Kara, walking on his other side. Her lips twitched as she turned to Celana.
“For once, my lady, you underestimated him. He always does what he believes is right.”
“But in this case…” Lady Celana’s glance at Kara told Kyth how deeply she understood the emotions involved.
“He is protecting the entire Guild,” Kara said. “Regardless of his personal feelings, he cannot stake everyone’s lives to save mine.”
Celana raised her eyebrows. “But if you knew he would do that, why did you agree to be the champion?”
Kara sighed. “It seemed to me the negotiations had reached a standoff. I believe in this alliance, and despite my utmost respect for Aghat Mai’s judgment, I don’t think he is giving it a chance. I am hoping my actions will prompt him to give it another try.”
“You think he will call off the fight?”
Kara didn’t respond, and Kyth’s heart sank as he looked at her distant expression.
“Do you think you can win this challenge?” Kyth asked quietly.
She shrugged. “Only one way to find out. We didn’t leave Mai with many choices. I know one thing for sure. If he decides to go through with the challenge, he will do everything in his power to win.”
23
RESOLVE
Once again, Kara was striding unseeingly through the Majat grounds. No matter how hard she drove hersel
f, she couldn’t seem to find any rest. She tried to think of any reason she should be feeling good about what had happened, and failed.
Mai’s look, when she had accepted the challenge, haunted her. One of his very first actions as he took command was to grant her freedom and erase her debt to him. She was alive and free, thanks to him. Was this how she was repaying him for everything he’d done for her?
When Kyth’s desperate glance back in the audience hall had begged her to accept the challenge, she couldn’t possibly refuse. Kyth’s negotiation skills were not in the same league as Mai’s, leaving the Prince cornered and trapped with nearly no escape. Worse, to Kara’s sense, Mai wasn’t about to offer him any way out. If Kyth had stormed out of the hall in the presence of the senior Majat – as she felt he was about to do – it would have been nearly impossible to mend affairs.
By accepting the challenge she hoped, above all, to gain some time that might help Mai reconsider and find a possible exit from this stalemate. They all needed this alliance to happen, one way or another, even though Kyth had done a very poor job of phrasing his request. She knew that Mai understood that too. She couldn’t help admitting that ultimately Mai was right and it would be best to do everything on Majat terms, but negotiations were all about compromises, and the way things had gone hadn’t left room for any. She was hoping that her willingness to put her life on the line might help everyone else involved see how important it was to take steps in the right direction.
If Mai allowed the challenge to proceed, he would have no choice but to put his best warriors against her. She was certain he wouldn’t want to do it if there was any possibility of avoiding it. Mai had a devious mind. Perhaps this additional time would enable him to find a solution. Of course, afterward he would probably never want to see her again. But despite how much this thought disturbed her, she told herself again and again that it was a necessary price to pay to defeat an ultimate enemy. There were bigger things at stake here than her confusing feelings toward a man who wasn’t available anyway.
More than once she wandered to the Guildmaster’s tower, hoping for a chance to catch Mai and at least attempt to explain herself, if not help him devise a way out of the situation. But his doors were firmly shut, and the Emerald Guards standing outside showed no intention of letting her through.
Having given up on Mai, she tried to see Master Abib, but the weapons keeper could not be found anywhere on the grounds. She checked every corner, every secret place she knew the old man favored, but could not find a trace of him. Even his associates, scurrying around the weapons stands and attending to the forges below, seemed to have no idea of his whereabouts.
Mai had kept his word to grant Kara access to the entire grounds. No one barred her way even when she ventured into the very heart of the Inner Fortress, the place off limits not only to outsiders but also to Outer Fortress trainees. Her feet had inadvertently brought her to the very distant secluded area, that housed the apartments of some of the senior members of the Guild.
She was surprised to see two Emeralds standing guard outside one of them. Her heart raced as she stepped closer, realising who they were likely guarding.
The old Guildmaster, Oden Lan, had not been around during Mai’s parade and had been prominently excluded from any ensuing activities. She knew his position was precarious. A normal change of command occurred when the previous Guildmaster died, and it was rare to have a man around who had surrendered command under pressure, without prior intention to lay down his power. Things must have been tough between them, and Kara was aware that Mai couldn’t possibly let Oden Lan wander the grounds until the man was fully ready to accept his successor.
As she approached the door, the Emeralds didn’t bar her way like they had at the Guildmaster’s tower. Surprised, she glanced at them with question, but they stared firmly ahead, showing no intention of even acknowledging her presence. She pushed the door and, finding it unlocked, cautiously stepped inside.
In the large, dimly lit room she didn’t see Oden Lan immediately. He was sitting so still in his tall armchair that he appeared inanimate – an ability that came with the stealth all Diamonds possessed. Yet, as she crossed the room toward him, she was surprised to realize that he was not doing it on purpose. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that the stillness came naturally.
She stopped several paces away, unsure what to say, or even what it was that brought her here, to face the man who had ordered her death.
His lips quivered. His upward glance stirred with a deep longing that made her feel instantly uncomfortable. He didn’t speak, and after a while she realized that she had to either leave or break the silence.
“Master Oden Lan,” she said.
“Kara.” His voice came out at a near-whisper as he fought to control his trembling lips.
She shivered. This man had been the closest she ever had to a father. Having him turn against her had left a deep wound, but she had never fully realized how bad it was until now, when she stood in front of him after having helped to bring about his defeat. It suddenly seemed so important to talk to him, to bring things to a closure between them.
“I am sorry for everything that happened, Aghat,” she said. “While I do not regret any of my actions, I truly wish things had gone differently.” I wish you’d understood why I violated my orders, and why Mai violated his. I wish you hadn’t ordered my death. I wish you hadn’t unleashed our entire Guild on the two of us. She was surprised at the force of her emotions as she looked down on him.
He continued to watch her, the longing in his eyes that she found so unsettling now mixing with bitterness.
“You broke my heart,” he said quietly. “Ever since you came into my care, I loved you... like a daughter I never had. And then you...”
She stared. Hearing Oden Lan talk about his love for her frightened her, affording a glimpse of the dark pit that harbored his emotions and had driven him to the verge of madness. He said he loved her like a daughter. But that was not the way he was looking at her.
With a sinking heart she remembered all the meaningful glances exchanged around her whenever Oden Lan’s name came up, the way everyone kept saying how personally her decision to disobey her orders made him feel. Was this what they all meant? Did this man truly think he loved her?
Against reason, she suddenly felt sorry for him, a man whose unresolved feelings had blinded him to something that was so obvious to everyone else. She now realized that his resolve to kill her, the way he was willing to fight Mai to the death no matter what, stemmed from the feeling he had just confessed. In his mind, Oden Lan possessed her, and knowing that she was off limits to him despite that, forced him into a mad jealousy, a willingness to destroy anyone who had so much as touched her. He may never come to terms with Mai, just for that reason. Not while she was still around.
Her pity for him, her sudden awareness of how he felt about her, made her want to run away and never see him again. But another, wounded part of her kept her in place. She needed to make amends, to remove this dark shadow from her life.
She sank down to the floor at his feet and covered his hand with hers. He didn’t withdraw it, but she sensed a shiver go through his body at her touch.
In all his years as a Guildmaster she would never have dared to touch him. And now, having emerged on the other side of death, facing one deadly challenge after another, having betrayed the trust of the man who had done everything for her, she didn’t feel these things mattered anymore. She was free, no longer bound by Majat rules, and she was going to do what she damned well pleased.
“I’ve always felt you were the closest I had to a father, Aghat Oden Lan,” she said. “Living up to your expectations has always been my highest goal. The decision I made when I disobeyed your orders... I had no choice. I want you to understand this.”
His eyes darted to her hand covering his, the longing in his eyes so overwhelming that she suddenly felt afraid. She forced herself not to move, to keep her hand in place. Sh
e wasn’t afraid of him anymore. She wasn’t afraid of anyone or anything.
Oden Lan shook his head.
“Yes, you did have a choice. You could have done your duty. You disobeyed me because of your love for that boy, didn’t you?”
Her lips quivered. “No. I did it because I knew it was the right thing to do.”
“But you do love him, don’t you?”
She hesitated. He was the second man who had asked her that in a very short time. Inadvertently her thoughts drifted to that other time she’d had to answer this question, locked in a cell with Mai. Thinking of it made her shiver. She suddenly realized that on that night, despite what she believed awaited them in the morning, she had felt unconditionally happy for the first time in her life.
And now, in one move, she had just thrown it all away.
“I thought I loved him, at the time,” she said. “But I believe I was wrong.”
“Still.” Oden Lan paused to control his twitching lips. “You acted on your personal feelings. It goes against everything you were trained to be.”
So did you. She held his gaze. “The Kaddim are our enemies, Aghat. You’ve seen what they are capable of. That time... they played on your sense of righteousness by forcing you to accept my assignment, with full knowledge that I would do everything possible to refuse. They had spent considerable efforts prior to it to make sure I knew exactly what they were and how disastrous it would have been if they had their way. Normally you would have seen it too. But you didn’t listen to me back then, because you believed I was acting on my personal feelings. That was part of their plan too.”
He didn’t say anything as he watched her.
“They played you,” Kara went on, “and Aghat Mai saw through it, despite the fact that he wasn’t even there when it happened. He staked everything, including his life, to interfere with their plan. It takes a great man to do what he did. You must see that, don’t you?”
“Aghat Mai.” Oden Lan’s expression once again became bitter. “It’s all about him now, isn’t it?”
She sighed. “He’s in charge now, so, yes, it’s all about him. He staked everything to set things right – and he won. And it’s hard to imagine a more capable man in dealing with the Kaddim. Can’t you just accept it?”