Phoenix in Shadow - eARC

by Ryk E. Spoor

  “It could just be that whoever or whatever it is didn’t learn about our arrival until later—though with those farcallers they use I’m not sure I’d want to bet that way—but it does make me wonder.”

  “And your instincts have been pretty good so far,” Kyri said, giving him a quick pat. “So... I wonder, too.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Tobimar said after a moment.

  Poplock looked over at his friend’s face, about six inches away. “What do you mean?”

  “If we’re even close to right, the real source of trouble here is somewhere in Sha Kaizatenzei Valatar, the capital. So if your suspicions are correct, they’re trying to lull our suspicions while they bring us to where they’re strongest.”

  “Okay, yeah, but so?”

  Tobimar’s grin was as sharp as his blades. “So that’s where we’d want to go anyway...except they’re not wearing us down along the way. They may just find that by luring us to their headquarters, they’ve managed to get us right where we want them.”

  Chapter 30

  “Look out!”

  Kyri barely brought her sword around in time to catch the impact of the crystal staff. Myrionar’s Balance! He’s hitting as hard as a Justiciar!

  It had all happened so fast. Asked by the residents of Windtree, a small town a little down the road from Sha Alatenzei, to investigate a series of abductions and murders, the small group had put together multiple little clues that had meant nothing in isolation and followed them to an area outside of town where only a few people lived. And then Govi Zergul, a few moments ago a quiet, colorless man answering a few questions, had let slip a detail about one of the victims that they knew only the murderer should have known.

  Seeing the expressions on their faces, Zergul had leapt back with surprising agility and suddenly beautiful ruby crystal armor had streamed from a nearby case onto his body, ending with a matching staff landing in his hand—all in the time it took them to realize what was happening.

  Now Govi Zergul whirled the staff around in a fluid motion, the dark-stained wine-red crystal armor he wore flickering with a lurid bloody glow. Miri was just coming to her feet, blood flowing freely from her scalp, and Kyri’s fury rose higher at the sight of the delicate Light wounded and dizzy.

  Still, anger wasn’t going to be enough; Zergul’s speed and skill were preternatural—better than she had even imagined possible for someone living on the outskirts of this, the third little town they’d encountered after passing Sha Alatenzei. She actually found herself backing up before his furious assault, his face still eerily calm, with the same half-smile he’d worn when he’d answered the door.

  Then her foot caught on a projection of rock and she stumbled—only slightly, but she knew that was enough.

  But the expected blows never landed; with a ringing chime, twin blue-green blades caught the red crystal staff.

  Kyri recovered as Tobimar took up the battle, and for a moment she found herself staring. The Prince of Skysand was a whirlwind of blades, each blow precise yet delivered with vicious force, and now it was Govi who retreated, one step, two, trying to disengage from the ice-blue eyes that were reading his every move, and in a blur Kyri could barely follow Tobimar’s right boot caught his taller opponent on the chin. Govi Zergul staggered back—

  And froze, Miri’s blue crystal dagger appearing at Govi’s throat from behind and a taloned, scaled hand lashing out to seize the man’s upraised arm. Hiriista tore the staff from Govi’s grasp and kicked his knees out from under him. Miri’s dagger followed his throat down. “Well, I think we can take your guilt as proven, Govi Zergul. In possession of a Color’s armor—of Bryall of Hishitenzei, who vanished around here fifteen years ago, I think—assaulting a Light and other allies of Kaizatenzei, the trail of suspicion that led us here... If you are lucky you might live. I’m almost sorry you surrendered, though.”

  Govi’s half-smile was barely dimmed. He chuckled, a dry, reedy sound. “Guilty? Yes, I killed them. The Color was a fortunate accident; he thought I was helping an injured child, not killing her, so he came close enough to get my blade in his neck. Then, oh, how wonderful a gift it was...”

  Kyri felt nauseated. The tone of his voice reminded her forcibly of Thornfalcon. I’d hoped in this shining place such things would not happen. But then, we are now at the place between cities, where it weakens.

  Gray dust drifted down over them, bringing the odor of sulfur; Tozak’s Cauldron, one of several active volcanic cones around Sha Alatenzei, was sending a plume of fine ash even this far away.

  Kyri saw Gozi subtly tensing, preparing for escape. Miri spat. “Gift? Then I take from you this gift!”

  One of the crystals on her armor—on her delicate hairpiece-like helm, located directly over her forehead—shone with blue radiance, and the red crystal armor abruptly shattered.

  No, Kyri corrected herself. It hadn’t shattered; it just came apart into individual pieces, which now fell away from the wide-eyed Gozi like scattered leaves.

  “What...”

  “Did you think that we gave so powerful a set of weapons to our people, yet had no way to control them? If rogue they have gone, or—in this case—if a rogue has stolen their equipment, there is and has always been a way to tell the Armor of Kaizatenzei that it is no longer being wielded as it should be.”

  Miri yanked Gozi to his feet. “You are our prisoner. Struggle and I shall render you unconscious and drag you. If you doubt I can...remember my companions will be with us.”

  After a glance at Kyri, Tobimar, and Hiriista, Gozi was silent and did not resist when Miri bound his hands and began dragging him back to the village.

  It did not take long to turn the multiple murderer over to the local Reflect and his guards. “I’ll send word to Alatenzei to send someone to pick him up,” Miri said, after she checked the security of their prison. “This should hold him for a day or three, at least, and that’s all it needs to do.”

  “We could just execute him,” Reflect Iesa said, her eyes narrow.

  “He murdered a Color as well as your people. He’ll either be truthsworn in Hishitenzei or in Kaizatenzei Valatar itself. Yes, he has admitted it, but we will follow the law. If we do not follow the law, can we expect any to respect the law?”

  Iesa bit her lip, then bowed and nodded. “As always, you speak wisdom...even if it is sometimes not the wisdom I wished to hear, Light Miri. We will keep him secure, but safe, until others of the Unity Guard come.”

  “That’s all I ask. Thank you, Iesa. I know it’s hard for you, and your people, to let him go.”

  Kyri breathed a sigh of relief once they finally were back on the road, an hour or so later. “I know they would have let us stay, but they’re not happy about having to leave Gozi’s punishment up to another city or the capital.”

  “You’re right,” Miri said sadly. “It will be much less uncomfortable to camp out again. But,” she said, brightening and looking up at Kyri with brilliant blue eyes, “thank you so much for helping. This may not have been as tangled a mystery as the other, but your help was still invaluable. I still can’t believe he got away with killing so many in so small a town.”

  “I wish I couldn’t believe it, but I’ve met someone who got away with killing more people in a smaller town. He mostly preyed on those he knew were passing through, of course.” On the other hand, Thornfalcon had been unique. She hoped.

  Miri’s gaze was uncomfortably perceptive. “Something close to your heart, I see. You lost someone...?”

  “He had arranged the deaths of my mother and father, and later my brother. Almost killed me, too, if Tobimar hadn’t arrived just in time.” And Poplock, she added to herself; neither of them ever forgot the debt they owed the resourceful Toad.

  “Light and Shadow, that’s terrible. Was that your...whole family?” Miri’s eyes were wide with sympathy.

  The sympathy made it easier to talk about. “Not quite. I still have my little sister Urelle, and Aunt Victoria. A couple other co
usins off across the country, too, but I didn’t see them much.”

  “Still...what a terrible loss. But the two of you finished—” She halted in sudden understanding. “Oh! You’re talking about that monster, what was his name, Thornfalcon! He had killed that many?”

  Tobimar nodded, grimacing. “They were still finding new remains when we left.”

  A brief silence fell at that; Kyri still found herself chilled, remembering the moment that Thornfalcon, the gentle clownish would-be troubador of the Justiciars, had turned to face her and dropped his mask, revealing the utterly corrupt and evil truth within that human shell. “Yes,” she said finally, “he was that monstrous. And, like Gozi, he was using the armor of a noble order for evil. I wonder how many other parallels we will see.”

  Miri reached out tentatively and touched Kyri’s arm, gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to bring up something so painful.”

  “No, it’s fine.” She smiled down at the tiny Unity Guard.

  “Well, enough of that kind of subject anyway!” Miri said after a quick smile. “I think there’s a good clearing just up ahead for us to camp in. Then I think we should do something more fun!”

  “Fun?” Hiriista said doubtfully. “We’ve just defeated an enemy far more formidable than we’d expected, and spent more time traveling today. How—”

  “Oh, piff!” Miri tossed her head cheerfully. “You old faker, you’re no more tired than the rest of us are. That was a tough fight, but it was fast, and all of us can keep up, can’t we?”

  Hiriista’s scales puffed up with indignation...then dropped flat and he gave a rueful hiss. “You have known me far too long and far too well for me to hide, I suppose.”

  “Exactly!”

  “Let me guess,” said Kyri. “Sparring.”

  “Partly, yes, but more teaching. We all fight differently and must have things to teach each other.” She looked over to Tobimar. “I hadn’t had the chance to ask you, but what is that combat style you use? I’ve never seen anything like it, and it’s amazing—that flowing, precise timing.”

  Tobimar looked pleased and embarrassed at the same time. “Well, yours is just as impressive. But I actually didn’t find out the name of that style until a few months ago, from a friend of ours who used it, Xavier. It’s called Tor.”

  Miri was startled. “Another person with that particular art?”

  “Yeah, and better at it than me, too.”

  “Don’t underestimate yourself, Tobimar,” Kyri said. “There were parts of it that Xavier knew that you didn’t, but he said you knew other parts that his master hadn’t gotten around to teaching him.” She remembered some of the conversations they’d had, and knew that Tobimar had had many more during his travels.

  The Skysand Prince grinned and spread his hands, then bowed. “As you say, Lady Phoenix. Xavier said he’d been trained with a specific focus to give him some very particular skills, and his master had said something to the effect that it meant he wasn’t going to have some of the other capabilities of Tor unless he kept studying and practicing for years afterwards. I think Ma—” He caught himself, continued, “—my master was teaching me more systematically and from the beginning onward. Certainly the notes he gave me on the teachings progress in the same direction.”

  “Well, I look forward to learning more of this...Tor, Tobimar,” Miri said, obviously fascinated. “And what of you, Phoenix? From what tradition or trainer did you learn your skills?”

  Kyri couldn’t restrain a fond smile. “From our Sho-ka-taida, Master of Arms, Lythos, an Artan warrior of centuries-old skill and tradition. I guess that some of his techniques are unique to his people. And of course I learned other tricks from the Justiciars before I found out they were corrupt. What about you?”

  “Oh, look, here’s the clearing!” Miri dropped her pack to one side of the Necklace and began checking for good, flat spaces to pitch tents. “My style is a combination of several taught to the Unity Guard, but mostly Rurital, short for—if I remember correctly—Ruritenzei sarite Althami, which means something like Sunlight Dancing on Water.”

  Kyri laughed. “Oh my, that’s such a perfect description of how you fight—like a pretty sunbeam flicking from point to point on the water, never staying, never pausing.”

  Unlike Tobimar and Kyri herself, Miri had such fair skin that even a very slight blush was easily distinguished—and this wasn’t a slight blush. “Oh, well, I think of it more as just jumping almost randomly across opponents and their expectations. Random throws most off, you know.”

  “As random as my swordarm, yes,” Kyri said, looking at her pointedly.

  “Oh, fair enough. We shall observe and test each other’s skills...”

  “...after,” Hiriista interjected emphatically, “we have our camp set up.”

  “Of course, after,” agreed Miri with a laugh.

  “Then,” Kyri said, dropping her own pack, “let’s get to it!”

  Chapter 31

  “We’ve got to be getting close now,” Poplock observed. “And about time. We seem to keep getting distracted.”

  “For good reason,” Kyri said, a defensive tone in her voice. “I can’t ignore a—”

  “Calm down, Phoenix,” Tobimar said. She’s been under even more pressure lately than usual. Have to take that into account. “Poplock was just making an observation. Any of us would have turned aside to help. Even if Hiriista hadn’t made us do so.”

  The mazakh bobbed agreement. “Even the mystery of the vanishing dinners in Sha Kalatenzei, though it turned out well, was something sufficiently unsettling that I could hardly have ignored it, and the others were far worse.”

  “You’re right, of course,” Kyri said. She bit her lip, then bowed in Poplock’s direction. “Sorry, o mighty Toad. I shouldn’t have gotten upset.”

  The little Toad waved one paw dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. Tobimar and I know what you’ve been going through.”

  Tobimar nodded. “Somehow in just about every instance you’ve managed to end up in the forefront. Which means you’re having to be the ‘Phoenix Justiciar of Myrionar’ almost all the time—in Jenten’s Mill, that bar brawl in Alatenzei before we left, helping Miri catch Govi Zergul in Windtree, the risen dead in Felaffi’s Rest, and this latest problem...” He smiled sympathetically and took her hand gently. “Honestly, you just haven’t gotten much of a break. Being the representative of a god...it’s hard, isn’t it?”

  She squeezed back, still looking depressed, then sighed. “It is, sometimes. Especially when people are looking at me like I know all the answers, like I’m something...holy, when I know I’m not really any different from them.”

  “You sometimes ride a fine line between humility and self-denial,” Hiriista said dryly. “But yes, I see the pressure, and it is understandable.”

  “Plus all of us having to watch ourselves around Miri—whenever she isn’t out somewhere else—just puts more strain on everyone,” Poplock pointed out. “Especially since we have to act like we’re not watching ourselves.”

  “I hate doing that,” Kyri muttered. “She’s such a...”

  “I know. There seems to be nothing to suspect in her, yet we can’t ignore the possibility.”

  “After all,” Hiriista said, “you’re perfectly nice people and you’re fooling her into thinking you have no possible suspicion. It would be exceedingly unwise of us to assume that she is incapable of equal or greater duplicity, especially since she is one of the Lights, and by all accounts the favorite of Lady Shae herself. If anyone in Kaizatenzei is capable of playing a part to perfection, it would be Miri.”

  “Or you,” Poplock said.

  “Or me, yes,” agreed the reptilian magewright.

  “I suppose,” Tobimar said, thoughtfully, “that if there were several factions of what we would consider enemies, then you could be an agent of one faction and the Unity Guard mostly on the side of another. But that’s pretty far-fetched, especially with what we’ve
seen and heard in the main cities. That kind of infighting would cause other problems, and it really seemed that problems of any significant kind were rare.”

  “It is,” agreed Hiriista. “In fact, I find it quite astonishing that we have seen so many problems—and serious ones—along the way.”

  Poplock squinted at him. “And do you think there’s a reason?”

  Hiriista was silent in thought for a few moments. Tobimar took the opportunity to look around at the lush forest. The marshlands that had surrounded the Necklace all the way past the “V” intersection with the other branch of the Necklace had finally faded into solid forest and the feel of rightness was strengthening; the trees were arrow-straight, their bark unblemished, the leaves brilliant green, with flowers of a thousand hues scattered about the foliage below. The calming hum of bees at work pervaded the air. For those few moments, he simply enjoyed walking with Kyri, holding her hand, as though they were merely out to enjoy the view.

  “I do,” Hiriista said after a moment. “Coincidence can only be taken so far, and in a normal patrol along the Necklace I would expect only one such incident, not the half-dozen we have dealt with. Yet...I cannot think of what purpose this would serve, or how so many diverse challenges could be prepared in such a manner as to raise no suspicion among the people most involved, and timed so perfectly that our small party alone was the only group to be called in to resolve the issue.”

  Tobimar glanced at Poplock, who shrugged. “We can’t figure it out, either. But at least it’s worth thinking about.”

  “Oh, I assure you I am thinking about it, and will continue to think about it until I have resolved the problem. I do not like unsolved mysteries.”

  “Hellooooooo!”

  The call was distant, but there was no mistaking the high, clear voice or the glittering blue-crystal armor on the figure that was fast approaching—from, to Tobimar’s surprise, in front of them.