They walked a path distinctly similar to that which Raimie had explored earlier that evening, the major difference being that the size the dwellings bordering the halls was dramatically increased. Some had multiple beds or other furniture, and none of them were as immaculately clean.
Many more inhabitants crowded this hallway and the homes that lined it. Most slept, but a small number were up and about. The two of them drew stares, both curious and hostile.
Raimie intently studied his surroundings, but after the fifteenth identical dwelling, he couldn’t hold the curiosity in anymore.
“I have questions,” he said, begging for permission to speak.
“They are?” Kheled prompted.
A surge of gratitude shot through Raimie. His family had ingrained a reluctance to express curiosity from a young age. It was refreshing for someone to indulge his never-ending questions for once.
“What’s with the lack of doors?” he started.
“This particular branch of Esela outgrew the desire for privacy after living here for decades. The lack of space provided by the caves disinclines such needs, after all.”
It wasn’t a complete answer, but Raimie wasn’t sure he’d get more on the subject.
“Where are the children?” he asked instead.
“In another sector of the city,” Kheled replied. “You have to understand, the Eselan race has been hunted nearly to extinction, both by humans who despise us and monsters such as Doldimar who desire our powers. Therefore, children are our most precious resource.
“Once they’ve reached an age where they may live without the woman who birthed them, they’re moved to a communal home in the most secure location of whatever settlement they’re born into. They’re raised by the entire community, all of us taking shifts. Once they gain adulthood, they choose their profession and are integrated back into the whole of the populace.”
“That sounds…” Raimie paused, looking for the right words, “efficient, but incredibly lonely.”
“It’s the way it’s been for years, and I won’t argue its benefits or deficiencies with you,” Kheled replied defensively. “Besides, separating the children isn’t the way it’s always done. Some communities stick to the traditional family structure despite the risk. If that sufficiently answers your question, what else would you like to know?”
“Last one, I promise!” Raimie exclaimed. “What’s your experience with the Zrelnach?”
“Alouin, you’re a stubborn one aren’t you?” Kheled shook his head in exasperation.
“Well, you said I have to prove myself to Allanovian’s populace, and I assume that means the Zrelnach too. I thought that if you had some specific examples of their prowess or beliefs, I might be able to use that to my advantage.”
Kheled escorted him down the hallway without uttering a single word in response, and Raimie was afraid he might have pushed too hard. They passed into another, far larger intersection with a vaulted ceiling, and the healer made a sharp left. After about a thousand feet, he ducked into a side room.
Benches and tables rested in rows and columns in the back half of the room. A single table and chair occupied the front. Kheled pushed these solitary pieces of furniture against the wall, clearing a large space in front of the student section of the classroom. He pointed sharply at a bench in the first row.
“Sit.”
Raimie promptly did as he was told. The Eselan left him alone in the room for a long spell where he was sure his curiosity had pushed the other man too far, but when Kheled returned, another Eselan dressed in black leathers followed. The young warrior had a brace on one arm, but besides that he seemed perfectly healthy. When he saw Raimie, the stranger stopped short and shifted uncomfortably between the last row of benches.
“I do this, I don’t owe you anymore?” he asked Kheled uncertainly.
“You never owed me anything, initiate, but if your honor requires an answer, yes, your debt will be forgiven.”
The young Eselan gritted his teeth and nodded. He met Kheled in the cleared space at the front of the room.
“Raimie,” the healer said, “this initiate is the number one contender in this year’s class and is guaranteed a spot within the Zrelnach’s ranks. Not a single fellow trainee has ever bested him, and he’s even beaten a few commissioned members with his limited training. Do you understand?”
“I do.”
The two Esela faced each other from either side of the room.
“First touch or tackle?” the young one asked.
Kheled inclined his head in assent, and the two drew naked swords. They circled one other, drawing closer and closer with each circuit.
The younger Eselan made the first move, stabbing at Kheled’s eyes in an attempt to distract and panic him. Faster than Raimie had thought possible, the healer tilted his head to the side, allowing the blade to pass within inches of his skin. He swept one foot forward, hooked his opponent’s unstably balanced ankle, and tugged.
The younger Eselan fell flat on his back, and before he could recover, Kheled pressed one knee into his chest, sword tip grazing the hollow of his neck.
“Point,” he stated calmly.
Kheled gracefully rose to his feet and offered his opponent a hand. The young Eselan ignored the help, standing on his own, and Kheled lowered his arm.
“Are we even?” the trainee asked venomously.
The healer bowed from the waist with his hands to his thighs and his chest nearly parallel to the floor.
“Thank you, honored initiate. It was a good fight.”
The younger Eselan growled and stalked out of the room. Once he’d gone, Kheled rose up to his towering height and wandered to lean against the table jammed into the wall.
“You asked about my experience with the Zrelnach. Fine. Let’s discuss it.
“So you know, I wasn’t born within the safe confines of Allanovian’s walls. I came here as a refugee when I was a child. When I arrived, Allanovian’s Council couldn’t decide what to do with me. They were afraid I’d break their carefully crafted and balanced society.
“I saved them the trouble of worrying and joined the next round of potentials training for positions within the Zrelnach. I excelled, top of my class. My trainers and quite a few of the older commissioned members told me I was the best they’d seen in decades.
“Graduation came, and everyone expected me to rise through the ranks quickly, maybe even making it to commander someday. I did the exact opposite. I dropped out, became a healer, and I’ve dealt with the derision of my fellow Esela for that decision ever since.”
Raimie squinted, sure that there had to be more to the story.
“Why would you do that?” he asked
“When I joined, I was an angry child intent on seeking revenge,” Kheled answered. “Zrelnach training taught me many things, but the chief among them was that, even as vengeful as I’d become, I’m good at fighting but not at killing. If you’re to become a Zrelnach, ending a life has to be in your blood.”
Steepling his hands in front of his face, Raimie considered the healer, and Kheled threw his arms out to either side before letting them slap against his thighs.
“Now you’ll call me coward like all the rest.”
“Actually,” Raimie spoke, interrupting the healer’s vexation, “I was going to say that knowing your limitations and choosing to spend your life practicing a profession that accommodates them rather than that which your fellows prescribe is not cowardly. Putting on a brave face, faking it, and possibly getting your companions killed; that is cowardice. I think what you did was incredibly brave.”
Kheled stiffened, shock cascading over him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d received words of praise, and they were coming from this young human whom he was now certain was in way over his head.
Raimie watched the Eselan process what he’d said. He’d meant every word, but he’d also said them to solidify the bond forming between them. He needed every ally he could get.
“You’re right,” Raimie agreed with a gesture to the door. “Lead the way.”
They returned to the crossroads they’d passed through not too long ago, and Kheled took a left, continuing along the route they’d followed before Raimie’s interruption. They passed a few more Eselan residences and several other rooms, both large and small, of unknown purpose.
Raimie bit his tongue to keep from peppering the healer with more questions, certain that he’d exhausted the Eselan’s patience for the day.
After more strolling and many more turns, the hall widened into a medium sized cave. It took Ramie some time to make out any details of his surroundings as his eyes adjusted to the lack of light. No wall sconces were present to illuminate the path or to alert potential enemies to the presence of the Esela, but once his pupils had dilated, Raimie looked around.
A pool of water took up the middle of the cave’s floor, and a wide gravel pathway skirted the edges, leading into open sky. At the far side of the pond, Raimie discovered the source of the roar he’d been hearing from Kheled’s clinic. A sheet of water passed over the cave’s entrance, effectively shielding it from prying eyes.
“This is where I leave you,” Kheled told him. “Follow the path around the waterfall’s edge, and once you’re outside, it’ll be clear which way you’re supposed to go.”
“All right.”
For some, Raimie was reason reluctant to leave.
“Remember, careless grin and jaunty step. You don’t have a care in the world, and you can take on anything the world throws at you,” Kheled gently reminded.
Raimie straightened his back and loosely smiled.
“Good. You ready?”
The young man didn’t respond. He simply strode forward.
Chapter Eight
Please, Erianger, forgive yourself for past events that you had no control over.
Returning to Allanovian hadn’t been easy.
The journey itself had been rather pleasant. The weather had been gloriously cool and clear, the road empty of other travelers. With Aramar and Raimie asleep in the bed of the cart behind him, Kheled’d had nothing to do except whistle, hum, and bask in the glow of victory. Unfortunately, his good mood hadn’t been destined to last.
Upon passing under the boughs of the forest that enveloped Allanovian, the cart had been surrounded by Zrelnach scouts. They’d escorted him along an established trail, subtly ensuring that he didn’t stray from the path, and then, they’d reached an impasse. The cart couldn’t go any further, untamed forest floor ensuring its halt.
Kheled climbed down from the cart’s seat, brushing his hands off on his pants. A short, ruggedly scarred man materialized from the nearby tree line along with a small unit of fellow soldiers. He threw his hood back and handed the cloak off to a waiting trainee.
“Hello, Issim,” Kheled greeted the other man. “I must be in deep trouble if they sent the lieutenant after me.”
Issim tossed a glare his way before taking in the cart.
“You have no idea,” he said. “Well, what strays did you bring back this time? It’d better be good to warrant you wasting my time.”
“Come on, Izzy! When have I ever wasted your time?”
The lieutenant was on Kheled quickly for a man his size, shoving the healer into a trunk and pressing a knife’s edge against his throat.
“Don’t call me that,” Issim warned. “The Council has given me plenty of leeway to deal with you this time. I could probably get away with bringing back your corpse if you annoy me too much.”
Kheled grinned wider.
“Aw, Izzy! I thought we had something special!” he pouted.
Issim twitched, and the struggle in the man’s eyes to justify keeping him alive amused Kheled beyond reason. Aramar chose that moment to make his presence known.
“Have we neared Allanovian?” he asked, sleepily rising from the cart bed. “I’d like to be awake for that if possible so I can play diplomat. I know how testy your people can be.”
The sound of metal sliding against metal as multiple weapons were brought to bear drew the human into full alertness. He glanced around at the surrounding Zrelnach, taking special note of Kheled pinned to a tree.
“Oh,” was his only audible contribution at first.
The lieutenant’s eyes whipped back onto Kheled.
“You brought humans back?” he hissed gleefully. “Deer and other animals are one thing, but rescuing humans and returning to Allanovian with them is another matter entirely. Oh, I’m going to thoroughly enjoy watching the Council execute you.”
Ignoring Issim, Kheled watched Aramar carefully scan the countenances of the people facing him. The human’s gaze landed on a one-armed man lingering in the back, and he frowned.
“Gistrick, is that you?”
Of course, one of the Zrelnach present was a life that Kheled had saved. Was he losing his touch by not recognizing the potential ally more quickly?
Gistrick shoved his way forward in order to take a closer look at the human. The gathering of soldiers uneasily watched the crippled man’s reaction.
“Aramar?” he asked uncertainly before bursting out laughing.
He cupped the human’s neck with his good hand and brought Aramar’s forehead down to touch his own.
“How many years has it been?”
“Too many,” Aramar replied while struggling to right himself after his release. “What happened to you?”
He gestured to the missing appendage.
“Some human touched it with its grubby hands, and I felt the need to remove the thing,” Gistrick bellowed, forcefully laughing as loudly as possible. “How did you end up requiring our healer’s aid?”
“An Eselan slapped my back while I wasn’t looking, and I decided I didn’t need the use of anything below the spot he violated,” Aramar grinned through the tense words emerging from his mouth.
“Wait, really?” Gistrick asked with a deep frown. “Who was it? I’ll kill them.”
“I’ll tell you all about it later, my friend. In the meantime, would you mind introducing my son and me to your friends? Their hostility is making me uncomfortable.”
“Raimie’s in there with you?”
The conversation descended into forced whispers before the volume rose to previous levels.
“Well, anonymity is what you get for keeping to yourself when you visited in the past,” Gistrick delivered as a final quip before turning to address his comrades. “Lieutenant, I’m sure you know Aramar. He’d Eledis’ son. He and his child, Raimie, require Allanovian’s assistance which, last time I checked, we’re more than happy to provide. Incidentally, that man you’re considering murdering? He saved their lives.”
Issim immediately released his hold on Kheled and donned an enormous smile. He carefully brushed the healer’s shoulder and leaned in as if to apologize.
“You rescued that family’s heir?” he hissed through the teeth of his grin. “You damn fool. You have no idea what you’ve done.”
Turning toward the rest of the crowd, he assured them that Kheled would never have come to harm from him, expressed wonderment at Aramar’s unexpected visit, and arranged transportation for the immobilized humans over the perilous trail to Allanovian’s entrance. Only once they were within the blessedly confining walls of the underground markets did he attempt to restrain the healer again.
“The Council requires your presence,” he said, throwing an arm around Kheled’s shoulders and guiding him away from the trainees bearing the stretchers that Raimie and Aramar reclined on.
Kheled gently threw off the confining arm.
“No,” he quietly refused. “I’ll make my patients comfortable and ensure they’re taken care of before I attend to the Council’s pleasure. Unless you want to see how many of your superiorly train
ed men I can render unconscious before they restrain me.”
All of the indecision Issim had struggled with crystallized into hatred at that moment. Kheled saw nothing but controlled murder from the lieutenant, but he allowed the healer to depart unmolested.
Kheled needn’t have worried about Aramar. Gistrick had notified more of the man’s old friends of his imminent arrival, and they insisted on caring for him. Before he escaped the group’s rowdy presence, Kheled extracted a promise from Aramar that he’d be allowed visitations to inquire after the older man’s health. In return, the healer promised his utmost care for the human’s son.
Next, he made sure that Raimie was situated, left the clinic to retrieve a few herbs he’d need for the young man’s care, and returned to prepare for his precipitous meeting with the Council only to discover his charge up and about.
Once the young human had fallen into dreams, Kheled loomed over him, concerned gaze riveted on that peaceful face. His ever present companion hovered nearby, joining him in his inspection.
Kheled hadn’t expected the youth to be up and about upon his return, but he was glad circumstances had turned out the way they had. He understood Raimie much better now that they’d spoken, and his earlier misgivings about his ally had been eased.
“You could fix him,” the other Kheled said. “Make the trials easier for him.”
“Be silent,” Kheled murmured. “Do we have to establish the rules again?”
The splinter sank to the edge of the bed and placed a glowing hand on Raimie’s shoulder.
“This one’s fascinating,” he said, stroking the human’s arm. “It’s been centuries since I’ve seen someone of this reality yet to pick a side at this age.”
“Yes, I saw your counterpart with him. If that’s why you’re present, then focus on your quarry. Leave me out of it because I think I may actually like this one, and we both know how reckless that can make me.”
“Don’t fret, your terms continue to be acceptable,” the splinter’s amused smile nearly broke Kheled’s composure. “You shall see me not until you ask for me.”
The Undying Champions (The Eternal War Book 1) Page 13