The Ancient Ones (The Legacy Trilogy Book 3)

by Michael Foster

  The Farstride carried them away from the coast of Koia, much lighter on crew than when they had arrived several days before. The ship’s contingent of soldiers had suffered the greatest losses, down to about a tenth of their starting numbers and the deck was almost deserted. The air was sober, for many friends had been killed in their tussle with the Eudans, and after such a brief stay on land, they were once again venturing into the unknown.

  Some crew had received a short allocation of shore leave, but it was not nearly enough. A month would not be long enough after the time they had been at sea. Given the choice, they would have stayed longer, but as usual Samuel was impatient to leave and would spare them no leniency. Strangely, Leopold now shared his hurry, for with Salu gone he wanted a quick end to the whole crusade.

  It was a comparatively short jaunt to Euda—ten days across the straits in their sturdy vessel. The waters were deep and treacherous, but the Farstride ploughed confidently through the wildest of seas. They had no need of maps or guides, for immediately after leaving the coast Samuel notified them of a sensation, a tugging in his mind. It originated from Euda, pulsing like a beacon, and there was no doubt that it was the last of the Ancient Ones.

  ‘Poltamir calls to me,’ Samuel said, standing at the bow of the ship, the stiff wind dragging his robes behind. ‘He wants us to come to him. He felt what happened in Koia. I sense he is curious, eager.’

  ‘What will we do?’ Leopold asked cautiously.

  ‘We will satisfy his request. We will meet him. Then I will kill him.’

  ****

  ‘Don’t watch too long, Leopold,’ came the voice of Samuel and Leopold dropped the lid of the magician’s casket thumping shut.

  He was looking at the body of Salu, lying in the box as if in peaceful slumber, when the magician had snuck up soundlessly behind him. He had placed his ear against the old man’s chest, hearing the very slow, but steady pounding of his heart.

  ‘It does not work while the lid is open,’ Samuel added. ‘His heart will weaken and eventually stop if you continue gawking at him.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Leopold explained. ‘I just wanted to see him again.’

  ‘I understand,’ Samuel said, coming in from the doorway and setting some papers down upon his desk. ‘He was a gentle soul. Strangely, I miss him, too.’

  Toby, at Leopold’s side, whimpered like a puppy, jumping at the side of the casket, trying to see within.

  ‘I followed him in.’ Leopold nodded towards the boy. ‘He was standing here quietly, watching the box. I think he knows what’s inside. I’ve never seen him like this.’

  ‘I’m sure there is some sanity in his disturbed mind. He and Salu were similar in many ways. I only wonder if the boy will find his senses as he grows.’

  ‘Will you tell me now what you plan to do with him?’ Leopold asked, looking again towards the casket.

  ‘In truth, I have no plan—but a living, vacant body is very rare and valuable. Let’s call it my insurance. If, in the end, this body is destroyed, I may have the chance to enter that one and perhaps cheat death.’

  ‘You can do that?’

  The magician shook his head. ‘Not yet. I am close, but as with many things, the final trick still evades me. Even Salu could not manage it. He knew what would happen once he put on Prithamon’s bracelet. The sorcerers were little more than hollow puppets that Prithamon controlled himself. Salu let his consciousness join the web of minds, and Prithamon found himself sorely outmatched. The relic, too, was overwhelmed by Salu’s might. He let himself be taken, and then he destroyed them all to save me. In that instant, bereft of his body, he came to me. I could see him, standing before me, bathed in light, made of it.

  ‘He could have moved on, but he gave himself to me, as had your father, so I could subdue my demons. I know him now. I understand him. He was simple in some respects, superficially, yet far beyond me in many ways. I thought I had left humanity behind, that I was superior, but now I feel like a child after experiencing his thoughts. I still am not entirely clear why he helped us. He had an entirely different comprehension of life and this world. To him, what we are striving for is pointless.’

  ‘Is it?’ Leopold asked.

  ‘Again, it depends on your perspective. We are tiny motes in the overall scheme of things, but tiny motes with thoughts and dreams nonetheless. I think that is what convinced him in the end. Suffering. No matter at what scale or what level, Salu has no desire to let anything suffer. He was full of sympathy and compassion—something I have found myself lacking of late.’

  ‘But that is something you can recover, isn’t it—like the lost love in Kali’s heart. No one is beyond hope … are they?’

  ‘Perhaps,’ Samuel responded grimly.

  Leopold was not sure how to broach the next subject. There was little point in caring if the magician was offended by anything he said, so he said it directly. ‘Rei said that if you died, we would all be saved—that your demons would die with you. Is it true?’

  ‘In a way,’ said Samuel. ‘If I die, they return to their realm, so the world would not be saved, but it would be granted a brief reprieve. So to answer your question, if I were about to be overcome by my demons, killing me would certainly banish them, however, the chance to finally rid us of their curse would be lost. Who can say when it may come again, if ever.’

  ‘Are you afraid to die?’

  The magician smiled; a mysterious smile that resulted whenever he was asked something unexpected. ‘I’m only afraid of not dying. All things die, Leopold. They must. If not, they were never alive to begin with. Death is not to be feared. It’s to be taken in the arms and held tight like a lover.’

  ‘Aren’t you afraid of what might happen afterwards? Where you might go? What you might see?’

  ‘No, Leopold. Those are the concerns of demons, of fearful beings that crave life so much they suck it from everything they touch, avoiding the natural ebbs and flows of the universe. To deny ourselves from returning to the Pattern is to deny some other life a chance to exist. Everything must take its turn, Leopold. Everyone should have their time in the sun, and evening is not an end, it is a transition, a time of rest and repose that leads to another remarkable day. The Pattern flows and ripples like a beautiful and unending woven cloth. Such a wonder does not benefit from having stubborn knots in its fabric. Moving on, yielding to change is the best way. It is the only way.’

  ‘Why live our lives and go through all this ... this torture if at the end we just drop dead? Is it all for nothing? What about our loved ones and everything we leave behind?’

  The magician smiled mysteriously. ‘Leopold, sometimes all we are is what we leave behind.’

  ‘What is that supposed to mean?’

  ‘Some things cannot—should not—be explained. I’ll let you dwell upon it. Now come. Leave Salu to his rest.’

  With that, Samuel led the Emperor and the pining child from his room.

  ****

  They were five days in and halfway across the strait when Leopold plucked up the nerve to approach Kali directly. He watched her from a distance at every opportunity as she wandered the decks with her countrywomen. He occasionally greeted her, but she was never far from her sisters and the ever-watchful, ever-scornful gaze of Phoenix. There was never a chance to be with her by himself.

  That evening, he found Kali alone, watching the sun as it ate into the horizon at the ocean’s edge. Strips of cloud ran parallel all the way into the distance, growing orange and pink, almost crimson where they overlaid the sun.

  Dinner smells rose with steam from the galley and the men were sitting in clusters over their meals, laughing bravely and revealing their hopes for a better life once the voyage was done.

  Kali was wearing a smooth white dress covered in little red clouds and floral motifs. It hugged her figure, running from its tight collar down to below her knees, accentuating her slim waist and emphasising her hips. Her hair was parted neatly on one side, making a pale strip alo
ng her scalp, and was gathered into a bun.

  ‘Not going to eat?’ he asked her.

  ‘Not yet, Your Majesty.’ She kept her eyes to the beautiful scene playing out in the west.

  ‘Please don’t call me that,’ he told her. Then, when his breath had settled, ‘Tell me, I find it curious, why are you called Kali when the others from Koia are named after things.’

  ‘I don’t understand,’ she said, looking at him with puzzlement.

  ‘Wind, Phoenix, Destiny and all the rest. Such names have meaning. What is a Kali?’

  ‘I am still confused. A Kali is a small burrowing fox. It has large ears for finding its prey: mostly insects.’ She waggled her fingers at the top of her head to demonstrate its appearance and Leopold could not help but smile. On noticing his amusement, she stopped at once and narrowed her eyes at him. ‘Do you not know? Perhaps you don’t have this animal in your land or you have no name for it, so you hear the sound without meaning. So it is with your name to me. Leopold. What a strange noise.’

  ‘Perhaps,’ he agreed, amused. There followed an empty silence he was eager to fill. ‘Do you miss your home?’

  ‘No. I can feel it far behind us in the distance. I know we will return soon, but while we are away I carry my home with me in my heart. Also, I am not alone. I am with my sisters, I have nothing to fear.’

  ‘I must admit I find your people to be very proud.’

  ‘I must admit—’

  ‘I know, I know,’ he said, interrupting her. ‘You find my people rude and ignorant.’

  ‘I was going to say, I find your people to be the same. Of course, our ways are different, but your companions have shown courage beyond measure. You showed courage,’ she added, much to his delight. ‘You are not a magician or a skilled swordsman, yet you fought side by side with such champions against insurmountable odds. I know you will be successful in your quest.’

  ‘I hope so. It feels like we have been away forever. I just want to get back and see if my mother is well.’

  This intrigued her. ‘I would not have guessed you were one who would miss his mother’s side.’

  ‘Is there something wrong with that?’ he asked defensively.

  ‘Not at all. It is a sign of strength, not weakness. Some Koian warriors shun their families. They turn their back on their past to pursue their warrior’s fate, but in doing so they leave much of their potential behind. At least, that is what I believe.’

  ‘I don’t know about that,’ Leopold admitted. ‘I just hope she is well.’ Phoenix and Destiny were hovering further away. They noticed him, and he wanted to get Kali away before they ruined everything. ‘Will you walk with me?’ he asked her.

  ‘Where will we go?’

  ‘There is nowhere to go except around the ship. That will have to do.’

  She nodded and they started away, strolling slowly next to each other. Her clothes shimmered pink, changing mood with the sunset.

  Despite her beauty she appeared ready to pounce, expecting battle any moment. Her eyes scanned wherever they went, hunting for danger.

  ‘We’re safe here, you know,’ he told her.

  ‘Why do you say that?’

  ‘You just don’t seem to be relaxed. I feel like you are always suspecting danger.’

  ‘I am relaxed,’ she said. ‘I have trained all my life to be so. And I do always suspect danger. These tasks are not mutually exclusive.’

  ‘Can you forget about danger for the time being? You are safer here than anywhere in the world. We have Lord Samuel. I can protect you also.’ She gave him a doubting glance. ‘Well, you know what I mean. Actually, what I’m trying to say is that I want to protect you. I would if I could.’

  She looked genuinely puzzled. ‘What are you saying, Emperor Leopold?’

  They stopped at the railing, watching the swell roaming by. She stood stiffly, shoulders back, without any of the emotion he craved from her. She observed him no differently to a piece of chicken, or a hunk of wood, a servant awaiting commands from her master. There was no indication she shared any of the same feelings as he. She made none of the sensual gestures that poured from Rei. But how could she possibly feel any of these things? As Samuel had said, she was like him—like anyone who meddled with magic—cold and heartless inside, devoid of such feelings.

  He thought of taking her hand; he desperately wanted to hold onto her, yet he dreaded rejection. If she turned him away, that would be the end of it, and he could not bear the thought of that ... not yet.

  ‘I’m saying we should all take care of each other,’ he replied. ‘There will be dangers in Euda, I am sure.’

  She looked at him without blinking. ‘Of course.’

  She waited for him to say more, and he squirmed uncomfortably under her gaze, desperate to bridge the gap between them.

  ‘I was so foolish before,’ he said. ‘I had no idea how stupid I was. I just want to thank you for giving me your advice.’

  She smiled at him; a sight he treasured and wished to see beyond anything else in the world. Sadly, it disappeared as soon as she spoke. ‘At least you have the wisdom to know so. Few people can lay claim to such.’

  He shook his head at his own stupidity, both now and how he’d acted before. ‘There I was, prancing around like a cockerel. I thought you were all so impressed with my sparring ... but it was so pathetic compared to even the slightest of what you can do. You were all laughing at me.’

  ‘I apologise, Emperor. We did not mean to offend you. Your people had not earned our trust, and to be truthful, it was very amusing. It is difficult to make a Koian warrior laugh, but that day we felt like girls again as we watched you playing the fool. Some of us thought you were indeed putting on a show, due to your astonishing degree of incompetence.’

  Leopold chuckled at her straight-faced delivery. ‘Please. I beg you. Don’t call me Emperor. I am simply Leopold. But tell me, does being a warrior really deprive you of feelings?’

  She scrutinised him closely, wondering what lay behind his words. ‘Not all feelings are lost. Some are harder to reach than others, but with our duties we have no use for them. It is better to concentrate on our training rather than waste time with foolishness.’

  ‘But that would only make it worse,’ he said. ‘The more you train, the less you feel.’

  ‘That is not such a bad outcome.’

  She was quiet after that, and he could sense some hesitation in her manner to discuss it further. The silence was uncomfortable, and he scoured his brain for some intelligent or amusing comment to offer, something that would impress her. The dinner smells returned to him and his stomach rumbled. ‘Are you hungry? Perhaps you could join me for dinner?’

  ‘Not yet,’ she replied. She looked towards her sisters. ‘I will go.’

  ‘What is wrong with her?’ Leopold asked sourly. ‘—with Phoenix. Can’t she give you a moment to yourself?’

  ‘She is the example we all try to meet. She has reached a superb ability at such a young age. I admire her. She is our leader. It is as simple as that. Farewell, Your Majesty. If I may take my leave?’

  ‘Of course,’ he told her, defeated.

  She left him there at the railing, and he felt like a fool once again. His hunger soured in his stomach. With little else to do, he decided to eat anyway. He made his way down the stairway, pondering lost opportunities.

  ‘I think you’re making headway,’ the voice of Daneel sounded behind him on the stairs.

  ‘Do you watch everything I do?’ Leopold responded with sudden annoyance.

  ‘I was actually watching her, but you got in the way. Don’t feel disheartened. If at first you don’t succeed ...’

  ‘You don’t think I am wasting my time?’

  ‘Not at all,’ the one-eyed man replied. ‘I think you should follow your heart with all your might. I merely advise you to do so carefully and gradually. I have heard what these women are like when they are tested and we have both seen them fight. She may not respond well if
you offend her, or place any part of you where it is not invited. One of the crew is sporting a very nasty bruise in a very uncomfortable place as evidence of that. But I do not think breaching her defences is impossible. Any fortress can be overwhelmed and taken—even such a barren keep as she defends. Greater miracles have happened. And besides, a slap from her in exchange for a kiss is probably worth the risk.’

  They reached the main deck and Daneel went his own way, granting Leopold a broad smile and a fanciful wave of his hand.

  Strangely, Leopold felt hope at Daneel’s advice. He would not give up ... but he would reassess his strategy.

  ****

  Leopold sought Kali at every opportunity, and although his attempts to woo her were painfully obvious, she did not show any sign of noticing. He did nothing too quickly, simply talking with her when the opportunity arose.

  Separating her from her sisters was the most difficult task; Phoenix was reluctant to leave Kali alone. The more he tried, the more Phoenix blocked his way, scowling at him, hands on her hips. The brooding woman, no older than Kali herself, was quick to find excuses why Kali was otherwise busy.

  When he did speak with her, he found Kali not entirely heartless, and she laughed softly on the rarest occasions. She crafted the tiniest of smiles when she was pleased. Tiny lines crept out from the corners of her eyes at the same time. Leopold fell in love with that sight. He made it his sole purpose to discover everything that brought her emotions to light. He asked of her childhood and family, and stories of her training and home, and he shared his tales in return. She revealed a hunger for knowledge of the everyday chores of Amandian life. She found such habits intriguing, sometimes bewildering, and he had to admit, he found the same of hers.

  It could not be called a courtship. They only spoke briefly, and if not for Samuel’s magic, they would not be able to understand each other. They were different in nearly every way, from two different worlds. He was a fisherman’s son, trying to be something he knew nothing about, and she was a loveless warrior, obsessed by duty.