‘The gift would not have been offered, the Empress would have been insulted, and the Tatharlian ship would have left on very unfriendly terms with a wonderful picture of how vulnerable we are at this moment,’ said Tappy ominously.
‘They can see how vulnerable we are,’ Kelian pointed out. ‘They could still take advantage of our situation.’
‘Not since we accepted the Empress’ invitation and a stone of friendship was exchanged. The stone is not just a token of friendship,’ Tappy explained. ‘As you well know, to receive such a stone from the Empress of Tatharlia is to receive a promise of sincerity. From the moment you accepted that stone, the Tatharlians are honor bound to remain on friendly terms, providing we do the same. They will not take the opportunity to attack. The Tatharlians are strange people, but honor is important to them. When you visit, it is polite to take an item of similar meaning, to return the honor.’
‘But why would the Empress want us to visit now? If she knew enough to understand we can barely feed ourselves, why would she imagine I have time to drop everything to visit her.’
‘I don’t know Empress Cahndrech; I can’t even remember how old she is. She can’t be very old. I truly can’t remember, but her father Alem was one of the most intelligent rulers Tatharlia has ever seen. It is because of him that the fallen didn’t overrun their entire country. I never met the Empress’ mother, but I have heard that Sahbdah was as astute and cunning as Alem was. It was strange that they both became ill and died together. I believe Cahndrech would only have asked you to come if she needed you badly. Yes, I think that’s it. Perhaps she needs help she can’t get in Tatharlia. She needs you very badly for some reason. Reason enough to put herself in a position where she has pledged friendship with Alkira - the type of friendship only the King of Alkira can break by refusing her invitation.’
‘How anyone could need us right now is beyond my imagination. We’ll work out what we’re going to do about this visit later. In the meantime,’ Kelian’s eyes searched the room, ‘Guardian General Callian, did Lord Tiernan say if he was coming here?’ Kelian felt enormous gratitude towards the people they called the Daoine Maithe, and he felt sure without their help his fiancée Elena and her sisters Louisa and Immosey would be dead. The Daoine Maithe, who called themselves the guardians, would have argued that it was their duty to protect his people, but Kelian had formed a firm friendship with Timbul and Araas, sons of Lord Tiernan, leader of the Daoine Maithe and he knew even were it not simply duty, the guardians would stand by him and by the people of Alkira.
‘He’ll be here tonight,’ said Callian, General of the guardian forces.
‘Where’s Baron Dale?’ Kelian looked around for the young man who had recently done so much to help rescue his fiancé and her two sisters from the hands of the fallen, the warriors of Nyinaku.
‘Shh!’ said Eibhear, feigning annoyance and pointing dramatically to the sleeping figure of Dale lying across the long lounging chair. Eibhear, along with his brother Rudiger and his friends, Rezon and Ben, had come from Nyinaku, a strange land inhabited by those who had once been guardians, but had renounced their status as guardians in order to gain their freedom. There was little friendship between the warriors and the humans, or between the warriors and the guardians, but circumstances had caused a small band of warriors to stand alongside the humans and the guardians and unusual friendships had formed.
Kelian snorted sarcastically. ‘Get yourself over to the table Dale. I know you can hear me from there but I refuse to talk over your snoring.’ Dale rolled from the lounge to his feet, grinned at Kelian and seated himself at the table.
‘Sorry Majesty. What took you so long? Other than being gifted with an entire shipload of food and having Tappy confirm your vacation to Tatharlia?’
‘You don’t miss anything, do you Dale,’ said Kelian, referring to Dale’s strange gift of perfect recollection, regardless of whether or not the Baron was awake or sleeping. ‘I want you to take Lerise and Jade back home.’
‘What if there’s nothing left in Emerald?’ Dale was certain the warriors of Nyinaku, those they called the fallen, would have left very little standing after their attack on the town. He had been raised in the town of East Inlet until the fallen attacked the town and killed his parents, at which time he was taken to Emerald and placed in the care of Duke Li and Princess Elizabeth and their daughters Princess’ Lerise and Jade. Unfortunately the town of Emerald had recently been attacked by the fallen, and Dale had barely led the people to the safety of the Dwellings, the home of the Daoine Maithe, before its devastation.
‘We can only hope the city’s still standing,’ said Kelian. ‘In any case, the people of Emerald should at least be given the option of going home and starting again or beginning again elsewhere. They can’t stay at the Dwellings forever, though I was informed that some people have gone to East Inlet.’
This news didn’t surprise Dale. He knew the hardy folk of Emerald would be keen to rebuild their lives and that it was time the Princesses returned to wherever the townspeople of Emerald chose to make their homes. Lerise and Jade had decided to travel to Castle with Kelian before returning to Emerald. The two Princesses remained quite weak having both recovered from terrible illness when a traitor within the Emerald garrison attempted to poison them. Their parents, Duke Li and Princess Elizabeth were now dead. They Princesses were seated at the table, and both were extremely tired.
‘And am I to stay in Emerald or return here?’ asked Dale.
‘You need to stay there. There will an unimaginable lot of work to do in Emerald.’
‘We will certainly need you, Dale,’ said Lerise. ‘Unfortunately I don’t feel strong enough to ride as far as Emerald.’
‘Leon can pull a carriage.’ Dale stood up and bowed to Kelian before heading to the door.
‘Where are you going Dale?’ asked Kelian, folding his arms across his chest.
‘You just sent me to Emerald. Have you forgotten?’ replied Dale cheekily, pausing in the doorway.
‘You don’t have to leave this instant Dale. You can take some time to prepare! You will need some food, and gear for the Princesses. And I need to decide which path you’re taking. If there are any stray Nailmarni wandering around Alkira - and I’ll bet there are - the last thing you need to do is to run into their arms!’
‘I can hunt if I need to, and it’s so hot now we won’t need much bedding. We’ll be fine. And I doubt the Nailmarni are so thickly spread that we can’t get through unseen. You don’t need to worry,’ Dale said confidently.
‘You will sit yourself back down at this table and pay attention,’ said Kelian, pointing his finger at Dale threateningly and glaring at him as if he was chastising a younger brother. ‘I think I’ll send you by ship to the Dwellings, then across to Emerald from there.’
‘Yes Majesty,’ said Dale meekly, returning to his seat.
‘Now, I’m sure I’ve heard myself say this before Dale, under different circumstances, but you can’t do this by yourself. You’ll need help.’
‘We can go with him again Kelian, if you wish,’ Rudiger offered.
‘Are you not planning to return to Nyinaku?’
Rudiger didn’t reply immediately. He felt a longing to return to his homeland, but he knew that was probably the most dangerous thing he could do, and yet he also knew that he must go soon. ‘I have to go back to Nyinaku, but we can go past Emerald, then across the Ice Coast to get home.’
‘What happened to you? Why are you in Alkira?’ asked Jade. ‘I’ve never heard of any of the fallen being friendly towards humans. Please don’t take offence, and don’t think me ungrateful, but why are you helping us?’
‘My people are on the threshold of being at war between ourselves,’ explained Rudiger. ‘Those who are loyal to Nandul are still more than those of us who oppose him, but he must be stopped. He seeks what he is not entitled to have. He tries to regain what he willing surrendered.’
‘I don’t understand,’ Jade ad
mitted.
‘I can help,’ said Danil. ‘I will tell you how this came about. Lord Tiernan explained this to me before I married Lady Valeska and joined the guardians. He said that the guardians and the fallen were the same people, made as servants for their creator. But some of them asked for their freedom and it was granted to them…conditionally. The condition of their freedom was that many of the natural gifts of the guardians were taken from them, and they became less powerful. Their bodies became weaker and they are no longer as fast as they once were. They were allowed to dwell in Nyinaku, but were never allowed to interfere with the humans.’
‘Not allowed to interfere! Well things have certainly changed,’ Princess Amy observed, sounding decidedly sarcastic.
‘Indeed they have, but I think their changes may have been anticipated, because the guardians were placed in Alkira to keep them under control. Unfortunately they began to resent the humans, and to think of them as lesser beings. So the one who created them removed their ability to reproduce their own children, thinking if they could only bear children with human partners, they would be forced to dwell in harmony with them. But things only worsened.’
‘I’m not terribly surprised,’ said Princess Lerise. ‘They despise us so much!’
‘Well, the free began to take men and women for the sole purpose of bearing children, and even now, once the usefulness of the human has ended, they are killed. The only other use they have for humans is as slaves. So the guardians, those we call the Daoine Maithe, call the free ones fallen, because they are no longer deserve honor.’
‘But you are different?’ asked Duke Laughlin, addressing Rudiger.
‘All my life I knew something was not as it should be. Nandul and his warriors always insisted that it was time for us to rise against the humans and the guardians, but I could never understand why we should do this. There seemed no logical reason behind his plans. And he’s not the person who should be our leader,’ he added darkly.
‘Who is?’ asked Laughlin.
‘Garran, Prince of Mirri, but he disappeared so many years ago most people think he was returned.’
‘Returned?’ said Jade, looking more and more confused.
‘When a human is killed their body dies and their soul departs this land,’ said Danil. ‘When a one of the fallen is killed, they are simply returned to face their creator. Nandul did some terrible things and the Prince disappeared. I’m unsure if anyone knows what happened to him, but he was their rightful leader.’
‘And you say that Nandul seeks what is not his. Do you mean he is trying to get back the power that was taken from him?’ asked Lerise, looking alarmed. She and her sister had been ill for so long that she had heard nothing of this before.
‘Yes. There is a legend among the fallen that if one of the fallen was to have a child by a guardian, the child would be as powerful as the guardians, but would also have the freedom to use that power as they wish. As you know the guardians are not free to do as they wish, but are bound to serve their creator and therefore the humans, the ones He calls the children. So the fallen think if they can produce such a child, they child would be able to return to them all their original abilities and gifts.’
‘And the free think they know of such a child?’ asked Amy perceptively.
‘They do know of such a child,’ said Rudiger. ‘Louisa of the guardians carries the child of Milgorry of Tarl. Nandul took Louisa captive with the plan to have her produce his own child, but Milgorry saw the evil in his Father’s plan and fled from Nyinaku with Louisa and her two human sisters, Elena and Immosey. But Milgorry and Louisa fell in love, and so she carries his child. And Nandul now seeks to recapture Louisa.’
‘Are there many such as yourself, who oppose Nandul?’ asked Duke Laughlin.
‘Yes. But there are also many who support him. Nyinaku is divided. Those who want nothing other than to live peacefully and enjoy the freedom given to them; the free, and those who wish to regain power and remove every guardian and every human from the entire land.’
‘Oh I doubt they’d actually kill all the humans,’ said Dale bleakly. ‘I’m sure they’d keep a fair number alive as slaves and to bear their children.’
‘That is true,’ said Danil. ‘And it wouldn’t be difficult, if they could remove the guardians first, which is something that Nandul desires above all else. So he continually plans attacks on Alkira with the intention of eventually destroying the guardians.’
‘Which is stupid, because wouldn’t you just be sent back here again?’ asked Dale.
‘Our numbers have dwindled over many years. I think the fallen would be delighted to speed this process along.’
For several hours they discussed their recent difficulties and formed plans for dealing with a possible threat of an attack by the people of Nyinaku. To Kelian this particular problem seemed overwhelmingly difficult, taking into account the number of Alkiran soldiers who had been killed by Nailmarni.
‘You’d think Nandul had enough on his plate with the Nailmarni causing so many problems, and civil war threatening to break out,’ said Laughlin.
‘I think that’s part of the reason he withdrew from Alkira and returned to Nyinaku. I think he was so shocked to see the Nailmarni in Alkira and in such force, that he rushed back to Nyinaku to check that his own country wasn’t being overrun.’
‘And what of the Nailmarni? Who are they?’ asked Jade. She felt embarrassed that their illness had caused her and her sister to sleep through the entire attack by the Nailmarni and she had never even caught a glimpse of the strange creatures. Even now when she was recovering enough to ask questions, they had been so busy that no-one had found time to explain to them exactly what had occurred.
‘Don’t be embarrassed,’ said Danil, sensing the girl’s discomfort. ‘Lord Tiernan caused you to sleep through the battle as he was unsure you were well enough to survive the stress of the situation.’
‘I thank him,’ murmured Jade, marveling at how many people had given so much to keep her and her sister alive. ‘Tell me about these Nailmarni.’
‘The name is given by the Daoine Maithe,’ said Kelian. ‘It means stonefish. And we found out very quickly they can be just like a stonefish. Very hard to see and then they cause a lot of pain. They are some kind of ancient enemy of the guardians, and they were intent on taking our land, but with the help of the guardians and the free warriors we managed to defeat them. I hope with all my heart we’ve destroyed enough of them that they won’t be a problem any longer.’
‘I think we did,’ said Danil. ‘We have soldiers patrolling between the Ice Coast and Tarlique, and down to Emerald, and all the way across Alkira east of here, and around Khynol. Reports have been slow coming at times, but at this stage they’ve had no encounters with Nailmarni and very few with the fallen. There are the usual incidences of fallen in Alkira and the soldiers try to drive them back into Nyinaku, but that’s nothing unusual. In truth, I imagine there will be a few Nailmarni wandering around, but Lord Tiernan sent a number of the fastest of the guardians to remove any who remained. When they report back to us, or to Lady Karrijeuiga at the Dwellings, we can feel more confident. The place we are most worried about is the southern area around Tarlique. Lord Tiernan sent Alasdair down there to have a look around.’
‘As soon as we have word that Tarlique is safe, I want you and Duke Laughlin to return there,’ said Kelian to Princess Amy. He turned to General Marnol. ‘General, I want you and Lady Sophie to stay here in Castle; we need you and the soldiers of Highview here until this mess has been sorted out, particularly if I have to go to Tatharlia. Rudiger, I will accept your offer of escorting Dale, Lerise and Jade to Emerald. You have my thanks.’
‘Eibhear, Ben and Rezon will come with us,’ said Rudiger. ‘The only concern is for Raline. I know Rez wants to finish what we need to do in Nyinaku, but I can think of nothing more dangerous than taking a human woman across the Ice Coast and into Nyinaku, and Raline refuses to be parted from him.’
> ‘Raline and Rezon will work it out,’ said Eibhear. ‘They’ll arrive here tonight with Tiernan and you can ask them what they want to do. Raline might be a little on the frail side physically, but she’s certainly bright enough to keep anyone on their toes.’ Everyone laughed. Raline was certainly intelligent, but by human standards she was anything but frail.
‘Good,’ said Kelian. ‘As I suggested earlier, I want you to take a ship up to the Dwellings and then to East Inlet before you go to Castle. I want to be sure that none of the fallen have returned there. It’s so close to the Dwellings and there are too many of guardians away, helping us here in Castle with our own troubles. It wouldn’t do to have the fallen take advantage of there being so few of the Daoine Maithe guarding the Dwellings.’
‘True,’ said Dale. ‘I’ll organize a ship.’
‘Excellent,’ said Kelian standing up. Everyone immediately rose. ‘I do have more I wish to discuss, however I need to see Captain Mercah now, so if everyone could reconvene here this evening please.’
Chapter 3
Invitation
It was precisely midday when Kelian found Captain Mercah. They walked together and Kelian paused when they reached the city wall, wondering what might be the most convenient and safe place to speak privately with Captain Mercah. King’s Marshall Danil was following at a discreet distance.
‘The beach, Kelian,’ Danil’s thoughts came clearly to Kelian. ‘The Captain is concerned about being overheard, and there is no-one on the beach between the docks and the watchtower. I’ll stay with you.’
Once they were far enough away from the docks to be out of earshot, Captain Mercah spoke. ‘I’m sorry our meeting must be brief, but the Empress ordered me to extend her invitation, deliver your gift and return immediately.’
‘Immediately?’ Kelian wondered how immediately the man meant.
‘Literally,’ replied Captain Mercah, ‘as soon as we’ve finished unloading. No crew member is to venture further than the docks.’
The Fallen (Book 1) Page 56