“Got an itch? Scratchy skin? Get rid of it with Xandi’s lotions.”
“Step forward and experience smooth silk dresses!” yelled a long man with an even longer thin mustache. A group of women in long dresses with fans in their hands stood before his stall. “They come all the way from Yangshao and need a home in your closet.”
“Wielders, come get your emblems shined here. Don’t be caught in a battle with a worn-out emblem. I personally guarantee you won’t be sorry with the results. You three there,” a vendor with a generous-sized belly said as he stood directly in their path. “I can see from the double dragon insignia in your collars that you are Rohads. You must also be wielders.” He glanced at Aya. “Step over to my stall, young lady. I’ll make that emblem look as good as new.”
“Thank you, but I’m fine.”
“Nonsense.” The vendor looked down at the backside of Aya’s glove, where all wielders carried their emblem. “Oh, a blue emblem, you must be a water wielder. But the color is so faded. Your poor emblem looks almost black, as if it belonged to a dark wielder. After I polish it, everyone will know that it’s a water emblem. It will only take but a second.”
“No, seriously, sir. I’m fine,” Aya mumbled.
“Well,” Falcon said, as they walked away a few steps, “he certainly gets points for trying. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a vendor be so insistent.”
“I’m still hungry,” Falcon heard a voice whimper.
He looked back. A small girl had come out from behind the vendor’s stall. She had dark eyes and wild, untamed hair. “Um, Papa. I’m still hungry. That piece of meat you got me was so small. Could I have some more?”
A look of shame registered on the vendor’s red face. “It’s been a slow day, honey. As soon as I make some money I’ll get you some food.” Disappointed, the little girl went back down to her spot behind the stall.
Aya turned and moved back toward the stall.
“What are you doing?” asked Falcon.
Aya set her right hand over the counter. “On second thought, my emblem could use a polish.”
The man’s eyes lit up. “You won’t regret it.” He took out a bottle of lotion in and poured it on the emblem. He then took out a cloth and wiped the emblem with it. “This is a lapis lazuli cloth. Many other cleaners use the much cheaper aqua cloths, but I only use the best for my customers.”
“That’s right,” the girl added, pride in her voice. “My dad is the best in all of Ladria. No, in all of Va’siel.”
Falcon stared in awe at the emblem. It shone brightly. The blue marble looked almost moving, like real water.
“How about you, young man? Your void emblem could use some polishing too.”
Falcon stared at his grey emblem. The vendor was right. His emblem hadn’t been polished in years.
“Of course he would like to get his emblem polished,” answered Aya. “Isn’t that right, Falcon?”
“Yes, of course.” He set his hand on the stall and the man went to work. A minute later his emblem was as good as new.
Falcon was surprised to see Faith put her hand forward. Her emblem looked as if it had been barely been crafted. There wasn’t a single speck of dust on it.
“A white emblem?” The vendor stared at Faith, mouth gaping.
The girl dashed forward. “Wow, a holy wielder. Papa, you said that holy wielders were extinct. Remember?”
“Did I hear you say holy wielder?” asked a man who passed by. He scampered toward them.
“Impossible!” cried a woman.
Soon there was a crowd around the stall, all straining to catch a glimpse of Faith.
“Don’t disturb my customers,” ordered the vendor. “Away with you lot, or I’ll call the guards.”
The crowd of people stepped back from Faith, though most of them still gazed at her from a distance.
Aya and Falcon eyed each other with interest.
“We should have perhaps kept the fact that she’s a holy wielder hidden,” said Aya.
“Yes,” Falcon agreed. “We don’t need the extra attention.”
“Sorry about that,” apologized the vendor. His mouth was still open more than normal. “I…I never thought this could be possible. For a holy wielder to be born in such a cruel world is impossible.”
“Obviously not,” said Falcon, growing a bit impatient.
The man shook his head. “Sorry. Lulu. Pass me my special bag.”
Lulu crouched and disappeared under the stall. There was a loud series of crashing and slamming sounds. Moments later the girl came up with a dusty, brown bag. She carefully set it on the wood table.
“Special?” remarked Falcon. “It sure doesn’t look like it.”
“That’s because it has never been used.” The vendor reached inside and ever so carefully took out a yellow cloth. “My father passed this down to me. He spent his entire life hoping to use it. He died never fulfilling his wish.”
With trembling fingers, he reached for Faith’s hand. He set the wipe down on her emblem and began to wipe. “This is a celestial wipe. Legend has it that it’s not even from this world. My father said that it came from another planet known as Elsire.”
“Aha,” mumbled Falcon in disbelief. “I’m sure it did.”
Lulu’s eyes glistened as she watched in awe. “Just you wait until Mom hears about this, Papa. She’s going to go crazy. And you’ll be the envy of every other polisher in Va’siel.”
The vendor nodded as he wiped in a circular motion. He then took a step back. “Done.”
“How much do we owe you?” Faith asked, admiring her pristine emblem.
“Nothing,” said the vendor. “It was an honor to serve you.”
“Nonsense.” Faith placed ten gold coins in front of the man.
Aya reached into her pouch and set another ten. “And don’t you dare give it back.”
“I don’t know what to say. Thank you.”
They waved their goodbyes and continued down the road.
Falcon couldn’t help but notice the small crowd that had gathered behind them. He felt out of place. Usually when people followed him, it was to whisper snide remarks behind his back. Even though it had been over five years ago, people had not forgotten the night his brother murdered the Ladrian council. But seeing Faith had apparently made the crowd forget all about him.
He ignored them as he continued down the lively road. Ladies-in-waiting marched behind noblewomen, white-clad priests chanted gospels as they moved through the crowd, ragged children scampered in between horses and through people’s legs playing games of tag, and vendors and buyers haggled over prices.
Falcon cursed under his breath as someone stepped on his foot. That was the fifth time in the last minute. As he looked for the culprit, a man bumped him from behind. He gritted his teeth in anger. Fools.
Aya and Faith, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind the walk. They leisurely moved around people and waited for people to pass. After what seemed like an eternity, they reached the palace gates.
“May I help you?” asked the stoic guard. Behind him stood the grand palace of Ladria. Its walls were made of pure black marble. Dozens of cloth tapestries embroidered with the insignias of noble families hung from its walls.
“Yes,” said Falcon. “We seek an audience with Emperor Romus.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No we don’t, but we were—”
“No one will be granted an audience with Emperor Romus without an appointment.”
Falcon frowned. “Fine then. I would like to make an appointment.”
“I’m afraid you can’t do that.”
“And why is that?”
“You have no family insignia on the back of your Rohad uniform. All Rohad mercenaries display their family crests with pride. The fact that you do not means you are Falcon Hyatt. Your brother is the traitor, Albert. Do you actually think our most serene Emperor Romus would agree to meet with you?”
Falcon clenched h
is teeth. “My brother is not a traitor.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” apologized the guard in a sarcastic tone. “I suppose your brother wasn’t the one who marched into the chambers of the Ladria council and murdered the council members in cold blood. He must have felt very brave, killing elderly men.”
Falcon clenched his fist, ready to wipe the smug smile of the guard’s face.
Aya stepped in front of Falcon. “Excuse me, sir. I’m Aya Na—”
The guard held his hand up. “I really don’t care who you are. Anyone associated with this traitor is obviously a demented fool.”
Aya took a breath. “Like I was saying, I’m Aya Nakatomi.”
“Oh.” The guard’s smug grin disappeared, replaced by a look of nervousness. His eyes wandered to the pouncing lion insignia on her chest. “Oh, it is you, Miss Nakatomi. Please excuse me, I had no idea.”
Aya waved her hand. “Forget about that. What do I have to do to see the emperor?”
“Any daughter of an esteemed council member can schedule an audience with the emperor.”
“How long will it take?”
“If you sign up now, you can expect an audience in fifty, maybe forty, days’ time.”
Aya raised her eyebrow. “Forty days! Are you serious?”
“Forty days is more than generous, Miss Nakatomi. Why, if your parents weren’t council members, your waiting time would be at least two hundred days.”
“That’s nice to know,” said Falcon sarcastically. “C’mon, Aya. We’re wasting our time here.”
Defeated, the three of them scrambled away.
“I could ask my parents to speak to the emperor,” offered Aya. “They can see him at a day’s notice, but I doubt they will. They’re already unpopular enough with the nobles because of the tax cuts they passed. Going up to the emperor with just our word and no hard proof will be foolish in their eyes.”
“That’s fine,” said Falcon. “If you ask your father for this favor, he will totally lose it.” He was well aware that Aya’s father did not approve of her friendship with him.
“Don’t say that. My father can be difficult and stubborn at times, but he likes you.”
“It didn’t seem that way when he kicked me out of the party your family threw,” said Falcon, shooting Aya a look of disbelief.
Aya’s face turned red. “Like I said, my father can be stubborn, but he also respects people who fight to change their destiny like he did. In fact, last time we spoke he actually sounded somewhat impressed that you managed to graduate from Rohad.”
“That’s nice,” said Falcon, his voice dripped with mock amusement. “Instead of being a total idiot in his eyes, I’m only a minor idiot. Good to know. All you nobles are the same, always looking down on us.”
Aya stopped moving and stared back at him with a pained look in her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Aya. It’s just that I’ve been through so much lately. I didn’t mean what I said.”
“That’s all right. You have a right to be being angry with us. It was we nobles who shunned you and K’ran for years, right? And now he’s dead. And then you try to see the emperor and you can’t because you are not a noble. I get it, Falcon. You have every right to be angry.”
“No Aya, that’s not what I meant.”
“It’s fine, Falcon,” she said thickly. “I know exactly what you meant.” She turned and trudged toward her home, which was located in the richest part of the city. “I’m going to have a word with my father. I’ll see you later.”
“Would you like me to accompany you?” said Faith.
“Thank you, Faith. But I have to speak to my father alone.”
Faith nodded. “Very well. I understand.”
Still red-faced, Aya turned and disappeared into the crowd.
“Aya, don’t go,” Falcon pleaded desperately.
“She can’t hear you,” Faith said. “And even if she could, I don’t think she would come back.”
“Why am I so stupid?” cursed Falcon.
“Don’t beat yourself up too much, Falcon. The chaos element inside of you drives you to say and do things that you wouldn’t normally do, especially in difficult times. Aya knows that.”
“You think so?”
“Yes.” Faith put her face directly in front of his. “But you shouldn’t speak to her like that again.”
“Understood,” said Falcon, taken aback by the finality in Faith’s voice.
“Good.”
“We should head to Rohad Academy,” suggested Falcon, attempting to regain some composure. “I haven’t made my official debrief.”
“Do you think they’ll be angry at you for disobeying orders?”
“I don’t know,” said Falcon, hoping they wouldn’t suspend his Rohad status. “Let’s find out.”
CHAPTER 6
“Wow, it’s beautiful!” Faith shrieked. “I never imagined that the Rohad castle would be so gorgeous.”
“What exactly were you expecting?” asked Falcon. “Walls shrouded in darkness?”
Faith couldn’t help but giggle. “Well, yes actually. I mean, you guys are mercenaries, after all. I expected stone statues of warriors, training fields, and fortress-like buildings to serve as the Rohad headquarters. But instead I find myself in a beautiful lush garden filled with flowers.” Seeing them made her realize just how much she’d missed her flower room back in Asturia. She hoped her dad was taking good care of it while she was gone. “I especially like the vine plants that are crawling up the castle walls. It takes years for them to get that way. It’s all quite exquisite.”
“You know, if you want to, you can take a look around the garden. It has a lot of flowers and plants that are native to Ladria, so you probably have never seen them before.” Falcon pointed at a wall of green at the far end of the garden. “You see those bushes over there?”
“Yes,” said Faith, gaping at the green barrier. It was long and easily stood over fifteen feet.
“That’s a garden maze. At the middle of it are honey flowers. They smell beautiful this time of the year. You should check it out. I would love to give you a tour myself, but I have to report to my superiors. It’s very boring stuff.”
“Meet back here before sundown?” Faith asked.
“Sounds like a plan.” Falcon took off down the brick road.
“And if I’m not here, it is because I’m lost inside the maze!” shouted Faith. “You know that I’m such a klutz.”
Falcon looked back at her dismissively. “Don’t worry, I’ll find you.”
I can do this, Faith thought. She marched up to the maze entrance and moved in. Immediately she was presented with a choice. She could go down the long path to her right, or the even longer path to her left. After some inner deliberation, she went down the left path.
“Excuse me,” said a couple that squeezed past her. They were going the opposite way of her, which meant they were headed out.
“Excuse me, is this the right way?” asked Faith quietly.
The couple continued to cuddle and kiss as if Faith had not spoken. They turned the corner and disappeared.
Guess not.
She continued down the twists and turns, hoping to see someone else. But the more she walked, the more her hopes dwindled. There didn’t appear to be anybody else in the maze with her, and she didn’t seem to be any closer to getting out. What would Falcon think if she couldn’t even make it out of a simple puzzle?
She came upon a fork in the path. She eyed her three options. The left and right paths were shining brightly, as the sun came down on the leaves. There were even a few purple flowers sneaking out of the bushes.
The center path, on the other hand, had uneven terrain. Sticks that resembled long, crooked fingers protruded from the brown leaves. Long vines covered the top of the path, preventing any kind of sunlight from illumining the path. The entire scene gave her a sense of dread.
“I certainly won’t be going that way,” she mumbled to herself. She instead turned to th
e left path and started her descent into it. As she walked, she hummed and touched the wet leaves. The water felt refreshing on her skin.
“That path is only going to take you in circles,” said a thick voice from behind her.
She hopped, turned, and shrieked all at once. A man stared back at her. He looked to be about her age, though he was much bigger than her. He had bushy brown hair and thick lips.
“I’m so sorry,” said the man. “I didn’t mean to bloody scare you. I saw you heading the wrong way and thought I should say something.”
Faith steadied her breath. She looked up at him from top to bottom. He wore a blue Rohad uniform. An insignia of a gold-colored emblem was etched in his chest.
“You’re a Rohad, I see.”
The man nodded his head proudly. “Yes, actually. I’m one of the best.”
“I’m sure you are,” said Faith, smiling. “So why did you say I wouldn’t want to go this way?” She pointed at the path before her. “It looks so pretty.”
“Don’t believe what you see. They make it look that way so people get trapped in here.” He pointed at the dark, center path. “That’s the path you want to take.”
Faith winced as she stared down the gloomy path. “Are you sure? It sure doesn’t seem safe.”
The Rohad motioned her to come toward her. “Of course I’m sure. I’m a descendant of the legendary Golden Wielder.”
“I don’t think being the descendant of Va’siel’s savior qualifies you to navigate mazes.”
“Bloody fickle,” whispered the Rohad. “What I meant to say is that since the Golden Wielder is my ancestor, I was accepted into Rohad Academy when I was but a child. I know this maze inside and out.”
“I suppose I’ll have to concede to your expertise,” said Faith. “After you.”
The bulky Rohad went into the dark path, followed by Faith. Goosebumps covered her body as the crooked sticks grazed her skin. A spider suddenly crawled in front of her and she staggered back. She loved all animals, but spiders were some that she still had a hard time getting used to.
The Rohad reached for her hand, but then he seemed to think better of it and simply tapped her shoulder. “Don’t be scared. I’ll protect you.”
Legacy of Chaos (The Void Wielder Trilogy Book 2) Page 4