Alisiyad

by Sarah R. Suleski

  Russ stared at her. “Well yeah . . . but . . . how?”

  “Take Currun with you. He used to live in Varaneshe; he was under my father’s command. He left when his sister died.” Alisiya’s face turned serious, and she stepped closer. “He knows the city. He knows the palace. In his youth he was trained as a soldier in the special forces of Adayzjia. You must have him show you the way.”

  “I . . . .” Russ wondered how he would do that. Currun may have been in the special forces once, but now . . . now he was a drunk.

  “Do not let his current state fool you,” said Alisiya. “He can still help you better than anyone else. You need him. But you must make sure that it is only the two of you. My father is not stupid enough to let an army march on him. Don’t let Pillari or Arlic come, or send men with you. This is stealth, do you understand?” Alisiya leaned in earnestly. Russ tried not to let the glow of hinted transparency distract him.

  “Yes. We have to sneak in to get you.”

  She smiled again. “That’s it. Get me out of Varaneshe without my father knowing. Now listen carefully: in order to find me, you must search out Aysha. I am with Aysha.”

  “But—”

  “My mother’s body has never rotted. Her grave is my home. Do you understand?”

  “Um . . . .”

  Alisiya sighed briefly, but then seemed to choke down impatience, and explained. “Here in Arlic’s home they have a small memorial, with a statue. It is in the garden. In Varaneshe there is a great hall, a shrine, which is her tomb. It is also in the garden. My home is hidden within, and that is where you have to go. Tell Currun this, he will know where it is.”

  “Alright.” Doubt crept in. “Are you sure . . . I mean . . . Currun might be trained, but I don’t even know where—”

  “Russell—” she smiled, and reached out to put a small hand on his knee. He didn’t feel it. “You are the only person who has reason enough to risk entering Leeton’s city and his very palace. Currun has the training, but you are the only one who needs to free me. I believe that you will do whatever you can, which is better than the half-efforts of a stronger man. Currun alone wouldn’t do it, and you alone couldn’t do it. That is why I need the two of you. It is up to you to ensure that Currun will help you.”

  “I—”

  “I know you will do this for me.” Alisiya withdrew her hand and pointed at him. “It is the only way to free me. So it must happen.”

  He wasn’t that confident. But as he looked first at her and then Liseli, he realized that it was the only thing he could do besides watch Liseli die. So he had to at least attempt it.

  “Alright. I’ll . . . I’ll try to come get you. You can wake Liseli up once you’re here?”

  She nodded, and smiled faintly. “I will undo what my father has done . . . to her.”

  “Okay . . . ” he gave Liseli’s limp body a squeeze. “Okay. Do you . . . do you really think I can do this?”

  “Yes. I know it. For Liseli. She is—” Alisiya paused, her face darkened for the briefest moment, but did not waver “—she is lucky to have you right now.” She nodded. “Very lucky.”

  He smiled. He could almost believe it when she said those things with such confidence. She believed in him. She—

  The door opened. He looked up and saw two servants entering, one carrying a tray of food and the other a ceramic pitcher. Russ glanced down at Alisiya, but she was gone. He blinked and looked around, but there was no sign of her.

  Chapter 19 ~ Assignment, part 2

  “Good morning,” said the man holding the tray. “Halla said that you should eat your breakfast in your room this morning.”

  “Uh . . . right . . . where’s the family eating?”

  “In the breakfast room. But Halla said—”

  “I need to talk to them. I’ll go down there.” Russ rested Liseli against the pillows and scooted out of bed. He was still wearing the black pants he’d put on the night before, and decided that that and the shift would be presentable enough on short notice.

  “Sir, I don’t think—”

  “Could you show me where that is?” Russ found his shoes and put them on.

  “But—”

  “It’s important. And I feel fine.” More or less.

  The servants glanced at each other, looking reluctant and at a loss. Then the man with the tray sighed. “If you insist. But Halla has been appointed your caretaker and she wants . . . and she will not be happy.”

  “I’m sorry. But . . . thanks,” Russ said absently. He was looking at Liseli and wondering if he should leave her in bed or take her with him. He realized that he’d have to leave her here if, no when, he went to Varaneshe. But he didn’t want to. “Er . . . ” he scratched his head and looked at the servants in indecision.

  “You would rather stay here?” the girl with the pitcher said hopefully.

  “No. Wait a minute.” Russ looked around for something to put on Liseli over her nightgown, because he didn’t think she’d like to be taken downstairs in just bedclothes. He spotted his denim jacket draped over the bureau chair, and figured it was good enough. The servants watched as he carried it over to her, but then the girl set her pitcher down and came over to help him sit Liseli up and put the jacket around her shoulders. Then Russ picked her up again. She was lighter this morning, he thought . . . . Or maybe that was just because he was in better shape than last night. Or both. “Okay,” he said, shaking the thoughts away.

  The man and girl exchanged a resigned look, and led him toward the door. They went downstairs and wound through more halls until they came to a room on the eastern side of the house. The Erykumyn were seated around a table in the early morning light, and they looked up in surprise. Pillari was in the middle of a sentence but fell silent abruptly.

  Halla stood. “I said that he should stay in bed!” she exclaimed.

  “He insisted.” The man shrugged.

  “I did. Sorry,” Russ said, not apologetically. “I just need to talk to you guys.”

  “Why did you bring her down here?” Halla shook her head. “She’s still—”

  “I didn’t want to leave her.” Russ shifted Liseli’s weight in his arms and shrugged only slightly, so her neck wouldn’t slip away from his chest. It was hard to keep her balanced. He glanced around the table, seeing that Eliasha lowered her eyes. Martilia and the children were not there.

  Arlic cleared his throat. “I am glad to see that you have recovered. But the breakfast table is not—”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” Russ looked at him over Liseli’s head. “Does this bother you? Huh,” he laughed once, grimly. “I’m a little bothered by it too, to tell the truth.”

  Pillari spoke; “Sit down.” He waved a hand at Larzai in the corner, who came forward and pulled out a chair.

  “Thanks.” Russ maneuvered into a sitting position with Liseli on his lap. He was conscious of the family’s eyes on her. Don’t be rude, he thought to himself, but then he could imagine her voice; but don’t give in, and don’t go along. Going along got you here.

  “I . . . uh . . . I just needed to tell you that . . . .” He suddenly wished that he’d rehearsed or at least planned on what to say. “I need to go to Varaneshe.”

  Arlic set his fork down with a clang. “Why?”

  “I have to get help for Liseli.”

  Currun snorted. “In Varaneshe?”

  “Yeah. Alisiya came to my room, and told me that she could help, if I brought her back here,” Russ explained, trying to ignore the frowns he was getting. He couldn’t, and stopped. Silence followed; he finally broke it. “What?”

  “Alisiya?” Pillari asked, lifting his eyebrows ironically. “The Goddess of Air?”

  “No, the . . . the Child. You know; your, eh, your niece,” Russ frowned back.

  Eliasha made a sound halfway between a gasp a choke, and covered her hands with her face. She distracted the others only momentarily.

  “No,” said Arlic, folding his hand in front of him. He inspected his
fingers for a moment. Russ waited. “No,” Arlic repeated. “Leeton . . . Leeton murdered his and Aysha’s child many years ago. That child had no name and is no more. Some do think that the Child who wanders the wilderness is a memory of that child, a ghost. But visions of it are not to be trusted. Not to be trusted at all.”

  “Because she told Ilia to drink from the Chaiorra.”

  “Do not speak that name,” Arlic warned him.

  *I got mauled by dogs and Liseli’s in a coma, thanks to you, so I think I can say any name I damn well please. * Russ took a breath, and instead replied, “I talked to her. Alisiya. She told me all about her father and mother and . . . well, I think she’s real.”

  “Leeton murdered the child,” Pillari repeated. “I am sorry. Perhaps you were dreaming, or have seen the ghost. But that—”

  “How’d he kill her?”

  Silence.

  Russ looked at Currun. He was stirring his food around on his plate and didn’t look up. “How?”

  “We don’t know,” Arlic admitted tightly. “But—”

  “Did you see a body?”

  Arlic’s jaw tightened. He stared at Russ for a moment. “No.”

  Russ nodded. He felt relieved to have made a point. With that he seemed to have a little more of their attention, so he went on to tell them about the whole conversation.

  “She said it’s really important that . . . that we go alone,” he said, looking at Currun. “She wants us to sneak in and get out before Leeton knows about it. So having any more people will just . . . draw attention.” Currun’s attention remained fixed on his plate, and Russ fell silent.

  “Alone? That’s preposterous,” said Halla. “It is suicide, and will accomplish nothing. If this Child were really Edward’s daughter she would know that.”

  Edward, Russ thought. Edward Leeton? That’s an interesting name . . . for around here. He told himself not to forget it.

  “She’s right,” said Currun, lifting his head. “I served under Leeton for many years in Varaneshe. He knows how to guard his city and his home. You will find no friends; people there are loyal to him. Their forefathers denied to us the very existence of a child when I knew for a fact that there was one. I was there when Aysha . . . died . . . and . . . .” He stopped, then flattened his hands on the table. “There are more dogs where those two came from. You would not want to go there.”

  “But if you—”

  “Exactly.” Pillari interrupted Russ, nodding to Currun. “Leeton bred his dogs specially, aided by his dark magic. They are his prized possession. He has packs of them in Varaneshe. His kennels are as grand as his stables . . . no, more so. You have escaped this once. I would not test your luck again.”

  Memories of fangs, claws, and pain assaulted him for a moment. He took a breath. Stop.

  “I know it’s dangerous. But I . . . but I . . . what else can I do?” he sighed at the ceiling. “Look at Liseli. Halla, you said that all we can do is wait. Wait for her to starve to death, you mean.”

  “I did not say—” Halla broke off and shook her head. Russ had noticed the way the Erykumyn kept looking at Liseli, shifting with discomfort and glancing away, but returning to her again. It was good that he had brought her down with him. Being forced to see her state made them feel guilty. He could tell. It was good . . . in a way. He hugged her tightly, feeling her chest rise and fall as she breathed; the only indication that she was even still alive.

  “I have to help her.”

  Currun rocked back in his chair. “You may want to, yes. But can you, in reality?” He fixed Russ with an appraising look. “I doubt it. You ask for my help, but what would you do? You would get us both killed, since you know nothing of what you want to do.”

  “What I know,” Russ said, his temper flaring, “is that Alisiya told me I have to go. She thinks I’m capable.”

  “Alisiya,” muttered Pillari. “You must understand, Currun doesn’t mean to insult you,” he paused, glancing at Currun. “What he means, I am sure, is that the fact that you are alive right now is a miracle. Do not throw it away on rash heroics.”

  “But what about Alisiya? Don’t any of you want to help your niece? Aysha’s daughter?”

  “Aysha’s daughter, if the child was a girl, is dead,” Currun said, staring out the window.

  “Perhaps not . . . ” said Arlic, shaking his head. Russ felt hopeful for a moment, until Arlic met his eyes and added, “And maybe it is as we’ve already thought. A vision not to be trusted.”

  “I saw her,” Russ insisted. He glanced around the table. “What about the . . . the prophecy? If we can free Alisiya maybe she’ll help you bring down Leeton. Don’t you trust in the prophecy?”

  “Yes,” said Arlic and Pillari in unison, while at the same time Halla and Currun said firmly, “No.” Eliasha sat with her head lowered, silent and unmoving as if she was not even there.

  “It has proved false,” Currun said, looking intently at Arlic.

  “It was not the prophecy which proved false,” Arlic replied without looking back.

  Currun nearly threw his hands up in exasperation, but instead only raised them enough to thump the table. “Do not put your trust and hope in the words of the Child or the magic of the water,” he told Russ. “You are not invincible. You cannot just walk into Varaneshe and survive because you will it to be so, and you can’t expect me to keep us both alive.”

  “I can take care of myself,” Russ ended in a mumble.

  Currun snorted. “And what are you planning to do with her while you’re gone?” He nodded toward Liseli. “You can’t even bear to leave her alone long enough to come speak with us. Do you plan to carry her to Varaneshe with you?”

  “No, I . . . I’ll leave her here,” Russ said noncommittally. He didn’t want to leave her alone like this . . . he . . . he wanted her to wake up and kiss him and tell him he was just being silly and worrying way too much. That’s what he wanted — but that wasn’t going to happen. “I’ll leave her here. Halla, you’ll watch her, won’t you?”

  “You trust me now?”

  He ignored the irony. “Yeah. Yes.”

  “I’ll watch her, as well,” Eliasha finally lifted her face. “Halla and Martilia and I will all watch over her,” Her cheeks were tear-streaked, and she sniffed as she wiped at her eyes.

  “Eliasha?” Arlic started, reaching out a hand in concern even though he couldn’t reach her. “What is the matter?”

  “Nothing.” She lifted her chin, and looked straight at Currun. “He has to do as Alisiya says. And Currun has to help him. It just has to . . . to be that way.”

  “Ha,” Currun turned to her, “and what makes you think I am subject to orders from Alisiya, real or imagined?”

  Eliasha stared at him from watery eyes. She was silent for a moment, and Currun’s expression faded. “You owe it to her,” Eliasha spoke, faintly. “And maybe she’ll forgive you.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” he snapped.

  Eliasha looked away. “I don’t know. But you do.”

  Russ shifted nervously in the ensuing silence. Arlic leaned forward, “Eliasha? Are you sure you are all right? Why are you crying? What are you saying?”

  “Currun’s being difficult,” she said, avoiding her grandfather’s gaze. “He has to do what Russ wants, because Alisiya wants it. It’s for the best. Tell him—”

  “I don’t take orders from your grandfather,” Currun interrupted her. He turned to Arlic. “I’ll go. I’ll take this inexperienced boy along with me and if he doesn’t get us killed perhaps he’ll learn a thing or two and we’ll return and you’ll get your victory over Leeton.” He halted his train of speech and turned abruptly away from Arlic, to stare at Halla. “That is, if no one objects to the plan.”

  “No one objects,” said Halla evenly.

  “It is suicide,” Pillari muttered.

  Arlic sighed. “Who knows, Pillari. Perhaps not? Remember there is the prophecy to consider. He has survived what,” he paused, then
said very slowly, “what . . . Byzauki . . . did not.” Eliasha stared at him. He shrugged, “Perhaps he is blessed or lucky, and will survive this.”

  Russ didn’t feel blessed or lucky, but he was alive. That had to mean something.

  Pillari nodded, but began to tap the table pensively.

  “Well, the prophecy never guaranteed survival,” said Eliasha with another sniff.

  Arlic stood up and walked over to her, resting a hand on her shoulder. “My dear, don’t say that.” She shook her head, but reached up to touch his hand. “Remember, the couple that brings about Leeton’s downfall will rule in his and Aysha’s place.”

  Everyone looked at Russ and Liseli . . . dubiously, he thought. Currun pushed back his chair with a disgusted noise, and said, “I’ll be preparing for the journey, then.”

  Eliasha patted her grandfather’s hand, ignoring Currun. “The Child never said that exactly.” She smiled wanly at Russ. “All she said on the bridge was that they would bring about his downfall and heal the river.”

  “Nonsense,” Arlic told her gently. “Don’t worry.”

  “Yes,” Russ tried to sound as confident as Alisiya had. “Watch Liseli for me . . . and, yeah . . . .” He drifted off, lowering his head. Liseli’s hair tickled the underside of his chin. It was no good trying to be nonchalant. “Thank you for taking care of her. And . . . saving her from drowning. I don’t know what I’d do if . . . .” He stopped, suddenly feeling in danger of choking up. If Eliasha hadn’t done that Liseli would be dead right now, and none of this would even matter. Not to him.

  Eliasha just nodded. Russ didn’t think his thanks said enough, but nothing he ever said seemed like enough. He forgot to ask her why she had tried to stop him from running to Liseli when the dogs were coming, and didn’t remember it again until he was getting ready to leave and there was no time. But there would be time later . . . later when Alisiya was freed and Liseli was awake, and everything was over.