by John Marco
Reluctantly, Richius released her. His gesture kept the guardians at bay. At their queen’s insistence, they moved back into the shadows, out of earshot. Jelena shook her head at Richius, clearly troubled.
‘What is wrong with you tonight? I’ve never seen you this way, Jackal’
‘Don’t call me that!’ Richius snapped. ‘My name isn’t Jackal. It’s Richius Vantran. Can’t any of you get that through your thick heads? Richius.’
Jelena gave another, infuriating smile. ‘To us you are the Jackal. And I’ve told you, it’s no insult.’
‘No? Well, I hate it. If you call me that again I just won’t answer you.’
‘You must get used to it, Richius,’ said the queen. She slid her hand onto his shoulder. ‘You must understand what you are to us.’
Richius rolled his eyes back. ‘I already know. I’m a hero.’
‘Yes. Is that so bad?’
‘Jelena, I can’t be your hero. If you keep calling me that, you’re all just going to be disappointed. Let me do what I came here for. That’s all I want. Please.’
‘That’s all any of us want,’ she assured him. ‘Be at ease. We have more faith in you than you have in yourself. We know you can do this thing and be victorious.’
‘Don’t be so sure. I haven’t even started to put a battle plan together. And why? Because I can’t! I need maps, Jelena. I need to know what the hell I’m doing!’
‘Lower your voice,’ she directed. ‘Please. Don’t make me tell you again.’
Richius wanted to scream. Were they all mad on this island? No one was listening to him. And no one of consequence could even hear him. Only Jelena, and she was too enamored with a myth to see the truth.
‘God, Jelena, please listen to me,’ he said. He kept his eyes closed as he spoke, talking softly, hoping she might hear a whisper better than his shouts. ‘Just listen to me, all right? I want to tell you the truth of things.’
‘I’m listening,’ said the queen.
Richius opened his eyes. She was indeed listening. He took her hand and pulled her down onto the dock, so they were both sitting with their legs dangling over the water. Jelena didn’t protest the odd arrangement. In fact, she seemed to enjoy the intimacy.
‘Talk to me,’ she begged. ‘Tell me what troubles you.’
‘First a promise. Will you listen to everything I say? I mean, will you truly hear me?’
The queen nodded. ‘Of course.’
‘Good.’ Richius sighed, arranging his thoughts. There was so much in his head, a fractured mirror of ideas and anxieties. Finally, he folded his arms over his chest, saying, ‘I’m no hero, Jelena. I can’t lead an army this way. You think I’m a hero because you don’t know the truth of things, and because Prakna and the others won’t listen to the truth.’
‘So what is the truth?’
‘The truth is ugly. The truth is I’m just a man who’s been obscenely lucky. I’ve seen a lot of death.’
‘So have I.’
Richius held up a finger in warning. ‘It’s my turn, remember?’
‘I remember,’ said the queen sheepishly.
Richius continued. ‘War isn’t the glorious thing you think it is. War is ugly. I know, because I’ve lived through it. And it’s only been by Heaven’s grace that I’m even here to talk about it, because I don’t deserve to be. Good people died just so I can be sitting here with you now, staring at the stars. I’ve lost a lot of friends and family.’ He looked up into the sky. ‘I’m afraid, Jelena.’
There was an awkward silence after his confession. He glanced at Jelena, and found to his surprise that she was grinning at him.
‘What is it? Why are you smiling?’
‘Is that all you wanted to tell me? That you’re afraid? We are all afraid, Richius. Every day I fear for my life and soul. I don’t think any less of you for being like me. No one expects you to be more than human. Not me, and not your army.’
‘Army,’ Richius scoffed. ‘Right.’
There was immediate offense in the girl’s expression. ‘There is an army, Richius. Have no doubt.’ She stared at him, and when he wouldn’t answer, she poked him with a finger. ‘You don’t believe me?’
Her question made Richius shrug. ‘I think you’re hiding them from me,’ he told her. ‘I think you’re not at all proud of the rag-tag group you’ve assembled, and you’re trying to whip them into something presentable before I see them. That’s what I think. That’s what I’m afraid of ‘You are wrong,’ she said with iron. ‘There is an army waiting for you. A proud group. On the morrow you will see them.’
‘On the morrow. Always on the morrow. I’ve been in Liss for three days, Jelena. Why can’t I see them now? Why can’t I get to work?’
‘Because they’ve been assembling for you, Richius. There’s much to do. On the morrow—’
‘Yes, yes,’ snapped Richius with a wave.
The insult brought Jelena to her feet. ‘You really don’t believe me, do you?’ she asked, glowering at him.
‘I’ve told you what I believe.’
The queen grabbed hold of his collar, angrily pulling him to his feet. ‘Then come,’ she demanded. She turned from him and stormed down the dock, waving at him to follow. ‘Come on!’
‘What? Where are you going?’
‘We are going to see your army, Jackal. Right now.’
‘Now? Jelena . . .’
‘Follow me,’ the queen commanded. She snapped her fingers at her guards, shouting orders that brought more of them running. Richius hurried up to her, confused and surprised at her vehemence. Suddenly there was nothing of the little girl in her. That adolescent veneer had vanished, unveiling a confident ruler. Jelena demanded a boat and men, and she wanted them quickly. To be precise, she wanted them right now.
‘A boat? Now?’ Richius asked, flabbergasted. ‘But it’s so late. So dark.’
‘You wanted to see your army, yes?’ she shot back. ‘Then that’s where we’re going. Since you don’t trust me enough to wait ’til morning, we’ll go now.’
‘I never said that I don’t trust you,’ Richius tried to explain. But Jelena would hear nothing. Her face was granite as her guards went to work, arranging passage for their mistress. The docks sprang quickly to life as her sailors emerged from the darkness with lanterns and gear, shouting across the grounds in preparation for a journey. For the first time in days, there was actually real activity around the palace, a sight both heartening and confusing. Where the hell were they going?
Queen Jelena continued to ignore Richius as her men led them both to a waiting catboat at the other end of the pier. This one was like the boat that had brought Richius to the royal island, a splendid, single-masted vessel bearing the figurehead of the haran and outfited with a polished brass sternpost. The sail had been furled, and a team of rowers climbed aboard, taking positions on the rowing benches and grabbing up the long, tapering oars. They were remarkably efficient and had readied themselves in an instant at their queen’s request. A man in a royal uniform hurried up to the boat, still pulling on his coat as Richius and Jelena arrived. He greeted the queen with a bow and a smile, a gesture which Jelena perfunctorily returned.
‘Timrin,’ the queen addressed him. ‘I want to go to Karalon. Right now.’
The sailor Timrin blanched at the order. He was very dark and hidden in the shadows. ‘My queen, it’s dangerous. Let me take the Jackal there himself. I think it would be best if you stayed behind. The lagoons around Karalon are, well, treacherous.’
‘The Jackal of Nar insists on seeing his army tonight,’ said Jelena. ‘I must escort him, to prove a point. No arguments, Timrin, please.’
‘As you wish,’ said the sailor reluctantly. He stood aside so that his monarch could step on board. Jelena didn’t wait for the astonished Richius to accompany her up the gang-walk. But when she got on board and saw he wasn’t following, she gave him an irritated scowl.
‘Are you coming or not?’ she barked at him.
Richius planted his feet resolutely in the dirt. ‘Not until you tell me where we’re going. What’s Karalon?’
‘Karalon is where your army is stationed. And that’s all I’ll say to you. I can be as stubborn as you, Richius. Get aboard.’
Against his better judgment, Richius walked up onto the waiting boat. Behind their oars, the rowers stared at him through the darkness while other sailors fitted the vessel with lanterns to pierce the darkness. One by one the lanterns were lit, until the boat glowed with yellow light. Timrin, the apparent captain of the vessel, was the last aboard. He pulled up the narrow plank, checked the darkness with a worried eye, then settled in to the bow, not far from where his queen was sitting. Richius stood, staring questioningly at Jelena. The queen ignored him.
‘This show isn’t necessary,’ he said softly. ‘I never said I didn’t trust you.’
‘Sit down, Richius. You might hurt yourself.’
‘Jelena—’
‘Just sit.’ She gestured to the place on the bench beside her. ‘You’ll see where we’re going soon enough.’
So Richius sat beside her on the cold, hard bench, while the oarsmen waited for Timrin’s command to shove off. A few straggling sailors on the dock undid the mooring lines, letting the boat drift away. In the distance, the palace glowed in the light of braziers and torches. Richius suddenly regretted his harsh words to the queen. Her palace, the only home he had right now, seemed painfully inviting. But the vessel floated away from it, and soon the rowers set to work with their oars, pulling them far from Haran Island and across the vast, black lake. Darkness swallowed them, and the pinpoints of lantern light shone insignificantly, barely brightening the few feet in front of them. To their left, the towns and villages of Liss glowed with distant light, but their heading was taking them away from those sights. They were plunging deeper into the darkness, toward a lightless meadow of still water stretching far off and away from Haran Island. Richius peered into the invisible distance, hoping to catch a glimmer of something solid, but there was nothing but endless water and murkiness. That feeling of isolation he had been battling now came roaring over him like a tidal wave.
‘Is this right?’ he asked incredulously. ‘Can Timrin see anything?’
Jelena looked away, pretending not to hear him.
‘Don’t ignore me, girl,’ Richius warned. ‘Tell me where we’re going.’
‘I’ve already told you,’ said Jelena wearily. ‘To Karalon.’
‘Right. And what exactly is Karalon?’
‘You’ll see.’
‘Is it far?’
‘Not very.’
‘What is it?’
Jelena turned away from him and said no more. The narrow boat slipped farther into the unknown, slowly skimming the water as the oarsmen dipped and pulled them forward. On the bow, Timrin worked the lanterns with an eagle-eye, trying to penetrate the darkness. The lanterns pitched their cold light forward, skidding across the water. Richius watched Timrin work, amazed at the concentration locked on his face.
Part fish, thought Richius. All Lissens are part fish.
As Marus had told him, they were part of the sea. Its salty water ran through their veins like blood. But Timrin was far from happy with this mission. Nothing distracted him or broke his concentration, but there was real worry on his face. Whatever Karalon was, it wasn’t a place to be visited at night.
For nearly an hour they rowed without ceasing. Jelena kept up her stony silence, not sparing a word. The towns that had bid them goodbye were gone now, and the lake had finally narrowed into a winding, sluggish river. A stiff breeze blew, making Richius shiver. In the darkness, he heard the splash of night-things moving on the banks and the alien croaking of reptiles. His ears buzzed with the insistent drone of insects. To starboard and port, he could see boggy landmasses, misshapen blobs of earth striped with rivulets. The tendrils of water were everywhere, some as wide as Lissen canals, others barely big enough for a toy boat to maneuver. Timrin periodically held up his hand, slowing their vessel and making the oarsmen steer through unseen treacheries. Around them, the river narrowed still more. Up ahead was a sharp bend in the waterway.
‘Easy here,’ Timrin coached. The oarsmen slackened their pace, letting the boat glide. Beneath them, Richius heard the sound of sand scraping the hull. The boat pitched suddenly to port, spilling Jelena into his arms. Timrin cursed and wrapped himself around the sternpost, ordering his men to push off. The sailors on the port side scrambled, grabbing long poles and pushing the boat off whatever had snared them. There were more jarring noises, more lurching as the vessel slowly freed itself. Sure that the boat would tear itself apart, Richius held tight to Jelena. If they spilled into the freezing water, they would surely die.
‘I’ve got you!’ he assured the queen. Jelena stayed in his arms, grateful for the security as she dug her fingers into the bench to keep from sliding off. Oarsmen and sailors grunted with exertion. Timrin shouted at them to heave, and at last the boat freed itself with a great groan. It splashed back into the water, righting itself and revealing a black outcropping of muddy rocks. As they drifted away from the dangerous peak, Timrin shook his head, shaken and angry. He rushed to check on his queen, but Jelena quickly signaled her safety.
‘I’m all right,’ she proclaimed. ‘Go on, Timrin. Watch the course.’
‘You’re sure you’re all right?’ Richius asked her. He still had his arms around her waist. Flustered, Jelena removed herself from his embrace.
‘I’m fine,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’
A little ashamed, Richius drew back.
‘Tell me now,’ he said. ‘Where are we? Is this Karalon?’
Jelena nodded. ‘Yes. Or part of it. We’re very near now.’
‘This bog? This is where my army is?’
‘There’s an island at the center of the bog,’ the queen explained. ‘Much bigger than these other islands. That’s where your army is, Richius. They’ve been waiting for you, bringing in supplies and getting ready. But it’s been hard to get them all here. That’s what’s taken so much time.’
Richius looked around, astonished by the bleak landscape. He could hardly believe this boggy, desolated place hid his army. ‘Here?’ he blurted. ‘I don’t understand. Why?’
‘Because it’s the safest place for them,’ said Jelena. There was an agitation in her tone, a sadness Richius couldn’t fathom. She didn’t look out into the night as Richius did, she didn’t crane her neck to see or show the slightest fear of her surroundings. She merely sat there, mute. Richius took her hand, imploring her to speak.
‘Explain it to me,’ he said gently. ‘What is this all about?’
Jelena sighed. ‘Karalon is very remote. There is only one wide waterway here, and no way to reach the main island on foot. Anyone who goes to Karalon must take a boat like this one. And they must know the way, like Timrin does. It’s a very dangerous route. And secret.’
‘That much is obvious. But why?’
‘Because they’re all we have,’ said Jelena angrily. She pulled her hand away from him. ‘They’re our only hope, Richius. The only fighters we have to give you. We protect them here because we can’t afford to fight Nar again, not on our own soil’
Suddenly Richius understood. If Nar were to come back as Queen Jelena feared, there was no way they could reach her precious army, not here in remote Karalon. Even the big guns of dreadnoughts would be useless in this rugged terrain of rivers and lagoons. They were probably far from any Lissen city or major waterway, deep inside the folds of the Hundred Isles, where no Naren could ever hope to find them or destroy their last hope for revenge. Richius gave the queen a sympathetic smile, conveying his understanding. They were indeed a beautiful race, these Lissens. And desperate beyond imagining.
‘So you keep the men here to protect them,’ he said.
‘Not just men. Women, too. Anyone old enough and willing to serve. This is where we house them. This is where you will train them, make an army out
of them. We’ve brought them here for you, Jackal’
‘God, the lengths you’ve gone to, Jelena! First you bring me across the world. And now . . .’ He shrugged, unable to find words. ‘All this. I don’t know what to say.’
‘Say that you were wrong,’ said Jelena. ‘Say that we do indeed have an army for you, and that I would never lie to you.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Richius offered. ‘I’ve been harsh with you. But I was afraid. And now I don’t know what to think! This is all so astonishing. All of Liss. It’s been so strange for me.’
‘Stranger than you imagined, I would think,’ agreed Jelena. ‘But now there is work to do. And if we’re to succeed against our enemies, we must trust each other.’ Her gaze bore into him. ‘Can you do that, Richius?’
‘I can try,’ said Richius. ‘I’ve already promised I would do my best for you, Jelena. Do not doubt me on that. Now . . .’ He looked around. ‘Where is this army of mine?’
‘It’s a bad way,’ Timrin answered unexpectedly. ‘We have to go slow or we’ll bottom out.’
‘We’re not far, Richius,’ counseled Jelena. ‘Be patient.’
Patience was a virtue Richius had never possessed, but he settled down as best he could, scanning the watery horizon. Around him, he could see only obscure shapes in the darkness, the vague outlines of thin rivers and blowing batches of water grasses. The rowers had stowed their oars and now were propelling the boat through the narrow lane with long, muck-covered poles. The steady sucking sound of mud and water filled the night. Up ahead, barely lit by lantern light, was the growing outline of an island. It was tall and sturdy-looking, with a beach of jagged rocks infested with cattails and sand dunes.
‘Is that where we’re going?’ Richius asked, dreading the answer.
‘That is Karalon,’ replied the queen.
Richius’ heart sank. What kind of army could possibly be hidden here? But despite his dismay, the boat continued toward the island. Timrin leaned out over the prow, his arm wrapped around the sternpost, and guided them in. The expert sailors of Liss bested the treacherous shore, slowly piloting in the craft. Beneath them, the hull screeched and groaned as rocks and sand dunes scraped the boat’s bottom. Men on both sides of the vessel fought off the encroaching dangers with their poles, snaking their queen safely through. At last the boat came to a stop, beaching itself with a lurch. The world fell eerily quiet.