by Jordan Baker
Brian let his defense slow down and stepped back again, moving the warrior away from the crowd. He blocked several more jabs and ducked a wide swing of the blade, taking another step backward, letting the man follow him. As soon as the warrior was several paces away from the crowd, Brian noticed the patrons begin to relax and spread out, filling up the space he had just created. Cursing their stupidity was of no use, and Brian knew that he would only lose more space, so this would be his best chance.
He blocked the man's blade and knocked it aside with a lot more force than before, then, moving far faster, he pressed his attack, hooking the blade with the curved head of one axe, then he moved inside his opponent's reach and jabbed the end of his other axe hard at the warrior's midsection. The man coughed as the weapon smashed into his stomach. Brian used the distraction to pull the flat of the man's sword toward him, then he slammed the handle of his axe into the blade. The sword shattered, falling to the wooden tavern floor and Brian followed up by shouldering the warrior hard. The man staggered back toward the crowd and the patrons moved out of the way, not bothering to catch him as he fell to the floor.
Brian turned and glared at the two soldiers as he walked toward them, his grip tight on the hafts of his axes.
"Cerric decreed this, that fights be held outside the tournament grounds?"
"That he did," said one of the men, who pulled a paper card from a pocket and held it out. "As the winner of this match, you are invited to dine at the palace this night with the other top fighters."
Brian snatched the card and the two soldiers turned and left the tavern in a hurry as a number of the gathered patrons began to draw their weapons.
"Saw what you did there," said one of them, an old man, who spoke loudly enough that the rest of the crowd could hear him. "You're a pretty good fighter to draw that careless bastard away from everyone like you did. You have our thanks."
Brian nodded to the man, then he turned around and looked at the fallen warrior, who lay unmoving on the floor, his eyes staring blindly at the tavern ceiling, and his broken sword hanging loosely in his hand. He walked over to him and nudged the man and knew he was dead. Brian bent down and turned him over and saw a dagger sticking deep into the warrior's back. He glanced up at the nearby patrons and they all looked away, clearly wanting to have nothing to do with it. Brian stood, shoved his axes back in the straps on his back, then he walked out of the tavern and went looking for Jax.
*****
The sands were hot and the scouring windstorms did not help their progress as Aaron and the rest of the group made their way into the desert. Shortly after they had crossed back into the desert, they found their way to a small town near an oasis, which was home to one of the dozen fighting circles that were scattered around the lands of grass and sand. They purchased animals that could be ridden like horses, strange looking creatures that Aaron had seen when he was at Ba'shan. The Ansari called them camels and they made travel in the desert a lot easier as Ashan led them across the hot and unforgiving desert.
Even though the endless and ever changing sand dunes gave no indication to where they might be, Aaron had the feeling that they were traveling toward a different destination than the Ansari camp. Aaron found it strange that they were not going back where they had been before and he asked Kasha about it, worried that they might end up losing precious time if they became lost.
"Ansari do not live in a place," she said, looking out over the sand from the back of her camel. "We are like the sand, ever changing. You know this."
"So, the Ansari have moved somewhere else?" Aaron asked.
"Of course," Kasha replied.
"So Ashan is taking us to the other place," Aaron said.
"What other place?"
"The other place where the Ansari will be," Aaron said, a little frustrated.
"There is no other place," Kasha told him. "Ansari are many places. We travel where we will find Ansari."
"How do you know where they are?"
"I know Ansari," she said, then she looked at him, the bright sun and sand glinting in her eyes as she smile. "As do you."
"I don't know where they are," Aaron said.
"Yes you do," Kasha said. "You can feel the desert, can you not?"
Aaron was not sure what she meant and he resisted the temptation to let his power flow, that heightening his senses might allow him to see farther, hear distant sounds or perhaps even scent something on the wind. Kasha seemed to know what was going through his mind and she laughed a little.
"Do not search," she said. "Do not use your senses as you would use a sword. Hear that which you already hear. See that which you already see. Know what you already know. In stillness, feel the sands and the wind, and let them speak to you, feel the whispers of the world."
"You are trying to help me with the things Ashan has been trying to teach me," Aaron said.
"Perhaps," Kasha replied.
Aaron stared at her, frustrated that she was being so Ansari about things, giving him suggestions that made little sense and answers that answered nothing. He sighed and closed his eyes, letting go of his thoughts and trying not to use his senses. Aaron heard the creak of leather as the straps of his saddle shifted atop the beast he rode. He heard the grains of sand scatter as the hooves of the creature took each step and he heard the sand around them shift with each gust of wind. Aaron felt the hot, dry desert air against his face, the wind gently nudging him, almost imperceptibly, and he felt the movements of the creature beneath him and the subtle movements of the earth beneath its hooves. He let the sounds and sensations touch him, sending ripples through the energy that flowed within him. Instead of reaching out, searching, pushing his senses into the world, he let the world speak to him, and he felt its whispers. Aaron opened his eyes and pointed ahead, all of his senses now feeling the world more than before.
"There," he said, looking over at Kasha. "They are just ahead."
"To be is to know," she replied. "And to know is to be."
Aaron looked at her and he sensed something else, another rhythm beating along with her own, a second pulse, smaller and weaker. Kasha saw him staring at her, noticing the bump on her belly, and she smiled at him even more widely.
"And now you know," she said.
They rode along in silence, with a kind of serenity between them, though Kasha was amused by the hints of consternation she felt from Aaron. As they cleared a high dune of sand and saw the Ansari camp ahead, she thought it best to reassure him, for she knew he would have much to concern his thoughts and face great challenges, and it would be of no value for him to be preoccupied with worries.
"Aaron," she said. "You face many challenges, not just from the darkness that awaits you, but from those who would help prepare you, that you might be worthy. If you are to overcome these things, then you must not worry for others."
"How can I not worry?" Aaron was very worried. It was as thought the weight of the world had suddenly landed on his shoulders. "I just don't know what to do."
"I had hoped you would not learn of this," she told him. "But since you know, consider what you must do to stop the shadow within you and the darkness in the world, that it may do no harm."
"And how will you stay safe?" Aaron asked.
"Do not forget, I am not without power of my own, Aaron," she reminded him. "Though your power brings conflict to Ansari and sets the gods themselves on edge, we have fought in the circle and shared our essence, and I have felt you and know you can prevail."
"And if I fail?" Aaron asked. "What if I became a threat to you? That is what everyone fears."
"We have already spoken of this," Kasha reminded him. "Look to what must be done, and do what you can. I have faith in you."
"And what if I fail you? What if I am not strong enough?" Aaron asked.
"It is not your strength or your power that matters, but who you are." Kasha looked down at her growing belly. "If your essence is true, and you are true to your essence, then you will prevail, whet
her you succeed or fail. And it is up to the rest of us to be true to ourselves and do what must be done, and we are hardly without the means to defend ourselves. To know Ansari is to know true power, strength from within."
"When will it happen?" Aaron asked, curious about her state.
"It is different for every one of my people," she told him. "For some it can take more than the turning of a year, and for others it can be a matter of days. For me, it will be soon, which means that we must part for a time."
"What do you mean, we must part?" Aaron asked.
"It is our way," Kasha said. "When the time comes, I will leave."
"And go where?" Aaron was confused. "You'll just leave, like that?"
"I will return," she said. "And perhaps you will become my husband once again."
"I understand," Aaron said, even though he did not. What he did know was that there was no point in arguing with an Ansari about the Ansari way of things. At least Kasha would be somewhere away from him, which he preferred, considering the threat of the dark power within him and the fact that Cerric and this dark god, Kenra was apparently now searching for him. Pretty soon, the last thing he would want is for the people he cared about to be anywhere close to him.
They entered the Ansari camp without any greeting, their presence quietly acknowledged by a few quiet glances, but the tension was noticeably thick in the air. Ashan led them to the center of the camp, where the Ansari leader was already waiting for them, with a line of warriors, men and women, all of them staring at Aaron and looking as though they would like nothing more than to kill him on the spot.
"Ashan," said the Ansari leader. "You have returned to Ansari."
"I did not leave," Ashan said. "I merely traveled for a time."
"You have brought the shadowbound to us." The Ansari leader glanced over at Aaron. "It makes for an easier task."
"I have not brought Aaron to be judged by our kind," Ashan said. "I have brought him that he might learn and become strong in our way, that he might better know Ansari."
"You would have us add to his power?"
"No," Ashan said. "We cannot confer power, but we can help with knowing."
"And what would you do with this knowledge?" the Ansari leader asked, staring directly at Aaron.
"I intend to fight the shadow," he said. "I seek to stop the shadow. It has plagued my entire life, hurt my family and my friends and caused much hardship in the world."
"And why should we not destroy you now? That would stop the shadow from corrupting your power."
"It would not stop the shadow," Aaron said. "Ashan, a wise man of Ansari has shown me many things, and helped me to better understand the nature of my power. The shadow is in me, but it was put there by another, by this dark god called Kenra, who walks the land in the guise of a man named Cerric who claims to be a king. It is true that the shadow is within me, but I am not the shadow, and I will do everything in my power to destroy it, even if it means ending myself. If that is to be my fate, then let me take what power I have and destroy the true shadow at its source, that it may never return."
The Ansari leaders stood silently for a moment, staring at Aaron.
"Ansari see the world according to our sight," he said. "It is different from the sight of others, a different way of perceiving, for it is Ansari to seek the truth of things, to know the essence of what we sense, that we will be sure of our path in the ever changing sands of the world. And yet, here you stand, a contradiction of light and darkness, flame and shadow, both true and false. You are powerful, yet dangerous."
"I cannot help what I appear to be, but I know who I am," Aaron told him, looking along the row of Ansari warriors. "The shadow seeks my power and I will seek the shadow that I may destroy it. And if I am to fail, then I have already done what must be done to make sure that my power will be destroyed."
"What have you done, Aaron?" Kasha asked.
Aaron turned and smiled. "You can't see the spell?"
"What spell?" Kasha asked again.
Stavros stepped forward and addressed the Ansari.
"Ansari see many things," he said. "If you, a people who are perhaps the most gifted with sight, cannot see the magic we have worked, then neither will the shadow."
"What magic have you wrought, mage?" the Ansari leader asked.
"There are old magics," Stavros said.
"You expect us to believe that you can weave power that we cannot see?"
"Test it then," Stavros said. "Do you see any magic about me? I can tell that you do not. Strike at me with all your might. Only one blow, please. This particular spell can only be used once, and I would rather not be killed."
The Ansari leader laughed. "I will not strike you, mage. You would surely die."
"I am prepared," Stavros said calmly. "Do you doubt my resolve?"
"What is this spell, Aaron?" Kasha asked again and Aaron turned to her.
"It is a spell that only I can use, and only if I am to fall to the shadow," he told her.
"Why have you done this?"
"To save you and Stavros and everyone else the trouble," Aaron said.
"Kasha, this mage is in your domain," the Ansari leader said. "Do you permit this?"
"Yes," she said, staring daggers at Stavros. "I do not approve of this magic, and if it is true, then the mage will live. If it is false, then the mage will die."
"Kasha, why are you upset?" Aaron asked.
"What you have done is not our way," she said. "You would take your own life?"
"Only if there was no other way," Aaron told her.
"There is always another way," she said.
"The Ansari don't seem to have a problem," Aaron said.
"You are not in their domain," she said. "Ansari protect our domain with our lives."
"And how is this any different?" Aaron asked. "You are in my domain and I am protecting you, with my life if need be."
"I do not like it," Kasha said, but she was a little less adamant.
The Ansari leader looked to one of the large warriors standing to his left, the large man named Kazar. "Test this mage."
"As you command," Kazar said, and he walked forward from the line.
Stavros walked toward him until the two of them were an arm's length away. Kazar looked to Kasha, and she nodded to him and crossed her arms. Before their eyes, Kazar began to shift and change, his body growing in size and his skin turning to grey leather. Ivory tusks sprouted from his mouth and his arms and legs became thick as tree stumps as he pulled a hammer from his belt, which began to grow larger as well.
"One hit from Kazar can shatter a mountain," the Ansari leader said. "If your invisible spell can take such a blow, then what you claim may have merit."
"By all means, go right ahead," Stavros said, smiling, though it was obvious that he was a little nervous.
Kazar hefted his hammer, which was as big as a tree, and the air and ground began to shake as he began to draw power from the world around him. He held the hammer loose and low as he shifted his stance, then he wound up the heavy weapon, up over his head and, a moment later, brought it crashing down. Stavros flinched as the hammer stopped barely a hand span above his head, its impact so loud that the air itself seemed to shatter around him. Stavros stood up and straightened his robes, nodding at the Ansari warrior, who stepped back, looking a little confused.
"What was that, mage?" he growled.
"That, my very large friend, was magic," Stavros said.
"Very clever, mage," the Ansari leader said. "You did not seem so sure of this spell when Kazar's hammer nearly struck you. What of the spell you and the young man have crafted?"
"Of that, I am entirely confident," Stavros said. "And you can read me with your Ansari eyes all you want. You can even pry into my thoughts and you will find no doubt, whatsoever."
"He speaks the truth," Kazar said and he hefted his hammer of his shoulder and walked away, shifting back to his normal size.
"And you, Aaron," the Ansari leade
r said. "You would not hesitate in a dire moment?"
"No," Aaron said. "I would not."
The Ansari leader stared at Aaron for a moment, then he nodded.
"Your words ring true," he said. "You seek to learn our ways?"
"I do," Aaron replied.
"Then let us begin."
*****
Brian found Jax at the Academy grounds, where he and a number of other participants in the tourney had gone to find out why they had been attacked without warning. A number of the fighters were arguing with the officials that it was unfair that other fighters had learned about the change in the rules, giving an unfair advantage, but the soldiers in charge of the tourney were distinctively unhelpful and simply pointed out that the advantage clearly did not matter since the fighters who were still standing obviously won their matches and thus had little reason to complain. A number of shopkeepers, inn and tavern owners and people from the city showed up to complain about the fights destroying their property and injuring people. Word was spreading that at least a dozen bystanders had already been killed, and yet the fights continued.
"The rules are clear," yelled an official, who stood atop a wooden platform, holding a scrap of paper and pointing to the words inscribed upon it. "Fighters are to avoid harming anyone but their opponent. Anyone who suffers damage to person or property can seek compensation from the court."
"And what about the innocent people who got killed?" yelled someone in the crowd.
"That is a matter for the city guard," the official said.
"Thoughtless, careless, fool, that Cerric," Jax said as he turned and walked away from the crowd. "Come on, Brian, I've heard enough."
"How could Cerric change the rules like that?" Brian wondered aloud.
"He's the king, that's how," Jax said. "That's the trouble with kings, they do what they want. You get a good one, things can be great, but if you get a bad one, things can go bad. This whole thing stinks."
"I'm starting to think Pike's idea is worth considering," Brian said.
"It's worth considering," Jax said. "But killing a king is no easy feat, though if I had a chance to slip a dagger between Cerric's ribs, I don't know if I'd be able to resist. It would be a death sentence to be sure to anyone caught for such a deed, no matter how deserving it was."