Reflections in the Void: Book Two of the Demon's Blade Saga

by Steven Drake

  “I see,” the old man nodded knowingly. “Then the young elf, Jerris, spoke the truth.”

  “Jerris is here?” Rana exclaimed. “What’s going on? Please sir, what’s going to happen to Darien?”

  The old man sighed and turned around, looking off to the right. “I think I see what’s going on here. I believe you, child. You’re not under any spell or manipulation, at least none that are of his making. I can see that, now.” The old man turned back to Rana, and spoke again. “Your friend, Jerris, spoke quite passionately for Darien already, and I was already convinced. Now I am doubly so.” He then smiled. “I suppose I’ve kept you in the dark long enough. A council was held this afternoon, and it was decided that we should allow Darien to proceed with his quest. We did indeed have the information he was looking for, and we have decided to send him, with his young friend, and some of our representatives, as well as a representative from the dwarves, on the quest to find the Star Sword.” Rana’s mouth hung open, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Sir Geoffray objected, and claimed the right of trial by combat. I did not approve of this, and so I gave Darien the chance to refuse, but he did not. He accepted, on the condition that if he won the duel, you would be pardoned.” The Grandmaster paused, and the reality of his words began to settle into Rana’s mind. He had fought Geoffray, for her? Did he really care for her? “I see you didn’t even bother to ask who won. The Grandmaster let the statement hang in the air.

  “Geoffray could never have beaten him, strong as he is. Darien is unbelievably talented,” Rana replied, and then a very unpleasant thought crossed her mind. “Darien didn’t, he didn’t kill Geoffray, did he?”

  “No, he did not. He did injure Sir Geoffray fairly severely, but I think he did it to make a point as much as to win the fight. He’s extremely formidable. I would respect him even if he were still a foe. He possesses a remarkable degree of self-control. Do you have any idea why Darien would be so concerned with your release?”

  Of course, Rana was still in stunned disbelief that he had even thought of her. She wanted to believe he cared for her, at least as a friend, but Darien was often unpredictable. He had his own reasons for everything, and usually they were not the obvious ones. Who knows what he was thinking. “I don’t know. I suppose I’ll just ask him.” The Grandmaster nodded, then produced a key, and turned it in the lock, then motioned Rana out of the cell. Rana stepped out, her thoughts immediately upon the thing she felt she had to do. “I want to go with them, to find the Star Sword,” Rana declared firmly. The Grandmaster gave her a stern, assessing look.

  “I don’t believe he will approve,” the Grandmaster said.

  “I know. I know he won’t approve, but I have to go. Maybe you can say something?”

  “Perhaps I can. He has gotten what he wanted, but until he leaves this city, his position is still somewhat precarious. He will be obliged to follow any request I make.” The Grandmaster smiled a wise old smile, “Now why don’t you tell me everything about what happened after you left the Order of the Golden Shield. I have heard most of it from young Jerris, but he is young, and I think his personal attachment to the man may color his perceptions. I would like to hear your perspective, though perhaps your own perceptions may be somewhat colored as well.” The Grandmaster smirked, and Rana blushed furiously. “Come, let’s get you a good meal and some hot tea.”

  The Grandmaster led Rana to an empty room with several round tables and a roaring fire. The room obviously was intended as a mess for some portion of the Hall of Judgements, but it was empty now. No light came through the window, and Rana realized it must be late at night. Still, servants brought out bread and hot tea, which Rana thoroughly enjoyed as she told the entirety of her story to the Grandmaster, starting from her departure almost two years ago, up to the present. The Grandmaster nodded here and there, listening carefully and smiling pleasantly. Now and then he would ask a question, usually about Darien and his history. She answered carefully, well aware that Darien would not share his secrets openly. Thankfully, the old man did not press her hard, and remained affable and pleasant.

  They talked far into the night, and Rana gradually relaxed. When the Grandmaster had finally heard enough, he repeated his promise to allow her on the quest for the Star Sword. He pledged to send her as his personal representative. Then she thanked him, and asked for some directions. Though she was mentally exhausted, there was one person she had to talk to before she slept.

  Chapter 17: A Late-Night Visitor

  Darien was awakened from a sound sleep by a knock at his door. He prepared himself for the worst, perhaps an assassin had been sent. Then again, an assassin probably wouldn’t knock on the door. He went over to open the door. Much to his surprise, he found Rana on the other side.

  “I just finished speaking with the Grandmaster. I… can I come in?” Rana looked sideways at the guards positioned on either side of the door. Whatever she had to say, it seemed she didn’t want to be overheard. Darien motioned her in, and shut the door behind her.

  “What is so important that it couldn’t wait until morning?” he grumbled.

  “I… I’m sorry… You don’t sleep that much so I thought…”

  “Well, this time I was asleep. What is it you want, Rana?”

  “Well, it’s just that… I just came to thank you, for standing up for me like that.”

  Was that really all she wanted, Darien thought? That could have waited till morning. “Well, you’re welcome. That imbecile Geoffray was convinced I was manipulating you somehow. I trust the Grandmaster explained the situation.”

  “He did. He told me you could have refused. You should have. You might have been hurt. You were hurt.” She had just noticed the bandaged hand. A second later she had taken his hand and was carefully examining his injury.

  “That’s nothing to worry about.” Darien jerked his hand away. “I had my own reasons for fighting him. He’s a stubborn fool, and he would have stood in my way eventually. The rest of the leaders of the Golden Shield appeared to be against him, so I took an opportunity to remove an obstacle.” Darien paced back and forth around the room a bit perplexed. This wasn’t the reaction he had anticipated from Rana. He had fully expected her to be furious at him for grievously injuring her former teacher. Nevertheless, he was grateful to avoid the topic, and continued, “It seemed as good a time as any to repay part of the debt I owe to you.”

  “So you were just repaying a debt then?” she asked, a strange hesitance in her voice.

  “I suppose,” he answered. “It was the least I could do, too little for what you have suffered at my hands.” She did not respond, but looked away and shut her eyes. For whatever reason, she had not mentioned the death of her family for a long time, and she did not seem eager to remember it now. He, however, never forgot. Every time he looked at her, he saw the results of his former life, the fact that he’d inflicted the same pain on others that he had suffered, a sobering reminder of what he had done, what he had been, what some part of him still was. Though he would never admit it, he was grateful to her for that reminder. “So, this Geoffray taught you to fight?” Hopefully, this would get her talking about something else. It always felt wrong to receive any kind of praise from her.

  “Well, yes, he taught me a lot, but not everything. I’ve been trained in combat since I was a young child.”

  “Well you’ve learned your lessons well. This fight was much easier thanks to you. Sparring with you allowed me to learn his techniques, but you’re quicker, and less predictable. If you’re not already a better fighter, then you will be.”

  The woman blushed at this compliment. “I think maybe you overestimate me.”

  “Or you underestimate yourself,” he quickly countered, still speaking soberly, not understanding her reaction. It was unusual for her to show such modesty.

  “I wish I were the fighter Geoffray is. He taught me so much. He found me when I still fought in the arenas. He gave me an opportunity to learn magic, to learn
to fight you.” She sighed, then turned away, wistfully looking over at the white stone of the wall. “He always held back when he sparred with me, just like you did.”

  “Well, technically you hold back as well. I’ve always wondered why. You don’t need to do that. It’s very unlikely you could injure me fatally.” Darien pondered aloud.

  “Because I don’t want to hurt you. Not anymore,” the golden-haired woman explained and took a step towards him.

  Darien stepped away. Aside from those times when they sparred, he couldn’t stand being nearer to Rana than a few feet, perhaps because she reminded him so strongly of the past he wished he could consign to oblivion, or perhaps something else, something even more frightening. She froze, her eyes widened ever so slightly, and her mouth dropped slightly open, and she stepped back. Then she turned away. Darien thought for a moment he heard something but decided it must be his imagination and the late hour. He waited a few moments for her to turn back around, or say something else, because he was uncertain what to do. Her manner seemed to be distracted, unsettled, in a way he could not quite place, but something had obviously upset her. The captivity must have been difficult for her, he decided, especially since it came at the hands of a former friend. She is less accustomed to hardship than I. “Geoffray only imprisoned you because he believed that I had put some sort of spell on you. He seemed to be especially concerned about you, more so than I would expect from someone who was simply a teacher. He harbors feelings for you, I think.”

  “I know how he feels about me,” Rana replied coldly, still facing away. The attempt to improve her mood had been unsuccessful. “I used to feel the same way, I thought. If he had just let me go, I might still feel the same way, but…”

  “But what?” Darien asked curiously.

  “We had words when I left. That’s why I didn’t want to come here. I knew he’d arrest me, lock me up, just to satisfy his sense of duty. That’s all he cares about, duty and honor. He places them over everything else, even those he claims he loves.” She turned around and threw up her hands.

  “You might have mentioned that. I would not have asked you to come. As it turns out, Jerris was the one I needed, anyway.” Darien immediately realized that this had been the wrong thing to say, as Rana whipped around again and narrowed her eyes at him, while her muscles tightened noticeably. “However, I am grateful to you all the same,” he quickly added, and she relaxed again. “I’m sorry, Rana, but it’s quite late, and I’m very tired. I have a long journey ahead of me, and I intend to leave as soon as possible. I do not intend to linger here any longer than necessary. I appreciate your gratitude.” The conversation had begun to weary him, as all his conversations with Rana eventually did.

  “I’m going with you,” she resolutely declared.

  “What? Why?” Darien objected. “You owe me nothing. You stand to gain nothing? Why risk your life?”

  “You think Jerris man enough to follow you if he chooses, but I am not.”

  “That is not what I meant,” Darien quickly backtracked, realizing that someone, presumably the Grandmaster, must have told her everything that had transpired at the council. “Jerris feels he has an obligation as a representative of his people. He considers it his responsibility as the future king. What is your reason?”

  She turned away quickly, hiding her face a second time, and stayed silent for a minute or so. “Perhaps I simply want to help see the Demon King defeated. He’s the real reason my family was taken from me. You were just the instrument he chose to use. At any rate, my reasons are my concern, not yours,” she finally replied.

  “I will not allow it,” he stated calmly. “You’ve suffered enough on my account. I would rather go alone, but the Grandmaster insisted on sending companions. He distrusts me, and he is not wrong to do so, but I would rather you didn’t risk your life for my burden.”

  “You’re so unfailingly noble in spite of yourself, and you don’t even see it,” she sighed quietly, almost to herself before turning back towards him. Darien was uncomfortable with any sort of praise, but it was worse coming from her, so he managed to convince himself he had heard wrong. “But you can’t stop me. I’ve already spoken to the Grandmaster. I told him everything that’s happened since I met you, and he agreed to send me as his personal representative.”

  “He what?” This was shocking news, and Darien immediately forgot his discomforts. “Did you wake everyone up in the middle of the night to plan all this?”

  “I only woke you up. It took hours for them to figure out where I was. Geoffray had me hidden, and the Grandmaster came to release me personally. Apparently he wanted to ask me himself why you were so eager to have me set free.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “I told him…” she sighed deeply, then said curtly, “that I have no idea. Then he asked me for an account of everything that happened after I met you. I think he wanted confirmation of what Jerris told him.”

  Darien was uncertain what to say now. He could tell the woman was still upset. What he did not know was why. “If I seemed ungrateful, I apologize.”

  “Ugh, I came here to thank you, and you end up apologizing. You’re completely insufferable. Good night Darien. I’ll see you tomorrow I suppose.” Then, thankfully, she left. Darien mumbled something uncomplimentary about the inscrutable nature of women, and went back to sleep, thoroughly wishing he hadn’t been awakened in the first place. It had hardly been an important enough conversation to justify bothering a sleeping person.

  Chapter 18: The Shade’s Reflection

  Had Darien had his way, they would have left the next day, but this time it was not up to him. The Grandmaster insisted on taking a few days to prepare and plan thoroughly. No one had much knowledge of the lands of the dragons, save that they were among the most inhospitable places known. Tobin proved the most reliable source of information. While he had never personally been to the dragons’ homelands, he did have several centuries of accumulated knowledge from studying books and maps, so he had a fair idea where to go.

  Over bitter objections from some members of the order, the Grandmaster made the decision to give the Demon Sword back to Darien. The Archmage had grown concerned about the odd phenomenon of the ethereal black smoke and deemed it unsafe to keep in the city. The smoke vanished just a few minutes after the sword was returned. It was a fascinating mystery, yet one with little hope of being solved. Galen had never mentioned anything like this, nor had Ezra, who still had not shown up.

  Geoffray recovered more quickly than anyone had expected in the hands of the skilled healers of the Golden Shield. He had lost his left eye, but was otherwise undamaged. Considering the entire situation, the man was fortunate. Over the objection of both Darien and the Inquisition, the Grandmaster allowed Geoffray, himself, to join the expedition, but made him swear a solemn oath not to interfere with the expedition or engage in any violence against its members. Not very reassuring, but there was ultimately nothing Darien could do about it. The expedition to Trinium had succeeded, and without bloodshed, a better result than Darien had expected.

  Ceres Arloran was understandably furious about being charmed by Jerris, drugged by Nielas, and held for the past week. She was released the day after the council. Darien flatly refused to further reprimand Jerris, and roundly criticized Ceres for being so easily manipulated. If he had failed the Demon King as Ceres failed in her assigned task of getting Jerris to Kadanar, he would most likely have been killed for his trouble, or at least severely disciplined. He also took the opportunity to remind her how foolish it was for the elves not to practice domination magic, emphasizing the reality that any concerted effort by an experienced Shade could pry from her all the secrets of the elves, including the location of Kadanar and the paths to get there. That took the edge out of her anger, and even inclined her to learn resistance to domination magic. Rather than teach her himself, he decided to assign the task to Jerris. That would allow his student to hone his skill, and perhaps after the young prin
ce made her cluck like a chicken a few times, she would develop some respect.

  Five days passed as preparations were made, and on the night before their departure, the Grandmaster summoned Darien to a meeting. As the guards escorted him to the Grandmaster’s quarters, he considered what the meeting might be about. No one else had been invited. Whatever the man wanted to say, he wanted to say it to Darien alone. When they were near the top of the Hall of Judgements, the guard stopped before a heavy dark wooden door. Darien entered, and found the Grandmaster poring over some ancient tomes.

  “Ah, there you are,” the older man said without looking up from his materials. “Sit down.” Darien sat in the only chair, a heavy oak chair with soft, padded, red felt cushions on the seat and back. It felt uncomfortably soft and uncompromisingly rigid at the same time. He then waited, watching the Grandmaster study his books.

  Several minutes passed in silence, as Darien grew progressively more irritated. Finally, his patience reached an end, and he spoke, “Well, why was I summoned here?”

  “Took long enough,” the old man chuckled. “Forgive me, I just wanted to see how long it would take you to speak first. You still act like a Shade, you know. ‘Never speak until necessary. Let your enemy speak first and then choose your own words based upon his.’ Sound familiar?”

  “You know the teachings of the Shades? Impressive, I must say.”

  “I think it important to understand my enemies,” the Grandmaster remarked.

  “As do I,” Darien agreed.

  “Then you won’t be surprised when I observe that you still behave as I would expect of a Shade, not an enemy, but still a Shade.”