by Alice Ivinya
I swallowed and nodded, not sure if I was more excited or nervous. At least Jian was talking to me now.
Jian tightened his lips in what could have been intended to be a smile and spurred his horse forward, kicking up snow. I stared after his dark graceful figure, stark against the snow, and wondered if he ever felt moments of true happiness, or if he was always too caught up in grief and responsibility. As we rounded a stand of pines, the Fort finally materialized, looming dark lines half-buried in the snowy slopes ahead. It was much bigger than I was expecting, and its height was exaggerated by the fact its base was part way up a mountain slope. It filled the pass completely in a block formation with squat towers and thick walls that somehow managed to be beautiful in a brutal way. Wooden pulleys jutted out between levels and flags stood frozen on the towers. From down here, the Fort filled half the sky.
Hai Rong snorted, and I realized I was gaping with my mouth open. I sat straighter in the saddle and lifted my chin. “It’s very impressive.”
“I remember thinking that too, until I saw what we were holding back. Then I wished it was twice as tall.” He was smirking as if at some private joke, and he flicked one of the rings in his ear.
I frowned. “It’s not been breached for ten years, and I’ve seen how it’s grown in that time. The drawings from twenty years ago made it look like it was about to collapse. Seems like it’s plenty big enough now.”
He nodded. “It keeps them back well enough. But only because of Prince Jian. He was the one who secured the funding and the training. He doubled the watch.” He lowered his voice. “I liked Prince Han a lot, and would never speak ill of the dead, but I’m glad Jian will be king. He has a way of seeing things as they really are. He will always see us defended.”
I shifted in my saddle, still uncomfortable with the topic. I had so far to go before these men would respect me as their queen.
As we neared the Fort, the road had been cleared of snow, and Jian picked up the pace. I could feel the eagerness of the men to arrive and escape the wind.
The doors to the Fort were huge, easily four times the size of a man, and I wondered why. Surely their size made them less defensible? Jian didn’t call for them to be opened, however, instead leading us up a slippery flagstone walkway to a smaller door buried in the rocky slope of the mountain. This door was low, and we had to dismount to enter, Falada needing to dip his head.
Instead of the tunnel leading to a courtyard, I was surprised to find the stables were indoors, to one side of a wide hall. A mass of corridors branched off at every angle, many of them no taller than me, but some large enough for a man standing on horseback. The effect was confusing and disorienting. From what I knew of Jian, I had expected him to design this place using neat patterns and order. This seemed like it had been designed by a child.
There was no stable boy and we each rubbed down and picked the hooves of our own horses. At least Falada would be out of the wind, and a fire burned in an alcove in the opposite wall. He busied himself with his hay net then commanded me to soak it since it was too dusty.
When he was in a new rug and the clumps of ice removed from his hooves, I left his stall and found Jian waiting for me, leaning against the wall, his arms folded. Despite the cold and the darkness, he seemed more relaxed here, less on edge and impatient. He was talking amicably with Cai Hong, and even chuckled with a genuine smile. Jealousy niggled my stomach again. I had rarely seen him smile, and he had seemed so withdrawn since Han’s death. Now he would laugh with a guard when he wouldn’t even talk properly to me? Jian stopped his reply as I approached, though his expression remained light. “Ready, Princess?”
I pulled off my gloves and started to blow on my fingers. “Sorry it took me so long. Falada wants things certain ways, and my fingers feel like blocks of ice.”
He glanced at them. “You should check them regularly. If they turn black or green, tell me.”
I looked down at my fingers in alarm. “What do you mean?”
“Sometimes people lose their fingers or toes to frostbite here.”
I stared at him. “Really?”
He snorted at my expression. “Just keep an eye on them.”
I opened and closed my mouth but couldn’t think of a reply. Jian set off down the halls carrying a torch, and I followed, hearing Jeremiah’s boots stomp behind me as he hurried to catch up. The corridor was not wide, and for a moment of panic, I expected to suddenly feel like I was in the barrel again. But the light from the torch and Jian’s quick pace, kept the attack at bay. I breathed a sigh of relief. It was probably helped by the fact the Fort didn’t feel like a building at all, more like an endless animal warren. The corridors were poorly lit tunnels with unmarked intersections and dead ends. There were thick wooden doors at many of the junctions and heavy beams resting on the walls to bar them. Some walkways were only wide enough for a man to squeeze through sideways, and I kept my eyes away from them as horror twisted my stomach. I would never be strong enough to enter one of those.
I peered down a large pitch-black corridor as we passed it. “Why is this place so confusing?” My voice echoed in reply.
Jian glanced over his shoulder. “It’s designed to funnel enemies down certain paths, and to give ways our men can escape without being followed. It separates different types of Spirit-Beasts according to their size, and also separates the men of the Old Blood from those they are bonded to.”
I shivered, imagining being chased by monsters through these dark tunnels. “If the Beasts are as big as you say, I can’t see them getting very far down here.”
Hai Rong snorted. “Most are very big, but not all of them are bears, wolves and eagles. A snake would fit down here easily.”
I stared at him. “There are Spirit-Snakes?”
Jian frowned back at us. “That is speculation on Hai Rong’s part.”
My guard shrugged. “Makes sense to me if there are. These corridors always reminded me of snake tunnels.”
Jeremiah shuddered. “I hate snakes.”
I raised an eyebrow at Hai Rong. “Snakes like the heat. Why would they be here in the snow?”
The guard grinned as he clapped Jeremiah on the back. The Syberan was looking a little pale. “Snow snakes.”
Jian shook his head with a smile. I tried to put the image out of my mind.
After a confusing labyrinth of turns I would never remember, we reached a line of doors leading to dormitories.
Jian pointed to a door. “Princess, this is yours. Your men will sleep in the two rooms on either side.” He met my eyes. “Don’t go wandering. Rest and I will collect you in the morning before Tama’ha is due. I’ll make sure you’re all brought breakfast.” His face grew heavier as he mentioned the Spirit-Beast’s name as if he had remembered why he was here.
I nodded and longed to collapse onto a bed. I also longed for a bath but suspected that wouldn’t be an option. How did the men bathe when it was so cold, anyway?
My room felt like a cave lit by a single oil lamp, but thankfully the ceiling was high. The walls consisted of rough rock and the only furniture was a small table and a low pallet bed. I dumped my bundle of clothes and lay the extra blanket I had packed on the bed. There was no fireplace, and the room was already cold. The wall pegs for my sword were by my bed in the same position as in the castle. I balanced my sword across them. I would be fine in here, as long as the lamp didn’t go out.
The room was depressing, but it did little to dampen my excitement. Finally, I had made it to the Border. The place of legends.
8
Tama’ha
It felt like every soldier in the Fort had come to the main hall to see Tama’ha, and the cavernous room swallowed us all easily. There were giant doors on either side, one facing the Borderlands, the other the wilderness to the north, showing that the Fort was far wider than it was deep.
The towering doors facing the land of the Spirit-Beasts flung open on creaking hinges, and I automatically stood on tiptoes to crane ove
r the guard in front of me. I realized I was acting like a little child, not the Borderland Queen I needed to be, and flattened my feet. I was taller than most of the men, anyway, I just wished Jian had let me stand closer to the front. It took most of my concentration to keep the nervous excitement from my face. I would see a full Old Blood and fill the blank in my mind. No more would I be the butt of jokes and knowing looks from the guards. I would understand Jian and this way of life. My first monster.
Cold rushed in through the doors, and a wave of snow tumbled across the dark stone. A long, large snout appeared a full foot above my head. My mouth dried, and I stepped back despite myself. The surrounding soldiers were silent and unmoving as an enormous wolf padded into the room, its black lips pulled into a strange, unnatural grin. My eyes were level with the rippling muscle of its shoulder blade. Everything about it was strange. A blue smoky light drifted in the steam of its breath, and its body left the flash of a blue afterimage behind it as it moved. It made it hard to focus, hard to keep your gaze locked on those dark eyes. When its grey fur caught the light, strange iridescent patterns glinted, then vanished. Jian fought creatures like that? And held them back? It took most of my courage to stand here and watch it while surrounded by warriors.
A strange voice echoed in my skull, and I realized it was communicating in the same way as Falada did. Only it could do so to everyone in the room without bonding, and even speak to people with no Old Blood in their veins. The voice was multi-layered and terrifying. Men and women and children speaking the same words at once, as if the beast was formed of a thousand trapped souls. The deepest voice was female and the loudest.
‘Prince Jian. It has been a while.’ I could feel tiny vibrations in the floor at her words, despite nothing being said aloud.
The Prince gave a short bow and displayed that both his hands were empty. “Tama’ha. Thank you for meeting me here. I understand the position it puts you in.”
The wolf gave an audible, snarling chortle. The voice in my head spoke over the guttural sound. ‘I haven’t planned to see you dead, little general. Yet, anyway.’
The Prince showed no alarm at the threat and his posture was smart but calm. “My brother has been killed with his men in the west of our lands. They killed even the horses. Do you know of this?”
Tama’ha’s body twitched in what might have been a shrug. ‘Perhaps the news has reached me. My condolences.’
Jian’s eyes hardened. “Who was it, Tama’ha?”
The wolf yawned, flashing large teeth and red gums. ‘Not me, little general.’
He folded his arms. “Tell me, and don’t pretend something like this would escape your notice. We all know traces of the Old Blood run in most wolves in the Borderlands.”
The wolf ignored the question and sniffed the air. Its ears pricked up. ‘There is a new one here.’ It looked straight at me, pinning me with black eyes. ‘You have never had one of her blood before. How exciting. Where did you find her?’ It eyed me with the same alert, excited expression a dog might make before it was given a new toy to play with.
I struggled to hold its gaze as it stepped towards me, lowering its nose so it was level with my face. Jian slipped his hand to his sword and rested it on the hilt. The room filled with the whispers of drawn swords. The wolf ignored them, its unnatural eyes boring into me. ‘Tell me child, do you still yearn to fly? Pity your wings have been clipped.’
“Tama’ha, you are dangerously close to breaking our conditions.” The Prince’s words were cold and hard with warning.
The wolf didn’t turn to him but let its tongue loll from its mouth as it loomed over me. ‘Your blood calls for the olden days, doesn’t it, child? If you ever wish to fly again, come over the border. The Spirit-Birds would welcome you with joy.’
“Step away from her, Tama’ha, or I will be forced to act.” I couldn’t believe his audacity to threaten this beast with such confidence. He was so small in comparison. Tama’ha was a creature of myth, yet he acted as if they were equals.
It sniffed the air around me one last time, before turning back to Jian with an expression of sulky boredom. ‘You’re rather protective of this one, general.’ It stepped forward, then its ears pricked forward again as if it had caught an interesting scent. ‘Yes, you are very protective.’
Jian stiffened and his fingers tightened on his sword hilt, but his voice held no emotion. “Princess Elyanna is my betrothed. It is my duty to protect her.”
The wolf’s black lips peeled apart in a wild grin and my heart started to pound at the malice there. ‘You’re betrothed? I suppose I should offer my congratulations. I never thought you would marry. I always thought you would live and die alone.’ It tilted its head. ‘I can see your soul. Does she know what you’re like inside? Does she know how broken you are? How dark and lost and guilty? Does she know about her and what you did?’ It cocked its head.
Jian’s face remained blank, but again I saw his fingers twitch. The corners of his eyes tightened, but his voice was calm. “Enough of your games, Tama’ha. I am tired of them. Who killed my brother?”
Tama’ha sighed and sat down, the movement causing its body to ripple with blue light. ‘Not one of my tribe, little general. You have holes in your sight. You have grown complacent.’
Jian took half a step forward. “Tell me. Whose tribe is responsible?”
It stretched out a paw and licked it, making us wait in breathless silence. Then its eyes turned to me and my heart froze. ‘Ask her. She is the one who could tell you. I will not betray my kind, but she might.’
Hundreds of eyes turned to me in surprise, and I listened to my pulse thud in my ears. What was it talking about? Sybera had nothing to do with Prince Han’s death. Distrust and confusion glittered around me, and Tama’ha grinned again as it stood and strolled out from the hall without a farewell.
As the door clanged shut, I felt the tension leave my shoulders, but my heart didn’t calm. What did it think I knew? What would Jian think of me now? And who was the ‘her’ Tama’ha had asked if I knew about?
I dared a look at Jian, but his eyes were still on the door, his jaw tense. I couldn’t let what the wolf had said hang over us. I needed to explain I knew nothing about what had happened to his brother. Ignoring the stares of soldiers, I wove my way towards him, conscious more than ever of how my pale hair and skin and fine cloak made me stand out.
Jian didn’t turn at my approach, so I reached out and touched his arm. He stiffened slightly beneath my touch.
“Jian, I…” I started. But he put one hand over mine and cut me off with the other. My breath caught.
“Not here. We can talk in private.” He turned and strode to a back door, and I hitched my dress so I could match his pace. His voice echoed in the stone corridor. “Don’t let what it said get to you. They like to weaken your resolve and play games of the mind. They detect weakness like a smell. Don’t ever betray that they’ve won a victory.”
I nodded, though his eyes were fixed ahead, and he seemed more rattled than he had let on. In some ways Tama’ha sounded like Elyanna. Once she found a subject upset you, she never let it go. She hunted for every weakness.
I followed the Prince into a simple study, glowing with firelight. It was sparse, but luxury compared to the dormitory. The heat of a fire felt like a wall as I entered from the bitter cold of the fortress, and I longed to warm my hands and feet.
The Prince poured two glasses of watery wine and motioned for me to sit in the larger chair. He didn’t join me, but leant on the mantle of the fireplace, staring at the flames. I moistened my throat with the wine and hoped the alcohol might calm my nerves. It barely tasted alcoholic at all, however. As I waited for my heart to slow, I watched the way the firelight softened the lines of the Prince’s face, making him younger and more vulnerable. But it couldn’t hide the tension in his jaw or the way the tendons stood out in his strong neck. My eyes drifted to the shadow in the V of his throat, and I quickly looked down at my wine. It was sti
ll too hard to comprehend that he was to be my husband. I knew so little about him, yet felt drawn to him all the same, like a moth to a flame. Drawn by his strength and his confidence, just to be dismissed and belittled over and over.
He looked at me at last, and I sat a little straighter “Do you know who killed my brother, or how to find them?” His tone showed he already expected my answer.
“No. I can’t understand what it said. Why would Sybera attack Borderlanders when they will do anything for peace? Even send me here.”
He rubbed his chin. “I suspect it was not Syberans she was referring to. The Beasts care little for countries, only for blood, and you are of the Old Blood.”
I frowned. “But you are too.”
He gave a sharp nod. “But you are of the eagle Thrum’ban, and I am of the wolf Sal’hadar in their eyes. I suspect she meant the ones that killed my brother were Spirit-Birds.”
I held my head in confusion, massaging my forehead. “But I’ve never even met a Spirit-Bird. The only Spirit-Beast I know is Falada, and he isn’t a bit like… like that creature.”
Jian’s face softened, and he finally took a seat. “As I said, Elyanna, don’t let its words trouble you. They sow discontent and hunt for weakness. We have a good lead now.” He paused for a moment, swirling his wine and his eyes became dark. “I will avenge him. Even if it was Jala’ban himself. They are foolish indeed to think they would get away with killing a Prince.” There was a sorrow and a determination in his expression that put me at a loss of what to say. His hand was tight on the stem of his goblet.
“I’m sorry,” I said, at last. “I know you cared for him.”