by Dixon, TJ
“Do you have any idea how this land became like this?” I ask.
“There was a time when we and the Divine Flames were considered to be at risk of a joint rebellion. We were made an example of by the Queen. The Divine Flames weren’t harmed because, without us they weren’t considered a threat.” Asuna says.
“Your own Queen did this?” Dairon asks appalled.
“Yes.” Asuna says.
“Let’s go back to Hinata.” I say and so we walk back. Hinata is not there but an older woman is waiting. With similar features to both younger sisters, she is probably their mother.
“I’m sorry to have you come all this way, but it seems that my daughters have wasted your time.” She says. “As a mother it pains me to see my daughter lose her freedom, but for the sake of my people I must accept that pain, rather than selling my people and my land to regain her freedom.”
“My master can offer something much more valuable and necessary to the Hoshi. Dairon here is an elf. As an elf he has great power over the land. He can heal the land for a few years at a time, for perhaps a century or two.” Asuna tells her mother, whose eyes go wide.
“You are serious?” She asks.
“Of course.”
“What do you want in return?” She asks.
“The details must be worked out, but I would suggest a trade of half the Hoshi land, in exchange for healing all of it. For the sake of the people, please consider this.” Asuna says.
“So, you will not beg for your freedom to be included as part of this deal?” Her mother asks.
“I will serve my master for the rest of my life if he lets me.” Asuna says.
“It seems you are as brave as Asura was.” Her mother says with a sigh. “Well, do come in. We do not need to come to a final agreement today, but we can at least try to come up with an agreement. My name is Reika Hoshi.”
We introduce ourselves and then enter their home. The condition inside is even worse than outside. We pass a few rooms that are well maintained but the entrance room, the corridors and most of the rooms we pass feel like they could collapse at any moment.
“There is no need to look so concerned. They may not look sturdy but these walls have stood firm for centuries. They are not about to fall down.” Reika tells us.
We arrive in a small windowless room with a few bookcases and a faded map with one, two or three small stones on what appear to be villages. Perhaps the number of stones indicates the size of the village. There are a few chairs but not enough for all of us. There is a stone about the size of my fist hanging from the roof above the map. Reika touches the stone and it starts to glow. It is a dim but gentle light.
“May I make a copy of this map?” Rin asks.
“If you wish to. Isn’t it a lot of work to do that though?” Reika says.
“I can just use magic to copy it.” Rin says and proceeds to do so.
“You are very talented at this magic. The academy doesn’t generally teach this until Year 1, and most don’t manage to learn it. Copying words is easy, but drawings are much harder.” Reika says. She is clearly very impressed.
“My mother is an alchemist. I learnt this before I joined the academy.” Rin says shrugging.
“It is a pity these sorts of magic, which aren’t of use in battle aren’t taught more at the academy.” Reika says with a sigh. “Does this mean you wish to study the map before we discuss any further?”
“Yes.” Rin says.
“What is your relationship to Peter?” Reika asks surprising us all.
“I’m Peter’s friend.” Rin says.
“You must be good friends to be so confident to speak on his behalf like that.” Reika says. Rin blushes.
“We trust each other.” Rin says. “Except when he decides to take on elves, or an army, single handed.”
“Rin exaggerates.” I say and use the chain to tell Rin, “The business with the elves is meant to be secret.”
“She knows about Dairon already.” Rin tells me with her own chain.
“You know. That magic isn’t always secure. Especially when you are close together it can be intercepted.” Reika says and we both look at her in shock. “I don’t mean to pry, and I’m not going to use it against you, but you should consider not putting too much faith in it around other mages. If you are in the Royal competition, then your competitors in the higher classes may be able to listen in. Certainly if you fight professionals, then they will be able to.”
“Thank you.” I say still rather shocked.
“Is there anything further to discuss now?” Reika asks.
“You have a lot of books.” Rin says. “Do you mind if I take a quick look?”
“Sure, but I’m not going to part with the library. That is knowledge that has been with the family for years.” Reika says.
“Do you mind if I borrow this book?” Rin asks.
“The History of Ishki? What drew you to that book?” Reika asks and hearing the name I am shocked.
“I’ve seen another copy, but this looks very different.” Rin says.
“Where did you see the other copy?” Reika asks sounding a little suspicious.
“At a library.” Rin says.
“Which library?” Reika asks.
“I forget.” Rin says, but even without reading her aura it is obvious she is lying.
“That seems unlikely. The only library, other than the personal libraries of the ancient noble or royal families is the Great Library in Utopia Camerona.” Reika says frowning. “As a noble I am trying to act honestly and with integrity, but I would appreciate it if you did the same.”
“I’m sorry.” I say. “Rin isn’t allowed to tell you where that book came from, or who gave it to us. It was someone very important, and it might cause them embarrassment.”
“I understand.” Reika says. “You may take a look whilst you are here, but you may not take it with you. It is an ancient book, so please be very careful. The book you saw was probably a more recent copy written in modern Contractian. This is written in ancient Contractian.”
“I can read this.” Rin says. “It is in ancient Contractian, but this is probably only about five hundred years old. The book we have is at least twice that.”
“You really don’t know when to save things until we are in private.” I say shaking my head half in amusement, and half in frustration.
“The original is only slightly older than this copy.” Reika says. “If your copy is that old, it can’t be the History of Ishki.”
“But that is the title on the cover.” I say.
“The cover is only a few years old.” Rin says. “I assumed it was replaced because it was so old. It also explained why we could read it.”
“If it was just over a thousand years old then it would be from before the Great War.” Dairon says. “That would be from around the time of the fifth king of the elves. Contractia wasn’t as powerful before the Great War. Contractia was powerful, certainly, but not like it is today. It was perhaps the fifth or sixth most powerful empire. The other great empires of the time have since been conquered by either the Fallen Angels, or the Contractians. Perhaps it isn’t Contractian at all.”
“I appreciate your time today.” I say to Reika. “I would also appreciate your overlooking the words of my indiscrete friends. We will be back on our day off.”
“Of course. You may wish to teach them a little discipline though, so they are more discrete in the future. Farewell.” Reika says.
“So it seems, and farewell. Asuna, port us all back to Rin’s room.” I say.
“I haven’t been there before.” Asuna says apologetically.
“Sorry Asuna. Rin, you can do it.” I say. Everyone wishes Reika farewell and then Rin ports us to her room. She quickly grabs the book and opens it. Of course I can no more read it now than I could before.
“Can either of you read it?” I ask.
“No.” Asuna say.
Dairon looks closer and studies it for a while before sp
eaking. “This is definitely elven, but it is ancient elven. I can read the words of our people from the time of the fifth king, but I am ashamed to say that I cannot read these words. It must be from the time of the fourth king, or perhaps even earlier. Can you tell exactly how old this is?”
“Give me a minute.” Rin says. She closes her eyes and chants words that I don’t understand. After a few minutes she opens them again. “Somewhere between a thousand years and a thousand and fifty years.”
“That would be the later days of the fifth king. It would have to be at least twenty thousand years to be from the time of the fourth king, but it could have been rewritten.” Dairon says.
“I wasn’t going to mistake just over a thousand years for twenty thousand!” Rin protests.
“Elves must live a very long time.” I say. “Or was the king immortal?”
“Most elves lived for around fifty to sixty thousand years. The kings and direct heirs lived much longer. They weren’t immortal but because they were considered so important people’s life force would be sacrificed to them to ensure that they lived a long life. A few hundred thousand years was about average. Of course that was before the Fallen Angels and Great War claimed so many of my kin.” Dairon says sadly. “Now there are very few elves in my tribe even a mere thousand years old. I have no idea if there are any tribes that are still free from the Fallen Angels.”
“Have you any idea what this could be?” I ask.
“If it was rewritten, then it is most likely a song book. Songs are not meant to be translated because they either lose the meaning or the style. If it was written by an elf from the time of the fourth king, then it is most likely a diary. An official book would be written in the current official language but something personal like a diary would be written in the language that an elf is most comfortable with. Of course nobody other than the king would be still alive a thousand years ago who was also alive before the fourth king took the throne. His reign lasted just over three hundred thousand years. The king himself would be most comfortable with his own style of writing, because that was the basis for the official language of his time.” Dairon explains.
“Is there anyone in your tribe who might be able to read this?” I ask.
“The envoy, but that doesn’t help you. One or two others may be able to, but I have no idea who, and it may be that none can.”
“How old is the envoy?” I ask.
“Thirty years old. Little more than a baby really, and yet my sister has already lost her life to the Fallen Angels. They prefer young elves because they can sustain that thing for longer, and their will is weaker. They are lucky, or perhaps unlucky, if they survive to see the end of even a single century.” Dairon says.
“I’m sorry for your sister.” I say wincing at Dairon’s words. “Why would she know how to read this book, if she is only thirty years old?”
“Because that thing is much older. It was probably alive even before the time of the first king.” Dairon says bitterly. “In that time it has absorbed the knowledge of elves, angels and many other living creatures. To read ancient elven words from the time of the fourth or even the third king’s time would be easy for it. To read words from the second or first king’s time would be harder, but it could probably do it. Like I said though, it will not help you.”
“Is there any way to kill the envoy without killing your sister?” I ask.
“There is no way to kill the envoy, even by killing my sister.” Dairon says.
“What exactly is it?” Rin asks.
“The child of an angel and a demon. Of course such a union was forbidden by the gods, so they were kept frozen in time by the gods. Not even the gods could kill them. Or perhaps the gods were just unwilling to do so. They were freed and used by the Fallen Angels against the gods. Now the Fallen Angels use them to rule over the elves and some of the more powerful people under their rule.” Dairon explains.
“The Fallen Angels are basically angels right?” I ask nervously.
“Yes.” Dairon answers.
“So can they make more of these Envoys?” I ask.
“The Fallen Angels cannot have children. Only pure angels can do so.” Dairon explains. “Besides, even if they could, they would not willingly do so. No angel would.”
“So how…” I start to ask but Rin interrupts.
“Enough of this talk! Dairon, I forbid you from saying any more about making children in front of Peter.” Rin says. Dairon looks at me.
“It’s fine.” I say. “For now let’s focus on the deal with Asuna’s mother. It doesn’t sound like we’ll be able to slip in anything about freeing Asuna.”
“That is how it should be.” Asuna says.
“What about Lena? As a goodwill gesture?” I ask.
“That would be acceptable.” Asuna says sounding surprised. “I will miss her, but there is no reason for her to remain your slave for honour’s sake. She is not a noble. You could give her to Hinata. They get along well, and should you lose the competition she will not be given to whoever beats you.” Of course Asuna and Hermes would, so for their sakes as much as for my own, I cannot afford to lose in this competition.
“I get the impression that Hinata is someone you could rely on.” Rin says. “How about getting her as a member of the company and club? Asuna, do you think we could get that as part of the deal?”
“I suspect that would be possible, but it would mean taking considerably less land.” Asuna says carefully.
“Is all the land considered equal?” I ask.
“No.” Asuna says. “There are more villages to the west, because the land to the east is much harsher. Can we see the map again?”
“Certainly.” Rin says and gets it out.
“See how few villages there are in this area.” Asuna says.
“How about if we took the land to the east of this river?” Rin suggests.
“That river is a dead river, and that would give you only three villages.” Asuna says.
“With your sister’s service, would this be acceptable to your mother?” Rin asks.
“Yes, but you might be able to get a better deal with less land but more villages. Perhaps a small area around here? You could get six or seven villages that way. Or you could forget about my sister and take a fairer share of the land.” Asuna says.
“If the land is healed then we could build more villages, and the land will no longer be so harsh.” Rin says. “There may not be as many villages, but if we take a small area where there are lots already, the people may simply move to the nearby villages. They have lived under the rule of the Hoshi their whole lives, and you seem an honourable family. They know nothing about Peter and have no reason to want to serve him.”
“I hadn’t thought of it like that.” Asuna says surprised.
“Rin is very clever, even if she doesn’t know when to keep a secret.” I say and Rin blushes.
“I’m sorry!” Rin says.
“Don’t worry too much. We’ve been lucky so far, but you need to learn to be a bit more discrete. We may not be as lucky next time.” I say. “That goes for you too Dairon.”
“I’m sorry!” Dairon says.
“Like I said, don’t worry, just be more careful next time.” I say.
“I will be.” Dairon says.
“Let’s write a suitable contract. We can present it when we return on our day off.” I say. It doesn’t take long because we keep it very simple. We will give Lena to Hinata immediately, but the rest of the contract will take effect only once we leave or win the Royal Competition. We don’t want to lose Dairon for the few days it will take until then, because he is so helpful at our training. If I lose the competition then the contract will be cancelled, although Lena will still belong to Hinata.
It sounds like Lena was not very happy about the idea of having to leave Asuna, but she accepts it. I have no idea how Hinata will feel about Lena, but Hinata isn’t going to be happy that her sister is still a slave.
The rest of
the week my focus is on the competition and training. Everything else is just a distraction. The next battle is our last battle against 2C. The enemy have beaten two other groups from 2C, and are supposed to be very good. We didn’t have the sense to watch their battles, but they most likely saw at least some of ours. We hear from students who did that they are mostly water users.
According to her friends it seems that Gillian hasn’t given up joining us. Since Cherry has forgiven Gillian and I have calmed down about it now, I see no reason to refuse her. So I have Felicity invite her to the training and pass along a contract, which Gillian signs and hands to me at the next training session.
I don’t want to leave the team to chance this time so I carefully consider who to include from the wind users. The other mages are unchanged. Cherry is still top of my list so I just have two places to consider. After a while I decide that Felicity should be on the team too. I would like to include Mirai, Tabi or Midori because they have been in the group since the start, but instead settle on Galico. She probably isn’t quite as talented, but is much better at working as part of a group. Felicity and Galico seem able to work well under Cherry, despite not having known her very long. That isn’t to say that Mirai, Tabi or Midori work badly under Cherry, but it isn’t as smooth.
The morning of our next battle arrives and we meet in the arena. After the usual formalities we are ported into our next battlefield. We are underwater and I am beginning to wonder whether it is something other than coincidence. Aventurine quickly clears the water from around us and Helski creates her usual floating disc below us, but the rest of the battlefield is still water. Perfect for our enemy, but not so perfect for us.
“Don’t worry.” Rin says. “We have three great water users, each with experience that they don’t. We will not lose.”
“Are you able to beat them without getting anyone killed? Their side too…” I ask.