The Beast Warrior

by Nahoko Uehashi

  Jesse shifted. Ialu paused, thinking his son had something to say, but the boy said nothing. “Your mother, however, will never use them as weapons,” Ialu finished.

  “Oh!” Jesse exclaimed. “I get it! If they catch us, they can make Mom do what they want.”

  Ialu stared at Jesse in surprise. “That’s right. Smart thinking.”

  “That’s what Oguran always does,” Jesse said breathlessly. “He’ll say, ‘Tell me where Choi is. If you don’t, I’ll catch Atchan and beat him up.’”

  “Choi?”

  “Yeah. The pup I found. He’s got the most beautiful eyes. He’s a mutt, but I’m sure he’s got wolf blood in him!”

  Perhaps startled by the excitement in Jesse’s voice, Leelan’s eyes popped open, and she began to growl.

  Ialu and Jesse froze. Cold sweat trickled down Ialu’s temples, and his heart pounded. In his mind’s eye, he saw the deep scars on Elin’s shoulder and ear, and her left hand with only two fingers. If Leelan began stomping her feet in irritation, she would tear Jesse’s little body to shreds in an instant.

  Why was it, he wondered, that even though she was such a huge and fearsome beast, until this instant, both he and Jesse had been lulled into thinking that she would never hurt them? Because she was Leelan.

  Don’t move, Jesse, he begged silently.

  They both held their breath, waiting for the growling to subside. Even when Leelan stopped and closed her eyes, they still didn’t move. Annoyance radiated from her. They could practically feel it on their skin. Gradually, this too faded, and Leelan’s jaw sank onto her chest. Once again, she began breathing with the low rumble of a bellows.

  After making sure that no trace of Leelan’s anger lingered in the air, Ialu gestured for his son to come.

  Jesse moved slowly through the cage. Being careful not to disturb Leelan, he slipped through the bars and tiptoed over to his father. Rolling his eyes, he mouthed, “That was close!”

  Ialu gave his son a light swat on the head, then picked him up and hugged him. He smelled like beast and straw; his body was so slight, it seemed like it might break.

  “Ow! That hurts.” Jesse squirmed. His father had touched the spot where Jesse had been kicked.

  “Sorry,” Ialu said. “I forgot.” He lifted Jesse higher and adjusted his grip. With his son’s warm body wrapped in his arms, he left the stable.

  4

  HARD SHELL

  Esalu had stayed up waiting for them. Before Ialu could say a word, Jesse dropped to his knees and prostrated himself on the floor, begging forgiveness. Esalu fixed him with a ferocious glare, but then sighed and told him to raise his head.

  “Your scolding can wait until tomorrow,” she said. “The horse and buggy has already left, so you and your father might as well stay the night.”

  Still kneeling on the floor, Jesse answered weakly, “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Just look at you! You’re covered in straw and fur. Make sure to brush all that off before you get into bed. Change your clothes and comb your hair, too.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Answer properly, young man! With feeling!”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Jesse answered hastily.

  Ialu bowed his head. “Please forgive us for causing such a commotion.”

  With her arms still folded across her chest, Esalu shook her head and said, “Never mind that now. You’d better tell me what’s going on. I’ll take you to your room first. We can talk after you’ve put Jesse to bed.”

  Ialu shook his head. “No. If you don’t mind, I’d like to keep him with me until I’m done.”

  Esalu frowned. “That’s fine with me, but are you sure? I thought you wanted to tell me something confidential.”

  “I do, but there’s a reason I want to keep him in my sight.”

  It was long past Jesse’s bedtime. His eyelids drooped, and he looked up at Ialu with a blank expression. He’d been through quite an ordeal and had just had a big cry. Ialu guessed he must have been so tired he could barely stay awake.

  Esalu seemed to have realized this as well. “There’re some cushions over in the corner, Jesse,” she said gently. “Go lie on those.”

  Jesse stood up slowly, wincing slightly. By morning, he was going to be very stiff. Completely forgetting Esalu’s admonition to brush off the fur and straw, he laid his head on a cushion and curled up with a sigh. Within moments, he was fast asleep.

  Esalu gazed at the boy’s tear-streaked face, then shifted her eyes to Ialu. “Let’s have some tea while we talk.”

  She gestured for Ialu to sit by the hearth. Taking the kettle from the hook, she poured hot water into a teapot.

  “So,” she began, fixing him with a piercing gaze, “I was right. You’ve been hurt, haven’t you? Raise that lock of hair over your ear and let me see.”

  Her eyes were keen. Even in the firelight, she had noticed the swelling above his temple. She knelt beside him and examined the spot where the strange weapon had connected with his skull.

  “Were you hit with something?” she asked.

  Ialu nodded. “Some kind of club. I caught the blow with the stick I use to bar the door, but the end of the club bent around it and hit me here. It wasn’t that strong a blow.”

  Esalu rested her hands on her knees and rose slowly to her feet. Taking a candle from a cupboard and returning to the hearth, she lit the wick in the fire and placed the candle in a holder. She held this up in front of Ialu’s face. “Look at me. Let me see your eyes.” After carefully examining the pupil in his right eye and then his left, she blew out the candle.

  “At least you seem to have no internal bleeding.”

  “I think it just shook my brain a little,” Ialu said. “The headache and nausea are pretty much gone.”

  “But you should never take a head wound lightly. Remember Her Majesty Halumiya. Even when there’s no initial bleeding, blood can pool later, putting pressure on the brain. If you feel dizziness or nausea within the next few days, tell me immediately.”

  Ialu gazed at her. She seemed to have aged considerably, perhaps because he hadn’t seen her for so long. Her eyes, however, still burned with the same stern light. “Thank you,” he said. “But I’m afraid I’ll just have to pray that it heals naturally. At dawn, I must take Jesse and leave Kazalumu.”

  Esalu’s face clouded. “But why?”

  Ialu explained what had happened. When he finished, Esalu picked up her cup absently, then clicked her tongue. She’d forgotten about the tea. As she poured the now-bitter brew into their cups, she said, “But who would do that? Even if they could force Elin to do what they wanted, what’s the point without any Royal Beasts?”

  Passing a cup to Ialu, she shook her head. “Only the Yojeh and the Aluhan can actually use the Royal Beasts as weapons. Even if someone in the court wished to wrest power from the Aluhan, it would take years to raise and train enough Royal Beasts. And they could never hide what they were doing. They’d be discovered and executed in no time.”

  Ialu placed his cup on the edge of the hearth. “Just as you say, such a plot would be meaningless. To anyone from this kingdom, that is.”

  He pulled out two coins from the pouch at his waist and laid them in his palm. “I found these on one of those thugs.”

  The coins glinted dully in the hearth’s glow. Esalu’s face froze. “Lajimu coins…” Raising her face, she looked at Ialu and whispered, “You think the Lahza were behind it?”

  Ialu nodded. “The Lahza have been spreading across the plains like wind-borne locusts, growing ever stronger as they swallow up caravan cities on their way. Many countries, even ours, use their currency because it’s of higher value.

  “The bowmen who guard our border are paid only a pittance. Two lajimu coins each would be enough for them to take on any dirty job.”

  He tilted his palm toward the flame so the light licked the coins, highlighting the shape of a rearing horse. “Eleven years have passed since Elin rode Leelan and scattered the Toda forces on th
e plain of Tahai Azeh. If the Lahza, who covet this land, have heard about that…”

  The two fell silent, their eyes resting on the coins. If the eastern horsemen were secretly spreading their net through this kingdom right now while it was shaken by internal unrest …

  Esalu shuddered and rubbed her arms as though chilled. “What’re you going to do?” she asked. “We’d better warn the Yojeh immediately. The country’s in danger!” Catching sight of his expression, she faltered. Her mouth hung open for a second, then shut with a snap. She pressed her fingers to her forehead. “Oh, right. If the palace finds out, you and Elin…” She could not bring herself to finish the statement.

  By order of the Yojeh and the Aluhan, Elin and the Royal Beasts had been surrounded with a gentle wall—a loose supervision that didn’t interfere with daily life, just in case a hostile country tried to abduct her. It had been loose precisely because it was “just in case.” The threat of kidnapping had been considered remote. But if the palace discovered that Elin was the target of its greatest threat, Elin and her family would be placed under strict surveillance, possibly for life.

  “As you said, they can’t raise and train Royal Beasts in a night and a day,” said Ialu. “And even if they have managed to, which I think is highly unlikely, they obviously don’t know how to control them yet. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be trying to capture Elin. If so—”

  Esalu picked up where he had left off. “They must have raised them with the Silent Whistle. Which means that even if they managed to raise some, they can neither control them nor use them as weapons. In other words, there’s no imminent threat, so it won’t matter if we wait before informing the palace.”

  Ialu nodded and glanced at Jesse, who lay with his head pillowed on a cushion. The expression on his face as he gazed at his son wrung Esalu’s heart. “What’re you going to do next? Once you leave here?” she whispered.

  Ialu shifted his eyes back to Esalu. “Find Elin.” His eyes gleamed with a dark light. If they had tried to capture him, it might mean they already had Elin. The thought burned inside him. Raising the cup to his lips, he took a sip of the bitter, tepid brew. Then he turned the cup slowly in both hands. “I still have a few connections from the past. I’ll try to find out what Elin has been doing and where she is now. Then I’ll think about what to do from there.”

  “Let’s say you find her and you’re reunited as a family,” Esalu said in a low voice. “Then what?”

  Ialu said nothing. Branches scratched against the window, stirred by the night breeze. Esalu gazed into the eyes of this man who looked so much like an artisan. Would he continue to search until he found a way to be just a carpenter and Elin, a beast doctor; for them to live as man and wife? Would such a day ever come for this family?

  With a small hiss, a piece of wood crumbled in the fire. A flame flared briefly, illuminating their faces.

  “Have you thought about the possibility that you might miss her if you leave now? What if she turns up here after you’ve gone? What should I tell her?”

  “Tell her to go home. If she does, she’ll know.”

  Esalu’s brow clouded. They probably had some sign known only to the two of them, she thought. They had lived all this time knowing that one day they might have to flee. It was only natural that they would be prepared. But her chest tightened at his words. She felt excluded.

  A memory filled her mind. She had once told Elin it would be safer if anyone could control the Royal Beasts. Elin’s face, and her words, came back to her now.

  “I would rather that the risk was mine alone,” she had said. “If my actions might bring about a disaster, then when it comes, I won’t hesitate to lay down my life if I believe that could avert it.” She had only been eighteen.

  Does she still think that way, Esalu wondered, even now that she has a family? Something about Ialu reminded her of Elin. They’re both loners, she thought. They both avoid relying on others—because they don’t want to get them into trouble.

  Although they were now married, Esalu doubted that marriage would have changed this trait. They would love each other and within that love would guard their son by surrounding him like the hard shell of a walnut. If they had been selfish, she might have felt angry rather than lonely. But Elin and this gruff-sounding man tried so hard not to cause others pain. It was the very thoughtfulness with which they treated her that made Esalu feel excluded.

  She sighed and gave her head a little shake. “All right. If Elin makes it back here safely, I’ll let her know. But it’s time you went to bed. I’ll send someone tomorrow to tell the town officer that there was a break-in. In the meantime, you can make your escape. I can lend you a horse.”

  Ialu bowed his head. Gratitude overwhelmed him, robbing him of the words he needed to express himself. If he tried to pay her, it would only hurt her feelings. Neither he nor Elin had any parents. She was the closest person they had to a mother. In the end, all he could say was “Thank you.”

  Looking up, his eyes met hers. “I’ll do whatever I can to help,” she said. Her voice hardened. “So you’d better make sure you come back. Promise me you’ll return with your family and let me know you’re alive and well.”

  Ialu lowered his eyes and gazed silently at his hands for some time. Finally, he raised his head and nodded. “I promise.”

  5

  FLIGHT

  Ialu’s eyes flew open, sleep banished by faint sounds carried on the wind. Day had not quite broken, but in the pale blue darkness he could make out Jesse’s small form sleeping beside him. Gently, Ialu pulled back the covers and got up to raise the window. The chill dawn air washed over his face. The noise, which had been faint before, was now quite clear. The sound of hooves pounding turf; a band of horsemen was galloping toward Kazalumu.

  Leaning out the window, he could see the road that led up toward the school in the distance. Torchlight danced among the trees. Soon figures came into view. When Ialu caught the glint of armor in the lamp burning by the school gate, he closed the window softly.

  “Jesse.” He shook the boy, who grunted in response. “Jesse, wake up.”

  Jesse sat up with a groan, but his eyelids stayed closed. Ialu brought his lips close to Jesse’s ear and whispered, “Wake up! We have to go.”

  Jesse jerked and rubbed his ear as though it tickled. His eyes opened, and he looked up at his father. “What?”

  Ialu put a finger to Jesse’s lips and gestured for him to pay attention to the sounds. The bell that hung at the gate clanged stridently. It was an old bell, green with age. The visitors rang it urgently and repeatedly, and soon the school began to stir. Footsteps and voices sounded in the hall, as students, startled from their sleep, stumbled from their rooms to see what was going on. The large door at the entrance screeched open, followed immediately by the clatter of boots in the hall. The teacher on night duty called for the headmistress.

  Ialu opened the door a crack and peered through it. He saw Esalu stride briskly toward the entrance. When she approached the men standing in the entranceway, she put her hands on her hips. “It’s not even dawn!” she exclaimed. “What’s all this fuss about?”

  Through the murmur of voices rising from the students, a soldier’s voice, gruff and overbearing, reached Ialu’s ears. “We’re here by order of Her Majesty, the Yojeh. Kneel and listen!” The man flourished a document with a seal indicating it was a royal ordinance, and Ialu saw Esalu sink slowly to her knees.

  The students quieted, and this time the soldier’s voice rang loud and clear. “Her Majesty has commanded us to bring Elin’s husband and son to the palace to place them under her protection. Bring us Ialu and Jesse immediately!”

  Behind him, Jesse gulped, and Ialu gripped his shoulder to keep him quiet.

  “Ialu and Jesse are not here,” Esalu said. “They live in town.” Her voice was strong and penetrating, and Ialu guessed she was making sure her words reached every listening ear.

  “Do you intend to hide them?” the soldier snapp
ed. “You’ll be arrested if you dare lie to us. We’ve already been to their house in town. We know they were ambushed and managed to beat off their attackers. We also know the boy escaped here and was followed by Ialu. We gave up sleep to come here. Surely you realize how critical this situation is. So think carefully before you speak!”

  Silence fell over the building, broken only by Esalu’s measured voice. “I am speaking the truth. Jesse did indeed come to Kazalumu last night, causing a commotion, but his father, Ialu, came to fetch him. It was very late, so I urged them to stay the night. However, Ialu refused and took his son back with him down the mountain. I believed they had returned home, which is why I answered you thus.”

  Gently, Ialu closed the door and gestured for Jesse to remain silent. He pushed the window up soundlessly. It was still dark outside, but he saw no other soldiers. They all appeared to be gathered at the entrance. After quickly surveying the surroundings, he pulled his head inside, folded the bedding neatly, and placed it back in the closet. Jesse handed him a pillow, his face tense.

  Placing the pillow on top of the bedding, Ialu closed the door, then knelt in front of his son. “Are you scared?” he whispered.

  Jesse nodded.

  “Put that fear away for now. Just like putting away the bedding in the closet, put it away deep in your mind and forget it’s there.” Ialu smiled. Jesse gazed at him as though he was looking at something strange and fascinating. Slowly, a faint smile rose to his stiff lips.

  Ialu ruffled Jesse’s hair. “Let’s go,” he said. “Do exactly as I say. All right?”

  Jesse nodded. Although the boy jumped when he heard a soldier bark commands to search the building, he kept his lips pressed firmly shut, and his eyes never wavered from his father’s face.

  “I’ll jump out the window first. Wait until I signal, then you jump, too.”

  Jesse’s eyes widened. He opened his mouth to speak, but Ialu stopped him with a look. “I’ll catch you. Jump straight without waving your arms or legs, just like when you jump into a river. Understand?”