Thread Skein (Golden Threads Trilogy Book 3)

by Leeland Artra

  There’s a time to learn who you are,

  A time to create who you’ll be,

  Learn from the past; look to the stars,

  And build a home for you and me.

  Show me an honest blade,

  Show me where magic starts,

  Help the children to be strong,

  To live with courage in their hearts....

  There’s a time to learn who you are,

  A time to create who you’ll be,

  Learn from the past; look to the stars,

  And build a home for you and me.

  Teach the children to believe

  Show them how to conquer fear

  Help the children to have hope

  To find the path where dreams appear....

  There’s a time to learn who you are,

  A time to create who you’ll be,

  Learn from the past; look to the stars,

  And build a home for you and me.

  Learn from the past; look to the stars,

  And build a home for you and me.

  Duke’s ears locked onto Illa, and his eyes narrowed. “Where the hell did that come from?”

  Epilogue 1

  Our Future

  Ticca

  Ticca prayed she wouldn’t trip, slip, or mess it up. She’d rarely felt this nervous. But there she was, out of her element. She was wearing a formal gown, much like the red one she remembered from her first vision in Elraci. She felt self-conscious in it. On her head was a diamond and ruby crown, with the Duianna coat of arms on the front, provided at the last minute by her uncle. She knew he’d intentionally not told her about it to keep her from refusing to wear it.

  Behind her were her friends, Ditani, Lebuin, Illa, and Hiri-Rula. Also present were representatives of all the great powers of the world: Lord Dohma, Lady Electra, Lady Sula, Magus Cune, and Lady Lothia representing Lord Argos. Before her stood Grand Warlord Maru-Ashua, and behind him were the seven heads of state known as the council for the new nation of Hopu Rinyaru. They were all there to bear witness to the event. Her only consolation was that the ceremony was short and not public.

  Keeping her head from tilting too far was problematic. Still, she managed to pick up the golden cup and fill it with the silvery liquid from the palace fountain without losing her crown. Turning, she walked to Maru-Ashua, who wore the crimson and silver colors of the Duianna Imperial Family. She looked him in the eye as she held the cup up to him in offering.

  Maru-Ashua took the cup in both hands and looked at the people behind Ticca. He acknowledged each person directly, going down the line, squaring off with each and bowing slightly to Ditani, Lebuin, Illa, Hiri-Rula, Lord Dohma, Lady Electra, Lady Sula, his wife Lady Maru-Zanni, and finally Ticca’s uncle, Faltla of Rhini Wood. He then turned to the seven council members who ruled over the civilian population of Hopu Rinyaru, acknowledging them.

  Turning back to Ticca, he glanced at the silver liquid a bit nervously and licked his lips. With only a slight blanching of his face, he drank the liquid down in a single swallow and handed the cup back to Ticca.

  She gave him a warm smile, remembering how metallic the silver water tasted.

  Ticca placed the cup on the fountain, which descended silently into the floor.

  Don’t mess this up, girl! After all that practice, you can do it.

  Ticca took a breath. “Nomino Maru-Ashua nomine heredem regni Duianna. Et nunc cedo ad successionem in sempiternum.”

  She stole a glance at the council elder, who smiled at her and nodded.

  A female voice came from all around. “Agnoscitur, ad-versus Maru-Ashua Duianna appareat.”

  Everyone applauded. Maru-Ashua smiled, and against all protocol, gave Ticca a friendly hug. “It’s so strange to know we’re cousins and the progeny of Damega.”

  Ticca nodded. “I’m just glad I can go back to being an ordinary Dagger soon.” She pulled on the dress, shifting it somewhat. “I feel like a fish out of water in this getup.”

  He laughed, and shook hands with all who approached and congratulated him for being named the next heir to the throne of the Duianna Empire. Ticca was glad she wasn’t going to be the last of her family.

  Her uncle stepped up to her. “Sorry I didn’t prepare you for this. I thought I would teach you all about it in a few more years.”

  “Yeah, well, I was a bit rushed.”

  He patted her back. “And that isn’t any different than any other part of your life.”

  “Can I take this thing off my head now?”

  Laughing, he took the crown from her and put it back in its storage box. “I’ll put it back with the archives for the next time it’s needed.”

  “So what else is in these family archives?”

  He looked at her. “Sorry. That’s on a need-to-know basis. Only the next Imperial guardian will learn all the details. To be honest, I’m still studying, even after holding this position for thirty years.”

  “Can I take over the position?”

  “Only if you abdicate the crown.” He quickly pointed a finger at her nose. “Which isn’t an option at the moment. Of course, now that we have Maru-Ashua, it is a possibility later. But I was thinking of training his son.”

  “Why not his daughter?”

  Faltla smiled. “I caught her twirling a knife, trying to do that trick you do with yours. I suspect she’s going to turn out more like you, especially in the ‘wandering feet’ area.”

  Outside, a series of warning cries came, followed by a loud screech and the sound of dozens of screams.

  All ran for the main doors. Ticca, even in the dress, managed to get there before everyone else. Guards were running everywhere, pointing up. She stepped out from the palace to look.

  The rest of the group gathered around her to look where the guards were pointing, which turned out to be one of the palace towers. The cause of the alarm was apparent.

  Racing around the tower, at a breakneck speed, the top mast only inches away from the tower, was the Emerald Heart. On the deck, dozens of children were hanging onto the foredeck railings, dangling their heads over the side. They were moving so fast that even the shortest hair was being blown back. At the helm was Maru-Ashua’s son, Maru-Pollo, apparently tied into the helmsman’s chair on some books to boost him high enough to see clearly. He was grinning so wide every tooth was showing.

  Tied into a position just behind Maru-Pollo was Nigan, who was hanging onto the back of the helmsman’s chair with white knuckles and a massive smile. Hanging over the forecastle, both front paws wrapped around the bowsprit, was Duke, his mouth open, screaming right along with the kids. Riding on Duke’s back, with her head between his two ears, was Maru-Sonna, Maru-Ashua’s daughter. She was apparently laughing and screaming, her eyes bright with excitement.

  As the ship passed, Nigan and Duke spotted the group in front of the palace. Duke howled as Nigan waved and whooped. The Emerald Heart dipped and swung back in the other direction, its keel going almost horizontal as the ship barely cleared the next tower, accompanied by more kids’ screams. After banking around the tower, the ship’s bow lifted, and it rocketed into the sky as the screams faded with distance.

  “I’m not so sure it was a good idea, letting him fly that,” Maru-Ashua said. He stood next to Ticca, his head craned back, using his hand to block the sun as he watched the ship finish its climb and tilt back, towards the ground.

  Ticca tried to reassure him, in spite of the obvious visual evidence against it being a sane and safe ride on the Emerald Heart. “I’m sure your kids are safe. Uh...Duke knows what he’s doing.”

  “I was referring to Duke.”

  Epilogue 2

  Timely Knowledge

  Olmana-Yillion

  Olmana-Yillion steppe
d through the mage-gate and walked into Llino, the guards oblivious to her passing. She glided through the city as one who knew every corner and every street.

  The late-night moons were up as she entered the Night Market. She paused for a moment to look around. Spotting the Hand she wanted, she moved towards him. He was with another client, but he noticed her coming and quickly shooed his current client away.

  The client was dressed in expensive silks, and had six overly bulky bodyguards orbiting him. He looked at Olmana-Yillion and snuffed. “You can complete your business when I’m done.”

  “Lord, you really shouldn’t. She doesn’t like to wait.”

  Olmana-Yillion motioned. “I’ll only be a moment. Be a good lad and entertain yourself over there.”

  The client pointed. “I’ll not be spoken to like that. This is the Night Market, and you shouldn’t have meddled with me! Take her!”

  The six bodyguards started to move towards Olmana-Yillion, when they all fell backwards, shivering and screaming in pain.

  “Come now, silly boys. Such drama. Don’t be such ninnies. It doesn’t hurt that bad. You’ll be fine.”

  The client bolted for the exit at a dead run.

  Olmanna-Yillion turned back to the Hand. “So sorry. I do hate demonstrations like that. You have what I want?”

  The Hand stepped away from the still-vibrating bodies, turning his back so he wouldn’t have to look at them. “Yes, of course. I did everything you asked. I gave the substitute to the agents who forced it out of me. You didn’t mention they’d try to poison me.”

  She laughed. “I didn’t tell you to set a poison trap on the wrapping.”

  He blanched, visible even in the dark. “You knew....”

  She patted his cheek. “Of course I did. But that just made it more convincing. You’ve been a good boy. I’m giving you a bonus for it.”

  He smiled and produced the leather journal he’d bribed the Knife to bring to him instead of the Nhia-Samri. The mysterious and impossible to break golden threads tied it shut.

  “It took you a long time to come and get this.”

  She took it and placed it in her pouch, pulling out a small felt purse. “Yes. Well, it has been rather inconvenient to get into Llino the last six cycles, hasn’t it? And I knew you’d take care of it. Here you go.”

  “One question. Why did you trust me to keep it?” he asked, taking the purse.

  “Because you couldn’t open it, could you, dear?”

  He laughed, shaking the purse. “No, it would’ve cost fifty times this small fortune you’re paying me for it. I’d be interested in knowing how those golden threads are made. For a fair price, of course.”

  Olmanna-Yillion didn’t reply; she simply patted his cheek one last time, then walked out of the city and back through the mage-gate to Hisuru Amajoo. She proceeded to her library, passing the main corridor, into the long halls and chambers that housed the library’s vast collection.

  She smiled as she moved through the halls under the mountain. She knew every inch and every volume stored in the miles of archives. She hadn’t been made the chief librarian of Hisuru Amajoo for no reason. She loved the passages, and she loved every volume there. She’d been keeping track of them for over 3,000 years.

  She knew someday the potent rejuvenating spells and custom nanobots would lose their fight to time. But she still had at least a thousand years before she needed to start seeking a new chief librarian. She kept careful track of her estimated time left. It was her duty to make sure a new librarian was found, trained, and fully installed before she retired.

  Various gates and wards needed to be passed. She held the ancient key ring in one hand, selecting each key as needed. It took a long time to reach the special vault she sought.

  The silver key that opened the door was unique. There were only three. She had one, the other had been passed on to Lebuin, and the new Grand Warlord had gifted the last one to Empress Ticca for safekeeping. But Lebuin and Ticca didn’t know there were two doors that the key could open.

  As she set the sliders, the keyhole popped open. The key slid in, and the massive three-foot-thick door swung open without even a hint of a sound. She stepped into the small library room, and lights came on automatically. The room was cozy and comfortable. There were six reading chairs, a pair of work desks, and one large conference or project table. The circular room was three stories tall. Every inch of the walls was covered with shelves holding the most precious scrolls and tomes of many worlds and two universes, and unique works by the greatest minds she had the pleasure to know.

  She stepped over to the correct section, pulling a rolling ladder along with her. Climbing up halfway, she found the section labeled ‘Temporal Sciences’. She rearranged the dozen books, making room. Opening her satchel, she pulled out a leather-bound journal, wrapped tightly in golden threads, and slipped it into the new open space.

  She patted the journal. “Don’t you worry. Duchess Yillion will let you out when they’re ready. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to plan a tea party in that quaint little town on the northern coast for the new Magus there.” She winked at the journal. “He really does like my pastries.”

  Climbing back down, she closed the door and made sure it locked before making her way back out, locking every gate and resetting every ward.

  Epilogue 3

  Patience’s Prize

  Ricio

  Ricio Nather brushed some dust from his grey embroidered silk doublet as Adulir, the emissary for the Baroness of Tenby, made for the exit.

  Silly nobles will always be doing something, causing them to need me to locate and fix their mistakes.

  He felt the weight of his purse under his armored cloak.

  I will need to get Muccini onto this one. It seems rather delicate, and with Duke setting up for a long stay, it will have to be done with more than the usual finesse.

  Ricio scanned the area. His guards were still moving around him like planets orbiting their star.

  I’m surprised no one has made an attempt on my life in over a cycle now.

  He recalled the first several attempts on his life, when he initially started working the Night Market.

  It took a lot of effort to set myself up here. But ever since that diurdin Magus pinned me and forced me to call on some favors, I’m not being seen as the most dangerous Hand. I think I’ll have to arrange some demonstrations that I’m still a force to be reckoned with here. Well, at least my reputation outside of the Night Market remains intact for now. I’m not going to lose five years of effort to one Magus!

  As he moved through the market area, looking for any possible clients, he thought about it.

  There are those rumors that that Dagger, Ticca of Rhini Wood, spied on the Night Market for a time as part of that whole Nhia-Samri business. A lot of people would like to take her down for the affront. Now that she has returned to Llino in the flying ship, she’d make an even better signal.

  He smiled at the idea of taking out a senior Dagger in a Dagger Home. He then shook his head, thinking better of it.

  No, that would just bring Duke and all those Daggers down on the market like a swarm of locusts. However, she still goes shopping. I’ll have to think about this a while. Maybe it will blow over on its own. Just need to have a few plans in place if this gets any worse or doesn’t make some improvement.

  It was getting close to morning, and most of the customers had left, along with a good number of lesser Hands.

  Looks like nothing else to do tonight. I think I’ll go get a nice meal, a hot bath, and some sleep. Then I’ll start looking into the baroness’s little problem.

  Plans made, Ricio pulled his cloak tighter around him, concealing himself, and started heading for the exit.

  As he came around one of the wooden stalls of a Day Market ve
ndor close to the exit, a wave of air blew down hard on him and the surrounding area. Many people, including Ricio, grabbed their cloaks to keep them from blowing off. The gust of wind stopped, and there was a slight buzzing feeling on his skin. Knowing full well that anything unusual in the Night Market was best met with not being discovered as a witness, Ricio wedged himself into a dark shadow and made sure his cloak was fully covering him.

  The twang of a large bow came from above. Ricio looked up in time to see a heavy bolt appear from nowhere and slam into the ground. As it hit, a series of springs released, causing three hooks to flower out of the shaft, digging into the dirt.

  Connected to the end of the bolt were three cables threaded through a ship pulley and a smaller rope tied to an eyelet. The cables went tight, and the clicking sound of a toothed winch could be heard. The cables tightened as the clock-like tick, tick, tick of the winch continued. The lines swung around the end of the shaft, showing the pulley was mounted on an integrated swivel. The taut cables’ motion, and that they ended in sharp points, reminded him of the needles of a clock.

  The ticks of the winch stopped with the cables pointing directly above him. Even though nothing was there, he could feel the weight of something above him. A strange musical sound, like soft wind chimes singing an ancient melody, floated on the air.

  That’s the same sound I heard when I was directly under the Emerald Heart, which is described in legend as the sound all flying ship sails make.