by Rae Brooks
Chapter i Taeru Lassau
Chapter ii Calis Tsrali
Chapter iii Taeru Lassau
Chapter iv Calis Tsrali
Chapter v Aela Lassau
Chapter vi Calis Tsrali
Chapter vii Taeru Lassau
Chapter viii Aela Lassau
Chapter ix Calis Tsrali
Chapter x Taeru Lassau
Chapter xi Aela Lassau
Chapter xii Calis Tsrali
Chapter xiii Calis Tsrali
Chapter xiv Taeru Lassau
Chapter xv Ryo Lassau
Chapter xvi Aela Lassau
Chapter xvii Calis Tsrali
Chapter xviii Lee Keiichi
Chapter xix Calis Tsrali
Chapter xx Taeru Lassau
Chapter xxi Calis Tsrali
Chapter xxii Tareth Tsrali
Chapter xxiii Aela Lassau
Chapter xxiv Taeru Lassau
Chapter xv Aela Lassau
Chapter xvi Calis Tsrali
Chapter xvii Aela Lassau
Chapter xxiii Calis Tsrali
Chapter xxiv Aela Lassau
Chapter xxx Taeru Lassau
Chapter xxxi Aela Lassau
Chapter xxxii Tareth Tsrali
Chapter xxxiii Calis Tsrali
Chapter xxxiv Aela Lassau
Chapter xxxv Taeru Lassau
Chapter xxxvi Lee Keiichi
Chapter xxxvii Calis Tsrali
Chapter xxxviii Taeru Lassau
Chapter xxxix Calis Tsrali
Chapter xl Taeru Lassau
Chapter xli Aela Lassau
Chapter xlii Calis Tsrali
Chapter xliii Taeru Lassau
Chapter xliv Ryo Lassau
Chapter xlv Lee Keiichi
Chapter xlvi Taeru Lassau
Chapter xlvii Aela Lassau
Chapter xlviii Calis Tsrali
Chapter xlix Taeru Lassau
Chapter l Lee Keiichi
Chapter li Calis Tsrali
Chapter lii Taeru Lassau
Chapter liii Calis Tsrali
Chapter liv Aela Lassau
Chapter lv Calis Tsrali
Chapter lvi Lee Keiichi
Chapter lvii Calis Tsrali
Chapter lviii Calis Tsrali
Chapter lix Aela Lassau
Chapter lx Taeru Lassau
Chapter lxi Calis Tsrali
Chapter lxii Aela Lassau
Chapter lxiii Taeru Lassau
Chapter lxiv Calis Tsrali
Epilogue Calis Tsrali
“And so it was decreed, that should the kingdoms possess only souls resigned to an inevitable war—without faith or compassion—that the hero’s life would be forfeit, and so too would the lands.”
–A Hero’s Peace, v.i
Chapter i
Taeru Lassau
T
he blue carpet beneath him was clinging to his feet. With every step closer to those too-large teak doors, he felt more of a pressure to remain where he was. But no. He wasn’t going to remain in this castle any longer. He had been a part of this frivolous war effort for too long to stay now.
You’re too young.
You’ll never survive out there alone.
His father’s words hung in his ears as his feet carried him towards the door, unfailing. He was only thirteen, but he was old enough to know what he wanted, and he didn’t want to be here. Not in this house—not anymore. This hadn’t been his home for some time. He hadn’t felt at home since the loss of his mother. She had held this place together, and now she was gone.
Now all that was left was his implacable father. His father was not a monster. Nevertheless, he was desperate to bring an end to Telandus, and that goal was all the older man thought about recently. Well, even if Taeru’s brother was content to remain here, content that things would improve—Taeru was not.
A prince. That was what he had been called his entire life. A nobleman. When he walked the streets of Cathalar, he was recognized, bowed to, and he hated every moment of it. He would have given anything to be a bricklayer’s son. He wanted out of this—out of the politics.
The only regret he had as he moved towards the door was leaving behind his sister. He would miss his brother as well, but recently, Ryo had been painstakingly submissive to their ever-maddening father.
Telandus is worse.
They have done enough to merit father’s wrath.
Ryo had never wanted to go against father. Though, that was probably due to the fear of losing another parent. The loss of their mother had hit Ryo particularly hard. They had been very close.
The real regret, however, lay with Taeru’s sister. She was still very young, and she had cried—oh, she had cried. How she had begged to come with him. Telling her no had taken all the strength within him, but he would not lure her out of the kingdom where a simple suspicion that she were from Cathalar would bring the noose around her neck. He couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to her, and if they knew she was Cathalar’s princess…
No, perhaps if she had been older, he would have considered her opinion more viable, but she was only nine. She didn’t understand. All Aela knew was that she was going to miss her brother.
Ryo probably felt the same about Taeru, though. After all, he was as many years Ryo’s younger as Aela was his own. But that didn’t matter now. What mattered was that the doors were upon him, and that he was leaving. With that thought, he took one last glance at the castle.
The castle was always more intimidating from this angle. His father wanted to make sure all visitors knew that the Lassau’s reigned over this land and anyone who opposed them would be dealt with severely. The wooden banister hung just below the crystalline chandelier. The silver inlaid rug played over the blue carpet. Statues of men no one knew anymore decorated either side of the room at perfectly spaced intervals.
Marble stairwells on either side of the too-large room curved upwards towards the banister near the top of the room. Paintings and artwork that his father didn’t enjoy—only bought to impress. Yes, with that final glance, he was sure that this decision was infallible. With Aela safe here, he could go try and do something—try to get her out of these politics.
He took a long breath.
Where will you go? He heard Ryo’s voice whisper in his ear.
Taeru, are you coming back? Aela’s soft voice asked—weak, shaking with tears. Brother, please!
“Kilik!” A frustrated voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
Taeru Lassau startled out of his reverie to glance to the woman who had just spoken to him. She spoke to him under a name that was not his own, but it was necessary. For, currently, he stood in front of one of the many stalls of a common market. He blinked a few times. The girl who had called him wore a ragged brown tunic with her blonde hair tied back with a white bandana. Alyx Amaral. She looked rather cross. “Would you stop daydreaming?” she hissed. “I’d prefer not to be out here all sun up.”
He frowned, glancing down at the few bags that he carried. She was holding out another one for him. He took it with an apologetic glance. “Apologies,” he said.
Things were certainly not what they were back in his father’s castle. The ground he stood on was of dried dirt that got into people’s eyes at the slightest gust. The stalls before him were dilapidated. Most of them didn’t have much more than a few wooden boards upon which their blemished wares were displayed. The food stalls were a little more kept up, though not much. The buckets of apples and assorted fruits sat before a steadily growing crowd. The vendors struggled to keep order, but order was seldom present on the market streets.
Not that any of the bloody noblemen would know. They only appeared to hassle the lower class citizens, and that was over petty crimes that didn’t reall
y affect the lower areas. No, all the noblemen cared about was their precious Shining District. Aptly named too, as he had discovered from his few excursions there, that everything glittered. It reminded him very much of the Upper Town in Cathalar. Nevertheless, he had long since left Cathalar. Still, a series of traveling misfortunes had landed him right back in the thick of war. Now, he resided in the slums of Telandus—the very city his father had sworn to destroy.
There had been no war—not a real one. Not yet. For now, Cathalar and Telandus vied for the support of the neighboring nations. On that point, Cathalar held an absurd advantage.
However, Telandus’s interest in Cathalari citizens, even their nobility, was not nearly what Taeru had expected. In fact, countless direct encounters with guards had led to little more than disinterested glances. Such was the life of the commoner, and Taeru didn’t mind one little bit.
He’d been here for five years. Sadly, the commoners of Telandus were a bit more cutthroat than those of Cathalar, but Taeru had been lucky. Alyx and her family had taken him in, despite all odds. Apparently, he had appeared sympathetic with his tattered clothing and dirty face. He still fought to earn the kindness they’d shown him, and he still worried he fell short. He did most of their shopping and any hard labor that needed doing—and there was plenty of that—he was the one to do it.
Alyx was the daughter of the woman who had taken Taeru in. She was a year older than he was, though she reminded him very much of his younger sister, Aela. She was adventurous without really understanding the connotations of what being adventurous meant. He had been forced to step in on her behalf on plenty of occasions. He considered that his way of making up for imposing on her family.
Taeru had done everything he could to ensure that he fit into Dark District, Telandus’s name for its lower class citizens’ home. He’d even picked up a job with one of the trading caravans. Every sun he went to the city gates at dawn to help them transport their goods to the marketplace. Horses were not permitted beyond the city walls unless they belonged to the noblemen. There were a few trading companies with the permits required for bringing horses beyond the gates, but the one he worked for was not one of them.
Dark District was a mess. Taeru had ventured many times to the commoner’s residence in Cathalar, and it outdid these slums by leagues. In Dark District, there were very few actual roads. The few that did exist were nothing but a few sparsely placed stones, which were all cracked and weathered. All the buildings were low to the ground, and the slightest rain could collapse the roofs of most of the homes. They were built much like shacks—with tin roofs. However, the very same roofs could be used for travel should one know where to place their feet.
The market was the only decently lit part of the district, since trading had to continue during the moons. It resided in the very center of Dark District.
The rest of the district was comprised of the dark alleyways that held the homes of the commoners. There was crime, though not as much as one might expect—or at least, not as much as noblemen liked to pretend there was. In fact, the main problem the common folk faced was from adolescent nobles coming to Dark District to pick on those that could not defend themselves.
Alyx finished her shopping, and Taeru made sure that he remained appropriately attentive. He ended up carrying more bags than usual—as his extra earnings of late had left Alyx with a want for new clothes. As they headed back towards their small home, she spoke. “Can you imagine having a servant for this sort of thing? All you would have to say is, ‘Sir, go get me such and such’ and you’d have it!” she sounded whimsical. Taeru wished he could tell her that it was not all it was cracked up to be, and that sometimes servants offered very scornful glances that made you feel guilty for many suns.
Instead, he simply laughed. “You’d get bored, I believe, my lady.”
Alyx grinned but then offered the easiest of shrugs. Taeru had always thought Alyx was pretty. He was glad she didn’t have access to those fancy dresses the noblewomen wore. To him, they seemed unnecessary, and they looked downright uncomfortable. Perhaps it wasn’t fair of him to be glad that she didn’t have access—if she wanted them, she ought to have them. Alyx was as sharp as she was pretty, and he was certain she’d put any dress to good use.
“Perhaps,” she said, “but the option might be nice.”
“Might be,” Taeru agreed. “Why are you dwelling on it now? You aren’t the one carrying all these bags,” he teased. Taeru had been correct about his desires, though. He had been a “commoner” for five years, and he felt more contented every sun. However, he still missed Aela fervently. He found himself wondering what she had grown into in his absence. He doubted very seriously that she worried with him much anymore.
Alyx shrugged again, though she didn’t contest that she was not carrying the bags. “There is a ball coming up for the prince’s return. I was thinking about how lovely it would be to attend. A real ball—not the silly affairs we have down here in Dark District.”
“The prince?” Taeru asked dryly. He knew only one prince of Telandus, and Taeru was sure that prince had not gone anywhere, nor would his return merit any sort of celebration.
The girl beside him let out a carefree laugh and shook her head. “Not Tareth,” she said. “His older brother. He’s been gone…” She started, as if something had just occurred to her. “Oh, that’s right. He’s been gone since before you arrived in Telandus. In fact, he left only a few moon phases before. He’s been in Dokak bartering for their support in this prophesized war with Cathalar.” More of this insufferable war. He was sure that he would never escape it.
Taeru vaguely remembered being aware of the Tsrali house having two children. His father rarely spoke of them, except to curse their name and inform the house what horrors would befall them should they ever be within his reach. “I was not aware Lord Tsrali had another son,” Taeru said flatly.
Alyx didn’t seem surprised at this. “You wouldn’t. He has been gone for some five years now. He is very handsome, though. Tall, blonde—nothing like that vile brother of his.”
“I highly doubt they are that different,” Taeru countered. He couldn’t imagine any Tsrali child being anything but a menace and a fool. After his countless run-ins with Tareth, the name left even more of a bad taste in his mouth than it had before he’d left Cathalar.
Alyx shrugged. “I don’t know either of them personally,” she said, “so you may be correct.” Then, she seemed to decide that they had trailed too far from her original topic. “But, regardless, there is a ball to commemorate his return. It is to be a grand affair.” She spoke with the dreamy voice of someone who knew nothing of noble affairs.
Taeru offered a brief smile in return. There was no sense trying to dissuade her of this opinion, so he decided simply to be agreeable. He couldn’t help being a little annoyed with the idea of another Tsrali. Tareth gave him enough trouble. He could only imagine two of the brutes coming to Dark District to cause trouble. Still — maybe, travel had matured the older brother, and he had less interest in terrorizing commoners.
Their conversation continued—or Alyx’s side of it did anyway—until they reached the small house. The Amaral’s had done well for themselves. Their house was much larger than the other shacks around, though it was still certainly a shack. Their roof didn’t leak, though.
As they entered, a little boy skipped towards the door to greet them with what appeared to be a frog. “Why is that in the house?” Alyx shrieked. She swatted at him, trying to ward the child away from her.
“I caught it,” the boy announced proudly. He moved to Taeru, who had not fled the scene as Alyx had. “See, Kilik? I caught it hopping around near the sewers!” he said. Taeru offered an amused smile.
“Oh, by the Light,” Alyx groaned, “do you realize how many diseases that creature probably carries? We’ll be lucky if we aren’t all dead by sundown.”
Taeru placed the bags on the floor and took the creature from the child. “Aitken, I’
m impressed. And here I was thinking that you had no reflexes.” The sandy haired boy was Alyx’s little brother. He was a very cheerful little boy, and Taeru enjoyed teasing him.
The teasing had worked because Aitken was frowning at once. Taeru swept the creature out the door while Aitken was preoccupied with the veiled joke. “I have good reflexes,” he countered. “You said so during sword practice three suns ago.”
The pouting expression on the boy’s face was enough to make Taeru laugh. “Relax, Aitken, I was only teasing you.” Aitken seemed relieved, and then he stuck his tongue out and made a bit of a face when he realized Taeru had disposed of his prize.
“Oh, you’re back.” An older woman stepped out of the hallway. She wore an apron and a friendly smile on her face. “Wash up. I’ve had dinner ready for a bit.”
“Yes,” Aitken agreed, “and she hasn’t let me eat a bite of it until you two got back from shopping.”
As Alyx headed to wash up, Taeru realized that she had left him with the task of putting all of the groceries up. He decided not to mention it, while he would have normally. Somehow, the idea that another Tsrali would be within the walls soon had him in a rather sullen mood.
He went about the task as quickly as he could, with a little help from Aitken. Once he was finished, he retreated to the wash bin and did a relatively quick run over of his face and hands. He thought sardonically how horrified his father would have been to witness him going to eat after such a haphazard wash.
Dinner was filled mostly with Alyx’s prattling on about her desires to attend the upcoming ball. Taeru wished she wouldn’t speak about it, as it kept reminding him that he would soon have another nuisance with which to contend. However, Alyx’s mother seemed to agree on the point that the older brother was much more agreeable.
Taeru ate without bothering to contribute much to the conversation. He had rarely been able to eat in silence back in Cathalar. That was taken as a sign of unhappiness, and that was not tolerated in the Lassau home. It had been a rather unfortunate affair, as Taeru didn’t often have much to say.
Alyx and her family seemed content to fill his silence with their own troubles. In fact, they had called him a good listener on more than one occasion. “Though, with Calis’s return, Kilik may need to ease up on making so much trouble for the nobles,” Alyx acknowledged.