The Exercise Of Vital Powers

by Ian Gregoire

  The conversation between the six Sanatsai ceased. She heard someone get up from one the couches behind her—if it was Kassano he was making a big mistake. She listened to footsteps make the short journey from the couch to her table, halting on her right hand side. She didn’t look up from her book; she may as well keep up the pretence of reading.

  “Greetings, apprentice. I—”

  “No!” said Kayden, without looking up.

  “I’m sorry?”

  Turning her head to the right, Kayden looked up at Kassano. The Sanatsai was over six feet tall, with a muscular physique, rugged features, short dark hair, and an immaculately groomed goatee. He was a surprisingly well put together specimen of a man; she could certainly see why Belen would lay with him. Besides, in all likelihood it was the only thing he was good for.

  “Whatever it is, the answer is no.”

  “But you don’t even know what I want,” Kassano replied awkwardly.

  Kayden frowned. “Of course I know what you want, you’re a man.”

  Folding his arms across his chest, Kassano inquired, “Meaning what, exactly?” He appeared displeased that his charm offensive was off to a bad start.

  “Meaning that—like all men—you want what you cannot have.”

  In response to the stifled laughter of his cohorts close by, Kassano leaned down towards Kayden, placing both hands on the table, glaring into her eyes.

  “That’s quite a tongue you have,” he said in a hushed tone. “I assume when you’re alone with your master it gets put to more productive use, though I can think of better ways for you to make use of that pretty mouth of yours.”

  Kayden rose sharply to her feet, causing Kassano to flinch and take half a step backward as he stood upright. She glared up at the Sanatsai, not caring that he stood four inches taller than she did.

  “Would you care to repeat that?” She matched her tone to that of Kassano.

  “Is everything all right?”

  Kayden was bemused by the speed with which Kassano’s head spun around at the sound of Fay’s voice. The woman had surreptitiously joined them, unseen and unheard, standing within touching distance. Kassano was obviously worried about how much Fay had overheard, though he swiftly composed himself to eliminate the guilty expression he wore, replacing it with a casual, welcoming smile.

  “Fay, I heard you were back. I was just introducing myself to your lovely apprentice.”

  “Is that right, Kayden?”

  Kayden refused to tear her simmering gaze away from the poor excuse for a Sanatsai while she answered Fay. “Actually, your colleague wanted to know if my insatiable Vaidasovian needs, coupled with my insanity-inducing carnal skills had tempted you into taking me as your lover.”

  Judging from the way Kassano’s countenance blanched, Kayden knew that Fay was glowering at him. She peered back over her shoulder for confirmation. She was right. Fay’s face was like thunder.

  “Oh come on, Fay…” began Kassano, before a withering look from the senior Sanatsai prompted him to adopt a more formal address. “Danai Annis, I’m afraid there’s been some kind of misunderstanding. I was just—”

  “Kassano, would you excuse us, please?” Fay’s tone was neutral; her face was not. “I would like to speak with my apprentice, alone.”

  He didn’t have to be asked twice. Kassano quickly withdrew, taking leave of the two women, though he did not return to his spot on the nearby couch. Instead he headed straight for the exit. As he passed the two couches where his colleagues were now looking as innocent as new born babies, he glared at one of the female Sanatsai—Kayden didn’t need to guess that she must be Belen—whom he no doubt blamed for his own indiscretion.

  “So you found your way here all right?” Fay asked rhetorically, as she pulled a second chair out from the table. “Please, have a seat. We have a few things to discuss.” She waited for Kayden to sit back down before doing so herself. “First of all, let me apologise for any offence caused just now. As you are no doubt already aware, beauty can be a disadvantage to a woman, even within the Order. Although we may be more egalitarian than the world outside, you may still find that there are times when you will have to work twice as hard as you should to earn the respect of certain people.”

  Kayden merely offered a nod of the head, indicating she understood.

  “Now, let us get down to business,” Fay continued. “I spoke with Master Ari a short while ago, and he would like to meet you.”

  Kayden’s eyes widened in surprise. The founder of the Order wanted to meet her? “Meet me? When? Why?” It was all she could think to say, her heart was suddenly racing.

  “When he is ready to see you, he will send for you,” replied Fay. “As for why… I hope that becomes clear once you’ve spent some time with him.”

  So, she was going to meet with Ari Shinadu, the man who founded the Order at the end of the Great War. Was that the reason why Fay brought her to Temis Rulan? Should she ask and find out? she wondered.

  “So…will it be just Master Ari?” she inquired, trying not to sound too enthusiastic. “Will I not be meeting the rest of the Council?”

  “Today would not be a good day for you to stand before the Council.” There was something odd in Fay’s voice that Kayden couldn’t help picking up on; she was holding something back. But, what? “In the meantime, while you’re waiting for Master Ari’s summons perhaps I could arrange for someone to give you a guided tour of the grounds and the facilities here.”

  “Someone else?” She added, suspiciously, “Where will you be?”

  “I will be meeting Master Ari again in a little while, to discuss a problem he’d like me to deal with during my visit.

  “Alternatively, if you’d like to forgo the tour, I can take you up to my quarters, now, so you can get some rest, and relax in peace.”

  Kayden was glad Kassano was no longer in the common room, sitting with his nattering Sanatsai cohorts nearby. She could imagine how the invitation to Fay’s quarters would be interpreted. Nonetheless, it was the more appealing of the two options. She really could not face walking around the grounds, potentially having to put up with people gawking and gossiping—wildly speculating that she’d slept her way into Fay’s good graces, thereby earning a trip to Temis Rulan.

  “I think it would probably be best if I waited in your quarters,” she said. “There will be time enough to get to know my way around this place once I’ve been inducted into the Order.”

  “Very well.” Fay rose to her feet. “Follow me.”

  Rising up from her chair, Kayden fell into step behind Fay, but they weren’t able to leave the common room immediately. As the pair tried to make their way to the exit they were repeatedly stopped by Sanatsai who wished to convey their greetings to Fay, starting with Larita, who also apologised for not preventing Kassano from bothering her young apprentice. This was followed by several more firmly gripped forearms, embraces, and kisses on the cheek for Fay, making it even more evident to Kayden just how revered the burgundy-haired Sanatsai was.

  Once all the salutations were concluded, they were eventually able to extricate themselves from the common room.

  Having followed Fay up two more flights of stairs to the fifth floor, and then through a maze of corridors, Kayden was grateful when they finally halted outside the door to Fay’s quarters. When she wasn’t admitted into the room right away she suspected her assumption that Fay’s quarters lay on the other side of the door must be incorrect. She glanced quickly at the other woman to see what she was waiting for. Fay had a faraway look on her face as she stared blankly at the door. It was as though she was reminiscing about something. Kayden couldn’t help but wonder what the Sanatsai was thinking at that exact moment.

  Was Fay having second thoughts about the wisdom of bringing Kayden to Temis Rulan? Was she harbouring regret about something she had done, or was going to do? Fay certainly hadn’t been completely forthcoming about the reasons for their trip away from Antaris. Or perhaps it was somethi
ng much more mundane. Fay might just be embarrassed about the messy state in which she left her quarters when she left three years ago.

  Kayden’s pondering was cut short when Fay finally pushed the unlocked door open and stood aside, gesturing an invitation for Kayden to enter first.

  “You didn’t lock your door before you left for Antaris?” queried Kayden as she stepped across the threshold into Fay’s quarters.

  Fay’s brief chuckle was barely audible. “This is the last place in the world where I need to worry about theft.” The amusement in her voice was plain as day. “Nobody here would ever steal, even if they could get away with it.” Fay followed Kayden through the door then closed it behind herself. “Besides, the only two people who would have entered my quarters during my absence are Sister Bettina, whom I requested to dust the place once a week while I’m gone, and Master Ari.”

  Interesting, thought Kayden. Master Ari has permission to come and go from her quarters as he pleases? Maybe he and Fay are more than just friends and colleagues. Maybe they… Kayden quickly abandoned that line of thought. Since Master Ari had founded the Order seven decades ago he would be old enough to be Fay’s grandfather; great grandfather, even.

  Kayden paced further into Fay’s quarters, glancing here and there. The spacious main interior was divided into three distinct spaces. The smallest area was intended for dining; there was a small dining table adorned with a chequered dining cloth. The second area was clearly set up to be Fay’s study, complete with a mahogany desk strewn with assorted writing paraphernalia and sheets of vellum, in addition to the three bookcases lining the nearby wall, holding several volumes.

  As she ambled around the largest of the three areas—which accounted for over half the available space—the world plush entered Kayden’s mind. It was the perfect word to summarise her surroundings. She would describe it as a regal living room, furnished with an upholstered sofa and two matching upholstered armchairs, between which was a polished tea table, all set atop a beautiful, intricately patterned Zenoshanese rug. To the right of this seating arrangement was a small table upon which were the ornate board and pieces of an unfinished game of chess. Hanging on the wall, overlooking the board game, were three paintings. Each work of art depicted a beautiful scenic landscape, three locations that were, presumably, all real places in the Nine Kingdoms. Kayden recognised the middle picture, it was a painting of the Lilac Valley in the Kingdom of Shintana. Though she had never been there herself, it was famously the location of the decisive battle that had brought an end to the Great War. If she had to guess, she would say the other two paintings were also places in Shintana, which would make sense, for though she didn’t know with certainty where Fay was born and raised, the administrator’s accent was Shintanese, so it was likely the paintings reminded her of home.

  “Do you play?” Fay asked Kayden from behind as she lingered before the chessboard, admiring the paintings.

  “Chess?” Kayden tore her attention away from the paintings to glance at Fay, now standing beside her. “Someone taught me how to play, once upon a time. I never enjoyed it. I would always lose…and I hate losing. Apparently, I lack the patience to ever be a good chess player.”

  “Well, chess is a game of strategy,” mused Fay, “so patience is a beneficial attribute to possess if you wish to win.” She gestured at the unfinished game before them. “Master Ari and I had been playing this particular game for three days before I departed for Antaris to take on the administrator’s position.”

  Kayden glanced back at Fay, fixing her with an incredulous stare. “You actually sat here for three days playing a single game, yet couldn’t finish in that time?” She stepped away from the table and the unfinished game of chess. “Rather you than me,” she muttered, casually walking to the sofa with Fay trailing behind. She halted in front of one of the armchairs but remained standing. For reasons she could not explain, she felt obliged to wait for permission to sit.

  “Please, have a seat,” offered Fay. Kayden did so, after removing her cloak and then her sword, and Fay did likewise, sitting down in the armchair opposite the apprentice. “I realise you ate a short while ago but if you would like something to drink I can have some fresh water or fruit juice brought up to my quarters.”

  “No…thank you.”

  Kayden was having difficulty interacting with the new, unfamiliar version of the administrator. Over the course of the past three years their relationship had consistently been antagonistic, even adversarial. It was hard to reconcile the recent change in the woman. Only a few hours ago she was utterly convinced Fay wanted to kill her. Now, she didn’t know what to think.

  “I’ll be leaving you on your own again, in a little while,” continued Fay. “In the meantime, are there any questions you’d like to ask?”

  Kayden glanced idly around Fay’s quarters. “As it happens,” she began, “it just occurred to me that in my five years as an apprentice I never once thought to ask about something that has been staring me in the face the whole time.”

  “Go on,” prompted Fay.

  “Where does the Order get its money from, to be able to live like this?” She gestured at her surroundings. “To establish a city to rival many in the Nine Kingdoms, not to mention the financing of nine campuses to train hundreds of apprentice Sanatsai. It can’t all be coming from the royal treasuries.”

  “As a matter of fact, the Order doesn’t receive funding from any of the kingdoms. It was deemed vital, from the outset, that financial independence be ensured in order to avoid becoming pawns for whomever might hold our purse strings. We are able to remain self-sufficient through the earnings of ourselves and the Sisterhood, selling goods and services to the public.” Fay smiled wryly at Kayden. “I realise that many of you apprentices do not fully understand or appreciate having to learn vocations such as carpentry, masonry or pottery, but it’s how you will generate revenue for the Order when you’re not on active duty.”

  That made perfect sense Kayden had to concede. But truthfully, though her curiosity about the Order’s finances had genuinely been piqued, the answer to the question wasn’t that important to her in the scheme of things. There was a more serious question she wanted to ask of the Sanatsai sitting across from her, but something was preventing her from doing so. Whether it was embarrassment or fear of what the answer might be, she couldn’t say for certain. So she just stared silently at Fay, mulling over the appropriateness of asking the question.

  “If there is something else you wish to ask…” Fay prompted, once again.

  Kayden leaned forward in her chair. “Before we arrived in Temis Rulan you told me that you volunteered to take the administrator’s post at Antaris campus.”

  “Correct.”

  “But when I pressed you about why, you said that your reasons were your own.”

  “Correct, again.”

  “Well, it seems clear to me now that I’m the reason for your presence at Antaris. From the day you first took the position I was constantly the focus of your undue attention. Others may not have noticed it, but you always made me feel singled out. The way looked at me was different, the way you spoke to me was different, the way you treated me was different. Initially, I just thought you disliked Vaidasovians. Eventually, I thought it must be jealousy, or maybe you felt threatened by me somehow. I didn’t care to know the actual reason, I just knew I hated you for it.

  “But now? I don’t even think it’s any of those things. With everything that has happened over the last few hours, the things I’ve heard said about you. It’s obvious, now, that your fixation with me is personal. So, I have to ask… Are you in love with me?”

  Fay offered no response. In fact, Kayden could see how the woman was trying her hardest to contain an outburst of laughter—a struggle she quickly lost. The placement of a hand over her mouth proved a futile gesture as she started laughing uncontrollably.

  “This isn’t a laughing matter,” Kayden blurted out in exasperation. “If you’re in love wi
th me, I need to know, because whatever feelings you have for me, they’re having a negative impact on my life.”

  It took a little while, but the laughter ended once Fay managed to recompose herself. “Please forgive my inconsiderate reaction to your question, Kayden.” She sounded genuinely contrite. “In all honesty, a part of me wishes that I was in love with you—at least then I’d know how to deal with the matter. The truth is, you are the reason I requested the administrator’s post at Antaris, but not for any of the reasons you have speculated.”

  “Then, why?”

  “Because…” Fay’s protracted pause was fraught with hidden meaning that eluded Kayden. “Because…you remind me so much of someone I knew many years ago.”

  The revelation required tremendous effort on Fay’s part, Kayden realised.

  “Someone who made many terrible, costly choices. Horrendous mistakes that harmed more people than you can imagine. And though it is not in my power to alter what occurred in the past, I feel an obligation to prevent you from making similar mistakes, to do whatever I must to prevent history from repeating.”

  Finally, Kayden knew the truth—or as much of it as Fay was prepared to reveal. But the answer wasn’t enough to mollify her. It simply wasn’t fair of Fay to use the actions of an acquaintance from her past to influence and justify her mistreatment of someone else, today. She was her own person. It didn’t matter if she reminded Fay of someone she once knew. Being made to pay the price for somebody else’s mistakes, just to make Fay feel better about herself, was unacceptable.

  “Who exactly is this person you’re referring to?” Kayden demanded to know. “And why should I allow you to continue taking your unresolved issues with this person out on me?”

  Fay rose to her feet. “I think that’s enough questions for now,” she said, “I really must get going. In the meantime, make yourself at home. If you need to lie down for a while, my bedchamber is right through there.” She pointed to an open door several feet away. “And if you would like to freshen up, the bathroom is over there.” She pointed at the closed door further away. “I’m not sure if I will see you again before Master Ari summons you. But I hope I don’t need to remind you to afford him all the respect he deserves.”