by Ian Gregoire
But at that moment, sitting on a wooden bench in front of a hedgerow, Kenit wasn’t quite as alone as he would have liked. Several yards along the grey brick path, sitting on a bench beneath the hanging tendrils of a willow tree was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. The Sanatsai beauty sat languidly on the bench with her legs outstretched, crossed at the ankles, and her arms resting on the back of the bench as she gazed up at the reddening sky above. She had been sitting there for the best part of half an hour, and Kenit couldn’t shake the suspicion that not only had she followed him to the garden, she was also surreptitiously spying on him.
Although he’d never seen or met the woman before, Kenit was certain he knew who she was, nonetheless. If her stunning looks alone were not a give away, her burgundy hair was—it was known to be the distinguishing feature of Danai Fay Annis. And assuming she was who he suspected, Kenit was perturbed by her presence in the garden, only yards away. He was vaguely aware that she was once the sister-in-law of Marit Katarnian. Now that she was back in Temis Rulan, after a three-year absence, she was sure to know about Marit’s death and the role he had played in it. And, unlike most other Sanatsai, her status as a living legend of the Order meant she would have little to fear from exacting retribution if she held him responsible for the death of her former brother-in-law.
Danai Annis must have felt the weight of his gaze upon her because she slowly turned her head towards him. In an instant, her eyes were locked on his, and suddenly his breath seemed to catch in his throat. Then, much to his surprise, she flashed him a warm, close-lipped smile, causing his heart to skip a beat. He returned a half-hearted smile before quickly looking away.
For the next few minutes Kenit avoided looking in Fay’s direction. As pleasant as she was to look at, he didn’t want to run the risk of encouraging her to approach him. But his attention was eventually drawn back to her position by the sound of oncoming footsteps. Slowly, he turned his head, dreading the prospect of seeing Fay walking towards him. But, much to his relief, Fay was still seated on the bench beneath the willow tree; the footsteps were coming from a statuesque Jaymidari approaching Fay. Kenit had seen the Sister many times before though they’d never formally been introduced, nor did he know what her name was. But he could discern that she was of southern Karlandrian stock, given her pale complexion and fair hair. It also appeared as though Fay was acquainted with the Sister for she quickly sat up straight when she spotted the other woman walking to meet her.
Kenit looked on with interest as the Jaymidari stopped in front of Fay and bent down to say something into her ear. Whatever was said prompted Fay to stand up to issue her response. He couldn’t hear the words exchanged by the pair but the conversation was brief, and ended with the Sister departing the way she had come. Then, to his horror, Fay turned around to look in his direction.
“You!” Fay called out, beckoning Kenit with a hand. “Come with me.”
Kenit rose swiftly to his feet. “Me?” he yelped.
“Yes, you. Get over here.”
In spite of himself, Kenit quickly scampered away from his bench to join the senior Sanatsai. “How may I assist you, Danai?” he asked cautiously.
“I have an errand to complete in Lirantana. You’re coming with me.”
“But—”
His protestation was cut abruptly short as Fay turned on her heels and began marching away. He darted after her, falling into step on her left side.
“Uh… Danai,” he said, flustered. “Could you not get someone else to accompany you?”
Without looking at him, Fay replied, “I probably could, but you’re the first person I saw so it’s your lucky day.”
Kenit blanched. The prospect of leaving Temis Rulan on any kind of assignment made him feel ill. And though she had described whatever it was she had to do as an errand, he very much doubted Fay Annis was journeying to Lirantana to deliver milk. He was going to have to insist that he be excused from joining her.
“Meaning no disrespect, Danai,” he said diffidently, “but you have to take someone else with you, not me.”
Fay glanced sideways at him. “I have to?” Her tone made Kenit instantly regret his choice of words. “Is that an order?”
“No, of course not, Danai. It’s just that… Don’t you know who I am?”
“Should I?”
“Well…” This was going to be more difficult than it needed to be, he realised. “If I told who I am you wouldn’t be asking me to accompany you.”
“Why don’t you tell me who you are?” said Fay. “So I can be the judge of that.”
Taking a breath to compose himself, Kenit said, “My name is Kenit Darbandian.”
The moment the words passed his lips he braced himself for the inevitable vitriolic reaction.
“And…?”
Fay seemed genuinely nonplussed by the utterance of his name. Could it be she was unaware of the part he played in the death of Marit Katarnian? If so, he knew that now was not a good time to anger her by letting her know. Nonetheless, he had to say something to dissuade her from compelling him to go to Lirantana.
“Danai,” he began, breaking the silence. “You are Fay Annis, correct?”
“That is correct.”
“Well, please believe me when I tell you I’m the last Sanatsai you want watching your back in a life or death situation.”
Fay halted abruptly, causing Kenit to stop as well. She looked at him pointedly and said, “Kai Darbandian, is something wrong with you? I’m not asking you to march into battle with me. I’ve been asked to complete a simple errand, and for the sake of protocol I need you to be present with me.”
“What exactly does this errand entail, Danai Annis?”
Fay resumed walking, and Kenit fell into step beside her.
“The Sisterhood has a seminary about three miles outside the town of Relona in Lirantana. A few hours ago the Sisters there sensed the manifestation of a Sanatsai-to-be in the town. While under normal circumstances they would be required to send two people into town to locate the individual, at the moment the seminary is in quarantine due to a suspected outbreak of violet fever.
“As a favour, I’ve been asked to assign a couple of people to go to Relona to find the young boy or girl as it could be a week or two before the quarantine is lifted. And since I have nothing better to do at present I’ve decided to go myself, and I’m taking you with me.”
Kenit thought it odd that someone of Danai Annis’ status would deign to undertake such a trivial task.
“Can’t you assign others to go?” he queried, “this hardly seems worthy of your personal attention.”
“Kai Darbandian, if I didn’t know any better I would think you were trying to get out of coming with me,” Fay replied. “I realise it’s by no means an exciting task, but someone has to go to Relona to present the child in question, and their anxious parents, with the choice of ten years apprenticeship or the binding of Zarantar. Are you trying to tell me you aren’t up to the task?”
“Yes. I mean, no. I mean…yes, of course I’m up to the task,” he stammered.
“Or maybe you think such a mundane assignment is beneath you?”
“No, I don’t think that at all, Danai.” Kenit reluctantly gave up hope of worming his way out of it. “I apologise if I appeared less than enthusiastic. I’m ready to leave when you are.”
He suppressed his annoyance at his superior for not allowing him to refuse a duty as readily as the Council had done. He also berated himself for not attempting to force the issue. If only Danai Annis wasn’t so damn beautiful, he thought, he would have offered more resistance. As it was, he was going to the Kingdom of Lirantana whether he liked it or not. He just hoped this supposedly simple assignment would not end as disastrously as the previous one.
“I’m pleased to hear it,” said Fay.
For a brief moment, Kenit thought he spied a subtle, satisfied smile on Fay’s lips as he glanced sideways at her. But he didn’t dwell on it; he simply followed
her lead out of the flower garden.
Kayden wiped her runny nose on the right sleeve of her borrowed uniform then wiped the tears from her cheeks with her hands. It had taken a while, but she had finally stopped weeping. Ari stood close by but she was unwilling to meet his gaze—partly because of embarrassment. It had been years since she last cried, and she couldn’t recall ever doing so in front of anyone other than her mother.
“Please don’t tell anyone, Master Ari,” she murmured, keeping her eyes focussed on the ground between herself and Ari.
“About your mother, or that I saw you crying?”
“Either.” She sniffled then wiped her nose again. “Both.”
“Anything you tell me today will remain between the two of us,” said Ari, seeking to reassure her. “No one will hear of it from me.”
With a sigh, Kayden turned her gaze westward where the sun hung low in the evening sky, slowly disappearing below the horizon. She silently took stock of what had just transpired. She had bared her soul completely to Master Ari, revealing the hidden agenda driving her on to become the most powerful Sanatsai she could be, as quickly as possible, and the secret heartache behind it. Now that she had announced her intention to torture and kill the man who had hurt her so profoundly, there was sure to be a price to pay.
She finally turned back to Ari, meeting his gaze.
“Master, what’s going to happen to me now?”
“That still remains to be seen.” He bent down to pick up the knapsack Kayden had discarded earlier. “For now, let’s keep moving. Our destination is not far from here, if we pick up the pace we can be there within the next half hour.” He handed the knapsack to Kayden.
“We’re not going back to Temis Rulan?” she asked in surprise. “You still want to continue this excursion even though I just told you I plan to kill someone?”
Ari offered no response; he simply resumed the march northward. Kayden remained rooted to the spot, perplexed, as he walked away. She pondered what to infer from his silence, then she remembered the promise he just made: Anything you tell me today will remain between the two of us. Maybe Master Ari also intended to turn a blind eye if and when she killed her erstwhile stepfather. Maybe he actually approved of her quest for revenge, and would do nothing to deny her of it. Maybe she hadn’t blown her chances of becoming a Sanatsai of the Order—as she had feared—after all.
Kayden slung the knapsack over her shoulder then rushed to catch up with Ari. She fell into step beside him, and for several minutes the pair marched onward together without exchanging a word.
Eventually, it was Ari who broke the silence when he looked sideways at Kayden to say, “Master Fay informed me that you and she have never got on particularly well.” To Kayden’s mind that was a major understatement. “And I’ve noticed a certain degree of antipathy on your part towards her today. While I realise you believed she had it in for you when she became the administrator of Antaris campus, I find it difficult to accept this is the sole reason for your dislike of her. Surely there is a bit more to it than that?”
“Why does it matter, Master?”
“Maybe it doesn’t,” conceded Ari. “But Fay is my closest, dearest friend, and though I’ve only known you for a couple of hours it’s becoming readily apparent that you and she have a great deal in common. It would be a shame if the two of you were unable to establish some kind of rapport with each other. So again, I’m curious as to your ill-feeling towards her.”
Kayden struggled with how best to respond to the query. It wasn’t so much she didn’t know the reasons for her issues with Fay—of course she knew. It was more a case of not knowing how she could give voice to those reasons without it being interpreted as jealousy on her part. But in light of everything she had already revealed to Master Ari there seemed little reason to withhold anything now.
“Truthfully, Master, there isn’t one specific reason I can point to,” she admitted. “It’s more an accumulation of different things. For a start, the way she conducts herself on campus—she is always so standoffish and impersonal. None of the other instructors are like this. They make the effort to be relatable and approachable which makes it easier to interact with them.
“And why is it anytime I get sent to her office to be reprimanded, she never displays any emotion? Why can’t she lose her temper and get angry with me like a normal person? At the very least she could raise her voice to indicate her displeasure.
“But the thing that aggravates me the most,” Kayden was on a roll now, “I just can’t stand the way everybody idolises her, especially as the adulation is based on nothing but absurd folk-tales of her supposed exploits.”
“I’m not sure I understand what folk-tales you are referring to,” said Ari. “Would you care to elaborate?”
“I mean the silly tales taught as historical fact during history lessons. She features so prominently, and so frequently, throughout the entire history of the Order, it’s just not plausible—yet nobody ever thinks to question it. For example, we’re supposed to believe she was an escort for the Darmitanese trade delegation that set sail for Bantujura only to end up shipwrecked in Nanjasutu during the civil war there, and that she subsequently prevented the survivors, including Prince Tonio, from being captured and held for ransom, by single-handedly wiping out a three hundred strong brigade of anti-monarchist rebel fighters, before leading everyone on a sixty mile walk along the coast to safety in Bantujura.” For good measure Kayden added, “I mean, really?”
“You doubt Fay’s ability to defeat three hundred powerless soldiers?”
“Master, whether or not she is capable of accomplishing such a feat is beside the point.”
“Then what is the point?”
“Master Ari!” exclaimed Kayden. She couldn’t believe she needed to point out the bleeding obvious. “The shipwrecking of the Darmitanese trade delegation happened almost forty years ago. If Administrator Annis had really been there she would have to be in her sixties today; the woman doesn’t look a day over thirty-five.” In response to Ari raising his eyebrows at her, Kayden amended, sheepishly, “All right, thirty.”
“Would it interest you to know your master is ninety-six years old?”
“That’s impossible!” Kayden blurted, in obvious disbelief.
Ari began laughing, which raised her hackles. She hated being laughed at—being the butt of the joke.
“I fail to see what’s so funny,” she said pointedly.
“Forgive me, Kayden,” said Ari cheerfully. “I just find it amusing that someone born with the power to do things that are impossible for most people in this world, can be so reluctant to believe Fay is older than she appears. As I recall, you had no trouble accepting that I am older than I look.”
“With all due respect, Master,” replied Kayden. “While you look younger than I expected, you still look old enough to be somebody’s grandfather. But Administrator Annis, on the other hand… She doesn’t even look old enough to be my mother, so how can she possibly be as old as you say?”
“The same way I have over forty years on her.” Ari smiled upon seeing Kayden’s disbelieving expression. “Perhaps I should explain,” he continued. “You are aware that not all Sanatsai are born equal in terms of the strength of our Zarantar?”
“Yes, Master.”
“So you’ve already been taught that in centuries past, when the Sisterhood first became aware of the emergence of the Sanatsai, they developed a grading system to measure and determine the strength of Zarantar possessed by any given Sanatsai?”
“Yes,” Kayden confirmed. “They designated three grades: foundational, intermediate and advanced.”
“Very good!” Master Ari was easily pleased, thought Kayden. “Initially, this grading system was considered definitive, and to this very day more than ninety-nine per cent of all Sanatsai in recorded history have fallen into one of these three classifications. That is why you apprentices aren’t taught about any other grade. However…” Ari trailed off, presumab
ly for dramatic effect. “Every once in a blue moon, the Sisterhood would find a Sanatsai whose Zarantar was far greater than that of those who were advanced grade Sanatsai. These people were incredibly rare, but they possessed attributes no other Sanatsai, Jaymidari or Saharbashi possessed, attributes responsible for them developing abilities their peers found very difficult, if not impossible to master. As a result, the Sisterhood had to come up with a fourth category: the elite grade Sanatsai.
“If it’s not already obvious to you, my reason for mentioning all this is because myself and your master are both elite grade Sanatsai—two of only three currently within the ranks of the Order today. One of the attributes we share, separating us from other Sanatsai is that we age more slowly than is normal. Consequently, our life expectancy is more than double that of ordinary people, hence why I am a hundred and thirty-nine years old, while Fay is ninety-six years old.”
Kayden was awed by the revelation. She knew with certainty Master Ari was speaking truthfully.
“That’s incredible, Master.”
A flash of memory from earlier in the day came to her. Back in the dormitory Fay gently placed a hand on her face, and moments later the facial injuries she sustained during the illicit fight in the old arena healed completely, leaving no trace at all. “So that would explain how she was able to heal some minor injuries I had earlier today just by touching me.”
“Indeed,” Ari affirmed cheerily. “And though I myself was never able to master the ability to the same extent, Fay’s healing power is actually the reason why she’s able to remain even more youthful looking than me.” He chuckled to himself. “Come to think of it, by the time your master passes away, she will doubtless be the youngest looking old corpse the world has ever known.”