by Anna Kashina
Mai didn’t respond to that, but his wary look spoke of more uncertainty than Kyth had ever seen him capable of.
“In any case,” Alder said, “there isn’t much to be done about all this right now. No saying what could happen if we tried to get out of this thicket in the dark. I think we’d all do best to get some sleep.”
Kara was having trouble falling asleep. During the past few days her headaches were getting more frequent, the incessant whispering in her ears making it hard to concentrate. The inky blackness inside the looming forest line seemed impenetrable to her tired eyes. Worse, despite being unable to see much, she kept imagining movement inside the tree shade. Branches, coiling and twining faster than the tree appendages should be able to move. Shadows crawling along the ground like the spiders that cornered her back at the King’s castle in Tandar. She shivered, pulling her cloak tighter around herself.
Mai was asleep by her side, his closeness putting some of her worries at ease. Still, she wished the headache would stop and the noises in her ears would go away, for once giving her some privacy inside her own mind.
Were the Kaddim taking firmer hold of her?
Could the trees sense it?
She suddenly realized that the tree line seemed a lot closer than she remembered it to be when she lay down to sleep. She tried to reassure herself. Even if the trees here did move faster than normal at Ayalla’s bidding, surely they couldn’t possibly mean harm – not with the cause the Majat were fighting for. She cuddled closer to Mai. As if sensing her unease, he draped an arm around her.
The movement eased her fear. Mai was superbly trained, just like her. If he sensed any danger he would instantly wake up. The fact that he was sleeping tightly meant that this was all a figment of her imagination driven by the Kaddim mind link. Just like they did for the past few weeks, they were messing with her head. If she managed to still her mind, the whole thing would go away.
She curled up against Mai’s chest, trying her best to clear her mind to any outside thoughts.
Something leathery touched her arm.
She whipped out her dagger, hacking at the invading object, but her blade met thin air. Dear Shal Addim, am I going mad? She sat up, wondering how everyone around her was still fast asleep. Even the watchmen Mai had left around the smoldering campfires. This shouldn’t be happening. She spun around at a rustle at her back, and froze.
A group of trees was moving toward her at high speed, their snaking roots whirling over the ground like the legs of a giant centipede. Before she could cry out, a leathery branch whipped around her mouth, another one squeezing her throat until she had no air left. More branches enclosed her, weaving a cocoon around her that rendered her immobile.
With darkening vision she saw the ground fall away, her sleeping comrades not even stirring as she was lifted above them, right out of Mai’s arms. A tight cord caught her around the chest, squeezing out what breath she had left. The noise in her ears rose to a painful ringing that drowned all the other sounds.
Am I dying? The thought didn’t seem important anymore. At least, if she was dying, it wasn’t from a spider bite, which made the whole ordeal seem a lot better. She clung to this thought as her vision blackened and the world around her sank into oblivion.
“What do you mean, gone?” Mai demanded.
The Jade took a nervous step back. Kyth didn’t envy the man his position.
“There’re no tracks, Aghat Mai.”
“You mean, she covered them.” Mai’s face was so still that even Kyth felt scared. He remembered Mai’s reaction when Kara ran away from the barge. Here, in the wilderness, with no means to summon help, it seemed infinitely worse.
The Jade lifted his chin, clearly struggling to keep his composure. “I mean, Aghat Mai, there are none, at all. We have our best trackers on it. No matter how well she could cover her tracks, they would have spotted something. It looks as if someone just... lifted her off the ground and swept her away.”
“Lifted her.”
“Yes.”
Mai heaved an exasperated sigh. “What did the other watchmen see?”
The man averted his gaze, throwing a nervous glance at the men crowding behind him. No one seemed willing to break the silence.
Mai ran a disbelieving gaze around the group.
“Do you mean to tell me that all of you just happened to fall asleep at the same time?”
More silence. Kyth saw the Jade’s lowered hand tremble. Men around him shrank away from Mai’s gaze.
“I think, Aghat Mai,” Egey Bashi said, “there was nothing your men could have done.”
“You leave my men to me, Magister.”
“I mean it, Aghat Mai. However powerful the Majat Guild is, respectfully, you are no match for Lady Ayalla.”
Mai’s gaze spelled challenge. “We’ll see about that.”
“I hope not.” Egey Bashi spoke quietly, but in the smothering silence from the trees around them his words echoed clearly around the group.
“Perhaps,” Kyth said, “you can lead a parley into the forest, Mai?”
Mai glanced at the dense tree line. “Do I have a bloody choice?”
Branches rustled in response. Kyth couldn’t tell for sure, but to his ear the pitch sounded threatening.
“No,” Alder said.
Mai spun around to face him. “No?”
“You’re not to enter the forest. Not with your men.”
“I’d like to see somebody bloody stop me.” Mai drew his staff from the sheath at his back.
Egey Bashi slid forward and caught him by the arm. At Mai’s glance he let go, slowly. “You well know the forces at Lady Ayalla’s disposal can stop you easily, Aghat Mai. It’s time to exercise reason.”
Seldon stepped forward, his frown reflecting poorly disguised contempt. “With due respect, Aghat Mai, I must point out that you are hardly impartial in this situation. I fear that your feelings in the matter may stand in the way of resolving it.”
Mai’s short glance forced him to retreat. Kyth also noticed how Raishan and Lance suddenly grew taller by Mai’s sides, as if offering protection.
“By all means, Aghat Seldon,” Mai said, “if you can point to a solution I’m overlooking, I’ll welcome it.”
“Respectfully,” Egey Bashi put in, “I don’t think any of you can offer a solution here. At least, not the Majat-style one.”
“Respectfully,” Seldon said, “this is not a matter for an outsider, Magister.”
Egey Bashi’s smile showed a touch of impatience. “It seems that in this case it is, Aghat Seldon. The person taken from our party is not a Majat.” He glanced at Mai. “However unofficial, our march is driven by an alliance, and as the representative of the Order of Keepers I have a say. Of course, Aghat Mai’s military authority supersedes mine.” He bowed to Mai.
“It’s not the military authority that’s an issue here,” Seldon said.
Mai glanced up. “You have something else you wish to say, Aghat Seldon?”
“Yes, I do.”
The Diamonds by Mai’s sides crowded in closer. Kyth saw how they all kept their arms toned, as if ready to draw their weapons at any instant. Their eyes kept darting to Mai, looking lower than his face. Waiting for a hand sign. Damn it, are they going to fight each other? He edged away, hoping the movement did not seem obvious.
Seldon seemed the only one unabashed by the threat.
“Even a Guildmaster’s authority is not absolute, Aghat Mai,” he said. “I hope you still remember that your predecessor’s downfall happened to involve Kara and the Kaddim. I hope I am not the only one seeing a connection here.”
“Really, Aghat Seldon, this hardly seems the time to…” Egey Bashi began, but Mai’s short glance stopped him.
“By all means, Magister.” Mai’s voice was quiet, but in the dead silence it still echoed loudly like a shout. “We must hear what Aghat Seldon has to say. What better time to get this all over with?”
The way all the Majat around
Mai tensed up reminded Kyth of a battery of strung crossbows about to be released at the enemy line. He marveled at the way Seldon acted as if oblivious to the tension, even though a small bead of sweat glistening at his temple said otherwise.
“It came to my attention, Aghat Mai,” Seldon said, “that after assuming your post you’ve failed to appoint a new Shadow Master. In fact, I heard our seniors say that you’ve made plans to permanently abolish the post.”
Mai smiled. “I assume, Aghat Seldon, that this discussion is somehow relevant to our situation here.”
“I believe so, Aghat Mai. I cannot help but think of how this action would give our Diamonds – including yourself – far less incentive to follow the Code.”
Mai continued to smile, but something about his stance sent a chill down Kyth’s spine. “Are you accusing me of violating the Code, Aghat Seldon?” Mai said.
Seldon shook his head, looking just a bit deflated. “By no means, Aghat Mai. My words are meant merely in caution. Your devotion to Kara could place you directly at odds with your duties to the Guild. For instance, right now you are planning a confrontation with a powerful forest being for no reason at all except to save the woman you love. Worse, it seems that no one here is even willing to offer an objection to what seems to me like an insanely dangerous plan.”
Mai held his gaze. “Since we are talking so freely, Aghat Seldon, let’s compare my actions to yours, just for humor’s sake. We are trapped by the trees, with a key member of our party whisked away from under our noses without even raising an alarm. That’s a bloody threat to our security, among other things. Yet, you can find no better conversation topic than discussing my love life?”
“Not your love life. Your duty, Aghat Mai.” Seldon shifted from foot to foot, his darting eyes searching for any support among the silent group.
“Speaking of duty,” Mai said, “I believe in a situation like this, when you challenge my authority in the face of a deadly threat, the Code dictates for me to hack off your head, or do something equally unpleasant. However, just this once, I am giving you a chance to stand down and end this peacefully.”
“How convenient,” Seldon mumbled.
Kyth dropped his gaze just in time to see Mai’s hand unclench, a signal that sent all the Diamonds forward, their hands unfolding with blades that pointed at Seldon, who seemed too terrified to move. Mai remained in place, his posture losing none of its graceful ease.
“We are at war, Aghat Seldon. Perhaps now is a good time for you to get this fact through your head?”
“Do you hope that if you win the war everyone at the Guild will just let you do whatever you please, for the rest of your life?”
Mai’s body unfolded in a move that would have seemed leisurely if it hadn’t been so fast. His staff slid into his hand, as if alive, its tip pressing against Seldon’s throat. Watching wide-eyed, Kyth’s saw Mai’s finger resting at the spot where, as he knew, a hidden spring could release a retractable blade at a very light touch. At this angle the movement would likely sever Seldon’s head.
Seldon paled but he kept Mai’s gaze, calm and tranquil like the summer sky.
“If we win this war,” Mai said, “I would gladly have a conversation with any of the Guild’s seniors who have issues with my command style. However, given that we are currently on the march, I cannot possibly afford to tolerate any further discussions of this kind, and will stop them by any means necessary. I’m sure you understand, Aghat.”
Seldon’s eyes darted to the Diamonds around him, then finally dropped to the ground in a gesture of obedience.
“Please forgive me, Aghat Mai,” he said. “I’ve spoken out of turn. You are correct of course. I will gladly accept whatever punishment you deem warranted.”
Mai stood still for a moment, then withdrew his staff. All the Diamonds around him lowered their weapons.
“Consider it a warning, Aghat Seldon,” Mai said. “If you act bloody stupid yet again, I won’t be this forgiving next time.” He turned away and walked toward the line of trees, staring into their dense thicket.
Seldon swallowed. Hs flaring nostrils, the rolling muscles in his neck and throat, showed Kyth that beneath the death fear the man had just experienced he was fuming. Kyth’s own hands were shaking just from watching the encounter. Worse, he knew there was a grain of truth in Seldon’s words, even if now was definitely not the time to mention it at all. Mai’s and Kara’s affair couldn’t possibly come to any good, especially with the way it served as the focus of all Kaddim’s plotting.
Or perhaps it was Kyth’s own jealousy speaking?
He glanced around the group, noting how everyone was still tense and alert. Mai seemed like the only exception, his posture calm and relaxed as he strode back from the tree line. His eyes fell on Egey Bashi.
“You were saying, Magister?”
Egey Bashi let out a sigh. “Nothing important, Aghat Mai. I was merely going to suggest that we wait.”
“Wait for what?”
“For Lady Ayalla to make her next move.”
Mai shifted in place, the only sign that betrayed his restlessness. “Since we seem to have nothing else to do, perhaps you can fill the obvious gap in our knowledge about her powers?”
Egey Bashi nodded slowly, his eyes darting to Alder then wandering off to stare into the distance. “The question of Lady Ayalla’s powers goes back centuries, Aghat Mai.”
“I’m all ears, Magister.”
“It started with the situation in the Forestlands.”
Kyth raised his eyebrows. He had grown up in the Forestlands and always thought it to be one of the most peaceful places in the world. “There was a situation in the Forestlands, Magister?”
Egey Bashi shot him a quick glance. “I’m sure, Your Highness, that you’ve probably heard a thing or two about the Dark Mire.”
“Yes.” Kyth paused, remembering. The Mire, a deep area of the Forest to be avoided at all cost, spawned all kinds of dark and exotic creatures. The large hairy spiders Alder carried on his shoulder, ones that could dissolve a man with one quick bite, were by far not the worst. Yet, even with all these horrors, he had to admit that Ayalla herself was by far the strangest and the most frightening of all. A woman rumored to take lovers so that she could give birth to trees, one who could heal with a touch and command the landscape to shift its way... He shivered.
Egey Bashi sat still, watching his reaction. “The Dark Mire is considered to be the apex of magic, all that was left of the Old World when the Holy Wars drove the magic control laws into place. Folk tales say that Lord Shal Addim had once bound all the ungodly magical powers into a sack, but the Destroyer slit a hole in it, letting all the magic pour into this one spot at the center of the Forest. This rumor is not as far from truth as it may seem.”
“What do you mean, Magister?” Mai asked.
“The Dark Mire is the place where, during the Holy Wars, all the magic users gathered together to take their last stand. Many perished in battle. To preserve themselves, all the survivors breathed out their magic essence into Ayalla – a common woman who, until that time, possessed only one gift of her own. Slow aging, also known as the Power of Immortality.”
Kyth’s eyes widened. “You mean, Ayalla is not only immortal but also possesses magic gifts of many?”
The Keeper hesitated. “Not directly. What she possesses is a blend – a new, unique power that is also known as the Power of Life.”
Life. Kyth glanced at the deep tree wall around them, at the spiders shifting restlessly on Alder’s shoulder. In a way all the miracles he saw Ayalla perform, the way she commanded powerful and frightening creatures, could indeed be thought of as life. Except that she also wielded death, more frightening than he could ever imagine.
“Is this is why she can give birth to trees?” Mai asked. “If this rumor is true, of course.”
“It is true, Aghat Mai. And it makes perfect sense, actually. Trees are the essence of life. They also age slowly, just like her,
even though in the end she outlives them all.”
Kyth stared unseeingly into the distance. Ayalla was old, older than any living being he knew. It seemed mind-boggling to think of this kind of power, life and immortality blended together, the essence of all the magic users trapped in this realm. He felt delusional about their plan of securing her alliance. With this kind of power at her disposal, why would she possibly care about helping them in a war?
“What else can she do, Magister?” he asked.
“No one truly knows. Her powers have to do with everything living, which is why she is the only true opponent to the Kaddim.”
Kyth noticed how all the Majat were listening now, as if the mention of their enemies had clicked a new awareness into place.
“How so?” Mai asked.
“The Kaddim spawn death. The ultimate manifestation of their mind power is known as the Power to Kill – essentially telling a person to die.”
“But they can resurrect too.”
“Resurrect, yes, but not to give a new life. The resurrected ones are technically undead, even if they may not look this way. People connect the Kaddim magic to the power of the Cursed Destroyer, which is why the Kaddim leader is rumored to be his direct reincarnation. Whether it is true, nobody knows, but one thing is certain. The Kaddim Reincarnate and Ayalla are the exact opposites in their powers, as well as a match in their strength, or very close so. To defeat the Kaddim once and for all, Ayalla must not only lend us her spiders. She must be there herself.”
Mai’s eyes narrowed. “Did you know this all along, Magister?”
“I suspected it, yes.”
“And you didn’t think it fit to tell me?”
The Keeper held his gaze. “Would you have acted differently if I did, Aghat Mai?”
“Perhaps. But it’s too late to entertain this now, is it?”
“Too late? Hardly. We are doing nothing but waiting, are we?”
Mai glanced at the wall of trees around them. “I suppose so. However, on this short notice the only change we could possibly entertain is to have me, not Kyth, discuss the alliance with her.”